Indie Book Connect

This is the last package from Indie Book Connect that I am going to receive. I've decided to cancel my subscription for a multitude of reasons, at any rate let us get into the package.

As usual there are two books from independent authors. There was also a bookmark with a quote from Ernest Hemingway.

The first book is The Achilles Heel by Karyn Rae. It is book one of the series and it is signed. There seems to be a book 2 already out of this series too. The author also seems to have a publishing company as can be seen from the information brochure.

From GoodReads: "Annie Whitman's ordinary Midwest life is shattered with the sudden death of her husband Jack. Thirty-five and failing at life as a widow, she turns to the comforts of vodka in an attempt to camouflage the cold sheets of an empty bed. The necessary inebriation helps her to cope with Jack's death, but proves to be a deterrent in recovering any sense of normalcy. After spending several months at the bottom of a bottle, Annie stumbles upon a lockbox in the crawl space of her basement. Opening this box also opens her eyes to the likelihood that Jack Whitman might not have been the honest and doting man she married. Annie embarks on a mission to the Virgin Islands to uncover the truth about her husband's past and seek safety from her brother-in-law, who seems to be the captain of his own sinking ship. While settling into paradise, she meets the wickedly handsome, but surprisingly reserved Kessler Carlisle, who is struggling with his retirement from country music superstardom. With Kessler's help, Annie discovers the heart's uncanny ability to heal, and the possibility that dead men don't always keep their secrets-even if they're buried in the Caribbean waters of St. Croix. The Achilles Heel delves into the formidable fact that everyone harbors darkness, and some will go to the depths of the ocean to keep their secrets hidden." 

The second book is called A Heart of Time by Shari J. Ryan. The book came with a bookmark that has the author's information and it was signed.

From GoodReads: "“Time of death...” the doctor said.

I won’t forget that moment I looked over at Ellie—the paleness of her once rosy cheeks, the blue hue coating her perfect lips—the woman I had been with since we were five years old. My wife. My best friend...and the mother to our newborn baby girl. 

You promised me we would be together forever, I wanted to tell her. She gave me her forever, I told myself. Her forever just ended at twenty-five.

“You need to say your goodbyes...” the doctor said.

How do I say goodbye to the one person in my life I could never say goodbye to? 

My body is numb, and my heart hurts. Hurts like someone just ripped it out of my chest. Which is ironic ...

“We are going to remove her heart now, Hunter. It was her wish to donate,” the doctor said.

She never told me this. 

She never told me another woman would carry on with her beating heart. She never told me this woman knew me but wouldn’t let me know her. 

She never told me if I should follow her heart, or if I should follow mine.

She knew. She could have told me..."

The theme of this seems to be complicated relationships...

Indie Book Connect June 2017

          This month's no fuss no muss subscription...had a little fuss and muss attached to it. But I'm not going to get ahead of myself, let me start at the beginning.

          This is how my books arrived. So I knew that customs had gotten into it as usual. Also, usually I've gotten the first book in the series...this month...not so much..well I think...You'll see what I mean in a second.

          There is the usual piece of paper that tells us about the Goodreads group that these books are being discussed in as part of the Indie Book Connect group. Also a beautiful bookmark, which is always a win with me.

I'm going to start with the easy book, from Goodreads: 

Dixie’s back in her hometown, but the last thing she’s looking for is a reason to stay . . . 

Dixie Barnes has no desire to change the life she’s built in LA, fast-paced and full of glamour, and a million miles from Moreover, Tennessee. When she’s badgered into an impromptu hometown reunion, the thing she’s most looking forward to is her flight back to her celebrity clients. She has no plans to rekindle relationships with the town’s meddling citizens—those kind-hearted people she abandoned ten years ago—and she definitely doesn’t intend to take up where she left off with Deke McAllister.

Then she discovers the nerdy, gangly crush of her past has matured in every remarkable way possible. Perhaps getting reacquainted with Deke isn’t such a bad idea after all. But loving that boy was the catalyst that had her leaving the water tower town she was so fond of. And the more quality time she spends with him, the more difficult she finds the notion of doing it again.

She’ll agree to amuse herself with him until it’s time to leave. She’ll enjoy his soul-scorching kisses, and maybe even tangle with him in his sheets. But her heart won’t be on the line this time. Deke’s already been warned her days in Moreover are numbered. And this time she’ll say goodbye before she boards her plane."

I'm guessing this is the first in the series...guessing because I honestly don't know. I tried to find out on the author's website but could not find anything on it. It is obviously a romance and this is one of the genres that I enjoy so I'm sure I'll read it when I feel like a light read. It comes with a signed bookmark and the book itself is signed.

Now for the fuss and muss. On Goodreads this book is numbered 5...only there are 3 books in the series including this one. Let the author explain this to you better...errr...maybe.

This one was published in 2016 and there is another book that was published this year which the author numbered as 2. I'm one of these people who needs a bit of order and so I went and bought the other two books in the series so that I could read them in order...er...so far anyway. 

So let me get into the book.

From Goodreads: "What would you do, if the things that went bump in the night were suddenly as real to you as life itself? My name is Freia, and I believe in phantoms. A part of the expedition from the plains, my family and I have come to a land where no human has stepped in over a century. But we are not alone. This land is home to the druids, creatures of legend that wiped out all traces of humanity in the deserts, the hills, and even at sea—creatures that should not be real. I hear their voices, in the night. I feel their eyes, watching me. We are not alone."

I think the premise is interesting and the other books seem interesting too...I just hope I get the story so far by reading books 2, 3, and 5. Number 1 and 4 have not been written yet...I think.

The book came with a flyer which told me where to get the other books from www.rad-writing.com

Indie Book Connect

          Indie Book Connect, my no fuss no muss subscription that expands my horizons when it comes to new indie authors. I tend to be adventurous but also I am usually easily confused with all the new books that come out so I find that this is a great way to sample indie authors without actually looking through all that is out there.  So let us get into the package.

The Unfinished by Jonathan Myers

From the back of the book: "After being out of the life of espionage of the cold war. Dean is thrown back into the world that he got out of after thirty years, to only discover that the lines of betrayal and loyalty get crossed. With his only goal is to set the unfinished business to business that is finished by any mean necessary. Even if it means he has to use his speciality craft of being the chemist. As he travels across continents to set things straight he discovers a whole new meaning to family."

The book came signed by the author and with a poster that advertised that the next book in the series is coming in 2018.

Rise (Trifecta, #1) by Luis Almonte

From the back of the book: "Fifteen-year-old high school sophomore Alexia Wick is an ordinary girl, with extraordinary abilities. She attends the prestigious South Haven Academy for the Gifted and Talented, but unknown to the other students, she is an Alerium witch. The daughter of a High Priest and Priestess, Alexia must learn to navigate the pressures of high school, all while preparing for one of the biggest competitions of her life- the Annual Trials. 

Skill, stamina, and loyalty will all be tested in Rise, the first instalment of the Trifecta Series. In this debut contemporary fantasy novel, magic gets real as Alexia trains for the Annual Trials, which pits teen against teen, by focusing on her craft and pushing her magic and spell casting abilities to their absolute limit. When the handsome and confident Kaleb moves into town, he offers Alexia a welcome distraction from the Trials, but a dark secret could soon tear them apart.

In the trials arena, friendships will be put to the test, fears will be confronted head-on, and powerful spells will be unleashed. When Alexia is confronted with the ultimate game of chance and is torn between her first real love and the allegiance that binds her to her coven, will she buckle under the weight of the pressure ... or will she rise to the challenge?"

This was also a signed copy and it came with a letter from the author and a little bit of information about him.

          Like the previous package, I don't know either of these authors and I'm interested in the books and the genres they represent. 

Indie Book Connect (April 2017)

          This is a subscription that I came across on Instagram but then later found on Cratejoy. On Cratejoy it says: "Indie Book Connect is a subscription box for the reader who walks into Barnes and Noble and feels like they have read it all. Allow us to introduce you to the wonderful world of independent authors and all of the books that you have been missing out on. Every month you can expect to receive two new fiction books from two separate authors." I was really looking forward to this because everyone talks about the well-known authors but no one talks about the independent ones.

          The first thing I noticed about this subscription is that it is not a fancy one...and that is totally okay. Fancy is nice but in a bookish subscription, it is not necessary. So the package was just sturdy enough to protect the books and that was about it.

          I opened it and pulled out all the books and stuff inside. I looked at all the papers included in the box first before looking at the books.

           So the first thing that caught my eye was that the curators of this subscription have a group on Goodreads to discuss the books that they have included in their subscriptions. I like that. It helps one find reading buddies and someone to chat with about your feelings on the books. The second thing was the beautiful card with a quote and where to find Indie Book Connect online. And finally, a gorgeous bookmark with a link to the shop that it came from so you bet I'm going to check them out whenever I need new bookmarks.

          Now let us look at the books included. The subscription gives you two. The first one that I looked at was Dreamer by M. J. Neal. It is the first book in the series Raphim Rising. It is a fantasy novel, which is a genre that I love to read but have not done so in quite a while. I love the cover and I also love that I've never heard of the author or the book. This is going to be an adventure for me. I also love that they included the first book in the series. Nothing worse than getting the second or third book in a series you've never read or heard of...I usually give those away. The first book in the series though makes me want to try the series out to see if I like it and the writing style of its writer. Good job Indie Book Connect! There was also a card that had the author's information on it and where we can find her. I like that too.

          The second book in the subscription was Last Chance Baby by Ashley Gallegos. This one is a romance novel. This is a genre I used to be interested in but have not been reading a lot of (at least in the m/f category), so again I'm going to go back to my roots in reading. I started out my book dragon status (I refuse to be called a bookworm 😛) reading Mills and Boon books (don't judge!). I love that the book was signed by the author and that they included a Do Not Disturb sign to hang on the door with the book.

          This subscription is a keeper so far. It is a no fuss no muss subscription centred on books and only books, and I love that I am going to get books by authors I've never heard of and books that might not be well known. Widening my horizons is a good thing.