Best of 2017: The Heroines

Posted January 3, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

Casee

Shelby Gates from Revenge (Lawless #3) by Lexi Blake. I’m not a fan of reporter heroes or heroines. When I read that Shelby was going to be the heroine of Revenge, I wasn’t thrilled. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with Shelby. Yes, she wants to write about what happened to Drew and his family, but she would never do it at the expense of the family. She knew Drew inside and out. She wouldn’t put up with him retreating into his shell.

Charlotte Taggart from Love and Let Die (Masters and Mercenaries #5) by Lexi Blake. Oh, Charlie. She really messed up with Ian and almost lost him. Determined to get him back, she will do anything he wants or asks. Charlotte is a warrior in her own right and she was always the perfect woman for Ian.

Isabel Roma from Midnight Games (Killer Instincts #3) by Elle Kennedy. Isabel is damaged goods. That didn’t mean was is useless. She was far from useless. As one of Noelle’s assassins, Isabel could turn herself into anyone she wanted. She was a chameleon and her transformations were amazing. She was exactly the woman Trevor needed to pull him out of the pit of despair he found himself in after his girlfriend died.

Cynthia Leighton from Raphael (Vampires in America #1) by D.B. Reynolds. Cynthia is my favorite heroine of 2017. She’s up there with Elena Deveraux from Nalini Singhs Guid Hunter series. I said almost. There is nothing more that Cynthia wants but to cower in front of Raphael Her pride won’t allow it and it takes all of her to remain standing when she’s in the same room with him. She doesn’t apologize for being human. She was Raphael’s perfect match.

Silver Merchant from Silver Silence (Psy/Changeling Trinity #1) by Nalini Singh. I have been intrigued by Silver ever since she came into the picture. Her family ties are strong which is an oddity because the Merchant’s are immersed deeply into Silence. The Merchants have a loyalty to one another which is rare in the Psy/Changeling world. Silver knew her Silence was failing even before Valentin came into the picture. Then she just let go and held onto Valentin as tight as she could.

Holly

Sidonie Martel from Spellbinder (Moonshadow, #2) by Thea Harrison: Oh, man. Sidonie really had a time of it. She showed a tremendous amount of inner-strength and really kept her head in terrible circumstances. I admired her a lot.

Holly Chang from Archangel’s Viper (Guild Hunter, #10) by Nalini Singh : Watching Holly grow from a broken, scarred girl to a strong, confident woman was wonderful. I really enjoyed her journey.

Lady Pandora Ravenel from Devil in Spring (The Ravenels, #3) by Lisa Kleypas: Pandora was such an unconventional woman. I loved that she knew her own mind and wasn’t afraid to reach for her dreams. Her quirky spirit really shone bright.

Greta Dare from Complicated by Kristen Ashley: Greta was such a great heroine. Kind, caring, compassionate…She took care of those she loved. She was independent. I really liked her.

Pru Bristow from The Leopard King (Ars Numina, #1) by Ann Aguirre: Pru was a great heroine. She was calm and level-headed under pressure, fierce and strong when she needed to be, and stubborn enough to get any job done. My heart hurt for her.

Rowena

Seraphina Bevelstoke from The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel #3) by Sarah MacLean: At the very top of my Best Heroines of 2017 is Seraphina Bevelstoke, the Duchess of Haven. She was the definition of strong woman. When we first meet her, she’s weakened by her husband’s actions and she’s devastated and then we don’t see her at all in the remainder of the first and in the entirety of the second books of the series. What has she been up to in the time we last saw her in Book 1 and when we see her again in Book 3? She was busy being a bad ass. She was working her ass off so that she would never be that woman again.

Silver Mercant from Silver Silence (Psy-Changelings Trinity #1) by Nalini Singh: My admiration for Silver Mercant began when she showed just how smart and capable she was as Kaleb Krychek’s assistant. She was a fountain of information and a person of action. She did what was necessary and stood by the decisions she made. She was brave and she was fierce and we see so much more of that in her own book, Silver Silence.

Mercy Thompson from Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs: I’m really late to the Mercy Thompson train but better late than never? This woman is all that and a bag of chips. She’s the true meaning of brave. She’s a walker, a coyote and she fights for what is right and I really admire her because of that. She could be scared out of her pants but that doesn’t stop her from doing what she needs to for those who can’t. I’m a big Mercy fan. Adam, too. 🙂

Emma Gladstone from The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare: I really like strong heroines who are survivors and Emma Gladstone was exactly my kind of heroine. Like the other heroines on this hlist, Emma was strong and she was resourceful. She lived in a time where it wasn’t easy to be a woman without a husband or family to take care of her but she went out and found herself a job and she struggled and just when anyone wouldn’t have blamed her for giving up, she pulled her big girl pants up and went out and got shit done. When she shows up at the house of a Duke and demands payment for her work, I took notice of her but she was more than strong. She was also kind and she was caring and she loved fiercely and I loved the hell out of her.

Sarah Von Tittenbottom from Royally Matched (Royally #2) by Emma Chase: When we first meet Sarah and her sister, Sarah comes across as very fragile. Almost weak but as you get to know her, and get to know her background and all she’s lived through, your heart goes out to her. She’s not weak. She was never weak, just quiet. She was also fiercely loving of her family, her friends and it said a lot about Sarah that she had so many people who loved her and supported her in everything. On top of all of that, she was a character that readers could connect with because on top of being strong, she was also normal. She was a bookworm with a million dollar vocabulary and she was funny and just all around fantastic. It wasn’t hard to see what Henry saw in her. He was lucky to have met and been loved by Sarah.

Who were your favorite heroines of 2017? Anyone you admired, had a girl crush, straight up loved the hell out of that we missed?


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4 responses to “Best of 2017: The Heroines

  1. You have a pretty good list of heroines. Some i liked some were okay for me. I did love Emma from Duchess Deal and Silver from Silver Silence. But I think my favorite from your list is from Royally Matched, Sarah was so wonderful to read.

  2. Kim

    I agree with Lady Pandora Ravenel and Seraphina Bevelstoke, but I also liked Jane Mason from A Lady’s Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran; Jessica Harlow from The Thing About Love by Julie James; and Séverine de Cabrillac from Beauty Like the Night by Joanna Bourne. Though not strictly romances, I would also add Charlotte Holmes from A Conspiracy in Belgravia and Gin from A Devil’s Cut.

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