Jonestown. The Solar Temple. Heaven’s Gate. In the summer of 1990, the Payson Church of Tomorrow joins the ranks of those infamous cult suicides when thirty-four members burn to death on a small island off the coast of Maine. At ten years old, Payson member Erin Solomon watches helplessly as the church and its congregation are reduced to ash and embers. More than twenty years later, Erin is an accomplished investigative journalist when she receives word that she has inherited Payson Isle… and all its ghosts. She returns to Maine to learn the truth behind the tragedy that has haunted her since childhood, aided by the rakish mentor who’s stood by her side since she was a teenager, her trusty mutt Einstein, and a mysterious stranger with his own dark past. Soon, Erin is enmeshed in violence, conspiracy, and scandal, as she fights to unearth the secrets of the Payson Church of Tomorrow — secrets someone will kill to keep buried.

Assessed for Awesome Indies

A Game of Proof

Posted April 21, 2013 by Awesome Indies

Title: A Game of Proof: A Mother's Fight to Defend her Son

ASIN: B005ALGIFK

Awards: Awesome Indies: APPROVED, B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Categories: Adult, Thrillers and Suspense

Tags: Detective, legal

Series: The Trials of Sarah Newby

Publisher: White Owl Publications Ltd

Published: July 4, 2011

Short link: http://j.mp/AwesIndBk331

Author: Tim Vicary

A mother's worst nightmare - can her son be guilty of murder? Sarah Newby, who left school at 15, and was living as a teenage single parent on an inner-city estate, has worked her way up to begin a career as a criminal barrister. But what should she do when her own son, Simon, is arrested and charged with a series of brutal rapes and murders? Has Sarah, in her single-minded determination to create a career for herself, neglected her son so much that she no longer knows him? He has often lied to her in the past, so how can she trust him when he says he is innocent this time? When she herself finds evidence of his guilt, how can she defend him?

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The Moon Coin

Posted February 23, 2013 by Awesome Indies

Title: The Moon Coin

ASIN: B005JFMKB8

Awards: Awesome Indies: APPROVED, B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Categories: YA Fantasy, Young Adult

Series: The Moon Realm Series

Publisher: Gibbering Gnome Press

Illustrator: Carolyn Arcabascio

Short link: http://j.mp/AwesIndBk147

Author: Richard Due

Author's Twitter: @RichardDue

These aren’t your parents’ bedtime tales. As children, Lily and her brother Jasper were captivated by tales of the Moon Realm, with its magical lunamancers, undersea merfolk, winged dragons, and Lily's favorite, the heroic Rinn. Their Uncle Ebb made it sound like he'd been there himself. "Tales, unlike stories, never lie. Would you like to hear one?" He made them sound so real--like place you could visit, like a place you could . . . touch.

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After The Rising: An Irish Family Saga

Posted February 16, 2013 by Awesome Indies

Title: After The Rising: An Irish Family Saga

ASIN: B006N6BDI8

Awards: Awesome Indies: APPROVED, B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Category: Historical Fiction

Tag: British & Irish

Series: The Irish Trilogy

Publisher: Font Publications

Published: December 16, 2011

Short link: http://j.mp/AwesIndBk427

Author: Orna Ross

Twenty years ago, Jo Devereux fled Mucknamore, the small Irish village where she grew up, driven away by buried secrets and hatreds, swearing never to return Now she his back and wants to uncover the truth about what really went on between her family and their friends, the O’Donovans, during the Ireland’s bitter Civil War… The consequences of that bitter division in the 1920s carried down into Jo’s own life, shattering her relationship with Rory O’Donovan, the only man she ever loved, and driving her to leave Ireland, swearing she’d never return. Now, Jo’s estranged mother has died, leaving her a suitcase full of letters and diaries that seem answer some questions about the past.

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At Drake’s Command

Posted February 10, 2013 by Awesome Indies

Title: At Drake’s Command

ASIN: B00C5PD8WK

Awards: Awesome Indies: APPROVED, B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Categories: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Series: The Drake Circumnavigation

Publisher: Temurlone Press

Published: November 16, 2013

Short link: http://j.mp/AwesIndBk121

Author: David Wesley Hill

It was as fine a day to be whipped as any he’d ever seen but the good weather didn’t make Peregrine James any happier with the situation he was in. Unfairly convicted of a crime he had not committed, the young cook was strung from the whipping post on the Plymouth quayside when he caught the eye of the charismatic sea captain Francis Drake, who agreed to accept Perry among his crew despite the stripes of a thief on his back. Soon England was receding in their wake and Perry was serving an unsavory collection of sea dogs as the small fleet of fragile wood ships sailed across the deep brine. Their destination was secret, known to Drake alone. Few sailors believed the public avowal that the expedition was headed for Alexandria to trade in currants. Some men suspected Drake planned a raid across Panama to attack the Spanish in the Pacific. Others were sure the real plan was to round the Cape of Storms to break the Portuguese monopoly of the spice trade. The only thing Perry knew for certain was that they were bound for danger and that he must live by his wits if he were to survive serving at Drake’s command.

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A Fatal Verdict: A Sister’s Revenge

Posted February 8, 2013 by Awesome Indies

Title: A Fatal Verdict: A Sister's Revenge

ASIN: B005C0YH48

Awards: Awesome Indies: APPROVED, B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Category: Thrillers and Suspense

Tag: legal

Series: The Trials of Sarah Newby

Publisher: White Owl Publications Ltd

Published: July 9, 2011

Short link: http://j.mp/AwesIndBk398

Author: Tim Vicary

What would you do if someone murdered your child, but the justice system let you down? Kathryn Walters is faced with this dreadful decision when her daughter, Shelley, is found dead in her boyfriend's flat. Despite the best efforts of the Crown Prosecution barrister, Sarah Newby, it seems possible that the boyfriend, David Kidd, may be acquitted. Should her family tolerate this? Or seek their own form of justice through revenge? Sarah Newby finds herself defending a client who is not only reluctant to give evidence on her own behalf, but also refuses to explain why she chose Sarah to defend her in the first place ... The second book in a series of British legal thrillers which have been compared to the works of John Grisham, Scott Turow and Michael Connelly.

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Across the Mekong River

Posted February 2, 2013 by Awesome Indies

Title: Across the Mekong River

ASIN: B008KQAGA0

Awards: Awesome Indies: APPROVED, B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Categories: Family, Historical Fiction

Tag: Cultural Heritage

Published: July 11, 2012

Short link: http://j.mp/AwesIndBk369

Author: Elaine Russell

In a California courtroom, seventeen-year-old Nou Lee reels with what she is about to do. What she must do to survive. She reflects on the splintered path that led to this moment, beginning twelve years ago in 1978, when her Hmong family escaped from Laos after the Communist takeover. The story follows the Lees from a squalid refugee camp in Thailand to a new life in Minnesota and eventually California. Family members struggle to survive in a strange foreign land, haunted by the scars of war and loss of family. Across the Mekong River paints a vivid picture of the Hmong immigrant experience, exploring family love, sacrifice, and the resiliency of the human spirit to overcome tragic circumstances

Assessed for Awesome Indies

Lethal Inheritance

Posted December 20, 2012 by Awesome Indies

Title: Lethal Inheritance

ASIN: B009NPL1D8

Awards: Awesome Indies: Seal of Excellence, B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Categories: YA Action Adventure, YA Fantasy, YA metaphysical, Young Adult

Tags: Coming of Age, demons, fantasy, magic, metaphysical, Sword & Sorcery, urban, YA Romance

Series: Diamond Peak

Publisher: Catapult Press

Published: November 13, 2012

Short link: http://j.mp/AwesIndBk001 #AIBk

Author: Tahlia Newland

Author's Twitter: @TahliaNewland

A scream pierces the night. Ariel jolts awake and watches in horror as demons drag her mother into a hidden realm. She finds help and sets off on a rescue mission. But to defeat the demons, who feed on fear and seek to enslave the human race, she must learn a secret esoteric wisdom to awaken the dormant, but potentially explosive, power of her mind. Walnut, a quirky old wise man, guides her through treacherous inner and outer landscapes, and Nick, the powerful Warrior who travels with them, proves a dangerous attraction. Can Ariel defeat the sadistic demon lord before he kills her and enslaves her mother? The stakes are high, death a real possibility. Fail now, and she fails humanity.

Assessed for Awesome Indies

October 18, 2013

THE GRAVE BLOGGER

Posted December 1, 2012 by Awesome Indies

Title: The Grave Blogger

ASIN: B008G2VM1A

Awards: Awesome Indies: APPROVED, B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

Categories: Adult, Mystery

Publisher: DDtect Publishing

Published: June 28, 2012

Short link: http://j.mp/AwesIndBk311

Author: Donna Fontenot

The scenic bayous and small towns of South Louisiana hold hidden dangers beyond those you might expect - in a tangled tale of mystery and suspense. Raya, a freelance writer and blogger, researches cold cases for true crime websites. One case in particular, the Bayou Family Slaughter case, stirs macabre memories, but are they real or imagined? Determined to uncover the truth, she heads to the small town of St. Felicity to investigate the 20-year old Bayou Family Slaughter case. Raya gets help from Nick Simoneaux, a young St. Felicity detective who is also investigating the cold case, but is Nick hiding family secrets from Raya? Is there anyone in St. Felicity she can trust, or is a murderer still living in this quaint old town - waiting and watching? As Raya reveals St. Felicity's secrets, she uncovers the mysteries of her own past, leading to dangers that threaten not only her own existence, but the lives of those she loves most. THE GRAVE BLOGGER is a fast-paced, riveting suspense thriller from an exciting new author. Donna D. Fontenot draws on her own experiences as a blogger and Louisiana Cajun to create a tense mystery filled with engaging characters in a setting that draws the reader in with its unique beauty and hidden dangers.