Tag: Holly’s Books

Summer Reading Challenge: Five Books We Want the Team (and you) to Read

Posted June 29, 2018 by Rowena in Discussions | 21 Comments

Holly: Recently, Rowena, Casee and I were talking about our Five Books Everyone Should Read feature and books we’ve been meaning to read came up. All of us added a lot of books to our TBR piles during that feature, but we haven’t gotten to many of them. The question was posed, if we could choose five books for the others to read, which would we choose? It seems easy enough. Pick five of your favorite books, right? But it isn’t that simple. Because I’d want to pick books I know Rowena and Casee will love, not just books I myself loved. While we all enjoy some of the same things, we all have different reading tastes.

We agreed for our Summer Reading Challenge, we will each read 5 books chosen by the other two. Each of us will choose 2 books for the others to read, along with a joint pick. We’d like to invite all of you to read with us. Pick a book (or 5) from our list and read along in July and August. Or, if you’ve read all of these, check out the Master List of recommendations from your favorite authors, readers and industry professionals and choose five books from there.

For Casee

Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs (Currently $2.99 for Kindle!)
Sustained by Emma Chase
Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
The Year We Hid Away (The Ivy Years #2) by Sarina Bowen

Holly: Casee is hard to pick for. She reads mostly dark paranormals and romantic suspense. While I enjoy a good PNR, I’m allergic to RS. I’m choosing Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs, the prequel to the Alpha and Omega series and Cry Wolf (book 1). I know this is technically 2 books, but Alpha and Omega is short and it’s a companion novella. You really can’t read one without the other. I’ve been telling her for years she’ll love the series, and bonus! it’s third person. (Hint Hint: It’s a dark paranormal with suspense!). For my second choice I’m going to choose Sustained by Emma Chase. I really loved it and I know she will, too.

Rowena: Trying to figure out what books I wanted Casee to read was a lot harder for me than Holly’s list was and that’s because Casee isn’t a fan of a lot of my favorite kinds of books. She hates reading in first person and a huge chunk of the books I want her to read are in first person. I’m choosing Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews and The Deal by Elle Kennedy. Burn for Me is a given because there’s absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t have read this book already, Casee. Same with The Deal, that series is too good for you to not try.

Holly & Rowena: We chose The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen for our joint recommendation for Casee because it’s really sad that she doesn’t know and love Bridger. Be a part of our club, Casee…you know you want to. 🙂

For Holly

Raphael by D.B. Reynolds
The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne
Satisfaction by Lexi Blake

Casee: Holly is a hard one. She has always been the most difficult of the three of us. Maybe that’s why I’m having such a mother-loving hard time figuring out what to pick for her. I decided to steer completely clear of RS because she’s so finicky about it. It took me two days to think of a paranormal that she might not find fault with. I chose Raphael by D.B. Reynolds. I absolutely adore this couple and this series. I was thrilled when I discovered D.B. The next book, well, lets just say I’m glad we don’t live in the same state. I chose The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward. Not because I’m a JRW fan, but because I really liked the Bourbon Kings series. It’s super soap opera-y (except the third book). I was so pleasantly surprised and I want to see ~~what she finds wrong with it~~ if she might possibly like it. Yeah, probably not. Who am I kidding? She’s going to kill me. What can I say? Suck it up, Princess.

Rowena: The two books that I chose for Holly to read are The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang and The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne. I adored both books and I really want to introduce these two authors to Holly. I think she’ll like them both if she gave them a chance.

Casee & Rowena: Rowena and I have literally five authors we mutually read, so it wasn’t easy to pick a book for Holly. We originally chose Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon because we want her to ~~kill us in our sleep~~ love Acheron as much as we did. Then we remembered that she actually DNFed it. DNFed Acheron. Honestly, Holly. You poor, poor soul. Rowena and I regrouped and decided to go back to basics. Lexi Blake. A while ago we tried to get her to read Ruthless, which probably wasn’t the best way to go because it’s our least favorite in the Lawless series. Rowena and I agree that the best book is Satisfaction, so Satisfaction it is. No DNFing. You’re in it to the bitter, bitter end.

For Rowena

Untamed by Pamela Clare
Beyond the Night by Colleen Gleason
Coming Undone by Lauren Dane
In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks
Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard

Casee: Rowena is so hard to pick for because our reading tastes are so opposite. I want to pick books that I know she will like, but I want to take her out of her comfort zone as well. I’m being a total bitch because one of the books that I’m picking is smack in the middle of a trilogy. Untamed by Pamela Clare was on my Best of 2009: The Books. I still remember how much I loved that series and that book in particular. The second book I am choosing for her is Beyond the Night by Joss Ware/Colleen Gleason which is the first in a Dystopian/Post-Apocalypse series. I think you all know how much I love my Dystopians.

Holly: The problem with choosing books for Rowena is there are so many I want her to read. So many I know she’ll love if she just tries them. How am I supposed to narrow it down to 2? My life would be a lot easier if these girls just read the books I told them to, when I told them to read them. In the end, I’m choosing Coming Undone by Lauren Dane and In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks. I originally chose England’s Perfect Hero by Suzanne Enoch for her, but it’s the third book in a series and I can’t remember if you need to read the first two for it to make sense. She’s lucky I love her.

Coming Undone is the second book in the Brown Family series, but i don’t believe the first book needs to be read for this one to make sense. Brody took on the task of raising his brother and sister when his parents died, and I know Rowena is going to love him – and the rest of the family – as much as I do. I just recently re-read In Bed with a Highlander and it held up so well I knew I had to pick it for Rowena. As much as we both love old-school Garwood historicals, I know she’s going to dig this one. (I personally think Casee should have to read it as well, but I’m not going to push it. Right now.)

Casee & Holly: Casee and I went back and forth about what to pick for Rowena, but in the end we settled on an old-school Linda Howard book. This crazy girl hasn’t read many of LH’s older books, despite both Casee and I urging her to try them for years. We went with Midnight Rainbow, because it’s an excellent book and the start of the Kell Sabin series. If I remember correctly, Rowena read White Lies, the 4th book in that series. She’ll love Grant.

Have you read any of these books? Do you agree with any of the books on our lists? Are you willing to read along with us this summer? What books would you choose for us to read? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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2015 Reading Challenge Review

Posted January 19, 2016 by Holly in Discussions | 2 Comments

Rowena and I both signed up to do the 26 Books in 2015 reading challenge. Sadly, I didn’t get all 26 books marked off my list. I cheated a little to get some of these.

The two I didn’t get to? A Book You Learned About Because of This Challenge and A Book Based on a True Story. I have several books marked TBR from this challenge, but I didn’t get to them. Same with a book based on a true story. Let’s hope 2016 is a better reading year for me.

1) ~~A Book you own but haven’t read~~ | Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh – I had this book in my TBR pile for years. I’m so glad I caught up on the series in 2015.
2) ~~A Book that was made into a movie~~ | Beastly by Alex Flinn – I still haven’t seen the movie, but, hey, I read the book!
3) ~~A Book you picked solely because of the cover~~ | The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan – Yum.
4) ~~A Book your friend loves~~ | Honor’s Splendour by Julie Garwood – Rowena loves this book. I’ve read it before, but it’s worth listing here since I know she adores it.
5) ~~A Book published this year~~ | Midnight’s Kiss by Thea Harrison – Is it cheating if it’s a series I’m already invested in? Eh…I’m counting it.
6) ~~A Book by an author you’ve never read before~~ | Black Wolf’s Revenge by Tera Shanley – I didn’t love the book, but I may try the author again.
7) ~~A Book by an author you love~~ | Archangel’s Enigma by Nalini Singh – Seriously, does the woman write anything that isn’t amazing?
8) ~~A Book at the bottom of your “to be read” pile~~ | Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews – I bought this book ages ago but didn’t read it. I’m glad I finally dug into the series.
9) ~~A Book with a color in the title~~ | White Out by Linda Howard – An old Howard favorite.
10) ~~A Book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit~~ | Heart Legacy by Robin D. Owens – The Planet of Celta is one of my favorite fictional places. I would love to visit it.
11) ~~A Book you started but never finished~~ | Undressed by Shannon Richard – I started this one several times and just couldn’t get into it. I’m glad I stuck with it, though, since it turned out to be a cute read.
12) ~~A Book with a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe~~ | Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews – Curran, Kate’s leading man, is a Lion.
13) ~~A Book with a female heroine~~ | Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews – The books are all about Kate and her personal journey. This is one of my favorites of the series.
14) ~~A Book set in the summer~~ | Suddenly One Summer by Julie James – And it has Summer in the title. Bonus!
15) ~~A Book of poems~~ | The Complete Works of Emily Dickinson – I loved revisiting some of my favorite poems. Full disclosure: I didn’t read the entire book. Only my favorites.
16) A Book you learned about because of this challenge
17) ~~A Book that will make you smarter~~ | Saving Grace by Julie Garwood – I know this seems like a strange choice for this category, but Johanna’s personal journey, and her struggle with her place as a woman in the church, really spoke to me.
18) ~~A Book with a blue cover~~ | Soaring by Kristen Ashley
19) ~~A Book you were supposed to read in school, but didn’t~~ | The Awakening by Kate Chopin – I don’t know how I missed reading this in school. It was wonderful.
20) ~~A Book “EVERYONE” but you has read~~ | Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh – I’m not sure that this specific book is one everyone but me has read, but I finally read the entire series this year, and I feel like I’m the last one, so I’m counting it.
21) ~~A Book with a great first line~~ | Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – This was hard for me, because I don’t really pay attention to first lines, until I remembered I re-read P&P over the summer. Love.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

22) ~~A Book with pictures~~ | Go The F*ck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach – This is a hilarious book given to me by a friend just after my youngest was born. Every parent knows the struggle. For real.
23) ~~A Book from the library~~ | The Foot Book by Dr. Suess – My daughter and I visit the library once a week and we always get several books, but most of them are children’s books for her. I love this book, so I decided to list it rather than one of the adult books I picked up for myself.
24) ~~A Book you loved….read it again~~ | Fall Into Me by Linda Winfree – I adore this book. I read it at least once a year. I recently learned Winfree is writing again and plans to release a book this year. So.Effing.Excited.
25) ~~A Book that is more than 10 years old~~ Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase – This might be cheating a bit since it’s a re-read, but it was published 20 years ago (1995!) so it counts.
26) A Book based on a true story

24 out of 26 isn’t too bad considering my sad reading mojo in 2015.

How about you? Did you complete your 2015 reading challenges or meet your goals?

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Tagged: 2015 Reading Challenge, 26 Books to Read in 2015 Challenge, Holly Says, Holly's Books, Holly's Reading, Reading Challenge

Year in Review: 2015

Posted January 14, 2016 by Holly in Features | 4 Comments

Oh, 2015.

I had great expectations for the reading year. Sadly I was in the funk for the majority of it.

The reading goals I set for 2015:

1. Read more sub-genres
2. Read more new authors
3. Read 200 books
4. Complete the 26 Books in 2015 challenge

I did read 200 books in 2016 (just), but I wasn’t able to meet any of my other goals. I read very few new-t0-me authors and hardly any variety of sub-genres. I did read 24 of the 26 Books in 2015 Challenge, but that still leaves me 2 shy of the goal. In short, I had a sad, sorry reading year.

Because GR doesn’t count a book toward the challenge unless I mark the date read, and because I re-read books multiple times, the number of books on my 200 Books shelf isn’t accurate.

200 Books in 2016 (160)
January (14)
February (23)
March (18)
April (12)
May (21)
June (18)
July (7)
August (16)
September (12)
October (24)
November (21)
December (14)

Adding the months together, I come up with 200 books read in 2015, which was my goal exactly. The truth is I probably read more than that, but I don’t count partial re-reads or books I read more than once in a month (which is something I do quite often).

Breaking that down:

Contemporary (76)
Fantasy (52)
Sci-Fi (3)
Historical (18)
Paranormal (46)
Romantic Suspense (5)

I read a lot more Fantasy/PNR than I normally do, but as you can see I didn’t read much variety. Those number aren’t 100% accurate because sometimes I shelve a book PNR and Fantasy and Sci-Fi (or some variation thereof).

New Adult (23)
New-to-Me Authors (15)
Novellas (22)

I wanted to read at least 2 new-to-me authors per month, and I fell far short of that. I just barely averaged 1 per month. I definitely want to work on that in 2016. The two new-to-me authors that stand out the most are Ilona Andrews (yes, I finally read the Kate Daniels series) and Whitney Garcia Williams (I’ve only read the one book by her so far, but I really loved it).

Read in 2015 (94)
Re-read in 2015 (79)

Though it says I read more than I re-read, I know that isn’t true. As I said, I don’t log books I read more than once in a month or partial re-reads. If I had, my re-reads for the year would probably be double what they are now.

I meant to keep track of which books I re-read the most. I’ll make a better effort do that this year. I know I re-read Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh multiple times, and Kristen Ashley continues to be my most re-read author, period.

I read two five-star reads this year: November 9 by Colleen Hoover and Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. The Hoover was such an emotional ride, I couldn’t set it down. The Singh was the perfect trifecta of goodness: Hero, Heroine and Story. I adored it.

Here’s a breakdown of my most and least favorite reads each month.

January

My favorite read of the month was probably Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh. Though I’ve been enjoying the series as a whole, Branded by Fire stands out because of Mercy. I heart her. (This is, of course, excluding re-reads since we all know Judd is the bestest ever).

My least favorite read was probably Wild and Free by Kristen Ashley. That book was just boring. The secondary romance added a little spark, which is why I graded it a 2.5, but the main romance and plot were a snoozefest.

February

My favorite reads of the month, excluding re-reads, were Heart of Obsidian and Shield of Winter by Nalini Singh, though I really liked all the Psy/Changeling books I read. Honorable mention goes to Midnight’s Kiss by Thea Harrison. I really liked Julian and Melly.

My least favorite read was Mate Bond by Jennifer Ashley. I liked the romance, but the suspense plot didn’t work for me.

March

I actually read some really great books this month. Suddenly One Summer by Julie James was great and so was Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh (of course, Heart of Obsidian is still my favorite Psy/Changeling book, but don’t tell Aden I said that). The Deal by Elle Kennedy was fabulous. I absolutely loved the story. Still the One by Jill Shalvis was good, too.

My least favorite reads were The Alpha Meets His Match by Georgette St. Clair and Waking the Beast by Lacey Thorn. The St. Clair had an interesting premise, but it lacked in execution. It could have benefited from a good editor. The Thorn really needed to be longer. It felt half-told.

April

My favorite reads of the month were Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley and The Mistake by Elle Kennedy. My least favorite was Beastly by Alex Flinn.

May

My favorite (new) read of the month was The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan. I adored Gray and Ivy. Great read. I also really loved Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley. Joker was a total surprise (in a good way) and I loved the heroine.

My least favorite read was probably Cat’s Lair by Christine Feehan. It isn’t the one I would rate the lowest grade-wise, but it was the biggest disappointment. I usually love her heroes, but I felt like this one was more asshole than alpha. Total bummer. I didn’t love Bound in Darkness by Cynthia Eden or Seven Years by Dannika Dark, either, but I liked them enough to continue reading the series, so I guess that says something.

June

Excluding re-reads, my favorite reads of the month were Archangel’s Enigma, Back to You and Sweet. My least favorite read was probably Ruby Shadows by Evangeline Anderson. The bones of the story were pretty good, but that book needed editing like whoa. Plus, the heroine made questionable choices considering she was literally in hell for most of the book.

July

My favorite read of the month was Archangel’s Enigma. I’ve been dying to find out more about Nassir and Singh didn’t disappoint. I loved him. His heroine was pretty great, too. I adore this series.

My least favorite read was Night’s Surrender by Amanda Ashley. I didn’t dislike the book, I just read so few my options were limited.

August

I didn’t really have a least favorite book this month, since all my reads were old favorites. I will say The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie and The Duke’s Perfect Wife are my favorites from the Mackenzie & McBrides series by Ashley.

September

My favorite reads of the month were Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh and The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Anne Long. Have we been waiting a million years for that book, or what? Okay, a million is an exaggeration, but it’s been nigh on a decade for real, right? I’m glad it lived up to the hype. I really liked Lyon and Olivia (yes, even Olivia).

My least favorite read of the month was probably Walk Through Fire. I didn’t dislike it, necessarily, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as some of the others in the series.

October

I did a lot of re-reading in October, but I think my favorite new read of the month was November 9 by Colleen Hoover, followed by The Game Plan by Kristen Callihan. November 9 wrecked me. Just totally wrecked me. I really loved Dex and Fiona in The Game Plan.

My least favorite read of the month was Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz. I liked the romance, but the bumbling mystery plot was such a mess it totally killed the book for me.

November

In November I binge-read the Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. It started out slow but really picked up as the series wore on. I really like the world and the characters. I’m excited to continue, though I am taking a break now. I don’t want to burnout on the series.

My favorite read of the series so far is probably Magic Rises. My least favorite is Magic Bites.

December

Of the six new books I read, Fire Touched and The Score were my favorites. I was so angry at Adam at the end of Night Broken, but by the 1/4 mark of Fire Touched I was no longer mad at him. I didn’t expect to love Dean as much as I did in The Score. Kennedy has done such a fabulous job with that series.

My least favorite read was Soul of Smoke. I really liked the world, but the heroine drove me batty.

There’s my reading year in review. What did yours look like?

Did you complete any challenges you signed up for, or meet your reading goal?

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Tagged: 2015 Year in Review, Holly's Books, Holly's Reading, Holly's Year in Review, Year in Review

Worst of 2015: The Books

Posted January 8, 2016 by Holly in Features | 2 Comments

Holly

I didn’t read a lot of new-to-me authors this year, and I did a lot of re-reading besides, so my average reading experience was, on the whole, pretty good. I did read a few duds this year, though. Here they are.

Six Months by Dannika Dark: I enjoyed most of the books in this series, but Six Months failed on many levels. Mainly it was the heroine who killed it for me.
Wild and Free by Kristen Ashley: I generally love Ashley’s books, but this one didn’t work for me. To be honest it was mostly boring, though it was also confusing in parts and I didn’t connect with the characters.
Heart Legacy by Robin D. Owens: I didn’t actually dislike this book. On the contrary, Celta is one of my favorite fictional places and I love visiting it. But the ending really hurt the story. When I look back at it, it’s mostly with frustration over the way it ended.
Cat’s Lair by Christine Feehan: In this case, I really loved the heroine but the hero was such an ass I couldn’t get past his actions. I generally love Feehan’s heroes, but this one just didn’t work for me. At all.
Beastly by Alex Flinn: It was the sheer implausibility that killed this book for me. I can generally set aside any disbelief when I’m reading paranormal/fantasy novels, but the problem is this is written as a contemporary novel with the witch’s curse as the only fantastical element. That really hurt the story for me. Plus, the typos killed me.

Dishonorable Mentions: Waking the Beast by Lacey Thorn, Black Wolf’s Revenge by Tera Shanley, and Hero by Samantha Young.

Tracy

I read quite a few middle of the road books this year but there were a few that really stood out as BAD to me.

Mad for You by Anna Antonia: Creepy stalker hero who lies about everything and the heroine still wants him. Just…no. Not my idea of a romance AT ALL. Serious editing issues as well.
Sweet as Sin by JT Geissinger: This book was filled with angst and drama and when I thought it would finally die down I got more angst and drama. My God it was nonstop and a bit frustrating.
Last Light by M. Pierce: The love story – if I can even call it that – was so incredibly dysfunctional I couldn’t handle it half the time. Matt is a neurotic nutbag and Hannah ends up being his enabler. She tries to make a stand at one point in the book (as she did in book 1) and of course that doesn’t work because she LUUUUVS him. Puuuhlease. Spare me. They’re both whacked in the head if they think that they can keep doing the same things time and again and expecting a different outcome.”
99 days by Katie Cotugno: Girl supposedly loves her boyfriend but then sleeps with his brother. Just no. I couldn’t get over that.
Given to the Pack by Abby Weeks: This was the absolute worst read of the year. I couldn’t even give it one full star. This woman (I can’t even call her a heroine of the book) was TSTL and should never be able to leave home. She’s degraded, raped, slapped, – you name it and just keeps going along with it. She does say no to the rapes but not vehemently and she doesn’t actually try to fight the men off or run away (which she had chances to do over and over). The story of a rugged town in Alaska where the men protect the women but only if the women sleep with them ALL is so ridiculous. I think it was supposed to be considered taboo or titillating but it was too convoluted to be either. Just a ploy by the author to throw horrifying sex into the book.

Rowena

It’s been quite a while since I’ve read some really bad books but last year, I read a few. That surprises me cause I’m normally easy to please…but apparently, not last year.

Overruled by Emma Chase: This book drove me right up the wall. Between the hero and his dumbass shenanigans to the heroine letting the hero getting away with said dumbass shenanigans, I just couldn’t get over it and I ended up hating this one. Just thinking about this book again is making my eye twitch. Ugh.
Making Up Your Mind by Jill Mansell: OMG, this book drove me bat shit crazy. Too many of the characters drove me bonkers and the crap that Lottie’s kids got away with made me want to make them pick a switch for an ass beating the likes of which they’ve never seen before and then the adults weren’t any better. Lottie putting her nose in her ex-husband’s business, just ugh. All of it got on my nerves.
After Hours by Claire Kennedy: I like food and books set around diners, restaurants, bakeries, whatever. I’m all about those books but the shenanigans that went on behind the scenes in this book made me realize how old I am. Reading this book reminded me of when I watched that one movie Project X. Everything that was supposed to be funny or “good” made me mad. Like, ragey mad. I felt the same way about this book.
A Million Times Goodnight by Kristina McBride: This was another YA book that just did not work for me. The decisions these teens make, the dumb shit that they got themselves into – none of it worked for me. All it did was piss me off and make me want to kick them all in the nuts…even the kids without nuts.
Vicious Cycle by Katie Ashley: Deacon (the hero) was a dick and Alex just kept right on pissing me off throughout the entire time I was reading this book. You know I didn’t like them when they show up in the second book and I hate them still in that book. Stupid decisions, dumb ass shenanigans equals I did not like this book one bit.

Dishonorable Mentions: The Night We Said Yes by Lauran Gibaldi, Redemption Road by Katie Ashley and Game On by Katie McCoy.

What were the worst books you read last year?

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Tagged: Best of 2015, Best of Lists, Holly's Books, Rowena's Books, Worst of 2015, Worst Of Lists

Best of 2015: The Heroes

Posted January 7, 2016 by Rowena in Features | 5 Comments

Rowena

2015 was the year of the New Adult novel for me. I read and loved so many NA books and it definitely shows in my heroes list. 🙂

1) Jake Becker from Sustained by Emma Chase: Oh, Jake. Freaking Jake. I loved the hell out of this guy. I liked him so much better than his friend Stanton. I loved his reserved personality, the way that he thought about things and I absolutely loved the relationships he developed with those kids. He opened up more and more and the meeting he had with the kids at the end? Asbolutely LOVED it and LOVED HIM!
2) Judd Lauren from Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh: I’ve been curious about this guy for years, ever since Julie James was walking around RWA with a “Judd is my Boyfriend” button on her shirt. She wore that button loud and proud so I knew that I was going to read this book, I just didn’t know that it would take me so long to get around to it. But Judd lived up to every impossible expectation I had and now I know why he’s such a popular Nalini Singh. He is just flat out the bomb.
3) Mateo Torres from All Played Out by Cora Carmack: I’ve been reading about Mateo Torres for two books and I’ve been wondering how Carmack was going to have him settle down and not be such a party boy and she really knocked it out of the park with this one. I absolutely adored Torres. I loved his personality, his tenacity where Nell was concerned and I completely loved the list he made of ways he loves Nell. He did a lot of growing up in his book and I just loved the hell out of him.
4) Garrett Graham from The Deal by Elle Kennedy: Garrett Graham is that hero that knows he’s hot and is really arrogant about it but you still fall head over heels for him anyway. I loved how confident he was but I also loved the way that he loved Hannah. The way that he helped her overcome her hangups, how good a friend he was to her when she needed one, I loved it. I adored everything about Graham. His desire to do well in school, the loyalty he showed to his friends, everything about G was great. I loved the hell out of him.
5) Carter from Sincerely, Carter by Whitney Gracia Williams: Carter, Carter, Carter. He was another hero that surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to love him quite as much as I did but I’m oh so glad that I did. His love for Arizona, the way that he didn’t shy away from the feelings that crept up on him. The way that he knew Arizona better than she knew herself and did whatever it took to let her have the experiences she needed to have. I loved every minute of getting to know Carter and he was just one of those good guys that made my heart all fluttery and mushy. Love him!

Honorable Mentions: Trevor Callaghan from Midnight Games by Elle Kennedy, Knox Maddox from Sacked by Jen Frederick and Gray Grayson from The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan.

Holly

Generally this is one of the hardest categories for me to narrow down, but I did so much re-reading this year I didn’t have a lot of new books to choose from.

1) Kaleb Krycheck from Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh: Kaleb was everything I expected him to be..and so much more. I adored him.
2) Carson “Joker” Steele from Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley: I was surprised at how much I loved Joker since we knew so little about him going into this book. He was such a strong, stand up kind of guy. I loved watching him overcome his past and fall in love.
3) Lyon Redmond from The Legend of Lyon Redmond by Julie Anne Long: The long awaited story of Lyon. I loved how much he loved Olivia, and all he devious and dastardly plans to force her to realize how much she loved him in return.
4) Gray Grayson from The Friend Zone by Kristen Callihan: Oh Gray. How did I love thee… I loved how he loved Mac. I loved how loyal a friend he was. I loved how funny and adorable he was.
5) Ethan Dexter from The Game Plan by Kristen Callihan: Ethan embodied everything that was the strong, silent type. Talk about a deep well. He loved babies, stayed true to his friends and loved his girl like no other. I adored him.