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Happy Father's Day! How did Week 3 get here so fast? We have one more week of candidates and then I will announce the August review selection. I will post more special reviews (and candidate books) next month to hold you over until the debut August Review. INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #011 TITLE: The Kill Chain PUBLISHER: Clockmaker Press (Small Indie Press) AUTHOR: G.J. Scobie GENRE(S): Technothriller (no sub-genres listed) PUBLICATION DATE: 21 July 2024 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 64/4.3 Star Average AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #2,661,975 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: The author and I didn't follow one another, but I saw it on another author's "Writers Lift" post (see, they work!). The cover didn't grab my attention, but the title did. It's not that the title is original (it's used for other books), but it works well for a technothriller and did its job by leading me to the pitch. The pitch also did its job, and made me feel right at home for a cyber-based technothriller. The sample was adequate, but was written in first person, present tense. I have nothing against first person writing. In my opinion, it's easier to write, but difficult to write well. For that reason I will often shy away from books written in this style. However, this book's sample was adequate and seemed appropriate to the story and pace. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 16 June 2025 STATUS: Inactive INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #012 TITLE: The Belgian Girls. A Novel. PUBLISHER: Catherine Rose Press (Small Indie Publisher) AUTHOR: Kathryn J. Atwood GENRE(S): Literary Fiction (Teen & YA Historical Fiction) PUBLICATION DATE: May 8, 2025 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 5/5.0 Star Average AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #633,493 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: The author responded to one of my posts. I clicked on her profile and discovered we followed each other. I followed her pinned post to her book (it was easy). The cover was appropriate to the genre and presented professional to the reader. The pitch clearly communicated to the reader in an intriguing way that this was a historical novel and a YA/Teen novel. The novel's premise was enticing so I went to the sample. The well-crafted opening sample immediately pulled me into the characters lives. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 16 June 2025 STATUS: Inactive INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #013 TITLE: Remember Who You Want To Be PUBLISHER: Branch Hill Press, LLC (Small Indie Publisher) AUTHOR: Michael C. Haymes GENRE(S): Literary Fiction (Classic Fiction, Classic American Fiction) PUBLICATION DATE: September 23, 2022 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 5/5.0 Star Average AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #633,493 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: I saw it on X and clicked on the author. He had it pinned to his profile. It clearly gave off the literary fiction vibe. The pitch was well-written and compelling, capturing the essence of what promised to be a well written personal drama. The sample began with an extensive forward, which I intentionally skipped. I wanted to judge this book on its true sample, not how the author wanted to frame the story. The title, the pitch and the sample effectively served up an overarching theme that I wanted more of. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 16 June 2025 STATUS: Active INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #014 TITLE: The Magic of Meatloaf PUBLISHER: Blue Octopus Press (Small Indie Publisher) AUTHOR: Jessica Rosenberg GENRE(S): Fantasy (Contemporary Fantasy, Women's Fantasy Fiction) PUBLICATION DATE:May 30, 2025 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 83/4.6 Star Average AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #9,274 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: Random doomscrolling on X brought me to this book. The author wisely pinned the book's Amazon product page to her X profile. Two clicks later and I'm looking at the sample. Nothing specifically about this really initially jumped out at me, it was more of its entire presentation. The cover was fine, but the title was original and acted as a stepping stone to the pitch. The book has this "Alice" meets the "Witches of Eastwick" vibe. It's original, and that's what really drew me in. I supposed this book is written to appeal to women hitting midlife, but as a man I didn't find the pitch the least bit exclusionary. The sample, written in first person sample gets busy comfortably building a cast of interesting, realistic characters. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 16 June 2025 STATUS: Active INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #015 TITLE: The Reporter
PUBLISHER: AUTHOR: B.M. Simpson GENRE(S): Romance (Literature & Fiction) PUBLICATION DATE: October 14, 2022 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 4/5.0 Star Average AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #2,020,668 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: It came across my X feed one morning, and come to find out the author and I follow each other. On this particular post, the author remarked he was in an extended sales drought. Curious, I clicked to the Amazon product page, which overall sends mixed vibes to a potential reader. Is it a crime drama about a reporter discovering clues about his father's death? Or is it literary fiction about a man uncovering his past amidst personal drama? Or, as the Amazon sales page states, a "romance," even though the pitch doesn't feel like a romance. The cover does features a couple, and the pitch mentions a girlfriend, so I went to the sample, a bit curious if it would set a romance tone. The sample provided a decent hook with good drama and writing, but in no way felt like a romance. Is this book is on the wrong bookshelf? I don't know, but based on the sample I would have kept reading. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 16 June 2025 STATUS: Inactive
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