Forgiving Trinity author Liz Reinhardt has stopped by the blog today to share some of her favorite indie writers. See what some of her favorites are and maybe you will find one you may want to read too!
HUGE thanks to Joli for letting me highlight some crazy awesome indie writers out there!! I picked a few, and, I just have to say, these are only a tiny few of the many awesome books by indies!! These are in NO PARTICULAR ORDER…they’re just 10 wonderful, awesome reads that I know you will all love ;)!!
- Telesa by Lani Wendt Young
This is an amazing, gorgeous read by a woman who is bringing the beauty and lush, rich culture of Samoa to the rest of the world. EPIC!!
When Leila moves to Samoa, all she wants is a family, a place to belong. Instead she discovers the local ancient myths of the telesa spirit women are more than just scary stories. The more she finds out about her heritage, the more sinister her new home turns out to be. Embraced by a Covenant Sisterhood of earth's elemental guardians - what will Leila choose? Her fiery birthright as a telesa? Or will she choose the boy who offers her his heart? Daniel - stamped with the distinctive tattoo markings of a noble Pacific warrior and willing to risk everything for the chance to be with her. Can their love stand against the Covenant Keeper? A thriller-romance with a difference. If you enjoyed Twilight, then you will be enthralled by Telesa as it blends the richness of Pacific mythology into a contemporary young adult love story that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page.
- The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
I moved to Georgia from New Jersey, and there was so much about the South I was curious about. Abbi brought it all to light; I actually felt like I got to experience being a teen in the smooth heat of the South! This is HOT and wonderful!
Being the good girl isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Ashton Gray has grown weary of playing the part to please her parents, and to be worthy of the town’s prince charming, Sawyer Vincent. Maybe That’s why she’s found herself spending time with Sawyer’s cousin, Beau, while he’s away for the summer camping with his family. Beau is nothing like her perfect boyfriend. He’s the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, dangerous in ways she’s only day dreamed about, and the one guy she should stay away from.
Beau never envied Sawyer his loving parents, his big nice home, or his position as quarterback. He loves him like a brother. Which is why he's tried everything in his power to keep his distance from Sawyer’s girlfriend. Even if he has loved her since the age of five, Ashton is Sawyer’s girl, so therefore she’s off limits. But when Sawyer leaves for the summer, Ashton, the one girl Beau would move Heaven and Earth for, decides she wants to get into trouble. Stabbing the one person who’s always accepted him and stood by him in the back, is the cost of finally holding Ashton Gray in his arms. Is she worth losing his cousin over?.... Hell Yeah.
- Dream Chaser by Angie Stanton
Ever read a book that made you say, “I SO wish I could do that?” I have two left feet, but when I read this book, I wanted to dance! I felt like I did dance! And I learned so much…especially about how I had a TON of stereotypes about dancers. HOLY. HARD. WORK!! Pick this one up and fall in love!
Willow Thomas has a bad habit of running away from things that scare her. And most recently, she quit her high school cheerleading squad after a terrifying fall.
With time on her hands, she auditions for a musical production directed by a Broadway choreographer. Just as things are looking up, Willow discovers she will be performing opposite Eli McAvoy, the best friend she abandoned three years before. To make matters worse, the kids in the musical hate her, her singing sucks, and her dog is sick.
Eli has grown up during their years apart and now possesses confidence and good looks, as well as a giant chip on his shoulder. He is in no hurry to play nice with Willow, but their entwined roles in the musical lead to entwined bodies in the backseat of his car.
Just when Willow finally has her life under control, another surprise is delivered in the form of her greatest challenge yet. Will she run or finally stand and face her fears? And will Eli be there to help or turn his back on her for good?
- Between the Lines by Tammara Webber
Tammara has a son who is making a name for himself as a fantastic actor. It was his dealings in LA that gave her the idea for her book, which will make you take a serious second look at paparazzi magazines and celebrity life styles. An amazing book that turns into an even more amazing series!
Mature Young Adults (language, drinking, sexual situations)
When Hollywood It Boy, Reid Alexander, arrives on location, his intentions are simple: film another blockbuster hit while enjoying his celebrity status to the fullest. His costar is a virtual unknown with whom he has blazing hot chemistry, and the universe is lining up nicely to grant whatever he wants - until he's confronted with a bitter ex-girlfriend and a rival for the first girl to spark his genuine interest in years.
Emma Pierce just got her big break after more than a decade of filming commercials for grape juice, department stores and tampons, and bit parts in made-for-TV movies. Nailing the lead role in a wide-release film should send her into raptures. But Emma is experiencing a building desire to be normal, and starring in a silly, modernized adaptation of one of her favorite novels--opposite the very hot Reid Alexander--isn't going to advance that aspiration.
Indie actor Graham Douglas isn't overly picky when it comes to film roles. If it pays, he'll do it. Besides, his friend Brooke Cameron snatched up the role of the bitchy hot girl and could use his help as a buffer, because her ex is the star. Graham has no problem keeping a handle on the situation, until he finds himself attracted to Reid's costar, Emma, the girl Reid is pursuing full-throttle with his standard arsenal of charm, good looks and arrogance.
- Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
This is an amazing read, and it focuses on a time in life that’s not really well represented in the reading world yet. This is set during college, and it’s an amazing read about life, love, family, sadness. Very, very cool!!
Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.
And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.
To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.
Flat-Out Love comes complete with emails, Facebook status updates, and instant messages.
- Mortal Obligation by Nichole Chase
This book is the first in a trilogy that involves an intricate braiding of different world mythologies along with an awesome amount of action, a brewing love triangle, and a kick ass heroine coming into her own to save the world.
Ree will face the darkest form of betrayal before the year is out.
Seventeen year old Ree McKenna has three goals: get through high school, convince her crush she is more than his best friend’s little sister, and save money for college. Fate, though, has other plans for her. After the untimely death of her older brother, Ree is haunted by dreadful nightmares and terrifying visions. To make matters worse, Ree has started to suspect that something dangerous is stalking her from the shadows.
A night full of frightening surprises leaves Ree with unsettling news. Gifted by the gods with unusual powers, she must devote herself to a battle that could very well lead to not only her death, but the demise of everyone she knows and loves. After all, Ree is the only mortal standing between the Earth and utter darkness.
Set in Savannah, Ga, Mortal Obligation is the first book of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy.
- Forever Mine (Moreno Brothers # 1) by Elizabeth Reyes
The Moreno Brothers Series has a rabid fan following for a reason! These books are sweet, romantic, sexy, and full of incredibly passionate characters.
Seventeen-year old Sarah’s life is turned upside down when her single mom is sent to jail. She’s forced to move, leaving behind everything she’s ever known, including her best friend Sydney. Lost and bitter in a new school, her one goal is to save money and move back home. Then she meets Angel Moreno.
Enigmatic but gorgeous, Angel is almost too good to be true. Except for one thing, his archaic belief that guys and girls can never be “just friends”. The problem? Sarah’s best friend Sydney is not a girl.
With their unexpected romance intensifying to places neither ever experienced, how long can Sarah keep Angel in the dark about the guy waiting for her back home?
- Grounding Quinn by Stephanie Campbell
This is a fresh, funny, sad take on one young woman’s life and all the mistakes she makes. I love stories where the characters aren’t perfect and don’t try to be. The characters in this book were fresh, funny, and heart-breakingly real. An awesome read!
Eighteen-year-old Quinn MacPherson's biggest fear has always been turning out like her mentally unstable mother. (Solving algebraic equations comes in as a close second.)
That is, until she meets Benjamin Shaw.
Quinn thinks hooking up with Ben over summer vacation will be nothing more than a quick fling. She can’t even commit to a nail polish choice, much less some guy.
Unfortunately for her, Ben is not just some guy. Ben gets her- the real her, flaws and all- and that scares the hell out of her.
When Ben does the unthinkable- tells Quinn he’s in love with her- she does what comes naturally. She pushes him away. Ben can only watch from a distance as Quinn lashes out, and punishes him for daring to care about her.
But how far can you push someone, even someone who loves you, before they are gone for good?
**Grounding Quinn contains sex, drug use, alcohol consumption, and swearing. It is intended for mature or older readers.
- Darkride by Laura Bradley Reade
Think you’ve read every type of vampire story out there? Um, you haven’t! And this one ROCKS! Great characters, fast-paced, amazing story, and an ending you won’t believe!
Ander McNair used to be the favorite son of a great monster-hunting family – until he was bitten by a werewolf and the hunter became the hunted. Now anything that makes his pulse race, even a kiss from his girlfriend Cicely, is enough to turn him into a monster. When he finally has his chance to earn his cure by killing a vampire prince, Ander finds he has to choose between his own past and the future of the girl he loves. Can a guy who’s not even human learn what it means to be a man?
Luke Marianez used to be an immortal vampire prince – until the witch he loved betrayed him and cursed him with the ability to die. Now he lives in the world of vampire blood bars where the waitresses are the drinks, and dreams about killing the last of the witch’s line so he can live forever. But revenge doesn’t just mean breaking the curse. He wants to break the girl's heart, too. Can Luke seduce Cicely without falling in love himself?
Cicely Watson doesn’t believe in werewolves or vampires. She’s not even sure she believes in true love. But she’s about to discover what every werewolf knows:
People change.
- Slammed by Colleen Hoover
If you love poetry, romance, amazing characters, and a story that will leave you laughing and crying…check this out!
Layken Cohen's eighteenth year is proving to be the ultimate test of her resolve.
After the death of her father, she is forced to move across the country after the start of her senior year. Just when she thinks all hope is lost, she meets her new neighbor, twenty-one year old Will Cooper. Layken and Will form an immediate connection. A connection so intense, only fate could have brought them together. But sometimes fate isn't enough. Layken and Will are slammed to the core when a shocking discovery reveals their relationship won't work.
It can't work. And the twists don't stop there.
Slammed intertwines heartache with humor, desires with ethics, and will have you hanging on to every single word.
Thanks Liz for sharing your favorite indie writers. I have heard of several of these and have a few kindle e-books just waiting to be read. I'm most interested in reading Stephanie Campbell's Grounding Quinn. I'm thinking of suggesting it as our next book club pick!
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