Every year, authors make their way onto every readers favorites or not so favorites lists. Sure, we like a lot of authors fine but this list is for the authors that we loved. The authors that rocked our socks.

Casee

 

1. Nalini Singh: Nalini has been on my Best Of list for the past 10 years, since I first read Slave to Sensation in 2006. I honestly don’t know how she can continue to live up to my high expectations.

2. Christine Feehan: Christine Feehan is an auto-buy for me and she really never lets me down. Of course I’m often frustrated by her heroes, especially in her Carpathian series, yet it never stops me from buying her books. I especially love her Sea Haven series. I can’t get enough!

3. J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts: Does this woman ever let us down? She is magic. Absolute magic. It doesn’t matter what book comes out, it is like the first book she’s ever written. She never gets stale or old. I love her.

4. J.R. Ward: As much as she drives me crazy, I’m always pulled into her books. The Bourbon King series is one of my favorites this year. While I’ve been let down by the BDB, the Black Dagger Legacy series is a fresh new series that gives a new peek into the BDB.

5. Karen Rose: I love Karen Rose. She’s such an amazing author. I usually read her books in one day. I’m glued to my seat and just can’t put her books down. She’s my favorite romantic suspense author.

Holly

 

1. Sarina Bowen: Bowen has fabulous talent as an author. I love her voice, characters and stories. She never fails to pull me in, and she tackles some pretty deep subjects for all that her books feel like light reads. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us this year.

2. Nalini Singh: Singh is an auto-buy for me. I know she’ll deliver no matter what she writes.

3. Ilona Andrews: 2016 was the year of Ilona Andrews for me. I glommed their entire backlist and binge-read every book they’ve written. Although I enjoyed some more than others, there wasn’t a single book I didn’t like. The world-building and pure imagination in each series is unique and spellbinding.

4. Patricia Briggs: Briggs is another fabulous talent. I always fall right into her books and I’m always sad to see them end.

5. Kristen Ashley: I didn’t love the couple releases Ashley offered in 2016, but she remains a favorite. I consistently reach for her backlist when I need a quick re-read, and I expect good things from her upcoming erotica series.

Honorable Mentions: Julie James. Lauren Dane. Elle Kennedy. Chrisine Feehan. All of these authors are auto-buys for me. I can’t wait for their next releases.

Rowena

 

1. Nalini Singh: This year I glommed the heck out of the Psy/Changeling series and I loved every single book that I read. After that, I started the Guild Hunters series because I just couldn’t get enough of Nalini Singh. She is a fantastic writer and was definitely a favorite of mine this year.

2. Lauren Layne: Lauren Layne was a new to me author in 2016 and right from the very first book I read of hers, I loved her. She wrote, probably my favorite book of the year, Someone Like You. She just keeps right on writing books that I fall in love with and I love her to pieces. I know that she’s going to keep the party going in 2017 because there are already books I’m looking forward to from her. She’s great, great, great.

3. Elle Kennedy: Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus series is one of my favorite New Adult series out right now and Kennedy released two books from there. She also released more Killer Instincts book and launched the Royals series with Jen Frederick that I really enjoyed as well. Elle Kennedy entertained me for a lot of hours this year and I loved all of the books that I read by her.

4. Jen Frederick: Jen Frederick continues to delight me with every book she releases. I’m in love with her Gridiron series but I’m also enjoying her Woodlands series. I’m also an avid reader of her newsletter because I am a huge fan of her weekly serial, Lainey’s List. I have loved everything she’s come out with, including the Royals series she released with Elle Kennedy so yeah, she made my favorites list this year.

5. Sarina Bowen: Sarina was another author that gave me lots of hours of entertainment this year. She was a busy woman writing the True North series, the Brooklyn Bruisers series, and I’m confident that I will continue to love her stuff in the new year. She seriously rocks.

Honorable mentions go to Tessa Dare, Emma Chase and Jessica Lemmon. All wrote some fantastic books and I’m looking forward to their upcoming releases.

Casee

1. Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh. In my opinion, this series is seriously underrated. I love her Psy/Changeling series, but the Guild Hunter series is my favorite of the two. Don’t tell anyone.

2. In Death series by J.D. Robb. This series is on my list every year. How can it not be? Eve Dallas makes this series. What are we, 40 books in? And she is stick rocking it.

3. Sisters of the Heart series by Christine Feehan. I love this series. It brings me warm fuzzies, but still has strong women in it and seriously hot men. Circumstances brought these women together, but it’s love that makes them family. Loves.

4. Scorpius Syndrome series by Rebecca Zanetti. This was a new to me author this year and I glommed her. Out of all her series and books, this was my favorite. I love reading post-apolcalyse and this series really hit it.

5. Lawless series by Lexi Blake. Who doesn’t love a good revenge story? I know I do. It doesn’t hurt that this family of brothers doesn’t take any prisoners and they are hot.

Holly

1. The Innkeepers Chronicles by Ilona Andrews: Of all the series I read in 2016, I believe this is my favorite.

2. The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews: This list is a serious Ilona Andrews Lovefest, but I can’t help it. She was my best find of 2016 (why did I wait so long?)

3. True North by Sarina Bowen: This series was so fresh and engrossing. I adored the Vermont setting, deep characters and storylines.

4. The Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh: Singh is a master at her craft. Even after 9 books the series is fresh and imaginative. I’m dying for the next book already.

5. The Edge by Ilona Andrews. Another fresh and imaginative series. I adore the world and the characters.

Honorable Mentions: The Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh. Brooklyn Bruisers by Sarina Bowen.

Rowena

1. Psy/Changelings by Nalini Singh: I’ve had this series on my TBR shelf for the longest time. 2016 was the year that I finally read them all and boy did I fall in love with the world, the characters and the romances between the characters. This is such an incredible series and I cannot wait for the Psy/Changelings spin off series.

2. Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy: Elle Kennedy continues to make me fall in love with book after book after book in this series. I have enjoyed every single book in this series and 2016 treated us well because we got two books. Loved The Score and The Goal was great too. LOVE THIS!

3. Gridiron Series by Jen Frederick: Jen Frederick is another author that I cannot get enough of. Between her newsletter serial and her Gridiron series, I am obsessed. I loved all of the books she released last year and my favorite series of hers continues to be the Gridiron. I loved Knox. I loved Matty and surprisingly, I came to love Ace. Good stuff!

4. Oxford Series by Lauren Layne: Lauren Layne was my top author of 2016. I absolutely love her stuff. Her books are fun, her heroines are strong and I can’t get enough of her heroes. The Oxford series introduced me to her stuff and I haven’t turned back since. This book is good stuff. Love!

5. Wedding Belles Series by Lauren Layne: I really loved the Wedding Belles series. I also really loved that we didn’t have these long drawn out wait periods between books. Each of the books were fantastic, held up on their own but were pretty special when read together so of course this series made my favorites list. So good!

What series did you absolutely love in 2016? Any we should check out? Share with us!

Casee

1. Raphael from Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh: Archangel. Takes no prisoners. Badass beyond belief. Gives Elena everything she wants. <3

1. Raze Shadow from Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti: I loved Raze. He was completely unapologetic for who and what he was. He existed solely to save his sister and damn the consequences.

2. Stefano Ferraro from Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan: Stefano was amazing. Once he laid eyes on Francesca, he unrepentant about the fact that she was his. His to take care of and his to love. Classic Feehan and I loved it.

3. Riley Lawless from Ruthless by Lexi Blake: Riley has one goal and that is revenge. Then love gets in the way and he’s willing to put his revenge on the back burner. Riley was an amazing hero.

4. Nykyrian Quikiades from Born of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon: I almost forgot about Nykyrian. He was amazing. Never believing that he deserved a happy ending, I was thrilled when he met his heroine and finally believed that he was worthy.

Holly

1. Jude Nickel from Steadfast by Sarina Bowen: Hey, Jude…Oh man, did I love him. His determination to stay the course and be the best he could be really grabbed me. It wasn’t easy, but he stayed the course and came into his full potential.

1. Kendrick from White Tiger by Jennifer Ashley: For more than twenty years, Kendrick led a band of un-collared, renegade shifters. He was loyal and true, and he had a really big heart.

2. William from Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews: William had some self-esteem issues that came from being raised as lower than dirt in an uppity society, but he was strong, intelligent and willing to defend those he cared about with his life. I adored him.

3. Leo Trevi from Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen: Oh, Leo. How I adore thee….Leo was such a strong, stand-up kind of guy. I absolotuely loved him. He was everything I wanted in a Bowen hero, and more.

4. Casmir Prakenskii from Fire Bound by Christine Feehan: Feehan’s heroes tend to be over-the-top alphas, and Casmir was no exception..yet he still stood by his heroine and allowed her to make decisions for herself. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is for a Feehan guy. I loved how supportive he was, and how much faith he had in her and her ability to take care of herself.

Rowena

1. Lincoln Mathis from Someone Like You by Lauren Layne: His book is probably my favorite book of the year and he is my favorite hero of the year. I just loved him to pieces and adored him from the first time I met him in the first book until his book. I adored him to pieces and loved that he finally got his happily ever after.

1. Hawke Snow from Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh: Hawke had me way before I read his book. Kind of like, Lincoln. I couldn’t wait to read Hawke’s book because I absolutely adored him right from the beginning and I continued to love him all the more when I finally read his book. Hawke doesn’t disappoint in his book. I love, love, love him.

2. Max Shannon from Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh: I adored the hell out of Max Shannon. I loved his integrity, his strength of character and I absolutely loved the hell out of the way he loved Sophia.

3. Josh Tanner from For Better or Worse by Lauren Layne: I love flirty heroes and Josh was such a flirt. The way that he got under Heather’s skin, the way that he went toe to toe with her at every turn, it was so much fun and I loved how he grew to love Heather.

4. Josh Templeman from The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: Josh Templeman’s book was so much fun. I loved his work shirt game, his work shenanigans with Lucy and I really loved that he came into his own person without the family connections or the family path. I want to cuddle Josh at every turn. He was great!

Which heroes made your 2016 favorites list? Anyone that is listed here? Share with us!

Casee

 

1. Elena Deveraux from Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh. Elena tops my list every year. She’s my all time favorite heroine. She never gives up on Raphael. She also never allows Raphael to bulldoze her with his strong personality. I heart her.

2. Eve Dallas from Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb. Eve Dallas is still as amazing as she was from the day Naked in Death came out. I can’t even choose between her and Elena. I think that they are the best heroines in romance.

3. Vinnie Wellington from Shadow Falling by Rebecca Zanetti. Vinnie Wellington was a new heroine for me and I was highly impressed. She was tortured and came out on top. She’s a survivor.

Holly

 

1. Dina DeMille from The Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews: Dina is such a killer heroine. She’s an Innkeeper, which means she runs a bed-and-breakfast for intergalactic space travelers who are using Earth as a stopping point. She’s intelligent and pretty kickass, but also sweet and a caretaker. I loved every facet of her.

2. Kate Daniels from The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews: Kate is just kickass, period. I might want to be her when I grow up.

3. Elena Deveraux from The Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh: Elena remains a favorite no matter how many series I read. She’s a kickass, tough woman, but also vulnerable  enough to make her sympathetic. I adore her.

4. Cerise Mar from Bayou Moon (The Edge series) by Ilona Andrews: Cerise was such a killer heroine. Street-wise and tough, the way she kept surprising her hero – and every one else – had me cheering for her right from the beginning.

5. Audrey Kidder from Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen: Audrey was kind of a wild card for me. I didn’t love her at the beginning of the book, but her personal growth really stuck with me. When I was looking back at my reads for the year she stood out as one of the heroines who changed and grew the most during her book.

Rowena

 

1. Charlotte Highwood from Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare: Charlotte was so young when we first met her in the Spindle Cove series and I’ve always wanted to read her story. I trusted Tessa Dare to take care of us and she totally did. Charlotte’s story was such a delightful read but more than that, Charlotte was a fantastic heroine. I loved her at every turn in her book. She was so great!

2. Anna Latham from Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs: When I first met Anna Latham, she was at her lowest or pretty close to it but man, you can see the potential right from the beginning. You can see the strength in her and I really loved getting to know her.

3. Sienna Laurens from Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh: Sienna was the bomb dot com. When she unleashes the force of her rage on the people that would dare to harm her loved ones, I was blown away. She was always so strong headed, stubborn and what not but holy cow, the amount of love that she had for her loved ones was fierce. She was everything. Loved her!

4. Ella Harper from Paper Princess by Erin Watt: Ella was another fierce heroine that I met in 2016. She so young and suffered so much but she didn’t let that determine her fate. She fought tooth and nail for everything and what I admired the hell out of was that she didn’t lose herself in the process. At least, not in Paper Princess and I really loved Ella in that book.

5. Sophie Talbot from The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean: Sophie Talbot was another heroine that I absolutely adored. She had me laughing from the beginning to the end of her book. I loved getting to know her. I love how she really came into her own in her book and how fierce she was in her beliefs and in her passions. She was a memorable heroine for sure and one of my favorites of the year.

Who were your favorite heroines of 2016? Anyone we know and love? Share your favorites with us!

We read a lot of books every year. We read good books, bad books. Books that make us cry. Books that make us mad. But this list…this list is the best of the best. The books that we loved above all others.

Casee

1. Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh: What can I say about this book? About this author? She’s my people. She never lets me down, ever. Elena Deveraux and Raphael are the ultimate. There is nothing about this book that wasn’t amazing. From start to finish I was absorbed. Plus it’s an autographed ARC. I wasn’t complaining.

2. Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan: I’ve been a diehard Feehan fan since 2000 when I read Dark Prince. Whenever she starts a new series, I dive right in. I didn’t hesitate to start this new series and I’m glad I did. This series is going to be fantastic.

3. The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward: While J.R. Ward doesn’t know it, we have an on-and-off relationship. I didn’t read The Bourbon Kings when it first came out because I was determined that I wasn’t going to get hooked on another series. Alas, I couldn’t help myself. I’m glad I did read it. It’s a soap opera, plain and simple. I’m hooked.

4. Back to You by Jessica Scott: This book wrecked me. I can’t even pretend to know what it’s like for military families, but if anything showed me a glimpse of what it’s like, it is this book. Scott did a wonderful job of weaving the story and pulling me into this broken family. It was an emotional ride and I can’t recommend it enough.

5. Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti: Zanetti was a new-to-me author this year and I am thrilled that I discovered her. I read about eight of her books. The Scorpius Syndrome series was my favorite of all of them and Mercury Striking is the beginning of the series. Post-Apocalyptic Los Angeles is fascinating.

Holly

 

1. Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh: Singh never disappoints, but the latest installment of the Guild Hunter series was stellar. Imaginative and gripping..I couldn’t put it down.

2. Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews: 2016 was the year of Ilona Andrews for me. I read her entire backlist for the first time, so I had a plethora of good reads to choose from. Magic Binds was such a fabulous read. The Kate Daniels world is imagivitive and bright. I can’t wait for the next.

3. Steadfast by Sarina Bowen: Though I enjoyed Bittersweet and Keepsake as well, Steadfast makes my Best Of list. Jude and his struggle with sobriety stole my heart. It wasn’t a perfect book, but I fell into it immediately.

4. One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews: The Innkeeper Chronicles was one of my best finds of 2016. The entire series is fabulous, but I think One Fell Sweep is my favorite so far.

5. Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews: This book was my favorite of the series. The creepy world, characters and storyline were gripping.

Rowena

1. Someone Like You (Oxford #3) by Lauren Layne: This is probably my favorite book of the year. I loved Lincoln. I loved Daisy. I loved their squad. I loved everything about this book. It just hit every happy button I have and I have so much love for it.

1. Kiss of Snow (Psy/Changelings #10) by Nalini Singh: This book absolutely slayed like Beyonce’ in formation. When Sienna rolls up and lays to waste all of those damn Psy’s that thought they were going to win that battle? Man, I ate that stuff up. I loved how protective Hawke was of Sienna, the pack and just every damn body in the book. Such a great book.

2. Heart of Obsidian (Psy/Changelings #12) by Nalini Singh: This book was a surprise for me. I wasn’t prepared for how much I was going to like this book. Before this book, I was strictly Team Changeling but this one. This guy changed that for me. This book was good from beginning to end. It was hard to read and yet it paid off so well if you stuck with it. So, so good.

3. For Better or Worse (Wedding Belles #2) by Lauren Layne: I loved this book. I loved the heroine. I loved the hero. I loved everything. It was such a great book, with great characters and chemistry for days. Josh and Heather were fabulous characters and their story hit every one of my love buttons so of course this one was going on my best of lists.

4. Bittersweet (True North #1) by Sarina Bowen: I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet and it wasn’t full of angst and for me, it was perfect. Such a great read.

There you have it, our favorite reads of 2016. Did any of our favorites make your favorites list as well? What were your favorite reads of 2016?