I had a request for the runners up in the reader nominations for the DABWAHA, so here are the top ten books, with the finalist and the nine runners up as nominated by readers in each category. An asterisk denotes a tie.
YA
1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Finalist)
2. Matched by Ally Condie
3. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
4. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
5. The Duff by Kody Keplinger
6. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
7. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
8. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
9. Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
10*. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
10*. Forget You by Jennifer Echols
Series
1. Her Best Friend by Sarah Mayberry (Finalist)
2. A Little Consequence by Amy Knupp
3. Marrying the Royal Marine by Carla Kelly
4. LA Cinderella by Amanda Berry
5. The Admiral’s Penniless Bride by Carla Kelly
7. The Vampire’s Kiss by Vivi Anna
7*. America’s Star-Crossed Sweethearts by Jackie Braun
7*. His Virgin Acquisition by Maisey Yates
7*. Poisoned Kisses by Stephanie Draven
7*. A Bride for Jericho Bravo by Christine Rimmer
PNR/SF
1. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews (Finalist)
2. The Last Queen by Christine McKay
3. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
4. Touched By An Alien by Gini Koch
5. Lover Mine by JR Ward
6. Warrior by Zoe Archer
7. Scoundrel by Zoe Archer
8. Play of Passion by Nalini Singh
9. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
10. Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole
Novella
1. Storming the Castle by Eloisa James (Finalist)
2. The Ice Princess by Elizabeth Hoyt
3. Deep Freeze by Merline Lovelace
5. Midnight Assignment by Victoria Dahl
6. Unwrapped by Jaci Burton
7. Honeybone by AJ Llewellyn
8. Friendly Fire by Megan Hart
9. Little to Hex Her by Janet Mullany
10. Midnight Confessions by Robyn Carr
Crossover
1. Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy (Finalist)
2. Embers by Laura Bickle
3. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
4. City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane
5. All Clear by Connie Willis
6. The Native Star by MK Hobson
7. 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter
8. Stay by Allie Larkin
9. Changeless by Gail Carriger
10. Truly, Madly by Heather Webber
Contemporary
1. All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins (Finalist)
2. The Search by Nora Roberts
3. Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts
4. Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis
5. The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks
6. Backstage Pass: Sinners On Tour by Olivia Cunning
7. Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
8. Just One Taste by Louisa Edwards
9. The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins
10. Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts
Historical
1. The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne (Finalist)
2. Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
3. The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig
4. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
5. Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
6. Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt
7. The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig
8. Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
9. The Heir by Grace Burrowes
10. A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James
GLBT
1. Double Blind by Heidi Cullinan (Finalist)
2. Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane (Finalist)
3. Duck! by Kim Dare
4. Life After Joe by Harper Fox
5. Starting from Scratch by Georgia Beers
6. The Angel of 13th Street by Eden Winters
7. Somebody Killed His Editor by Josh Lanyon
8. The Pearl by Geoffrey Knight
9. The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
10. ePistols at Dawn by Z.A. Maxfield
So, which of these have you read? Which is first on your newly-reorganized TBR list?
I love Connie Willis to an embarrassing degree. Most of her stuff isn’t “Romance” but I’d say that “To Say Nothing of the Dog” absolutely qualifies, and it is hilarious to boot. Be warned that her other stuff will rip out your still beating heart – but it’s so good that you won’t mind a bit.
I didn’t catch this in time to nominate anything, but I like how these lists came out! Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts has to be one of my favorites. It’s so “formula” (Millionaire type-a personality heiress falls in love with her James Dean-esque car mechanic?!?!) BUT I loved every moment. As a fan of romances, I truly believe that the extent to which “formula” is used or not doesn’t matter. If it’s done well—if you’re glued to the page screaming “Just kiss him already!”—that’s the part that counts.
No Clockwork Angel in YA? 🙁 oh well
I’m sharing the Connie Willis love. Love all of her books! I read Blackout when it was first released and freaked out at the end, then read her acknowledgments, in which she thanks the people who helped her when she realized the book had to be split in two. I’m looking forward to All Clear. I usually recommend To Say Nothing of the Dog to romance readers.
@HollyY Erotic romance used to be a separate category, but this year (after a lot of feedback last year, IIRC) it was decided to consider erotic books as part of the other categories where they best fit; historical, contemporary, GLBT, PNR. Suspense is handled the same way, which is why Pamela Clare’s fabulous Naked Edge, for instance, is in contemporary.
There are many ways to slice and dice this big beautiful genre (not to mention the cross-over books), and it’s amazing to see how many books were worth considering to get to the 64. In historical, for instance, I can think of several books I loved that aren’t even in the runners-up.
@Zoe—I was afraid you ‘d have multiple books nominated that would split your vote. I waffled over which of yours to nominate myself—went with Scoundrel because it was the book club pick. I guess that’s the price you pay for writing FOUR fabulous books! *mwah*
Oh, I soooooo heart me “Stay”!! Wonderful, wonderful book on many levels. Everyone I’ve handed my copy to with the admonition, “Sit! ‘Stay’! READ!” has felt the same way about it.
I can honestly say I did not want that book to end.
wv: Effort76. It was so not an effort to read this book, let along 76 of them!
Sarah: Thanks. I feel like I should have known that (I did this before) but I was blanking on how.
becca: I totally still read romantic suspense. In fact I’m very much looking forward to Brockmann’s book, and I just finished reading Stephanie Tyler’s SEAL trilogy.
@ Lauren Willig
You don’t need to have read Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog before Black Out. While there are occasionally references to events in previous books, each of them is designed as a stand alone. Yes, Doomsday Book is first, but if you have no interest in the 1348 bubonic plague, you may as well start with one of the others. I usually recommend To Say Nothing of the Dog as the best place to begin.
I’m very glad to hear Kate Reading is back in book 5. 🙂
@becca: Romantic suspense is probably my favorite sub-genre, so here’s another reader. I’d say Pamela Clare’s book qualifies as RS, so must be fitting them under contemporary.
@Craven Coward: I’m a big Anne Stuart fan, I enjoyed Ruthless, but I think I liked Reckless best of the three.
I was surprised by the lack of Tessa Dare on the list. Very much enjoyed the Stud Club trilogy, especially “Twice Tempted by a Rogue.”
But I never did put my vote in, always thinking “Oh, I need to get to that,” so I guess I can’t say too much, LOL.
@Sycorax – yes, I absolutely loved both Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog. It’s funny—up until Blackout and All Clear, I had Connie Willis books divided into two categories in my reading brain—the brilliant, rip-out-your heart ones like Doomsday Book, Lincoln’s Dreams, and Passage, and the brilliant, laugh-out-loud funny ones like To Say Nothing of the Dog, Bellwether, and some of the amazing short stories in Miracle and Impossible Things. But with these two new books, I felt like she crossed over somehow, the humor and tragedy so intertwined I couldn’t separate them. (And there’s real romance in this one, too:). I actually think her purest romance is Bellwether—I also think that’s her funniest book. I still laugh out loud whenever I think about the sheep…
Wow! So excited to be listed. Thanks for the shout-out! 🙂
@Sara Creasy: Sorry! Typo! All fixed.
@SB Sarah: Thanks. My name gets misspelled all the time but I’ve never seen it quite like that before!
OMG, how awesome is this? I’m thrilled to have been almost nominated 😉
@Kai – if you’re still reading this!
I agree that she broke new ground with these two – that they were more ambitious and of a grander scope. On the other hand, the main ideas were in her other two – being lost in history and being afraid you’d irrevocably changed it’s course. Still, she managed to do the latter differently than in To Say Nothing of the Dog, and of course in All Clear it had a gravitas and tragic potential it lacked in TSNotD. I’m not sure about there being ‘real romance’, though. It got so little page time and it was such a fragile thing at the end, that I finished the book really hoping that it would work out rather than assuming it would. Can’t say more for fear of spoilering, but I find even thinking about the ending painful as well as beautiful. The ending to such a book had to be, though.
I agree that Bellwether is the most traditionally a romance, but my ultimate favourite remains To Say Nothing of the Dog. Maybe it’s because I’m a history geek rather than a science geek, and I loved all Ned’s time lagged ramblings about incongruities and consequences. Have you read Three Men in a Boat? Another hilarious read, and it links into TSNotD, or course.