Tag: Best Books

Best of 2023: The Books

Posted January 1, 2024 by Casee in Features | 2 Comments

It’s that time of year again. The time where we come together and look over the books that we’ve read over the course of 2023 and list our favorites. Today’s list will include all of our favorite books of 2023. Join us for a week of reflecting on our favorite books, authors, and series.

Casee

Pretend You’re Mine (Benevolence #1) by Lucy Score: This book was everything to me. It was so angsty, but it didn’t go over the top to where I felt like I couldn’t read it. Harper and Luke were just everything I love in a romance. It was spectacular.

A Trial by Blood (The Thornheart Trials #3) by Sherilee Gray: This book is part of one of my #1 series of 2023. I love the witchy aspect of these books. Rose and Ronan had to fight so hard for their chance, but they got it.

Winter’s Awakening (Warlords of Empyrea #2) by Georgia Lyn Hunter: Honestly, I don’t remember much about this book, just the good feeling that you remember when you do think of it. I do remember the hero was really amazing.

When He’s Sinful (Olympus Pride #3) by Suzanne Wright: Oh, Camden. I adore Camden. I adore Aspen and Camden. I could literally read this book (or listen to it) over and over again.

Omens (Dark in You #6) by Suzanne Wright: Khloe was so annoyingly lovable and I just adored how Keenan handled her and all her craziness. Honestly, I could also read this one (or listen to it) over and over again.

Honorable Mentions: The Price of Scandal by Lucy Score, Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout #1) by Lucy Score, Burn (Dark in You #1) by Suzanne Wright.

Holly

The Faceless Mage (Legends of Abreia #1) by Kenley Davidson: This was a new-to-me author that I found via Kindle recommendations. I really enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of The Bridge Kingdom. I was invested from page one.

Protecting What’s Mine (Benevolence #3) by Lucy Score: I really loved everything about this book; the small town setting, the trauma both MCs were dealing with, the found family aspect. I liked the rest of the series, but this is my favorite of the three.

Magic Claims (Kate Daniels: The Wilmington Years #2) by Ilona Andrews: It’s a Kate Daniels book by Ilona Andrews. Need I say more? Of course not, but I will anyway. I’ve been waiting for Kate to take the gloves off for years. I CANNOT WAIT to see where things go from here.

Body Check (Blades Hockey #4) by Maria Luis: This was another new-to-me author. Unfortunately, other books I read by her after this didn’t work for me, but I really loved this reunited lovers story.

Guardian of Torment (Nyx Fortuna #4) by Michelle Manus: This is such a great series. I came to it late, but I still feel like I had to wait forever for this book. I love the direction things are heading and I really love Nyx.

Honorable Mentions: When He’s Torn (Olympus Pride #5) by Suzanne Wright, The Price of Scandal by Lucy Score, Hunted (Dark in You #9) by Suzanne Wright.

What were your favorite books in 2023?

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Tagged: Best Books, Best of 2023, Best of Lists, Casee's Best of Lists, Holly's Best of Lists

Best of 2018: The Books

Posted January 1, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 5 Comments

The end of 2018 is here and with it comes a lot of reflection. Reflecting on goals, accomplishments, failures and if you’re a reader like us? Reflecting on all of the books that we read last year. Here are our top 5 books of 2018.

Casee

The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy: This was one of Rowena’s picks for me from the Summer Reading Challenge. I loved Elle Kennedy before this book. I was a little skeptical going into this book because of the first person thing. I needn’t have worried because this book was amazing. I loved Garrett Graham. I loved Hannah. They were such an unlikely couple, which is what made them so perfect for each other. It sounds really cliché, but the whole book was just fantastic.

White Hot (Hidden Legacy #2) by Ilona Andrews: White Hot is book two in Andrews Hidden Legacy series. Burn for Me is book one and was another of Rowena’s picks for me in the Summer Reading Challenge (she really did amazing, huh?). This book showed the growth between Nevada and Rogan, but also showed that Nevada was going to continue to be an independent woman. It also moved the storyline along about who was trying to take over Houston. I loved it.

Us (Him #2) by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy: I love this writing team. I loved this series. This is book two in the Him series. Jamie and Wes are amazing. I loved the two of them. Although it is a m/m romance, it was a love story, just like a m/f romance. They had the same problems that any other couple had. I just adored these two.

Seduction in Session (The Perfect Gentlemen #2) by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake: I love these two authors individually, but together? They are dynamite. I had been wanting to read this series for some time, but for some reason I didn’t pick it up. I have no idea why. This book is book two in their Perfect Gentlemen series. I loved it. I loved everything about Connor and Lara. They were so opposite that they were perfect for each other (another cliché, but it worked).

Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews: Yes, I have two Ilona Andrews books on this list. How can they not be? Each book in this series got successively better with the (mostly) conclusion of Nevada and Rogan’s story in Wildfire. I loved everything about this book. I had not one complaint. From the beginning to the end, I loved it. You cannot not love this book and these two characters. It’s impossible.

Holly

Wanderlust by Lauren Blakely: Part of the reason I loved this may have been because Richard Armitage narrated the audiobook and he was amazing to listen to. Though, apart from his voice, I did love the overall story. Joy and Griffin coming together in Paris was both romantic and sexy. This was a really cute story. I loved the premise and the way their friendship developed over time.

Getting Schooled by Emma Chase: I absolutely loved this reunited lovers story. I really liked the maturity of both main characters, and how quickly they settled back into each other once they were reunited. There was some bathroom humor, and the overall tone of the story was light, but I really enjoyed the romance, and the small New Jersey town. All the characters really came to life.

Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews: Hugh was a character I loved to hate throughout the Kate Daniels series. I wasn’t sure if I’d end up falling all the way in love with him. As they come to know each other and learn to rely on one another, I found myself swept up in their story and the fight they find themselves in to protect their territory. I really hope the series continues. I’d love to see more from them.

How to Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper: I enjoyed Bael and Jillian’s romance, as well as the town of Mystic Bayou. The inhabitants of the town were so fun and quirky I couldn’t help but love them. Bael’s surprise and ignorance over how to court Jillian was hilarious, and I like that she was the one who wanted to keep things casual. There were several times I laughed out loud, and a couple times my heart just melted.

Wild Hunger by Suzanne Wright: This may be my favorite of the Phoenix Pack books. I loved how determined Trick was to find his mate and how open to the bond he was. I also really liked how patient and understanding he was with Frankie. He didn’t push her to give more than she could. It was sweet. I also liked how little drama there was in their coming together. They took their time getting to know each other, but they both accepted that they were mates right away.

Honarable Mentions: Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath and Lionheart by Thea Harrison.

Rowena

The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang: This book is probably the book that I pimped out the most. I made all of my friends read it, or at least I really nagged them to. I got Casee and Holly to read it and they both enjoyed it so that made me happy. For me, this book was perfection. The hero, the heroine, their romance, all of it. There wasn’t anything that didn’t work for me and I am on pins and needles waiting for the next book in this series to come out.

Josh & Hazel Guide’s to Not Dating by Christina Lauren: I hesitated for a bit going into the reading of this book because there were mixed reviews all over blogland. The majority of the reviews that I was reading were not favorable. A lot of people were not on board with the heroine. She was too much, they said. When I finally forced myself to get this book read, I was surprised at how much I loved everything about this book. I didn’t hate the heroine the way that everyone else did but boy did I hella love the hero. Josh Im is where it’s at.

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews: I read this for a buddy review with Ames and I was not expecting how much joy this book would bring to me. I read this book so fast, stayed up so late and just laughed the night away because Nevada Baylor is everything! You put her and Mad Rogan together and they made the perfect pair to me. Just fabulous read all over.

Hard Sell (21 Wall Street #2) by Lauren Layne: Lauren Layne continues to shine with her big city contemporary romances. I enjoyed the first book in this series, Hard Asset, but not nearly as much as I loved this one. Matt Cannon and Sabrina Carpenter are couples goals and their story was steamy, funny, and just freaking good.

Long Shot (Hoops #1) by Kennedy Ryan: This book made me cry buckets. It’s not an easy read by any means but holy cow was I wrapped up in August and Iris’ world and their stories. The missed opportunities, everything that Iris lives through and the emotional journey they both take to get to each other was just…everything. This book gets so much love from me because the emotional journey pays off so much in the end. Love!

Now it’s your turn. What were your favorite reads of 2018?

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Tagged: Best Books, Best of 2018, Best of Lists, Casee's Best of Lists, Holly's Best of Lists, Rowena's Best of Lists

Best of 2017: The Books

Posted January 1, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 15 Comments

Here at Book Binge, we read a lot of books. Each of us reads over a hundred books a year and each year, we publish our favorite reads, characters, series and authors that we read in that year. Today, we’re kicking off our Best of Lists with our top 5 favorite books of the year. Enjoy!

Casee

Revenge by Lexi Blake: I adored Drew and Shelby together. Shelby was perfect for him because she wouldn’t let Drew hide behind behind a facade. Shelby was fierce.

Raphael by D.B. Reynolds: Vampires in America is a new series I discovered last year. Raphael and Cyn are one of my favorite couples of the year. They are so unlikely to be a couple that it was fascinating to read.

Claimed by Elle Kennedy: I love dystopian romance. Love it. It’s probably my favorite genre right now. There is something about the desperation to keep living that I find fascinating. This is the first book in Kennedy’s Outlaw series.

Midnight Games by Elle Kennedy: This is the third book in Kennedy’s Killer Instinct series. Both Trevor and Isabel were so damaged. Reading about them coming together just brought warm fuzzies.

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh: Oh, Valentin. He was dreamy. He was sweet yet ruthless. Silver was badass. She had a take-no-prisoners personality which isn’t a surprise considering she’s Psy. Their road wasn’t an easy one which made the ending so much better.

Holly

I had a hard time narrowing my list down this year. I read a lot of really good books.

The Kingpin of Camelot by Cassandra Gannon (A Kinda Fairytale, Book 3): I still haven’t written a review for this. It was so cute and fun. I adored King Midas. If you haven’t already, go read it. It’s that good.

Spellbinder by Thea Harrison (Moonshadow, Book 2): I went into this book with some trepidation since the hero was the villain of the previous book. Though it falls on the darker side, but it worked so well for me.

Sustained by Emma Chase (The Legal Briefs, Book 2): Told from the point-of-view of the hero, Sustained was such a treat. The quitiseential commitment hating bachelor getting sucked into being a dad to five kids? So.much.yes.

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas (The Ravenals, Book 3): Kleypas is a long-time favorite, but Devil in Spring was reminiscent of some of her older works. It really resonated with me. I loved the hero, but the quirky, unconventional heroine pulled me in from the start. It doesn’t hurt that the hero is the son of one of my favorite Kleypas couples ever.

Good Boy by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy (WAGS, Book 1). I read this series out of order and didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. The story was fun and engaging, and both the hero and heroine really worked for me.

Rowena

My Best of Lists aren’t necessarily only for books that were released in 2017 but include books that I read in 2017 so here are the books that I loved and read for the first time in 2017.

The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean: This book is probably my most favorite book of the entire year. Malcolm and Sera’s book was damn near perfect. I loved the ending of this series. I loved seeing how far Malcolm and Sera both came over the course of this series. There is not enough love in the world to cover my love for this book. So, so good.

Bountiful (True North #4) by Sarina Bowen: I spent a good chunk of last year, waiting for this book to come out and when I finally read it, I adored it to pieces. Sarina Bowen knows how to write the heck out of a book and that is evident in this book. I enjoyed Dave and Zara’s book so much. I loved how Sarina brought two of her series together and this was just a huge hit for me.

Isn’t She Lovely by Lauren Layne: Are you guys surprised that Lauren Layne is on this list? You shouldn’t be because I love the hell out of her work and I really loved this book. Ethan and Stephanie made me laugh, sigh and swoon a little. Their romance was sweet and it was fun and I just completely adored it. So much love for this book.

If I Only Had a Duke by Lenora Bell: I read my first Lenora Bell book this year on the recommendation from Nick over at Nick and Nereyda’s Infinite Book List and boy am I so glad that I listened to her. I freaking loved this book and thought that Dorothea and Osborne were such a great couple. I adored Dorothea and the lengths that she went to get Osborne to pay attention to her…and then later, the lengths she went to pay Osborne back for pissing her off. The banter between both of them was memorable and just all around good stuff. So, of course I’m including this book on my best books of the year list.

Royally Matched (Royally #2) by Emma Chase: Henry Pembrook and Sarah Von Titebottum were such a lovely couple. I really enjoyed their story and their romance. I loved how they were friends before they became more and the evolution of their relationship was done really well. Emma Chase shined for me in this book because I adored the hell out of it.

There you have it. The books that we absolutely loved above all of the other books that we read this year. What books made your best of list for 2017?

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Tagged: Best Books, Best of 2017, Best of Lists, Casee's Best of Lists, Holly's Best of Lists, Rowena's Best of Lists

Best of 2014: The Books

Posted January 9, 2015 by Rowena in Features | 8 Comments

Rowena: I read a lot of fantastic books this year so picking just five of them as my top favorites was really hard but I did it and here’s my list.

The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen. This book did everything to me. It made me laugh, happy sigh, cry and then ugly cry. When Bridger finds out that his Mom died and what happened to Lucy? My heart broke in a thousand pieces and I didn’t think I’d ever be the same again but boy did I close that book with a big ol’ happy smile on my face. I loved it.
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins. I couldn’t wait for this book to come out and even when I was scared that it couldn’t possibly live up to the hype that I gave it in my head, I was still anxious for it. Stephanie Perkins delivered another outstanding story with this one. I LOVED this book. I loved Josh. I loved Isla. I loved Kyle. I loved everything about this. Just flat out loved it.
Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh. Nalini Singh knows how to write a damn good story. She brought Fox and Molly’s story to life and I wanted to live with them and BE them. Fox was a freaking fox and I wanted to lick him up. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for more from this series. Love, love, loved it!
It Happened One Wedding by Julie James. It’s not a surprise that Julie James wrote another winner for me. Her books just do it for me. I love her stuff and every year her books just keep getting better and better. I don’t ever want to stop reading her books. So Julie James, please don’t ever stop writing.
The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram. This was another fantastic book that I read with Ames. It took me no time at all to get this book read because I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I loved the characters, especially Grayson. This book was so fun and so cute that I feel a re-read coming on. I adored this one to pieces.

Honorable Mentions: The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan, All Broke Down by Cora Carmack and Before You Break by Christina Lee.

Holly: It’s so hard narrowing these down every year.

The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen. This book made me ugly cry. It was the only book I read all year that did that. Bridger and Lucy, his baby sister, really got to me. I just adored them. And Scarlet’s family drama really made me think. Bowen is definitely an author I’ll be looking for in 2015.

2. Count on Me by Lauren Dane. Dane is an author who rarely writes a book I don’t love. This one really stood out, though. I loved how strong and fierce Caroline was and how Royal took such care with her.

3. The Shape of My Heart by Ann Aguirre. This book really grabbed me. Max was such an awesome hero, and Courtney was a great, unconventional heroine.

Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh. The first time I read this, I liked it but didn’t love it. The second time I completely devoured it. It definitely stands out as one of my favorites of the year.
Make-Believe Wedding by Sarah Mayberry. This was such a cute story. I really loved that the heroine was so nontraditional.
Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs. I’m adding a 6th entry for a book, which is cheating a bit, but I figure I can get away with it since it doesn’t release until 2015. This is the next installment in the Alpha and Omega series featuring Anna and Charles. It’s my favorite book by Briggs to date, across all her series’. The plot was well executed and the relationship development between Charles and Anna was extremely well done. Not to mention the personal growth on both sides. (R: What a freaking cheater!!)

Honorable Mentions: Tempting the Player by Kat Latham. Taken with You by Shannon Stacey. Echoes of Scotland Street by Samantha Young. The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan.

What were your favorite books of 2014? Can you narrow it down to 5(ish)?

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Tagged: Best Books, Best of 2014, Best of Lists, Holly Says, Holly's Best of Lists, Rowena Says, Rowena's Best of Lists

Best of 2013: The Books.

Posted December 31, 2013 by Rowena in Features | 11 Comments

Rowena: I read a lot of books this year. I almost read 200 books, which is something that I’ve never done in my life. But throughout the year, I’ve read some fantastic books and some, not so fantastic books. Here are my favorite reads of the year:

Love, Irresistibly by Julie James
The Scandalous, Dissolute, No Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare
Down London Road by Samantha Young
The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen
Unspoken by Jen Frederick

Honorable Mentions: The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding, Into the Deep by Samantha Young and Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley.

Holly: My memory is not what it used to be. I struggle to remember the names of characters 5 seconds after I finish reading a book. Luckily I had no trouble choosing these books, however. All of them are books that have stayed with me.