The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #10
The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #10
Spreading the word about amazing indie authors! Please share and subscribe!
Editor’s Note
Welcome to the 10th edition! The Newsletter has now had over 1,000 views and is currently at 50 subscribers. It’s multi-genre, friendly and FREE! Here are some ways to support the Newsletter:
Tell your bookish friends and fellow writers about it
Share the link on your social media networks
Send in your positive news about indie books and authors
Contribute reviews of indie books you enjoyed
Submit details of new indie releases and pre-orders
Switch to a paid subscription for guaranteed promotional spots
Subscribe now to get The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter straight to your inbox every Tuesday!
For more information, check out the About and T&Cs sections. For all enquiries and submissions, please contact the Editor.
New Releases
Soulstealer Origins (Soulstealer Trilogy Book 1) by Reed Logan Westgate
Every evil has an origin...
In the Lord's year 1303, a holy order of knights faces the brink of extinction. Their holy crusade falters as a fiendish monster from beyond the mist decimates their numbers. In desperation, the Knights Templar dispatch a unit to find an ancient relic hoping to tip the scales in the battle against the forces of darkness. Sir Marcus Le'heroux bravely leads the knights into the Hungarian wilderness, but when the weapon he finds buried in the Mátra Mountains turns out to be an awakened Soulstealer, he faces much more than he bargained for. Will the Order's new weapon prove to be more monster than man?
Embark on the thrilling origin story of the death eater Oxivius Soulforge from the Baku Trilogy. Before being shaped by the Witch of Endor into the master of necromantic arts, he walked the earth as Soulstealer.
Too Many Traitors (A Mr Spectre Mystery Book 5) by James Glenn Thompson
The US Navy and DARPA lost one of their unmanned experimental warships in the Gulf of Mexico.
LeSeur Enterprises is hired to find the warship, but someone firebombs their office, and they recommend DARPA hire a former government assassin, Mr. Spectre, to track down the culprit. The assignment soon spirals out of control as Mexican Drug Cartels and an International gang of criminals, among others, plan to steal the experimental warship. The trail of clues leads back to the DARPA software design team and then to a plot with mysterious goals within DARPA and perhaps at higher levels of the US Government.
Mr. Spectre's old nemesis, Ms. Silvia, is interested in the missing warship. At first, she offers to help with no strings attached, but she soon entangles Mr. Spectre into working as a contractor for the CIA again. An assignment that could get him killed or forced back to his former outlaw life or very rich.
Dark Heart of Ilmoure by Cara N Delaney
Years ago, all she wanted was to leave. Now, a web of secrets might ensnare her forever.
When Iris Grey returns to her hometown of Ilmoure years after a bitter parting, she hopes for reconciliation in the face of a tragedy. Instead, she arrives to a town changed for the worse, a cold welcome from people she once loved, and a family that seems to be keeping secrets from her at every turn.
When those secrets become too heavy to ignore, Iris starts to dig deeper. What she finds leads her to question her very perception of reality. Faced with old wounds and new revelations, Iris finds herself mired in a plot that threatens to swallow herself, the town, and the people she once loved.
Juni-Q and the Secrecy of Desire by Julian Martin
Juniper Quinten, a 19-year-old socially awkward but feisty overthinker, wastes her days in her bedroom smoking pot, obsessing over a past affair with a teacher, and wondering where her life is going. She is thrilled when her best friend invites her to his billionaire boyfriend’s yacht for a few days of shopping, hookups, and LSD. But when her friend disappears from the boat, her world turns upside down. Is he dead? Who can she trust among these rich strangers? Does a mysterious guest lurking below deck have the answers? Armed with nothing more than love for her dear friend, Juni-Q must confront the darkest depths of human nature, discover her toughness, and finally figure out where her life is going.
Love is… Everywhere: A story about seeing everyday love by Alyssa Londoño, illustrated by John Konecny
Alyssa Londoño's words are brought to life by the wonderful illustrations of John Konecny. In this story, we follow a young girl on her journey at finding love in everyday things. She realizes that love is not just one thing, but it is all around her... it's everywhere.
Have you ever had a dance party in your living room?
How about jumping in puddles while it is still raining outside?
These are just some of the things our main character cherishes. Through all of this she learned that love is universal, something that we can feel every single day, everywhere we go. Join her on her journey!
Pre-Order Now
The Captain’s Revenge (The Syren’s Mutiny Book 2) by Jessica S Taylor, publication date 30th April
“Not all treasure is silver and gold.”
Caelum stopped his father, but at what cost? Brigid was gone, taken by the very woman she once owed her life to, and Caelum was now wanted for his father’s murder. Now, he has to deal with the aftermath of his decisions, and with the other syrens who only seem determined to make his life more difficult.
Brigid, torn from the new life she had begun to make for herself, must now endure the wrath of the goddess who had saved her. To survive, she shuts herself down, silently hoping that Caelum will rescue her and silently resigning herself to the fact that he won’t make it in time before her body succumbs to Cliodhna’s torture.
When whisperings of a mysterious witch in the South reach Caelum, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get Brigid back, including giving up that which he holds most dear. But will he be able to save her in time? And will what remains of his father’s crew really give up that easily?
Featured Promotion
Accepting submissions for review! Please visit the website for details.
“At The Fantasy Review I write fantasy book reviews about the books I have read and some that I want to read. I also write lists of the best (and worst) I have read and more. There is always something new to explore. With a passion for all things writing, I also offer some Writing Advice from my own experience and some tips I learned from my English Literature & Creative Writing BA and MA!”
Support The Fantasy Review on Patreon
News Round-Up
Kayla Hicks has been accepted as a guest reader at her local elementary school, which involves reading her new book Dandelion and facilitating activities for 100 children.
Voting is open for the Queer Indie Awards, where you can vote for your favourite author listed on each ballot. Voting ends on 27th February.
TheWriteReads has recently toured Irex by Carl Rackman and Unanimity by Alexandra Almeida, plus a cover reveal for Heart of the Sky by D H Willison.
Book Review
Aiduel’s Sin (The Illborn Saga Book 2) by Daniel T Jackson, reviewed by Tommye Rozee
A fast-paced, more action-packed sequel to the brilliant Illborn. Despite being around 670 pages, this book was quick to read, with the ending of every chapter leaving you no choice but to continue reading!
A Great Sequel
Often, though not always, the book that follows a brilliant debut can be disappointing, because of just how good the first book was. This is not the case with Aiduel’s Sin. In my opinion, Aiduel’s Sin might even be a bit better than Illborn, and I read them back-to-back. Because we don’t need to be introduced to any characters, main locations, possible threats, etc, the story can just be told swiftly and easily with nothing to bog it down.
There is a lot of payoff from Illborn. Daniel T Jackson is either an obsessive plotter and has this story mapped out like Tolkien or Sanderson, or he’s a genius at writing off the cuff! Either way I am astounded by how well everything links together. Sure, there are still 1000 questions I want answers to, but we are given enough in book 2 to keep us excited about finding out more.
Character Work
In Aiduel’s Sin the characters shine through. Now the learning curve of the first book is over, so much more time is spent developing their fears, motivations, and relationships.
Allana and Arion are particularly interesting characters, with the former having very surprising and intriguing twists. We begin Illborn believing our point of view characters are “good” but things are more complicated than that. I don’t mean the characters are “grey”, like one might say of those in A Song of Ice and Fire or The First Law series. These people feel real, with inner conflicts that could make them just emotionally upset, or cause them to do a lot of harm. No one is a cardboard cutout and everyone is at risk of dying. My heart was in my throat during so much of this book!
Final Thoughts
I have had an amazing time with Aiduel’s Sin and was genuinely sad it was over! I was lucky enough to have no breaks between books 1 and 2, but now I’m already waiting for book 3.
If you haven’t read Illborn, you are missing out. If you have read book 1, dive right into Aiduel’s Sin - you won’t be disappointed!
*** Book Reviews wanted! Send in a review of an indie book you enjoyed and get a FREE promotional ad for your books/website/services in an edition of the Newsletter! ***