Treading Water: The standalone question….
Since I’ve received this question multiple times since Treading Water released last week, I wanted to talk about standalone books as pertains to my series.
The short answer to the question “is Treading Water a standalone,” is yes, it very much is. There has been no mention of Shane, Julian, or Sean before this and they are the focus of the book.
The long answer is more complicated because while each book will focus on a standalone couple, they make up the sum total of the Forgotten Soldier series which has its own story weaved into the fabric of each book. That said, this is the first full-length novel in the series so, while it might be helpful to read Micah’s Soldier first, it’s not an absolute must. That 6K word short story was about Micah and Garrison, and it gave me an opening to bring in a character from another series.
See, this is where it gets complicated because of Jared Ramos, Founder of the fictional Ramos Foundation upon which this series resides, who was first introduced in the Sizzling Miami series and then again in the Devils Pride series. He’s continued to appear in both as an occasional side character. A necessary family member that needed his own series to stand out.
Because of those ties, I couldn’t start Jared’s series without cameo appearances from a few beloved characters from the other two series. So, while you might be meeting Alaric, Bull, and Ty for the first time in Treading Water, their appearance is a connection, not a pivotal plot point. By that I mean if you haven’t read their books, you’re not missing out on any information that pertains to Treading Water. Are they worth reading? I think so and I’d love for you to add them to your TBR, but understand that you will not gain more insight into this book by doing so.
Everything you need to know about Jared and the foundation will play out in this series.
Now, if you’re intrigued by those cameo characters, if you like my writing and want to delve deeper into my worlds, I’m going to further complicate this issue.
- Devils Pride MC series is a direct spin-off of the Sizzling Miami series and, while some readers have said they had no problem starting with Tricking Chase (Devils Pride #1), most benefit from having read The Protector (Sizzling Miami #3) first.
- Treading Water is an indirect spin-0ff of the Sizzling Miami series in that Jared Ramos first appears there, but his role is not big.
- When the Forgotten Soldier series comes to a close, it will be a direct crossover to bring a character from the Forgotten Solder series into the Sizzling Miami series.
If you like visuals, you can see the full flow chart of books, characters, and interconnections here: https://jessiegbooks.com/odds-ends/family-trees/