Rowena
- Bella from The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen: Bella. Holy cow, Bella’s book hit me in the feels and I don’t know if I could have survived the stuff Bella survived. She was probably one of the strongest heroines that I’ve read in 2015 and even when she was being a bonehead, I admired the hell out of her. Of course she was making this list.
- Pia from Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison: Another strong heroine that I liked getting to know. Pia and Dragos romance was pretty steamy but I liked how headstrong Pia was and how she gave as good as she got where Dragos was concerned. Dragos wasn’t used to someone speaking up and calling him out on his shit and considering how scary and mean Dragos was, I really enjoyed Pia’s character.
- Hannah from The Deal by Elle Kennedy: Hanah’s book was my most re-read book of 2015. I couldn’t get enough of her hero, Garrett at first but with each re-read, it was Hannah that I liked more and more. Her situation, her outlook on life and just her personality was one that I really liked. Garrett and Logan weren’t the only one with crushes on Hannah. She was just great.
- Leanne from The Fifteenth Minute by Sarina Bowen: I really liked Leanne. Like, really liked her. I thought she was the adorable little dork from Bella and Rafael’s book but she really comes into her own in her own book. I liked seeing her come out of her shell (and her room) and you could see the growth in her character over the course of the book. She was just great.
- Chelsea from Sustained by Emma Chase: The premise of this book immediately sparked my interest. Chelsea’s brother and his wife died in a car accident, leaving Chelsea the sole guardian of six children. Chelsea was in her early twenties and she stepped up without pause to take care of her nieces and nephews. She was completely over her head in worries, grief and responsibility but no matter how big the load on her shoulders got, she steadfastly continued on. She moved her life to be with those kids and pushed her own welfare and worries to the side to make sure those kids knew she was there for them. Jake (her hero) never stood a chance. She freaking rocked.
Honorable Mentions: Ellie from Sacked by Jen Frederick, Nell from All Played Out by Cora Carmack and Ivy from The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan.
Holly
This is the hardest category for me each year. I just don’t connect with a lot of the women in novels. These are all pretty great, though.
- Ivy Mackenzie from The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan: She was funny and caring. I adored her.
- Sahara from Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh: Talk about strong. Sahara survived things other never could and still came out fierce and loving.
- Kate Daniels from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews: Kate is pretty kickass. There were things about her that bothered me, but I can’t deny I kind of want to be her when I grow up.
- Lady Mary Lennox from The Stolen Mackenzie Bride by Jennifer Ashley: Mary was awesome. She was strong and independent, stood by her man and was willing to do whatever she needed to do.
- Carissa Teodora from Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley: Carissa was really awesome. She put her kid first, picked herself up when life knocked her down and kept a great attitude through it all. I really loved her.
Who were your favorite heroines of 2015?
What a great list! I love a strong heroine also… Kate Daniels also tops my list of strong females!
I’m going to have to “meet” this Kate Daniels then…
I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to read the Kate Daniels series. I’m still two books behind, but I’m holding off on them so I don’t have to wait so long for the next book.
I’m only on book 5. Did you try audio booking these at all? I switch between audio and physical book. I love the narrator on the audio book.
I don’t listen to audiobooks. I read pretty fast and I find the pacing too slow. I might try a sample, though, just to see how the narrator is.
I think I stopped at book 6, so I have 7 and 8 to read. I dd read all the novellas and Curran POV stories. Did you read those?
I read decently fast too. I audio book when I’m filing at work .. It’s like I’m filing but not really filing *wink* No I didn’t realize there were Curran’s POV… must find those now… my TBR pile just grew 😉
You can download the collection for free from their website. Curran POV Collection
I like audiobooks in theory. I say I’m going to listen to them in the car or while I’m working or doing stuff around the house or whatever, but I always get impatient and end up buying the ebook so I can read it myself.
Rowena, have you also read Thea Harrison’s Oracle’s Moon? I’d be interested in hearing what you think of Grace, the heroine. She and Pia are probably my favorite heroines in the series.
I enjoyed both of your lists. Thanks for sharing!
Grace and Pia are my favorites as well. Those two books remain my favorites of the series.
Yes, Dragon Bound and Oracle’s Moon are my favorites of the series, too. I’ve re-read them both a time or seventeen ….
Hey Kareni! No, I haven’t read past Dragon Bound yet. I’m going to fix that this year though. I promise.
I have to admit, heroines in romance don’t usually stand out to me. However, Bella from The Shameless Hour was absolutely one of my top heroines this year, as was Chelsea from Sustained. I also fell in love with Alessandra Torre and her heroines – Summer from Hollywood Dirt and Julia from the Innocence trilogy.
Now UF, that’s another story – Kate Daniels, and both Mercy Thompson and Anna Cornick from Patricia Brigg’s series both come to mind immediately. I also loved Elisabeth from Kresley Cole’s Lothaire. I normally don’t read that series and picked up Lothaire on a whim because I love anti-heroes, but I think the reason I loved the book was because of her, not him.
Alessandra Torre? I’m going to have to check her out.
I really loved both Bella and Chelsea. Their stories really got me, hit me hard in the feels.
I’m just starting to get into the Alpha & Omega books so I’m just now meeting Anna but I like her. I can’t wait to find out more about her.