Category: books

Real Life Drama with A.K. Ritchie

~ Will Forrest ~ Leave a comment

Are you one of those brave readers who likes to get their hearts knocked about with some seriously angsty drama? If so, this book could be your next fave read…

Wilde Like Us

Harper Wilde finally has the life she always dreamt of. Her day job as a tattoo artist pays for her late nights in dive bars. Her tight-knit group of friends has become her chosen family. She even has a boyfriend who sees past her walls from her childhood trauma and understands the real her.

But on her 25 birthday, her world is turned upside down. A call from her estranged mother reveals that her father who abandoned her is dead. The bigger shock? He left behind two children Harper never knew existed: a brooding teenage daughter, Frances, and a bright-eyed son, Eddie. With her mother’s custody petition tied up in red tape, Harper becomes their reluctant guardian.

Overnight, Harper’s carefree life is replaced with teenage hormones, bed-wetting, and the daunting realization that her father’s neglect didn’t extend to his other children. To make matters worse, her strained relationship with her mother grows even more difficult the longer they navigate this crisis together.

For a woman who’s only ever had herself to look out for, becoming someone else’s lifeline is a shock to her system. But as her old life clashes with her new responsibilities, Harper begins to question whether the independence she fought so hard to obtain is really the life she wants.

From the author’s bio:

A.K. Ritchie hails from a small city in Ontario, Canada. She loves writing contemporary fiction focusing on women overcoming life’s obstacles and coming out the other side stronger than before.

Outside of writing, A.K. Ritchie likes going to concerts, adding to her expanding vinyl record library, and snapping pictures as an amateur photographer. The music she loves influences most of what she writes.

Find A.K. Ritchie here: https://linktr.ee/A.K.Ritchie

Read Wilde Like Us here: https://books2read.com/wildelikeus1

Unspeakable Secrets with Sinclair A. Macabre

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Well look they have to be a little bit speakable otherwise how did they write an entire book about it? Yes hello I am a smart-arse, thanks for noticing.

For real though, this book is in that sweet spot of grumpy v sunshine if sunshine was a red-headed fae you should never have had a relationship with in the first place NEVER MIND get a second chance with that will be immediately endangered by the entire rest of the plot. In terms of microtrope, this is top tier. But don’t just take my word for it…

The Skeletons in our Closet

For as long as he can recall, Daedalus Macabre has been bound to one rule above all else: Don’t Step Out of Line.
He’s always followed it to the letter—his days spent training in elegant forms of fighting, his nights spent studying in his library, and the breaths between spent lost in the worn keys of his piano. He keeps his head down, and he does what he’s told.
But when Daedalus moves to Nemoure and meets Cain Sidrelle, his meticulously crafted control and rigorous adherence to the rules seem to disappear overnight. Without realizing it, his entire world narrows down to a pretty rich boy with hair like hellfire. A hellfire that threatens to consume him with every passing smile and shared glance.
Still, his mother’s expectations are a heavy burden, and her anger only grows with his continued distraction and blatant disregard for her rules. The longer Daedalus allows himself his dalliance with Cain, the more dire the consequences become. Until one day those consequences arrive, and Daedalus is faced with a punishment he cannot run away from.
Separated by forces outside their control, Daedalus and Cain must overcome years of distance and longing when fate deems to grant them a second chance. But as others start to find themselves in Daedalus’ way, Cain begins to question whether this is the man he once knew, and if there can be any hope for the two of them in the end.

From the author’s bio:

Sinclair A. Macabre is a non-binary poet and author from little ol’ New England. Their work typically explores sexuality, gender, trauma, and the darker side of romance. When they aren’t writing or reading, they’re talking to their friends, or hanging out with their cat and fiancée.

Find Sinclair here: https://sinclairamacabre.carrd.co/

Read The Skeletons in our Closet here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FL9Z6983

Mythic Romance with Gigi Zarbi

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Discover wings, webs, and gorgeous in-book illustrations in this modern spin on the classic Greek myth of Arachne and Athena. Like many of us, I definitely had a Greek Mythology-is-my-hyperfixation phase and I always love to see the stories, er, spun out into new tales.

Broken Wings & Tangled Webs

Arachne was ancient; claiming Nirvana’s most renown fashion designer was set in her ways was an understatement, too. Every facet of her life was tailored to her reclusive preferences.

Or it had been, that is. Until an unexpected Titan Council general became enraptured with her, all but forcing the stubborn Arthropoda shifter away from the comforts of her web.

Athena The Great was home from her first extended leave in years. She wasn’t enjoying it either. So it isn’t surprising that she formed an obsession with the one being who refused to give into her advances.

Broken Wings & Tangled Webs is a short and sweet, but dark and comedic, Arachne x Athena, modern romantasy, Greek retelling.

From the author’s bio:

Gigi Zarbi writes spicy romances that are packed with laughs–although, proceed with caution and check the content warnings, as faer stories can sometimes be dark too. Being a visually driven Libra, all of faer works are illustrated in-text by insanely talented human artists. When fae aren’t writing, Gigi is typically hanging out with faer three dogs or snapping photos.

Find Gigi’s books here: www.gigizarbi.com

Read Broken Wings & Tangled Webs here: https://www.gigizarbi.com/shop/p/broken-wings-tangled-webs-ebook

Gothic Musings with Elowen Greywell

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I first featured Elowen Greywell in my October 2025 spotlight, because what could be better for spooky season than macabre musings from a secret (haunted?) manuscript. Though sounds like the manuscript might be writing itself…

Like I said, spooky, and I know some of you like to keep it spooky 24/7/365. Yes even on Valentine’s Day. Could this be your next chilling read?

The Musings of He

A forgotten author. An abandoned manor. A manuscript that was never meant to be read.

Vattica Wilde was once the darling of London’s literary elite-until his brilliance dimmed, and his name decayed beneath the weight of a single, forgotten masterpiece. A one hit wonder.

Shamed and desperate to reclaim his former glory, Vattica flees the city for a crumbling manor buried deep in the countryside. There, through rotted walls and whispering halls, he begins to write again. But the lines begin to blur between author and story, memory and hallucination, god and editor.

Reality unravels as Vattica details the constant shifting stairs. The peculiar whispers in the walls. The lines he cannot remember writing.

And Him.

What emerges is not a novel, but a requiem.

And it demands to be written.

Told through recovered journal entries and editorial notes, The Musings of He is a gothic descent into madness. As Vattica’s manuscript darkens and a figure known only as He begins to speak, the line between author and authored begins to dissolve.

From the author’s bio:

Elowen Greywell is a writer of literary horror and atmospheric fiction, drawn to the quiet dread that lingers between madness, memory, and the human psyche. Her work explores psychological descent, unreliable narration, and the spaces where history forgets to close its doors.

When she isn’t writing, Elowen can often be found annotating century-old books, researching obscure historical ephemera, or wandering places that no longer appear on maps. Well, realistically, you’re more likely to find her in her bedroom shopping for clothes and haunted stuffed animals or playing video games.

She believes that every haunted story begins as a forgotten one.

Find Elowen’s work here: https://www.elowengreywell.com/

Read The Musings of He here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKNN9P4B

A Beastly Quest with Aalis Blue

~ Will Forrest ~ Leave a comment

If Medieval manuscripts have taught us nothing else, it’s that rabbits are fearsome warriors who will stop at nothing on their path to victory. And I’ve never met a fantasy-quest-with-animal-main-characters I didn’t like, just saying…

The Undoing by Aalis Blue

Book 1 of the ‘Testaments’ series.

If you wish upon a shooting star, you may find a small iridescent stone in your palm. And if you carve into it the words of a dead tongue, you may well destroy the world.

For a thousand years, humans reigned unchecked. They subjugated, conquered, and consumed all in their path. Yet in the span of a 500-year war, the most feared race in history was annihilated. Their queen vanished, her daughters slaughtered, and their blood spills still into a world that rejoices at their extinction.

In the heart of Valdemar forest, Hadassah—the last of a dying human line—lives unaware of the carnage tied to her name. Until she is forced to flee into a realm that sees her kind as tyrants at best, vermin at worst. Disguised as a harmless rabbit, Hadassah travels with a beastman whose charm hides a shadowed past, a woman so beautiful kingdoms bend before her, a man whose strength humbles her, and a Harbinger forged for her protection alone.

Through the power struggles of the formidable Vortigern Rabbit family, Hadassah begins to see the world’s fractures: grudges older than empires, histories written in lies, and a hunger for power that spares no race.

Confronted by the cruelty of both beastmen and humans, she must face the question she fears most: Who deserves death, and who shall stand?

From the author’s bio:

Hi~ I’m Aalis Blue, a medical student who just happens to love the dark and the macabre. I write grimdark and dark fantasies for fun.

Follow me here: https://www.tiktok.com/@aalisblue

Read The Undoing here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FQTZQ3L2

Northwest Longing with Sara Elisabeth

~ Will Forrest ~ Leave a comment

You had me at “cheesy nineties movie” 😂

Also “guys everyone told me to avoid” 🫦

Throw in some *checks notes* devastating consequences and IDK what more do you want from a book?

Someday Away by Sara Elisabeth

“You’re everything I never knew I always wanted.”

It’s an appropriate quote considering the source is an underrated cheesy nineties movie—my favorite kind of flick. It describes the three of us perfectly. Not at first, though. Because after I met Lincoln Evans and Trey Walker on my first night at Whitmore U, we were a mess. Between Lincoln’s unveiled hatred and Trey’s slick, playboy ways, these were the guys everyone told me to avoid.

Except I can’t because they’re everywhere. And the more we fight whatever this is, the more we learn that we’re connected in unexpected and heartbreaking ways. I don’t know whether they’ll be the ones to shatter my already fractured psyche or put me back together.

Then there’s Matt Johnson—the cheating ex I never wanted to see again—who reappears in my life like a ghost from my past, stirring up tension with his presence alone. His intentions—whether good or bad—are only complicating my life further.

If my past and present collide, it could have devastating consequences for everyone involved.

Lucky me, it seems I’m powerless to stop it.

From the author’s bio:

Sara Elisabeth has been a writer since she was six years old when she was inspired by authors like Ursula K. LeGuin, S. E. Hinton, and Terry Brooks.

She’s from the Pacific Northwest, spending most of her life with one foot in British Columbia and one foot in Washington state.

She’s a self-proclaimed nerd with a passion for RPG video games, movies, and 90s alt-rock music. When she’s not writing romance novels, she’s certainly reading them.

Find Sara’s work here: www.saraelisabethauthor.com

Read Someday Away here: https://books2read.com/someday-away

Exiles and Epics with Noah Bodie

~ Will Forrest ~ Leave a comment

We’re reaching back to the early days of the Indie Author Spotlight to shine a light on Noah Bodie.

I feel honor-bound to give everyone their turn even if it’s been weeks (months? sorry!) since their profile in my author newsletter (which you can always join here for free books and other cool stuff.)

Bulwark: Book 2 of the Desert Rose Saga

The next installment of the Desert Rose Saga follows Simon and Andreas as old wounds are reopened, and they’re forced to confront their growing feelings for one another.

What awaits them as they leave the city of Sebree eight months after being sent into isolation? Will Simon be able to confront his inner demons? Will Andreas uncover answers to a surprising revelation about his family? What challenges lie ahead as new foes emerge and a hidden piece of the world’s history claws to light?

From the author’s bio:

Noah is a queer author and illustrator living on the east coast. He’s a proud parent to a teenager, two cats, and a dog. He’s been praised for his world building, emotional storytelling and ‘swoon-worthy’ male characters.

Find Noah’s work here: https://noahbodie.com/

Read Bulwark: Book 2 of the Desert Rose Saga here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F6CYBT11

Hot Holiday Hijinks with AS Adams

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Here on the Indie Author Spotlight we listen and we don’t judge. Sometimes you need to mess up your life (and two other people’s) in the search for yourself, and if you live in Romancelandia it might just be the best thing that ever happened to you.

You’ll have to read The Missing Piece to know for sure.

The Missing Piece

The Missing Piece is a spicy MFF/Why Choose novella about three friends drawn into an elaborate vacation proposal. It’s a high heat, low stakes rom-com with lots of heart.

When Eve Sweetwater goes on vacation with her two best friends, she thinks she’s just along for the ride to help with an elaborate proposal. But the more time they spend together the more old feelings start rising to the surface. Lines start to blur, and now they’re both looking at Eve like they want a first class ticket out of the friend zone.

And since she doesn’t want to be stuck as third wheel forever, Eve’s going to have to risk it all for a chance at happily ever after..

From the author’s bio:

AS Adams is a pen name to protect the author’s family from ever finding out she writes spicy books where the main characters have multiple love interests. She enjoys binge reading romance novels, being a know-it-all about pop culture, and peanut butter centric desserts. You can find her on social media, hiding out at her local indie bookstore, or singing 90’s alternative songs at karaoke night.

Find AS Adam’s work here: https://www.asadamsauthor.com/

Read The Missing Piece here: https://a.co/d/fEgCVjg

A Canadian twist on dragon lore with J. M. Frey

~ Will Forrest ~ Leave a comment

I picked up this book from J.M. in person at a signing at Grimsby Books. She’s a lovely person and writes some great books and Nine-Tenths was no exception, offering all sorts of twists in the nuclear-grade-pining story of an anxious barista and the straitlaced dragon shifter who’s been crushing on him from afar.

I won’t spoil it by telling you the details but believe me when I say it off in several unexpected directions but brings it all together in a way that makes it clear J.M. intends to write another book (I’ve been told there will be three in the series.) I loved the Canadian touches, Frey dug deep into the local lore and invited the past to play in the present, and I found the effect charming. Both main characters made my little queer heart ache for them to get to their happy ending.

NINE-TENTHS

What do you get when you mix a grumpy barista, a shy dragon, and a kitchen-fire meet awkward? A contemporary romantasy with the best dragon-roasted coffee in town.

This microblurb does not do the story justice, lol. I don’t review books (too many emotions at stake!) but I will say I recommend this for people looking for a different kind of romantasy.

From the author’s bio:

J.M. Frey is an author and lapsed academic. She writes queer speculative fiction and fantasy, both fabulist cozy romances and high fantasy epics. Her debut novel TRIPTYCH was nominated for two Lambda Literary Awards and garnered a place among the Best Books of 2011 from Publishers Weekly, and her most recent novel TIME AND TIDE was named one of The New York Times’ Best Romances of the Year. Her life’s ambition is to step foot on every continent – only three left! She lives in Toronto where she is surrounded by houseplants, because she is allergic to anything with fur. Like her main character, she is also allergic to chocolate. But not wine.

Find J.M. Frey’s work here: https://jmfrey.net/

Buy the book Nine-Tenths here: https://amzn.to/4m642oR

Indie books I read in 2025

~ Will Forrest ~ Leave a comment

I just can’t get into them. I find the characters hollow, the plots too focused on trauma, and I keep quitting them partway through.

I’m unfortunately talking about the last ten times I tried to read mainstream literary fiction.

I hope you didn’t think I was talking about indie i.e. self-published books. My favourites this year have all been indie published.

Here’s a list of what I read (with some very subjective commentary. There’s a reason I stay out of online review spaces and why I’m not tagging any of these authors in my post.)

The Flowered Blade – by Taylor Hubbard (trans hypertwink elf prince subverts his orc captor’s expectations and gets absolutely railed for his trouble. A queer fantasy fan favorite, but Taylor pls see me after class re: filter words)

Disasterology 101 – by Taylor Donovan (surprisingly strong, a powerful portrait of extreme OCD, though the ending felt abrupt)

Geist Fleish – by Christian Baines (A five-book series’ worth of horny supernatural story set in Weimar Germany and crushed into a novella. Insultingly short, I require another hundred thousand words pls)

What a Nobleman Needs – by Merry Farmer (Peak Merry Farmer, as Regency noblemen boink their way through a comedy of errors with a side of mortal peril)

The Full Moon Problem – by Kay Claire (Charming story about a shy werewolf and a trans herb witch. First person present tense is not my favorite POV)

A Boy Called Rainbow – by Robin Knight (I wanted more from this premise of a deaf artist and an uptight appraiser, but I ended up skimming the last 1/3 of the book)

Junker Seven – by Olive J. Kelley (top tier, excellent space-chase themed sci-fi with a heavy dose of trans politics)

Peter and the Wolves – by Merry Farmer (ABSOLUTE FILTH but, like, really good. Fantasy setting, endless gay sex, it may have reshaped my frontal cortex *PLEASE NOTE * does not contain wolves)

They Were Roommates – by D.C. Emerson (sweet trans guy 4bi guy slowwwwwburn omg just kiss you ding-dongs)

Nine-Tenths – by J.M. Frey (I never knew where this book was headed, every plot point was a heavy hitter. Out of these, this is one that I might read again. Especially when Book 2 comes out)

My first read of 2026 is a Sapphic rom com rewrite of Pride and Prejudice set at a romantasy cosplay event. Honestly, how could it be bad?

I’ll have lots of time to catch up on my TBRs (virtual and physical) next month while I’m recovering from a medical procedure which I am not talking about in detail (yet) though if I’m bringing it up here I’m clearly okay with discussing it. Later, because it’s going to be a long story. 2026 is literally the year that everything changes.