Best of 2012: The Books.

Rowena: I’ve read a whole lot of books this year and I read a lot of great, fantabulous books and a lot of so-so books and a whole lot of not so good books.  A lot of new to me authors, some tried and true authors that I always love and some authors that I’ve been meaning to try but never got around to.  All in all, it’s been a pretty great reading year for me.

Here are my favorite books of the year, in no particular order.

• Easy by Tammara Webber: One of my favorite YA/New Adult read of the year.  Big shout out to Ames for pimping this book to me.  I wouldn’t have tried it if not for her.  This book was such a great book that I read it twice.  Loved it.
• Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis: Jill Shalvis is killing it with this series.  This series is one of my favoritest of favorite series.  Each book makes me love the series more and more and I get so excited to get to know all of the characters.  This book rocked my socks.  Josh and Grace were a great pair and I loved Josh’s family and the way that Grace became a part of his family without him knowing quite how.  Love, love, love this book.
• About that Night by Julie James: Julie James must write some pretty amazing grocery lists because this was yet another book that I completely adored.  Kyle was my kind of hero (hot with a sense of humor that wouldn’t quit) and Rylann was a smart heroine that didn’t get on my nerves.  Julie James nailed it with this one. (I said “nailed it” like Andy from Parks and Rec in my head, haha)
• A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean: This was a fabulous introduction to a new series.  Bourne and Penelope were wonderfully charming characters that I came to love and I loved the cast of characters that were introduced in this book and really enjoyed Cross and Phillipa’s story that came out this year as well.  If you haven’t read this book, fix that pronto! You won’t be sorry!
• Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin: My friend at work made me watch this series and because I loved the show but felt that I’d miss so much information, I decided to read this book.  For a book that was the length of the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon, I read this book with a quickness that surprised me.  So much happens and there’s a reason these books are so popular.  They’re the bomb.

Some honorary mentions go to Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh and A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare.  Both books were great books and I’m so glad that I read them because without a push from some friends, I probably wouldn’t have ever read the Singh and it took me far too long to get to reading A Week to be Wicked, I’m so glad that I finally got around to it because it was such a great story.

Holly: This year it’s really hard for me to pick favorites. I’ve had so many things going on in my personal life I haven’t been reading as many new books. I also haven’t been paying as much attention to my reading; i.e., I haven’t retained as much from the books I’ve read as I normally do. I wrote two 5 star reviews this year, but both were for books I read last year (A Rogue By Any Other Name and What I Did For a Duke). So my favorites are based pretty much solely on my Goodreads rating.

• The Duke’s Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley: I really love Ashley’s historicals. She excels at writing with depth and humor. I fall a little in love with her characters as I read. This book was the last in her MacKenzie Brother’s series. Hart didn’t disappoint. 
• Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis: It’s no secret I love Shalvis’ books, but this one is my favorite of them all. The mix of humor and emotion really pulled me. As a matter of fact, I was reminded of early SEP with this book. It’s a must read. 
• Wicked Games by Jill Myles: This was a really light read that I flew through. The premise isn’t my usual style – chick gets suckered into joining a Survivor-type reality show and meets a dude on the island – but I was sucked right in. There was a lack of communication that frustrated me at times, but that didn’t stop me from loving all the angst. 
•  About That Night by Julie James: James writes sexy, smart contemporary novels. I adore the settings, characters and witty banter. She considers her books Romantic Comedies and I’d agree – these are stories I want to return to again and again, just like I do Chick Flicks.
• Riveted by Meljean Brook: I’m sure none of you are surprised to see Brook on this list. She’s been a favorite of mine for years. I absolutely adore her writing. Her Steampunk books are no exception. I especially like that this series encompasses such a diverse cast of characters. Not to mention the world-building. As Casee would say, “Amazeballs!”. 

Honorary mentions go to Alpha and Omega: A Companion Novella to Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs and Lord’s Fall by Thea Harrison. The only reason these two didn’t make my Best Of list is because Rowena said I had to keep it to five. The Briggs was not published in 2012. Nor is it really a book – it’s a short novella. But dude. I loved it. I was turned onto Briggs earlier this year and I did a complete binge of this series and her Mercy Thompson series. Amazing. If you haven’t read it, go buy. Seriously. Right now. Lord’s Fall is a continuation of Pia and Dragos’ story and was excellent. I loved going back to them and seeing how things have progressed. I can’t wait for the next book.

A huge part of our blog is our guest reviewers and they have favorites too so we asked them what they were.  Here are some books that made it onto their favorite lists this year.

• His Tattooed Virgin by Heather Rainier (Judith)
• Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook (Tracy)
• The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan (Tracy)
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Ames)
• A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare (Lori)
• Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks (Lori)

There’s a great deal that I haven’t read on this list but I’m adding them to my TBR list to fix that right up.  Thanks for sharing your favorites with us, ladies!

What books made it onto your Best Books list for 2012?

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