Books I Love
One of the unexpected gifts of this journey has been discovering indie authors through ARC reading: Advanced Reader Copies that authors share before publication in the hopes of receiving honest reviews and, ultimately, helping their books find their audience.
Eight Pointed Cross (The Siege of Malta #1)
by Marthese Fenech · Historical Fiction
Sweeping, immersive historical fiction set during one of history’s most dramatic sieges. Fenech brings the 16th century Mediterranean world to vivid, visceral life. If you love historical fiction with real stakes and real heart, start here.
A Legacy Forged (Seller & Son Series Book 1)
by Sara Fox · Historical Fiction
Such a moving and deeply human story. Set against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution in Victorian Birmingham, England, the atmosphere was vivid and immersive without ever overshadowing the people at the center of the story, whose lives completely enveloped me. I found myself thinking of them long after I finished reading.
Remember Me Not
by Sherry V. Ostroff · Historical Fiction
A fascinating and immersive journey into medieval England during the reign of Henry IV. Through Gracia, a Jewish healer, Ostroff brings to life a precarious world of prejudice, survival, and the healing arts. Rich in historical detail, with layered, believable characters, this is historical fiction that makes you feel you’ve stepped into another time.
Blood in the Parchment
by Esther Knight Rich · International Mystery · Historical Mystery
Atmospheric, and meticulously crafted. A historical mystery that feels both deeply researched and completely alive.
Code to Murder
by Pat McTaggart · Crime Thriller
A gripping, fast-moving mystery with sharp plotting and a confident voice. Hard to put down.
Tide of Bone
by E.S. Meyer · Crime Thriller
Dark, atmospheric, and genuinely unsettling in the best way. Meyer has a gift for building dread slowly and paying it off completely.
Come Sit on My Tangerine Couch
by Carol Y. Godsave · Memoir
Warm, honest, and quietly profound. The kind of memoir that feels like a long conversation with someone you wish you’d met sooner.
Before He Vanishes / After He Vanishes
by Dua Adams · Fiction
Compelling and emotionally resonant. Adams writes with real insight into the spaces between people: what’s said, what isn’t, and what disappears without warning.
These aren’t just five-star books to me. They’re the rare books that rise above even that — the stories I can’t stop thinking about, recommending, or talking about long after I’ve finished them.
If you’re an indie author with an ARC and think your book might belong on this list, I’d love to hear from you at Yo***************@***il.com.