Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
As soon as I saw this topic, I grinned. I love an excuse to yell about my favourite indie and self-published books and authors, though ten doesn’t seem like quite enough space!
April 4th: Top Ten Indie/Self-Published Books
(submitted by Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits)
#The Leftover Bride by Elodie Nowodazkij
Genre: Romance
Review
This was a wonderful, lovely winter book that had me totally gripped from beginning to end, especially with the hockey playing grumpy Roy Kent-like hero and dress designer Sorcha. Nowodazkij really captured the chemistry between them, and it made it hard to not keep reading just one more chapter.
Genre: Paranormal Romance
This book was so much fun, and I totally fell into the world and loved spending time with the characters. It’s another excellent book I was introduced to thanks to BBNYA, and I’ll be taking part in the blog tour for this, so keep an eye out for my review.
Becoming Crone by Lydia M. Hawke
Genre: Fantasy
Review
Hawke has done an excellent job crafting the character of Claire Emerson, a divorced, menopausal grandmother who discovers she’s a witch. It’s an entertaining read, and great to see an older woman at the centre of a ‘chosen one’ plot.
Genre: Horror
Review
Oh, indie horror, how I love you so. Honestly, as a horror fan I feel incredibly lucky at the amount of great horror that’s out there, and this is among the best. It’s Queer Body Horror, by an excellent writer, and at only 71 pages, it’s a rollercoaster of a read, tightly packed in the best sort of way.
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Review
Ninestar Press are an absolutely fantastic indie publisher, and I highly recommend checking out their stuff if you like queer fiction. Becoming Human stands out to me because of the warmth in this book, especially in the relationship between the two main characters. I loved this one.
The Man With No Shadow by Bonnie Quinn
Genre: Horror
Review
More indie horror! This time from Bonnie Quinn, who released a series of r/NoSleep shorts as a set of four novellas. I really need to carry on with this series, but I can’t emphasise how good it is. It’s a rules-based horror, but here, Kate at least knows the rules – she just has to try and stop her campers from breaking them.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review
This book was so, so much fun – following Jack, a seeker, basically a vampire detective, as she hunts down a murderer. Another one I picked up because of BBNY, and so glad I got the opportunity to read this one. Jaffrey is a great writer who delivers an action packed, tight novel that just races along.
The Rake Mistake by Erica Ridley
Genre: Historical
Review
Although there’s slight romantic elements here, it’s not really a romance, but it has a lot of the same elements I love in Regency Romances and it’s a nice prequel novella. Also, a heist! Honestly, it’s a really enjoyable book and perfect for reading in the sun.
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
Genre: Historical Romance
Review
Yes, I will yell about this book whenever possibly. A sweet romance between two Black women shortly after the death of Alexander Hamilton. Mercy is a maid to Eliza Hamilton, assistant to her as she tries to preserve her husband’s legacy, and Andromeda arrives for an interview in her grandfather’s stead. It’s a wonderfully heart-warming novella by a very talented writer.
Inheriting Her Ghosts by S.H. Cooper
Genre: Gothic Horror
Any list I do about indie horror wouldn’t be complete without at least one book by S.H. Cooper. And Inheriting Her Ghosts is, I think, her current best (the others are also excellent and she’s a writer who goes from strength to strength, consistently). I loved this gothic horror novella, and absolutely fell in love with Eudora and her dogs. I might be a touch bias, as I did edit this one, but it’s truly great.
If you’ll indulge me a moment, too, I’d love to mention some of the indie projects I’ve been involved in – Sloth, by writer Joanne Askew, is about an apocalyptic virus that has pretty much wiped out the UK. It’s a great book by another great writer, and one I was privileged enough to edit before Joanne submitted it for publication. And if you’re more of a short story/anthology person, A Woman Built by Man is a horror anthology I co-edited with S.H. Cooper, and upcoming I have Sand, Salt, Blood coming out with Sliced Up Press, an anthology of sea horror to raise money for the RNLI.
As you can tell, I really do like indie books. I think the indie and self-publishing space is truly amazing right now, and there’s so much variety out there. If you’ve read any of these, I’d love to hear what you thought, or alternatively let me know your favourite indie reads in the comments.
Unwrapping Words 