Top Ten Hidden Gems

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Hidden Gems in X Genre.

I'm just doing hidden gems period because I couldn't come up with 10 in any one genre, but I'll mention the genre for each.

1. PS I Like You by Kasie West Contemporary- I feel like Kasie West is fairly popular, but I also feel like her books are sometimes overlooked because the plot isn't always a new idea and her books are mostly clean with little to no language or physical scenes. PS I Like You is one of my favorite Kasie West books. (review coming soon)
2. Shattered Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima Fantasy- I admit that the first book (Flamecaster) took some getting into, and personally I enjoyed book 2 (Shadowcaster) better, but looking at the number of ratings on Goodreads, this series is definitely under read and appreciated.
3. Hawthorne House series by Kristi Ann Hunter Historical Christian Fiction - Christian fiction just isn't read by mainstream, and in some cases I can understand why. I've enjoyed this series because of the time period and unique situations that the characters find themselves in. Each book has a unique circumstance that I haven't ever seen with this genre before. (A Noble Masquerade, An Elegant Facade [review coming soon], An Uncommon Courtship, and novella A Lady of Esteem, with upcoming release An Inconvenient Beauty)
4. The Captive Heart by Michelle Griep Historical Christian Fiction - Again, this is mostly featured because it is in the Christian genre which I feel is just under read in general, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
5. True Reign series by Jennifer Anne Davis Fantasy - You guys this series consumed me. I read the first two books in almost 24 hours which is unheard of for me. Granted, I was trying to squeeze in all the reading I could before Little Girl was born, but I didn't want to put these books down. (The Key, Red, and War)
6. Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy Dystopian - I never would have picked this book up had it not been that it was a freebie with Audiobook Sync one summer. But the book so closely paralleled events that were happening in real life at the time that I read this and similar events have continued to happen periodically since I read the book which was super scary. Plus I liked the characters.
7. Push by Claire Wallis New Adult, Romance/Suspense - I can't say that I absolutely loved the sequel as much as this first book, but I hadn't read anything like this. It was hard to clarify a genre for this one as it fits in several categories. Do beware of language and scenes.
8. Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes Christian Contemporary - I don't mean to feature so many Christian books as I really don't read THAT much Christian fiction, but as I've said before these are just under read books. And the ones that I like don't beat you over the head with religion. They're just good stories with great messages. This one especially had my tearing up and I can't imagine trying to read it now that I'm a mother.
9. Full Tilt by Emma Scott New Adult Contemporary - As the NA genre does have language and sexual scenes so does this book, but the story had me all up in tears. And the sequel, All In was good too.

Which books are hidden gems for you guys? Let me know!

All In - Review

All In (Full Tilt, # 2)

By: Emma Scott

Published: October 11th 2016

296 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--SPOILERS FOR FULL TILT....

Reeling from her loss, Kacey Dawson is grieving and heartbroken, her addictive demons hauling her back into the alcohol-soaked abyss she worked so hard to crawl out of. Kacey teeters on the edge of oblivion, and must fight her way through the pain, to build a new life for herself with her music, and somehow fulfill the promise she made to Jonah…one she feels is impossible to keep.

Theo Fletcher has a secret burning in his heart, one that he holds close, while he struggles to keep strong for his family that is falling apart. His mother’s health is fragile and his father’s disapproval is breaking him down. Theo is afraid if he follows his heart, he’ll fail, and not just himself, but his brother who believed in him when no one else did.

Drawn together by their pain, Theo and Kacey slowly build a friendship, re-forge old ties, help each other to heal, and give one another the courage to reach for their dreams. Together, from the depths of grief and guilt, they learn to laugh again, to trust again, and quite possibly find something beautiful and lasting amid the shattered pieces of their broken hearts.

Part II of the two-part Full Tilt duet, coming Oct 2016

PLEASE NOTE, this novel is NOT a standalone. It is highly recommended one read Full Tilt first to get the entire arc of the story and to avoid spoilers.

I predicted that Kacey and Theo would be the subject of All In while reading Full Tilt. I noticed small things like Kacey thinking Theo fit what she normally would find attractive compared to Jonah and a few things like that, but around the 70% mark when she stopped to ask Theo how he was doing when no one else had I knew that I was right.

Of course considering that I struggled with Kacey and her instincts to drink herself into oblivion when things get tough at the beginning of Full Tilt, it's no surprise that I found myself rolling my eyes at where we find her in All In. And so it felt like a bit of a repeat to see her have to work through this same issue but to an even worse extent than before.

Theo was the true hero of Full Tilt despite how much I loved Jonah. Theo was solid. He was always, always there for everyone. He was constantly looking out for those in his circle. I loved the loyalty and steadfastness of his character. And that was true in All In as well. Theo's journey was about finding a way to continue to take care of those he loves as well as satisfy his own needs and desires. His dreams of owning his own tattoo shop and the girl that he's fallen in love with.

Kacey and Theo have a SLOW building relationship. Theo's feelings have been developing for a lot longer than Kacey's, but Kacey does have a little bit more to work through than Theo does in order to get on the same page. I enjoyed how the slow pace made things feel more authentic. Any faster and Kacey's feelings for Jonah couldn't have been as strong as they were. Yet the gradual development lowered the intensity level for me. Sometimes slow burn makes the pay off even better. Don't get me wrong, I loved the outcome and how things ended up, but I didn't feel the fever to keep reading until I'd read every last page like I did with Full Tilt.

One of my frustrations with Full Tilt revolved around the frequency of sexual scenes, I was happy to see that wasn't the case for All In. Yet the language was just as much.

Favorite quote:

-"Accept that which has ended and let go so you can move on. So you may grow. So you may thrive."

I very much enjoyed All In. I enjoyed the slow build from the end of Full Tilt to the end of this book. Yet the slow burn didn't hold the intensity for me that book 1 had. I loved Theo the most, yet the emotion just wasn't on the same level for me. All In turns out exactly how I wanted and that means it gets 4 Stars. Have you read All In? What did you think? Let me know!

Full Tilt - Review

Full Tilt (Full Tilt, # 1)

By: Emma Scott

Published: June 28th 2016 by Trillian

292 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from Holly

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--"I would love you forever, if I only had the chance..."

Kacey Dawson has always lived life on the edge--impulsively, sometimes recklessly. And now, as lead guitarist for a hot up-and-coming band, she is poised at the brink of fame and fortune. But she is torn between wanting to be a serious musician, and the demons that lure her down the glittering, but alcohol-soaked path of rock stardom. A wrecked concert in Las Vegas threatens to ruin her career entirely. She wakes up with the hangover from hell and no memory of the night before, or how she ended up on her limo driver’s couch...

Jonah Fletcher is running out of time. He knows his situation is hopeless, and he's vowed to make the most of the handful of months he has left to him. His plans include seeing the opening of his glass installation at a prestigious art gallery…they do not include falling in love with a wild, tempestuous rock musician who wound up passed out on his couch.

Jonah sees that Kacey is on a path to self-destruction. He lets her crash with him for a few days to dry out and get her head on straight. But neither of them expected the deep connection they felt, or how that connection could grow so fast from friendship into something more. Something deep and pure and life-changing…something as fragile as glass, that they both know will shatter in the end no matter how hard they try to hold on to it.

Full Tilt is a story about what it means to love with your whole heart, to sacrifice, to experience terrible grief and soaring joy. To live life with all its beauty, and all its pain, and in the end to be able to smile through tears and know you wouldn’t have changed a thing.

***FIRST BOOK IN A TWO PART DUET***

All In (Full Tilt #2) forthcoming...

Kacey isn't one that I would typically connect to. Even when I can intellectually understand how she might have ended up where she has, I don't connect to the character that tries to drown their sorrows in alcohol. Drinking never makes one's problems go away. It only compounds them. And Kacey is no exception. Yet, I can always relate to a character that works to make themselves better. And eventually Kacey does take steps to put herself on a better path. I can respect that.

Jonah was easily relatable. (Why does that seem to happen more often than not?) He steps in like a knight in shining armor to rescue Kacey from herself. He offers her what she's so rarely found...a friend who doesn't want anything from her. Sure Jonah finds her attractive, but Jonah has no intentions of beginning a relationship. I could understand and even respect Jonah's desire to keep Kacey at arm's length. Normally, I find characters that self-sacrifice what they want out of some (usually) misguided attempt to protect the other character super annoying because it isn't typically true self-sacrifice. Yet, I wasn't upset with Jonah for trying to keep his distance, and I wasn't upset when that distance was closed.

Full Tilt is truly like watching a train wreck in the best kind of way. You know the ending is coming from the beginning. You watch it getting closer and closer, and you can't stop it. But you can't look away either. You brace yourself. And when the impact comes you break apart at the destruction and pain before you. That's exactly how I felt. I couldn't put this book down. I knew how it was going to end. I even made a prediction a good bit before the ending about book 2. Yet I found myself literally holding my breath while reading this book. And when that inevitable ending came, my heart broke. The tears fell. And I don't mean just a few. Wow. The feels.

However, one of my pet peeves of the new adult genre was present. I expect physical scenes from this genre, but from about the 50% mark on the scenes were just too frequent for my preferences. And as tends to accompany these scenes and genre, the language was pretty strong and frequent too. Especially the f-bombs. This is something that I've come to expect from the genre, but I don't enjoy it.

Favorite quote:

-"Don't let me vanish, Theo. Please. Help me..."

Full Tilt offered up complex characters with histories meaningful to where they currently are in their lives as well as where they will go in the future. I loved seeing the setup for book 2, All In. And the emotion had me hooked and turning the pages while holding my breath to reach the inevitable heart wrenching conclusion which left me in tears. My few pet peeves of language and sexual content keep me from rating this a full 5 stars. Full Tilt gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read Full Tilt? What did you think? Let me know!