Best and Worst of 2010 - Part V

Finally the last part of our Best and Worst of 2010 feature! This was supposed to go up last Friday, but obviously, it's late. Oups ^_^; Laziness and life have impeded on the schedule. This is pretty much the story of this blog ^_^; However, what matters is that it goes up eventually, right?

This post will be covering miscellaneous categories :) Ready?


Most anticipated book of 2010

Monroe: Nalini Singh's Play of Passion ~ who doesnt love these books?

*SIDE NOTE* I also have to add Succubus Shadow's by Richelle Mead ~ We've all been at the edge of our seats waiting for this one!

Nath: Okay, this is a really tough choice for me. I mean, you know how I am right? Always running after new releases :P So every new releases from my favorite authors or series LOL. However, if I have to choose one, I'd go with A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner. King of Attolia came out in 2006, so that means it took 4 years for A Conspiracy of Kings to be released... I was very lucky not to have that long to wait, but it still felt like forever!

Ames: I'm like you Nath. I looked forward to a lot of books. But I have to say this, I was really looking forward to Lover Mine. John Matthew and Qhuinn and Blay were the only reason I kept reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood and this book was JM's and then the further development of a story for Qhuinn and Blay. And OMG did I love what went on between those two guys. Woot woot! So much so, John Matthew's story became secondary.

Monroe: OMG how could I not stick in Lover Mine??? I look forward to the newest BDB book EVERY year! ;P


Most surprising book of 2010

Monroe: Evermore by Alyson Noel ~ I looked at this book and thought it was a cheap Twilight-ish book. Little did I know was that it opened up a FULL new series that I soon became addicted to!

Nath: Well I narrowed it down to two books :) Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath. Her past couple of releases have been kind of a downer and so I wasn't planning to get this book. Then it started getting good reviews and I thought, "Okay, I'll give this author another try." I'm just surprised at how much I ended up loving it.

The second book is Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Okay, so yes, Ames loved it and told me to read it... but again, surprised at how much I loved it :)

Ames: Awww, I'm glad I'm such a good book pusher. LOL

This one has to be Almost Like Being In Love. I remember when Nath told me she was reading it, I didn’t recognize the name or the author and I was like “what the heck is this girl reading?’ LOL So when I saw she liked it, I thought it sounded good. I was totally blown away! That book, I still think about it to this day. For sure one of my top favorite reads of all time.

* Honorable Mention: Touched by An Alien by Gini Koch. This book was a complete surprise – I LOVED it.

Nath: Seems like I'm not a bad book pusher either :P Sigh, do you know how much I wish Almost Like Being in Love was a 2010 read for me?!? :)


Book that met your expectations

Monroe: Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead ~ Oh jeez I think we all got what we wanted with this one! It will be a dark dark day in my little corner of the universe when this series ends ='(

Ames: I know Monroe.  I'll miss these characters so much.

Nath: Quite a lot have met my expectations actually LOL. However, I'd go with The Search by Nora Roberts, Play of Passion by Nalini Singh, Demon Blood by Meljean Brook, Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews, The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong and A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner.

Seriously, Ms Roberts and Singh keep putting out strong and solid books. I skipped over Demon Forged, but read and loved Demon Blood without a problem. Ms Brook is definitively doing a great job and the complexity of her world... I think that after Magic Strikes, there were so much expectations for Magic Bleeds and Ms Andrews handled it very well. Ms Armstrong wraps up her first YA trilogy well and handled the romance with ease :) Finally, I was a bit disappointed by the length of A Conspiracy of Kings... but only because I wanted more! Still, it really measured up to the expectations :)

Ames: Ok, Nath, you are the winner.  LOL

Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh. I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I had high hopes for AK. And they were met. Raphael... rowr.

Monroe: I second Ames's rowr for Raphael! lol


Best new series

Monroe: Not really 2010 but to me its a new series...Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh ~ I truly enjoy these books! It seems book by book they get better and better!

Ames: The Succubi series by Jill Myles. I like this series...and in a year when I was totally burnt out on paranormals, that’s saying something.

Nath: An Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
Notorious Bachelors by Emma Wildes
London's Greatest Lovers by Lorraine Heath

Yeah, yeah. It's too hard to keep it to one ^_^;


Series that are still going strong

Monroe: Nalini Singh's Psy/Changling series... ~ I LOVE this series from when I started it till even now! HOT HOT HOT!

Nath: The Guardians by Meljean Brook
Psy-Changelings by Nalini Singh
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Those are three series I'm always looking forward to. Cos I know the books are going to be great :)

Ames: I've fallen behind on the Psy/Changeling series. :( I'll catch up in 2011.

As for this category, this is easy. Richelle Mead’s Succubus series and Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse! Both these series had releases this year and I LOVED THEM.


Series I've given up on

Monroe: Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovitch... ~ ok I SAY this but I cant say for sure Ill stick to it...but as of now I havent caught up and Im not stressing about it!

Ames: Lora Leigh’s Elite Ops and Nauti series.

Nath: Ouch, two series by the same author ^_^;

For me, it's Immortals after Dark by Kresley Cole. I haven't stopped yet, but I'm really about to throw the towel and I still haven't read Demon from the Dark and I don't really feel like picking up the next installment either.


Best comeback/Redeeming author

Monroe: Ok not 2010 again by I must say The Outlander novels by Diana Gabaldon ~ I read these books spaced out because of how big they are and by how spaced out they are released. After reading A Fiery Cross I was down and out...possibly burnt out...but really that book didn't have one main issue. It truly was a filler book in my eyes (my least fav). But picking up A Breath of Snow and Ashes was like a breath of fresh air! Woowee Im glad I pushed through the prior book!

Nath: Well, I was debating with Kay Hooper and Elizabeth Vaughan. Both authors had weak first and second books in their current trilogy, really not up to their usual standards... but, they came back and deliver with their third books :) Thus redeeming themselves in my eyes.

 

However, I think this should really go to Jennifer Crusie. She's had a few bad collaboration books and haven't written any solo book for so long... but she is definitively on the way back with Maybe This Time :)

Ames: I don’t know. I really don’t. Maybe LKH? She has Anita being a necromancer again. Although there are still some things that bug me, I believe this author is sloooowly bringing the series back to some semblance of something... rather than a jumbled mess of sex scenes.


Best new to me author

Monroe: Sylvia Day ~ Oh I loved The Stranger I Married! I shove that book down everyone's throat! HA! (thanks Ames). And how could I not mention Jill Myles...my my my I bow to that lady.

Ames: You are welcome!!  For me it was like almost every YA author I’ve read this year. Fo sho. I have to say, it’s been fun discovering Sarah Dessen. I’m glad she has such a big backlist. :)

Nath: I'm going with Molly Harper and Gini Koch. They write in genres that I'm not a big fan of, but they definitively make it work :)

However, I think the gem of 2010 for me is really Emma Wildes :) I've just found a wonderful author that writes well, but also something refreshing :)

Ames: Yes, 2010 was an excellent year for Emma Wildes but she wasn't new for me.  And really Nath, since we have evidence of what a good pusher I am, you should have listened to me in 2009 when I said An Indecent Proposition was really good.  LOL

Nath: LOL. Well it's never too late, right? I did read An Indecent Proposal in 2010! :P


Best debut novel

Monroe: Rebecca Maizel's new Vampire Queen series - Infinite Days ~ Can't wait for for Stolen Nights!

Ames: Where can one begin? Lonely Hearts Club, The Sky is Everywhere, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, Touched By An Alien. The list goes on and on...

Nath: : LOL, I second all your choices, Ames!! :) I wish though we would know for sure that Ms Morgan has something on the way for 2011.

***

Nath: And this is the end of our Best and Worst of 2010!! So what do you think? Any surprises? Anything you strongly agree or disagree with?

I feel that 2010 was a turning point year for me in my reading. Mainly because I read more outside of romance - urban fantasy and YA. It also means that there are a lot of good books out there being published :) I just hope that 2011 will be as good :)

Monroe: Overall I had an awesome 2010 reading life! ;) You'll notice Singh made it a few times on my list...it was a big year for her and I anticipate 2011 to be even bigger! Also lately big hits with me are Paranormal...specifically in the YA genre! YA books seriously rock...it's nice not to have TOO MUCH romance in a book (although at times I do miss it lol). I have to say thanks to my ladies at Breezing Through and our lovely readers that suggest so many great books to read! Yall are awesome!

Ames: Yes, we're totally awesome.  LOL  2010 was an excellent reading year for me and I think 2011 is going to be even better!  My big goal is to hit that tbr pile so you may not see too many new release reviews from me, but that's ok.  Maybe by the time I make a big dent in my tbr pile, I need a few book pushers of my own.  haha

Best and Worst of 2010 - Part IV

Ames: Ok, today is Part IV of our Best and Worst of 2010. Today’s genres of choice are Young Adult, Fiction and Erotica.

Nath: I can't help but shake my head at this funny mismatch of genres, Ames LOL.

Monroe: I'd like to take credit for throwing in Erotica...yet shift credit to Ames for getting me to start Erotica this year! lol

Ames: Yes, cuz I'm a horndog. LOL


Young Adult

Ames

1. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
2. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
3. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
4. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
5. The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

** Honorable Mentions: (Because five is NOT enough LOL)

i. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
ii. Out of the Pocket by Bill Koningsberg
iii. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
iv. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Worst/Disappointing - Not that Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian and Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick - both books frustrated me greatly. Ugh

Monroe

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
2. Evermore by Alyson Noel
3. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
4. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
5. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Worst/Disappointing - I honestly don't have any...I've been REALLY lucky in this category...

I'm extremely hooked to all my YA series! ;) Notice how they are all pretty much paranormals! HA! lol I'm with Ames in saying that 5 isn't enough...I'd have to also say all the Vampire Academy books by Richelle Mead, all the House of Night books by PC and Kristen Cast, and lastly Sherrilyn Kenyon's Infinity...so ya I pretty much eat up all the para YA books lately! ;)


Nath

1. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
2. Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
3. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
4. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
5. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Worst/Disappointing - Fire by Kristin Cashore. I was expecting a lot out of this book and it just didn't do it for me ^_^; Felt like a chore to read this book, unfortunately :(


Nath: Ames, I'm so happy that My Most Excellent Year made it to the top of both our lists!! It was such a great, great book :) And thank you for recommending Amy & Rogers' Epic Detour! Another great book.

Ames: No problem! You should check out The Sky Is Everywhere - I think you'll really like that one too.

Monroe: That's the one about the sister and her boyfriend with the other sister right Ames? I still need to read that one!

Ames: That's the one.  You'd really like it too.  :P

Nath: See everyone? Ames is our pusher LOL.



Fiction

Here is where we thought we could capture books that we haven’t listed yet. Like historical fiction, general fiction, chick lit, women’s fiction, etc.

Ames

Top 3 Fiction titles (except where Ames doesn't know how to count so she made it 4, LOL)

1. Almost Like Being in Love by Steve Kluger
2. False Colors by Alex Beecroft
3. Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
4. The Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger


Monroe

1. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
2. Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot
3. Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Worst/Disappointing - Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella...like the author...hate that book! =) *said in the nicest way possible of course.

Nath

1. The Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger
2. Blood Ties by Kay Hooper
3. And One Last Thing... by Molly Harper

Worst/Disappointing - A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr. I love Ms Carr's book and was truly disappointed by this book. Part of it is probably because I went in thinking it was a romance, but it turned out to be Women's Fiction. Then, just the storylines themselves weren't very interesting and some of the characters, very frustrating :(


Ames: I didn't read a lot of general fiction books - as you can see, most of these are historical fiction. And for the longest time, I was referring to ALBiL as a YA (b/c it starts when they're kids). LOL So I guess that's one thing I need to work on this year. Branch out a bit more!

Nath: I don't know what you're talking about, Ames. You branch out so much more than me. LOL, I was lucky to have a Top 3! At first, I thought I'd only have The Last Days of Summer, but I stretched the boundaries a little :)

By the way, I totally agree with your top choice. ALBiL would have been my top pick as well if I've read it in 2010. I kind of regret not having made a Best and Worst of for 2009... Do you think it's too late now? LOL

Also, seems like Steve Kluger was a winner author for both of us!! :)

Ames: Steve definitely was our go-to guy. Thank YOU for telling me all about ALBiL. :)


And Monroe wanted us to include this final category:

Monroe: And normally I'm NOT the dirty one...am I? Why was I the one to think of Erotica???

Erotica

Monroe

1. Stranger by Megan Hart
2. Taking Care of Business by Megan Hart and Lauren Dane
3. Always by Lauren Dane

Can you tell I love Lauren Dane and Megan Hart? ;)

Worst/Disappointing - Kate’s Crew by Jayne Rylon...it scarred me for life...lol Ames remember you suggested it but you didn’t know the (how do I say this) extent of the book? lol And I was SO new to erotica? lol

Ames: Excuuuuse me, I did NOT recommend this book. I hadn’t read it yet. LMAO

Monroe: BUT BUT BUT you told me I should try it...you told little 'ol Monroey-poo with her clean virgin eyes to read this book...you have FOREVER sent me into shock! ;P


Ames:  LMAO!

Ames

1. Love's Fortress by Samantha Kane
2. Paradise Rules by Beth Kery
3. Sex on the Beach by Susan Lyons (this one was an anthology which I generally do not like but this one was enjoyable!)

I used to read contemporary erotica, but I noticed with my new found love of m/m, that I've really cut back. So yeah, didn't really read that much quality stuff. I read a lot of short stories/novellas for Book Binge, but very little of it really stood out for me.


Ames: Nath claims she didn’t read any erotica (I don’t believe her LOL) so she doesn’t have anything to contribute. :)

Monroe: I claim she's in the closet about her love for Erotica! HA! Love you Nath! ;p

Nath: I can send you my list for 2010! LOL. I thought I read Broken by Megan Hart, but it turned out to be in 2009 ^_^; Well it's not really surprising, since I've never been much into erotica...

Ames: I'm just teasin' ya! LOL You need to read more Megan Hart and Lauren Dane too! And Beth Kery!

Monroe: Amen on Ames comment! lol Woot woot to Megan Hart and Lauren Dane!

Best and Worst of 2010 - Part III

We continue our Best and Worst of 2010 week tonight with Paranormal romance and Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi. I find choosing a Top 3 for these genres always challenging, mainly because Paranormal romance and Urban Fantasy are so "in" at the moment and that means a lot of selection to choose from :P Also, it sometimes really difficult to figure out if the book is paranormal romance or urban fantasy LOL, but we did it! Here we go :)


Paranormal romance

Nath

1. Demon Blood by Meljean Brook
2. Play of Passion by Nalini Singh
3. In the Darkest Night by Patti O'Shea

Worst/Disappointing - Her Vampire Husband by Michele Hauf and Healer's Choice by Jory Strong. Both were new authors to me and I picked the books up based on some good reviews. However, they simply didn't work for me ^_^; Her Vampire Husband felt uninspired and Healer's Choice, not to my taste at ^_^;


Ames

1. Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles
2. Succubi Like it Hot by Jill Myles
3. Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden

Shout out to Lover Mine by JR Ward. This is the book where things got SUPER interesting between Blay and Qhuinn. Can't wait to read more of them!! They, and John Matthew, are the only reasons I continue on with this series.

Worst/Disappointing - I didn't read enough to have a worst and there wasn't anything I was looking forward to that disappointed me.

Monroe

1. Succubi Like it Hot by Jill Myles
2. Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles
3. Sign of Seven trilogy by Nora Roberts

Worst/Disappointing - That Cat Chronicles book...which one was it Ames? Oh Outcast by Cheryl Brooks...this just was NOT my taste! Although I tried!

And I second Ames with Lover Mine...it was SOOOO YUM-O!


Ames: This year, I burnt out on paranormals and so didn't read that many. And no new to me authors in PNR.

Nath: You're definitively not the only one, Ames. I know I haven't read as many paranormal romances as past years and based on everyone's wrap up posts, they haven't either. I think everyone is a bit burn-out due to so much paranormal romances being published. Most of the new series out there are just re-hash of what's been done ^_^; I'm so tired of the gang of warriors/guardians/whatever, coming together to protect humanity or fight off some big evil. UGH!! So overdone.

By the way, I have the first Jill Myles. Guess I should give it a try since it made both your Top 3 :P

Monroe: Ok this year I was the QUEEN of Paranormal reads...lol I think Ive read everything I could get my hands on! ALTHOUGH I must say YA Paranormals have been my favs...and HELLO NATH if you dont read Jill Myles Ill drive ALL the way to Canada and read it to you! ;P

Nath: Man, it's so good to be you, Monroe, discovering romance :)

And LOL, might be a good reason NOT to read the book then :)



Fantasy/UF/Sci-Fi

Because we're lumping three genres into one category, instead of a Top 3, we've decided on a Top 5 :)

Nath

1. Shadalor's Lady by Anne Bishop
2. Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher
3. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
4. Venom by Jennifer Estep
5. Alien Tango by Gini Koch

An extremely big shout out to Rob Thurman who had 3 releases this year and all of them, very good and solid reads :) Also to Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh. They just missed being in the Top 5 by a hair ^_^;

Worst/Disappointing - Don't Kill the Messenger by Eileen Rendahl. I was really looking forward to reading this book and it ended up being a DNF. The Chinese vampires spin did not work for me and the whole world building just felt meh as well a the heroine.

Ames

1. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
2. Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead
3. Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
4. Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch
5. No Remedy by Christine d'Abo

Worst/Disappointing - I was disappointed with Beyond the Rain by Jess Granger. I went into this knowing a lot of bloggers really enjoyed it. It was ok, but didn't meet my expectations

Monroe

1. Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
2. Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead
3. Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop
4. Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs


Nath: You know, I'm in awe of Nalini Singh. She has three releases per year and seems like whatever she releases, it's always solid :) A bit a la Nora. I guess that's why her next Psy-Changelings book is hardcover :P

Monroe: *bows to Nalini...I agree! She is AMMMMMMAZING! Id read her grocery list as long as she wrote it! ;)

Best and Worst of 2010 - Part II

All right then, on with our Best and Worst of 2010! Today, we're going over Category Romance and Romantic Suspense.

Category Romance

Monroe

1. Sarah's Child by Linda Howard
2. The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie
3. Hot Under Pressure by Katherine O'Reilly

Worst/Disappointing - Housekeeper at his Beck and Call by Susan Stephens. This was a DNF for me!

Monroe: I know, all my books are so old to everyone but me just getting into reading within the last 5 years I mix SO MANY new books with older ones that have been published =/ I feel like Im not contributing evenly =(

Nath: Monroe, I told you not to worry about that! :) It's totally normal to mix up older books with newer ones when you start reading romance. Especially when you have blogger friends pushing their favorites down your throat!! And hey, I absolutely love Sarah's Child, so I'm not about to argue with your choice!

Ames: Exactly Monroe. I know I told you how much I enjoyed those old Linda Howards, so don't sweat it. Maybe it'll help someone else discover them.


Nath

1. Considering Kate by Nora Roberts
2. Her Best Friend by Sarah Mayberry
3. Oh-So-Sensible Secretary by Jessica Hart

Worst/Disappointing - I don't read many category romance and the ones that I do are carefully chosen based on buzz and reviews :) However, sometimes I venture out on my own... and it doesn't pay out ^_^; I really didn't enjoy Silver and Spice by Jennifer Greene ^_^;

Ames

1. Her Best Friend by Sarah Mayberry
2. Home for the Holidays by Sarah Mayberry
3. What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss

Worst/Disappointing - These two books received some favorable reviews around the blogosphere and even though I thought they were ok, they were kind of a disappointment in that I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I should have based on the buzz. They are: Wedding Date with the Best Man by Melissa McClone and Magnate's Make Believe Mistress by Bronwyn Jameson. They're still good, but I just think my expectations were too high. :(


Romantic Suspense

Monroe

1. Dying to Please by Linda Howard
2. Midnight's Master by Cynthia Eden
3. The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockman

Worst/Disappointing - Charlaine Harris's Shakespears Landlord was torture to read...

Nath

1. Silent Scream by Karen Rose
2. Shadows at Midnight by Elizabeth Jennings
3. Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden

Worst/Disappointing - The First Sin by Cheyenne McCray. I really didn't like this book, mostly because the subject matter and how the heroine had to be involved :(

Nath: I feel that the romantic suspense genre is suffering as much as the contemporary romance ^_^; I feel there's been a decrease of releases in RS and when they are some, they come in set of 3s or a series. Also, what I'm not liking is these series being about organizations, group of people coming together because of similar background (military) and it being all high risks. What is wrong about stand-alone or  loosely connected books with focus on police investigations like Ms Rose?

Ames

*note here - I didn't read a lot of romantic suspense, so I'm including some great m/m titles that I've read.

1. Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville
2. Shades of Grey by Brooke McKinley
3. The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks

Worst/Disappointing - Nauti Deceptions by Lora Leigh. After reading this book, I decided to break a break from this author.


Monroe: JEEZ all this Linda Howard...I suck at this...

Nath: LOL, I don't think so, Monroe. Given that Ms Howard is one of the all-time favorite authors in romance, it's not really surprising that if you've read her books, they made it their way to the Top 3.

Ames: Monroe, I think it's a good thing you're reading her. You're relatively new to reading romance so it just goes to show that we know what we're talking about when we recommend books to you. LOL

Best and Worst of 2010 - Part I

I've been having a lot of fun reading everyone's end of the year posts. It's always interesting to see everyone's numbers and their favorite reads of the year :) Actually, Ames, Chantal and I did write one for 2008, but decided against for 2009. Either we were too busy or too lazy. Hmmm, actually probably both LOL. (Ames here, I know I was too lazy haha!) However, I thought it'd be fun to come up with a Best and Worst of post for 2010 :) First, like I said, it's always interesting and a good topic of discussion, but it'll help to revive Breezing Through and put us back on the right track :)

In order not to overload you, we've decided to split our Best and Worst of 2010 in many parts. That way, we can keep it short, but also really focus on the different categories :) So make sure to come back every day this week to find out what were our favorite and disappointing reads, series and authors of the year.

Today, we're starting with the two very popular romance genres: Historical and Contemporary. For each genre, we've listed our Top 3 reads of the year along with our Worst/Disappointing read.


Historical

Ames

1. Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer
2. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
3. Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran (I didn't review this one but I loved it!)

Worst/Disappointing - I have a few disappointing books in this category: Never a Bride by Amelia Grey, The Conquest by Jude Deveraux and All Night With a Rogue by Alexandra Hawkins



 Monroe

1. The Stranger I Married by Sylvia Day
2. Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught
3. Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley

Worst/Disappointing - All Night with a Rogue by Alexandra Hawkins


Nath

1. Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath
2. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
3. His Sinful Secret by Emma Wildes

Worst/Disappointing - Hmmm, I'm going to have to agree with the both of you that All Night with a Rogue didn't do much for me. Another disappointing read was A Christmas Waltz by Jane Goodger. I'm so used to her historical books being so poignant that this one didn't really live up to her previous works. Also, Suzanne Enoch and Victoria Alexander are two historical authors that I adore, but their current series The Adventurers' Club and The Harrington series respectively, are not doing much for me either.


Contemporary

Ames

Looking back over my books, I didn't read a lot of contemporary romance...I had a lot of B reads in this category but here are my A reads. :)

1. Something About You by Julie James
2. All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins
3. The Search by Nora Roberts

Worst/Disappointing - I had one DNF for contemporary romance and that was Dangerous by Diana Palmer.


Monroe

1. Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl
2. Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis
3. The Girl Most Likely To... by Susan Donovan

Worst/Disappointing - Dear EFFING John by Nicholas Sparks...I got a lot of flack for not liking this book so I just wanna put out there that I think NS is an AMAZING author I just can't read his sad stuff all the time. I read to be happy! lol Like I told everyone though, I wanted to rip this book in half...and when the ending of the movie differed from the book I SERIOUSLY stood up in the theater during the show and woot'ed! lol

Nath

My Top 3 for this category is a bit weird. Oh, the three books are definitively my top reads, but the order doesn't follow the grades I gave them ^_^; It just didn't feel right, so I put them the way I thought felt right.

1. Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery
2. The Search by Nora Roberts
3. Somewhere Along the Way by Jodi Thomas

Worst/Disappointing - Mad, Bad and Blond by Cathie Linz. This author is just not doing it for me; however, her covers and blurbs always make me pick up her books. Good marketing, I guess :P Two other books that were real bummers for me were Hot Finish by Erin McCarthy and Lois Lane Tells All by Karen Hawkins. I was really looking forward to Suzanne and Ryder's story, but the story of Hot Finish did not do justice to these two characters. As for Lois Lane Tells All, it was simply bland and did not live up to the first book of the series, Talk of the Town, which was quite fun.


Nath: Surprisingly, considering how much I love contemporary romance, choosing a Top 3 was difficult. There wasn't really any books this year that made me go "Wow" or made me urge other people to read.

Ames: I have to second that statement. I read too many other genres to really focus on contemp romance in 2010. Hopefully that will change in 2011.

Monroe: At least yall can remember everything you've read...me on the other hand never can...but Im keeping better track now (plus I have you two to remind me ;p). I read a ton of paranormal this past year so I hope to read more contemps AND historicals...they always seem to fall off my radar when paras are in the picture! ;)

Nath: LOL, Monroe, I think it's because you're in your paranormal phase... it'll fade, unfortunately ^_^;

I do hope there will more contemporary romances in 2011, and better ones too! I think the genre needs to be invigorated and priorities, re-focused. Focus on the characters and the romances and try to avoid mysteries, intrigues and murders. Oh oh, Ames... what does that make The Search? Contemporary romance or romantic suspense?!?

Ames: I know it's labeled everywhere as Rom Suspense but that aspect of The Search seemed kind of minimal compared to everything else that went on in this book. So I'm putting it there, because I said so. LOL

Nath: LOL, well looking back at my tag, I labeled The Search as contemporary too. In any case, if it wasn't The Search out there, it'd be another NR :) In my opinion, NR deserves to be in my Top 3 for the numbers of books she wrote and the quality of them LOL.

Monroe: Nath, I'm upset you didn't like Hot Finish by Erin McCarthy! I loved that book! ;p lol But then again you and I always seem to differ on our taste...and also Im the softy in the group!Im now curious as to how Ill like Susan Mallery's Almost Perfect book lol I just bought the first 3 books.

Nath: LOL, we do seem to have different tastes, Monroe. Perhaps it's because you're just starting to read romances... As for Hot Finish, well I think it was a matter of expectations. The book was definitively very sexy, but the conflict...

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What about you? What were your favorites and duds? Anyone with similar Top 3?