In between all of my efforts on what has been a journey this year I’ve still managed to continue reading and reviewing Independently published books. That is of course between attending weddings, trying to have a career, writing more books, publishing more books, promoting more books, trying to stay healthy/active, being present on social media, playing Red Dead Redemption 2, engaging on social media and doing my best to text back…

I guess you could say I’ve been busy, but not too busy, never too busy to help promote fellow wordsmiths so without talking about myself anymore here are some more reasons why you should read indie books! 

It feels like a century ago that I read what is a true masterpiece of fiction but in fact it was only mid August I finally reached the summit of new release ‘The Good Kill: A Killian Lebon Novel’ by Kurt Brindley. The first thing I noticed about this book was the writing style which can be described by two words ‘proper sentences’. Of course that isn’t all because what unfolds in this book is a blockbuster journey or redemption.

So what is the Good Kill about you ask? Well to quote my review:

‘It’s modern Jason Bourne meets Taken but it feels fresher with a grittier story that is brutal, dark and sometimes violent and always entertaining. There’s revenge and redemption as well as a series of revelations that appear in many different pinnacle moments during the story which is split into 4 parts all of which culminate dramatically.’

‘The Good Kill represents independently published books in the finest possible way.’

And furthermore this book also represents the higher end of fiction and literature. You can grab a copy here.

‘Suspense, drama and modern issues all of which are tackled in a fun but important way...’

Of course I am talking about the third book of the ‘Quantum series’ by South African Author Christina Engela. As I gradually make my way through the series this year each time I take on another instalment it is apparent that Engela can tell quirky fun stories while also building worlds which are all wrapped together with an important message. ‘Dead Man’s Hammer’ is science fiction at its best and it is highly readable. From my review here’s what I had to say

‘Someone is targeting my favourite characters; an assassin enigmatically named ‘Villainessa Tittel’ who is after one person in particular and series regular; Cindy Mei Winter. ‘Villainessa’ proves to be quite a force in her field of work and does everything in her power to draw in ‘Mei’ whom share an interesting history. It is in this history where readers will find the true message and meaning of the story.’  

You can find out more about the Quantum Series and much more here

Seeing as October happened I had to find myself a spooky read or something at least representative of the season and ‘Haunted Ends’ by Elizabeth Price does just that but in a clever and original way. To quote my recent review:

‘…it’s part ghost story and part murder mystery which turned out to be an overall fun read. The story opens with ‘Sam’ who is short in stature but full of character. His journey makes for one of two main plot lines that eventually intertwine after the initial chapters; the other follows ‘Rocky’ a car fanatic and paranormal investigator that used to be able to see ghosts, this is an ability that returns to him and he decides to use it which makes the story.

Eventually we see ‘Sam’ and ‘Rocky’s’ paths cross in a ghost buddy story situation seeing them team up to solve a murder shrouded in mystery and deception’

You can grab yourself a copy here

Fairy tales are something I hold in quite high regard, they feel like home territory for me considering I have adapted 2 for the stage (soon to be 3, I hope) and Despoina Kemeridou has my stamp of approval for what is ‘a feel good fun and imaginative modern fairy tale…’

‘Fated to Meet You’ begins like a typical YA story but quickly unravels into what is a world of Kings, Queens and Castles as M.C ‘Nora’ is seemingly transported away from the mundane of life and into that world. It’s a short but effective read (I took me about an hour to get through) and shorter books don’t get enough credit, especially one’s like this!

 You can grab a copy here.

That just about wraps up my latest book review efforts. So far I have read and reviewed 35 indie books this year, my hope is to get to 40 by the close of December. If I don’t see you through the week, I’ll see you through the window… rock and roll and reading man! 

*Bonus content for those who scrolled this far…

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Book 5 is coming this December. I will be reaching out to potential beta readers very soon. The reason I have left if rather last minute is because it’s not a long book, but I think it’s good-ish… Watch this space…