Editor’s Note
This edition is a Christmas new releases special. Next week’s edition will be a recommendations special. There will then be a 2 week break.
New releases, pre-orders, reviews and news are all wanted for the Newsletter. Please click here for submissions via Google Forms. Read the T&Cs before you submit.
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New Releases
Black Beacon: A Christmas Ghost Story by Steve Griffin
1976. The South Downs. The Christmas it snowed. The Christmas that evil returned…
Struggling with money, Theo and Nat are doing their best to make Christmas special. It’s been a hard time of year for them, ever since they lost their beloved daughter.
But this year, their troubles are just beginning. They are about to be visited by a terrifying ghost from Christmas past, a spirit that will bring back not just the horror of the war that divided them but also a deep, hidden betrayal from their early life together…
Will Theo and Nat survive the haunting and wounds of their past?
A Christmas to Remember on Sunflower Street by Rachel Griffiths
Freelance English tutor Erin Dawlish is heading to her parents’ new home on Sunflower Street for a big old-fashioned family Christmas. She’s looking forward to spending time with her family and to having a break from her busy life in Bath.
After recently losing his mum, Leo Steele was expecting to spend Christmas alone in London, but his childhood best friend, Paul Dawlish, insists that he joins him and his family.
When Erin and Leo meet after years apart, they get to know each other again as adults and find that they get on well. But they’ve both loved and lost and carry the scars to prove it.
Can they find a way to heal and move on together so they can make this a Christmas to remember on Sunflower Street?
A Small Town Christmas: Two Holiday Romances by Melissa McClone
Sweet Yuletide: Desperate to escape her new step-family over the holidays, Sheridan DeMarco decides to house-sit in a quaint coastal town. Her dream of spending Christmas alone, however, is shattered when she finds herself sharing the cozy beach cottage with a stranger, Michael "Mikey" Patterson. A kiss under the mistletoe thwarts their plan to keep their distance and draws them closer. But love might not be enough to conquer family complications.
His Christmas Wish: Spending the holidays in Hood Hamlet is the last thing Carly Bishop wants to do. Her hometown is full of painful memories of lost loved ones, but her family needs help. Jake Porter, her late brother’s best friend, is a mountain rescuer burdened by guilt. He believes he can help Carly find her lost Christmas spirit. As their growing closeness ignites a romance, Jake must convince her—and himself—that he's worthy of love.
True Tales of the Supernatural: Real Christmas Ghost Stories by Tina Vantyler
According to ancient folklore, the 12 Days of Christmas, beginning on Christmas Day, mark a period when the barrier between the living and the dead becomes blurred, allowing phantoms to wander our world. What better way to honour those 12 disquieting days than with the same number of ghostly tales?
Brace yourself for harrowing accounts such as: The eerie hotel resident who liked to watch in ‘Rapunzel’… The terrible act of kindness in ‘One Last Holiday’… The man with death in his eyes in ‘Deadbeat Daniel’… The wraith who craved togetherness in ‘Misery Loves Company’… The unholy horror in the library in ‘By the Book’… The unnatural echoes that tormented a family in ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’…
And remember, amidst the sparkle of tinsel and the joy of gift-giving, the spirit of Christmas isn’t always merry. Sometimes, it lurks in the shadows, eager to trace icy fingers down your spine…
A Capybara for Christmas by Simon Michael Prior
One family. Nine countries. And a search for a giant mouse.
When the Prior family dash through Europe and Japan on the trail of a capybara, they’ve no idea they’ll stay in a Liechtenstein brothel, flee an Edinburgh plague doctor, join a dystopian society in Tokyo and attempt to break the German land speed record.
As they sleep on the pavement, live on Nutella and dress up as cartoon caterpillars, will they succeed in their capybara quest, or will the European Christmas markets, Scottish bagpipers and the impossibly complicated Japanese train system defeat their holiday goal?
Christmas Lights and Cat Fights: A Jules Keene Glamping Mystery by Heather Weidner
Christmas has come to Fern Valley, and the town’s decked out with enough glitter and sparkle for a month’s worth of celebrations, each more over-the-top than the previous one. The idyllic setting, filled with laughter, carols, and sweet treats, is shattered, along with some of the decorations, when the current wife and the ex-wife of a big-cat showman have a knock-down, drag-out fight in the center of town. Jules Keene, owner of the Fern Valley Glamping Resort, tries to keep peace among her guests and with the town council, but it turns into a catastrophe when Tabbi Morris, winds up dead in one of her ex-husband’s tiger cages.
And if the murder wasn’t enough, Jules discovers that some of the big cats are missing, but the owner and his family insists that nothing is wrong.
Curiosity gets the best of her, and she has to solve the murder and figure out if the owner of Cal’s Cats is pussy-footing around or whether it’s something more sinister before it ruins the holiday season and her business.
Christmas Wishes and Popcorn Kisses by Chloё L Blyth
Festive babysitting goals: Keep the niblings alive. Don’t eat too many sweets. Do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with Father Christmas.
How hard can it be?
Christmas Wishes & Popcorn Kisses is a sweet romantic comedy novella following Abi’s trials and tribulations as she babysits her niece and nephew in the run up to Christmas. Exhausted and unwashed, with unknown substances on her jumper, the last thing she expects is to fall for the big guy in red. But then, he isn’t just any guy…
From reality TV dating show ‘Love Under The Stars’ to local Father Christmas, could Jacob Chilbeam be the man she’s been waiting for? Or is he just a selfish, baby-hating, sandwich-stealer?
There’s only one way to find out.
Pre-Order Now
The Christmas Pact by Hayley Anderton, to be released in November 2024
There's no place like home... until your world is turned upside down and you're left alone.
Liv usually loves Christmas, but now her boyfriend has left her and it just won't be the same. With her parents away for the festive season, it looks like she'll be on her own.
Enter Natalie, her best friend and the master of making the best of a bad situation. She comes up with the Christmas Pact - an agreement that forces the pair of them to cram their days with fun and festivity together. But with Liv's emotions on a rollercoaster ride and Natalie hiding secrets of her own, can they keep to their promises?
A festive tale about mending broken hearts and the power of female friendship.
Book Review
A Christmas Wish: A Collection of Heartwarming and Festive Short Stories by Suzanne Rogerson, reviewed by N S Ford
A wonderful collection of short, festive-themed stories to make you smile. The characters and situations are all believable and grounded in everyday life. They show that people who care are rewarded spiritually and they celebrate the love between couples, families, pets and their owners, musicians and their instruments, even the love between strangers for their common humanity. I found myself rooting for the characters and being drawn into their situations. I’m not usually a reader of anything described as heartwarming, but I really enjoyed this memorable collection and would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a quick festive read.
Free Book
Murder at the Snowed Inn: A Cozy Winter Murder Mystery by Imogen Plimp
Free on Amazon US and UK at the time of composing this edition of the Newsletter.
The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter is compiled and edited by N S Ford, indie author and book blogger.