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.

This week, we have one of my good friends sharing the books she thinks everyone should read. Tasha is a busy mother of six who still finds time to read a whole lot of books. She’s also one of the coolest Moms you’ll ever meet. Check out her picks:

Tasha: Wow, when you asked me to choose 5 books, I hadn’t realise how hard it was going to be. I found myself adding more and more titles and then I’d have to go back and cross some of them off and really narrow it down. So for now, at this moment, here are the five books I’ve chosen that you must pick up…

1. Slave To Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh

Nalini Singh dives into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind-and none of the heart.

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation” – the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was…

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion – and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities – or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Aside from the Twilight Saga, this was one of the first sci-fi/paranormal romance I read and I fell in love with it. It was completely out of my norm type of reading, which was mostly historical romances and all the ones with the fairytale happily ever after type of books. If you’re looking for something thats different and out of the norm, this is the one for you. You’ve got a big bad alpha shifter who falls in love with a psy – a person incapable of feelings or emotions. Can you see where I’m going with this? Exactly, these two come from completely different worlds, brought up to view the other as the enemy and here they are with this unexplainable attraction towards one another…what to do, what to do! There’s so much going on around them added the the chemistry these two ignite, this is surely one read you won’t soon forget.

2. Honor’s Splendor by Julie Garwood

In the feuding English court, gentle Lady Madelyne suffered the cruel whims of her ruthless brother, Baron Louddon. Then, in vengeance for a bitter crime, Baron Duncan of Wexton—the Wolf—unleashed his warriors against Louddon’s main. Exquisite Madelyne was the prize he catured…but when he gazed upon the proud beauty, he pledged to protect her with his life. In his rough-hewn castle, Duncan proved true to his honor. But when at last their noble passion conquered them both, she surrendered with all her soul. Now, for love, Madelyne would stand fast…as bravely as her Lord, the powerful Wolf who fought for…Honor’s Splendour.

Julie Garwood has to be one of my most favorite historical romance authors of all time and after reading this book, you’ll need no further explanation. In this books, I found myself laughing at the outrageous-ness of the scenes to wanting to club the hero in the back of his head for being such a big bonehead. By the time I finished this book, I felt all warm and fuzzy and was ready to cuddle up to my husband. Looking for one of those happily-ever-after-fairytale-endings, with a bit of humor here and there, this is the one for you!

3. The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working. Just when things seem worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the bad-tempered rent collector who comes demanding money–a secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of one woman’s journey to save her son and another woman’s chance at redemption.

This was not a book I would’ve picked up on my own. Actually, this was one of the books I had to read for a book club discussion and it was a phenomenal read to say the least. Reading this book made me want to stop for a moment, take a look at my life and really appreciate all that I have-no matter how little or how irrelevant it may seem. Before you start complaining about how terrible things in your life, pick up this book and see if you can still whine about your troubles afterwards. I must warn you, there are moments in the book where it may seem to drag, but once you get past those parts, you’ll be glad you pushed through. I was so grateful for the opportunity to have read this book and hopefully you’ll understand why some day.

4. Austenland by Shannon Hale

Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It’s all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

Okay, I’m not a big fan of the “ton” period, with the men going about doing whatever the heck they want without any consequences to worry about, while the ladies must sit around and learn how to sew, sing or play a musical instrument as a means of entertainment. Ugh, not sure if I would’ve been able to survive living like that. But here in this adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, she made this totally worth the read. It was funny, quirky and oh so swoon worthy (sigh). The setting is during modern times but all the action and drama happens when they are on a retreat that’s set up for those who wish to live the experience as if they were part of the “ton”.

5. The Game Plan (Game On #3) by Kristen Callihan

A beard-related dare and one hot-as-hell kiss changes everything.

NFL center Ethan Dexter’s focus has always been on playing football and little else. Except when it comes to one particular woman. The lovely Fiona Mackenzie might not care about his fame, but she’s also never looked at him as anything more than one of her brother-in-law’s best friend. That ends now.

Fi doesn’t know what to make of Dex. The bearded, tattooed, mountain of man-muscle looks more like a biker than a football player. Rumor has it he’s a virgin, but she finds that hard to believe. Because from the moment he decides to turn his quiet intensity on her she’s left weak at the knees and aching to see his famous control fully unleashed.

Dex is looking for a forever girl, but they live vastly different lives in separate cities. Fi ought to guard her heart and walk away. But Dex has upped his game and is using all his considerable charm to convince Fi he’s her forever man.

And finally, this one! There’s no way I couldn’t add this one to the list especially since I’ve just finished it and absolutely loved it!!! I read a lot of romance novels with the hot dominating alphas, or the scary bikers and even some of the tall slim languid rock super stars but not often do you read about big, bearded, professional football players who are as humble as they come.He’s quiet, caring, very protective of what belongs to him and you can’t help but want to cuddle up to this beautiful specimen. And doesn’t that just make him even more sexy-MY GOSH!! Guy crushes on girl for 2 years and doesn’t say a thing. Also, they couldn’t be more opposites, he’s super tall and bulky (like the Incredible Hulk) and she’s so short, dainty with curves (like Tinkerbell). He’s more likely to hide off in the corner with his bottle of water, where she’s out there having the time of her life. Watching these two come together and face their fears made for an awesome read!

So there you have it! My five choices 🙂 Hope this works out for ya! Thanks for thinking of me…I really enjoyed it!