As a fan of romance novels, and somebody who loves making lists, I'm
instantly
drawn to the many "Best of…" book lists that come out as the year draws to a
close. I'd thought about doing one that encompasses the entire year, but
then I
was struck by how many fabulous books have been published just this fall
alone.
With each new book I read, the list of books that have blown my mind kept
growing. I've read some amazing books by a few of my favorite authors, but
I've
also been lucky enough to stumble on one or two books by authors whose books
I
haven't read in the past.
Three books by new-to-me authors are: WHAT THE EARL NEEDS NOW
by
Michelle Willingham, A DARING ARRANGEMENT by
Joanna Shupe, and A DUKE
IN
SHINING ARMOR by Loretta Chase. Based on other readers' recommendations,
I
read and enjoyed LORD OF
SCOUNDRELS by Loretta Chase, but I hadn't gotten around to reading
another
book by her until now. I was initially drawn to A DUKE IN SHINING ARMOR
because
of the runaway bride theme. After a page or two, the delightful witty banter
had
me hooked. Watching the Duke of Ripley thoroughly flummoxed by his feelings
for
Lady Olympia Hightower, the beautiful but flakey Duke of Ashmont try to get
a
clue, and the flurry of amusing traveling scenes make for an entertaining
farce.
Like the Duke of Ripley in A DUKE IN SHINING ARMOR, Julius Hatcher in A
DARING
ARRANGEMENT has his world turned upside-down by a woman. I love a good
"pretend
relationship" story, and this book is a great example of why that trope is
so
much fun. For me, A DARING ARRANGEMENT has elements from my favorite Lisa
Kleypas historicals as well as classic romantic comedies from the 1930s and
40s
– with a little mystery thrown in. WHAT THE EARL NEEDS NOW has a tortured
hero,
but I think this is first and foremost a wonderful "second chance at love"
story. At the beginning of this story, Matthew Larkspur almost blows his
chance
with his true love in a misguided attempt to be noble – thankfully that
doesn't
last long. The meat of the story is after Matthew realizes (with the help of
a
few friends) that he needs Lily. What follows is a charming and sensual
courtship, with an air of mystery and a few thrills thrown in.
I love paranormal romances, and this fall has produced some truly
spectacular
stories by a few of my favorite authors: KEEP ME CLOSE by
Cynthia
Eden, DARK LEGACY by
Christine Feehan, DREAMING
OF A WHITE WOLF CHRISTMAS by Terry Spear, and THE BRIGHTEST EMBERS by
Jeaniene Frost. Out of all of these stories, KEEP ME CLOSE is not what most
people would characterize as "paranormal", but Cynthia Eden's super soldiers
have superhero strength combined with intriguing psychic abilities. The guys
in
KEEP ME CLOSE are basically vampires and werewolves without the fangs or
fur. I
love Christine Feehan and Terry Spear, but normally their styles are
completely
different. While these two author's fictional worlds are normally such
opposites, their two fall releases have something crucial in common. What I
love
most about DARK LEGACY and DREAMING OF A WHITE WOLF CHRISTMAS is the way the
hero and heroine in each story are in sync and act as true partners in the
stories. In DARK LEGACY, Dragomir is a fierce and chivalrous knight and
Emeline
is a fierce fighter in her own way. Dragomir and Emeline respect and admire
each
other for the person they are. In DREAMING OF A WHITE WOLF CHRISTMAS,
Candice
Mayfair and Owen Nottingham meet up years after a chance and enchanted first
sighting. The second time around, Candice and Owen are wowed by how much
they
have in common and the easy way their relationship develops. THE BRIGHTEST
EMBERS by Jeaniene Frost deals with angels, demons, and prophecies rather
than
the usual paranormal suspects. THE BRIGHTEST EMBERS makes a great cap on an
exciting trilogy because the series is very character-driven (and those
characters are amazing), and the love story is truly epic in scope. This
last
book in the trilogy is very much so about the couple rather than the group
dynamic, and Adrian is a to-die-for conflicted hero.
My historical romance picks all have phenomenal heroines. The heroine in THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE
by
Kerrigan Byrne makes that story something exceptional. It seems like
Samantha
Masters lives a dozen lifetimes in THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE. Rather than let
one
villain dampen her spirit, she strikes back and makes her way in the world,
and
finds an adventure. Samantha is a woman who can handle a gun and has no time
for
smooth-talking Scotsmen trying to scam her. Her resiliency and vibrancy are
what
draw the hero to her. The lush locales also make THE SCOT BEDS HIS WIFE
worth
checking out. Alec Mackenzie, in ALEC MACKENZIE'S ART OF
SEDUCTION, is a much different Scotsman than Kerrigan Byrne's Gavin St.
James. The draw of Jennifer Ashley's Mackenzies series are the
impressive and swoon-tastic heroes. Alec is on a mission to find and free
his
brother. True to his sterling character, he marries the woman he falls in
love
with along the way, rather than use her as a pawn. I adore Mary Balogh's
books,
but I was greatly looking forward to SOMEONE TO WED for one
reason – the hero. Alexander Westcott, newly minted Earl of Riverdale, is
the
epitome of a "nice guy" hero. Alexander proves why nice guys deserve a
second
glance and are just as interesting as any bad boy. The heroine in SOMEONE TO
WED
is just as extraordinary. Wren Heyden is something of a contradiction and an
enigma to many. While Wren hides her face from society, she lives more
independently than most single woman of her time. Frustration and attraction
soon turn to admiration and love as Alex and Wren get to know each other. In
LADY ELEANOR'S SEVENTH
SUITOR, Anna Bradley has several characters describe Camden West as
being
both a hero and villain. This complicated hero would be enough of a reason
to
read this book, but the shrewd heroine and the ridiculously delicious amount
of
sexual tension is the icing on the cake.
In addition to romances, I'm also a sucker for a good mystery – mainly
cozies.
PURRING AROUND THE
CHRISTMAS
TREE by Liz Mugavero is a lively cozy mystery set in a small town around
Christmas time. Mugavero tells a story that immediately sucks you in – with
humor, interesting characters (both heroes and villains), multiple puzzles
for
the reader to put together, as well as a smidge of suspense. The "Amory
Ames"
mystery series by Ashley Weaver is not exactly what I'd describe as a cozy
series, but I love it anyway. Amory and Milo Ames channel Nick and Nora
Charles,
but with a little more baggage. The passionate, and sometimes problematic,
marital relationship gives the mysteries they get involved in an added zing
without being tiresome. ESSENCE OF MALICE
provides
a fascinating look at a cut-throat family of parfumiers. Exotic scents and
locations mix with shady characters to entertain readers.
It's ironic to me how much I enjoy sports-themed romances while not actually
being much of a sports fan myself. THE FINAL SCORE by Jaci
Burton, PLAYED by
Jen
Frederick, and NO TIME
TO
EXPLAIN are all books by some of my favorite authors. THE FINAL SCORE
and
PLAYED are both about friends who become lovers, but they have some key
differences. In THE FINAL SCORE, Nathan and Mia are both in the sports
business
in one way or another and both have tested out what a relationship between
them
would be like with sex thrown in. In THE FINAL SCORE, these two BFFs are at
a
point in their lives where they need to take a chance or have the
opportunity
gone forever. PLAYED is also about two friends, but they are still in
college
and have a different dynamic than Nathan and Mia, who have their college
years
behind them. In PLAYED, two friends are going through many changes in their
lives and these changes make it harder to keep their deeper feelings for
each
other secret. Jaci Burton and Jen Frederick are both extremely skilled at
telling a character-driven story with red-hot erotic scenes that are tailor-
fit
to the specific characters involved. Kate Angell's Barefoot William
series features many stories with heroes who are baseball players for the
Richmond Rogues team. Unlike the other two stories, the hero and heroine in
NO
TIME TO EXPLAIN are strangers who meet up in a very unconventional, yet
amusing,
way. As with previous books by Kate Angell, the dogs in this book are
well-written secondary characters and a big part of what makes these books
so
much fun. The hero in NO TIME TO EXPLAIN is a bit of a modern-day rake, but
Kate
Angell keeps things relatively light with a nice balance of sweet and sexy.
ALL I WANT FOR
HALLOWEEN
by Marie Harte and A
RANCHER'S HEART by Vivian Arend both feature strong heroines and alpha
males
who work well with their hands. In ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN, tv personality
Gear
Blackstone meats the woman of his dreams at a costume party. A fun setting
soon
turns into the setting for a passionate make-out session, which then turned
into
a scene of violence when Sadie wallops Gear's annoying ex. As with many
other
contemporary romances by Marie Harte, the humor and eroticism are perfectly
balanced and make for an enjoyable tale. In A RANCHER'S HEART, Caleb Stone
is a
hardworking rancher and single father who is hard not to fall for. When
Tamara
comes to work as the nanny, the two soon realize how perfect they fit
together.
The supporting characters, including Caleb's daughters, are an integral part
of
the story and make it more satisfying. Both stories by both authors are
undeniably sexy and great stories.
CHERISH HARD by
Nalini
Singh and DIRTY
SCOUNDREL by Jessica Clare both have a hero and heroine who have a
history
and get a chance to at a "do-over". In CHERISH HARD, Sailor Bishop first
sees
Isa Rain and is captivated by her. Isa is a beautiful dream that haunts
Sailor
for years. Now, years later, Sailor and Isa cross paths and it's magic.
Sailor
Bishop has now become one of my favorite heroes, with his natural charm and
earnest adoration of Isa. In DIRTY SCOUNDREL, Natalie Weston and Clay Price
have
a history that is complicated in large part because of the machinations of
her
father. There are moments in DIRTY SCOUNDREL that make a happy ending for
Natalie and Clay seem almost impossible, but the love between them is
evident
despite all the obstacles in their way. As the title would imply, things
between
Natalie and Clay get messy before they get better, but they also get super
steamy.
IT'S GOTTA BE YOU by
LuAnn McLane and INFAMY
by L.P. Maxa both have rock star heroes, but the similarities in these
stories
end there. LuAnn writes about characters who are anchored by their close
family
relationships and friendships. The Heart brothers in LuAnn McLane's
Heartthrob series are extremely close, and they're sweet guys. In
IT'S
GOTTA BE YOU, two former big-name rock stars reunite and develop some
genuine
sparks while attempting a fake romance. The focus in IT'S GOTTA BE YOU is
100%
on the romance and development of the relationship. In INFAMY, family also
plays
a big role in the story – but not necessarily in the same way that it does
in
IT'S GOTTA BE YOU. Landry Cole comes from a family of rock stars, so it
might
seem like fate that she winds up in love with hotshot drummer. Like DIRTY
SCOUNDREL by Jessica Clare, L.P. Maxa writes a natural and entertaining
dialogue
between her characters that make them seem very real to the reader.
Fabulous Fall Reads:
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