5 Female-Focused Memoirs like Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on December 4, 2018
Looking for an uplifting, witty and personal memoir? Here are five recommendations just like Michelle Obama’s top-rated ‘Becoming.’ Michelle Obama’s memoir of her life before, during and after life in the White House has become 2018’s best-selling book – with over a million hardback copies sold in the first two weeks alone; surpassing its predecessor, Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury, by racking up more hardback sales in the first ten days of release than Wolff’s book managed in the entire ten months since it was released. With a resume that includes graduating from Princeton and Harvard Law, a celebrated career in law and public service, plus crushing it in Carpool Karaoke, it’s perhaps not surprising why so many people gravitated towards Obama’s eminently-quotable book. Yet it’s just the latest in a series of really fantastic female-focused memoirs released in recent months – and here are five more that might interest… Read More >
More Really Good Mystery Books We’ve Reviewed Recently
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 27, 2018
Hidden Gems offers subscribers the chance to review FREE books each and every day, from over 15 different genres. As a continuing feature of this blog, we’ll be looking back every now and again at the best recent books from individual genres; and sharing why we liked them. Keep checking for the latest lists, and become part of the action yourself by signing up to Hidden Gems. Fall is the season for hot cocoa, crackling log fires and curling up with a good mystery book- cozy, or chilling. This fall, we’ve shared some fantastic mysteries with subscribers and have picked some of their favorites down below. Rocky Road & Revenge by Erin Huss If the hot cocoa I mentioned earlier doesn’t appeal to you, maybe some Rocky Road ice-cream will? That’s certainly the case in this book, which is the second in Erin Huss’ Cambria Clyne Mysteries. It follows smart… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Luke Smitherd
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 20, 2018
Continuing our series of author interviews, we were delighted to sit down live with Luke Smitherd, the best-selling author of The Stone Man and many other critically-acclaimed and popular novels. One of the defining characteristics of the novels of Luke Smitherd is that they defy easy classification – which is somewhat true of himself, too. A former singer and guitarist – well-liked for his traveling homage to the likes of Michael Buble – Luke also played his hand as a professional darts play, commercial copywriter and much, much more. Today he’s a full-time writer with a loyal following who enjoy his unique and thought-provoking books; which I once described as “Stephen Kings meets Ben Elton.” Luke very kindly sat and chatted with us live, and here’s what he had to say: HG: Luke – your books aren’t easy to pin down as a specific genre, although you’ll often find them… Read More >
Best Romance Books Recently Reviewed
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 13, 2018
Each day, subscribers to Hidden Gems are sent the opportunity to review hundreds of complimentary books spanning more than 15 different genres – and have become well-known for the honest reviews they choose to leave. A continuing feature on this blog is a periodic highlight of some true ‘Hidden Gems’ our subscribers discovered, and why you might want to check them out yourself. Keep checking back for the latest lists, categorized by genre, and learn about some of the best books that we’ve sent out. Or, join our list of readers and help discover future gems yourself! It’s always the season for romance – but as the winters cool down, more and more people like to warm up with a nice steamy read! In September, Hidden Gems subscribers received the opportunity to read and review a plethora of the best romance books around – and we picked ten from the list which… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: C. J. Tudor
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on November 6, 2018
Hidden Gems regularly tries to sit down with some of the most exciting authors in print today, and although we (barely) missed Halloween – we still have a super-spooky writer to chat with today. C. J. Tudor is the author of The Chalk Man – a horror story so chilling that Stephen King himself recommended it. She kindly spared us some time to talk about her writing journey, inspirations, and what she’s working on next. Those who know author C.J. Tudor in real life call her ‘Caz’ – and this British-born writer had a plethora of careers before her lifetime of writing finally led to the publication of The Chalk Man in January of this year. The Chalk Man is a breathtaking horror debut and you don’t need to take our word for that (although we did recommend it back in August). The sovereign of modern horror himself, the inimitable Stephen King,… Read More >
10 Spine-Chilling Reads for Halloween
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on October 30, 2018
The Season of the Witch has nearly reached its zenith, and if you’re anything like me that’s involved a lot of being curled up in a blanket, sipping bourbon and reading new and classic tales of spine-chilling horror. In honor of Halloween, here are 10 scary books that will leave you shivering. Not all of these are your traditional horror novels, so there is something for everyone that wants to add a little creepiness to their lives this weekend… And, remember, if you haven’t already – you can get weekly FREE books similar to these by signing up as a Hidden Gem reader. In The Darkness That’s Where I’ll Know You by Luke Smitherd Best-selling author Luke Smitherd follows the formula of his seminal work The Stone Man by presenting the reader with another conundrum in In the Darkness – in which a bartender wakes up to find himself inside… Read More >
Author Spotlight Interview: Lilian Monroe
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on October 23, 2018
It’s been a while since we last sat down with an author, so today we’re excited to share an interview with Lilian Monroe, author of a dozen successful romance books on Amazon and a rapidly up-and-coming romance writer. While she’s not (yet) in the New York Times bestseller lists, the pace and success of her writing have earned her an increasingly loyal following and hundreds of 5-star reviews, and we’re excited to think that this blog post will be one of those ‘you saw her here first’ milestones in the future. On Lilian Monroe’s Author Page on Amazon, she jokes about living in a “luxurious jungle treehouse” but that’s not necessarily so far from the truth. Canadian-born, Lilian has used writing as the opportunity to earn a living while traveling the world, with stints in Australia and other far-flung destinations, and currently a base of operations in beautiful Thailand. Lilian’s… Read More >
Recently Reviewed Top Thrillers
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on October 16, 2018
In the past few months, we’ve been lucky enough to share some fantastic thrillers with our subscribers. It’s always tough to narrow down a list to our favorites, which is why we make the list up from some of our reader favorites instead. Here are some of the suspense books that really jump-scared us all. And, remember, if you like the look of any of these, you can sign up to our program and receive as many books as you can read for FREE, in the hopes that you’ll leave an honest review of them on Amazon when you’re done. Crossing a Line by Mike Boshier British author Mike Boshier manages to paint a vividly realistic portrait of modern America in this fast-paced thriller in the Jack Reacher mold. The tough-as-nails hero, John Deacon, has everybody guessing when he ‘goes rogue’ and joins a menacing religious cult – but what’s his real… Read More >
Best Women’s Literature We’ve Recently Reviewed
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on October 9, 2018
Every day, Hidden Gems subscribers receive the opportunity to review hundreds of complimentary books spanning more than 15 genres – hopefully leaving an honest review on Amazon when they’re done. A regular feature on this blog is a periodic highlight of some true ‘Hidden Gems’ our subscribers discovered in various genres, and why you might want to check them out. Keep checking back for the latest lists, categorized by genre, and learn about some of the best books that we’ve sent out. Or, join our list of readers and help discover future gems yourself! The definition of women’s literature is hard to pin down – but it’s generally accepted as a distinct genre in fiction which explores the experience of being a woman through the socio-political context of the story’s era. As such, it has become one of the most important and compelling genres of fiction; as diverse as it is informative,… Read More >
Best Children’s Books We’ve Recently Reviewed
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on October 2, 2018
Every day, Hidden Gems subscribers receive the opportunity to review hundreds of complimentary books spanning more than 15 genres – hopefully leaving an honest review on Amazon when they’re done. A regular feature on this blog is a periodic highlight of some true ‘Hidden Gems’ our subscribers discovered in various genres, and why you might want to check them out. Keep checking back for the latest lists, categorized by genre, and learn about some of the best books that we’ve sent out. Or, join our list of readers and help discover future gems yourself! Children’s books help youngsters develop a love of reading that can help benefit them for the rest of their lives. Talk to anybody, and they’ll most likely be able to tell you their favorite childhood books (for me it was The Elephant and the Bad Baby, Tintin and Roald Dahl) and access to books has been… Read More >
