Top Ten ARCs / Prizes 2014
It’s that time of the year—Top Ten lists for 2014.
Here is my list of Top 10 books I received for free from the author/publisher as an ARC (Advance Reader Copy or a giveaway prize; they are lumped together on my TBR.
10. Masquerade, Nyrae Dawn
This little gem is one that I won in a giveaway. It was already on my TBR, but I didn't anticipate reading it for a few months (my TBR has 900+ books)… You have got to bump this book up your list folks- it was freakin’ awesome. Two excellent main characters, brilliantly drawn and executed. It was a slow build on the relationship between Maddox and Bee, but slow doesn't mean boring. The storyline was intricately layered and I enjoyed every reveal and every compromise as these two misunderstood people opened themselves to each other. An excellent story, great writing, and I will be automatically bumping Nyrae books up higher on my TBR. Note: I have not read the other two books of the series, but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this book.
9. Before He was Gone, Becky Wicks
I received Before He Was Gone as a prize. Winning the book did not influence an honest review. I really enjoyed both the protagonists and plot of this delightful HEA story. While a little over-the-top with the drama in a few places, I smiled through the whole story, enjoying the situations and relationships between the characters. A great storyline. This was book 2 or a series, but skipping book one did not lessen my enjoyment of this book.
8. Die Trying, Nicholas Ryan
I received this ARC in exchange for a brutally honest review- and you know how I can get! Great zombie horror story. Fast paced, often brutal/violent, with lots of twists to keep the action going. I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm not a huge fan of the zombie genre, but there have been some great books written lately, and this is one of them. PS- love how they are caught up in the zombie Apocalypse, and their reading material of choice is Stephen King-- loved it! There are some irritating spelling errors/misused words (e.g. draw instead of drawer), but I only hesitated briefly before getting caught up in the story again. Excellent ending!
7. Cure, Belinda Frisch
I won this book in a giveaway, and would not have bought this for myself, as I'm not a horror (or zombie) fan. But, I put on my big girl panties and sucked it up, because I believe if you win a book, you need to do your best to read and review it. This book contains all the reasons I'm not a fan of the genre: blood, guts, angst, diabolical evil scientists, mutant viruses, backstabbing coworkers, and more plot layers than a Bloomin Onion. That being said, any fan of the horror genre will suck this one up like mother's milk. The book was very well paced and well written. I cringed, scowled, rooted and booed in all the appropriate places (and a few that were not appropriate "No, no, don't go in There!" - Yep, they went there *shakes head sadly*). The plot was complex, yet not overdone, with plenty of heroes, anti-heroes, and villains. Not my cup of tea, but a great example of the horror genre.
6. I Have People, Taylor Dean
I received this book as a prize in a giveaway almost a year ago. Since it was a paperback, it went into storage and I forgot about it until a few weeks ago. What a little gem of a story. This is probably not a book I would have picked out for myself, and I would have missed out on some terrific writing and a well-plotted story. The way the story was presented was fresh and kept me guessing- it was marvelous the way the author peeled back each layer until you found the prize at the center. Well done!
5. Glass Knot, Lily Harlem
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this intricate menage story, as it had a fresh approach. This time it's an established MM relationship adding a third (F) person. Well done, and a good story, with depth and good characterization.
4. Semper Mine, Lizzy Ford
I received this book as an ARC, in exchange for a fair review. Absolutely loved this book. Great characters, and fun love-to-hate you conflict going on in tandem with some serious emotional issues. Excellent story!
3. Getting By, Claudia Burgoa
I received this book as a prize in a giveaway. I'll admit, this may not be a book I'd have picked up based on the storyline, but it would have been my loss. This little gem had some great character development and a quirky, surprisingly complex plot. Well written, and perfectly paced; I'll look for more from this author.
2. Ugly Love, Colleen Hoover
I received Ugly Love as publisher's ARC at a writer's meeting. I really wondered at 10% if I would get on the Miles and Tate bandwagon- the book started kinda slow for me, and I wasn't sure I would like Miles, but, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. This was a wonderful story about learning to love again. Probably my favorite Hoover book to date.
1. Hard Spell (Book 1), Dark Evil (Book 2), and Known Devil (Book 3), Justin Gustainis
Abso-freaking-lutely brilliant. This series was given to me for a fair and honest review. Take a great storyline, pour in a generous helping of dry wit, add a dash of NightStalker, and a few shout-outs to Dragnet (some of us are old enough to remember that show), and blend in a a little bit of Dresden attitude…. What you get is a fresh, snarky plot and an excellent book in Hard Spell. Well written (The tight plot reminds me a little of Steve McHugh's clean, focused style), wonderfully drawn characters, and an excellent story... his next two books just got bumped up my TBR because I don't want to wait. You don't want to miss this series! Dark Evil (Bk 2) -- I enjoyed it more than book 1. The author extended his great storyline, adding an awesome plot with some new characters. Dark Evil had more of a whodunit feel to it, and still made me smile with references to other authors (Of Elves and Men *snicker* loved it) and TV shows.Another well written novel with an excellent cast of characters. You don't want to miss this series! Known Devil completed the perfect trifecta! I found each book better than the last, and this final plot was terrific, tying up loose ends from the previous books. Great job. I hope to read more from Justin Gustainis in the future. Not to be missed if you're a fan of classic detective shows, film noir, and a well written story.
Here is my list of Top 10 books I received for free from the author/publisher as an ARC (Advance Reader Copy or a giveaway prize; they are lumped together on my TBR.
10. Masquerade, Nyrae Dawn
This little gem is one that I won in a giveaway. It was already on my TBR, but I didn't anticipate reading it for a few months (my TBR has 900+ books)… You have got to bump this book up your list folks- it was freakin’ awesome. Two excellent main characters, brilliantly drawn and executed. It was a slow build on the relationship between Maddox and Bee, but slow doesn't mean boring. The storyline was intricately layered and I enjoyed every reveal and every compromise as these two misunderstood people opened themselves to each other. An excellent story, great writing, and I will be automatically bumping Nyrae books up higher on my TBR. Note: I have not read the other two books of the series, but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this book.
9. Before He was Gone, Becky Wicks
I received Before He Was Gone as a prize. Winning the book did not influence an honest review. I really enjoyed both the protagonists and plot of this delightful HEA story. While a little over-the-top with the drama in a few places, I smiled through the whole story, enjoying the situations and relationships between the characters. A great storyline. This was book 2 or a series, but skipping book one did not lessen my enjoyment of this book.
8. Die Trying, Nicholas Ryan
I received this ARC in exchange for a brutally honest review- and you know how I can get! Great zombie horror story. Fast paced, often brutal/violent, with lots of twists to keep the action going. I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm not a huge fan of the zombie genre, but there have been some great books written lately, and this is one of them. PS- love how they are caught up in the zombie Apocalypse, and their reading material of choice is Stephen King-- loved it! There are some irritating spelling errors/misused words (e.g. draw instead of drawer), but I only hesitated briefly before getting caught up in the story again. Excellent ending!
7. Cure, Belinda Frisch
I won this book in a giveaway, and would not have bought this for myself, as I'm not a horror (or zombie) fan. But, I put on my big girl panties and sucked it up, because I believe if you win a book, you need to do your best to read and review it. This book contains all the reasons I'm not a fan of the genre: blood, guts, angst, diabolical evil scientists, mutant viruses, backstabbing coworkers, and more plot layers than a Bloomin Onion. That being said, any fan of the horror genre will suck this one up like mother's milk. The book was very well paced and well written. I cringed, scowled, rooted and booed in all the appropriate places (and a few that were not appropriate "No, no, don't go in There!" - Yep, they went there *shakes head sadly*). The plot was complex, yet not overdone, with plenty of heroes, anti-heroes, and villains. Not my cup of tea, but a great example of the horror genre.
6. I Have People, Taylor Dean
I received this book as a prize in a giveaway almost a year ago. Since it was a paperback, it went into storage and I forgot about it until a few weeks ago. What a little gem of a story. This is probably not a book I would have picked out for myself, and I would have missed out on some terrific writing and a well-plotted story. The way the story was presented was fresh and kept me guessing- it was marvelous the way the author peeled back each layer until you found the prize at the center. Well done!
5. Glass Knot, Lily Harlem
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this intricate menage story, as it had a fresh approach. This time it's an established MM relationship adding a third (F) person. Well done, and a good story, with depth and good characterization.
4. Semper Mine, Lizzy Ford
I received this book as an ARC, in exchange for a fair review. Absolutely loved this book. Great characters, and fun love-to-hate you conflict going on in tandem with some serious emotional issues. Excellent story!
3. Getting By, Claudia Burgoa
I received this book as a prize in a giveaway. I'll admit, this may not be a book I'd have picked up based on the storyline, but it would have been my loss. This little gem had some great character development and a quirky, surprisingly complex plot. Well written, and perfectly paced; I'll look for more from this author.
2. Ugly Love, Colleen Hoover
I received Ugly Love as publisher's ARC at a writer's meeting. I really wondered at 10% if I would get on the Miles and Tate bandwagon- the book started kinda slow for me, and I wasn't sure I would like Miles, but, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did. This was a wonderful story about learning to love again. Probably my favorite Hoover book to date.
1. Hard Spell (Book 1), Dark Evil (Book 2), and Known Devil (Book 3), Justin Gustainis
Abso-freaking-lutely brilliant. This series was given to me for a fair and honest review. Take a great storyline, pour in a generous helping of dry wit, add a dash of NightStalker, and a few shout-outs to Dragnet (some of us are old enough to remember that show), and blend in a a little bit of Dresden attitude…. What you get is a fresh, snarky plot and an excellent book in Hard Spell. Well written (The tight plot reminds me a little of Steve McHugh's clean, focused style), wonderfully drawn characters, and an excellent story... his next two books just got bumped up my TBR because I don't want to wait. You don't want to miss this series! Dark Evil (Bk 2) -- I enjoyed it more than book 1. The author extended his great storyline, adding an awesome plot with some new characters. Dark Evil had more of a whodunit feel to it, and still made me smile with references to other authors (Of Elves and Men *snicker* loved it) and TV shows.Another well written novel with an excellent cast of characters. You don't want to miss this series! Known Devil completed the perfect trifecta! I found each book better than the last, and this final plot was terrific, tying up loose ends from the previous books. Great job. I hope to read more from Justin Gustainis in the future. Not to be missed if you're a fan of classic detective shows, film noir, and a well written story.
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