I'm thrilled to reveal my top picks from 2016. Not all
of these books were published in 2016 – some may have been released in 2015 –
but I received and reviewed them last year and they were GREAT.
The books are not in any order whatsoever and are all
highly recommended.
To avoid repetition, I've included a link at the
bottom with the book reviews page for your leisure, so you can read my full
reviews of these amazing books.
To the authors: Thank you for the opportunity of
allowing me to read and review your work.
I've read many amazing books this year, here are my top - top - picks!
The Book
Club Murders by Leslie Nagel
The
first instalment in The Oakwood Mystery Series, is a super-paced good
read, perfect for a bibliophile and a mystery lover!
The
story's main character Charlotte – Charley – Carpenter, joins an elite reading
group focused around mysteries to help boost her sales. A murder takes place and
the characters discover that the murder takes up after their reading list.
"Most of the Agathas
seemed to be enjoying themselves, as if the poor woman had been killed for
their entertainment. Be honest, Carpenter. You're just as curious as the rest
of them."
Black
Water Tales: The Unwanted by Jean Nicole Rivers
The Unwanted
is a horror novel set in the remote city of Borslav. Blaire Baker volunteers as
a teacher at St. Sebastian Orphanage, where she will spend a year. St.
Sebastian is not an ordinary orphanage. It is a place where people come to
leave their 'unwanted' children.
"The loneliness she
carried was dark and telling of a grotesque obscurity of the heart, one that
haunted her every move and moment."
The Corpse
with the Ruby Lips by Cathy Ace
A
new instalment in the Cait Morgan Mystery Series, this novel is a
different mystery by all means. Cait goes to Budapest to teach for a month;
there one of her students, Zsofia, asks that she look into her grandmother's
death which occurred almost 40 years prior on Cait's university campus.
One
of the things I liked about this instalment was Ace's use of books, a saga to
be exact, that might mirror what has happened to the family. The author also
handles a variety of themes and problems such as Alzheimer's and alcoholism, to
keep Cait – and the reader – away from finding the truth.
"'Careful' is my middle
name," I mugged.
"Not it's not, and it never will be. Your middle name's much more likely to be 'catastrophe.'"
"Not it's not, and it never will be. Your middle name's much more likely to be 'catastrophe.'"
Jess Under
Pressure by E. Graziani
"Just as randomly two
human cells come together to create life, it can easily and indiscriminately be
snatched away."
Jess Under Pressure
is a powerful novella of regaining one's life, overcoming obstacles, breaking
free and above all learning to live and love once again.
The
story is about Jessica Britton, a renowned psychologist, whose book Give
More, Do More, Be Better has inspired thousands of women. However, things
are not perfect for the doctor, who discovers her husband cheating on her when
he and her publicist die in a car crash.
Set Me
Free by London Setterby
The theme of being set
free does not only apply to the protagonist Miranda but also to Owen and the
whole town of Falls Island, all of whom need to be set free from a tragedy that
happened seven years before.
Everyone has a secret in
the novel.
“I knew enough about grief to
know that it never truly went away, even after seven years. Sometimes it was
just a stone you carried around with you, hardly remembering it was there, and
other times it hit you with its full shrieking malevolent force – always at the
strangest moments, like when you were driving or at the bank.”
Kings or
Pawns by JJ Sherwood
The
first instalment in the Steps of Power series, the novel deals with
Hairem, who has ascended the throne after his father's passing, and who has to
deal with a council of corrupt members, all working on their personal gains and
away from the needs of their respective elven realms.
There
is also the army general Jikun, whom we see as a bit selfish but nonetheless
skilled and who at least has an idea about the duties of his role as a general
and the sacrifices he has to make.
"Unlike the palace
treasury, [the personal finances] of the council members were filling up like a
halfling's pockets in a treasure trove."
The
novel directed my interest towards the politics of running a country, and had
me wondering what happens when a good leader is surrounded by corrupt ones.
Dreams of
Her Own by Rebecca Heflin
"She'd never been so
close to a man before. Unless you counted rush hour on the Brooklyn-Queens
Crosstown."
The
novel is the third and final instalment in the Dreams Come True Series.
This time, the story is about Millie, assistant to best-selling romance author
Darcy Butler.
The
book is full of beautiful imagery and quotes, as well as comic and silly
situations that happen to no one but Millie. They cracked me up and made me
want to give her a hug.
I
loved Millie and her character development.
(Note:
Adult content)
Stake Out
by Lily Luchesi
Stake Out
is the first paranormal, romance and crime novella in the Paranormal
Detectives series. Easily read in one sitting, the book is fast-paced,
action-packed and highly enjoyable.
Detective
Daniel Mancini survives an encounter with a man named Vincent, whom we learn is
a 200-year old vampire. The encounter forces him into an early retirement. Two
years later, he is approached by a beautiful young-looking woman, claiming she
is from a lesser known FBI division called the Paranormal Investigative
Division (PID).
The Other
Me by Maha Gargash
Written by
Emirati author Maha Gargash, the novel has beautiful prose handling the lives
of members in one Emirati family and the workings within that family. It is a
story of how very different women rebel against one man.
Set
in Egypt and the UAE in 1995, the novel covers various themes such as women,
education, love, family, duty, and entitlement.
"I'd overpowered them.
I'd broken them and slashed their resolve."
The Grey
Forest by Maureen Griswold (short story collection)
It
is a collection of nine short stories, spanning several genres from realism to
the paranormal to social criticism and current issues. The stories are
beautifully written and the style is fairly consistent throughout the collection.
For
me the star of the collection "The Neighbour's Girl", which was inspired by
the US entering Iraq under various pretexts. The little girl may have almost
been silent throughout the story but her silence spoke volumes. "The
Neighbour's Girl" is by all means the most profound piece in the
collection. 10 stars for this one.
Tales of
the Rose Rabbit by Kirsten Weiss
A companion chapbook of
poetry and poetic prose for the Witches of Doyle cozy mystery series,
the book features a variety of poetic styles and themes mostly dark, but sometimes
with a bit hope at the end. The main themes are war, darkness, hope and
fantasy.
Metamorphosis
by Jennifer Carole Lewis
"Living in the past doesn't change it. It only
destroys the present."
Metamorphosis
opens with former army corporal Ron McBride escaping from his captors and
freezing in the Canadian wilderness. He carries the ashes of a friend, whom he
was unable to save in the last book and hopes to give them to her family in a
place called "Ekurru".
Almost
frozen in the cold, Ron wakes up in Doc's cabin, where he meets his rescuers. He
later discovers that the place is home to highly intelligent massive-sized
bears.
The
novel is quick-paced, paranormal, action, romance. Simply brilliant.
"The warmth hit him like truck, sparking an
irrational temptation to crawl directly into the tiny fire to thaw his frozen
body."
Full reviews can be found here.
