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?