Each month, #BuyIndiePress puts the spotlight on indie books from a handful of small presses and the like. All of the details are at the Buy Indie Press page.
Carina Press first came on my radar last spring when I read the beautiful Second Position by Katherine Locke. Now, I’m taking a look at five more titles from this under the radar digital-first imprint that I’m looking forward to checking out!
All About Carina Press:
Carina Press is a digital-first imprint from Harlequin. A natural extension to the Harlequin business; Carina Press builds on our digital strength and gives us greater flexibility in the type of editorial we acquire from authors and offer to readers. We connect authors with a great story to tell, with readers who will love to read it.
Whether you like to read contemporary romance, steampunk, erotic romance, gay/lesbian fiction, mystery, science-fiction, fantasy, or any number of other fiction genres – you’ll find something to love at Carina Press.
5 Books From Carina Press That I Want to Check Out!
1. Quick Pivot by Brenda Buchanan (@buchananbrenda)
Released April 27, 2015
1968
A cunning thief skimmed a half a million dollars from the textile mill that was the beating heart of Riverside, Maine. Sharp-eyed accountant George Desmond discovered the discrepancy, but was killed before he could report it. After stashing the body, the thief-turned-killer manipulated evidence to make it appear Desmond skipped town with the stolen money, ruining his good name forever.
Present Day
Veteran journalist Joe Gale is covering a story for the Portland Daily Chronicle when a skeleton falls at his feet: Desmond’s bones have been found in a basement crawl space at the long-shuttered mill. For Joe, digging into the past means retracing the steps his mentor Paulie Finnegan had taken years ago, when the case was still open. But the same people who bird-dogged Paulie four decades ago are watching Joe now. As he closes in on the truth, his every move is tracked…and the murderer proves more than willing to kill again.
2. Rush Me by Allison Parr (@Allison_Parr)
Released April 8, 2013
When post-grad Rachael Hamilton accidentally gate-crashes a pro-athlete party, she ends up face-to-face with Ryan Carter, the NFL’s most beloved quarterback.
While most girls would be thrilled to meet the attractive young millionaire, Rachael would rather spend time with books than at sporting events, and she has more important things to worry about than romance. Like her parents pressuring her to leave her unpaid publishing internship for law school.
But when Ryan’s rookie teammate attaches himself to Rachael, she ends up cohosting Friday-night dinners for half a dozen football players.
Over pancake brunches, charity galas and Alexander the Great, Rachael realizes all the judgments she’d made about Ryan are wrong. But how can a Midwestern Irish-Catholic jock with commitment problems and an artsy, gun-shy Jewish New Englander ever forge a partnership? Rachael must let down her barriers if she wants real love—even if that opens her up to pain that could send her back into her emotional shell forever.
3. Stellarnet Rebel by J.L. Hilton (@authorJLHilton)
Released January 2, 2012
Welcome to Asteria, a corporate-owned, deep-space colony populated with refugees, criminals and obsessive online gamers. Genny O’Riordan has shifted in from Earth determined to find a story that will break her blog into the Stellarnet Top 100, and even better—expose the degradation of the colony’s denizens.
Duin is an alien—a Glin—a hero of a past revolution against the Glin royal family, yet branded a terrorist. Duin speaks every day in the Asteria market, hoping to spur humans to aid his home world, which has been overtaken by the evil, buglike Tikati.
When Genny and Duin meet, what begins with a blog post becomes a dangerous web of passion and politics as they struggle to survive not only a war but the darker side of humanity…
4. Designed for Death by Jean Harrington
Released January 2, 2012
Interior designer Deva Dunne’s latest project comes to a screeching halt when blood on the carpet leads her to the body of her client, an exotic dancer with a mysterious past. But the murdered woman is not the only resident of the posh beachfront condominium with secrets, and investigating officer Lieutenant Victor Rossi considers them all suspects.
Though wary of working in the killer’s midst, Deva continues decorating the unit for the new owner. When she stumbles upon clues that might help crack the case, she can’t resist doing a little digging of her own, despite Rossi’s orders to quit meddling. Now, she’s juggling the investigation, her career and sexy neighbor Simon Yaeger, who seems interested in more than her etchings.
Deva can’t help but be flattered by all the male attention—that is, until she realizes the killer has designs on her, too…
5. In Plain View by J. Wachowski (@JulieWachowski)
Released July 15, 2013
SFX: Ker-flush
That’s the sound of my career going down the toilet. Three months ago, I was the freelance reporter to call for full-color images of an international crisis.
Now? I’m stationed at the far edge of the Chicago flyover as a disappointing mother-sub to my eight-year-old niece and the babysitter for a newsroom College Boy.
Camera still: a man in Amish clothing hanging from a tree. Dead.
One photo of the lifeless man was all I needed to see-there’s more to this story than anyone wants to admit. Especially Sheriff Jack Curzon, with his death-ray eyes watching my every move. I have a feeling that man wants more than my cooperation.
Quick-cut, pan, tilt and-run.
Someone is hiding, just out of sight. And I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my new family.
Seeing the truth can be dangerous…when evil is In Plain View.
What books from Carina Press have you read and loved or added to your TBR list?