Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Hidden Gem Books I Read in 2016

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic from The Broke and the Bookish is Ten Hidden Gem Books I Read in 2016.  There are so many great books that not nearly enough people have read - or at least not rated on Goodreads!  I'm sticking with books I loved that have less than 200 ratings on Goodreads.

1.  Send in the Clowns by Julie Mulhern (135 Reviews) - This series is one of my absolute favorite cozy mystery series.  It's set in the 1970s and feels very much like it's set during the time but not like the setting is a gimmick.  The mysteries are always fantastic, the characters are interesting, and Mulhern has the most amazing Pinterest boards where you can actually see her inspiration for the clothes, cars, and everything else in her books.  If you've never read a cozy mystery this is a fantastic series to start with.

2.  Body in the Bayou by Ellen Byron (186 Reviews) - This is another cozy series and is set in the bayous of Louisiana.  This is a setting I'm super familiar with and I can tell that the author is as well as it's perfectly done.  The first two books in this series are both super entertaining and have just been a joy to read.

3.  Finding Fontainebleau: An American Boy in France by Thad Carhart (101 Reviews)- This part memoir part history lesson is just lovely.  I loved getting to know the Carhart family (especially the mother who is my new personal hero.  I'm pretty sure that nothing shocked that woman) and learn about life in post-World War II France and thoroughly enjoying getting chapters on the history of France all centered around an amazing former residence of royalty.

4.  Better Get to Livin' by Sally Kilpatrick (83 Rating) - This was an accidental NetGalley request.  I'm not usually a quirky small town reader but this was so much fun without being silly.  I was absolutely delighted with it and if you enjoy small town stories with some seriously quirky characters this is one that absolutely should not be missed.

5.  How Secrets Die by Marta Perry (103 Ratings) - Another quirky small town but this one has a heavy dose of suspense, a sizable helping of characters making their peace with the past, and just a nice dollop of romance.  I'm excited that Perry has a sizable backlist because she's definitely an author I want to see lots more of!

6.  The Rain Sparrow by Linda Goodnight ((174 ratings) - I requested this one off of NetGalley the second I saw it took place in an inn without noticing the darkness of some of the other plot points.  I'm glad I didn't notice them because they may have kept me from reading what was one of my favorite books of 2016.  In a dual timeline book there's usually one timeline that is so much more interesting than the other but this was a rare exception.  I loved all the characters and was so very invested in all the stories.

7.  A Reckless Desire by Isabella Bradford (158 ratings) - This is the 3rd book in a trilogy about brothers and my favorite.  Bradford manages to blend deep social issues into an entertaining historical romance without making light of the issues and without making the book too heavy.

8.  Death and the Brewmaster's Widow by Loretta Ross (152 ratings) - This is a cozy series that needs more attention.  The characters are so unusual without being over the top and there's a history element in every mystery.  I have the third book in this series coming up and I can't wait to catch back up with the Death (pronounced Deeth) and Wren.

9.Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna by Maia Chance (155 ratings) - All the books in this series have slight touches of fairy tale inspiration for an extra bit of fun.  It's a historical mystery which is unusual and the main character is edging towards con-artist which makes for a unique cozy and one that needs more attention.

10. The Readaholics and the Gothic Gala by Laura DiSilverio (212 ratings) - I'm cheating just a little because this has just over 200 ratings but it really should have more.  I can never turn down a bookish book - especially a mystery with books!  Not only do the characters in the series belong to a book club together but they talk about books - A LOT! In this story it's all about Rebecca and I adored every minute of book discussion. To make it even better it had a great mystery attached!

What books did you love that need a little more attention?

16 comments:

  1. Yay for Mulhern! And Fontainebleau sounds fun and unique too. Beauty, Beast & Belladonna- love that title. That does sound good with a somewhat edgy MC and the fairy tale touches.

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  2. Wow so many books this week that I've never seen! Beauty, Beast & Belladonna is pulling me in and I love books that play with fairy tales!

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  3. I am now curious about Maia Chance. I don't read a lot of books in that genre, but I do enjoy fairy tale-type stuff!

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  4. I'm with you on Send in the Clowns!

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  5. What a good list! I really need to start Julie Mulhern's series. I know I would like it a lot. The '70's were my teen years. I'm pretty sure I have the first and maybe the second in this series.

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  6. These are all new books to me and many of them look good to me!!

    Here's my TTT post for this week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2017/01/top-ten-tuesday-ten-underratedhidden.html

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  7. Okay so I am putting the cozy mystery series into my sights as I am looking for one although one with quilting or books but this one could be a possibility too.

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  8. Sooo, I haven't read any of these! I will have to look into a some, though.

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  9. Loved the Rain Sparrow! I have the first book in the Julie Mulhern series. I need to start it!

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  10. I haven't heard of any of these, but some of them sound like things I'd enjoy, so I'll have to check them out! :-)

    ~Marie @ Ramblings of a Daydreamer
    My Top Ten Tuesday

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  11. Thanks for sharing your favorites from last year! So many interesting titles here.

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  12. Beauty, Beast and Belladonna actually seems pretty intriguing. I love anything with a fairytale twist or undertone or re-telling. Hmmm....

    P.S. You should TOTALLY check out The Fixer duology. You will LOVE it. Totally up your alley. As well as her Naturals series. Both are perfect.

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  13. I love how many gems you seem to find every year. So many great books!

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  14. I want to try Mulhern and you have me curious about Beauty, Beast and Belladonna :)

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  15. Ooo... All new to me titles; I'll have to look into some of these!

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  16. I've heard of a few of these, but haven't read any. Of course I need to add them ALL to my TBR. They all sound fantastic! Ugh. I need more reading time! :)

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