The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #16
New indie releases, pre-orders, news round-ups and book reviews!
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New Releases
The Wife List by J A Schneider
Has a group of men conspired to murder each other's wives - figuring their perfect alibis will save them? That is what Beth Kemp starts to suspect, but is she losing her mind? Her husband says he fears so...
I'll give this marriage one more try, Beth Kemp thinks. She is a successful crime writer in New York City, who regrets that tension has crept into her relationship with her husband, Brad. He too is a writer who, after early success, finds his career fading.
Brad urges that a move to the country would make them happy again - and safe, especially Beth, to avoid the city's stress that triggers her severe asthma attacks. Beth wavers, until her close friend is murdered and the friend's husband has a perfect alibi. She finally accepts that the city with its surging crime has become too hard for her.
The Kemps move to beautiful Sheffield, Connecticut, so perfect it seems too good to be true. It is. When one new friend cries in fear about her husband, and another has a bruise under her eye, Brad tells Beth that she's overimagining. But when she hears of another wife's unsolved murder and yet another friend dies mysteriously, Beth suspects the husbands of covering for each other. Brad tells her she's getting crazy, paranoid.
Then Beth stumbles onto the most devastating shock of all, one she never imagined...
A Festival of Magic (Stalker Chronicles Book 3) by Erik Buchanan
The midwinter festival is supposed to celebrate magic, not murder...
Going to Abraniotok’s Festival of Magic was supposed to make Abyowith feel better about her first winter away from home. But when her girlfriend Lisyrith tries to confess her love using paired magic rings, Abyowith panics – and not just because she can’t make magic work.
Then a giant miscreation leaps on the festival stage, bites a magician in half, and runs off into the city.
Now Abyowith needs to set everything else aside and help solve the murder. But as the knights search for the miscreation and the stalkers search for answers, one thing becomes clear: no one knew the magician, let alone had a reason to kill him.
With more victims appearing and enraged citizens taking to the streets, Abyowith and the Stalkers must find the beast and the magician who sent it before the city descends into chaos.
...and she still needs to figure out what to say to Lisyrith.
A Draught of Ash and Wine (Midnight Guardians Book 2) by Kristin Jacques
Johnathan Newman is a changed man, and he has the claws to prove it.
Following their bloody confrontation in Cress Haven, Vic and Johnathan flee the town in search of answers. Johnathan’s human life has ended, but his journey has just begun. Grappling with violent instincts and a supernatural bond to the vampire he’s falling for is complicated enough, but a dangerous new enemy is hot on their heels.
The machinations of the Society reach farther than either of them realized. Their foe’s dogged pursuit forces the pair to seek sanctuary. Vic brings Johnathan to the Estate, a haven for creatures nestled in the wilderness of upstate New York. Taken in by the Estate’s unusual proprietors, Johnathan soon learns not even sanctuary is safe for one of his ilk. This haven provides the pair an opportunity to explore their burgeoning relationship, and Johnathan a chance to learn control- A skill he is desperate to master, no matter the cost.
Because time is not on their side. The Society’s Agents are catching up to them, armed with a weapon straight from the Heavens. With their enemy’s plans creeping toward fruition, humans won’t be the only ones they have to worry about.
Blackout Trail by Linda Naughton
When the world goes dark, a doctor embarks on a perilous journey.
Doctor Anna Hastings is no stranger to disasters, having spent much of her career as an aid worker in conflict zones around the world. Yet when an electrical phenomenon known as an EMP brings down the power grid, Anna faces catastrophe on a scale she never imagined. She must learn what it means to be a doctor in a world deprived of almost all technology.
As the blackout causes planes to fall from the sky, Anna crosses paths with devoted father Mark Ryan in the chaos at the airport. Mark convinces Anna to travel with him and his seven-year-old daughter Lily to their family's cabin in remote Maine. There Mark hopes to reunite with his wife, and find a safe refuge from a society on the brink of collapse.
Journeying across a thousand miles of backcountry trails, they will face a daily struggle against nature. Their biggest peril, though, may come from their fellow survivors. As Anna grows closer to Mark and Lily, she resolves to see them safely home. But can she hold onto her humanity in a world gone mad?
Meeting Millie (Oxford Romance Book 1) by Clare Ashton
Oxford – celebrated city of dreaming spires and class warfare – is an ambition come true for lesbian, geeky, upper-middle-class Charlotte and straight, charismatic, working-class Millie.
Against the odds, theirs is an instant, best friendship. Forever.
Exuberant Millie is a breath of fresh air for polite Charlotte and a force of nature within the university's hallowed walls. And they are going to be the best lawyers of their year and change the world.
But their world changes instead when things go queerly sideways, and they haven’t seen each other since.
Ten years on and Charlotte returns to where it all began. She has a new job at a prestigious law firm and Oxford is as beautiful as ever. She’s a safe distance from her overbearing barrister mother Nicola and three office floors from her snappy college mentor, Olivia.
Then Millie bounds around the corner wanting to be friends again and it's as if the last decade never happened. Will it be different the second time around? Can they be friends again? Or will love and attraction change things?
Meeting Millie is a sapphic romance about the nature of friendship, how two people change over the years, and how they see themselves and each other.
Pre-Order Now
Kingsrise by Anne Mattias, publication date 4th April - ARCs available from BookSirens
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.
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Featured Promotion
Lucky Jack (1894 - 2000): Memoirs of a World War 1 POW by S Bavey
"One of the perils of being a sniper during the First World War was the likelihood of a grenade going off right next to you and burying you alive”.
Meet Jack Rogers. Born in 1894, he once locked eyes with Queen Victoria and was one of the first travellers on London’s ‘Tube’. An early car owner, he had many escapades on his days out to Brighton, including a time when his brakes failed and he had to drive through central London without them!
His skills as an entertainer earned him popularity throughout his life, and kept him out of the deadly mines while a prisoner during the First World War. At the tender age of 103 Jack earned the title of ‘The World’s Oldest Columnist’ as he began dictating his life’s exploits to a reporter from the local newspaper.
Readers' Favorite Five-Star Award
A PREMIER Readers’ Award winner
Feed My Reads non-fiction book of the year 2022
Sue Bavey is the author of Lucky Jack, the biography of her grandfather. She is also a book blogger and proofreader. Click here to visit her blog, which includes reviews and indie author spotlights.
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News Round-Up
This month, book bloggers are taking part in #marchofthesequels - reading and reviewing sequels! Blogger Jamedi has gathered the posts together here.
Author Alexia Muelle-Rushbrook has released a free short story, Nowhere Hall, to her newsletter subscribers.
TheWriteReads has recently toured These Violent Nights by Rebecca Crunden, which came 11th in the BBNYA Awards.
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Book Review
A Force of Nature (Spirit Seekers Book 1) by Janna Ruth, reviewed by Anca Antoci at Summon Fantasy
A Force of Nature by Janna Ruth kicks off an electrifying Urban Fantasy series set in Europe that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The story takes place in a world where nature spirits have ravaged cities, and the only hope of humanity's survival rests on the shoulders of the Spirit Seekers, a group of elite soldiers trained to defend against these malicious spirits. However, not all of the spirits are visible, making it challenging for the Seekers to win every battle.
In the midst of this chaos, we meet Rika, a homeless young woman who suddenly finds herself in the middle of a Spirit Seeker and spirit fight in Berlin. Rika possesses a unique ability to see and communicate with the spirits. Her actions during the fight catch the attention of the Seekers, who recruit her to join their team, much to the dismay of some of the members.
The character development in this book is exceptional, especially with Rika's journey from a homeless girl to a woman who finally feels like she belongs. The author's prose is excellent, and the narrative flows effortlessly, making it easy for the reader to get sucked into the story. The wordbuilding is solid, and the mythology-fantasy mix used to portray the spirits is absolutely fascinating.
One of the best parts of the book is the found family dynamic between Rika and the Spirit Seeker team, which is heartwarming and realistically portrayed. The tension and relations between Rika and the Seekers are complex, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the story.
Overall, A Force of Nature is a gripping and action-packed first book in a series that will leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment. With its unpredictable twists, solid world-building, and excellent character development, this book is a must-read for any urban fantasy fan.
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The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter is compiled and edited by N S Ford, indie author and book blogger.