CHEMS & Train Station Bride - Indie Author Books I Enjoyed!

Hi all,

I love sharing the books I've read, especially when they are by indie authors who excel in writing. Recently, I read CHEMS - a short story by Ann Swann and Train Station Bride - a historical romance by Holly Bush. Here is more about the books and my reviews.

CHEMS by Ann Swann

I like paranormal books, especially ghost stories, but I usually don't read books about zombies. Considering this one was by Ann Swann (whose book, The Phantom Pilot, I enjoyed immensely) I gave it a try. I'm so happy I did - it was a great short story. I am looking forward to more books by Ann Swann - I love how she writes.  Here is more about it:

Book Description:

In this 7,200 word short story, Billy discovers a chemical zombie hiding in his dad's tool shed. Can he devise a way to keep the whole thing secret in order to help find, and destroy, a rogue CHEM named Z ?

My 5 Star Review:

There's a blue zombie in 14-year-old Billy's shed - or is there? The excitement begins when Billy finds out what or who is in his shed and why it is there.

CHEMS is a short, fun tale that is perfect for middle-grade age and up. It holds your attention from the very first page to the last and has a unique, interesting plot. Ann Swann knows how to tell a story and has a beautiful writing style. I recommend this short story to everyone as well as Ann's novel The Phantom Pilot - another beautifully written novel for all ages. 

Buy CHEMS on Amazon only $0.99 cents

Train Station Bride by Holly Bush

I loved Romancing Olive by Holly Bush so of course I didn't hesitate to pick up her latest novel, another historical romance. Ms. Bush didn't disappoint - it is another great story!

Book Description:

1887 Debutante, Julia Crawford endures a lifetime of subtle ridicule as the plump, silly daughter of a premiere Boston family. Julia strikes out on her own to gain independence, traveling to the Midwest to marry an aging shopkeeper and care for his mother. Julia finds her new home rough and uncivilized after the sophistication of a big city, while closely held secrets threaten to ruin Julia’s one chance at love.

Jake Shelling was sixteen and grew up quick when his parents died from influenza on the North Dakota prairie. Left with a half-cleared farm and two young sisters, he spent little time on his own needs . . till now. At thirty-five, he figured it was high time to have some sons and a mail order bride would suit him just fine. No expectations of love, just a helpmate from sturdy stock, ready for farm life.

My 5 Star Review:

Holly Bush knows how to spin a story. In 1887, Julia Crawford has little prospects for marriage and lives in the shadow of her attractive sisters and domineering mother. Told for years that she is not as pretty or thin as her sisters and having had an indiscretion which the family hid well, she felt she had no choice but to run away and marry a man she had been corresponding with. By mishap, she ends up marrying the wrong man - who actually ends up being the perfect match for her. But Julia has left a secret behind her and soon decides she must right a wrong from years before and do the honorable thing.

Train Station Bride is a beautiful tale of love, family and redemption. Ms. Bush does an excellent job of bringing the reader back to a time period now lost to us where decency, honor and truth prevail. Her characters are well-thought out and believable to the point that you feel like you know them personally. The settings are described with enough detail (but without boring, lengthy description) that you can easily picture the grand home in Boston or the charming farmhouse in South Dakota. I could smell the bread baking in the oven and hear the corn stalks rustling in the field. Train Station Bride is the perfect historical romance.


Buy Train Station Bride on Amazon only $2.99

   
I have just finished On Deadly Tides by Melanie Jackson and am currently reading The Black Witch by Michael Rivers. I'll do a post on these books next time.

Cheers,
Deanna
      

Two Indie Author Books I Enjoyed Reading

Hi all,

In 2011 I bought my first Kindle and since then a whole new world of writers have opened up to me in the form of Indie Authors! Since then, I have read many new authors and enjoyed their novels. I'd like to share three of them with you and the reviews I gave them.

The Secrets They Kept by Joanne Tombrakos

The Secrets They Kept is currently only $0.99 cents for a limited time on Amazon Kindle.

This was one of the first indie author books that I read and I was so impressed by it. I think most women who enjoy reading will enjoy this book.

Book Description:

Every family has its secrets. Elena Poulous knew that. As an attorney she witnessed such deception every day. But she never thought her Greek-American family was like everybody else’s, not until the Saturday morning, the police knock on the door of her New York City apartment and inform her of the death of Yannis Poulous, a man she had never heard of, a man who has listed her as his next of kin.

A box of old letters she unearths in his Brooklyn apartment help to unravel the mystery of who he is. But the biggest part of the puzzle - why everyone in her family, especially her mother Kristina refuses to talk about him - proves the most difficult to discover.

The Secrets They Kept is a multi-generational story, of cultural and religious influences, of secrets kept and discovered, all in the name of love and of family.

My 5 Star Review:

This is Joanne Tombrakos' first novel and she did an excellent job with it! I really enjoyed this family drama - the characters were well fleshed out and the storyline stayed consistant. In a book such as this, where there are flashbacks, it can become confusing if not written properly, but Tombrakos had no problem doing this. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fiction family drama. 

The Darkening Dream by Andy Gavin

The Darkening Dream is currently $4.99 on Amazon Kindle.

I have to admit that I bought this book because of the cover and that it is set in the 1913. I expected a book about witches because of Salem - but it is so much more. I really did enjoy this story.

Book Description:

The Darkening Dream is the chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.

Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.

With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?

No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself.

My 5 Star Review:

I swore I was through with the whole vampire fad in books but I was drawn to reading this book by both the amazing cover and the storyline. I was not disappointed. I liked that it was set in the early 1900s instead of being contemporary. The characters were well-written and likable, so you did care what happened to them. There was also the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep the story interesting. I do have to say, I didn't like the ending but it made me think there is a sequel in the w...I swore I was through with the whole vampire fad in books but I was drawn to reading this book by both the amazing cover and the storyline. I was not disappointed. I liked that it was set in the early 1900s instead of being contemporary. The characters were well-written and likable, so you did care what happened to them. There was also the right amount of suspense and mystery to keep the story interesting. I do have to say, I didn't like the ending but it made me think there is a sequel in the works. This book is well worth the read and I look forward to more books by this author. Currently I am reading ON DEADLY TIDES by Melanie Jackson and then I plan to read CHEMS by Ann Swann. I'll share my views of these books in my next Indie Author post. Cheers, Deanna