2017 New-to-Me Authors, Underappreciated Books

Okay, so I said I'd do a wrap-up of all the new-to-me authors and their underappreciated books I read in 2017.  (The reviews are taken from the ones I posted on Goodreads.)

1) Death by High Heels by Violet Ingram (1/5/17) Mystery. 4 stars - no review.

2) When Ash Rains Down by Cecelia Earl (1/12/17) YA Paranormal. 4 stars - "I inhaled it in less than a day. Very quick read with good writing and an intriguing premise. I had a little trouble at first connecting with Julia (probably because I am long gone from being a teenager), but I forged ahead and after a while, the story drew me in"

3) Sleepyhollow: Rise Headless and Ride by Richard Greaves (1/20/17) YA Paranormal Suspense. 5 stars - "
This was one of those books that I loved but I can't put my finger on exactly why I loved it. The characters were certainly memorable and sympathetic. I could really connect with both Jason Crane and his grandmother, the heroine, the sidekick. I even saw where the villains were coming from The writing was certainly good, as was the editing. The premise was intriguing - naturally, or I wouldn't have picked up this unknown-to-me author. I don't know. I couldn't put this book down! (Except when I had to for life stuff, which is why it took me 5 days to read. A gal's gotta eat and sleep and work, ya know.)

Anyway, this is a YA story that I think would be enjoyed by anyone from 13 on up. Good stuff.

The only small niggle - the story wasn't finished in this book, so I have to buy the next book to see what happens. Too much was left hanging to stop now."  NOTE:  I did buy the next two books and inhaled them one after the other.  Awesome series.  I can't wait for book 4 to come out.

4)  Granny Hooks a Crook by Julie Seedorf (2/14/17) Mystery.  5 stars - " Super fun read! I loved Granny and all the critters. All the characters were great. The mystery was engaging. The writing was solid. Good stuff. Now I need to catch up with the rest of the series"  NOTE: Not exactly an underappreciated book, but I'm leaving it on the list.

5)  Scaling the Rim by Dorothy Grant (2/25/17) SF.  4 stars - " Interesting premise. Fun read. Cute romantic angle. Enjoyable all the way around"

6)  In for a Penny by Nancy Nagle & Kelsey Browning (4/8/17) Mystery. 5 stars - " Super cute story. Loads of fun! Really quick read - I inhaled it in under a day. Definitely what I needed."

7)  Call of Duty (Joe Boxer #0) by Louis Scott (4/15/17) Military Thriller. 4 stars - " Interesting prequel, that I hadn't been aware was a prequel when I started this. Loads of military jargon at the beginning, which took a bit of getting used to, but once I fell into the rhythm, the story was gripping. And thrilling. And sad. And probably a very real glimpse into what soldiers face over there."

8)  The Thirteenth Man by JL Doty (4/21/15) SF. 5 stars - "Wow. That was awesome. I can't remember who recommended this book to me, but thank you! I loved Charlie - the bastard warrior that he was. I loved Del - the perfect princess that she was. All the characters were alive to me. Real. Add in the action and the battles and the heroism, and bang, awesome book. It's kind of like Dune, without all the dry parts - medieval in outer space, if you will. Dukes and kings and pretty princesses. Evil royalty and backstabbing henchmen. Plus epic space battles. So good."

9) Let Me Love You by Iris Blobel (8/20/17) Romance. 4 stars - "Nice little romance story. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. And the setting. This is probably the first Australian romance I've ever read - not because it was set in Australia, I've read plenty of those, but because it was written in Australia by an Australian using the flow of the language down there. Awesome step away from the usual US romances."

10)   Bewitch Me by Amelia Blake (9/10/17) YA Paranormal. 5 stars - "Fun read, even if the little sister, Chloe, was so annoying I wanted someone to turn her into a frog. Or a dung beetle. Or whatever. But I liked the other characters and it was nice to escape into this book for a while. I can't wait to see what happens to the gang next."

11)  Even Witches Get the Blues by JD Winters & Dakota Kahn (9/11/17) Paranormal Mystery. 4 stars - no review.  NOTE: Also doesn't quite meet the underappreciated thing, but still...

12) Caught In Between by Allison L. Perry (9/14/17) YA Paranormal. 5 stars - "This was totally awesome. I could really step into Sadie's shoes - even though she's a vampire - and remember what it was like to be different from the other teens. Sure, Sadie's got some problems unique to being a different kind of vampire - like being allergic to blood - but it was easy to feel a sort of camaraderie with her. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of this series and more from this author."

13)  The Defender of Rebel Falls by Erik Christensen (10/7/17) Fantasy w/ SF tinge. 5 stars - " Fun story! Interesting premise. Good writing. Definitely an enjoyable read that kept me guessing and waiting to see what happened next. I loved the end where he tied the beginning in and resolved the initial quandary. And they all lived happily ever after - well, the ones that deserved a HEA - which is what I need from the stories I read. Most excellent stuff."

14)  Doc (Vampire Hunting Dog #1) by JA Campbell (12/14/17) Paranormal Suspense. 5 stars - "I loved the idea of story about a vampire hunting dog, told from the dog's point of view, and this book didn't disappoint. It was loads of fun without being silly. It had plenty of heart and a couple sniffly moments, too. And an awesome ending. I'll definitely be looking for additional installments of this series and more books from this author."

I think that was a pretty good number of new-to-me, underappreciated authors and books for one year.  I'll try to keep doing this in 2018 - time and finances allowing, of course.   I hope that if anything above strikes your fancy, you'll go out and buy a copy.  Then review it.  Help out some of the other authors in the world.  Pay it sideways.  

Here's to an awesome reading year in 2018!