Indie & Small Press Fiction Releasing in February

These are all Christian fiction or clean reads, to the best of my knowledge.

Yella’s Prayers by Nadine Keels (Feb 2)

She awoke with a gasp, sitting up. “God? Was that You?”

A pivotal year awaits Bless, a young woman who hides her passion: her music. She’s not exactly friends with T’meal, a talented athlete who won’t explain why he’s passed up the chance of a lifetime. Nor is Bless too close to Lamall, a boisterous playboy with a broken private life that’s spiraling out of control.

But Bless knows she’s meant to help these two young men. She can’t deny the Voice that told her so.

A coming of age story of compassion, the awakening of love, and knowing when it’s time to step out of the shadows and shine.

Road to Danger by Kennedy, Terry, Tru, Verde & Williams (Feb 4)

(Texas Fires by E.E. Kennedy) When schoolteacher Amanda’s engagement dreams are shattered, she tells herself she’s fine, though her summer job involves working for Jason’s father. So it’s a welcome delay when she’s called for jury duty on an arson case. The defendant is found guilty, but Amanda can’t help asking “Why?” As she explores the evidence on her own, she continually encounters Jason, who may not be quite ready to let her go. // (Identity Theft by Alana Terry) After a devastating accident stole her fiancé and robbed her of a normal life, Lacy does what she can to move on. Things get even more complicated when she meets Kurtis, an Alaska state trooper, and his delightful four-year-old daughter who would love nothing more than to make Lacy her new mom. A traumatized past makes it hard for Lacy to commit to this new relationship, especially since she can’t shake the nagging suspicion that her fiancé isn’t dead like the police reports claim. All she wants is closure, but as she seeks out real answers, she discovers how deadly the truth can actually be. // (The Assumption of Guilt by Amanda Tru) Nobody stops to think what it would be like to be arrested. That just doesn’t happen to normal people, right?
When a major theft happens at a party she’s attending, Sophie James finds herself the prime suspect. Has she been framed or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Now Sophie must convince the police, along with her cop boyfriend, that she’s innocent. With no record, no motive, and no evidence, that shouldn’t be difficult. Then why does no one seem to believe her? //  Scent of Danger by Alexa Verde To find her missing sister, small-town cop Maya Hutchinson risks her life by posing as her glamorous twin. Under escalating attacks, Maya accepts protection from dashing senator’s son Connor McNamara. Cop turned PI, Connor McNamara has his own secret mission and is forced to choose between family loyalty and love. When the scent of danger draws near, will Connor and Maya survive long enough to forgive and accept each other? //  (Maid for Murder: Deadly Business by Susette Williams) Bailey inherits her grandfather’s business, but cleaning up dead body parts wasn’t part of the job description. As the threads of deceit unravel, the murders begin to break out like a case of Bubonic Plague. Bailey uncovers deception, corruption and a few secrets that may forever change her life.  Bailey struggles to keep on the path she knows is right, fighting the temptation of the hunky Detective Max Wellington, who would like nothing more than to take her into protective custody, for more than just interfering in police business.

Bitter Eyes No More by April Gardner (Feb 7)

A man of abiding honor, tested by a woman of ruinous passion. A woman of unspeakable sins, pursued by a God of unquenchable mercy.

Spanish Florida once sheltered Lillian McGirth from her fears. Now, it feeds them. Mercy is for the deserving; for Lillian, an unwed mother accused of treason, there is only battering and defeat, but her fall breaks softly in the arms of an unexpected arrival, a man too beautiful of soul to stain with her lost character.

Captain Marcus Buck sails in on a pledge to save Miss McGirth from herself and from her child’s father, a ruthless don. All the while, he’s to regard her as virtuous and worthy of protection and to guard said virtue from pilfering. But the terms are flawed since he must first guard her from himself. Regardless, he is determined. He will free her, repair her name—simple labor compared to dodging the army’s noose, mending wounds three years deep, and navigating a host of rebel Natives bent on inflicting more.

Through the steady crumble of his pledge, their friendship becomes a consolation, for she knows his pain as no other can or will. Their scars are one; their paths, however, might irrevocably become two…

Capturing Beauty by Brenda S. Anderson (Feb 7)

He’s a nature photographer returning to make amends. She’s a camera-shy naturalist seeking privacy. Their love for a boy brings them together, but the camera could drive them apart.

Photographer Haven Carlysle is a changed man. Six years earlier, he had run from his tragedy-filled life in Duluth. Now he’s back in town to capture the North Shore’s beauty … and to recapture the love of his son. But that means making amends with his ex-girlfriend too. When camera-leery Callie Beaumont steps in to bridge the relationship between Haven and his former family, he’s wary, but she’s his only hope.

Callie Beaumont is surrounded by beauty. Her parents are local news celebrities. Her sister is a model. And Callie is … Ordinary. All her life, Callie has longed to work outdoors soaking up God-breathed beauty, and the opportunity is finally on the horizon. But being the liaison between the handsome photographer and his son has thrown her dreams, and her heart, into chaos.

Can Haven capture her heart when she won’t let him capture her image? And will his poor choices cost Callie her dream job and him the love of his son?

Begin Again by Crystal Walton (Feb 8)

What happens when a free-spirited artist from big-city New York collides with an uptight business owner from small-town Ocracoke? Fireworks. The kind neither saw coming.

A single call is all it takes to drive artist Ti Russo into what she does best. Run. But hey, lying low in a beach town for a while isn’t so bad. Thanks to the distraction of playing consultant to a guy she’s determined to crack, she can almost forget about the past stalking her back home. But she never counted on the real danger being a picket-fenced life she has no business falling for.

Focus and self-preservation have gotten single dad Drew Anderson through the last nine years. With the threat of his shop’s foreclosure jeopardizing his daughter’s health care, the last thing he needs is a distracting hippie chick swooping in to shake up what he’s fought to protect. Including himself. The bank’s deadline adds enough pressure without re-risking feelings better left buried.

But as sparks flare and secrets escalate, the race against time propels Ti and Drew into a choice neither’s ready to make: Find the faith to surrender their past or forfeit their only chance to begin again.

Baggage Claim by Cathe Swanson (Feb 8)

Ben Taylor, widower and father of four lively children, enjoys his easy, uncomplicated life. He likes his work and has a competent nanny to manage his household. Everything is good until he decides to seek out his biological parents and discovers a family tree with tangled roots and broken branches. His comfortable life crumbles when he gets caught up in a criminal network of fraud and conspiracy at his new job. When Ben is forced into a dangerous alliance, he scrambles to find a safe situation and protection for his children before setting out to clear his name—all without getting himself killed in the process.

Becoming a nanny was the perfect solution when Teresa Cooper needed a place to hide ten years ago, but now that she’s no longer in danger, she’s ready to move on and make a new life for herself. When Ben asks her to take the children to an unknown relative in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, she finds herself in hiding again, this time with four children in tow. As the children explore the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula, Teresa begins to wonder about God’s plan for her future. Who is this stranger Ben trusts with his children? Why here? Can a city-bred nanny find joy in this wild corner of God’s creation?

Finding Joy by Melanie Snitker

Sometimes, what looks like a dead end, is really a new beginning.

A horrific accident changed everything for Parker Wilson. Unable to find solid footing in his disrupted life, he returns to his family’s ranch, a place he thought he’d left behind for good. The scars on his face are a daily reminder of all he’s lost, yet his mom still insists he needs to stop hiding and live his life again. The beautiful new employee she hires is the last thing he needs, despite his mom’s best intentions, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make the girl quit and regain the peace and quiet he prefers.

Nothing short of desperation would force Chelsea Blake to work on a local cattle ranch. But if she’s going to avoid her parents’ judgment when they arrive in three weeks, she must turn the temporary job into a permanent one. Between dodging mud, feeding longhorn cattle, and dealing with a handsome boss who keeps giving her the cold shoulder, staying gainfully employed is proving to be a challenge. Chelsea may not be cut out for ranch life, but her determination to succeed is stronger than Parker’s efforts at forcing her to leave.

Unprepared to discover all they have in common, if they set aside their initial dislike, they just might find joy beyond measure.

The Lady and the Frog by L. Palmer (Feb 10)

Welcome to Pippington, where motorcars bump down old city lanes, frogs transform into men, and mermaids just might be real.

Evelyn Havish is through waiting for Henry Kingston to look up from his ledgers and propose. But, when Henry’s brother Jack is transformed into a frog and trapped in a well, Evelyn must join the rescue. Armed with her training as a lady and a solid punch, Evelyn must outwit a scheming heiress, wrestle an octopus, and kiss far more frogs than a girl should be expected to. As she dives deeper into a hidden world of magic, she discovers Jack may not be the one who needs saving.

Savior Like A Shepherd by Faith Blum (Feb 26)

Titus Hines has always taken care of others. First in protecting his brother and sister from the men his mother entertained. Even more so after her death, when the townspeople refused to help the orphans of a town prostitute. He’s been protector and provider, despite the hardships. He’s learned that no one will help, no one cares and if he wants to survive he’ll have to rely on his own strength not just for himself but his family as well.

Then a stranger shows him the kindness and help no one else seems willing to. Between her kindness and the lecture she gives the Christian Leaders, Titus’s life takes an unexpected turn for the better. With help and provision from the local believers things should be easier, his burdens are lifted. So why does it feel like life is spinning out of control?

Can Titus learn that while man may fail him there is One who will never fail? Can he learn to allow God to be the Shepherd of his life and lead him? Or will life continue to push him every which way?

Echo of Fear by Tara Meyers (Feb 27)

Chris Echo, a CSI profiler, is forced to go on vacation after struggling to rebound from an officer-involved shooting. Playing vacationer isn’t her thing but the small, private island in the south pacific might be just what she needs.

Kyle Stone has been undercover for too long. With his goal in sight, he’s caught in a storm during his final mission and washed ashore the remote island. When the unsuspecting guests are taken hostage, he can either break cover to save them, or rely on his emotionless state to see him through.

Each of the visitors to the island arrives harboring their own, private fears. Fear of trusting, of letting go, of needing, and of love. They’re about to confront the ultimate fear of all, a struggle for life and death. But in the midst of the turmoil, Chris comes to realize that perhaps death isn’t her greatest challenge … it’s allowing herself to live.

Of Buds and Blossoms by Liwen Y. Ho (Feb 27)

Librarian Chloe McAlister finds solace in her books—and hats—but doesn’t know where to turn when her longtime crush gets engaged.

On a whim, she signs up for a speed-dating mixer and convinces her best friend, Dill Thomas, to attend.

All goes as planned until she realizes Dill means more to her than she thought … and he goes and falls for someone else.

This 10,000-word short story is perfect for your lunch break, workout, or while you wait in line at the mall. Read it today to experience a hint of spring any time of the year!