Indie author recommendations

I just finished Ajay Howarth - Author latest release! The literary field.

Right, first off... Let's not act surprised. We all already know this book is damn well an A + book.
This is a woman who knows her craft, knows her readers and knows her characters. That's a dangerous combination to have. Because when you get it right, just like she has—magic happens!

Real and raw characters. A beautifully described world and thoughts and emotions that tug you left then pull you right.

Lucy was so easy to love and connect with. I spent the entire book wanting her to get everything she deserves. The banter is fun, the intimate scenes are HOT and the connections she shares and creates with everyone around her are beautifully crafted.

I will be waiting eagerly— Kindle in hand, for whatever comes next for Ajay!

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Five stars!!

You know those books you go into thinking "Sounds decent enough, I will check it out." Then before you know it, its 2am, your lips, every so often tug at the edges, a smile here, a frown there? Then those small moments turn into out loud giggling, tears, and throw in a few "Holy fucking shit." moments for good measure, spoken out loud of course, because aren't they always when the book is just that good?

That's exactly what Between Bases does. 

This is a story that, even without any experience in sport, will still hit. But oh, boy, as a girl who played netball through her teenage years, a girl who had a habit of observing every double glance, whisper between teammates and smirk shared that communicated exactly what it needed to without words, this story landed exactly where it was supposed to.

Theo and Cassie are the love story. The ones you spend the entire time yelling "Just kiss already!" But they aren't the only beating heart that makes this story, a love story. That comes from the team, from Cassie's family, from Theo's family, even from Sophiena. 

This one was hard to finish, not because I didn't like it, but because even after almost eight hundred pages, I still didn't want it to end.

Five stars!!

This is my first time reading something by Tasia. Within just the first few chapters something became abundantly clear, it won't be my last.

Tasia has done something so profoundly difficult. She has captured humans. At their most vulnerable, at the strongest, at their weakest. She has captured what it feels to just be... Human. This story is more than just that of a love story. It's the story of what happens when love looks how it's supposed to.

Cambria had me feeling such pride, she had me feeling like I had been punched in the gut (emotionally), she had me cheering her on.

Chase had a terrible habit of making me want to scream "Kiss the girl!" But at the same time, I didn't want him to. Because that's not who he is. He is patient and gentle and oh so freaking good!

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five stars. 

This one? Oh, boy… This one gripped me from page one. Now, I’m going to try to do this as spoiler free as I can. To be completely honest with you though, the gritty details aren’t what you need to worry about. They are important, of course, but what’s most important is how Tasia handles her characters.

Does Brie need a big strong firefighter to come save the day and remind her who she is outside of the broken woman and mother her ex-husband left her to be? I think that woman was always there. Behind the tired eyes and under the exhausted bones. Did she deserve to be saved by him though? More than anyone else on the damn planet.

Clint is a dream. Not in the swoon the second he enters the room way (okay, let’s be real, in this way too) but also in the ways that matter so much more. In the quiet moments where he reminds Brie that she is so worthy and deserving of good things in her life.

This story is such a beautiful example of what life can look like when you learn to trust again and let people in. It could go bad, sure, but it can also go so incredibly good.

Ooooh boy, this has been a long time coming.

Love You Always was my introduction to Ajay Howarth. Really, it was my point of no return for her books. Bailee and Ben ended up becoming those characters that feel like best friends. They celebrate, so do you. They hurt, so do you and my god does it hurt.

I have been waiting to write this review for so long. Now that the time has come though, the series is wrapped up, Ben and Bailee have shared enough of their lives with us… I honestly don’t know what to say to detail my experience. Maybe I will, just not yet.

The problem, at its core, is that it doesn’t matter that at 11:45pm I read those final words. Because like a starved book troll desperately clinging this series to my chest… The only word my brain, and perhaps heart, can muster is more. So often I find myself reluctant to turn those final pages on a book I enjoy. This is different though. This is grieving. This is no more chaotic Halloweens with sticky fingers, no more wedding planning, no more faces that speak louder than words ever could. No more watching a woman build the life she deserved from the very beginning.

This series is messy, its brutal, its cosy, its hot, its raw, its real in all the best ways. This is something that Ajay does exceptionally well. She writes stories into existence that make you feel like you’re sitting cross legged with your friend on the carpet, wine in hand, bag of chips between you, as she tells you everything that’s been going on in her life.

I hate so much that this is the end but I’m grateful it had a start to begging with. Bailee and Ben will forever be the couple who, when I inevitably pick their story up and do another read, will feel like coming home.

Five stars!!