Tag: Best of 2010

Best of 2010: The Heroes

Posted January 12, 2011 by Holly in Features | 2 Comments

Picking favorite characters can be really hard, but we did our best to pick out our favorite hero and heroine of the year.

Rowena:

1. Jack Pallas from Something Like You by Julie James.
2. Lord Westcliffe from Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath.
3. Sir Stephen from Pleasures of a Wicked Gentleman by Lorraine Heath.
4. Lord Leo Hathaway from Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas.
5. Captain Christopher Phelan from Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas.

I loved every single one of these heroes. I thought they were all so full of awesome that I didn’t want their books to end and was sad when they did. Jack Pallas is one hot, sexy stud muffin of an FBI agent, all full of sexy and I wanted to tame Lord Westcliffe, Sir Stephen made my heart want to fix him as well as Leo Hathaway and Christopher Phelan, sigh He was awesome! Out of all of the books I read last year, these guys were my favorite heroes!

Holly:

This category was really hard for me this year. Usually I have no trouble picking my favorites. This year it took forever..and I still feel like I’m missing some.

1. Captain Rhys Traehern from The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
2. Brody Brown from Coming Undone by Lauren Dane
3. Finian O’Melaghlin from The Irish Warrior by Kris Kennedy
4. Julian Bellamy from Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare
5. Captain Christopher Phelan from Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

I didn’t include The Irish Warrior in any of my other lists because I thought I read it in 2009 (I got the ARC early from Kris Kennedy). As I was going through my reads for the year I realized I actually read it in 2010. Even though I didn’t list it as one of my best reads of the year, it was. I highly recommend it to all of you.

Honorable Mentions: Lev Prakenski from Water Bound by Christine Feehan, Ian Mackenzie from The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley, Ted Skala from Meet Me in Manhattan by Judith Arnold and Archangel Gabriel from Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunters series.

I have to say, I’m a little weirded out adding Ted Skala to the list, since he’s an actual person and not a figment of someone’s imagination. But what can I say, I loved him. I’m such a sucker for the guys who love big and forever. I gave honorable mentions to Ian Mackenzie and Archangel Gabriel because they weren’t released in 2010. Lev gets an honorable mention only because I loved the others just slightly more than he, and I had to limit my list to 5.

Casee is swamped with real life right now so we’re going to go ahead and get this posted and when time allows, we’ll let her come in and share her favorite heroes with you guys. We love you Casee!

So now it’s your turn…share with us who rocked your socks in 2010. Who were your favorite heroes of last year?

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Tagged: Best Heroes, Best of 2010, Best of Lists, Best Reads, Casee Says, Holly Says, Rowena Says

Best of 2010: The Heroines

Posted January 7, 2011 by Holly in Features | 2 Comments

Rowena:

There were a lot of heroines this year that I was pretty hot dang impressed with this year and a lot of heroines that stayed with me long after I put their books down and here’s my best of list of them all:

1. Cameron Lynde from Something About You by Julie James.
2. Parker Brown from Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts.
3. Angela Clark from I Heart New York by Lindsay Kelk.
4. Annabel Winslow from Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn.
5. Chelsea Ross from Nothing But Trouble by Rachel Gibson.

I enjoyed getting to know each of these heroines and thought they were pretty awesome and I want to be all of their best friends.

Holly: This is the hardest category for me every year. The truth is, 90% of the time I don’t like heroines. The mark of a truly excellent book for me is the heroine, not the hero (unlike Rowena who loves her some heroes). It would have been so much easier for me to make a list of heroines I hate. But that list would probably be too long to post.

In no particular order:

1. Rikki from Water Bound by Christine Feehan
2. Mina Wentworth from The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
3. Lexie Nolan from Cold Sight by Leslie Parrish
4. Abigail from Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe
5. Lily, Lady Chatwick from Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare

Honorable mentions go to Elena Deveraux (Casee: honorable mention???? I think her fingers either slipped on the keyboard (a lot) or she was drinking wine straight from the bottle) from Nalini Singh‘s Guild Hunters Series, Ella Tipton from Lauren Dane‘s Inside Out and Beatrix Hathaway from Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas.

Casee: Heroines aren’t the easiest favorite for me to pick because I hate most of them. So I hope I can come up with five that don’t suck. I know I can come up with at least one that is THE BEST HEROINE EVER.

1. Elena Deveraux from Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh.
2. McKenna Sloan from Last Chance by Christy Reece.
3. Carrow Graie from Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole.
4. Solange Sangria from Dark Peril by Christine Feehan.
5. Rikki from Water Bound by Christine Feehan.

Share your non-TSTL heroines with us…

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Tagged: Best Heroines, Best of 2010, Best of Lists, Best Reads, Casee Says, Holly Says, Rowena Says

Best of 2010: The Series

Posted January 6, 2011 by Holly in Features | 4 Comments

Holly: In this day and age, it’s almost impossible to not be reading one series or another. Pretty much every book that’s released is part of a series, or a spin-off of another series, or related in some way to another book. Even authors who write stand-alone books often include tidbits or mentions from previous books. Sometimes I hate that, but mostly I love it, because it means we get to see more from the characters we fell in love with.

Here’s my list of series I’m keeping my eye on in 2011

1. Brown Siblings by Lauren Dane
2. Sisters of the Heart by Christine Feehan
3. The Iron Seas by Meljean Brook
4. Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
5. The Hellions of Halstead by Sabrina Jeffries

Honorable mentions go to the In Death series by JD Robb (I’ve been rather disappointed in some of the more recent releases, but I’m hoping it will make a turn for the better soon), Federation Universes by Lauren Dane, The Guild Hunters series by Nalini Singh, Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt and Harmony, Texas by Jodi Thomas.

Rowena:

1. The Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts.
2. London’s Greatest Lovers by Lorraine Heath.
3. The Black Cobra Quartet by Stephanie Laurens.
4. The Hathaways Series by Lisa Kleypas.
5. The Wilder Brothers Series by Jill Shalvis.

There were a lot of great series that I read throughout the year but these are the series that stood out to me as I was looking back on my reading. I have loved getting to know all of these characters and each of the books in these series had me at the edge of my seat so how I could not love them? The best of the best for me.

Casee: I love series reading. I’m a series whore, yo. Getting it down to five is like trying to pick my five favorite foods. Or my five favorite kinds alcoholic beverages. These aren’t in any particular order.

1. Envy Chronicles by Joss Ware.
2. KGI series by Maya Banks.
3. The Novels of the Final Prophecy by Jessica Andersen. (reviews to come!)
4. Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter.
5. My series by Carolyn Jewel.

What were your favorite series of 2010?

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Tagged: Best of 2010, Best of Lists, Best Reads, Best Series, Casee Says, Holly Says, Rowena Says

2010 in Review: Holly

Posted January 5, 2011 by Holly in Features | 1 Comment

I joined the 144 Books in 2010 challenge on Goodreads last year. Like the name suggests, the idea was to read at least 144 books throughout the year. My reading has drastically declined the last few years, but I figured I could easily do 144 in a year. I was right. According to my 144 in 2010 Goodreads shelf, I read 166 in 2010. The true number is actually 179, because my 144 in 2010 shelf doesn’t reflect books I re-read more than once through the year (I listed them under my monthly shelves, but didn’t mark them twice in the challenge shelf).

I did a lot more re-reading this year than I did last year. I fell into some pretty bad reading slumps and reread as a way to get my mojo back. It did the trick, but that means my re-reads for the year were a lot higher than last year. I reread 35 books in 2009 and 51 in 2010. Those numbers are a little off because of the aforementioned shelving system I use on Goodreads. Still, I almost doubled the number of rereads.

Here’s a breakdown:

144-books-in-2010 ‎(166)
january-2010 ‎(16)
february-2010 ‎(14)
march-2010 ‎(13)
april-2010 ‎(15)
may-2010 ‎(16)
june-2010 ‎(11)
july-2009 ‎(10)
august-2010 ‎(19)
september-2010 ‎(14)
october-2010 ‎(19)
novemeber-2009 ‎(13)
december-2010 ‎(13)

I count my rereads only if I read from cover-to-cover. If I just skim the book or read my favorite parts, I don’t list them. Last year I reread Just the Sexist Man Alive by Julie James and Fall Into Me by Linda Winfree more often than I reread any other books, but this year I didn’t really have 1 book that I reread and reread. I did reread The Iron Duke and Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook, but mostly I skimmed or reread only my favorite parts. Cover-to-cover rereads were mostly done once..unless it was a book I had to review and I needed to refresh the details.

I was very spare with my 5 Star ratings, both here on the blog and at Goodreads. Last year (2009) I vowed to be more discerning in my grading and I’ve stuck to that. While I enjoyed many books, I was care to give 5 Stars only to the books that I really thought were exceptional.

Here’s a list of my favorite and least favorite reads each month:

January
I think my favorite reads of the month were Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah Maclean and Coming Undone by Lauren Dane, with honorable mentions to Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis and Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh. My worst reads of the month were the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. I plan to review them at some point but meh…not good.

February
My favorite reads this month were Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe and First Comes Love by Christie Ridgway with honorable mentions to On the Steamy Side by Louisa Edwards and The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries. My least favorite read was absolutely Shadow of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Awful, awful story.

March
My favorite read of the month was actually a listen. The audiobook of Pride and Prejudice, read by Lindsay Duncan. I’ve read P&P hundreds of times, of course, but I really enjoyed it on audio. My second favorite was Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean. My worst read of the month was Seduced by Silver by Gwen Campbell. Ames read it and really liked it, but it was way too weird and nasty for me. I only read 30-some pages, but trust me – it was more than enough.

April
My favorites were Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory, Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan and Like No Other Lover by Julie Ann Long. My least favorite was Wicked Little Game by Christine Wells. I just couldn’t connect with the characters.

May
My favorite read of the month was Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas. She writes beautiful contemporary romances. Honorable mentions go to Where There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook (this is her steampunk debut and it was FAB) and my re-read of Fall Into Me by Linda Winfree. I just can’t seem to get enough of that Winfree. I heart Troy Lee Farr. My least favorite read was Can’t Stand the Heat by Wynter Daniels. Unfortunately nothing about the story worked for me.

June
My favorite read of the month was Song of Seduction by Carrie Lofty, with honorable mentions to Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery, Insatiable by Lauren Dane and Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey. My least favorite read was Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase. I’m so sad that it turned out the way it did. I expected so much more from that book.

July
I’d have to say my favorite was probably Water Bound with honorable mentions to Wicked Intentions, The Homecoming, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and Love in the Afternoon. So, you know, basically everything I read. My least favorite read was Money, Honey, which isn’t saying much, since I enjoyed it. Just not as much as some of the others I read this month.

August
My favorite read of the month was Somewhere Along the Way by Jodi Thomas. I would have given it a 5/5 but it ended in a cliffhanger and the next book isn’t out for a year, so I deducted some points. Honorable mentions go to A Hellion in Her Bed by Sabrina Jeffries, The Heat is On by Jill Shalvis and Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie. My least favorite read was Do You Take This Cop by Beth Andrews. The hero and the heroine were both TSTL.

September
I’m kind of disappointed in the Drake Sisters series. I adored it the first time around, but it didn’t hold up as well as I’d hoped it would. My favorite re-reads were The Iron Duke and Where There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook and Water Bound by Christine Feehan. My favorite new read was Meet Me in Manhattan by Judith Arnold, with an honorable mention to The Icing on the Cake by Alison Kent.

October
I can’t choose a favorite read of the month. I re-read too many old favorites to pick one, but my favorite new reads of the month were Undertow by Moira Rogers and Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis. An honorable mention goes to Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas. My most disappointing read of the month was probably Kill and Tell by Linda Howard. I remember really enjoying it the first dozen times I read it, but I was disgusted by Marc’s actions this time around.

November
My favorite read of the month was probably Archangel’s Consort. I love the direction Singh is taking the series. My least favorite read was Moon Burning. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I’ve come to expect from Monroe with this series. It wasn’t a bad read, it just wasn’t an excellent one.

December
My favorite read of the month was the Winter Wishes anthology. I just can’t get the Vivi Andrews novella out of my head. I also really liked Delicious by Sherry Thomas. I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to read it. Honorable mentions go to Ice and Veil of Night by Linda Howard, because I was so pleased to see her heading back in the right direction.

If you’re interested in seeing a full monthly list, you can click here.

There’s my reading year in review. I think I might try a 200+ reading challenge for 2011. If I push myself I think I can do it.

What did your reading year look like? Did you participate in any challenges? How did you do with them?

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Tagged: Best of 2010, Best of Lists, Books in Review, Holly's Monthly Reads, Holly's Reads, Holly's Year in Review, Year in Review

Worst of 2010: The Books

Posted January 4, 2011 by Holly in Features | 13 Comments

Holly

It’s hard coming up with this list. Reading is so subjective – depending on my mood, the subject matter of the book and the author’s writing style. Plus, I know I hate books others love, and vice verse. Take Crush on You by Christie Ridgway, Rowena hated that book, but Casee and I loved it.

Rowena

There were some books in 2010 that just didn’t work for me at all. All of the books that I hated were loved by others and that’s okay, like Holly said…it’s all subjective. Just like our Best of Lists, there are plenty of people who hate the books that we love.

Here are my picks for this category:

I just couldn’t get into all of these books for different reasons. The main character got on my hot damn nerves in The Other Boyfriend, the male lead in Two’s Company broke my heart and made me hate him and then there were so many different reasons why I couldn’t stand Crush On You. I wanted to like each of these books but it wasn’t in the cards for me.

Casee

Holly is right on the subjective part. The author of one of my worst books this year also ends up being in the top five of my best authors list.

Now that you’ve seen our worst of lists…share with us some of the books that just didn’t work for you last year.