Casee
I have a couple new-to-me authors on my list this year which makes me really happy. I’m so glad that I got out of my comfort zone. One author not on my list this year is Nalini Singh. That makes me really unhappy. She’s been on my list for years and years. It’s a sad state of affairs.
Ilona Andrews
2018 Releases: Magic Triumps, Diamond Fire, Iron and Magic
Ilona Andrews was my very favorite new-to-me author this year. I love this husband and wife writing duo. They pull you into the world you created and don’t spit you out until the very end. Usually I don’t like thinking about a book I’ve read for days after, but I didn’t mind with the Hidden Legacy series because I walked around with a smile on my face. I can’t wait to read more of their books.
Rebecca Zanetti
2018 Releases: Hidden, Vampire’s Faith, Winter Igniting
I’ve been reading Rebecca Zanetti for several years, but it wasn’t until I started reading the Scorpius Syndrome series that I really started to like her a lot. Then I read her Dark Protector series and I loved her. Her romantic suspense has also started getting better. I can’t wait to read what she comes out with this year. I’ve already read her first release of the year, but I can’t wait to see what else she releases.
Lexi Blake
2018 Releases: Memento Mori, Order of Protection, Close Cover, Nobody Does it Better
I’ve adored Lexi Blake since the day I read Ruthless. I’ve been hooked on her books ever since. I am in love with her sexy alpha heroes and just love the strong heroines she writes. She never shies away from a hard topic. She writes the best BDSM that I’ve ever read and I’ve read quite a bit in my day. She also co-wrote some of my favorite books of the year with Shayla Black. She is my hero.
Elle Kennedy
2018 Releases: The Chase
Elle Kennedy is on my list because I loved The Deal and I just love her books. I am bummed that she didn’t put out any new romantic suspense, but I’ll live. I also simply loved the Him series, written by Elle and Sarina Bowen. Those two are magic together. If they need to know if readers are interested in another collaboration, I say YASSS!
Lauren Layne
2018 Releases: Runaway Groom, Hot Asset, I Think I Love You, Hard Sell
Lauren Layne was a new-to-me author this year. Both Holly & Rowena seemed to enjoy her so I thought I would give her a try. I read her Oxford series and loved it. She writes books that can make you laugh one minute and cry the next. That is exactly the kind of author that I love. I am looking forward to going through her backlist this year.
Honorable Mentions: A few more authors that I really loved last year were Christine Feehan, Karen Rose, and Sarina Bowen.
Holly
I discovered some really great new-to-me authors in 2018. I binged on several and look forward to new releases from them in the coming year. I tried to keep my list to authors I discovered in 2018. Though I cheated a bit.
Lauren Blakely
2018 Releases: Unzipped, My Sexy Rival, Once Upon A Wild Fling, Once Upon A Real Good Time, Once Upon A Sure Thing, A Little Big Rock, Bigger Rock, The Real Deal, Come As You Are, Most Irresistible Guy, The Breakup Album, Most Likely To Score, Wanderlust, Part-Time Lover, Melt for Him, Unbreak My Heart, Consumed by You
I read some really great books by Lauren Blakely in 2018. Wanderlust and Part-Time Lover were two of my favorite reads for the year. She writes fun, flirty contemporary romances I couldn’t seem to get enough of. I think I spent the majority of October reading nothing but Blakely. I have zero regrets.
Anne Bishop
2018 Releases: Lake Silence
For years friends have been urging me to read Bishop, but for some reason I kept putting her off. I have the entire Black Jewels trilogy in my TBR, but I’ve never read it. I discovered The Others series while browsing for an audiobook and ended up binge-reading the entire series in about a week. It was so fabulous I couldn’t stop with just one. I plan to go through her entire backlist in 2019.
Ilona Andrews
2018 Releases: Magic Triumps, Diamond Fire, Iron and Magic
I actually started reading Ilona Andrews in 2017, but since I read and loved a number of their books in 2018, and reread so many more, they made the list. I so easily fall into Andrews’ stories, I feel like I never want to leave.
Suzanne Wright
2018 Releases: Shiver, Embers, Wild Hunger, Echoes of Fire
I rediscovered Suzanne Wright this year. I’d read some of her books previously, but I think it’s been 4 or 5 years. I really enjoyed falling back into the Phoenix Pack and Mercury Pack series. I look forward to seeing what she has in store for us in 2019.
Molly Harper
2018 Releases: How to Date Your Dragon, Love and Other Wild Things, Changeling, Peachy Flippin’ Keen, Ain’t She a Peach
I found Harper’s How to Date Your Dragon on Audible and fell in love with the story and the characters. I ended up reading and/or listening to a number of books after that. I love her humor and the way she writes her Southern Characters. I’m really looking forward to diving into her backlist in the new year.
Honorable Mentions: More 2018 authors I love include Lorraine Heath and K.F. Breene.
Rowena
I didn’t realize how many authors that I read and loved throughout the year. There are a lot so it was a lot harder for me to choose my top authors of the year. Here’s what I came up with, in no particular order. I loved all of these authors about the same.
Kennedy Ryan
2018 Releases: Long Shot, Block Shot, Hoops Holiday
I’ve only read two books by Kennedy Ryan but both books left me shook. I loved both books and though they were hard to read, I thought Kennedy Ryan did a fabulous job of pulling the reader through the emotional journey that her characters went through. I am so here for more of the goodness of her writing. I look forward to reading more from her in the coming year.
Maya Banks
2018 Releases: Linger, Wild, Songbird, Undone, Tempted, Wanted
I discovered Maya Banks for myself this year and I wanted to kick myself for waiting so long to read her. I really went through it while reading all of the books in the McCabe Trilogy and then again when I read the Montgomery-Armstrongs series. I thought the next book in the Montgomery-Armstrong series was coming out in February 2019 but it’s been pushed back to October 2019? Man, I hope that really does come out because I need to read that book. Maya Banks did me good this year and I’m looking forward to more.
Helen Hoang
2018 Releases: The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang’s debut The Kiss Quotient is probably my book of the year. It’s the book that I loved so much that I wanted everyone to read asap and it’s the book that I talked about the most with all of my book buddies, I even talked about it with my coworkers and my boss and my sisters. Everyone. I loved her writing style and am looking forward to The Bride Test in the new year.
Lauren Layne
2018 Releases: Runaway Groom, Hot Asset, I Think I Love You, Hard Sell
Lauren Layne has made it onto my top author’s list for the last couple of years and I’m happy to report that I still love her stuff. I still get giddily excited over new releases, new book news and just all things Lauren Layne. She writes my kind of books and in 2018, I loved the hell out of her books, her characters and just the way that she writes stories. She’s freaking great!
Christina Lauren
2018 Releases: Love and Other Words, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, My Favorite Half Night Stand
Christina Lauren was one of those writing duos that I’ve been meaning to read for years and years but never really got around to it. I read one book by them last year and enjoyed it then they fell off my radar but jumped right back on with the release of Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating. I have read two of the three books they released this year and enjoyed the heck out of them so they’re a memorable addition to my top authors of 2018.
Honorable Mentions: My honorable mentions for 2018 go to Sarina Bowen, Elle Kennedy, and Mariana Zapata. They’re all still killing the game for me.
Who were some of your favorite authors in 2018?