Top Ten Tuesday: Help! They Need Somebody! (or…Books I’ve Loved That Have WAY Less Than 50 Ratings on Goodreads)

Posted July 5, 2016 by meezcarrie in Amy Vastine, Becca Whitham, Carrie Fancett Pagels, Elaine Stock, Jennifer Slattery, Kate James, Myra Johnson, Rachelle Rea, Ruth Logan Herne, Top Ten Tuesday, V. Joy Palmer / 46 Comments


 

Top Ten Tuesday Favorite

Hi friends! It’s Tuesday, so that means another list of ten books but – I’m kidding no one at this point – there will be more than ten. Today’s theme involves the books we’ve loved that have under 2000 ratings on Goodreads.

I must confess that when I saw this topic I chuckled to myself. Nearly ALL the books I’ve loved are under 2000 ratings on Goodreads LOL. In fact, it might have been easier for me to do a post of the books I’ve loved OVER 2000 ratings 😉

books under 50 ratings

But I perused my “read” list and decided to narrow the focus for today’s post to “books I’ve loved that have way less than 50 ratings on Goodreads”.  If it’s getting close to 50, I didn’t include it … because that would not fit the definition of “way less” lol.

love, lace and minor alterations

Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations

by V. Joy Palmer

Ratings: 5 // Avg Rating: 4.8

Amazon

Oh my goodness, y’all! I love this author’s style!

Izze, the main character, narrates the majority of the story (with occasional switches to third person for Miles’ POV) and a la Gilmore Girls she often talks right to the reader. She’s quirky and witty and I would so want to be friends with her if she weren’t a figment of Joy Palmer’s imagination!

Read my full review here

flourish

letters from santa

Letters from Santa

by Becca Whitham

Ratings: 7 // Avg Rating: 4.43

Amazon

Besides the sweet romance and everything I mentioned above, it is Becca Whitham’s stellar writing voice that makes Letters From Santa stand out from the Christmas novella masses. Her turn of a phrase here and a smart aside there create a truly enjoyable reading experience. From the humorous to the poetic, Becca Whitham crafts Alex and Violet’s story with grace and warmth and lots of heart.

Read my full review here

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the girl he used to love

The Girl He Used to Love

by Amy Vastine

Ratings: 11 // Avg Rating: 4.64

Amazon

Wry humor and southern sass keep the book light in spite of its deep emotions, and the romance is deliciously done. Family and friendships play as important a role in the story as Faith & Dean’s relationship, creating a well-rounded novel that’s a perfect choice to read on your summer vacation!

Read my full review here

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when i found you

When I Found You

by Kate James

Ratings: 13 // Avg Rating: 4.92

Amazon

When I Found You is my favorite of the three books so far in this series – and I’ve loved them all! Kate James does a fantastic job writing tension – romantic, emotional, and suspenseful. When I Found You pulses with all three but is never overpowered by any. Just the right amount at just the right time.

Read my full review here

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the sweetest rain

The Sweetest Rain

by Myra Johnson

Ratings: 24 // Avg Rating: 4.29

Amazon

The Sweetest Rain sings with characters who became my friends and family as I read, their personalities almost tangible. I am happy to note that this is the first in a series because I am nowhere close to being done with the Linwoods or the Heaths! Hints of future story lines wafted through particular scenes with Bryony’s sisters, but even just these small morsels have me anxious for more.

Read my full review here

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always with you

Always With You

by Elaine Stock

Ratings: 24 // Avg Rating: 4.5

Amazon

Elaine Stock’s debut novel Always With You grips readers’ attention from the first chapter and holds them captive until the last word. Isabelle is one of those characters who immediately engages your heart, and you will be emotionally invested in her story as it plays out from page to page.

Read my full review here

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BreakingFree_N1664109

Breaking Free

by Jennifer Slattery

Ratings: 29 // Avg Rating: 4.31

Amazon

Breaking Free will seize you by the heart and refuse to let go. Author Jennifer Slattery handles the themes of addiction and marriage – and how the two concepts struggle to coexist – with realism and emotion but offers grace and hope for readers who might find it hitting close to home. Her smooth writing voice immediately engages, and the threads of suspense hovering at the edges of the plot make the book difficult to put down until the end.

Read my full review here

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more than a promise

More Than a Promise

by Ruth Logan Herne

Ratings: 31 // Avg Rating: 4.55

Amazon

Delightful, warm, and charming, More Than a Promise is more than a love story. Or rather, it’s more than a story about two people falling in love. It’s a story of hope and faith, of humor and family, of blending lives, of second chances, and most of all it’s a story that points to the Author of all love stories and how He’s head over heels for us. You will instantly relate to these characters – whether married or not, single parent or multi-parent, or even just a “cool aunt” like me.

Read my full review here

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saving the marquise's granddaughter

Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter

by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Ratings: 30 // Avg Rating: 4.77

Amazon

Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter had me on the edge of my seat almost from word one, and I’m not sure I relaxed until I reached the author’s notes at the end. Twists and turns, danger, intrigue, romance, faith, history – Carrie Fancett Pagels has seamlessly woven a little bit of everything into this fascinating story.

Read my full review here

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refuge of the heart

Refuge of the Heart

by Ruth Logan Herne

Ratings: 32 // Avg Rating: 4.88

Amazon

Refuge of the Heart is a romance but it’s so much more. (And oh, the romance is so incredibly sweet and tender. The way Mitch deliberately pursues Lena and his unabashed affection for Anna… simply swoonable!) It is a story that will reach into your heart and squeeze until you feel you can’t breathe from the emotion. It is a story filled with warmth and humor and smiles in spite of the heaviness of loss that both Lena and Mitch have known. It is a story that will open your eyes to the world around you – including the world at your backdoor. It is a story of hope, of redemption, of courage, of survival.

Read my full review here

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sound of silver

The Sound of Silver

by Rachelle Rea Cobb

Ratings: 35 // Avg Rating: 4.37

Amazon

The Sound of Silver begins right where The Sound of Diamonds finished, even backing up just a bit to refresh our memories. The level of intensity does not fade between the two books, even though Silver focuses far less on action than did Diamonds. In fact I think the emotion in Silver makes it even more intense in some ways than its predecessor; I remained just as much on the edge of my seat in book 2, albeit for different reasons. Rachelle Rea certainly knows how to capture her characters’ innermost desires and fears, sorrows and joys.

Read my full review here

Ok… now it’s your turn. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to track down at least one of these books, READ IT and then RATE/REVIEW it on Goodreads & Amazon. Easy peasy. (You don’t need to write a long review … simply “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it” works too.)

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46 responses to “Top Ten Tuesday: Help! They Need Somebody! (or…Books I’ve Loved That Have WAY Less Than 50 Ratings on Goodreads)

  1. Elizabeth

    Thanks for the list of suggestions! “Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations” is already on my TBR list and I’ll add some others from this list as well.

  2. Great list, Carrie! I’m with you. It would have been easier to list those I read with 2000+. I focused on award winners that have not received the recognition they deserve.

  3. Great list! The number of reviews doesn’t necessarily correlated to quality! I have three Franciscan Media-published books waiting on my Kindle. I keep thinking I’m going to read them next and then some review read or beta read falls in my lap. I WILL get to them this summer!

  4. Rebecca Maney

    Some wonderful suggestions here. I hope to read Carrie Fancett Pagel’s book in the next couple of weeks, I have a copy. I read my first Ruth Logan Hearne book this year, so I will definitely put those two on my list. Really liked Rachelle Rea Cobb’s first book and I keep seeing Myra Johnson’s name popping up. The others are new to me.

  5. As always, your TTT is great for my TBR. Or is it bad because they always make me want to stop everything I’m doing and read these books 🙂 Especially excited about The Sweetest Rain.

    Also I finished TCM by Dawn. ALL THE FEELINGS!! 🙂

  6. Joy, Elaine, and Jennifer’s books are nearing the top of my tbr! Read, climb, read! Review, review, review! 🙂 Amazon must have dropped some of Ruthy’s reviews on More Than a Promise, now it’s 28 🙁 Great book!

    • Carrie

      I listed the # of Goodreads reviews, not Amazon so hopefully they didn’t drop any. They can be so odd about that sometimes though. And yes – read, climb, read, review, review, review. That should be the book blogger’s cheer LOL.

  7. Thank you for featuring Silver, Carrie! Such a fun post–and some of these titles I haven’t seen around before! It’s always exciting coming across new book friends. 😉

  8. Rachelle’s novels are charming and well written. Already I’m curious to discover what she has planned next. 🙂

    Great list – and I love the added “twist” you made to your topic this week. As always, thanks for visiting Finding Wonderland. 🙂

  9. As per always, you have a great list! I saw two or three that would have caught my eye at the store or library. And though I know we aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, I’ll admit if it doesn’t grab me, I’m less likely to check it out.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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