Horror Stories to Read Under the Covers
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on February 21, 2023
The weather got you down? Looking for a bit of excitement during the February blahs? Here are tales that will thrill you and keep you turning the pages. We’re focusing on horrifying hidden gems that our readers loved, and hope you will, too. Read them now or add them to your Goodreads to-read list for the future. The Brother’s Curse by Christine M. Germain With 110+ ratings and a 4.6 star average, The Brother’s Curse is the first of the three book The Brother’s Curse Saga series and is a heart-pounding tale indeed. Crystal, who moves back home after the death of her parents is quickly launched into a race to flee from paranormal brothers who are on a quest to procure one of her mother’s heirlooms. “…A tension-building story with fantastic horror elements and engaging dialogue,” Ashon R. writes in their five star Amazon review. “In my opinion, the… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Jeanne Felfe
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on February 14, 2023
Today’s interview is with author Jeanne Felfe. According to her official bio, Felfe writes character-driven stories from the heart, often defying genre-classification. She shared with us her journey to publication and the challenges she has overcome. It was a pleasure getting to know more about Jeanne’s writing style, and life outside of writing! HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet? JF: I’m a “life happens” kind of writer. Most everything I write has a real-world feel to it with strong female characters (never damsels in distress) in dramatic situations. While Bridge to Us is technically a romance, it leans toward women’s fiction. HG: Wonderful. Tell us a bit about your publishing journey. How did you know you were ready to take on the “author” title? JF: I’ve been an on-and-off-again writer for many years. It wasn’t until my mother passed in 2012… Read More >
Fantasy Novels to escape the Winter Chill
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on February 7, 2023
If you are looking for an escape from the cold of winter, this list is for you. We’ve got one for everybody on this round-up of recently top rated fantasy novels that our Hidden Gems ARC readers raved about. Cyrus Longbones and the Yeti Kingdom by Jeremy Mathiesen With 40+ ratings and a 4.7 star average, Cyrus LongBones and the Yeti Kingdom is the second in the three book Cyrus LongBones series. Cyrus must free his village from the grips of an evil Queen. Mike writes in his five star Amazon review, “My 13 year old grandson and I have read both books and thoroughly enjoyed them. If you like action/adventure/fantasy, I would definitely recommend this series…This book is listed under children’s/young adults, but as a grandparent six times over I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time…” “This book was a rollicking good time and just… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: K.T. Rose
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 31, 2023
Today’s interview is with horror author K.T. Rose. She shared a lot about her writing and the challenges she has overcome. It was a pleasure getting to know more about K.T.’s writing style, and life outside of writing! HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet? KTR: I write horror. All of it is on the darker side of the spectrum, so reader beware. HG: What feeling do you hope readers are left with when they finish one of your novels? KTR: There is hope on the other side of a tragedy and true life lessons can be learned through horrific experiences. HG: Ah, I love that. Could you tell us a bit about your publishing journey? How did you know you were ready to take on the “author” title? KTR: Back in 2016, I was dealing with some personal trauma and decided… Read More >
Women’s Lit Books to Add to Your List
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 24, 2023
Did you resolve to read more books in 2023? According to Wikipedia, Women’s fiction is an umbrella term for women centered books that focus on women’s life experience that are typically marketed to female readers, and includes many mainstream novels. If you’re looking for books to add to your queue, take a peek at these titles our readers loved. Intersections by Poornima Manco With 20+ ratings and a 4.5 star average, Intersections follows four women from each individual perspective, exploring the depths and complexity of female friendships over time and through tragedy. Hollene G. writes in her five star Amazon review, “ Intersections took me on a very emotional read, my heart breaking for these young women, so much completely out of their control as they try and navigate both their friendships and life in general. It’s a beautiful book, well written, full of emotional highs and lows…” CheekyChiquita further… Read More >
5 Fantasy Authors to Check Out This Year
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 17, 2023
Each month we have the opportunity to interview the writers that bring awe-inspiring stories to your eReaders. From debut authors, to seasoned pros we’ve enjoyed getting to know these folks and learning about their inspiration and lives outside of writing. Today we’re pleased to bring you a round-up of five recent interviews with fantasy authors dedicated to bringing you stories full of wonder and imagination. Self-published and traditionally published authors face a lot of competition to be seen with well over 1 million books published every year, according to Bowker. Through the Hidden Gems ARC program, we’ve introduced readers to books in over 15 genres from authors of all walks of life, from just starting out to well seasoned pros. It’s been an honor connecting readers and writers through stories and feedback. The Hidden Gems ARC program is 100% free for readers. Each morning we send out offers for books… Read More >
Romance Novels to Begin the Year With
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 10, 2023
Whether you’ve set a reading goal for the new year or not, we want to help you add to your TBR. If you’re a regular on the Hidden Gems blog, you’ll know that romance is the most popular genre in the Hidden Gems ARC program. Our readers know that no two love stories are the same, so they scoop up new books every chance they get. We’ve got one for everybody on this round-up of top rated love stories from recent months. Rescue Mission by Kendall Talbot With 150+ ratings and a 4.6 star average, Rescue Mission is the third in the four book Alpha Tactical Ops series. Talbot flips the script on most rescue romance tropes; this time, the heroine is the rescuer, and the hunk is in need of rescue in this thrilling military romance series. Sophia R. writes in her five star Amazon review, “Each entry in… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Bentley Turner
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on January 3, 2023
Being able to have a candid one on one conversation with an author is an absolute honor and for our first published interview of 2023, we had the opportunity to get to know mystery and thriller author Bentley Turner. Having written for most of his adult life, Mr. Turner shared with us details about his writing career and life outside of writing. If this is a new-to-you author, we hope you’ll consider checking out his stories. And if you’re already a fan, we hope you enjoy learning a bit more about the author! HG: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Let’s start with the basics. How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet? BT: I write short stories and primarily mysteries or thrillers. So far, I have written The File on Thomas Marks, a police procedural; The Prize Winners and… Read More >
Self-Improvement Books To Help Ring in the New Year
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on December 27, 2022
For most people, the holiday season is filled with baked goods and indulgences. When it comes time to make (and fulfill) New Year resolutions, we are certain that there’s a self-help book out there for you within this broad category. With those thoughts in mind, today we’ve rounded up the self-improvement books our Hidden Gems readers loved the most recently. CDL Minded Business Startup Strategy Collection by Joe Ryder and Eric Balma With 120+ ratings and a 4.8 star average on Amazon, CDL Minded Business Startup Strategy Collection covers the essentials you need to start your own trucking business. Lee N. writes in his five star Amazon review, “This is a great book for any entrepreneur interested in getting into the CDL business. The author also goes into detail in helping you set your goals and changing your mindset on how to work smarter and not just harder. Mr. Ryder… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Rene Astle
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on December 20, 2022
Today’s interview is with the sci-fi, fantasy and urban fantasy author who writes as Rene Astle and C. Rene Astle. It was an honor to learn more about her publishing journey, approach to writing and life outside of all that. We hope you enjoy learning more about Astle’s books and consider adding one or more to your TBR! HG: How would you describe yourself to somebody who isn’t familiar with your writing yet? RA: I write what I love to read: scifi and fantasy books driven by outsiders, the odd ones, trying to make their way in the universe. Add to the mix a dash of action and a kiss of romance. I love dashes and hate semi-colons. And I’ve been known to use conjunctions at the beginning of sentences. I write in Canadian English – I have a whole blog post about. HG: What inspires your stories and why… Read More >
