Best of 2019: The Books

Posted January 6, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 21 Comments

It’s that time of year where we take stock of the books we’ve been reading. We take a look at the books that we loved, the books that we liked and the books that we hated. We put all of those books onto lists and then spend the first couple of weeks of the new year, sharing those lists with you guys. It’s always a lot of fun for us so here are the best of the books that we’ve all read in 2019. Check it out.

Casee

Archangel’s War (Guild Hunter #12) by Nalini Singh: I adored this book. I love Raphael and Elena. Reading about the how their relationship evolves always makes me a little squishy inside. I love seeing Elena’s strength throughout this book. I just loved it.

Hold on to Hope (Fight For Me #4) by A.L. Jackson: This book. Evan. Frankie Leigh. Sigh. These two were childhood sweethearts and their bond throughout the book showed that. They have to fight their way back to each other. When they did, it was magic.

Ride Steady (Chaos #3) by Kristen Ashley: Omg. Joker. He was everything. This is a reunion book. I loved, loved Joker and Carissa’s story.

Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountains #2) by Kristen Ashley: I was blown away by this book. First, Lauren is in her forties. I loved that. I loved that Tate and Lauren were older and still got their HEA. Seeing Lauren come alive after such devastation was really uplifting.

Wanderlust by Lauren Blakely: This was my first Lauren Blakely book and I was pretty much blown away. I listened to it on audio and not only did it have the best narrators, it was just a feel good story. There was no game playing with these two. They were upfront with each other from the beginning. I really appreciated that.

Honorable Mentions: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, Show Me the Way by A.L. Jackson, and Wild Like the Wind by Kristen Ashley. I did love all these books.

Holly

Repeat by Kylie Scott: This was my most re-read book of 2019. I believe I read and/or listened to this book every month this year. Sometimes more than once in a month. I really loved Clem and her journey to finding herself after she’s attached and ends up with amnesia.

Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long: I was ridiculously exited to see JAL return to historical romance and this book was everything I wanted. Although I loved the romance, it was the relationship between the two women in the book – Angelique and Delilah – that really got me. They were fabulous.

Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James: I don’t know that this was really a perfect book, but it was exactly what I was in the mood for when I picked it up. I loved the creepy atmosphere of Portis House and the narrator, Mary Jane Wells, did a great job of pulling me into the story.

Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely: Rowena and I have been craving Single Dad Romances for ages, and this is the first one I’ve come across that had everything I didn’t even know I needed. I adored the entire book, from the kids to their relationship with their dad to the romance. It was fabulous.

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan: I haven’t reviewed this book yet, because I haven’t figured out how to talk about the book without blathering on like an idiot. Needless to say, I loved it. And if you haven’t read it, you really should. It’s wonderful.

Honorable Mentions: Tikka Chance on Me by Suleikha Snyder, The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith and Bayou Born by Hailey Edwards.

Rowena

Devil’s Daughter (The Ravenels #5) by Lisa Kleypas: I still remember how much joy I had while reading this book. I know that I enjoy a book with how many *squee* texts that I send Holly during my reading of a book. Holly received plenty of texts from me while I was reading this. I freaking loved it. West and Phoebe are such great characters and Kleypas did their romance justice. Good stuff.

Huge Deal (21 Wall Street #3) by Lauren Layne: This is probably my favorite book of the year. I’ve read it three times since it came out and I’ve listened to it once on audiobook. I also made my book club read it and they loved it too. Kennedy and Kate’s story is my jam and I adored this one to pieces.

Hook Shot (The Playbook #3) by Kennedy Ryan: Kennedy Ryan makes her way onto my Best of List this year twice. I loved the hell out of Hook Shot and thought that both Lotus and Keenan were fabulous characters. I cried a lot while I read this book and I think Lotus is my favorite character of the year. She was just all of the good things. Their romance wasn’t an easy one but man was it a satisfying one when they finally figured out how to be together. Gah, this book was so freaking good.

The King Maker (All the Kings Men #1) by Kennedy Ryan: This book was not an easy read but man did I love both Lennix and Maxim. They were such strong characters on their own but were a force to be reckoned with together. I love how much Maxim loved Lennix and how fiercely Lennix fought her true feelings for Maxim. They are the definition of meant to be together. Kennedy Ryan writes fantastic novels and this is one of my top reads of the year. It’s also the last book that I read in the year. I’m going to jump right into The Rebel King just as soon as I can.

Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckled Bastards #2) by Sarah MacLean: Sarah MacLean writes fabulous historical romances that never fails to get me all up in my feels. That was no exception with this book. Hatie and Beast were such a great couple and I adored their romance. I was so here for the Year of Hattie and I loved seeing Beast fall in love with her with every passing page. Gah, this was so good.

Honorable Mentions: I also really loved The Risk by Elle Kennedy and Merrily Ever After by Jenny Holiday. Those were fantastic reads and I loved them too.

What were your favorite books of 2019? Anything we should know about and add to our TBR Piles for 2020? Share your favorite books in the comments!