Five Books Everyone Should Read is a feature we’re running in 2015. We’ve asked some of our favorite authors, readers and bloggers to share five books that touched them or have stayed with them throughout the years.
Today we have Mandi from Smexy Books on the blog to share her list of books that she thinks everyone should read. I’m a huge fan of Smexy Book’s Smex Scene Sunday so make sure you visit her blog to check it out.
This month my name is Mary
My name is different every month—Brandy, Honey, Amy…sometimes Joe doesn’t even bother to ask—but he never fails to arouse me with his body, his mouth, his touch, no matter what I’m called or where he picks me up. The sex is always amazing, always leaves me itching for more in those long weeks until I see him again.
My real name is Sadie, and once a month over lunch Joe tells me about his latest conquest. But what Joe doesn’t know is that, in my mind, I’m the star of every X-rated one-night stand he has revealed to me, or that I’m practically obsessed with our imaginary sex life. I know it’s wrong. I know my husband wouldn’t understand. But I can’t stop. Not yet.
Intense, erotic, devastating. This book will haunt you for a long time. This author always makes you work for the happy ever after, and even then, sometimes the happiness is a slippery thread. She writes beautiful words and makes me feel all the things. It’s deep and dark and pushes boundaries.
A series of murders in New York City has stymied the police and FBI alike, and they suspect the culprit is a single killer sending an indecipherable message. But when the two federal agents assigned to the investigation are taken out, the FBI takes a more personal interest in the case. Special Agent Ty Grady is pulled out of undercover work after his case blows up in his face. He’s cocky, abrasive, and indisputably the best at what he does. But when he’s paired with Special Agent Zane Garrett, it’s hate at first sight. Garrett is the perfect image of an agent: serious, sober, and focused, which makes their partnership a classic cliche: total opposites, good cop-bad cop, the odd couple. They both know immediately that their partnership will pose more of an obstacle than the lack of evidence left by the murderer. Practically before their special assignment starts, the murderer strikes again – this time at them. Now on the run, trying to track down a man who has focused on killing his pursuers, Grady and Garrett will have to figure out how to work together before they become two more notches in the murderer’s knife.”
This is book one of a must read series. Two male FBI agents who hate each other and then fall deeply in love. One has never been with a man before. Oh Ty and Zane. They make me laugh, they make me have anxiety and they have really, really hot sexy times. I adore them. While I think the first two books of this series are the weakest, stick with it. The series just concluded and the author did a great job with this couple. A treat to read.
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death—a cryptic message on MacKayla Lane’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed—a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae.
Another must read series, this one is a dark urban fantasy. I think most romance fans have at least heard of this, if not have already read it. The most alpha, brooding hero I’ve read. A naive heroine who turns totally bad ass. Cliffhangers! Twists! More twists! The best.
Slighty Dangerous by Mary Balogh
All of London is abuzz over the imminent arrival of Wulfric Bedwyn, the reclusive, cold-as-ice Duke of Bewcastle, at the most glittering social event of the season. Some whisper of a tragic love affair. Others say he is so aloof and passionless that not even the greatest beauty could capture his attention.
But on this dazzling afternoon, one woman did catch the duke’s eye—and she was the only female in the room who wasn’t even trying. Christine Derrick is intrigued by the handsome duke…all the more so when he invites her to become his mistress.
What red-blooded woman wouldn’t enjoy a tumble in the bedsheets with a consummate lover—with no strings and no questions asked. An infuriating lady with very definite views on men, morals, and marriage, Christine confounds Wulfric at every turn. Yet even as the lone wolf of the Bedwyn clan vows to seduce her any way he can, something strange and wonderful is happening. Now for a man who thought he’d never lose his heart, nothing less than love will do.
With her trademark wit, riveting storytelling, and sizzling sexual sparks, Mary Balogh once again brings together two polar opposites: an irresistible, high-and-mighty aristocrat and the impulsive, pleasure-loving woman who shows him what true passion is all about. A man and a woman so wrong for each other, it can result only in the perfect match.
The final book in her Bedwyn series, they can be read as stand alones but I enjoyed all of the Bedwyn siblings. Wulfric is featured in this book, and oh did I love him. Quiet, intense, the head of the family. So cold and aloof – but then he meets Christine and his frozen little heart starts to grow. It’s a quiet romance that suits him perfectly. I think it’s about time I reread this one.
Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley
Get ready to ride . . .
Tyra Masters has had enough drama to last a lifetime. Now, she’s back on track and looking forward to her new, quiet life. Until she meets the man of her dreams. The tattooed, muscled biker plies her with tequila-and the best sex of her life. She knows it isn’t the tequila and hot sex talking. He’s the kind of man she’s always wanted. Unfortunately, he’s also her new boss . . .
Kane “Tack” Allen has a rule. He doesn’t employ someone he’s slept with. So when he learns he spent last night in bed with his new office manager, he quickly fires Tyra. Yet when Tyra stands up to him and fights for her job, Tack is intrigued. He tells her she can keep her job on one condition: no more sex. Ever. But as things heat up between them, Tack finds that he’ll be the one breaking all the rules…
Tack stole my heart – at first I thought he was the biggest jerk but by the end I about swooned off my bed. He’s still a jerk, but his devotion and love for Tyra knows no bounds. I always have a blast reading Kristen Ashley books, and Tack and Tyra will always be my favorite. I would read another 1,000 pages about them easily.
Rowena: Thanks to Mandi for sharing the books that have resonated with her enough that she wants us all to read them as well. If you want more goodness from Mandi, please stop by her blog Smexy Books and say hey.