Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!! I just finished The Lady and the Unicorn by Ophelie and here are my musings. Running to a life not away should be the mantra of any young woman looking to reinvent themselves. The trouble is when you run head first into a man who brings the heat but keeps you at arms length. Not knowing what is real and what is in her head, who do you run to? Who can protect you from the dangers real or imagined? Loads to unpack here. It feels like reading a book a step away from it. There was nothing to connect to. A lack of use of names kinda keeps you at arms length. It was an interesting way to tell a story and kinda worked in some spots but others… I wondered why I kept reading. You need to connect. You have to feel something to keep the pages turning and the only thing that kept me reading was finding out what was real and what was not. As a woman who has people in her life with BP… the Psychosis parts were wild. I don’t know if this is drawn from experience or whether she researched bipolar but in my experience this isn’t the norm and the catalyst didn’t really seem like something that would set a BP person on this trajectory so that was a little unsettling for me. The writing definitely went waywire towards the end. It felt erratic and not well reasoned but still I kept turning those pages. There was a great underlying story here. I can see it. It just needs some editing. It needs someone else to work the kinks out and smooth the story a bit. I could have used more being in psychosis, maybe her doing things that seemed normal as she is narrating it and people were acting like she was doing something out of this world crazy and then another POV to give us the reality. Maybe her living and not knowing what is real and what is not in an unreliable narrator way rather than the way it was done here. It was unique and different but it still needs a bit of work. 3.5 stars #theladyandtheunicorn #ophelie #indiebook #indiereader #bookreview #readersofig #igbooks

Copy, Kill, Repeat by Steve Cornwell Something sinister is happening in London. Someone is recreating famous murders and staging them for the police. He isn’t even doing it himself… He finds others to do it for him. The police bring in criminologist Ethan Marshall to help bring the killer to justice.. But the clock is ticking. It was interesting.. The gruesome parts were absolutely brilliant but the pacing and tone everywhere else was a tad bland. It felt like 2 different people were writing this one. I think it was done on purpose to bring maximum effect to the parts that mattered but it didn’t work so well for me on audio. I think had the author quickened the pace, it would have been the best book of the year for me but it just missed the mark. I liked Ethan but again, he came across boring in spots and that really was a bummer. 3.5 stars #bookalorian #bookrecs #spookyrecs #bookish #copykillrepeat #booksbooksbooks #reading #booklover #bookworm #booktok #litdulterous #bookreview #bookcommunity

Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!! I just finished On the Edge of After by Britt Wolfe and here are my musings. A chance encounter on new years eve has Merritt Clark feeling something she hasn’t felt in years… Not since the loss of her husband. Her quiet life was enough until Beau… The chemistry is undeniable but Beau is much more than meets the eye. His career in politics puts his life in a harsh spotlight and when Merritt’s career comes under public scrutiny… Is love enough to sacrifice everything else? I was really lucky to see Britt’s giveaway on FB. She is a local author and I was grateful she decided to drop a book off for me. I liked the romance in the book. It felt realistic and raw. The writing was absolutely stunning. The prose was really beautiful and I was fully absorbed into Merritt and the bumpy journey she was on. It had this wonderful mashup of feeling cozy but tension driven which I found quite delightful. Anyone who spends time reading my reviews… They know I am not a fan of dual POV. This didn’t work for me here because it was the same thing that happened before, written the same way, just from the other person’s POV and it didn’t add value to the book for me. Each chapter went back rather than carrying the story forward and while I know what the author was attempting to do… It didn’t work in my opinion. I know! That sounded harsh but honestly that was the only con I had and that’s a reader preference rather than anything against the book. I loved that the characters weren’t young, I felt represented in this book. The tone was gentle throughout the book and never hit peak crescendo in the spicy parts or in the violent moments which I think was very clever because none of those parts were off putting and added to the story without detracting with shock value. A lot of authors make the mistake of thinking they need to smack you in the face but this book nailed it in my opinion. The pacing was decent and all in all I thoroughly enjoyed the book. After reading this book I did a bit of internet stalking and found Britt’s poetry. GAWWWW! Beautiful poetry too so this local author ticks all the boxes! 4 stars Thank you @brittwolfe for trusting me with your literary masterpiece! Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #brittwolfe #litdulterous #bookaddict #bookalorian #ontheedgeofafter #bookreview #bookreviewer #tbr #bookrecs #calgaryauthor #indieauthor #booktok #bookrecommendations #litindiefile #litindie #bookpost #bookpodcast

I just finished Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings and here are my musings. Eva’s life goals did not include eating crappy hot dogs while she interviews b-list celebs on her show but that’s the hand she has been dealt. She also never expected her public call out of her ex online to go viral… Her ex happens to be podcaster Rylie…. A man deconstructing toxic masculinity…. Using the opportunity to push their careers forward they meet again and Rylie pitches an idea that she doesn’t want any part in. Do you like faking dating? I don’t but I LOVED THIS BOOK!! There was a fuckton of depth in this novel and the narration was so well done I couldn’t help connecting and binging my way through it. I really enjoyed the banter between Eva and Rylie. I also hate miscommunication as a trope but this one did the second chance thing really well. I like when men admit they were wrong and they want to fix it but I hate that Rylie says he wanted to make amends but never went looking for her… she was active on socials so that felt disingenuous to me and I couldn’t shake it haha. I know I over think shit but I couldn’t help it. Oh and it was wayyyyy spicer than I was anticipating so be warned!! He likes to eatttttttt. 4 stars Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my gifted copy Make sure you check out my store Bookaloriandesigns.com Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur. You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A Youtube.com/@litdulterous #wellactually #macmillan #bookalorian #bookish #bookstagram #reading #bookcommunity #readersofig #bookpodcast #bookishpodcast #litdulterous #bookreview #bookblog #bookishreview #bookinfluencer

I just finished The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst and here are my musings. Terlu wakes up on an almost deserted island in the dead of winter… After spending 5 years as a stone statue, it was disorientating but not as disorientating as when the gardener demands that she does magic to fix his magical greenhouses. Knowing she doesn’t have magical powers, she promises to try, even though it is against the law and the reason she was a statue in the first place and in return Yarrow feeds and clothes her. She works with Yarrow to fix the greenhouses and the magical plants they house. The only way she can save them is to uncover the secrets of the man who cast the spells in the first place. Yes it’s pretty much a standalone book which upset me when I found out it wasn’t a continuation of the Spell shop… I did start out bummed but honestly, I started to really connect with Terlu and how misunderstood and lonely she was. I loved Caz from the Spell shop and we learn how he came to be and why in this book which was quite beautiful and touching and we do get an update on him at the end of this book which was perfectamondo for me. I love the magical plants and how they interact with Yarrow and Terlu. I thought the characters were charming and the story was so sweet and charming… You have to sit down with a hot chocolate and just let the magic wash over you. Brilliant cozy fantasy! 4.5 stars Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for my gifted ALC! Out now You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #thespellshop #theenchantedgreenhouse #sarahbethdurst #cozyfantasy #bookrecs #bookishrecs #bookinfluencer #bookalorian #booklover #bookreview #bookcommunity

I just finished The Girl Without a Voice by Sandra J. Paul and here are my musings. Alice has never been outside of her family home. At 22 and born mute, she has been kept out of the public eye but her cruel mother and overbearing dad. When her dad is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she never expects her life to implode the way it does… For her mother to be accused of killing her dad… For her father’s delirious confession or for the neighbor to help her find the truth of what her dad dropped upon her. Did her father murder multiple women? Is this really something she wants to dig up? WHOAAA There was sooooo much going on in this book! Layer upon layer of whiplash!! This is my kind of thriller. Alice is amazing! She found a way to communicate when her parents wouldn’t get her help. She self taught herself sign language which was cool. I also loved that she was a big reader! She never really let it all get to her. She was interesting and I really enjoyed getting to know her. The story did spend too much time building up to the death of the father. I think a lot of that could have been cut out. It was unnecessary for me. I enjoyed everything after she left home and the tension just kept building and building. I was really entertained. I enjoyed the narration and all in all, a solid thriller. 4 stars Thank you @tantoraudio and @netgalley for my gifted copy #agirlwithoutavoice #sandrajpaul #suspence #suspencethriller #mysterybook #mysteryread #bookreview #bookpodcast #booksbooksbooks #bokreviewer #booksarelife #litdulterous #bookalorian #bookishblog

Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!! I just finished The Fruit Tree by Sabir Ahmed and here are my musings. Adam is shy and Eve is popular and they never expected their paths to cross but cross they do. Becoming friends and eventually more, they have a sweet and gentle love… The Adam and Eve retelling you didn’t know you needed. With all the religious parts removed, imagine the story now with no good or evil, just two people who fall in love and the other people to blame for the good and the bad are themselves… I enjoyed the plot. I liked the concept of Adam and Eve and being responsible for their own actions. It was different.. Clever. I didn’t like the formatting. I think it made it look like it was self-published. The author started too many sentences with He… It was far too repetitive. I think that was probably the only negatives I could find. I think some editing would have really been welcomed here as so many wonderful parts of the story weren’t highlighted in the best way.. There was a bit of fluff that have been removed too but I liked the characters and I did enjoy the tone and pace of the book. The cover was great! If I was buying this based on the cover alone I would definitely do it. I could see some real genius in the raw writing but it needs a good polishing and some editing… Then this book would be ready for the critiques! The rating…. 3.5 stars and I took time deciding on that. There was a lot of good in this book but there were also some things that needed some reworkings. Thank you to Sabir Ahmed for sending me a physical copy of their book. I know it can’t be easy to do and I am grateful for your trust. Out now. #sabirahmed #litdulterous #litindiefiles #indie #indiepublishing #bookalorian #bookreview #bookrecs #tbr #toberead #readingislit #bookslayer #thefruittree #bookinfluencer #literaryinfluencer #readersofinstagram

I just finished The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin and here are my musings. Effie never expected to go home.. Back to the wilderness of the New Zealand bush but one phone call changes everything. A little girl is found, she looks exactly like Effie and she has witnessed something terrible… Something awful has happened to her and only Effie can find out what that is. This book was difficult for me. The subject matter is quite sickening and I really had to remind myself it was fiction because it felt insanely real. The writing didn’t come across as entertainment but as a real event I was privy to watching. We get dual timelines from Effie’s POV. We get the current day when Anya is found and then Effie’s past and the lead up to her fleeing home. My main problem with the book was purely the tone. It was monotonal for the most part but I think that was deliberate. The story of what had happened to the little girl and the history that started it all likely needed the story to be told this way but it’s just not my favorite way to read. I like books to adapt as they go, adjust the pacing when needed but this one little kept it consistent throughout. It’s a personal thing, I’m likely in the minority here. I thought the plot was excellent. It really hooked me from the get go and I was super invested in what was happening. I liked the characters, especially June. I felt she was a wonderful lady and it came across while reading. I liked how it ended too. It took all the loose ends and wrapped everything up neatly enough without being too neat you know? It was a solid book. Thought provoking and terrifying in equal measures. It was unique and well done. 4.25 stars Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for inviting me to the Book tour for this book and for my gifted ARC. All opinions are my own. You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A

I just finished The Lake Escape by Jamie Day and here are my thoughts. Three childhood friends who still as adults, visit their summer properties sounds idyllic. Trying to ignore the trappings of their real lives, they all settle in for the summer but when David’s girlfriend disappears mysteriously, they cannot help connecting it to other missing girls cases from years ago.. Did the lake take another one or is something more sinister plaguing their paradise? This had some really intriguing moments and some really…. Suspend your disbelief moments. It didn’t seem to have an inbetween. The writing was really good and the narration was great but some parts just kinda went off into obscurity and then snapped back into the story in a really bizarre way. I’m all for fiction being unreal but this didn’t fit so well for me with the extremity of it. Having said that, it was a really entertaining audio and I liked how it ended, which was not what I was expecting. I hated all the characters but that’s a given for me sometimes haha. The pacing could have been better but it didn’t detract from how clever this book really was and I didn’t find any plot holes. 4 stars Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my gifted copy You can find all my book reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A You can find all my book merch at Bookaloriandesigns.com and bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com #thelakeescape #jamieday #thrillerbook #bookslayer #bookish #bookclub #thrillerbookclub #bookalorian #bookishpodcast #readerpodcast #podcaster #bookmerchstore #bookishbusiness #literaryinfluencer