My First Review, And Why It Means More Than You Think
Pejuola Ransome’s beautiful, blistering words remind me why I wrote The Alpha Flame, and why reviews like this matter.
My First Review, And Why It Means More Than You Think
Every writer knows the fear. You’ve poured yourself into a book, layered it with all your darkest truths and hardest questions, and then, it goes out into the world. I shared advance copies with a few early readers, hoping someone would connect. And now, just ahead of launch, one of them did, in the most powerful way.
This week, I received my very first review on Goodreads. It came from a reader named Pejuola Ransome. I don’t know where she’s from. I don’t know anything about her, really. But she saw the book. She felt it. And she wrote the kind of review that makes you stop, breathe, and feel deeply understood.
Here’s what she said:
Some stories are soft. But this one right here is fire.
The Alpha Discovery doesn’t ease the reader in like some psychological thrillers will do. It throws you straight into the aftermath of loss, and from there, peels back the layers of trauma, memory, and identity with unflinching honesty.
It’s not a story of comfort, but of chaos, longing, and a search for connection... The narrative unravels like a therapy session you didn’t realize you needed.
This is a story about what happens after the damage and how women navigate the aftermath... You should read it.
Reviews Matter, Especially the First
Pejuola’s words hit me hard. Not just because they’re kind, though they are. But because they show me that someone out there got it. She didn’t flinch from the trauma. She didn’t ask for comfort. She saw Maggie and Beth and understood what I was trying to say.
For indie authors, reviews aren’t just ego boosts. They’re lifelines. They help us reach new readers. They tell the algorithms we exist. But more than that, they remind us we’re not shouting into the void.
The Alpha Flame isn’t a book for everyone. I know that. It’s intense. It’s raw. It makes no promises of easy comfort. But when a reader like Pejuola connects with it, not in spite of the darkness, but because of its honesty, it’s a reminder of why I wrote it in the first place.
If you’ve read The Alpha Flame and felt something, please consider leaving a review, on Goodreads, Amazon, anywhere. Even a few words can mean the world to an author. And if this kind of story isn’t your cup of tea? That’s okay too. Not every book needs to be for everyone.
The Alpha Flame: Discovery is out on 21 August 2025. Pejuola’s already met Maggie and Beth. I hope you’ll meet them too.