Contemporary Romance/WF
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa– Enemies to lovers is not my favorite trope, but this book worked for me in almost every way. It made me laugh out loud so many times and it was so hard to put it down once I started reading, I even found myself sneak reading at work just to get back to it. I highly recommend if you are looking for a true romantic comedy. See my review here.
Beach Read by Emily Henry– This book surprised me in a good way. It wasn’t even on my radar until I got a second email from Berkley saying it was still up on NG if I wanted to download.. which I’m really glad I did.
I don’t think this is strictly Contemporary Romance, more like a CR/Women’s Fiction mix. The main protagonist goes through a deep and satisfying emotional journey and I enjoyed it just as much at the romance. January and Gus have some fantastic verbal sparring/ wordplay and they had
The Marriage Game by Sara Desai– Another enemies-to-lovers! I hesitated about putting this on my list, strictly because the hero does something at about the 75% mark that really pissed me off and there wasn’t nearly enough groveling in my opinion, but after thinking about it I just had to include. I really loved this author’s voice and adored the heroine. She made me laugh and empathize and root for her enough to overlook her love interest being a dick. See my full review here.
Historical Romance-
Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean– I bet you’re wondering if this author can pull off the redemption of Ewan. I mean he’s been so awful the last two books and done some truly shitty things. I really believe she does and I’m pretty sure this book ranks as one of my favorites by this author. My review will post on release day.
PNR/Fantasy/UF/Sci-Fi
A Heart of Blood and Ashes ( A Gathering of Dragons #1) by Milla Vane– This was probably my most anticipated book of the year and it did not disappoint.
Quote from my review (also appears in the praise section of book two):
Worldbuilding with depth and complexity, wonderfully fleshed-out characters, and packed with brutal fight scenes and heartrending emotion…A Heart of Blood and Ashes is epic fantasy romance at its finest.
Read my full review here.
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas– I didn’t know what to expect when I received this book for review, for starters, it’s something like 800 pages. This is quite daunting when coupled with the fact that there is a lot of worldbuilding and set up in the first half of the book. But I’m glad I stuck with it because the second half was more than worth it and I am so looking forward to what comes next in the world. Read my full review here.
Chaos Reigning (The Consortium Rebellion Book 3) by Jessie Mihalik– This entire series is fantastic. I have a weakness for competent protagonists and this series is jam-packed full of them. Having said that, I think this was the perfect couple to wrap up this trilogy. They are just so badass. The romance takes a slight backseat to the action and adventure and I didn’t even care. That’s how great this book is. Read my full review here.
Sweep with Me (Innkeeper Chronicles #5) by Ilona Andrews– It’s not a surprise that an Ilona Andrews book would appear on my favorites list. I love this series and even the novellas are keeper shelf additions. This is the first book where Sean is truly an Innkeeper alongside Dina and they have a lot to work through after the events of book #3, One Fell Sweep.
I can honestly say that I will never tire of my adventures in this world.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune– This book was one of my biggest (and best) surprises of the year. I wouldn’t say this is a romance, although there is a lovely low-key romance between the main protagonist and a secondary character. It’s labeled as a Humorous Contemporary Fantasy Fiction and I think that is perfect. I laughed out loud so many times and positively fell in love with the entire cast of characters. I’m really hoping this author decides to take readers back for more adventures in this world. See my full review here.
Starbreaker (Nightchaser Book 2) by Amanda Bouchet– As much as I loved the first book in this series, I think I enjoyed the second book even more. It exceeded all my expectations. Action and adventure from beginning to end and I love that the romance between Shade and Tess continues to deepen and grow. The plot arc is advanced quite a bit and there are some interesting revelations regarding Tess’s childhood. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series. Read my full review here.
Mystery/Suspense
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James– This is my first book by this author and I can’t believe it took me so long to find her. This gothic horror/mystery was everything I had hoped it would be when I read the blurb. There is even a lighter romance between Carly and a man who returns to town after being gone for years after the murder of his younger brother that satisfied
These are my favorite books so far this year. I know I’m cheating with one that was published in 2018, but I only just read it and all the others were published this year. And since “angsty with a splash of melancholy” describes my ideal romance novel, you will not be surprised that all the books on my list meet that criteria:
CREDENCE by Penelope Douglas. “New-Adult/reverse-harem/enforced-proximity in an isolated house in the mountains,” while technically accurate, in no way captures the delicately painstaking way Douglas unfolds this deliciously-fraught story of a suddenly-orphaned 17-year-old girl who goes to live with her step-uncle and his two adult sons—and what happens between them over the course of a snowbound winter in the Rocky Mountains.
FINDING HIM by Rachel Van Dyken. Two people, both struggling with loss, work through the grieving process and gradually fall in love as they write a book together about the heroine’s late fiancé. A lovely, melancholy book.
WITHOUT YOU by Marley Valentine. Unique twist on the “man falling for his late brother’s widow” trope—the late brother was gay, so this is a case of a man (who has always identified as straight) falling for his late brother’s widower. A nuanced, bittersweet slow burn with amazing levels of sexual tension.
LOSING IT ALL by Kati Wilde. The four-year wait for the next installment of Wilde’s Hellfire Riders MC series was totally worth it. All of Kati’s hallmarks are here: a thoughtful & intelligent heroine, an alpha hero whose kind-heart and self-awareness keep him securely outside alpha-hole territory, a propulsive plot that puts both h&h through the wringer—emotionally and physically, smoking-hot sexy-times, angsty misunderstandings, a joyful HEA, and a nice catch-up-with-everyone epilogue. Plus, I’m mentioned on the book’s dedication page. ‘Nuff said.
THE BEST MAN by Winter Renshaw. Beautifully-written exploration of the roles chance and coincidence play in our lives. Two decent, honorable people, linked by a terrible automobile accident, try to avoid falling in love and hurting the one person who connects them both: his best friend and her former fiancé. Deeply emotional with just the faintest trace the otherworldly.
THE ITALIAN’S PREGNANT CINDERELLA by Caitlin Crews. A standard Harlequin Presents plot (super-efficient executive heroine falls in love, then bed, with her boss, leading to unplanned pregnancy and unanticipated heartache before the joyous HEA) elevated by Crews’s excellent writing and insistent subtext about how men marginalize and ostracize women they can’t control. A good corrective for the notion that HPs are nothing but retrogressive melodramas that reinforce dated gender roles and stereotypes.
DANE’S STORM by Mia Sheridan (published in 2018): After their plane crashes in the Rockies, a long-divorced couple must work together to survive and to come to terms with the grief that tore their relationship apart years before (cw/tw: stillborn baby). Nail-biting survival scenes and one of the saddest, yet ultimately life-affirming, second-chance romances I’ve ever read. You will cry…several times.
Thank you for your list! I already had a couple of these on my TBR, and now I’ve added a couple more. I still need to get through the two books before Losing it All before I can read it and I keep thinking I really need to just take the weekend and go on a Kati Wilde binge.
DiscoDollyDeb- What a great list! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your list, Angela; I’ve enjoyed several of them and have more on my list.
@DDD, I enjoyed seeing your favorites, too.