Hi dear friends,

Today in #BestBooksof2018 the topic is books that surprised me or that I discovered *as in I saw the light* in 2018.

I confess that it was one of the hardest topics of this challenge as 2018 has been a really excellent year quality wise!

So today you have multiple winners with a big favorite.

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My big favorite is a book and an author that totally blew me away! Father Figure by James Cudney alias Jay.

I knew Jay/James from his daily blog posts and already had a feel of his writing but never in my most crazy dreams would have I imagined how incredible his story was! Nor how a mastermind at plotting and scheming Jay was!

I still have to read his other books and I will because he is extremely talented and two of them are already on my kindle.

But what made Father Figure so extraordinary?

Father Figure has three fundamental assets:

1) The plot. I’ve rarely read a book written with such finesse about intricate plots. Few authors can write such complex plots without losing the reader at some point. Until now my two plot masterminds were Beth Flynn and JL Myers. Well James joined them in my “evil plotter masterminds” pantheon.

That’s the kind of stories I adore. When the plot gets slowly, discreetly more and more intricate until you realize you’ve been carefully led a certain way and all these innocent facts were part of a vast and complex scheme. I’ve been played all along and never realized it!

2) The characters. You have sweet and innocent vs spunk. They are brilliantly fleshed out and I walked in these girls‘s shoes from the first sentence.

3) The writing and the setting of the stories. James’s writing holds enough details to have me BE on a college campus in the eighties. Or walk in the streets of that small Mississippi town enjoying the sun on my skin or breathing the summer air. The writing flowed effortlessly detailed but not flowery or heavy. Just the perfect match for that story.

My other winners as in books that really were fantastic surprises are:

A Girl Like Lilac by Victoria L James

Because I loved:

-the childhood sweetheart trope;

-the poetic and effortlessly flowing writing;

-the drama but not overtly high angst;

-the family stories and secrets this small town hid;

-the love story;

A Shot in the Dark by LJ Stock

I loved it because:

This book is essentially character driven. And what fabulous characters!
Miki was brave and selfless.

Dustin was the hero most dream of. He caught me in his web. I was mesmerized by his charm and charisma.

The purpose of the story is about a path you have to walk. It’s about the twists that cruel mistress we call Fate can impart upon you.
It’s about resilience and second chance.

I cried buckets once more in the train and of course just before work when I was all doled up with mascara and all.
I smiled. I swooned. I hurt. I rejoiced. In one word: I felt.

Atticus by Sawyer Bennett

I loved it because:

I cried when Atticus was lost and miserable.

I huffed and puffed when Hazel was such a mess.

I smiled when Hazel decided to save Atticus and that no one would hurt him. Over her dead body!

I laughed at Atticus shenanigans as it reminded so much of my dog.

I cried again when some moving moments happened in the book.

I rejoiced each time Hazel achieved something.

I ….

I FELT!

This is a feel good and insightful coming of age story.

One that will leave you all warm and fuzzy inside.

One that will make you want to adopt Atticus or at least follow him on IG.

Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff

It was my first Jay Kristoff and like the first cigarette is rumored to *I don’t know I never smoked* it went straight to my head. And my heart. And my blood pressure. And…

I adored it because:

It’s packed with action upon action and mixes old tales with new world*how Jay Kristoff succeeded in writing Moby Dick in a sci fi story shows how the man must be crazy yet talented*

Because nothing is as it seems and everyone has secret.

Because the characters are fantastic.
They are and feel real, even the bots and droids.
Moving even the bots and droids.
Funny even the bots and the droids!
They make a crew of misfits. Banter is flying and sarcasm the ruling money!

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre

I loved it because:

This series is pure Adventure with a big “A”!

It should be prescribed when you suffer from boredom and routine because you will embark on a living spaceship and explore space.

Freedom!

Of course you will have thrill, suspense, angst secrets, battles …

Now do tell me all about your best surprises/discoveries read in 2018!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie