My Best Reads of 2013

My most memorable reads of 2013 are based on the 98 books and stories I read in 2013 and does not represent books that were published in that year.

The Book(s) That Broke My Heart: 
I read more than my usual dose of heart wrenching books last year.. 
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The Kite Runner Graphic Novel by Khaled Hosseini
The Fault in Our Stars by Johen Green

The Most Electric Shock Value: 
Sins & Needles by Karina Halle

The Fantastic Fantasy:
Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

The Surprise Little Gem:
One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry

Kicking Myself for Waiting So Long to Read:
The Guardians Series by Meljean Brook
still catching up...

Short But Oh So Sweet:
Wanderlust by Kitty French
It only has 3.76 stars on goodreads but I sure did love this sweet and sexy novella.

Most Sinful Guilty Pleasure:
50 Shades of Gray series by E.L. James
Yes, it has its flaws but don't we all?

The Book That Swept Me Away:
The Shadow of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Book Most NOT Worth The Hype:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Book That Challenged Me:
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Other books worth mentioning: 
A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean

What was your most memorable book(s) of 2013?

Best of 2012 In Books

I love this time of year when book bloggers post their favorite reads of the year. I get reminded of the books I wanted to read and may have missed and I always manage to add more to my must read list. Before I get to my most memorable books of 2012, I gathered some stats from my reading patterns last year. Just for fun.

By the numbers: 
I read ...
101 books total plus 8 online short stories

11 of the books I read were re-reads

37 library books
64 from my shelves
 8 online short fiction

33 were ebooks or online fiction
76 were paper books

71 novels/books
16 novellas
14 graphic novels
  8 online short fiction

I read books or stories by 66 distinct authors...

12 male authors     18.2%
54 female authors  81.8%

GENRE: 
Non fiction................... 3
Fiction .....................106

Romance...................... 55      52% 
    paranormal ..... 23
    contemporary.. 15
    historical ........ 14
    steampunk ....... 3
Graphic novels.............14       13.2%
Urban Fantasy ............ 13       12.3% 
Young adult ................. 7         6.6% 
Crime fiction ...............  7         6.6%
General fiction ............  6         5.6%
Fantasy ........................  3        2.8% 
Children's Literature...... 1        0.9%

Number of books per month:
   Jan    3
   Feb 14
   Mar 13
   Apr 12
   May  8
   Jun    5
   Jul     6
   Aug   9
   Sep    8
   Oct    7
   Nov 12
   Dec 12

My most memorable reads of 2012: 

The Book That Broke My Heart :
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones [2012]

Favorite Romance:
The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Best Recommendation from a Friend:
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell [2011]
   and Conor's Way by Laura Lee Guhrke [1998; re-issued ebook in 2012]

Fantastic Fantasy: 
Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman
and Cold Magic and Cold Fire by Kate Elliot

The Roller Coaster Book:
Gold by Chris Cleave [2012]
It was sad, happy, exciting, bittersweet and anger inducing all at the same time.

Best Debut:
Hearts of Darkness by Kira Brady [2012]

The Longest Linger :
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz [2012]
This book got under my skin and I thought about it for a long time after I finished it.

Short but Oh So Sweet:
The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan [2012]
Deck The Halls with Love by Lorraine Heath [2012]
The Scandalous, Dissolute, No Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare [2012]

Most guilty pleasure:
Catching up on the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole [2008-2011]

Best Blast From the Past:
Conor's Way by Laura Lee Guhrke [1998; re-issued ebook 2012]

Kicking Myself For Waiting So Long To Read This One:

 The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook [2010]  ...phenomenal world building!
    and The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley [2009] ...fascinating main character!

The Book That Challenged Me :
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I only read the first 275 pages or so back in November, but I'm going to pick this book back up soon and finish it. The volume of it still intimidates me, but it's 19th century chick lit which is fun, even if Tolstoy can be quite long winded at times.

The Ones That Got Away: 
  and are now on my list to read in 2013... 

As always, I could go on and on about the books I missed in 2012, but these are at the top of the list.

The Fault in Our Stars by John
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Easy by Tamara Webber
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Iced by Karen Marie Moning
Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley

What was your most memorable 2012 book? 

Best of 2012 In the Kitchen

I stole the idea for this post from Beth F, the creator and host of the popular Weekend Cooking feature that can be found every Saturday morning on her blog Beth Fish Reads. Yesterday, Beth F posted a wonderful recap of her year in Weekend Cooking posts with a Best of 2012 Cookbooks, Drinks and Favorite Posts list. Check out her post and links to other Weekend Cooking posts HERE. I'm doing something similar here tonight.

NEW COOKING EXPERIENCES IN 2012: 
Unfortunately, I didn't keep a detailed journal of my new cooking and dining experiences in 2012, so I'm working this list from memory and my blog posts, the former of which isn't 100% reliable, I'm afraid. At least I have a new journal idea for 2013 now.. ;) Here's a list of the foods I made for the first time this year:

Lime curd 
Lime Curd {from homegrown limes!}, June 2. 2012
I made homemade lime curd using tiny limes that my husband brought home from his uncle's backyard in Texas while visiting there in April. It was really pretty easy to make and so delicious--refreshing with a sweet tart zing! I'll definitely make lemon, lime or other citrus curd in the future.

Meringues 
Chocolate-Peanut Meringues from Everyday Food Magazine, April 1. 2012
I made meringues from a recipe in a cooking magazine. They came out great. Again, so easy to make at home, even if the shape wasn't as nice as store bought meringues.

Home Canning Tomatoes, August 28. 2012
I got invited to partake in a day of canning vats of fresh tomatoes one day last August. What a neat experience! I came home with 2 1/2 cases of tomatoes in quart jars. I am down to one case already, which means I'm going to definitely run out before the winter is over. Lesson learned.. I need about 5 cases of tomatoes to last my family a whole year.

Pear butter 
Homemade Pear Butter The Lazy Girl's Way, October 28. 2012
I found an easy and delicious way to use up a plethora of over ripe pears, thanks to a recipe for making homemade pear butter in the oven from Farmgirl Fare blog.

Spätzle! 
German Cookery by Elizabeth Schuler [Cookbook], December 1, 2012
I made homemade spätzle for the first time--it was fun and everyone liked it. I might make it again sometime, but it won't take a spot on my regular menu, though. I thought the spätzle needed a lot of butter to give it a good flavor and that's just not how we eat on a regular basis.

Green Juicing! 
Drink Your Greens, March 17, 2012
Woot woot! Good Excellent health in a glass. I started green juicing in 2012 thanks to the Whole Living Action Plan in which I participated back in January. It's basically a food based detox to jump start your body back to a healthy digestive state. Anyway, green juicing is one of the habits that I took away from the cleanse and continued to do all year long. I'm officially hooked. The other awesome thing I took away from that cleanse was to break my addiction to caffeine. Very liberating and I don't get nearly as many migraines as I used to. I think I might have had 2-3 migraines all year whereas I used to have that many in one month. If you suffer migraines, you may want to consider giving up caffeine, too, to see if it helps you.

FAVORITE RECIPE POSTS: 
Best Homemade Pizza Dough, March 3, 2012 gets tons of hits. Over 1500 so far--which is a lot for my little ol' blog. I hope that means people are making my recipe. I just made it the other night!

My recipes for Vegan Basil Pesto, Vegan Arugula-Garlic Scape Pesto and Vegan Potato Leek Soup also get a lot of hits. I'd say there's a niche for vegan recipes out there.

FAVORITE COOKBOOKS: 
2012 Cookbooks.

Did you vote in the 2012 Readers Choice Awards on Goodreads this year? Most of the readers of my blog are fellow book bloggers, so chances are you did. Did you read a lot of the books from the fiction categories? I read a few and was otherwise familiar with many of the others across many genres. Surprisingly, it was the cookbook genre that I was most familiar with, having read SIX of the nominees, including the winning book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond. It was not my favorite book of those that I read. The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) is a wonderful, fun, down to earth voice in home cooking and her cookbook is nice, but not nearly as original or inspiring as the cookbooks below which I've also read this year. Three 2012 cookbooks that I read and adored this year are:

   

Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan (My vote in the readers choice awards)
The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila 
Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach

I highly recommend all three of these lovely, original and inspiring cookbooks. I hope you check them out. I'm still on the waiting list for The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman, also published in 2012. Any day now...

The Results of the 2012 Readers Choice Awards on Goodreads for Cookbooks

I must mention the following three 2011 publications that caught my attention in 2012, all of which I highly recommend.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer 
I LOVE ice cream in a scary big way and was intrigued by all the positive buzz this cookbook was getting, so I bought Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home cookbook earlier this year. I finally got around to making Roasted Pistachio Ice Cream in September and the results were amazing! Wow.. just wow. If you have an ice cream maker, you should really get this book.

The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland
Gorgeous presentation, fantastic recipes--some classics, some twists on old favorites and many original creations that hopefully inspire couples to cook together. The narration is charming in a cozy sweet blissful newlywed way, although at times a little too sugar coated for me. Still.. I read every page and wanted to devour every recipe. Highly recommended.

Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr 
Although not really a cookbook, Crazy Sexy Diet does have recipes in it and it is all about healthy living and eating to be your healthiest and happiest, so I'm mentioning it in this post anyway. Kris Carr is SO positive and inspiring!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: 
Everyday Food Magazine will no longer in publication after the December 2012 issue. I've been subscribing to this magazine since June 2005 and still have every issue. I've loved it over the years and will miss it greatly. :(

Do you have anything on your Best of 2012 List from your kitchen? 

Did you try any new-to-you foods in 2012? 

A new favorite restaurant or cookbook?

Best of 2010 {in Books}

Better late than never, here is my annual reading stats and my list of favorite books that I read 2010. Note that while many of my favorites were published in 2010, some were published in late 2009 or even earlier.

I read 83 books in 2010, averaging bout 7 books per month. I didn't make my goal of reading 100 books, but I sure read some really fantastic books last year.

As little as three years ago, I read predominantly paranormal romance. Every year since then my reading preferences have become more and more diverse. Last year, I read from ten different genres and sub-genres.

Mystery/Crime fiction.... 24
Young Adult .... 17
Historical Romance..... 15
Contemporary Romance.... 8
Urban Fantasy .... 7
Literary Fiction.... 6
Paranormal Romance .... 2
Children's Fiction.... 2
Fantasy.... 1
Steampunk.... 1

Mystery/crime fiction dominated my reading last year at a total of 24 books. This dominance was largely due to my challenge to catch up in the In Death series by J.D. Robb, of which I read 14 books. While the In Death series is largely considered a romantic suspense series by romance readers, I have come to recognize it more as a mystery or crime fiction series, a classification with which I believe libraries and bookstores agree. The series is undeniably character driven, focusing on the actions of detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas as she solves homicides in a futuristic New York City and inevitably on her private life with her husband Roarke and their small network of friends and colleagues as well. If you're not reading this series yet, why not challenge yourself to try the first book, Naked In Death, and see what you think? Be sure to check out the In Death Series Reading Challenge hosted here as well.

Now for my favorite books of 2010.

Most Compelling Series:
There are two series of which I picked up and read the first book and I found it so compelling that I couldn't help but devour the subsequent books in the series.

The Lily Bard Mystery books by Charlaine Harris (Mystery)
This series of stories were published some time ago, and I don't recall what prompted me to pick up the first book when I saw it on the shelf while browsing the limited selection of paperbacks at my library. I just know that I was instantly and completely drawn to Lily Bard and her stories. The books are a bit on the dark or bleak side, but the Lily felt so real to me from the very first page. So much so that I actually missed Lily after I finished the last book.







Shakespeare's Landlord (1996)
Shakespeare's Champion (1997)
Shakespeare's Christmas (1998)
Shakespeare's Trollop (2000)
Shakespeare's Counselor (2001)

and

The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning (Urban Fantasy)

I read the first book in this series, Darkfever, in the summer of 2007, but was inspired to re-read it for a Fever series Read Along hosted by SmexyBooks and FictionVixen blogs in anticipation of the release of the 5th and final book in the series, Shadowfever, which releases January 18, 2011. I'm so glad I decided to give the series a try again, because when I re-read Darkfever, I liked it so much better than the first time I read it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much more, that I wasted no time picking up and reading the next three books, Bloodfever, Faefever and Dreamfever. Now I'm sitting on pins and needles, waiting for Shadowfever. I haven't been in such a state of anticipation for a new book release in a really long time. One more week!


Darkfever (2006)
Bloodfever (2007)
Faefever (2008)
Dreamfever (2009)

Shadowfever (2011) coming January 18, 2011...

Favorite 'Aren't You Too Old to be Reading That?'*, 
a.k.a Young Adult:
*category name courtesy of Lurv a la Mode


I read SO many really fantastic young adult books this year. Every single one was wonderfully written, really engaging and creative, all with characters whom I adored. In fact, nearly every single one I read teeters toward the top of my list of favorite books of 2010. But one stands out as THE Best Young Adult Book of 2010:

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (2010)

Honorable Mentions:
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (2010) (contemporary)
Looking for Alaska by John Green (2005) (contemporary)
Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater (2009) (urban fantasy)
Beastly by Alex Flinn (2007) (modern fairy-tale)
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (2010 US) (dystopian-fantasy)
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (2009) (magical realism)
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (2010) (paranormal)
I'll stop there... ;)

Worth Every Single Tear:
These two novels made me cry. A lot. But both books also provided a few good laughs and were overall incredibly satisfying reads with genuine, sigh worthy happy endings. Thank God.

The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins (2010)
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (2010)

Smart & Sexy Historical Romances:
One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare (2010) 
Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan (2010) 
Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran (2010)
The Devil Wears Plaid by Teresa Medeiros (2010)

Most Heart-Pounding-Edge-of-Your-Seat-Thrilling Read:
Bloodfever No, no, actually Faefever was more exciting.
But omg... Dreamfever!! My blood pressure was totally elevated reading this one. Okay, okay, so I'm going with the whole dang series as the most thrilling read of 2010 for me.

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

Surprise Favorite Read:
Except the Queen by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder (2010)

I first heard of this book from The Book Smugglers who posted a favorable review early in the year. The premise of the story appealed to me, but I don't read a lot of straight fantasy, so my curiosity wasn't piqued enough to seek the book out and read it. But when I saw it come in my library a few weeks later, I figured I had nothing to lose and should give it a try. I am so glad I did, because Except the Queen turned out to be one of my absolute favorite reads of the year. Beautiful writing, wonderfully drawn out characters and a compelling story line. It has even inspired me to read more straight fantasy fiction in 2011. :)

Most Read Author of the Year:
Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb
I read 4 contemporary romances written by Nora Roberts and 14 of her In Death series futuristic crime fiction novels written under the pen name J.D. Robb.


Here's to another year of amazing books in 2011.

Cheers! :)

My Reading Stats & Favorite Reads of 2009

This post is a reflection of the books I read last year by numbers, genre and favorites.

The numbers

I read a total of 79 books, averaging 6 to 7 books per month, which is 18 more total books than I read in 2008, so I'm happy about that, especially considering how busy the first half of 2009 was for me with construction on the house, moving back home, unpacking, setting up house and all that other jazz. I'm going to be bold and aim to read 100 in 2010. I'm aiming to read 8 books per month, 10 books each in July and August when I have more spare time.

The genres
I read from a 11 different literary genres in 2009, which made it my most diverse reading year yet and I really enjoyed the variety. I definitely see myself continuing with this pattern of mixing up my genre selections from now on, although I'm sure romance will dominate. Here's a list of the genres I read and the number of books in each:

Contemporary Romance . . . 18
Historical Romance . . . 17
Young Adult . . . 14
Paranormal Romance . . . 10
Mystery . . . 6
Urban Fantasy . . . 6
Fantasy . . . 3
General Fiction . . . 2
Sci Fi . . . 1
Memoir . . . 1
Children's Fiction . . . 1

The favorites
I also keep a running list of the books I read each month at my book archives if you're interested in exactly what I was reading last year. Sometimes I even write a few brief comments or notes on the books, too. My favorite reads, though, do deserve an extra shout out, so I'm going to list them here, although it was very difficult to come up with a list of favorites. I enjoyed every book I read this year and can truthfully recommend them all. I'm not kidding.

I attempted a list of Top 10, but I couldn't draw the line! Hey, it's my blog and I can do what I want, so here's my Top 20 Reads of 2009.

My Top 20 Reads of 2009:
Listed in the order I read them by genre . . .

Favorite Urban Fantasy novels:
Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey

Favorite Young Adult novels:
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Favorite Contemporary Romances:
Stranger by Megan Hart
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
The Chocolate Run by Dorothy Koomson
Stolen Fury by Elisabeth Naughton
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Although Garden Spells is categorized as general fiction, it's a contemporary romance according to my standards. ;)

Favorite Historical Romances:
Broken Wing by Judith James
Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory
The Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare
Surrender of a Siren by Tessa Dare

Favorite Fantasy novels:
The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop

(I'm cheating and naming the whole trilogy)

Favorite Mystery novels:
The Spellman Files series by Lisa Lutz

(Cheating again and naming the whole series)


Are any of your favorite reads of 2009 on my list?

Up next, I'll be making individual posts for each of the Reading Challenges I'm joining for 2010 and uh... I'm just warning you. There's quite a few. It is possible I got a bit over zealous with the challenge thing. Just a bit. :o)

Favorite Books of 2008

Happy New Year!

Reflecting on the books I read in 2008, I've come up with a list of my favorite novels and some honorable mentions. My three most favorite books are highlighted in BLUE.
.................................................................

Favorite Young Adult novel:
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Honorable Mention:
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (paperback released in 2008)
..................................................................

Favorite Historical Romance:
The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

Honorable mention:
The SpyMaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne
..................................................................

Favorite Paranormal Romance:


Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione

Honorable Mentions:
Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Veil of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole
..................................................................

Favorite Contemporary Romance:
Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas

..................................................................

Favorite Urban Fantasy novel:
Iron Kissed* by Patricia Briggs

*This UF series also features my favorite heroine of 2008, Mercy Thompson.

Honorable Mention:
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
..................................................................

Favorite Sci Fi Romance:
Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre

Honorable Mention:
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
..................................................................

Favorite short story:
"Alpha and Omega" by Patricia Briggs
On the Prowl Anthology

My Favorite Books of 2007

This is a list of my favorite books that were released in 2007. It does not include books I read in 2007 that were released in 2006 or earlier.  I say this because I read a lot of "older" books in 2007, as I am fairly new to the romance genre and I had a lot of catching up to do! 

I started reading romance about 15 months ago, and became terribly addicted to paranormal romance, so you'll see that all of my picks come from that genre, save for one contemporary. Unfortunately, I have about 75 books that I bought in 2007 that sit on my TBR shelf unread. I wish I had gotten to them before the year ended, as they will forever be out of the race for my top reads of 2007.  Oh well.  C'est la vie.

Please feel free to agree or disagree with my choices, and say so, too!  I'm curious to know what books were at the top of your 2007 reads.   Maybe there is a spectacular author that I need to check out! :)

1. Lord of the Fading Lands by C.L. Wilson.

C.L. Wilson has a beautiful story telling voice and an eloquent writing style that pulls you into this magical world. Lord of the Fading Lands  is an amazing mix of a dark, epic adventure and a fairy tale romance.    Not classic HEA in nature, this fantasy  love story is full of magic and suspense.  I'm sure the sequel, Lady of Light and Shadows would have made this list as well, if I had finished reading it in 2007.  Holidays got in the way of this one... :( 

2. Demon Angel by Meljean Brook.

Meljean has an incredible talent for world building and character development, and this novel had probably the most intricate plot of all the books I read in 2007.   The demon-angel-vampire-human world that Meljean created leads seamlessly to a captivating and detailed story arc.  The deeply developed characters and unexpected plot twists keeps you in suspense--and then desperate for more--until the very last page.  Lilith is an extraordinary, unforgettable character, and Hugh is the epitome of a hero.  

3. Demon Moon by Meljean Brook.

Again, Meljean has an incredible talent for world building and character development. Colin and Savitri--Demon Moon's hero and heroine-- are incredibly unique characters.  The obstacles they face on their own and together, in conjunction with a riveting story arc and unimaginable plot twists, delivers an unforgettable love story.  Once again,  I was in heart wrenching suspense until the very last page.   

4. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost.

Another series romance that will have the love story between the hero and heroine an ongoing tale throughout the series.    I loved the interaction between the hero and heroine.  Some moments were witty, some passionate, some tender, and there was always some adventure to be had.  Such a fanastic read and I'm already counting down the days to the sequel, One Foot in the Grave coming out in April 2008.

5. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer.

Edward. Bella. Jacob.   These three are my brand of heroine!  This is the series that brought me into the world of paranormal romance, so it will always have a special place on my shelves and in my heart. 

Also recommend Twilight (2005) and New Moon (2006). 

 

6. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole.

Unique characters, unusual circumstances, fantastic dialogue, and irresistible attraction give this novel a spot on my list for 2007.  I love this series!  The myriad of secondary characters is awesome, and I hope  Kresley Cole writes a story for all of them! :)  

Also recommend Hunger Like No Other (2006) and No Rest for the Wicked (2006).

7. Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian.

Midnight Awakening is Lara's third book in her Midnight Breed Series and is the story of Tegan and Elise.  Tegan has been my favorite Breed Warrior since the inception of this series with Kiss of Midnight and my expectations of his character and his story were more than met.   The emotional and sexual tension between Tegan and Elise was beautifully articulated and made for a great romance read. 

Also highly recommend Kiss of Midnight (2007) and Kiss of Crimson (2007).

8. Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh.  

Nalini is yet another author with amazing world building talents! The Psy-Changeling world is sometimes a bit frightening and at other times extremely comforting.  The world is made up of some extremely diverse beings, yet Nalini seamlessly breaks down barriers and brings together the most unlikely combinations of characters with the power of love.  There's no going wrong with a sentiment like that!  

Don't miss Slave to Sensation (2006) and Visions of Heat (2007) as well! 

9. Driven by Eve Kenin

A futuristic, post-apocalyptic love story.  It's unique premise and setting, this novel was a pleasantly fun and satisfying romance.   It is a great start to a potentially great series!  

10. Witch Fire by Anya Bast

Ellora's Cave author goes mainstream with this paranormal romance, and it's an ideal blend of steamy sex, romance, and adventure. Very sexy book... I loved it.

And because I just couldn't stop at 10 .... 

11. Taken by the Night by Kathryn Smith

I love Kathryn Smith's Brotherhood of the Blood Series--a terrific mix of historical and paranormal romance, and Taken by the Night is book 3 in this great series. Another book with a unique setting (19th century brothel); add in an unusual murder mystery, a complicated, strong willed heroine and a sexy vampire hero, and it makes my top list! :)

12. Lover Unbound by JR Ward.

I know there is much controversy regarding the final outcome of this romance novel.  While I cannot ignore the fact that the the focus in this fantastic world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood has shifted,  I also can't forget that I was completely and utterly engrossed in this edgy and sexy book from the moment I read the first page until... well... the end, so it earns a place on my list. Every scene with Z was amazing in this book, and I  absolutely love watching his character continue to develop throughout the series.  Phury was also in top form throughout the book, as was the new trioka of JM, Blay and Qhuinn (although I am finding the side story of "JM is Darius" to be a bit drawn out by now).   I think I could have absolutely LOVED Lover Unbound if the last 20 pages or so were written just a bit differently.  It's just that I can't overlook the sinking feeling that started with regard to the plot around p. 484 or so and remained with me right through the end, even after I finished the last words on p. 502.   I know everything in the BDB world happens for a reason, that there are no coincidences, but the ending of this book left this BDB addict disappointed.  Needless to say, I am still really looking forward to future books in this series, starting with Phury's book, Lover Enshrined due out on June 3, 2008, and, of course, Rehvenge's book due out in hardcover in 2009! 

13. Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas. 

The only contemporary I read in 2007, and I admit I only picked it up because Lisa was on a book tour for Sugar Daddy, and was doing a signing in my local Barnes and Noble.  Needless to say, I'm so glad I flipped the bucks for this book (hardcover--yikes!)! It was a wonderfully rich and emotional coming of age kind of romance. I'm sooo looking forward to the sequel, The Blue Eyed Devil in 2008. Read this short excerpt on Lisa's site. O.M.G. great scene... you should check it out even if you don't intend on reading the book. Seriously.

Obviously, I'm such a sucker for series based on a brotherhood of good guy vampires! .... sucker... vampire... LOL But it's true! 

So? What do you think of my list?   Be honest!  *cough*samantha*cough*dee*cough*! ;)