AIBA Approved

In the Shadows of Castles

In the Shadows of Castles
Title: In the Shadows of Castles
ASIN: B0B4B8DXQL
Publisher:
Published: June 15, 2022
Author's Twitter: @GlynnHolloway
It's the 1060s, and William of Normandy is establishing a new and brutal regime in England, but there are those who would defy him. As Norman soldiers spread like a plague across the land, resistance builds, but will it be enough to topple William and restore the rightful king to his throne? The English have the courage to fight, but the Normans, already victorious at Hastings, now build castles seeking to secure their tenuous foothold in these lands. And what of the people caught up in these catastrophic events? Dispossessed but not defeated, their lives ripped apart, the English struggle for freedom from tyranny; amongst them, caught up in the turmoil, are a soldier, a thane and two sisters. As events unfold, their destinies become intertwined, bringing drastic changes that alter their lives forever. Firmly embedded in the history of the Conquest, 'In the Shadows of Castles' is ultimately a story of love, hope and survival in a time of war.

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

16 June 2024

Welcome to Quayside

Welcome to Quayside
Title: Welcome to Quayside
ASIN: B0CKWQ2MSZ
Published: October 10, 2023
Author's Twitter: @TheSicilianMama
Forty-year-old Tanya Baker dreams of starting a new life and making friends when she moves to a block of flats by the River Thames with her thirteen-year-old daughter, Hattie. But as Tanya and Hattie knock on neighbours’ doors in search of a tin opener, it’s clear that the residents of Number One Quayside like to keep to themselves. Everyone, that is, except their next-door neighbours, Italian chef Giacomo Dalamo, and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Frankie. Between a delicious dish of lasagne (Giacomo’s) and a burnt salad (Tanya’s), they hatch a plan to set a library of things in their building, so that residents can borrow rarely-used items, from DIY tools to sports equipment and party supplies. As all the residents at Quayside pull together to make the library happen, dreams are fulfilled, a community is born and love blossoms again

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

7 June 2024

Secrets In The Mirror

Secrets In The Mirror
Title: Secrets In The Mirror
ASIN: B0B34H59Y1
Publisher:
Published: September 13, 2022
Author:
Author's Twitter: @LeslieKainAuth1
This book contains a racist term and explicit language.   “A psychological thriller perfect for our time” that “toes the fine line between sympathetic and terrifying,” Secrets In The Mirror is a sweeping saga of one family’s journey to rise above the toxicity of multigenerational domestic abuse and crime. Gavin struggles to salvage his self-esteem from Dad’s bullying, and from narcissistic abuse by his identical mirror twin. But when Devon gets into drugs and trouble with the Mob, people start dying. Gavin flees far away to protect himself and his new family. But he can’t escape his sociopathic brother, or the Mob. Yet inextricable bonds tie him to Devon, and Gavin vows to break the lethal chain of family dysfunction and rescue his twin from his self-destructive path. Can he save his brother before Devon destroys them both?

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

This book contains a racist term and explicit language.

A Colossal Injustice

A Colossal Injustice
Title: A Colossal Injustice
ASIN: B0BLT6VB3N
Tag:
Published: 7 Nov. 2022
Author's Twitter: @iammahjr
Griffin Knight hasn't even been in the city for 48 hours, and it’s already obvious that the information in front of him doesn’t add up. As a homicide detective, he's seen it all, but this murder is different. To kill someone in this manner is often a crime of passion or a deeply personal attack, and yet the evidence suggests otherwise. Why was he targeted? How is it connected to Seattle’s biggest megacorp? Was it someone he already knew? What if this is the start of something so much bigger? The only thing Griffin Knight does know is that he needs to find out who did this fast in case others are also at risk!

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

Joey Finds His Jump!

Joey Finds His Jump!
Title: Joey Finds His Jump!
Tag:
Illustrator: Olha Tkachenko
Published: February 18, 2021
Joey Kangaroo never learned how to jump, and he desperately wants to find the secret. Kids move alongside Joey and Juniper with Ballerina Konora as inspiration in this interactive story of determination and friendship.

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

Boychik

Boychik
Title: Boychik
ASIN: B09J43786C
Category:
Published: ‎ October 9, 2021
Author:
Author's Twitter: @laurieboris
Eli Abramowitz works in his parents’ deli in Williamsburg. His family is his whole world—almost. He spends every Sunday at the movies and hopes to hit it big as a Hollywood screenwriter. But how can he tell his parents that one day he’ll be leaving? Across town, Evelyn Rosenstein’s father works for the mob—undoubtedly the reason they’re doing so well. Definitely the reason she’s not allowed farther than their mailbox unescorted. Even though her parents have chosen a husband for her, a family tradition, she fantasizes about a life in service to the unfortunate. But for the moment, she dreams of escape, if only for a few hours.

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

 

Ruffing It

Ruffing It
Title: Ruffing It
ASIN: B08CVTJDVZ
Tag:
Published: July 12, 2020
Author:
Life in Last Chance Gulch has never been easy for 10-year-old Charlie Fogalman...not with a teacher who just might be a Russian spy, not with Fletcher Stickney, the biggest and meanest bully on the planet. But when Charlie changes into a dog during a magic spell gone bad, things take a turn for the worse. His previous life wasn't easy, but at least he was human. Will Charlie ever walk on two legs again?

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

The Mad Days of March

The Mad Days of March
Title: The Mad Days of March
ASIN: B092TQCTWP
Published: April 17, 2021
Author's Twitter: @PhilipCatshill
This is the daily diary of Terry March whose single act of kindness leads to a month of madness and mayhem. After helping an old guy dispose of a blood-stained carpet at the local tip, Terry rescues his old TV remote and while driving home, he uses it to zap phantom aliens! This leads him to an encounter with Police Sergeant Susan. His new resolution to be helpful leads to his first opportunity to be unfaithful to his wife of nineteen torturous years. A soon-to-be divorced Lauren offers her favours to thank Terry for his kindness, but Terry declines the invitation. Within days, another opportunity arises, and Terry can’t convince himself that those phantom aliens haven’t spirited him away to a parallel universe. Before that first week is over, Terry faces redundancy from his mundane job at the local council. In order to tackle the backlog of paperwork, the council employs a temporary typist, Ashley, who closely resembles Terry’s 19-year-old daughter, Megan. Terry’s wife, Brenda disappears and Carol, her twin sister moves in. When a body is found in his garden, Terry is arrested for murder and Carol adds to his torment by accusing him of rape! While in a police cell, Terry encounters further problems as Lauren’s police sergeant husband is the custody officer! But all is not lost! Police Sergeant Susan persuades Carol to withdraw the charge and mysteriously, that old guy from the tip makes a deathbed confession to the murder! But the mad days of March are not yet over. Ashley disappears. Terry’s daughter Megan suffers traumatic memories from her past. Lauren’s house is set ablaze, and a mysterious detective Dave is concerned that Megan too has disappeared! All this in a month of the Mad Days of March! Warning: Sexually explicit content. For adult reading only.

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards

 

The Kitchen Brigade

The Kitchen Brigade
Title: The Kitchen Brigade
ASIN: B07MCHV7ML
Tag:
Published: January 10, 2019
Author:
Author's Twitter: @laurieboris
If an army marches on its stomach, can a cook find a way to win the war? It's 2049. In a Russian-occupied America torn apart by civil war, Valerie Kipplander--daughter of the assassinated secretary of state--is thrown in jail. When the regime discovers this daughter of privilege is also a talented culinary student, she's forced into service in the kitchen of a Russian general whose troops occupy New York. The general's mansion proves a prison of a different sort. The head chef has a mysterious past, the Russians have a more insidious agenda than what they've promised, the resistance wants her on their side, and one of the guards wants her dead. Valerie knows she must take a stand. The risks are monumental, the choices few. But how long can she serve the men bent on destroying her beloved country?

Assessed for Awesome Indies Book Awards