Books by My Internet Friends that I Want to Read

I have a good little circle of internet friends. If you’re reading this, then you’re definitely part of that circle. I love my Voyagers to pieces, and one of the ways I try to show that love is by reading your stories. Many of you are lovely, creative people who have stories that God has put on your heart.

I wanted to take a moment to highlight a few of the books by my internet friends that I’ve been wanting to read lately. I’ve been super busy with other reading and life stuff that I haven’t gotten around to these beauties just yet. But, I thought it would be fun to spread the bookish love, share some incredible authors with you, and share some fun stories about how I acquired these books.

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Behind the Act by Abigayle Claire

The Blurb

The predictable lull of Tiffany Burch’s small-town existence is making her stir-crazy. At the news that her town is going to be a filming location—and local acting talent is needed—she takes a leap to follow in her dead mother’s footsteps as an actress.

Tragedies from Tiffany’s past and present seem to indicate the timing is right, and so she leaves everything from her boyfriend to her shelter dog all for the dream of stardom. Yet as her success grows, so do her anxiety and disillusionment.

As her rise to fame is jeopardized by yet another tragedy, Tiffany returns home. There she must unravel who she really is: the girl her town remembers, the face on the posters, or the still-distraught woman behind the act.

I actually won a copy of this book last year when Abigayle did a giveaway. I remember getting home from work and discovering the package on the table. I really don’t think that I’ve ever opened a package so quickly, lol. Abi also signed it and left me the most beautiful note.

Abigayle is one of my oldest internet friends. She has been such an inspiration to me as both a writer and a Christian. She writes with a passionate purpose. I’m truly honored to have been able to follow and support her work for as long as I have.

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A Solstice of Fire and Light by Angela R. Watts

The Blurb

Dionne, a Gifted nomad princess, hunts the warlocks that kidnapped her brother.

Nnamdi, a popular caravan fighter, wishes to be freed from his sins.

After they break out of prison together and spare each other in a death match, there’s no turning back… So they board a pirate ship and hunt the Order.

When Dionne learns that the wizards that took her brother have also taken child slaves and hides them all away in her kingdom, she creates a plan with the pirates to infiltrate the Order… But when Dionne reaches the kingdom, she will be sacrificed to the gods on winter solstice.

Swept in a world of deadly magic, Nnamdi swears his protection to Dionne… But then he learns she is a princess and that her fate is sealed at the hands of a jealous wizard. Nnamdi must break his chains and unleash his Gift like never before… Or lose the only woman he’s ever loved.

This book has been on my shelf since late last year. Angela published this book with funds from her Kickstarter campaign. This wasn’t her first time self-publishing, but I think it was the first time I realized why self-publishing is so important. She explained it far too eloquently for me to paraphrase, which is why I’ve chosen to quote her directly:

My stories address hard topics. A SOLSTICE OF FIRE AND LIGHT tackles problems like human trafficking, slavery, healing from abuse and trauma, and features violence. It also contains faith elements, as the characters seek redemption and salvation after a lifetime of pain and heartache. A few publishers noted that they did not want to publish a fantasy story with Christian themes that still contained gritty topics and situations: but I know that readers are hungry for these stories.

So instead of following the crowd, I am giving you the story you want. I am giving you a story that says: I see you. And you are going to be all right.

We need more stories that tackle the darkness and show the light winning. So, that’s what I write, and I write it for you.

A Solstice of Fire and LIght Kickstarter Campaign Page

The minute I read those words, I knew I would not only be buying the book, but that I would be financially contributing to the Kickstarter campaign. So, I pulled out my wallet, chose the tier I could afford (that had the best stuff), and made my contribution. As an added bonus, every contributor had their name added to the acknowledgements in the back of the book, which absolutely made my day when I saw Bree Dawn on the page of my own copy.

That was a bit of a long story, but I really do have such a love for this book already. I’m so excited to read it, and I could not be more proud of Angela for choosing the path that honors God and stays true to the story that needed to be told exactly the way that it is.

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Wishtress by Nadine Brandes

The Blurb

She didn’t ask to be the Wishtress.

Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. It’s a big secret to keep. When a granted wish goes wrong, a curse is placed on her: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She needs to journey to the Well and break the curse before it claims her life–and before the king’s militairen track her down. But in order to survive the journey, she must harden her heart to keep herself from crying even a single tear.

He can stop time with a snap of his fingers.

Bastiaan’s powerful–and rare–Talent came in handy when he kidnapped the old king. Now the new king has a job for him: find and capture the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. When he locates Myrthe, he agrees to take her to the Well in exchange for a wish. Once she’s fulfilled her end of the deal, he’ll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don’t compromise his job.

They are on a journey that can only end one way: with her death.

Everyone seems to need a wish–the king, Myrthe’s cousin, the boy she thinks she loves. And they’re ready to bully, beg, and even betray her for it. No one knows that to grant even one of them, Myrthe would have to die. And if she tells them about her curse . . . they’ll just kill her anyway.

I discovered Nadine’s books a few years ago. I think it’s hilarious that I saw her dystopian trilogy on Goodreads first, but didn’t actually read them first. Instead, I read Romanov and Fawkes. I still plan to read the Time to Die trilogy, but I’m also really happy that Romanov was my first Nadine-Brandes-experience. I read it when I was in my Kindle era, and it really made me feel so many different emotions.

That being said, I pretty much preordered this book as soon as I could, and it is one of the prettiest books that I own. I’m very excited to read it, and I cannot wait to see what Nadine has created this time.

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Once I Knew by Victoria Lynn

The Blurb

Violet lives her quiet little life in her sleepy village. Trying to remain as dead to the politics that are threatening their world as possible. She follows the rules, stays out of trouble and does her best to remain out of sight of the dreaded and overbearing Kingsmen.

With the new regent on the throne, the country has been thrown into a turmoil. Unlike the kindly king before him, the new ruler is overbearing, frightening and tyrannical in his rule. Taxes are bleeding the people dry and without the money or goods to pay, they have been forced into penal servitude and imprisonment by the Kingsmen, who know no mercy. The despair and fear that has taken over their lives has ruled out any level of hope.

When Violet stumbles upon an unconscious and injured Kingsman in the woods, despite the consequences, she cannot help but take care of the injured man. When he wakes and has no memory of who he is, she takes the only precaution that will keep her and her grandmother safe; she destroys the evidence of his past life.

If Violet’s lowly Kingsman regains his memory, will she be able to live with the consequences? And will the Kingsman be able to live with his past life?

I’ve been following Victoria for a minute now. She’s become such a welcome and familiar face on my social media, and I genuinely could not adore this girl more. She is such a ray of sunshine and her passion makes me want to go write my own stories. I just…I really support this girl, y’all.

I don’t remember if I helped with the cover reveal and preorders for this book, but I definitely did for the next book in the series, This Life of Mine. In fact, I’m probably more excited to read that one (because it touches on a lot of topics I hold near to my heart), but I have to read this one first. So, I bought incredible and fancy hardcovers of both books. They are so pretty, and I cannot wait to immerse myself in these little fantasy worlds.

Let’s Talk!

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any books by your internet friends that you want to read? If so, which ones? I’m always looking for good recommendations, so drop them in the comments!