Top Ten Tuesday, 19 July 2022

I am back with yet another fantastic post for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. (Ain’t I getting better with this self-praising thingummy? 😉 )

The topic for this week is… Freebie! Yasss!! I am giving away free books worth $1000. Unbelievable, right?

Of course it is unbelievable because it’s not true. 😛

Jana from That Artsy Reader where TTT is currently hosted has asked us to come up with a topic of our own for this week’s entry.

I am always on the lookout for new authors and new series to read. So, for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, I am going to share authors I discovered in 2022. I have come across a lot of new authors and new series to try (this year) so far and here are the ten authors and their books which I absolutely loved.

#1: Portia MacIntosh

I read Portia MacIntosh’s No Ex Before Marriage ten days ago. It was my first book by this author and definitely won’t be the last. I am exploring the women’s fiction/romance/chick-lit genre this year. You must be already know by now that I am a mystery lover. But sometimes, too much of mystery and thrillers gives me nightmares – especially gory crime mysteries or physiological thrillers! Also, coronavirus might still be in the air but so is love. Right?

The story is about a divorced woman (Poppy) who finds her friends drifting apart. She was the first one to get married and the first to get divorced. Her friends have now found their life partners and want to do all activities ‘couples only’. This means Poppy is left out of their group. When Poppy finally feels like she’s met someone and is on a date with him, she receives a call from her dad. He’s gone through the divorce papers (which were in her late mother’s home office) and looks like Poppy and her ex-husband Zac are still married! What’s worse is, Zac is getting married to an actor’s daughter next week. Poppy must visit him and get the papers signed before he commits bigamy.

#2: Dianne Freeman

Ever since I discovered cozy mysteries, I cannot get enough of them! So many themes, so many mysteries and whole lotta fun, I am spoilt for choice. Kensington Books have a variety of cozy mystery series to choose from. What’s exciting is, a few of these series are available on KU each month. The downside of this is, some series are available only for a month.

So, at June end, I decided to go on a binge reading spree. I chose Dianne Freeman’s Countess of Harleigh series to binge on. The series revolves around a dowager countess who moves to London. Her next-door neighbor is her best friend’s brother. He’s also the same man who helped move her husband’s body from the mistress’ room. Say what, now? Her husband died soon after um, well… with his mistress. (You know what I mean!) So… the best friend’s brother previously worked for His Majesty’s government and is currently a private eye (of sorts).

You can check out more details about this series here: Countess of Harleigh Mysteries by Dianne Freeman

#3: Jan Durham

Jan Durham’s Kipper Cottage Mysteries were released in the first quarter of this year. So far, we have three books. The series debut introduces us to Liz McLuckie, a widow who’s moved to a small town in coastal Yorkshire. She purchased two fishermen cottages from her retirement money and plans to renovate and rent them to tourists.

Liz takes her dog Nelson on a walk and ends up finding a dead body in the Abbey. She’s curious to know how the body was carried from the coast to the cliff. With her help of friends (which includes a detective from the local constabulary), she decides to dig deeper into the murder case.

The Kipper Cottage Mysteries have made it to my list of favorite cozy mystery series. Be it the storytelling or the character portrayal or the mystery, Jan is one of the best authors out there!

#4: Rima Ray

I love crazy, quirky cozy mysteries. Well, they remind me of my crazy life. *wink wink* When I first came across Ruby Roy, I knew I am going to find a lot in common with her. She often goes into a ‘dream state’ where she concocts a reel/fantasy life – ooh, the rich and famous of Hollywood have come over for mango lassi and hot samosas – after Ruby winning the lottery, that is. Bollywood Dance Night, bring it on! Balle Balle!

Okay, before you think I am a bit kooky, um… well, maybe you are right but I need to prove you wrong, right? *wink*

I absolutely enjoyed every bit of Ruby Roy and the Murder in the Falls. Believe me, you will laugh so hard that you will end up with a tummy ache. (The good kind of tummy ache!)

#5: Jean G. Goodhind

I am a huge fan of Joffe Books and I do believe they have huge collection of mysteries – reprints included. Jean Goodhind’s Honey Driver Murder Mysteries were republished a couple of months ago. The covers are new and so are the titles. The mysteries are freaking good – I always love mysteries that are humorous and quirky. Crime/Murder is not a funny business but the amateur sleuth can certainly be a bit quirky, right? Just to lighten up the mood a tad.

We have Hannah ‘Honey’ Driver, the crime liaison for Bath Hotels Association, helping the local police in solving crimes that occur in hotels (or anything to do with Bath tourism and hotels). Steve Doherty is a badass detective with wandering eyes. But when he meets Honey, things change – until book #5, they try their best to have a silent (ahem) romantic night but murder and suspects always get in their way. Oh no!

Once again, I have binge read the first three books of this series. And when a new installment is available, I know I must read it! I am one of those compulsive-obsessive-whatchamacallits, innit?

You can follow the series here: Honey Driver Murder Mystery by Jean G. Goodhind

#6: Steph Broadribb

As a mystery lover, I have come across a lot of theme-based series. But I hadn’t come across a retired detectives theme (in modern mysteries) until I read Steph Broadribb’s Death in the Sunshine.

What’s even more interesting is the eclectic mix of retired detectives. One from England and the other three from US – one of the Americans was in the DEA. They have settled into a quiet retirees gated community in Florida. When a young woman is found dead in the pool – with money floating around her, the retirees wonder if they are safe. What was a young woman doing in a retiree community? Moreover, who killed her and why?

The second book, Death at Paradise Palms is releasing in a couple of months and I cannot wait to see what’s next for our retired detectives.

#7: Marion Todd

Marion Todd’s Old Bones Lie, the sixth in Detective Clare Mackay released this month. I got a chance to read an advanced copy of the book. I love police procedurals – especially the ones set in the UK.

Though a sixth in the series, I had no trouble following the story. In fact, I cannot wait to catch up on the series. I love detective fiction. If the leading character is a woman (police officer), even better! The story begins with two couples meeting for a weekend lunch. But things go wrong when men in balaclavas enter their home and take the two women hostage. The men are given a task – to make a prison van disappear. Clare arrives at the station to learn a prison van has disappeared and so have the two prison guards. When she tries to contact the guards’ wives, she learns they too have gone missing.

#8: Emily Kerr

Lydia wakes up after a wild night in Kefalonia, Greece, with a tattoo on her back that says ‘Awesome Andreas.’ She has no idea who Andreas is. Her boyfriend and boss, Jim, is back home in London. The tattoo must heal completely before she can get it removed.

She returns to London with her friends (after their weekend vacay) only to realize she’s not happy with Jim. He’s controlling and possessive. She finally decides it is time to act – on a whim, she packs her bag (it was hardly unpacked since her arrival) and takes a one way ticket to Greece. She will search for her ‘Awesome Andreas’ because you never know, he might be her ‘The One’.

I absolutely loved this book. I have never been to Greece but I got a virtual tour by reading this book. 😀

#9: Sian O’Gorman

I read The Sandycove Supper Club by Sian O’Gorman this Sunday and I absolutely loved it! I think I missed out on a lot of interesting and heart-warming novels by concentrating on reading only mystery and thrillers.

Never mind, there’s always time to catch up, right?

Roisin marries Brody after six months of dating. Her mother, sister and friends warn her. They tell her she hardly knows a lot about the man. But she knows he’s her soulmate. The honeymoon phase fizzles out sooner than expected and looks like Roisin would have been happier had she paid any heed to the warnings.

She’s stuck in a loveless marriage and a job that she doesn’t enjoy doing. Her passion is cooking but she’s not very confident of starting something on her own. When her friends suggest they are planning a Supper Club and want her to be in charge of all the cooking, she’s not very sure if people would love it. If Brody finds faults in her cooking, so will others. Right?

The Sandycove Supper Club is about finding oneself and following our passion. The story ends with Roisin taking a decision – a decision that will change her life for good.

#10: Sophie Flynn

Sophie Flynn’s Keep Them Close is such a mind-numbing thriller, I tell you. What happens when one trusts a stranger on the internet and reveal their darkest secret? They start to stalk. They send messages on social media accounts. And then, paranoia begins.

Gosh, this book made me a tad paranoid. Everybody can relate to this story – we have heard of incidents where people were cheated online, stalked by a stranger they met on the internet and so on. This book depicts a part of what goes wrong when one trusts a stranger they met virtually. And in this case, it is a forum for mums. A mum stalking another mum. Goodness gracious!

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