Hello again, book lovers! Today we’re celebrating some fantastic indie books by amazing authors you might not have discovered yet. These hidden gems have touched my heart, inspired my faith, and kept me turning pages late into the night.
If you love supporting indie authors and finding fresh, heartfelt stories, this list is for you!
1. Glad Tidings
by Angie Thompson
These short stories are such heart-grabbers! In just a few words, the author not only sets the scene but gets us into the hearts, heads, and shoes of relatable, life-like characters. Christmas spirit permeates this book, and so many angles are touched upon in this story: Christmas in a poor family, Christmas in hospitals, working on Christmas, tender moments between family members, Christmas through the eyes of children, Christian with the elderly, Christmas festive and Christmas bleak, Christmas historical and Christmas modern, Christmas in fields and Christmas in feasts. Hope, love, joy, peace, and purpose shine from these pages. Don’t miss this collection!
2. Ilyon Chronicles (series)
by Jaye L. Knight
This action-packed non-magical fantasy series combines rich world-building with strong characters and meaningful spiritual themes. A thrilling journey from start to finish!
Ilyon Chronicles sets itself apart from other stories because it is very relevant to all those who find their beliefs and convictions attacked. As humanity becomes less tolerant of those who are different, we find the need to cling to and stand for our beliefs. Resistance, the first book, is a very real, exciting, and motivating story of a handful of people who did just that. Despite how easy it is to ignore the culture war around us, Resistance reminds us that if we fail to stand, we lose our freedoms. It applies to you and to me as well as being a thrilling story.
Ilyon Chronicles has a thrilling and gripping storyline that flows excellently amongst the many plot twists and subplots woven throughout. The characters are well-developed. Although it is a fantasy story for young adults, it has a light clean feel that sets it apart from other stories of the same genre. Each book has a strong spiritual theme, and the plot line gets deeper and more rewarding as you go.
3. Mrs. Meade Mysteries (series)
by Elisabeth G. Foley
Excellent little series! I loved the subtle mystery and Mrs. Meade! All the characters were distinct and lovable, and I also enjoyed the length of the book: long enough to be satisfying but short enough to not keep me guessing for hours and to not be unnecessarily drawn out simply for the sake of suspense. The twists were excellent, and did I mention how much I loved Mrs. Meade?
4. The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott (Series)
by Perry Kirkpatrick
This spy mystery series is so much fun! Clean, riveting adventure, relatable characters, fast-paced plot, quirky humor – you won’t want to miss this series!
5. Ransomed
by Elisabeth Ender
“Powerful…beautiful… so true.” These are the first words that came to mind the first time I read Ransomed. Although this story could be viewed as fiction, it is not. Every part of it is completely real. It is an allegory: an allegory of my life – and of yours.
Ransomed sets the mood in the very first sentence. It seems impossible to set a scene so quickly, but the author does so. Although an entire background story could be behind the opening scene, further description is not needed, for we are right there, drawn into the story. The love and care are deep and real. The contrast between the quietness and the danger is astounding – and yet it is there. The deceit of the enemy is portrayed realistically and very fittingly. Persuasiveness comes across through the dialogue. The first person point of view puts the reader into the shoes of the main character – and main character is not named, for it is me. It is you.
Love – true, deep, strong love, not mushy love as modern culture has defined it – is portrayed powerfully. At the end of each section, short gripping sentences clinch the transition. The story flows smoothly and naturally with power in the way the sentences are fashioned. Danger, deep emotion, fright, hopelessness, deliverance, trust, lies, doubts, and truth are dealt with in this story. The whole thing is very well put together and very effective.
It is thought-provoking allegory that leaves the reader with a challenge for life. I really enjoyed reading it and it was well worth my time! Even now, after I have read it several times, it still grips me and challenges me, refocusing my perspective on life and what truly matters. Read Ransomed. You will be blessed.
Don’t forget to join the epic book giveaway!
Head over to Once Upon An Ordinary and Read Another Page to enter. There are tons of great books up for grabs!
And DON’T forget to join the epic book giveaway at https://onceuponanordinary.wordpress.com/blog/ and readanotherpage.com/blog!
Make sure to also check out the recommendations from the other amazing bloggers on Team Aspen:
- Lydia: beyondhistoryspage.weebly.com
- Hannah: hskylianauthor.com
- Virginia: Booksbyvirginia.wordpress.com
- Bella: egbella.com
- Gabrielle: substack.com/@gabriellabatel
- Faith: farmgirl4jesus.wordpress.com
- Erika (you are here!): Restinglife.com/blog
Which of these indie books will you pick up next? If you’ve read any of these, which was your favorite? I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations in the comments.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post featuring my favorite non-fiction reads!
Happy reading! 📚✨
I LOVE “Glad Tidings” and the Emily Abbott series! I debated quite a while on if I should add Glad Tidings this time or not, but decided not to since I’ve already shared it.
I SO echo Glad Tidings and Emily Abbott! Glad Tiding is criminally underrated in my opinion. I really have to read the others… I have a few of the Mrs. Meade books, I think?? But I’ve wanted to read Ilyon for ages!
I love Glad Tidings! So many sweet, endearing stories in it.
Glad Tidings is so underrated! I read it last Christmas and really enjoyed it.
Oh, I love both Mrs. Meade and Emily Abbot so much!!!
I need to read more Mrs. Meade Mysteries! And of course Emily Abbott series is the BEST.
Glad Tidings was so good!
Ooh I don’t think I have heard of most of these. And I can’t wait to check out your blog more 🙂
Ransomed sounds so intriguing to me. Definitely going on the TBR!