This was the first year I did the Goodreads reading challenge and really used Goodreads to track my books. It sure was helpful when I went to compile this list. As of this writing, I’ve read 160 books this year and reviewed 51 of those reads for Smexy. My first go round and making this list, I had 19, it was very hard to narrow it down. In no particular order, here are some of the books that I really enjoyed in 2017.
On Broken Wings by Chanel Cleeton– I read this in its entirety in one sitting. Poor, tortured Easy in love with his best friend’s wife. Watching Easy earn the love that he so deserved was wonderful. Mandi and I did a joint review earlier this year. (Review)
King’s Captive by Amber Barden– I saw this being talked about on Twitter and that the heroine was an unreliable narrator. I was hooked. A suspenseful ride as the author takes you through the story and trying to determine what’s real and what isn’t.
Act Your Age Eve Dangerfield– Age play is not something that I would usually get me to pick up a book. But I am so happy I did. Dangerfield took a trope that I might normally find squicky and turned it into a beautiful and super sexy love story.
Awkward Path to Getting Lucky by Summer Heacock– This was a delightful, yet serious read that had a heroine that suffered from vaginismus and how she worked through it. It doesn’t get solved quickly and easily, as is typical to real life. Also, lots of euphemisms for vagina. (Review)
The Spire by Kate Canterbary– This was pubbed in 2016, but this is my list and I’ll do what I want with it :) #6 in the Walsh series, this book is all about estranged sister Erin and how she found romantic love, repaired familiar love, and she comes to terms with the fact that she deserves all the love.
Complicated by Kristen Ashley– By no means my favorite KA book but this felt like the closest to old school KA that I have read in awhile. KA is usually a comfort read for me and this hit all those comfortable notes for me.
Wait For It by M. O’Keefe– I think this book closed out this series, but I really loved Tiffany and Blake and how they were kind of terrible to each other. And once they gave in to the lust in quickly turned to love. I enjoyed this whole series and this was a great way to close it out.
Baby Come Back by Molly O’Keefe– Secret baby! Tortured and flawed hero! Hero has to work hard to get the heroine to trust him and allow him in her life.
The Bride by S Doyle– Another potential squicky trope, guardian/ward, turned into something that I really enjoyed. Ellie marries Jake after her parents die and slowly they fall for each other. It was sweet and sexy in the best ways.
Infamous by Jenny Holiday– Both heroes are deliciously cinnamon roll-y that I absolutely loved. Reading Holiday’s books always seem to strike a near perfect balance of heavy and light and I am here for them. (Review)
Constant Craving by Tamara Lush– A second chance at love story that I loved every moment of. Angry fucking, yet it’s filled with glimpses of love. This book had me thinking thoughts about how close love and hate are to each other.
Tell Me Series by Victoria de la O– Book 1, Tell Me How This Ends was my favorite, with brothers that end up in a sort of love triangle. But the way their brotherly love is depicted is just beautiful, even when they are mad at each other. There are hugging and tears. In a culture that is filled with examples of toxic masculinity, it was great to have a series that has none of that. In Book 3-Tell Me That You’re Mine, the brother that doesn’t get the girl in the first book gets his love story.
Beginner’s Luck by Kate Clayborn– The hero makes this book for me. Ben is absolutely amazing. Kit, the heroine was great too. But I just adored how much he adored her and quickly became her biggest cheerleader. (Review)
Way Down Deep by Charlotte Stein and Cara McKenna– An epistolary novel that I absolutely loved until the last few pages. The whole story is told via text messages. It is everything you would expect from Stein and McKenna. I felt a little robbed by the ending, but even though it let me down, I still really loved the remaining 99% of the book.
GIVEAWAY
Leave a comment letting us know what one of your favorite reads for 2017 was and be entered to win a prize pack of books (books are finished copies that we have collected the past few months. They are newer releases, not the ones shown above). Books will be given away all week so be sure to comment on each reviewer’s favorite books for 2017 post. Winners will be chosen at random on January 2nd, 2018 and books will be mailed out the second week of 2018.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed Baby, Come Back. And Beginner’s Luck is amazing, the best debut of the year for me!
It WAS kind of surprising how good Baby, Come Back was. Secret baby cane be an iffy trope.
I hate secret baby! But agreed!
Same. I never thought I’d like a secret baby story, but this one worked for me, too.
Devil in Spring by Kleypas -hands down favorite.
I haven’t read that. I haven’t gotten in to many historicals. But I heard lots of good things about this one.
I really loved Silence Fallen. Patricia Briggs is always excellent.
I have never read Briggs. I am not big in to suspense.
‘On Broken Wings’ and ‘Beginners Luck’ yes! Great books!
Wrong to Need You was so good. I loved every page.
That one didn’t work for me as well as it did for other people. But I am glad you enjoyed it!
I love seeing everyone’s choices! Infamous and Beginner’s Luck also made the cut for me – in fact, of the ones on my list, they are tied at the top.
Hate to Want a You by Alisha Rai
Thanks, Kini, for sharing your list of favorites. Some were known to me, others are unfamiliar.
I mentioned one favorite series on Sheena’s post. Another favorite series this year is by Lyn Gala and begins with the book Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts. Much of the series deals with individuals from different worlds learning to understand each others’ language and culture. It’s a male/alien male romance series and has some elements of domination and submission.
You can obtain a free prelude here: http://www.loose-id.com/prelude-to-claimings-tails-and-other-alien-artifacts.html
Thanks for the rec! I am not really in to aliens, but I know that Sheena is.
The fact that I’ve read zero of these, but own more than one of them is helping solidify my commitment to reading down my uncontrollable tbr next year.
I listed a couple of my favorites on another post, but one I didn’t list on that post was The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne. It wasn’t published in 2017, but I just got around to reading it.
I haven’t had a chance to read any of the books from your list so thanks for sharing them, I’ll be adding them to my wish list! One of my favorites this year was Hot For The Fireman by Gina L. Maxwell. It’s the first of the series and I can’t wait for the rest!
I am excited to check some of these out. I just recently bought Beginner’s Luck after seeing it on a favorites list on AAR.
Lots of good books. Loved Complicated by Kristen Ashley was awesome. Also loved Back Check by Kelly Jamieson. Hooking Up by Helena Hunting
I love anything by Julie James, so The Thing About Love was my favorite. I have only read On Broken Wings from your list, but I really did like it too.
Most of All You by Mia Sheridan
Complicated by Kristen Ashley
I loved Robert Galbraith’s The Cuckoo’s Calling.
I’d have to go with Wildfire by Ilona Andrews. While this was the last book in a trilogy, I’m crossing my fingers that there will be more books. thanks for the awesome giveaway and thanks for the great list! I’m definitely going to be checking out these books :)
These are a few of my favorites this year:
The Hookup – Kristin Ashley
The Coppersmith Farm House – Devney Perry
The Clover Chapel – Devney perry
The Lucky Heart – Devney Perry
Her Halloween treat-Tiffany reiz
Irestiabe-kate meader
Charmer-kate Hoffman
I really liked Nalini Singh’s Silver Silence. Such a great world and I can’t wait to see where this “new” series is going.
I listened to Complicated on audiobook and enjoyed it – I thought it was more old-school KA too. You’ve got some great recs here – a lot of new-to-me authors I’d like to try. Thanks!
I’m not sure I’ve read anything on your favorites list! Wow! I think my TBR just grew though!
Thanks!
White Hot and WildFire by Ilona Andrews! were a couple of my favorites this year!!!
From all these books I have read only Act Your Age,it was quite interesting story :D
One of my favorite in 2017 is Compromise in Paradise by Samanthe Beck.
Thank you for the great book recommendations :)
I haven’t read anything on your list, so I’ve got a lot to research. I am on hold for Complicated, though, so your rec makes me wish it were available now! Anyway, I have read and re-read The Hating Game by Sally Thorne a lot this year. It’s one of my favorites.
I loved Act Your Age! It really surprised me o how much I loved it. I also really enjoyed Retribution by Katie Reus, The Attraction Equation by Kadie Scott and Do You Want To Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare.
Complicated is one of my top picks for January to read as I only have read one of her books and every seems to love her.
I loved Act Your Age! It really surprised me o how much I loved it.
Complicated is one of my top picks for January to read as I only have read one of her books and every seems to love her.
Complicated by Kristen Ashley
Always You by Belle Brooks
Promise of Fire and Breathe of Fire by Amanda Bouchet were terrific! I highly recommend this series. Thanks for the giveaway and Happy New Year!
I don’t read that much LitFic, but two that I did were at the top of my list this year, The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo which was a hard but wonderful story of hope and All the Ugly Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood which was one of those books that you just can’t put down even as you are repelled by it.
Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne
Have enjoyed many diff billionaire books this year, strong heroes.
Love JS Scott’s Sinclair series, particulary the last one, The Billioniare’s Secrets.
Another good one was Going Down Hard, by Carly Philips.
I loved The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz.
Act Your Age and Wait for It were some of my favorites, too. I still need to read Baby Come Back!
Jordan Marie, discovered her this year and I love her stuff so much!!
The Undateable by Sarah Title was a really cute book. I also discovered Victoria Dahl and read a ton of her backlist.
Holly and Ivy by Fern Michaels. Sweet Story.
Loved Andrew Sean Greer’s LESS, Christina Lauren’s AUTOBOYOGRAPHY and especially Cale Dietrich’s THE LOVE INTEREST!