6 Book-ish Summer/Holiday Activities for Kids
By: Kate Stead | Posted on June 4, 2019
Aaah… school holidays and summer vacation. Sometimes fabulous, sometimes horrible. Like many parents, Chris and Kate Stead, founders of the children’s publishing company Old Mate Media, have a love/hate relationship with school breaks. Like most of us, they struggle with the never-ending challenge of finding inexpensive and fun activities to do with the kids. The good news is, they’ve discovered some fabulous book related options to share with us. Here are six bookish activities that Kate has put together for you to do with the young ones during school holidays or when they’re home in the summer. 1: Visit the Library I can hear you all groaning. This seems so obvious that it’s barely worth including. But when did you actually last visit the library with your kids? Our children love going to the library and often they will run school holiday specific activities for kids. If they don’t have… Read More >
Hollywood Could Learn from Romance Novels About Strong Female Characters
By: Simone Scarlet | Posted on May 31, 2019
Hollywood is desperate for ‘strong female characters’ – but romance/adventure author Simone Scarlet believes they’re looking in the wrong place for them. Here is her argument to Hollywood that they would be better served by mining romance novels for examples of strong female characters than continuing to write ‘shared cinematic universes’ using the same tired tropes that haven’t worked for years. She even ends the post with a few book recommendations of where they can start looking! Warning, this post contains some a spoiler or two about Captain Marvel. The other week, I went to the cinema to watch Avengers: Endgame, which came off the back of Captain Marvel. I’ll have to admit – I loved them both, especially the inaugural outing for Marvel’s newest superhero. With Captain Marvel, it was great to see the 1990s brought to life again, to watch Samuel L. Jackson as I remembered him from… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: CB Samet
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on May 28, 2019
Today, we continue our series of author interviews by chatting with CB Samet, author of a multitude of romance and suspense novels that combine fiery female protagonists with high adventure and intense thrills. We hope you enjoy this peek into her life, inspirations and motivations. Whether it’s a firecracker smart Dr. Lillian Whyte, the heroic Avant Champion Abigail Cross, or matriarch super-spy Maxine Rider, you’re always guaranteed to have a tough, capable and achingly human heroine in the lead of CB Samet’s eclectic catalog of suspenseful and romantic novels. According to her author biography, CB Samet is a “writer, mother of two and wife to a caring and supportive husband” – but we wanted to find out more! HG: So, we’ve read your bio – but who are you really? CS: I’m a writer, mother, tennis player, and dog lover. I live in the Southeast US and my daytime… Read More >
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 >
Author Spotlight Interview: Kim Petersen
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on May 14, 2019
In our continuing series of author interviews, we’ve tracked down the intrepid Australian Kim Peterson, USA Today bestselling author of paranormal romances like Millie’s Angel and the post-apocalyptic thrillers of the Stone the Crows series. We bravely figured out the time difference and asked Kim about her inspiration, writing and plans for the future. HG: Kim! Tell me about yourself! Who are you? Where do you live? How do you describe yourself? KP: Who am I? Good question – I’m still trying to figure that out! I can be many things and possess the qualities I need in order to navigate through life and situations, but at the end of the day none of those attributes really define who I am. I guess I’m just a woman trying to work it all out and become the best version of herself – whatever that means! Oh yeah, and I screw up regularly! I live… 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 >
Author Spotlight Interview: D Pichardo-Johansson
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on April 30, 2019
In our continuing series of author interviews, we got to chat to the incredible D Pichardo-Johansson – who balances a career as a board certified physician and a successful career as the romance novelist behind popular titles like Faith is Fearless and Just For Joy. We were thrilled to learn more about her incredible story, and share it with you here. HG: Perhaps the best way to begin this interview is with D Pichardo-Johansson’s own words – from the email in which we first asked her to be interviewed. Here’s how she described herself: DPJ: I’m a physician. I started writing mystery (how to murder someone and leave them with a negative autopsy) but soon realized that my favorite part of writing a story was not the mystery, but crafting a connection between unique characters. I now focus more on romance. I truly believe in romance and happily-ever-afters, because I found… 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 >
Author Spotlight Interview: Audrey J. Cole
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on April 16, 2019
In our continuing series of author interviews, we speak to Audrey J. Cole, author of intense thrillers The Recipient and Inspired by Murder. Recently returned to the west coast after years in Australia, her medical-themed murder mysteries are winning over many fans with their perfect blend of taut thrills and procedural panache. HG: So, first off, who is Audrey J. Cole? I saw that you just returned from years living in New South Wales to your original home in Washington state! What took you all the way across the world? And what’s it like to be back? AC: I’m a registered nurse who is fascinated with true crime and thrillers, so I put the two together and write crime and medical thrillers set in Seattle. I have a one-year-old and a three-year-old (and a cat, ha). I’m from the Seattle area but lived in Port Stephens, Australia for the… 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 >
