Hello everyone! Welcome to another post of Indie Recommends Indie! I have Evie Alexander with me today. It was author Abi Yardimci who recommended I reach out to her and I am excited to bring you Evie’s romance recommendations, so close to as we wrap up the first month of the Romance Throughout the year challenge. Let’s welcome her and get started.
Thank you for being on this series, Evie! Since this is your first time on Armed with A Book, please tell me and my readers a bit about yourself. š
Hi! Itās so great to be here and thanks for having me on! Iām a British author who writes steamy romantic comedies. I started my professional life as a screenwriter and film director and slowly moved into writing novels rather than screenplays.
My life has always been a comedy of errors so I have lots of experience to draw on, and I love creating characters who are just as flawed as I am. I absolutely adore championing indie authors as I know just how hard theyāve worked to get their books out there, and how passionate and dedicated they are. I think that the indie world is incredible for pushing boundaries, not just in terms of book content, but how they challenge the status quo of the trad publishing world, and find innovative ways to get their books out there.
Do you primarily read indie books or big publishers books as well?Ā
I would estimate that I read 75% indie and 25% traditionally published books a month.
Evie’s Indie Recommendations
What we Deserve by Lizzie Stanley
Genre: Contemporary romance
Published: March 2021
Book one of Wishbone tattoos
Iām used to being alone, until she changed everything…
When my ex-wife left, she said the cruelest words she could think of, and I took them all to heart.
Now I work at my loveable bastard cousinās tattoo parlor and keep most people at armās length. I have the occasional one night stand to take the edge off, but there can never be anything more than that for me.
I donāt let myself think about how lonely I am. At least Iām not ruining anyoneās life, right?
Then Emily walks into Wishbone Tattoos, asking about the receptionist job. And this shy, smiling, kindhearted woman is everything Iāve ever wanted.
I canāt help falling for her, even though I know I mustn’t, for both our sakes.
But thereās something about Emily I donāt know. Something that will make her the exception to my hard and fast rule…
Sheās battle scarred herself, and running scared from a dark past which snaps at her heels, but Iām not going to let anyone hurt her ever again, I swear to god.
And maybe, if weāre lucky and we both want it hard enough, the two of us will finally get what we deserve.
One Saturday night, I got into an Instagram chat with a book blogger about tropes that needed to die already, and it morphed into a conversation about books we would recommend. She told me I had to read the debut novel by British author, Lizzie Stanley, titled āWhat we Deserveā. I downloaded it, intending to just read a couple of chapters to see what it was all about. Three hours later, I was still awake, it was officially the next day, and I didnāt want to put the book down. After a fitful night dreaming about the characters, I woke at six am, grabbed my kindle and started reading until Iād finished it. Then I needed a napā¦
āWhat we Deserveā is a fabulously written story with engaging characters, and difficult situations handled sensitively. Emily is on the run from an abusive ex boyfriend, and takes a job as a receptionist at a tattoo parlour run by American born Leo, and his cousins Eli and Dean, along with Brit firecracker, Sadie. Eliās damaged by his vicious ex wife and doesnāt ever see himself in a relationship. Until he meets Emilyā¦ The book is a slow burn but keeps you hooked with the characters being utterly believable and likeable. There are some fabulous group text conversations between Leo, Sadie and Dean as they try and help the two reluctant lovebirds get together, and every situation, even if itās just a drink at the local pub, is written so beautifully, you feel like youāre there too.
In addition, there are some completely unexpected laugh out loud moments of humour that I just adored. My favourite was a description of Leo dancing at a nightclub, an image that was so evocative, it entered my dreamsā¦ For a first time author, Lizzieās writing just blew me away. She writes from multiple perspectives, and each voice is unique. Her writing is mature, nuanced, and engaging. Iām absolutely desperate to read more Dean, Leo and Sadieās stories next, and am one of thousands who keep hassling Lizzie to get them out!
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary romance, tattoos, bearded alpha rolls and Jason Momoa…
Crushing by Kelly Kay
Genre: Contemporary romance
Published: April 2020
Book one in the LaChappelle/Whittier Vineyards Trilogy
Josh is a legend in his own mind, and Elle has no time for it. She has a job to do, and a winery hangs in the balance. Unfortunately, it’s his family’s winery.
They’ll either screw up each other’s lives or… end up screwing.
Crushing is the story of two people who hate each other but rumor has it, with enough wine, anyone can fall in love.
Set in Sonoma, California’s Wine Country, this is the first book in the 5 Families Vineyard Series and, of course, the LaChappelle/Whittier Winery Trilogy.
I found this book by total accident, but once I had started, I just couldnāt stop. Kelly is the most energetic and exciting writer. Sheās funny, clever, and her writing style is utterly unique. She seems to know everything about wine and even more about sex, and once Iād finished Crushing (which ends on a cliffhanger), I had to immediately read the next two books in the series.
Crushing starts with a romance between Noelle (Elle) and Asher, a silver fox wine expert. I got a bit concerned as they became intimate as he sucked (not in a good way) in bed, and was more concerned with folding his clothes and getting himself off in the shortest possible time than making sure it was good for Noelle. I kept thinking āhe canāt be the one. Surely not? Donāt inflict this arse on her!ā
Thank goodness, pretty soon after she kicks him to the kerb we meet the man who puts the A into alpha. Josh is hot, hard and horny and they spend a night together that blows their minds and trashes her hotel room. They part ways, believing they will never see each other again, however you know how things go in romance novels, and the very next morning, heās there at the important presentation sheās giving and thinks she sought him out to get insider intel.
From this point on lust turns to hate and they spar with each other until he pushes it too far and nearly destroys her business. This is a turning point for Josh as he has to take a good hard look in the mirror and work out if he wants to be like his domineering grandfather, or like his wonderful parents who he keeps cutting out of his life. But just as his relationship is getting back on track, a client of his, a heavy hitting mobster, comes into his personal life with the subtlety of a wrecking ballā¦
I absolutely loved Crushing. Itās fantastically written, incredibly engaging and super hot. Kelly has also done her research and the world of wine growing and making is detailed and immersive. Itās a wonderful read and I couldnāt put it down.
If youāre interested in wine, sex, whipcracking dialogue, and family sagas then youāll love Kellyās writing. Itās unique contemporary romance at its finest.
Loving Callie by Julia Jarrett
Genre: Contemporary romance
Published: May 2020
Book 1 in the Lucky Strike Lovers series
A doctor walks into a barā¦
Doctor Callie Scott kept it professional when handsome pub owner, Jake Evans, ended up in her ER. But when she sees him again at the Lucky Strike pub, sparks fly a second time, igniting a powerful chemistry between them.
This new relationship could be a love greater than she has ever dreamed of. Her family is a roadblock, though, and it’s harder than Callie expected to have to negotiate her parents’ expectations. They will never approve of Jake. A pub owner does not fit into their political ambitions, and if Callie keeps seeing him, she risks losing her only family.
Her entire life has been about trying to earn her parents’ respect and approval. Now she has a chance to have the love she has waited a lifetime for, and Callie faces an impossible choice.
Read the debut novel reviewers say is āEverything I Want In A Contemporary Romanceā and āAn Insta-Love Story Done Right.ā
Julia Jarrett has forged a career as a writer of sweet with heat small town romances that give you the warm and fuzzies. Loving Callie is her first book and has a special place in my heart. I loved this book for so many reasons. First up, the subverting of traditional gender norms. Usually the doctor is a man and the person serving drinks is a woman, but in Loving Callie, our heroine is the doctor and our hero runs a bar. Our couple first meet when Jake has cut himself preparing for the opening of his pub āThe Lucky Strikeā, named in honour of his grandfather who left him the money to start it. Jake gets stitched up by Callie but despite the obvious attraction between them, a hospital is no place for hookups.
Luckily Callieās got a blind date at Jakeās bar, and when it goes wrong, Jake steps in. The second thing I adore about this story is our hero. Jakeās not a mean, bad, brooding man who canāt commit. Heās a hot hunk whoās heart is pure and beats only for Callie. He comes from a loving home and wants a family of his own in the future. Callie is everything heās ever wanted or dreamed of, but sheās the one with cold feet.
Callie doesnāt doubt her feelings for Jake, but can she overcome her desperate need to please her parents and be who they want her to be? Sheās an only child, and a pawn in the political maneuverings of her father and trophy wife mother. They want her to quit her job as a doctor in a busy hospital and settle down with a husband of their choosing; someone from the right family and the right side of the political fence. Her job is at her future husbandās side, not forging her own path in life alongside a guy who owns a bar.
Loving Callie is a contemporary romance and so you may be thinking this is an issue from a bygone era. However, this aspect of the story is the third thing I absolutely love about it. The relationship between Callie and her parents, her unhappiness and desire to please them rang so true. Itās so hard to walk away from the most important and formative relationships in your life, and this struggle is at the heart of Loving Callie.
Luckily, being a romance, allās well that ends well, albeit not without some unexpected and heart-stopping drama. If you love heart-warming romance with hot leads, hot sex and craft beer, then look no further than Loving Callie.
A Winter Haven by Margaret Amatt
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: Jan 2021
Scottish island Escapes book 1
She was the one that got awayā¦ Now sheās back.
Career-driven Robyn Sherratt returns to her childhood home on the Scottish Isle of Mull, hoping to build bridges with her estranged family. She discovers her mother struggling to run the family hotel. When an old flame turns up, memories come back to bite, nibbling into Robynās fragile heart.
Carl Hansen, known as The Fixer, abandoned city life for peace and tranquillity. Swapping his office for a log cabin, he mends peopleās broken treasures. He can fix anything, except himself. When forced to work on hotel renovations with Robyn, the girl he lost twelve years ago, his quiet life is sent spinning.
Carl would like nothing more than to piece together the shattered shards of Robynās heart. But can she trust him? What can a broken man like him offer a successful woman like her?
A Winter Haven is the first book in the Scottish Island Escapes series by Scottish romance author Margaret Amatt. The series is set on the isle of Mull, and the writing is so evocative that after reading one of Margaretās books youāll feel youāve been there too. One of the things I love about this book is that it doesnāt sugarcoat island life, especially what a Scottish winter is like. We may have visited Scotland during the summer, but these books allow us to experience it in winter from the warmth of our homes.
The story is a second chance romance, following Robyn, as she returns home to the family hotel to find a business struggling and her mother bitter and angry. Robynās got enough on her plate, but she feels she has to help, even though her presence, and her help, arenāt welcomed. On top of everything, she has to see Carl, her first love. They broke up after a tragedy, many years ago, and things are still not right between them. Can she mend bridges with her family and find her way back to Carl, or should she cut her losses and leave before things get any worse?
Itās testament to the power of Margaretās writing and storytelling that I became really anxious reading A Winter Haven. I so desperately wanted to go into the book, shout at Robynā mum, kick her brother in the nuts, and give her a big hug. Luckily (no spoiler alert), it all ends happily, and not only that, we get to catch up with Robyn and Carl in the rest of the series.
If you love Scottish island life, no sex on the page, beautifully drawn characters, love and romance, then I heartily recommend reading Margaret Amattās entire Scottish Island Escapes series, starting with A Winter Haven.
š Also recommended by Abi in her Indie Recommends Indie post.Ā š
The Ticket by Heather Grace Stewart
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Romantic Comedy
Published: Feb 2016
Love again series book 1
Now an optioned book! Fasten your seat belts for a journey filled with humor and adventure.
Bachelor & newscaster Pete McCarney buys two plane tickets for a trip around the world with his girlfriend, but they split up shortly before the trip, and he can’t get a refund. In a gutsy last minute move, Pete goes on social media asking for women with his girlfriend’s exact name to apply to join him on the trip. Twenty-one women apply, and the ensuing interview process is both awkward and hilarious. When he finally chooses a feisty, headstrong, recently-divorced lawyer, he has no idea what to expect from their world wide adventures – and neither does Allie James. She has pretty much sworn off men since her divorce. Will either of them get the vacation they were so desperately hoping for?
Strap yourself in, because once you’ve got The Ticket in your hands, you’re going to be taken on a wild ride.
Bachelor & newscaster Pete McCarney buys two plane tickets for a trip around the world with his girlfriend, but they split up shortly before the trip, and he can’t get a refund. Determined to go and throwing caution to the wind, he goes onto social media to find a woman with the same name as his ex to go with him. After a series of unfortunate interviews and encounters, he finally chooses a feisty, headstrong, recently-divorced lawyer, but neither of them have any idea what to expect from their world wide adventures, or each other.
Imagine JJ Abrams, Michael Bay, Nora Ephron, and Sandra Bullock have an orgy. The Ticket is their love child. It’s got bucket loads of humour, hot steam, pathos, revenge, karma, and Love with a capital L. You’ll be leaping out of planes, flying around the world, getting sexy in a hot tub, and finding the meaning of true love and friendship.
Heather Grace Stewart started her creative life as a screenwriter and The Ticket reads like youāre watching a high action, high octane film. Itās no surprise that it has been optioned to be a movie. If you like high concept romantic comedy with international travel, hot sex and lots of unexpected twists and turns then youāll love The Ticket!
Love and Other Games by Lyndsey Gallagher
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: July 2021
Standalone or series: Series. Book 2 in the Professional Players series
Successful beauty business queen, Emma Harvey is not quite as astute when it comes to relationships. Ghosted, following an epic one night stand with a notorious Irish rugby Hooker, she vows no more players, concentrating instead on securing the perfect beachfront property for her new luxury spa.
Irish rugby Hooker, Eddie Harrington is the team joker. Except the tragic events of the past year weren’t funny at all. Determined to set things right, Eddie scours Dublin for the perfect beach front property to ease his brothers discomfort upon his difficult return from the States.
Crossed wires at a mutual friends Croatian wedding result in Emma and Eddie reluctantly agreeing to share the honeymoon suite for a week. Their exotic reunion results in a seductive game, highlighting what they almost had, and could potentially have again… Unless the two happen to want the same beach front property more than they want each other….
Will Emma stick to her game plan and put business before pleasure?
Or will Eddies practiced tactics win out?
Set at a wedding in Croatia, with the Irish national rugby team, Love and Other Games has sun, sea, sand, sex, and all of the rollercoaster ride of a brilliant romance novel. Emma is on her way to the wedding, reeling after being dumped by her boyfriend, and steeling herself for an encounter with āthe one that got awayā. She had a life-changing night of passion with rugby legend Eddie a year ago, but then he ghosted her and she never knew why. In the idyllic setting of Croatia, Eddie makes it clear he wants to try again, and when they end up having to share the honeymoon suite, he hopes heās in with a chance to make amends.
I loved this book for so many reasons. Itās brilliantly written, fantastically plotted, and is full of emotion. I particularly resonated with Emmaās struggle to find acceptance from her mother, and her journey to realising her beauty did not depend on her make-up was perfectly handled.
Love & Other Games is a wonderful read for every occasion. Whether youāre on a Croatian beach, or tucked up in bed, itās a book which ticks every box. If you love contemporary romance, hot Irish rugby stars, and a page-turning read then youāll love this book.
Bluffing for Beginners by Merren Tait
Genre: Chick Lit/ Contemporary Romance
Published: November 2020
Standalone or series: series. Book 2 in The Good Life Series
Em never imagined she’d use “covert” and “shameless” in the same sentence. Until she had nothing left to lose.
Em Stewart is no pushover. She can hot wire a car, torpedo a beer in under ten seconds, and make the most curse-hardy trooper blush with her colourful tongue. But when she’s abandoned by her long-time boyfriend twenty minutes into starting their new life together on a remote island, she’s in a tailspin.
Somehow, she must forge their fresh start on her own in a place full of strangers and find her groove within the small island community – even with its songbird-loving eccentricities.
The problem is Em isn’t very good at hiding the truth. Her face syphons blood off her organs every time she meets the local ranger, and she accidentally gives up the island’s greatest secret to the one person most willing to exploit it.
Now Em has to perform the biggest bluff of her life to protect her new home against corporate interest, even if it means ruining a fresh shot at love before it’s had much of a chance.
But Em’s not afraid of going down in a blaze of glory. And one thing’s for sure: She’s about to take the islanders on the ride of their lives.
Bluffing for Beginners is the second of four stand-alone novels in the award-winning Good Life series.
I found Kiwi author Merren Tait as we share the same cover designer. She is a brilliant writer and her books just keep getting better and better. Bluffing for Beginners starts with Em about to chart a new life with her boyfriend on a remote island. But when he realises how rundown the place is, he bottles it and hightails it back to the mainland. Sheās left on her own and determined to make it work even though everything is stacked against her.
Her neighbour is a reclusive naturist, thereās a handsome warden with a strange secret who wants to ask her out, and her embarrassing mother and brother are threatening to visit and destroy any connection sheās made with her new home.
Bluffing for Beginners is engaging, funny, and also has a deep thread running through it about endemic racism in New Zealand that Tait deftly explores. If you like a great read that combines romance with social and family issues, all set against the backdrop of an incredible country then youāll absolutely love this book!
Evie’s Book Spotlight
Highland GamesĀ
Genre: Romantic ComedyĀ
Published Year: October 2021
Scotland just got a whole lot hotterā¦
Zoeās always played it safe, just as her parents wanted. But when her great-uncle dies and leaves her a ramshackle cabin in the Scottish Highlands, she decides itās time to change her life.
Upping sticks seems like a good idea in her cosy London flat, but the reality is very different. Thereās no electricity or running water, the roof leaks and thereās no front door. If that wasnāt bad enough, sheās moved up in the depths of winter and her scorching hot neighbour wants her out.
Roryās got a fifty thousand tonne problem. If he canāt make Kinloch castle profitable, heās out of a job. He needs a clear head, but thereās someone living in the cabin he saw as his own and sheās turned his world upside down.
Rory needs Zoe out of Scotland, and out of his life. The trouble is, she has no intention of leaving.
Let the games beginā¦
š Recommended by Abi in her Indie Recommends Indie post.Ā š
Readers who enjoyed all of my picks above would like this book. Youād also love Highland Games if youāre a fan of Lucy Score, Tara Sivec, Staci Hart, Kayley Loring, Pippa Grant and Sophie Kinsella!
ARC copies of Highland Games are still currently available via Book Sirens. You can sign up to be an ARC reader for all of Evieās books here: https://www.emlinpress.com/arc-readers.
Connect with Evie on her website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or reach out via email.
Did you add any books to your TBR today based on this post or did you see any you have already read? Tell us in the comments!
Thank you so much for hanging out with Evie and me. After a whole bunch of Fantasy recommendations, I am quite happy to see the romance genre taking the centre stage. If you are an indie or small press author who is an avid reader and wants to be featured, sign up using the form on the Indie Recommends Indie home page. This is a fantastic way to bring attention to fellow indie authors as well as your own book. š
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