This is the second of my ‘Top Ten’ posts for 2019. (You know I like to be extra!) I couldn’t show off my Top Ten without sharing what book series I read this year that deserve a mention. So, I created a Top Ten especially for book series!

1 Josie Quinn Series by Lisa Regan

H – This started as an impulse 99p Kindle purchase and escalated from there. I have completely fallen in love with the series, the characters and the author. I loved these books so much that I ended up getting the series in paperback after I’d read them on Kindle. I feel warm and fuzzy and filled with excitement every time I get a notification saying a new book is soon to be released. These books were all rated 5 (I think there might be one sneaky 4) out of 5. I could read these again and again and never get bored with them.

2 Ruth Galloway Series by Elly Griffiths

H – This year I read books 6-11 in the Ruth Galloway series and with each book I get more joy from the series, learn more about the characters and understand more about the way they work. I never get bored of this series, each book brings something I wasn’t expecting and I find Ruth to be such a relatable character. With this series, I know I can curl up with a book and escape for a few hours to a murder mystery.

3. Erika Foster Series by Robert Bryndza

H – This was another impulse by at 99p for the first book on Kindle. I am so thankful that I decided to try this series because it has taken up so much of my life this year! I actually gifted the first three books of this series to 3 people this year! There have been moments in this series where I’ve despaired for the character and what has happened to her, but overall I eagerly await every installment and it doesn’t take me long to read.

4 Washington Poe Series by M. W. Craven

H – I was introduced to this during a mad book haul spending moment when Amazon had a load of books on for only £2. I read the first book on my flight to New York and gosh darn it! I was so absorbed in reading it that I almost forgot I was on a plane at all. I found the characters to be so different from crime duos I’ve previously read and they acted in a way that was unpredictable. I’ve just started to read ‘Black Summer’ and already I’m excited with what is happening.

5. The Polar Bear Explorers by Alex Bell

H – I picked ‘The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club in January 2019. It was the first book I read in the last few years that got me excited. (The last excitement I had with a children’s series was Harry Potter.) The story was so captivating and imaginative and when I realised I’d read a book that was going to be a series, I didn’t feel annoyed but eager for the next installment to come out. It’s just a book series that makes me happy.

6 Christmas Stories by Matt Haig

H – I read these three in December 2019. I wanted to find something fun to read in December and I absolutely do not get on with Christmas themed romance novels – boring! – so I was super exited when ‘A Boy Called Christmas’ came up on Waterstones. I read the first two books in one day! I saved the third to read on Christmas Eve and it made everything more magical.

7 Mrs Hudson by Martin Davies

H – I like quirky stories that take an idea or a well know character/storyline/setting and turn it into something new and original. So, when I found this series, I knew I had to give it a go. I thought it was fantastic, the series is very interesting and the spin put on Mrs Hudson shows how much the character has to offer and takes her away from the position of simply ‘Sherlock’s Landlady/Housekeeper.’ If you’re looking for a different take on a classic, give this a go!

8 Tom Reynolds Series by Jo Spain

H – ‘The Blessing’ was another 99p Kindle offer which I am so glad I decided to get. I absolutely loved the first book and it only took a couple of hours to read. I didn’t get on so well with the second book ‘Beneath the Surface’, but I refused to let it influence my enjoyment of the series. I’m now on book 4 and loving the series so much! The characters are so expansive and they grow with each new book in the series. Each book brings a story that is compelling and gripping to read and quite often, I don’t guess who is the culprit before it’s reveal, which is great!

9 Morrigan Crow Series by Jessica Townsend

H – I’ve wanted to read this series for ages and when I finally got around to it, I felt myself getting excited in the characters, the world and the series in general. If I was to recommend a book to Harry Potter lovers, I would recommend this as it is the series that gave me the most Harry Potter vibes and emotions while reading. (I’m talking about my emotions/feelings while reading, not saying that the book plot is similar to Harry Potter.) I’m excitedly awaiting the third book in the series because I can’t wait to see how the story develops.

10 Amy Winter Series by Caroline Mitchell

H – This is a rollercoaster series in terms of my enjoyment. I loved the first book ‘The Secret Child’, whereas, thought I joyed the second, I didn’t enjoy it as much and there were moments that niggled in my mind. However, I’m a big believer of not letting the second book in a series becoming the judgement of the series (sometimes the second book in a series can be disappointing and put you off reading the rest of the series, when actually books 3,4 etc. are exceptional and as enjoyable as the first.) I know there will be another in this series, and I will be anxiously awaiting its release.

QOTY – What book series would make your top ten?