Hello friends! Today is Selfless Indie Saturday, so I wanted to share with you seven indie books that are currently on my TBR List.
What is an indie book? An indie book is a book that was published by an author through means other than with a traditional publishing company. So, an author like me who published through Amazon or self-published through other means.
7 Indie Books Currently on my TBR List:
Forever and One Day (Hudson River Book 1) by Jacqueline Simon Gunn
Everyone has wondered “what if?” But how many get a chance to live it?
Seventeen years ago, Olivia Watson’s world was turned upside down when she discovered Justin, her high-school sweetheart turned fiancé, having sex with her best friend, Petal. Unable to muster up any forgiveness, she turns her back on him and every friend connected to that part of her life, leaving many questions about the details of the betrayal unanswered.
When Olivia receives an invitation for her twenty-year high school reunion, she decides that she’s been avoiding the past for too long. It’s time to go back and revisit that part of her life, her old friends, and the betrayal that created the wedge between them.
As soon as she and Justin lay eyes on each other at the reunion, they immediately sense the vibrant remains of their unbreakable connection. The spark between them never faded. However, Justin is now married to Petal and Olivia is involved with Adam, her handsome, best-selling-author boyfriend. But is healing old wounds enough for Olivia and Justin to move forward together, or will it help them make peace with the new lives they have chosen?
Each of the four main characters remain bound to their past by unresolved issues, demonstrating that sometimes we can’t find our future until we settle our past. But, most importantly, Olivia learns that forever isn’t time eternal; rather, forever is a place we share with the people we love the most — even when they’re gone.
Buy Forever and One Day Here.
Learn more about Forever and One Day and Jacqueline Simon Gunn Here.
Back to Delaware (The King Brothers Book 1) by Andrea Hopkins
DELAWARE
Hi, my name is Delaware King and I’m an addict.
A coward.
A complete a**hole.
Six-time Grammy winner.
Four-time rehab attempter.
In recovery.
Trying my hardest to find my way back to myself.
Back to her.
Zoey.
The girl who had my heart before I even realized it. She was my first fan. My best friend. My future. My heart and soul.
Until I made her believe that she wasn’t.
It’s been six years since I’ve been home. Now I’m back. Humbled, healthy, and ready to make up for my dumb*** mistakes.
To make her remember.
I’m hers. I’ve always been hers. And no one will stand in my way.
Not even my brother.
ZOEY
Delaware King was my first real friend.
My first kiss. My first love. My first everything.
He was my person.
Until he broke my heart when there wasn’t much left to break.
He walked—no, he ran far away from me when I needed him the most. When we needed each other.
I should hate him. No one would blame me if I did.
But I don’t.
And now he’s back home and no matter what he says, I know he’s for me.
But I’m not the same young girl he left behind. It’s been six years. I have secrets of my own.
A life that went on without him. I don’t need him anymore.
And I certainly don’t want him.
I don’t. I definitely don’t.
Ugh, that’s such bull****.
Even I can’t believe the words spewing from my mouth.
I’m totally freaking screwed.
Buy Back to Delaware here.
Learn more about Back to Delaware and Andrea Hopkins here.
Life is But a Dream by Andrea Nourse
Poised. Graceful. Organized. Yes, Rebecca Jane has it all – Kyle, her handsome, loving fiancé, her dream career and her five-year plan. She is successful and driven and up for a promotion as long as her evil co-monster, Hannah, stays out of her way as they tackle an interesting, new client together.
Rebecca is on the verge of greatness – at least in her own mind.
As it usually does, her past finally catches up with her. Now, at thirty, Rebecca is questioning who she is and the choices she made along the way. Is she really ready to settle down and be Mrs. Kyle Turner?
Rebecca is forced to reevaluate everything she thought she ever wanted and to finally face the fact that she never really let go of the past.
Buy Life is But a Dream here.
Learn more about Life is But a Dream and Andrea Nourse here.
Obsessively Yours (Joe & Ella #1) by Nikki J. Summers
Ella
Once bitten, twice shy. Isn’t that how the saying goes? Only, this man looks like he wants to do more than just bite me. He’ll devour me whole given half a chance. Trouble is, I don’t think I’ve got the willpower to stop him. Not when he’s looking at me like that, with those hypnotic grey eyes. He’s a God amongst men, but his desires are anything but Godly. He’s pure devil, wrapped in a designer suit.
Joe
All good things come to those who wait, and boy have I waited a long time to find a woman like her. If she thinks I’ll let her walk away, she’s in for a surprise. She thinks I’m the spider to her fly, but she’s wrong. I’m the one caught in her web and I’ve got no plans to break free.
Following a chance encounter on the opening night of a new club in the city, Joe Madden sets his sights on the beautiful brunette with the fiery temper. The only problem is she’s had enough of bossy, overbearing men. So what do you do when the woman of your dreams won’t even give you the time of day? You get creative.
Joe pulls out all the stops to get Ella to notice him and win her over. However, hidden forces are at play, working against Joe and his pursuit of a happy ever after.
Is this perfect playboy everything he seems? Or are the smoke and mirrors covering a dangerous lie?
This is an extended novel told in two parts and it does end on a cliff hanger.
Book two, Forever Mine, is the concluding part of Joe and Ella’s story and is available for download on Kindle Unlimited.
Buy Obsessively Yours (Joe & Ella #1) by Nikki J. Summers here.
Follow Nikki J. Summers on Instagram here.
Love in Stone (Her Hands Book 1) by Eve Kasey
Clare Clover is super smart, but she’s not a people person. At 27, she’s never even had a boyfriend. That’s why she works with fossils. She doesn’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing to a bunch of bones. When she gets chosen to lead an exciting excavation, Clare thinks she’ll finally be able to make a name for herself. What else is there to do besides dig in Middle-of-Nowhere, Montana? Then she meets Ben Merano, a handsome geologist who gives her an education her three college degrees couldn’t come close to.
Ben Merano loves his isolated, drama-free existence with no responsibilities. Traveling, hanging out with the guys, being outdoors—what’s not to like? Then Clare, a paleontologist with killer legs and zero social skills, shows up at his camp. Ben feels an instant connection to the reserved girl from the big city. That he had a vision of her a few weeks before they met is only part of her appeal. Ben starts to believe he wouldn’t have seen Clare coming if she wasn’t meant to be his. The problem is he’ll have to convince this student of science there’s such a thing as destiny.
Clare’s brain tells her a relationship with Ben would never work, even if he can sing like Paul McCartney and kiss like Casanova. After all, Ben’s a wanderer and she’s got the job of her dreams back in New York. Will Clare’s logic, and lack of experience with love, get in the way of what they both want—or will she allow herself to find Love in Stone?
Buy Love in Stone (Her Hands Book 1) by Eve Kasey here.
Follow Eve Kasey on Instagram here.
The Secret of the Codex (The Codex Series Book 1) by Melissa Frey
Somewhere, buried deep underground, lies an ancient Secret…
When archaeology professor Kayla Harrington heads to Belize for the summer, she discovers a collection of Mayan hieroglyphs detailing stories of a powerful Secret. But when her colleague, Grady McGready, joins in the search, she begins to realize that there’s more to this secret–and to him–than she thought.
But secrets don’t stay hidden by chance…
As Kayla and Grady get closer to uncovering the Secret–and the power it promises–they, along with grad students Mandy and Justin, are thrust into the hands of a ruthless Clan determined to prevent the Secret from being released at all costs. Through deadly rainforests, raging rivers, and hidden passageways, the four embark on a journey to bring to light a Secret that has been hidden from the world for far too long.
Fans of Dan Brown and James Rollins will love this archaeological supernatural thriller with non-stop action that keeps you wanting more.
Buy The Secret of the Codex (The Codex Series Book 1) by Melissa Frey here.
Learn more about The Secret of the Codex (The Codex Series Book 1) and Melissa Frey here.
I Would Never… But If I Did (I Would Never Companion Series Book 1) by Maria Ann Green
Taryn Sams doesn’t believe in love. Period. Every time she’s gotten close, her happiness has been ripped from her, proving once again the only thing worth believing in is the inevitability of her own – and others – screw ups.
For Austin Wright, Taryn is the one who got away. But really, if he’s honest with himself, he pushed her away, with one hard shove. He did the one thing he told her he never would do, and shattered both of their hearts. But it’s been years since then, and somehow Austin and Taryn found a way to be friends, albeit dysfunctional ones.
Theo Evans is the other man in Taryn’s life. He’s also Austin’s best friend. But, to be fair, he’s been in love with Taryn longer. He accepts Taryn as she is, broken, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to be the one she chooses in the end.
Taryn isn’t the only one with someone else in her life. Austin has a girlfriend he’s trying to see a future with even though she can’t live up to those that came before. Yet they keep coming back together like magnets, unable to resist the pull to each other. Taryn continues her relationship with Theo while starting up again with Austin, willing to give him one more shot though not willing to let go of Theo just yet. While juggling the two men, she’s hoping that her once-bitter heart will eventually open up and tell her who to choose, hoping that she isn’t deluding herself yet again about what’s real and what’s possible.
Can love win Taryn over, or will she screw up her own life yet again, and the lives of at least three others in the process?
*Content Warning: sex, cheating, alcohol and drug use, loss and grief, depression, and language*
If you like angsty, drama-filed, dysfunctional contemporary romances with heartbreaking twists and strong female characters, I Would Never…But If I Did might be your next favorite book. It has love triangles, second chance romances, and a bit friends to lovers, along with the trouble. It’ll keep you up way too late, reading just one more chapter all night.
Buy I Would Never… But If I Did (I Would Never Companion Series Book 1) by Maria Ann Green here.
Join Maria Ann Green’s Newsletter here.
The Van Birch Incident (The Incident Series #1) by Marla Holt
Van Birch: Pop Star. A-list starlet. Off-limits.
Clay Noble has spent the better part of a decade avoiding his taboo obsession: His stepsister Van. In love with her since the first time he’d heard her sing, even shipping himself off to the army couldn’t stop thoughts of her. Now that he’s lost everything in a tornado, he’s forced to move back in with the only family he has left, Van and her dad. Sleeping down the hall from her is forcing every unwanted impulse back to the surface.
Clay Noble: Gorgeous. Infuriating. Untouchable.
Everything Van touches turns to gold with a side of outrageous. When she accuses her manager of sexual assault, the public thinks it’s just another one of her publicity stunts and the backlash is brutal. Wounded, she dashes home to a tornado-devastated Wellville, Kansas to heal and help rebuild, even though the constant stream of social media doubts and threats won’t let her rest. But there’s another reason for her sleepless nights and fevered dreams. Clay is back, hotter than ever, and his lingering glances and stolen moments have her convinced the feelings she’s fought for so long may not be one sided after all.
******
The Van Birch Incident marries forbidden romance, bordering on taboo with a little danger and a guaranteed happily ever after, while exploring how social media and real life collide in a post #metoo world where the internet never sleeps.
Pre-Order The Van Birch Incident (The Incident Series #1) by Marla Holt here. Book releases on May 21, 2020.
Learn more about The Van Birch Incident (The Incident Series #1) and Marla Holt here.
I hope you will check out the books and authors on this list! They are guaranteed good reads, especially during this time of social distancing! Have you been reading more or less during this time? I’m currently twenty books ahead of schedule toward meeting my Goodreads reading goal for the year! So, you might say I’ve been doing a lot of reading.
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Until next time,
Write on, Writers!
Michelle C. Hillstrom - Author 
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