Some of the Top Fantasy Books of Spring 2019
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on May 21, 2019
Every day, subscribers to Hidden Gems get to pick and choose FREE books from over 15 different genres, including the ever-popular Fantasy category. We’ve checked back on some of the top Fantasy books we’ve shared with subscribers this spring, and here are some of the ‘Hidden Gems’ that our readers loved. The City of Veils by S. Usher Evans S. Usher Evans’ fantasy series Princess Vigilante has been described as “YA Fantasy meets Batman” and that’s a pretty apt description. Instead of a playboy millionaire, we have a dashing princess who ran away from her royal duties to roam the streets of her capital instead – as masked vigilante The Veil. But where does crime-fighting fit in, when Princess Brynna is suddenly expected to take the throne? Top 50 Reviewer H. Bala describes the book as “Batgirl in fantasyland” and writes: “I relished the scenes of a disguised Brynna patrolling the… Read More >
The Hidden Gems Best Children’s Books of Spring 2019
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on May 7, 2019
Today, we’re looking at the top Children’s Books shared with subscribers this springtime. Kids love hearing stories, but parents don’t always want to read the same books every night. Hidden Gems gives a wide variety of new children’s books, free, to our subscribers to read and review every month. Soon Kitty by Grant Uchida One of the wonders of self-publishing and independent publication is the diversity and sophistication that has opened up. One perfect example is this wonderful children’s book by Grant Uchida, and illustrated by James Ishizaki and Tiffany Smead. It tells the very simple story of a very complicated issue – one not covered by any traditionally-published children’s book when I was growing up, but a topical and timely subject matter for many kids: Procrastination. Reviewer Katie Tomlinson shared the value of this book’s message: “This was a very cute story with a very poignant message about procrastination…. Read More >
The Hidden Gems Best Mystery Books for 2019
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on April 23, 2019
Sign up for Hidden Gems and you’ll be sent the opportunity to read books from over 15 different genres each and every day – including titles from top authors. This year, we’ve already featured some of the best mystery books around – from the cozy to the creepy – and here are a few of the top-rated of the year so far! Student Body by Charlene Tess and Judi Thompson Big city cop Chance O’Brien and FBI Agent Macy Adams burst onto the bookshelves with When an Angel Whispers, and Student Body is the eagerly awaited follow-up. When a beautiful high school cheerleader is found murdered, all clues point towards local coach Jake – but are the clues too perfectly aligned? That’s what Chance and Macy start to suspect, as they peel back the layers of seedy corruption in this small town to discover a sinister truth. Sandra’s Book Reviews… Read More >
Hidden Gem’s Best Young Adult Books of 2019… so far!
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on April 9, 2019
Young Adult books remain one of the most popular and exciting genres of fiction, and subscribers to Hidden Gems were in for a treat during the first quarter of this year; with some awesome YA novels offered to them. Here are the top-ranked Young Adult books of 2019 so far – and if you’re interested in reading books like these for FREE, plus titles from 15 other genres, you can sign up to become a member of our review program! Sword and Shield by Holland C. Kirbo Author Holland C. Kirbo’s The Legends of Aewyr series has shades of C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia to it – with the author creating a vividly-realized fantasy world that mirrors the values of Christianity. In Sword and Shield, the series continues following the exploits of strong female protagonist Lakyn, as she prepares to face the vengeful god Maal as he prepares to conquer the continent of Perravia…. Read More >
Thrilling Thrillers! 5 ‘Hidden Gems’ from January 2019
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on March 12, 2019
Hidden Gems subscribers had a plethora of thrillers to enjoy in January. We’ve picked five of our reader favorites to share with you today! And, remember – you’ll receive FREE reading copies of the latest thrillers – plus your choice of books from 15 other genres – when you sign up for our program. Judgment Call by JC Ryan If you’re a fan of military courtroom drama, you’re in for a treat with this book, by former soldier and lawyer JC Ryan. It tells the tale of brilliant Jamie Gibbons, who relentlessly tries to clear the name of her wrongly-convicted husband, and stumbles into a web of conspiracy as she follows all the clues to get to the bottom of this quagmire of lies and deceit. “I enjoyed this book about the perfect family with the perfect life until … The husband is charged with murder!” Writes Amazoncustomer in his 5-star… Read More >
The New Year’s ‘Hidden Gems’ – Romance Edition
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on February 12, 2019
We’re only a month into 2019, but already subscribers to Hidden Gems have had a plethora of fantastic books to read and review. We offer FREE reading copies of books from over 15 genres, but today we’re going to take a look at the perennially-popular romance category and highlight five titles that subscribers have identified as true ‘Hidden Gems’ of the category. Exposed: A Miseducation Romance by Lulu Baxter Sometimes it’s nice for romance to be sweet. Sometimes you prefer it steamy. The latter is definitely flavor of the month in this thrilling stand-alone romance, in which aspiring romance writer Prynne stumbles into the hotel room of a sexy exhibitionist – and allows him to take her on an erotic and romantic journey that pushes the limits of all her secret desires. In her 5-star review, kingsfan writers: “Rhys and Prynne are alike and so much different. The is the… Read More >
5 Books Every Aspiring Author Should Read
By: Craig | Posted on January 29, 2019
We’ve compiled a list of five carefully-selected books perfect for any aspiring writer. With the advent of self-publishing there are now hundreds of titles about how to become a successful writer – but sadly if you look at a lot of the reviews and the rankings for many of these books, you’ll suspect that the authors aren’t quite as smart about the subject as they promote themselves to be. Having said that, there are some gems out there about the art and craft of writing, and we’ve taken a little time to separate the wheat from the chaff and come up with five books about writing that you can’t help but learn from. The Elements of Style: Simplified and Illustrated for Busy People by William Strunk Jr. and Virginia Campbell First written in 1918, The Elements of Style is often considered to be America’s seminal work on writing in the American English… Read More >
Ginger’s 2019 Reading List (With Tips for Creating Your Own)
By: Ginger | Posted on January 18, 2019
Despite knowing how important it is, or how much we love it, many of us find it hard to make regular time for reading. That’s why one of the best strategies is to start your year off with a reading list of books you want to get to, and commit to reading at least those. How many you add to your list isn’t nearly as critical as figuring out which books are important or interesting enough to include, so here are some tips from Ginger on creating your own reading list, along with plenty of his personal picks for 2019 in case you need some inspiration! “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.” With those words, in his brilliant On… Read More >
5 Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Thriller Books Like Bird Box
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 15, 2019
Here are five recent recommendations similar to the hit post-apocalyptic thriller Bird Box. Netflix recently released a fantastic post-apocalyptic movie called Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock and John Malkovich. The movie was based on the 2014 novel by Josh Malerman, lead singer of The High Strung (they wrote the theme tune to Shameless) and the New York Times described it as: “A book that demands to be read in a single sitting, and through the cracks between one’s fingers. There has never been a horror story quite like this.” We highly recommend Bird Box – but if you’ve already read it, here are some more recent post-apocalyptic and near-future thrillers that will also leave you on the edge of your seat. Written By Blood: Conviction by Dwayne Gill The Written by Blood series is the work of author Dwayne Gill, who envisioned the concept when he was just twelve years old, and… Read More >
The Best Books of 2018 – Our List of True “Hidden Gems”
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 1, 2019
Each and every day, subscribers to Hidden Gems get offered the chance to review the latest and most exciting books from all their favorite genres. 2018 has been an incredible year for the program; with dozens of top-ranked books and authors featured. As we wrap up the year, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the best books of 2018 as judged by our subscribers. It was definitely not easy to select just ten from the more than 1000 different titles we’ve sent out this past year, but in addition to this list-of-the-year, you’ll also see we regularly post our recommendations from different specific genres. Arklight: Operation Nightfall by J.M. Myrick Author J.M. Myrick was both a former Marine and a current SWAT commander – and his breadth of military and law-enforcement experience served him well in crafting this incredible tale of a modern-day special forces unit thrust back… Read More >
