Top Ten Tuesday: Auto-Buy Authors

July 23, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Read Girl.
Each week features a book related topic to spotlight your Top Ten.

Topic:

Auto-Buy Authors

Today's feature is all about the authors who are your auto-buys.

Technically, it was last weeks topic, but I missed it and had to feature it this week. No way, was I going to miss out on this one!

I have to say, I have many! Some are ones I've followed for a while and some are brand new, but they left an impression! There are just so many wonderful authors out there. My list has shifted and changed over the years. New authors keep getting added. 

Jen Turano

Jen Turano is an author who I always look forward to having a new book come out. She is able to weave such a rich setting with interesting characters and humor. Her stories always make me smile and on more then one occasion, laugh out loud. Her stories brighten a day. 

Connilyn Cossette

 Connilyn Cossette I have followed since the beginning. Goodness, her stories show such well known Bible stories, but offer a living look into that time. Her characters flow through these stories and really give you a fresh look. We know what happened through the people like Moses, but what was it like for the just the people who were just there. Her stories really grab you and hook you with emotions. 


Tessa Afshar

Tessa Afshar has one of the most poetic ways of writing. Her stories offer such a real feel through her characters and her settings. She spotlights well known Biblical stories in the New and Old Testament. Her stories have focused on some of the most well known couples and have made their love shine. 


Jocelyn Green

Jocelyn Green is the author I seek out when I want some rich historical fiction! I fell in love with her Heroins Behind the Lines, Civil War based series. Such fabulousness! I've been anxiously awaiting all of her new releases since. The detail and history shine!

Becky Wade

 Becky Wade is my go to author for Contemporary Romance. Her stories have such a real feel to them. As you read, you can connect to these characters. They are broken, they are hopeful, they also have some really interesting adventures! And her male leads are fabulous! ;-)

Abigail Wilson

Abigail Wilson is my newest addition to the list. Her debut novel was so much fun! She is able to mix Jane Eyre with Jane Austin. They mystery was fun. The settings, eerie. The story telling gripping! Her writing really captures you up. 

Jamie Jo Wright

 Jaime Jo Wright knows how to write a fantastic split time story. She keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. Mystery, suspense, history, contemporary, a little ghost story mixed in. Her books really do have it all.

Laura Frantz

Laura Franz's books are ones that stir the emotions. Oh, goodness! How I have questioned characters and a couple of times wanted to rescue the heroes from the clutches of the "bad guys". The emotions are strong with her books. She has also written some of the best male leads. She has also introduced some amazing strong and sassy females leads. Her characters are a mix and have such amazing settings to live in.

Kate Breslin

Kate Breslin has written some amazing WW1 based books. Her stories really bring this time to life. It allows you to look back into to time and see what it was like during this turn of the century warfare. So many new advances in fighting, but still many old traditions. It was a time of change for many things, and her stories really highlight it. Her books are a mix of sweet romance, adventure, and history. 

Mesu Andrews

Mesu Andrews is an author I discovered with her debut novel and have read all of her books since. Her story telling is so in depth. Her characters are so fleshed out. She intertwines her fictional character with real life Biblical heroes. Her research in to the time and settings is one that shines. Her characters deal with real and some times harsh circumstances, but still have faith and hope. 

Lori Benton

Lori Benton is an author who I've followed since her debut book and boy did her debut pack a punch! All of her stories since have been fabulous and have kept me hooked! The rich detail of her books is one that makes it pop. Her characters are real, the background is breathtaking, She brings you into these adventures and they don't let you go.



I know I'm late on this topic, last week was a mess for me. Who are your auto buy authors?
I have so many more I can add to the list. My bookshelves can attest to that!

It was hard to narrow it down. 

Waiting On Wednesday: The Words Between Us

July 3, 2019

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature that spotlights an up-and-coming release you are most excited about.

I always love a book that focuses on books or bookstores. They have a homey feel when reading them and are a delight. When I saw this upcoming release, I got excited....and look at the cover!! How gorgeous is that?!
This book, The Words Between Us sounds like it will be very interesting and bit mysterious....which is a fabulous mix!

Waiting On:
Title: The Words Between Us
Author:Erin Bartels
Publisher: Revell
Publication Date:September 3rd, 2019

About the Book:
Robin Windsor has spent much of her life under an assumed name to avoid association with her infamous parents. She thought she'd finally found sanctuary running her used bookstore in quiet River City, Michigan. But when she receives an eerily familiar book in the mail on the morning of her father's scheduled execution, Robin is thrown back to the summer she met Peter Flynt, the perfect boy who ruined everything. Why would Peter be making contact now? And why does she have a sinking feeling that she's about to be exposed all over again?

With evocative prose that recalls the classic novels we love, Erin Bartels pens a story that shows that words--the ones we say, the ones we read, and the ones we write--have more power than we imagine.

What are you waiting on this week?



Review: Midnight on the River Grey by Abigail Wilson Just Read Blog Tour & Giveaway

July 2, 2019

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Midnight on the River Grey by Abigail Wilson, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Midnight on the River Grey 
Author: Abigail Wilson  
Publisher: Thomas Nelson 
Release Date: July 2, 2019  
Genre: Historical Suspense/Gothic Romance

She knew the house was keeping secrets. If only the darkness would speak . . .

After her elder brother’s mysterious death, Rebecca Hunter vows to expose the man she believes responsible: Mr. Lewis Browning—known by the locals as the Midnight Devil and by Rebecca as her new guardian.

Summoned to his reclusive country estate to await her London season, Rebecca plans her own secret investigation among the darkened corridors of the mysterious Greybourne Hall. Yet Lewis Browning is not as she once imagined, and his motivation is horribly unclear. Recurrent nightmares and Rebecca’s restless feelings are further complicated by the shadow of her mother’s prior descent into madness and wondering if she, too, will follow the same heartbreaking path.

Even as midnight rides, strange injuries, and further murders lead back to Mr. Browning, Rebecca can’t ignore the subtle turn of her heart. Has she developed feelings for the man she swore to see hanged? And moreover, can she trust him with her uncertain future?


MY THOUGHTS

Oh, my goodness!
I really enjoyed Abigail Wilson's debut novel In the Shadow of Croft Towers, but I have to say, I enjoyed Midnight on the River Grey even more!

Mystery, intrigue, romance, dark, moody settings....this book really had such an amazing mix.

We open to Rebecca with her dying mother. She tries to comfort her, but her final words she has only brings a feeling of foreboding. Right off the bat, this story pulls you in and keeps you hooked.

Soon after we are introduced to a very tall, dark, and brooding man, Lewis Browning. He is Rebecca's guarding, after her untimely losses. She only has her elderly aunt left, who she lives with. The first interaction of these two really set the tone and create an amazing base of the story. We don't know much of Lewis, only what little we know through Rebecca. As the story unfolds, we get to dive deep into some rich character development.

Rebecca is a girl, who has lost everything. She and her mother were sent to Scotland, where they lived alone and then her mother passed. Not long after, Rebecca's brother dies, and when that happens, she is left penniless, when her guardian and cousin, Lewis Browning steps in. You want to sympathize with Rebecca and want her to succeed. She is a spunky girl, who is forward thinking, and cares for those in her life. She knows she won't be rich, but she wants to do her best to provide a life for her and her aunt. She has a backbone and doesn't have a problem speaking her mind, even if it is against the social norms, but having dealt with so much, and the family friends having turned away, it's understandable to blow off those ideas.

This book twisted and turned in so many ways. This is such a wonderful addition to the Gothic romances I have come to collect. Abigail Wilson is someone who has been able to write a story that reminds me of the eeriness of Jane Eyre, but with some adventure thrown in. The pacing of the book kept me going. It was one that was hard to put down.

Abigail Wilson just recently shared the cover reveal for her new book, Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey. It is a gorgeous cover and I honestly can't wait to read it!

If you are a fan of Gothic romance, this is book is a must.

5 out of 5

_________________________________________________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 
Abigail Wilson combines her passion for Regency England with intrigue and adventure to pen historical mysteries with a heart. A registered nurse, chai tea addict, and mother of two crazy kids, Abigail fills her spare time hiking the national parks, attending her daughter’s gymnastic meets, and curling up with a great book.

In 2017, Abigail won WisRWA’s Fab Five contest and in 2016, ACFW’s First Impressions contest as well as placing as a 2017 finalist in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.

She is a cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, with her husband and children.  




CONNECT WITH ABIGAIL: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.


Thank you to the author, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Top Ten Tuesday: Childhood Favorites

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Read Girl.
Each week features a book related topic to spotlight your Top Ten.

Topic:
Childhood Favorites

This is such a wide range of a topic for me!
I could easily focus on picture books from when I was very little or on chapter books. And having worked in a library for quite a while, I could focus on childhood books that are new, but favorites of mine now. This is a fun topic, but can really go anywhere. :-)

So, I think to to keep it easy, I will focus on the chapter books I enjoyed. 
I'm dyslexic. I know I've mentioned that a few times already. Because of that, I didn't learn to really read will I was in 4th grade. Once I got comfortable, and figured out a way to read that works for me, I took off reading. I read so many different things! This list is going to probably be all over the place. 






(Most anything by him really, I read)
(Devoured both author's books)

What books really hooked you when you started reading?
There are others, I filled up the books shelves. This was just a small portion.

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