Top 5 Sundays #3: Books you loved and was surprised by it

Hey!

It's Sunday (OK, sorry, it's almost Monday, but it's been a busy day) so it's time for another Top 5 Sundays. This is a feature hosted by Larissa (@ Larissa's Bookish Life): every Sunday she will post a TOP 5 list on her blog - it can be about anything, every week she will have a new theme...(get the details and join the fun).

So... The theme for today is: Books you loved & was surprised by it! And here is my top 5 (in no particular order):

Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires #1) by Chloe Neill

I even rolled my eyes at this one, thinking "Oh, great. Another vampire series". The title didn't help either, it was too... Simple. But I I liked the cover and I thought it would be a good, light read for my summer holidays, so I bought the first book (thinking that if I like it I'll order the whole series later). Anyway, one day I picked it up and I was shocked by how good it actually was! It wasn't just another light read, but a very complex, well built, can't-put-it-down book. Chloe's writing is so good and entertaining! I love snarky characters and Merit is a very fun and likeable character. And Ethan is...mmmm... *dreamy sigh* One of my favorite male characters so far.:D I can't wait for the 4th book in the series!

Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock #1) by Faith Hunter

Again, I did the mistake to judge a book by its cover - but this time I didn't like it so despite the good things I heard about this series, I didn't buy it.:)) I also had a low opinion about skinwalkers, because I watch Supernatural.:)) But recently I read some interviews with the author that convinced me. I liked her style and the story got me all intrigued so I picked it up - and I'm glad I did! (Sometimes she reminds me a bit about Kim Harrison's writing style). And we have: "a main character with a different voice because...well, actually, she has two: herself and Beast; sexy complicated men and a lot of sexual tension; bad guys you love to hate, and good guys who are To. Die. For. Maybe literally. "(from Faith's interview @ Book Lovers Inc.) ;)

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Well, I already mentioned in my reviews how much I enjoyed this series and that I never expected it to be so good. 

 The Host (The Host #1) by Stephenie Meyer

Yup, another pleasant surprise. I'm not a big fan of Twilight (don't get me wrong, I do like the series) and I don't like science fiction, but I decided to give this book a shot - maybe because Stephenie said it's science fiction for people who don't like science fiction (or something like that) and I was really curious.:)) Maybe the story itself wasn't impressive, but the world, the characters, their relationships were definitely amazing! I think this book is mostly about love, friendship, respect, doubt, and other touchy-feely stuff but I loved it!

 The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

I don't really know what to say about this book - I don't even know how to categorize it: adventure, romance, fantasy, supernatural thriller? You just have to read it, it has it all. At first, I didn't know what to think, I almost gave up reading it: the main character was a mess (literally) and there was so much pain, violence, loss and apparently no action. But I'm glad I didn't, because it got better AND better! The author found a brilliant way to blend history, religion, culture and supernatural in a love story, without ruining it. On the contrary, I think those elements are what make of this book such a good, captivating read! 

What books did you love and was surprised by it?

xoxo