Who doesn't love receiving free items? Personally, I am a big fan of promotions and deals, just as much as I enjoy supporting authors. However, there have been instances where I couldn't afford to purchase books, whether they were digital or physical copies, due to financial difficulties or geographical restrictions (like Amazon’s Kindle eBook Gifting Program) despite my passion for them. This led me to explore various websites that offered free ebooks, and in many cases at the simple cost of giving your valuable review (ARC- Advanced Reader Copy) in return, no matter where you are. So, let's get started!
***Author’s note: Please note that the algorithms are not perfect so many times some titles may appear in the wrong category, so always make sure to double check the title and other people’s reviews to ensure that it is indeed a clean romance (or closed door) book. ❤️📖***
1. Amazon Kindle
It’s not surprising that this is the number one source for Free eBooks. Even if you don’t have an Amazon Kindle Membership or if you can’t redeem Kindle Books Gifts* due to Geographical restrictions (as I recently came to know in my case), you can still access Kindle’s wide selection of eBooks. If you simply type phrases like “FREE CLEAN ROMANCE KINDLE BOOKS” you’ll get a long list of temporary $0 kindle books on sale that you can “buy” and have them sent directly to your Kindle Library, which you can access in your device on the Kindle App or read them at read.amazon.com
*Kindle books gifts (when you buy an ebook to send it to someone else as a gift) can only be redeemed by recipients in your own country. Recipients outside of your country cannot redeem any Kindle books you send them. You can send unredeemed copies to other recipients or request a refund.
2. NetGalley (ARC)
Another widely known site is NetGalley. While not all books on NetGalley are free, you have the opportunity to access clean romance ARCs and provide feedback to support authors. You can become a member by signing up at: https://www.netgalley.com/auth/register. After that you’ll be free to browse on the site, and even to download their app on your device. They also have a blog called Bookish where they explain How to get approved for ARCs as a reviewer on NetGalley.
3. Story Origin
This is one of my favorites! It’s so easy to sign up and immediately gain access to a lot of different books and the good thing is that you can discover free clean romance ebooks by browsing their romance section or joining author newsletters that offer freebies. Just click where it says Ebooks to see all the books available. Their Group Promos section also has many other titles available.
4. BookSweeps
BookSweeps hosts book giveaways where authors offer free ebooks to readers. They frequently have romance-themed giveaways, including clean romance, where you can enter for a chance to win free ebooks. You can also browse the titles by clicking on the main menu> READ> All Filters> SUBGENRE> Clean and Wholesome. To get your book just click on it and it will show you the DOWNLOAD option.
5. Smashwords
Smashwords is an ebook distribution platform that allows independent authors to publish and sell their work. While not all books on Smashwords are free, you can often find free and discounted clean romance ebooks from self-published authors. The great thing about it is that they have a Clean & Wholesome Romance category and you just need to sign up for a free account to start adding books to your library.
6. Booksprout (ARC)
This one may not be as known but it’s another review site where you can sign up for free to get access to ARC’s in exchange for your review. You can filter your search by genre to narrow down the results and choose your book.
7. Apple Books
It is well known that Apple has its own Reader App called Apple Books. While the selection of free titles may not be as extensive as other sites, it does offer a decent variety. To find clean and wholesome books, you can easily type "Clean & Wholesome" in the search bar within the app. This will provide you with results, including both paid and free options, with the ability to download a sample before making a decision.
8. Google Books
According to Google itself, Google Books provides access to more than 10 million free books available for users to read and download, including some free clean romance ebooks. You can search for clean romance titles by using specific keywords or filters, or you can simply try the phrase “clean romance” to get results.
9. BookSirens (ARC)
BookSirens is an online platform that connects authors and readers, specifically focusing on the book review process. It provides a platform for authors to offer their books for review and for readers to discover new books and provide feedback. You can sign up to their newsletter or search books by title, author or typing the phrase “clean romance” or “clean and wholesome” to get results.
10. Authors' Websites and Newsletters
Many authors have their own websites where they offer free ebooks as a way to engage with readers. Additionally, subscribing to author newsletters is a great way to stay updated on new releases, promotions, and exclusive freebies from your favorite authors. Authors often use BookFunnel, StoryOrigin or BookSirens, to offer exclusive content to their readers, so you might find some hidden gems here.
And let me tell you a little secret 🤫, if you take advantage of the “Free ebooks for limited time” campaigns (like summer specials, clean romance, Christian romance, etc…) that are often advertised in our Instagram feeds (where you have to sign up for the authors’ newsletters in order to download the books) you can end up with a valuable source of authors and clean reads.
Honorary mentions
The honorary mentions first include websites that have restrictions or limitations for international users and also some sites that have a limited selection of clean romance titles.
1.Barnes & Noble
That is correct, Barnes & Noble have a Free eBooks category under the section eBooks>Customer Favorites> Free eBooks, where you can browse by subject, collections, age and more. You can also click here> to go straight to Clean & Wholesome Free eBooks. The only requirement is to create a free account on their website, to have a Nook device or to download their Nook App to read the books and enter a valid credit card with a US billing address- even if it’s a free download it’s required. So, geo restriction and the need to enter a valid payment method is the reason why it did not make it to the official list.
2.Kobo
KOBO is another recognized site where you can acquire eBooks, Audiobooks and Reader devices. They have a selection of FREE eBooks as “a little thank you to readers” that you can easily download and access through their Kobo App, which is available for both Android and iOS. The only downside I would say is the current few FREE clean romance titles but if it’s within your budget then you can purchase them too, as they do have a wider paid clean romance collection but that’s only available to U.S residents as it requires a valid U.S billing address.
3. Libby/ Overdrive
Libby is a popular mobile app developed by OverDrive, a digital distribution platform for libraries and schools. Libby allows users to borrow and read ebooks, digital audiobooks, and magazines from their local library's collection. It provides a user-friendly interface for accessing and enjoying digital content on smartphones, tablets, and e-readers. The reason why it did not make the original cut is because most of its benefits lay on the use of a valid U.S Library card, which many don’t have access to internationally.
4.Cobalt Fairy (ARC)
Cobalt Fairy is mostly known for its Historical Romances authors and they have different ways you can get free ebooks. You can sign up for free for their newsletter to receive the updates on their recent releases, and other promotions or deals, you can download a free collection from their selected authors or you can apply to the ARC team of your preferred Historical Romance author from their list. You just need to keep in mind that they have a reduced amount of clean romance titles and authors.
5. Goodreads Free Shelves
Last but not least, our favorite site-to-go for book reviews also has a small selection of readable and downloadable free ebooks. Keep in mind that you may have to browse quite a bit to find a suitable clean read as they currently have about 2500 titles available or what is the same 50 pages worth of results including both downloadable books and some excerpts too
Thank you for reading! ❤️📖
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