Kat Kinney - Dark (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters 1)

Paranormal

Romance

Wolves

Indie Author 

Sometimes, to paraphrase legendary singer Tammy Wynette, it's hard to be an independent author.  Giving all your love to a cast of characters, charting their flaws and weaving plots and subplots. Only to carve your way through book marketing with the equivalent of a pinky finger nail.   

But, the whole of April is dedicated to Indie April on social media, so I've tasked myself with reading and reviewing eight independently published books this month, to offer insights into writing so wonderful that you'll wonder when publishers are going to be biting at their heels. 

Which is the best kind of segue for my first book review of #indieApril, the fabulous paranormal wolf, shapeshifter romance of Dark. This is the first book in Kat Kinney's Blood Moon Texas Shifters series, and from the very first page I'm drawn into Hayden's new world of trying to survive a wolf bite.  

Feral, trying to avoid hurting anyone, including her sister, Ellie, Hays, the lead singer in a band, claws her way to Ethan.  The barista-artist with a troubled-past has watched daisy-loving Hayden from afar for years.  Now she's on his doorstep, snapping and needing help, if she isn't quite begging for it.  Although, the chocolate she eyes seems to be the only thing that quells her into submission.

The chemistry Kinney creates between Hays and E leaps off the page.  Told through dual-voiced chapters, this page-turner of a paranormal romance is the perfect introduction to Kinney's skills as a writer (I reviewed Dyrwolf earlier this year; the sequel, Darkwitch is due out on 29th April). Culturally-relevant descriptions are effortless presented, alongside plenty of drama - family and real - around the lycan pair, setting up plenty of future stories in the small town of Blood Moon.  

Do you read independent authors?  Do you have a series you love to binge-read? Share your stories in the comments...maybe I'll make room for a couple more reads this month? 

A.K. Ritchie - After the Party

YA 

Music

Romance 

Heartache

I recently discovered a new author on the twitters, A.K. Ritchie. 

Talk about keywords to pique my interest in a tweet: 

Music. 

Romance. 

I'm in. 

I loved After The Party,  A. K. Ritchie's debut.  This YA novel features believable lead characters, in music blogger Peyton and lead guitarist Chase, with a spotlight on their troubled pasts, and that of Peyton's roommate.  

This story offers heartaching scenes in the plot, against the backdrop of a Toronto music scene, which connects Peyton and Chase in more ways than they could have hoped. 

Romance, music and awesome storytelling... what else does a five star read need?

🎸✍

Enni Amanda - Tiny House on Wheels

Feel-good fiction

Slow burn romance

New Zealand location 

Book Review Dgtlwriter/Emma Jordan

Who hasn't dreamt of owning their own plot of land, and their own ... tiny home?  The tiny home movement is a unique way of home ownership, at a time when house prices are, well, just a tiny bit ridiculous.  

A Tiny House on Wheels, from the Finnish-born, NZ-based romance author Enni Amanda, has been on my TBR pile for a while. Those tiny home shows on YouTube are addictive!

This romance page turner had me hooked from the start, as Nina sobs in frustration over her dreams not exactly working out.  And I fell in love with farmer Jay as soon as he turned up to drag said tiny house (with his tractor, not his arms) to help out his new neighbour, Nina (his arms will help her out later).

There are wonderful moments of lifestyle decisions and dating adventures throughout the New Zealand-based book, for Nina and her friend La-La (brilliant name!) 

How gorgeous is the Yummy Covers cover of this book, too?  Also designed by Enni in her graphic-designer business.  A Tiny House on Wheels make a wonderful birthday gift for a romance reader (or buy a book cover for an indie author!) 

Anyway, 'm off to read about Nina's younger cousin now, in Coffee on Waihi Beach.

☕ 🏖

Jeevani Charika - Playing for Love

Feel-good fiction 

Tech-based startup 

Heartwarming

Romance 

Absolutely loved this sweet romance between Sam/Luke/Blaze/Bravura.

I'm not a gamer, but was drawn into this unique, realistic world of YouTube and headsets, created by Jeevani Charika, in Playing for Love.   

What does a busy bag-interior start-up do to relax and fall asleep?  Sam finds comfort listening to YouTube videos of her favourite gamer, Blaze, even if she isn't really a video-gamer.  

What does introverted tech-designer Luke do to bolster his confidence?  Why, upload videos to YouTube of his gaming, as alter-ego Blaze.

This was such a sweet romance, with both characters facing career decisions as well as matters of the heart.  Also,  really loved the 90s handbag references!  I had so many of them! 

Jenny Hale - Butterfly Sisters

Feel-good fiction

Heartwarming 

Cosy read 

I was gifted a free ARC ebook from Harpeth Road, the Nashville-based publishers of TheButterfly Sisters, by Jenny Hale.  All words and opinions are my own.

 

I’m relatively new to the novels of the USA Today bestselling author Jenny Hale, who has had her books turned into Hallmark movies – the type of heartfelt books that whisk me away to happy places, from around early October to mid-December!  But I am in love Jenny’s sweet, cosy, small town love stories!

 

In Butterfly Sisters, Jenny’s central character, Leigh Henderson, returns to the Tennessee cabin of her late grandmother, to meet up with her Mum and her flighty sister, Meredith.  Enter the former childhood sweetheart of Colton Harris and it’s very easy to disappear into the life around Old Hickory Lake. 

 

What I really love about Butterfly Sisters is that the two fictional sisters are the two sides to Jenny; academically driven and artistic.  And that this is a story about loving family first, paving the way for the romance to bloom. 

Can we also just take a moment to sink into those blissfully rich pink and purple colours of the book's cover?  Can you imagine holding this paperback in your hands?  And how many oohs and aaahs you'll receive from friends and family?! Talk about #bookenvy!

 

If you love happy-ever-afters, with heart-warming moments – Colton is often the balm between the two misunderstood sisters – and feel-good fiction, treat yourself to some reading time curled up under a blanket, with Butterfly Sisters. 

🦋

Enni Amanda - Hidden Gem

Romance 

Feel-good Fiction

Just absolutely gorgeous

New Zealand location

I loved the character of Marnie when she was introduced in Enni Amanda's earlier novel, Nest or Invest (also fabulous), the next-door neighbour best friend.  

In Hidden Gem we see the flaws and all side of approaching forty, with an incurable illness, a stroppy teenage child and the gift of love, in the form of Jason, a bit of an insomniac.  Their story is believable, fun and very sweet.  

This second novel in Enni Amanda's Love New Zealand series is a sweet romance, with a bit of bedroom action, brilliantly told, against the backdrop of a housing crisis, in New Zealand (though this also happens elsewhere in the world).  

Hidden Gem is a seriously honest and delightful second-chance romance that you need to read, once you've read Nest or Invest (that improv scene will floor you!).  

I'm off to pop book 3, Night and Day, on pre-order. 

PS - how beautiful are the covers of this series, from Yummy Book Covers?! 

Faridah Abike-Iyimide - Ace of Spades

14+

YA, Thriller

Drama 

LGBTQ+

Triggers, including: homophobia, racism, bullying, grief

I finally got round to reading Ace of Spades this weekend, the debut, and award-winning, YA book from the South-London based Faridah Abike-Iyimide, which had been on my TBR list for most of 2021.  

And wow.  

The nearing-500-pages novel features dual viewpoints from two Black students at the elite Niveus Private Academy, a US-based high school.  Their lives unfold slowly on the page, which allows for deeper character insights, before they ultimately connect.  

I couldn't turn the latter half of the novel fast enough, as I needed to know what happened next, who Devon and Chiamaka could trust next. 

Ace of Spades is a thought-provoking book about racism and sexuality with some chilling moments.  My bookworm of a 10 year old was intrigued by the plot, and by how fast I read the book, so I will use it as a basis of conversation with her about race and sexuality, over the next few years, as well as the inspiring story of the novelist who published this book whilst still studying for her English Literature degree.