The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #21
Celebrating amazing indie authors! Find your next indie read today!
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New Releases
River in the Galaxy by Natalie Kelda
When Merlon's parents disappeared, his world fell apart. When his best friend died, he lost the ability to enjoy life.
For Captain Merlon Ricosta, Lanier's death, two years prior, feels like yesterday. But when a map from his parents is discovered, he decides to push aside his grief to get closure and follow the route they vanished along eighteen years ago.
Despite political trouble, Merlon leads his crew into the unknowns of strange galaxies in his quest to find out why his parents never returned.
In River in the Galaxy Merlon fights to keep his crew alive and suppress his prolonged grief and depression. But he must face his own struggles in order to protect the ship and the people aboard.
Kingsrise by Anne Mattias
A sleepy town on the west coast of England. Nothing really happens here. Until now…
Two stabbings. The victims: a man named Arthur and a mysterious knight. Detective Inspector Niamh Khalid finds herself drawn into a world of myth, magic, and betrayal. Can she solve an impossible case and keep her brother safe?
Things aren’t looking too great for DI Niamh Khalid. Her brother Lance has been arrested, her superior officer is breathing down her neck, and she is investigating an attempted murder, with no suspects and no clues to the identity of the victim.
Then, Lance and his friends discover another dead body: a young man, dressed as a knight.
Soon, a series of terrifying incidents threaten to derail Niamh’s investigation. Lance is clearly hiding something, and Niamh’s journalist ex-fiancé is back in her life, asking awkward questions.
When criminal barrister Merlin Rhys seeks her out with a stunning revelation, Niamh begins to appreciate just how strange and frightening a mystery she and Lance have become involved in.
Can myth and magic be real? Can they help Niamh solve her case, and save both her brother and her world?
Fans of Ben Aaronovich, V.E. Schwab and women detectives will love Kingsrise, an urban fantasy mystery by first-time author Anne Mattias.
Light My Pyre (Everwood Falls Book 1) by Kat Kinney
EVERWOOD FALLS… a small supernatural community tucked up in the Colorado Rockies where witches, werewolves and vampires can live without fear of discovery, and those with curses they can’t control are sent to keep the existence of magic from being revealed to Mundanes.
As a prince of the fae High Court, Asher Heath has always been caught between two worlds—the kingdom of faerie where his fire magic is unparalleled and the human realm where he works as a firefighter. But two months ago, he lost control of a blaze his fae magic was supposed to contain, with tragic results. With his magic poisoned by a demon curse, he can’t risk getting close to anyone… including Gwyn, the fierce and beautiful dragon shifter he encounters out in a thunderstorm in the woods. But trouble has followed Asher to Everwood Falls. An arsonist is setting fires around town using demon magic to possess their victims—and their targets get bigger every time.
Gwyneth Drake doesn’t need a prince to save her. She shifts into a twenty-foot fire-breathing dragon who can fight her own battles. A fierce advocate for the dragon community, she was forced into hiding when an ex tried to sear her dragon from the skies. Now dragon blood has been found at one of the arson sites and she and Asher will have to work together to stop the arsonist before they strike again. Someone from Gwyn’s past may have followed her to Everwood Falls, and they’re too close to the case for comfort…
With a herd of enchanted elk, carnivorous spruce trees, and sentient pumpkins that stalk the local landscaping, Everwood Falls is a quirky mountain town where fangs and fur mean found family.
The Darkest Memories (The Impulse Dossiers Book 1) by Alyse N Steves
My name is Hadley Gordon. Parahuman mutations: telekinesis and telepathy. Employment: Agency for Parahuman Affairs. Age: twenty-six, not that I remember the first twenty-one.
We’ll get back to that.
I thought digging through criminals’ minds for a living was hard enough, but then a serial killer came for my friends.
The good news? I saw him. I fought him. I survived.
The bad news? He got away.
Oh, and remember that memory loss thing?
Now, my missing memories stand between us and a killer, and he’s determined to finish what he started.
Pre-Order Now
Hills of Heather and Bone by K E Andrews, release date May 30th
The bones of the dead hold stories.
On the fringes of Errigal, Morana longs to exchange a life of hiding for a peaceful one with her husband, Percy. While Percy's bloodgift lets him grow plants and heal broken bodies, Morana's a boneweaver, despised and feared because she can hear bones and raise the dead. Morana doesn't want to be seen as a villain from the old stories and instead spends her time gardening, writing the stories of the dead, and fending off a spiteful chicken.
Morana and Percy's lives are shattered when a group of Failinis tasked with capturing boneweavers and rogue bloodgifted find them. On the run and battling the elements, ancient creatures, and the loss of all they called home, Morana and Percy search for any sanctuary left in Errigal. Morana must choose between the call in her blood or the family she holds so close to her heart if she and Percy are to survive.
*** New indie releases and pre-orders wanted! Send in details for the opportunity to be featured! ***
Featured Promotion
BooksmarksByDanni is an Etsy store run by book lover and artist Danni Williams. The store is a small business which sells handmade bookmarks, current designs include Jack Skellington, Hooked Eye and Dahlia. Custom designs (example pictured) can also be ordered for author bundles, based on book covers - ideal for giveaways and promotions.
News Round-Up
Book fans, bloggers and writers are promoting independently-published books this month for #indieapril - post on social media using this hashtag.
Small independent press Brigids Gate will be accepting short story and flash fiction submissions for a Sapphic Villains Anthology during May.
Panelist sign-ups and author entries for the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award 2023 are open.
*** News wanted! Send in your positive news about indie books & authors! ***
Book Review
Odder Still by D N Bryn, reviewed by Danni at For Books Sake
After reading both Our Bloody Pearl and Once Stolen, D N Bryn definitely became an auto buy author for me, but I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Odder Still in exchange for an honest review. As you can imagine, I had set my expectations very high for this one, and it certainly didn’t disappoint!
I was so excited to jump back in to the These Treacherous Tides series, and this time we get to hear Rubem’s story. The story starts with Rubem making their escape from Lilias, all while having a sentient parasite clinging to their neck. The parasite is slowly taking over, and Rubem is slowly but surely losing their control.
From the very beginning, this story has more of the beautiful world building that the author is so brilliant at. This is one of my favourite aspects about all of their books because you are completely taken away from the real world and submerged in to a whole new one that you couldn’t imagine in your wildest dreams.
There was a real mix of characters to the story, and a huge amount of personality. Although I enjoyed them all, one of my personal favourites was Sheona, because she was so fierce, loyal, and undeniably badass! The sort of person that you would always want in your corner, that you could trust with your life, which Tavish very clearly did. Rubem and Tavish were polar opposites, but I think that’s why they worked so well together, and it certainly made their relationship more exciting. Tavish’s family were so awful to him, and it was lovely to see him find his own people, and create something for himself.
I’m not usually a big fan of romance in books, but in every one of the author’s stories, I have been completely invested in the romantic relationships. The way that they are written and incorporated in to the story is such a joy to read, and it is so easy to get wrapped up in them. There’s always an element of danger and uncertainty to them, as well as a beautiful gentleness which makes them so much more enticing.
There is an exciting end to the story, with lots of twists along the way. I was really rooting for Rubem and Tavish from the beginning, and was on the edge of my seat the entire way through, desperately waiting to find out what happens. This book is jam packed with action, and truly has you hooked from start to finish.
*** Book Reviews wanted! Send in a review of an indie book you enjoyed and get a FREE Featured Promotion for your books/website/services in the Newsletter! ***
Free Book
The Terrible Personal Shopper (Surprised by Love Book 2) by Laura Burton
(Available for free on Amazon US and UK at the time of this Newsletter issue)
*** If you are an indie author with a free book promotion coming up in the next few weeks, or have a book available perma-free, send details to the Editor for the opportunity for inclusion in the Newsletter. ***
The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter is compiled and edited by N S Ford, indie author and book blogger.