Buzz and great reviews

It still seems as though publishing is in such turmoil. E-books are still throwing everyone off and pricing is a huge topic of discussion. Should E-books be cheaper? What is the magic price, and watching authors create E-book bestsellers has been pretty fascinating, but incredibly hard to define. 
In all of it though, some great books and authors, seemed to have, gotten lost in the shuffle. I loved the Meljean Brooks series of steampunk books. I have no idea what her sales numbers were, but to me she should be a much bigger name based on the strength of those books, and the reviews certainly agreed with me. 
Some others that come to mind are Cecilia Grant, (drunk writers Molly, Maureen, Stephanie and Eileen are also included in this list), and Michele Sagara, who is a new author to me, but her Fantasy novels are amazing. 
I don't know sales numbers, but I watch book stores to see what books they highlight, and there don't seem to be any really new authors breaking through that aren't erotic, or self-published new adult that are breaking into the lists. 
I remember reading Madelyn Hunter's first trilogy because of the amazing reviews and sure enough, her next few books really propelled her into bestselling status. Sherry Thomas also seemed to really get a huge sales kick based on her amazing reviews, but lately I'm not seeing the same connection. 
Am I wrong on this? I'd really love to hear about some books that seemed to get a real boost from great reviews and positive buzz. Anyone have any sense of who the next JR Ward, or Eloisa James will be?