A Romeo & Juliet for our Times

I am Delighted to share with you the next chapter in the story of my stand alone Upper YA Contemporary Romance novel, 'I Defy You, Stars'

It has been enrolled in Kindle Unlimited and to celebrate, it has a whole new look.


This Romeo  and  Juliet Contemporary Romance is the perfect read for the summer season. A story of love, tragedy and hope, it promises you all the feels.

You can get your Kindle Unlimited FREE copy or your $2.99 copy here at Amazon
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GKEP0WM
USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GKEP0WM

Here's the latest review in

 5 STARS "A gritty retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. Katie John has her finger on the pulse of London's youth and weaves a beautiful tale of art, love, family and betrayal, showing us how Shakespeare's classic tragedy is timeless. I couldn't put it down."

Here's a little more about it.

A Romeo and Juliet tale for our times. A bitter-sweet, romantic tragedy for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and E. Lockhart. A story of broken families, bullying, street art, social anarchy, poetry, and Shakespeare. 

What would you do if were accused of trying to murder your best friend? 

For sixteen-year-old Juliet, all the certainties of the world collapse when she is accused of murdering her best friend. For as long as Juliet can remember, Amber has been in her life; the sister she never had, the only friend she could truly trust – but with Amber’s accident comes a devastating revelation, which might just be motive enough for Juliet to want Amber dead. 

With her family and college life breaking down around her, Juliet turns to Rafe; the boy she met at a party just a few weeks ago. Together, they brave the turbulence of the encroaching adult world, finding love amongst the broken pieces of their lives. 

However, the cruel twists and turns of fate, soon call time on their budding romance, forcing both of them to make decisions they’ll come to regret. 

“Get the tissues ready, I guarantee this novel will punch you in the gut and make you cry.”

“The lives of Juliet and Rafe are like an unfolding car crash, which you just can’t pull your eyes away from.”

“Woven throughout all the sadness, there is this ribbon of hope that keeps you reading through the night.”

Lost on the bookshelf no more...

I am a bit of a genre butterfly, and I have been writing and publishing for near on a decade now. Not only do I have 9 books out, but they are of different styles and genres, although all uniquely the pouring of my heart.

This has not been a good business strategy, although it has been a lot of fun and has resulted in stories that are full of passion and authenticity. I know by now, I should have well and truly stuck my genre to the sticking post and developed a readership base that loved the security and safety of authors who write in one direction -- but that's not me.

As a result, I have a situation whereby some of my beloved books are pretty much invisible, because they did not cross over readerships, or their genre / styling were not exactly fitting into brand. This makes me sad, because I know that they are lovely stories and that the characters deserve to reveal their own unique voices - and when folks do stumble upon them, they gather beautiful, thoughtful and meaningful reviews.

So, I'm going to introduce you to some of my works that for whatever reason, may have slipped your notice. To be fair, the days of me working up a several month release and launch party are over, I quickly discovered that the burn out caused by these 'monster' releases was having a serious impact on my actual writing, and over the last couple of years, I have snuck out several stand alone without much pomp and ceremony.

Today, I am going to share with you 'I Defy You, Stars," which is an Upper YA / NA contemporary romance influenced and inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

I have made the decision after quite a lot of thought, to make this stand alone contemporary romance an Amazon Exclusive (at least for a little while) so that I can enrol it in their KU (Kindle Unlimited) scheme.

This is great way of readers getting free reads and authors getting paid per every page that is read. It seemed a great solution for the readers of my paranormal romance and fantasy series who might not want to invest in something that isn't 'usually' their go-to genre.

I Defy You, Stars is one of my favourite stories from my catalogue and for those who have taken the time to read and leave beautiful reviews, I thank you - they really are very kind.

WATCH THE TRAILER :)



HERE ARE THE U.S REVIEWS SO FAR...

(5 stars) "A gritty retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. Katie John has her finger on the pulse of London's youth and weaves a beautiful tale of art, love, family and betrayal, showing us how Shakespeare's classic tragedy is timeless. I couldn't put it down."

(5 stars) "Katie M. John’s “I Defy You, Stars” is a brilliant, well-written modernized version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet”. She kept the premise of two families at odds with teens in love and worked her own magic."

(5 stars) "A beautifully crafted view of two young lovers caught in seemingly impossible circumstances. What feels like a timeless tale in some aspects is modernized and entwined with today's dark realities. A story filled with characters that makes you want to keep reading just to find out what happens next."

(5 stars) "Well written, beautifully crafted. From the dichotomy of a teen girl's ordinary life turned to something dark and hideously real to the boy she loves whose inability to release the past's clutches lead him as much to her as away... I enjoyed every word."

HERE ARE THE KU LINKS

KU £0.00 UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GKEP0WM
KU $0.00 USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GKEP0WM

If you do have the chance to write an honest review, that is really really appreciated and it helps to gain exposure for the book. I have an ethical issue about turning review requests into contests or to gain rewards, and I know that Amazon and many readers do, too, which means I guess I'm having to entice folks to spend their time writing reviews simply for the love of books and to support authoring, but know that it is VERY VERY much appreciated and that every single review, whether you love it or hate it, is important and it matters. 

I hope you enjoy, I Defy You, Stars, and I really look forward to chatting about it

Many thanks, 

Kate x