Casee
Nevada Baylor from the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrew: Nevada was by far my favorite heroine of the year. She is in my top five heroines of all-time. I love her independence and her love for her family. I love that she can love Rogan and remain true to herself. She isn’t content to sit back and let Rogan protect her although he’s certainly able to do so. She is able to teach him that they can be true partners. She has a strength in her that I’ve only ever seen in Elena Deveraux.
Elena Deveraux from the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh: Speaking of Elena Deveraux. Although Archangel’s Prophecy wasn’t my favorite book, Elena will continue to be one of my favorite heroines. She has a fierce need in her to protect her family and Raphael. Raphael is an archangel. Even with his almost limitless power, Elena will still protect him as he protects her. She’s amazing.
Daisy Sinclair from the Someone Like You by Lauren Layne: I loved Daisy from the beginning. She immediately sees through Lincoln, but she never pushes him for more. She becomes his friend before his lover. She sees that he’s damaged and just never asks for more. She’s damaged in her own right and has healing to do. I loved how she handled Lincoln. I loved how strong she was. She was the perfect heroine for him.
Lana Anderson from Seduction in Session by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake: I honestly did not expect to like Lana as much as I did. She seemed like such a dingbat at first. She fell in love with someone she met online. Or thought she did. She was a vegan loving PETA member that rescued animals. But she was smarter than she seemed. She didn’t take any of Connor’s crap. When she found out who he really was, she was devastated, but she remained strong. Even with her mushy heart, she was a strong woman. I loved her.
Stella Lane from The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang: Stella, Stella, Stella. She was the most matter-of-fact heroine that I have ever read. What you see is what you get with Stella. When she wants to be taught sex, she goes out and finds someone to teach her. When she falls in love with her teacher, she tells him. She was so refreshing. I really enjoyed her, far more than I thought ever would.
Holly
Penny Bristol (Magical Mayhem #1) from Natural Witch by K.F. Breene: Penny is such an unexpectedly, self-aware, strong heroine I couldn’t help but love her. Her strength and loyalty really shone through and made her a stand-out heroine this year.
Dr. Katherine Shaw from Lionheart (Moonshadow #3) by Thea Harrison: This is a woman who is comfortable in her skin and unafraid to fight for what she believes in. Her quiet self-assurance really pulled me in. She didn’t play games or start drama, she just did what she needed to do. She made the book for me.
Madisyn Drake from Echoes of Fire (Mercury Pack #4) by Suzanne Wright: Madisyn is a cat shifter surrounded by wolves. She didn’t back down from a challenge and fought for what she believed in. I liked that she didn’t shy away from danger, and her sneaky anger made me cheer more than once.
Gilene from Phoenix Unbound (Fallen Empire #1) by Grace Draven: Gilene’s inner strength allowed her to suffer tortures beyond belief year after year. I loved her sense of family and her determination to do what was right, no matter how difficult.
Meg Corbyn from The Others series by Anne Bishop: Meg spent her life being abuse in capitvity, but she never let that stop her from fighting for a future for herself and others. Watching her grow and strengthen over the course of the series was so wonderful and touching. I couldn’t help but admire her.
Honorable Mentions: I actually read a lot of really great heroines in 2018. Here a few I didn’t list, but still loved. Elena Deveraux from the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh, Kate Daniels from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, Stella Lane from The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang.
Rowena
Stella Lane from The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang: I love, love, loved Stella Lane. I thought she was smart, strong, and super funny. She was witty too and that made reading her story, getting to know her and see her interact with the hero and the people in her world so interesting. She’s a high functioning autistic heroine that just rocked my socks. I need more Stella Lane heroines, please!
Iris DuPree from Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan: I think of all the heroines that I read about this year, Iris DuPree’s story was the one that hit me the most. The crap that she went through in her relationship before she gets with the hero of her book was just heartbreaking. She’s a survivor and straight up gangster. Such a strong heroine and when she finally gets her happily ever after, I cheered so much. She was great.
Nevada Baylor from the Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews: Nevada Baylor rocked my socks off in 2018. I read Burn for Me twice, made my book club read it and loved it both times that I read it. I still go back and read some of my favorite parts of the series too. Nevada is all kinds of kickass and just all around fantabulous!
Mercy Thompson from the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs: Mercy continued to shine for me in 2018. I think I was much more invested in what she was going through this year than last year and I loved her to pieces last year. My love for all things Mercy is stronger than ever and I can’t wait to catch up on all of the books.
Rionna McDonald from Never Love a Highlander by Maya Banks: Rionna McDonald was a gee. She was engaged to all three of the McCabe brothers and ends up married to the most ornery of the lot. She was a tomboy who trained with her father’s men and ran things because her father was too busy being a bad person. Seeing how the past and the way that she grew up, shaped the woman she becomes hit me right in my feels. The way she protected Keelie and then the lengths she went through to save Caelen? Yeah, this woman was the bomb and definitely one of my top heroines of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Special shout outs to the following heroines who rocked my socks too. Lady Felicity Faircloth from Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean, Alex Mountbatten from The Governess Game by Tessa Dare, and Keelie McDonald from Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks.
Who were your favorite heroines of 2018?