The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter #73
New indie releases, news, review and a link to a free book!
Editor’s Note
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Featured Promotion
In the Name of the Flame is the new book from Alexia Muelle-Rushbrook. The release date is October 20th.
Marking the edge of existence, the lethal wall of the World’s Divide has stood untouched for centuries. In that same time, Virisinigne has been ruled as a single kingdom—until now.
Under siege and sure to lose, the king has only one card left to play and one son who he is willing to risk it on. Despite being largely estranged since a teen, when crown and country demand Captain Niall’s return home, duty compels him to answer.
Niall expects to be enlisted to fight, but when his father hastily commands him to take a pendant, sail through the impenetrable Divide, and plead for mercy from the unknown, he begins to realise how unique his calling is—and wonders if he is truly the man for the job.
But if Niall cannot be the prince he has spent his life trying to ignore and find a way to mend aeons of division in a world where all bow to a deity of fire, everything will burn…
Find on Goodreads and check out the author’s website!
New Releases
The Major Arcana: An anthology of short stories inspired by the tarot major arcana, edited by Katherine Shaw
Delve into the mystical world of The Major Arcana, the most powerful and well-known cards in tarot cartomancy. Each card comes with its own dark but fantastical tale inspired by its true meaning, with each author using the card's essence to craft a magical and mysterious story in their own unique style.
From monstrous beasts to scheming nobility to tricksome fae, The Major Arcana will take you on a journey of magic and intrigue unlike no other.
Read in order, or perhaps take out your own tarot deck and let the cards decide your fate...
Imbued by Helyna L Clove
"Magic was always going to be my downfall. I've known that from the start."
Calla has no memories of her childhood except for hazy, recurring nightmares. Working as a servant in Kiriong, the picturesque terrace garden home to one of the most influential families in the Kamphua Dominion, she's content to live a simple life. As long as no one finds out about the forbidden magic stirring under her skin.
When the estranged family heir, Gray-a magehunter in servitude of the royal hold-unexpectedly returns home, Calla's secret threatens to surface. Instead of turning her in, however, Gray offers her the one thing she always feared: to teach her how to use her powers. And as the turbulent tides of long-forgotten magic draw them together, Calla finds it harder and harder to deny her potential.
But Gray knows more than what he admits. In the aftermath of a vile political plot targeting him and with the shadow of a mage uprising cast upon the land, finding out what happened to Calla in her forgotten years might be their only chance to survive.
Except the knowledge could break them both.
The Templar Enigma (Eden Black book 5) by Luke Richardson
In 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last Templar Grand Master uttered a curse as he burned at the stake. Within months, both men responsible for his downfall, the King of France, and the Pope, lay dead.
Centuries later, a Templar descendant discovers the key to unleashing the curse's power: The legendary Seal of Solomon. Learning of the relic’s power, he plans a cataclysmic event which will return civilization to the Dark Ages.
Enter Eden Black. As the countdown begins, Eden is thrust into a web of intrigue that spans centuries, from the final days of the Knights Templar to the shadowy activities of a modern secret society.
But, learning just how deep this conspiracy goes, and who exactly is involved, Eden realizes things are much more deadly that she first thought.
From the crypt of a long-dead templar knight, to the shifting sands of the Sahara, and on to the palaces of Portugal, she uncovers shocking truths about her own destiny and the role she must play in the coming apocalypse.
With heart-pounding action, characters you’ll fall in love with, and a plot that will leave you breathless, The Templar Enigma is a must-read for fans of Dan Brown, Steve Berry, Ernest Dempsey, and Nick Thacker.
The Darkness That Binds Us by Jessica Huntley - audiobook now available
It’s what we can’t see that scares us the most …
Twenty-five years ago, an unimaginable tragedy struck the town of Cherry Hollow, leaving its residents devastated and searching for answers. Grief overwhelmed the town for two decades until five years ago when the truth was finally revealed, but not everyone believed the story …
Now, a new family has moved to town, unaware of the secrets and lies that lurk under the floorboards of their new home that once belonged to Amber Walker, one of the five members of the original disaster.
Emma and Linda Smithson, and their two children, have moved there for a fresh start, determined to bury their murky pasts and forget about their own life-altering mistakes. But when they find out Amber took her own life, events start to unravel and suspicions begin to surface, as they each deal with their own darkness.
Jordan and Brooke, two of Amber’s best friends, are determined to prove that she was murdered, even if it means delving into the past, facing old enemies, and standing up to their previous demons. The ones they swore they’d never speak about again.
For the community of Cherry Hollow, it’s not all smiles and sunshine… because the darkness never left… and it won’t rest until it gets what it wants… The Truth.
News Round-Up
The Indie Ink Awards ceremony will be held on September 21st at noon Pacific / 3pm Eastern time on the community discord WriteHive. Here's a link to join WriteHive.
The Bookstagram Awards live final takes place on the September 27th.
The WriteReads has recently toured Perception Check by Astrid Knight, the winner of the BBNYA,
Book Review
Of Stardust: A Queer, Fantastical Anthology reviewed by Merlina Garance
This is a great collection of stories, with a wide range of styles and themes, in a way that surely anyone can find something to like. For me, it was "The Aberrant Sea" that stole the show. The metaphor of the sea creatures for transness is something that deeply speaks to me especially as I've used it in my own writing. And there was just something about the visceralness of it, the dark bits, the gnawing monsters, the tearing off your skin to reveal your true self... Wow.
Free Book
He Thought I Was His by Sara Kate will be free on Amazon from 24 - 28th September.
The Indie Books & Authors Newsletter is compiled and edited by N S Ford, indie author and book blogger.