NB: This week, we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite and our most popular pieces of writing this year. We’ve got a week of best-of posts to share, with reviews, cover snark, sales, and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting our archives, and most of all, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday and a happy new year – with all the very best of reading.
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Though we’ve listed what the “Best of SBTB” is based on site statistics, we also wanted to include which books we really loved reading this year and why. We did our best to keep it to three books max, per person (which was very tough). And while we’re on the topic of favorite 2018 reads, we want to know yours, too!
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The Ones Who Got Away
Author: Roni Loren
Released: January 2, 2018 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: The Ones Who Got Away #1It’s been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.
Liv Arias thought she’d never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs…
Amanda says: With such a difficult and painful premise, I was worried how it would be executed, but Loren did a beautiful job examining the after effects a school shooting has on survivors. A realistic and compelling romance start to a series that just keeps getting better.
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Other Minds
Author: Peter Godfrey-Smith
Released: December 6, 2016 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: NonfictionAlthough mammals and birds are widely regarded as the smartest creatures on earth, it has lately become clear that a very distant branch of the tree of life has also sprouted higher intelligence: the cephalopods, consisting of the squid, the cuttlefish, and above all the octopus. In captivity, octopuses have been known to identify individual human keepers, raid neighboring tanks for food, turn off lightbulbs by spouting jets of water, plug drains, and make daring escapes. How is it that a creature with such gifts evolved through an evolutionary lineage so radically distant from our own? What does it mean that evolution built minds not once but at least twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter?
In Other Minds, Peter Godfrey-Smith, a distinguished philosopher of science and a skilled scuba diver, tells a bold new story of how subjective experience crept into being—how nature became aware of itself. As Godfrey-Smith stresses, it is a story that largely occurs in the ocean, where animals first appeared. Tracking the mind’s fitful development, Godfrey-Smith shows how unruly clumps of seaborne cells began living together and became capable of sensing, acting, and signaling. As these primitive organisms became more entangled with others, they grew more complicated. The first nervous systems evolved, probably in ancient relatives of jellyfish; later on, the cephalopods, which began as inconspicuous mollusks, abandoned their shells and rose above the ocean floor, searching for prey and acquiring the greater intelligence needed to do so. Taking an independent route, mammals and birds later began their own evolutionary journeys.
But what kind of intelligence do cephalopods possess? Drawing on the latest scientific research and his own scuba-diving adventures, Godfrey-Smith probes the many mysteries that surround the lineage. How did the octopus, a solitary creature with little social life, become so smart? What is it like to have eight tentacles that are so packed with neurons that they virtually “think for themselves”? What happens when some octopuses abandon their hermit-like ways and congregate, as they do in a unique location off the coast of Australia?
By tracing the question of inner life back to its roots and comparing human beings with our most remarkable animal relatives, Godfrey-Smith casts crucial new light on the octopus mind—and on our own.
Carrie says: Such a fascinating examination of cephalopod biology.
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The Princess Trap
Author: Talia Hibbert
Released: February 8, 2018 by Nixon House
Genre: Contemporary Romance, RomanceHe’s reckless, dominant, and deliciously dirty. This prince is no fairytale.
Prince Ruben of Helgmøre knows exactly what he wants—and his current obsession is Cherry Neita. Everything from her rollercoaster curves to her fearsome attitude commands his attention.
And best of all? She has no idea who Ruben is.
Until the paparazzi catch them in a dark alley, her scarlet lipstick smudged, and his hands somewhere naughty…
All Cherry wanted was a night or two with the hottest man she’d ever seen. Turns out, that man is actually a prince, and now he needs her to play princess.
Well, princess-to-be. One year as his fake fiancée, and he’ll make all her problems disappear. Easy. Right?
Wrong.
The closer Cherry gets to Ruben, the brighter their passion burns. But the royal family hides dark secrets, and their palace is a diamond-studded trap.
Can true love bloom from false beginnings? Or will this fairytale end in a happy-never-after?
The Princess Trap is a steamy, standalone BWWM royal romance. Warning: this book is 70,000+ words of extreme pleasure and intense romance, ending in a HEA. NO cliffhangers and NO cheating. Enjoy responsibly!
Elyse says: I love Hibbert’s emotionally fluent heroes, kickass heroines, and sense of humor.
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Counting on a Countess
Author: Eva Leigh
Released: March 27, 2018 by Avon
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: The London Underground #2For a shameless libertine and a wily smuggler in the London Underground, marriage is more than convenience—it’s strategy…
Christopher “Kit” Ellingsworth, war veteran and newly minted Earl of Blakemere, buries his demons under every sort of pleasure and vice. His scandalous ways have all but emptied his coffers . . . until a wealthy mentor leaves him a sizeable fortune. The only stipulation? He must marry within one month to inherit the money. Kit needs a bride and the bold, mysterious Miss Tamsyn Pearce seems perfect.
Husband hunting isn’t Tamsyn’s top priority—she’s in London to sell her new shipment of illicit goods—but she’s desperate for funds to keep her smuggling operation afloat. When a handsome earl offers to wed her and send her back to Cornwall with a hefty allowance, Tamsyn agrees. After all, her secrets could land her in prison and an attentive, love-struck spouse could destroy everything.
But when an unexpected proviso in the will grants Tamsyn control of the inheritance, their arrangement becomes anything but convenient. Now, Kit’s counting on his countess to make his wildest dreams a reality and he plans to convince her, one pleasurable seduction at a time.
Redheadedgirl says: You got Poldark withdrawal? Eva Leigh’s got the cure!
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The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Released: June 5, 2018 by Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: The Kiss Quotient #1A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases–a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice–with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan–from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he’s making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…
Amanda says: My favorite read of the year and one that is forever on my keeper shelf. It’s just the perfect romance reading experience and Michael has ruined me for all other heroes.
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Scandal Above Stairs
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Released: July 3, 2018 by Berkley
Genre: Historical: European, Mystery/Thriller
Series: Kat Holloway Mysteries #2Priceless artwork has gone missing from the home of a wealthy baronet, and his wife stands to take the blame. When Kat’s employer asks for help in clearing her friend’s name, Kat trades her kitchen for the homes of Mayfair’s wealthiest families.
Soon antiques are disappearing not only from the extravagant households of connoisseurs and collectors, but from the illustrious British Museum. As the thefts increase in frequency, Kat calls upon her friend Daniel McAdam, who has already set himself up in a pawnshop on the Strand as a seedy receiver of stolen goods. When a man is murdered in the shop, Kat must use all of her wits to see that the thieves are caught and justice is done.
Sarah says: It turns out that historical mysteries with strong romantic elements are all my jam and then some, and I love this series. I love the theme of women owning their way in the world as much as possible, and I love that Kat is caring, firm, and so very talented as a cook. There’s sleuthing, slow-developing romance, and food porn – and a wonderful heroine at the center.
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Jane Doe
Author: Victoria Helen Stone
Released: August 1, 2018 by Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Mystery/ThrillerA double life with a single purpose: revenge.
Jane’s days at a Midwest insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She’s just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes—meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.
But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven’s bringing out the worst in her.
Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven’s bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. It’s time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.
Just as he did to her.
Sarah says: Hanging out in the head of a sociopath getting revenge on terrible men who did terrible things was a cathartic delight.
Read Sarah and Elyse’s joint review!
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Women of the Dunes
Author: Sarah Maine
Released: July 24, 2018 by Atria Books
Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery/ThrillerFrom the author of the acclaimed novels The House Between Tides and Beyond the Wild River, a rich, atmospheric tale set on the sea-lashed coast of west Scotland, in which the lives of a ninth-century Norsewoman, a nineteenth-century woman, and a twenty-first-century archeologist weave together after a body is discovered in the dunes.
Libby Snow has always felt the pull of Ullanessm a lush Scottish island enshrouded in myth and deeply important to her family. Her great-great-grandmother Ellen was obsessed with the strange legend of Ulla, a Viking maiden who washed up on shore with the nearly lifeless body of her husband—and who inspired countless epic poems and the island’s name.
Central to the mystery is an ornate chalice and Libby, an archaeologist, finally has permission to excavate the site where Ulla is believed to have lived. But what Libby finds in the ancient dunes is a body from the Victorian era, clearly murdered…and potentially connected to Ellen.
What unfolds is an epic story that spans centuries, with Libby mining Ellen and Ulla’s stories for clues about the body, and in doing so, discovering the darker threads that bind all three women together across history.
Infused with Sarah Maine’s signature “meticulous research and descriptive passages of lush, beautiful landscapes” (Publishers Weekly), Women of the Dunes is a beautifully told and compelling mystery for fans of Kate Morton and Beatriz Williams.
Elyse says: This mystery spans centuries and has delicious gothic elements.
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A Duke by Default
Author: Alyssa Cole
Released: July 31, 2018 by Avon Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Reluctant Royals #2New York City socialite and perpetual hot mess Portia Hobbs is tired of disappointing her family, friends, and—most importantly—herself. An apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker in Scotland is a chance to use her expertise and discover what she’s capable of. Turns out she excels at aggravating her gruff silver fox boss…when she’s not having inappropriate fantasies about his sexy Scottish burr.
Tavish McKenzie doesn’t need a rich, spoiled American telling him how to run his armory…even if she is infuriatingly good at it. Tav tries to rebuff his apprentice—and his attraction to her—but when Portia accidentally discovers that he’s the secret son of a duke, rough-around-the-edges Tav becomes her newest makeover project.
Forging metal into weapons and armor is one thing, but when desire burns out of control and the media spotlight gets too hot to bear, can a commoner turned duke and his posh apprentice find lasting love?
Carrie says: This multicultural romance is flawed, but combines humor and sword geekery with real world problems.
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A Notorious Vow
Author: Joanna Shupe
Released: September 25, 2018 by Avon
Genre: Historical: American, Romance
Series: The Four Hundred #3Joanna Shupe returns to New York City’s Gilded Age, where fortunes and reputations are gained and lost with ease—and love can blossom from the most unlikely charade
With the fate of her disgraced family resting on her shoulders, Lady Christina Barclay has arrived in New York City from London to quickly secure a wealthy husband. But when her parents settle on an intolerable suitor, Christina turns to her reclusive neighbor, a darkly handsome and utterly compelling inventor, for help.
Oliver Hawkes reluctantly agrees to a platonic marriage . . . with his own condition: The marriage must end after one year. Not only does Oliver face challenges that are certain to make life as his wife difficult, but more importantly, he refuses to be distracted from his life’s work—the development of a revolutionary device that could transform thousands of lives, including his own.
Much to his surprise, his bride is more beguiling than he imagined. When temptation burns hot between them, they realize they must overcome their own secrets and doubts, and every effort to undermine their marriage, because one year can never be enough.
Amanda says: Such a tender slow burn this was! Every detail felt so carefully placed. This was my first Shupe and I immediately went out and bought some backlist after finishing this one.
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We Sold Our Souls
Author: Grady Hendrix
Released: September 18, 2018 by Quirk Books
Genre: Science Fiction/FantasyA new novel of supernatural horror (and pop culture) from the author of Horrorstor, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, and Paperbacks from Hell.
In the 1990s, heavy metal band Dürt Würk was poised for breakout success — but then lead singer Terry Hunt embarked on a solo career and rocketed to stardom as Koffin, leaving his fellow bandmates to rot in rural Pennsylvania.
Two decades later, former guitarist Kris Pulaski works as the night manager of a Best Western – she’s tired, broke, and unhappy. Everything changes when she discovers a shocking secret from her heavy metal past: Turns out that Terry’s meteoric rise to success may have come at the price of Kris’s very soul.
This revelation prompts Kris to hit the road, reunite with the rest of her bandmates, and confront the man who ruined her life. It’s a journey that will take her from the Pennsylvania rust belt to a Satanic rehab center and finally to a Las Vegas music festival that’s darker than any Mordor Tolkien could imagine. A furious power ballad about never giving up, even in the face of overwhelming odds, We Sold Our Souls is an epic journey into the heart of a conspiracy-crazed, paranoid country that seems to have lost its very soul…where only a girl with a guitar can save us all.
Carrie says: A feminist, inspiring horror that celebrates friendships and creativity against forces of violence.
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A Duke Changes Everything
Author: Christy Carlyle
Released: November 27, 2018 by Avon
Genre: Historical: European, Romance
Series: Duke's Den #1In the first novel in Christy Carlyle’s sizzling Duke’s Den series, three men, intent on making a fortune, discover irresistible opportunities . . .
Nicholas Lyon gambled his way into a fortune and ownership of the most opulent, notorious gentlemen’s club in England. But when Nick’s cruel brother dies, he inherits a title he never wanted. The sooner Nick is rid of the estate that has always haunted him, the sooner he can return to the life he’s built in London. But there’s one obstacle—the exquisite Thomasina Thorne.
When the new heir to the Tremayne dukedom suddenly appears in Mina Thorne’s life, she’s flustered. Not only is he breathtakingly handsome, but he’s also determined to take away her home and position as steward of the Enderley estate. If Mina learns what makes the enigmatic duke tick, perhaps she can change his mind—as long as she doesn’t get too close to him.
With each day Nick spends with Mina, his resolve weakens as their colliding wills lead to explosive desire. Could she be the one woman who can help him finally bury the ghosts of his past?
Redheadedgirl says: Emotional tension and competing objectives and emotional growth plus an HGTV plot. What’s not to love?
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I read a lot of good books this year, but top 3 were:
1. Uprooted by Naomi Novik: I just WALLOWED in this book. I loved everything about it. Oddly, I didn’t like Temeraire, but I have hopes for Spinning Silver.
2. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn: Post-apocalypse murder mystery. Society fell a while back and is rising again. Mostly, I loved the writing style and her world-building. There’s no real romance in this one, but it’s the start of a series. I’m saving Book 2 ‘The Wild Dead’ for an airplane ride.
3. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse; As I said at the time, ‘if Supernatural was set on a dystopic Navajo reservation and Dean was a Navajo female, it would be this book’.
I have so many books in the ‘runner-up’ position, but I’ll leave it at 3
If I had to limit it to three books, I’d say my happiest find this year was Skyla Dawn Cameron’s Livi Talbot series (Solomon’s Seal, Odin’s Spear, Emperor’s Tomb). Tomb Raider-esque heroine with a strong found family theme and a back-burner romance I want to happen but don’t want to overtake everything else. It struck the perfect adventure/emotion balance for me, and I—a person who is not wild about series, to put it mildly—can’t wait to see what happens next.
@MirandaB – I already have Trail of Lightning on my TBR but your description just bumped it up!
The Ones Who Got Away, The Kiss Quotient, A Duke By Default, and Jane Doe were all really good reads, all of which I learned about through this site!
My top three are probably:
Tikka Chance on Me by Suleikha Snyder. I’m not usually a fan of novellas, but this really felt like a complete story. I would have been happy to spend more time with these characters, but it didn’t feel like anything was missing or rushed. That is such a difficult balance, and I’m really impressed at how much the author made me care about these characters in a short format.
The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne. I loved that the book focused on characters who were not upper class (I’m so tired of Dukes!) and who didn’t act like 21st century people dressed in ballgowns.
The Garden of Happy Endings by Barbara O’Neal. This isn’t a romance, although there was a satisfying love story in it. I read quite a few of O’Neal’s books this year and enjoyed all of them, but I think this story of a female pastor struggling with her faith stuck with me the most.
My problem is that I don’t always read books the year they are published, so I ended up with a list of favorite 2018 reads, most of which were published earlier. My favorite read of the year is Sierra Simone’s PRIEST, which was published several years ago. Other favorites include Kati Wilde’s GOING NOWHERE FAST (New Adult that works even for old adults like me); A. Zavarelli’s TAP LEFT (addiction, co-dependency, enabling, and an incredibly melancholy storyline about the long shadow of the past); Eve Dangerfield’s ACT YOUR AGE (Daddy role-play done right); Annika Martin’s MOST ELIGIBLE BILLIONAIRE (a rom-com with very serious undertones); Cara McKenna’s WILLING VICTIM/BRUTAL GAME (consensual non-consent); Penelope Ward’s STEPBROTHER DEAREST/NEIGHBOR DEAREST (so angsty, so good); and my most recent favorite, surprisingly published in 2018, Heather Orgeron & Kate Stewart’s HEARTBREAK WARFARE (absolutely gutting story about trauma and recovery with some definite non-romance genre elements). I also discovered (and consumed the back catalogs of) some new-to-me writers: Julie Kriss, Ainsley Booth (aka Zoe York), Sybil Bartel, Caitlin Crews (aka Megan Crane). Overall, a great reading year. I’ve read just over 300 books—and only had to DNF a handful.
Some good choices! Loren is amazing and impressive in how well they’ve managed to weave a really touching and true romance series out of a school shooting premise. The latest one coming out next week is a blockbuster.
“Such a tender slow burn this was!”~ I have this and now I need to read it pronto.
“Such a fascinating examination of cephalopod biology.” Dont know why but this description just put a smile on my face.
I have had the Jennifer Ashley and the Sherry Thomas mysteries just sitting on my shelf and I really need to get to them.
The Kiss Quotient was one of my favorites this year. I loved how gentle and accepting they were of each other. Also, I like that they had jobs, and insights into, that I haven’t really seen before.
Honestly my two favorite stories came from korean dramas this year.
Hope it’s ok even though it’s not books. I just have that need to share them to everbody.
My Ahjussi was just beautiful. Heartbreaking and healing. It just touched me so much. I usually go for the outright likable heroines, but Ji an was so fierce and had such a hard exterior. She gets shit done and would burn the world down to do it. I didnt always like her methods but loved her. I would say a definite case of slytherin heroine and hufflepuff hero. I dont want to give too much away but their relationship and its arc is amazing, but dont expect a traditional romance.
Healer however has a SWOONY romance. I loved it. It is also the perfect mix of romance and action. It is so fun. I get a little incoherent and giddy when I talk about it.
My favorite read of the year was neither published in 2018 nor a romance ~ The Goblin Emperor by Addison.
Last year I had a far easier time picking favorites. Then it was SK Dunstall’s Linesman trilogy; Anne Cleeland’s Acton and Doyle series; and Lyn Gala’s Claimings series.
The First Time at Firelight Falls was a favorite contemporary and one I re-read in the same year. (Something I rarely do.) I have enjoyed Julia Anne Long’s historical novels in the past and her contemporary series this year. The Hellcat Canyon series was fun to read and I enjoyed the characters with all their quirks and backstories. And, I will agree the character’s favorite songs are more suited to my generation as others have pointed out here at SBTB. 🙂
I have two favorites vying for second on my list. I’ll pick What a Difference a Duke Makes by Lenora Bell, a governess and duke story with so many throwbacks to “Mary Poppins,” was a fun and memorable read. Lenora Bell is one of my auto-buy authors because I like the way she weaves the humor in to the story. Honorable mention to Tessa Dare’s The Governess Game with another duke/governess pairing with children who weren’t plot moppets. Both had scenes that had me laughing out loud.
Finally, a book that has been frequently on my mind since I read it over the summer is All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin, so I add it to my favorite three of the year for its effect on my thinking. It is a ripped-from-the-headlines story about the effects of social media on two families. Emily Giffin is another must-read author for me and I feel this is her strongest story so far.
How did I miss Carrie’s review of Other Minds the first time around? I adore cephalopods. I’m a scuba diver and they are hands down the most fascinating creatures I’ve seen. Any dive with an octopus or a cuttlefish is an A+ dive. Check out the flamboyant cuttlefish for an amazing creature. Also ZeFrank has a hilarious video on cuttlefish.
As for books, none of my top books was a romance! How is that possible when it seems like that’s all I read? Anyway, my favs in no particular order:
– THE ACCIDENTALS by Sarina Bowen – I rarely read YA, but this book almost converted me. So much honest feeling packed into this book.
– THE SHIFT: ONE NURSE, TWELVE HOURS, FOUR PATIENTS’ LIVES by Theresa Brown. In a former life I was a nurse, but I left the profession 20+ years ago and never looked back. This book comes the closest to articulating the issues that drove me out of the profession in spite of how much I loved the actual work.
– THE SOULWOOD SERIES by Faith Hunter, a police procedural type UF. What makes it riveting for me is the main character. She was raised in a fundamentalist cult and a big part of this series is her learning to function in the larger world and move beyond her restrictive upbringing while also embracing her magic which is kind of like a wood nymph’s but darker and more bloodthirsty.
My top three I read this year
1. The Winter Bride: everything about this book was a delight especially the hero who was incredibly sweet.
2, I just finished The Sisters of Winter Wood which I can safely say was nothing like anything i’ve Ever trad( there are 2 protagonists and one of the protagonists’ chapters are written in verse. Probably not a book for everyone though because it’s definitely a little surreal and weird
3. ArchEnemies by Marissa Meyer
Three books? Three books is so hard! Okay, here we go! These are books that have managed to stick with all year.
– CREATURES OF WILL AND TEMPER by Molly Tanzer – gender flipped Picture of Dorian Gray, with lesbians, fencing, and demons!
– UNDER THE PENDULUM SUN by Jeannette Ng – Bronte-esque gothic house story, in fairyland
– AN UNSUITABLE HEIR by KJ Charles – charming romance with a genderqueer character and the unassuming and considerate man who loves them. There’s also a serial killer on the loose.
My top three are:
1) Circe by Madeline Miller
2) Forever & Ever by Tere Michaels
3) When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri
For me…my top was “Hot and Badgered” by Sleyy Laurenston. I didn’t even know how badly I wanted a crazy trio of honey badger sisters in my life until I read it. Now I’m practically drooling for the next one with a PANDA love interest.
The Kiss Quotient wasn’t far behind.
I didn’t have any five star books published in 2018 (I am very stingy), but I had a couple of contemporary 4.5 stars:
* Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling – Really great arc for the heroine and a ginger business analyst hero, yes please. Works as a standalone.
* From Lukov With Love by Marianna Zapata – the literary equivalent of thirsty Olympic pair skater ‘ship tweets. And I mean that in the best way possible.
Was it me or did this year’s historical romances seem a weaker crop?
1) Kiss Quotient – he is my favorite book boyfriend, and I loved her too!!
2) The KJ Charles series the Society of Gentlemen, complex political plot like Joanna Bourne or Donna Thorland. If anyone has more suggestions like these I’d love to know…
3) For Real by Alexis Hall, super sweet and explicit mm bdsm, also Waiting for the Flood sweet too but no sex, all build up
4) The Billionaire’s Wake-Up Call Girl – this lighter than air book was just so look fun! If you’ve ever worked a job with many excessive rules about everything (I work in a research lab so…) or if you’ve inadvertently said the wrong thing to the wrong/right person, you’ll enjoy this book. The heroine does all those things and end up with the really hot sweet billionaire…eventually. (Plus hot phone sex!)
5) A book I thought was super interesting and engrossing was A Queen From the North, set in an alternate Briton in which the War of the Roses was never resolved and magic exists. There is acknowledgement of the long term multiracial culture of Briton and the King’s niece is a gender queer witch who I think will be the protagonist of the next book. Not perfect but very worth reading.
I don’t keep a best of the year list because I’m not great at ranking books across categories and because I almost never read books in the year that they were published, but I want to thank Carrie again for her review of Other Minds. It was exactly what she promised and exactly what I wanted from a book about octopodes, and I have passed the recommendation forward to a friend who loves books about animal cognition as much as I do. (I almost never recommend books to people so that is a bigger deal than it sounds.) Thank you, Carrie!
My favorites that were actually published in 2018, listed in a random order since I can never decide on a ranking:
1. Tikka Chance on Me by Suleikha Snyder- Such a well-done novella with characters I adored.
2. Duchess by Design by Maya Rodale- This was just the book I needed at the moment I read it. Great heroine, great female friendships, and a hero who actually listened to the heroine and was willing to work on himself.
3. A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert- The book that made me a Hibbert fangirl.
4. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang- Just as good as everyone says.
5. Melt For You by JT Geissinger- I loved this enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story. It was a lot of fun with great banter and chemistry.
6. One in a Million by Lindsey Kelk- Sweet and funny with great My Fair Lady references
7. The Duke with a Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne- Byrne has a way of making me love crazysauce.
8. Rock Hard by Nalini Singh- So well done with great characters and development.
NK Jemison’s Broken Earth trilogy was fabulous. I’m going to cheat and count that as one, and also mention Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, and on the lighter side, Geekerella by Ashley Poston,Making Up (Lucy Parker) and Beauty and the Mustache (my first Penny Reid).
Clearly I can’t count to three. (;
I feel great about reading so many of these, makes me feel like my book spidey sense was on point this year! I’m starting 2019 reading a psychological thriller called Dark Inheritance. It isn’t disappointing, so good! Intense and dark with a lot of good story. PB Lawson is the author, his site has a great introduction to the book, pblawson.com.
I am going to pull a SBSarah and pick three books in three categories.
My three favorite (new-to-me) Romances this year:
Ruthless by Anne Stuart: historical romance between a sex society running hero (who is very emotionally disconnected from the world) and a poor aristocratic heroine. Yes, there were a couple of problematic parts, but holy crap I loved it.
Completely Yours by Erin Nicholas: cos-playing heroine meets EMT with a semi-savior complex. Real life conflict and great character development.
Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh: Loved the chemistry between the characters and the fact that this romance novel was a love letter to the romance genre.
Other Fiction – Non-Romance:
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik: an oh-so-satisfying conclusion to the Temeraire series. The world is a better place because Novik created the character and world of Temeraire.
OCDaniel by Wesley King: Children’s fiction about a middle school boy who is trying to come to terms with his OCD. I have had OCD since I was in elementary school and felt this was the first realistic portrayal I have ever found in fiction – whether that be books, TV/movies, etc.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: I loved everything about this – the story telling structure, the kickass heroine Marian, the claustrophobic, walls-closing-in gothic nature of the book, everything.
Non-Fiction:
With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge: The memoir of a Marine who served in the WWII battles of Peleliu and Okinawa. In beautiful, concise writing the author describes the boredom, the bravery, the terror, the horror, the disgusting nature, the heroism, the sadness, and the tragic mistakes of war.
A Voyage Long and Strange by Tony Horowitz: part history and part travelogue, the author talks about the non-English colonizers of North America and the Caribbean and then visits locations that are tied to that history.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris: This the first of a three volume biography which is engagingly written and covers TR from his birth until the moment he is about the ascend to the presidency.
My top three romances this year in no particular order has to be:
1. A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert
2. The Understatement of the Year by Sarina Bowen
3. From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata
My top two are easy – I gave two books 5 stars on GR (out of 139 books)
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells – 4 novella SF/suspense series about a cranky rogue AI security cyborg who just wants to be left alone to stream their favorite media but manages to protect their human charges, make friends with other AIs and solve some mysteries. I can’t say enough good things about this series – it’s fun, it’s compelling reading and it’s also thought provoking.
Lights and Sirens by Lisa Henry – mm contemporary rivals to lovers romance about two 1st responders in Queensland Australia. The romance, the character development, the sense of place is all outstanding.
@cleo
My 3rd place is much harder, I had a lot of 4 star reads. I want to mention the following:
Erik the Pink – m/m set in northern England that starts where a lot of romances end, with the birth of a child. It’s the story of a gay couple and their first year as parents and it’s low conflict and lovely.
Love All by Rachel Spangler – f/f IR contemporary romance between a pro tennis player making a comeback and the mother of her new, up and coming doubles partner.
Contraband Hearts by Alex Beecroft – mm historical iR. Age of Sail Thomas Crowne Affair.