2026 INDIE BOOK REVIEW NOMINEES, ROUND 1

Happy New Year! Welcome back to Rule One Book Reviews. Rule One survived 2025, and I'm still reading and reviewing. We're kicking off 2026 with three new review candidates. 

​A few notes: In most cases, review candidates stay on the list indefinitely or until selected. I can foresee a day when the candidate list reaches hundreds. With that said, does anyone else out there like to read and review books?

I would really like to post more reviews, but time is my enemy. I'm looking for quality writers who want to craft high-quality, in-depth book reviews. My vision is to one day have a small volunteer staff (this is not a business, nor will it ever be) of reviewers who each specialize in a genre. Interested? See the contact form at the bottom of this post, and I will be in touch.

Now, on to the candidates!

INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #030

TITLE: Where the Clouds Catch Flame (Clouds Aflame Book 1) 
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
AUTHOR: M.J. Piazza
GENRE(S): Christian Historical Fiction
PUBLICATION DATE: 1 January 2019
AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 39/4.7Star Average
AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY: #1,325,982
WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION:
I was just browsing X and the Algorithm show me a post from this author, whom I did not follow.  I clicked on the Amazon product page directly from the author's X profile and went right to the sample. It was cleanly-written prose with an immediately engaging  hook. I went back and read the blurb, and thought it deserved a chance. 
DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 1 January 2026
​STATUS: Active

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INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #031

​TITLE: Whispers of the Storm
PUBLISHER: Independently Published
AUTHOR: Z.B. Steele
GENRE(S): Fantasy
PUBLICATION DATE: ‎ 25 March 2025
AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 266/4.4 Star Average
AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY:#32,944
WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION:
Someone I follow on X had reposted this. Then I realized this author and I already follow one another. I guess the algorithm has been keeping us apart (damn you, algorithm!).  This indie has many reviews with good ratings and respectable sales, so word of mouth appears promising. The opening dialogue is good with quick character-builds and plot immersion. It  feels very "conventional fantasy trope", but reads like it's executed properly by a writer who understands and loves the genre.   
DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 1 January 2026
​STATUS: Active

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INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #032

​TITLE: Blood Memory
PUBLISHER: Wargate (small publisher)
AUTHOR: Philip Voodoo
GENRE(S): Military Thrilller
PUBLICATION DATE: ‎5 December 2025
AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 12/4.9 Star Average
AMAZON KINDLE RANKING AT DISCOVERY:#79,093
WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION:
The author came up randomly on my X feed, and the post had nothing to do with his book. I followed the comments down, as he interacted with the commenters. Eventually, he posted a link to his book. I clicked, of course, and browsed the sample. The book started better than most military thrillers. It had an understated realism to the hook. The protagonist was tired, tired in a way someone who has been in a military transport in a far-away land, with a mission waiting for him upon landing, could understand.
I want to read more.  
DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 1 January 2026
​STATUS: Active

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