Angela: It’s only June and I already have several 5 star reads on my faves list.
The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George– Even with the tried and true trope of “I have to find a wife to save my estate!” this romance felt fresh and I really loved the honesty between the main characters. See review here.
Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher– This book hit me like a freight train, I went in thinking I was getting a fun getaway rom-com and ended up crying my eyes out at the end. Highly recommend. See review here.
The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles- You really can’t go wrong with a KJ Charles regency romp, especially is it’s a grumpy/sunshine trope. See review here.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry- Friends to lovers is MY FAVORITE and this one hit all my feel-good, sexy, romance buttons. ALL OF THEM. See my review here.
The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen– I had no idea what this was about going in, only that I really enjoyed Kelly Bowen’s historical romances. This book is so good. With dual timelines, it follows a present-day woman cleaning out her grandmother’s secret apartment in Paris and then flashes back to the heroics of two other women in Nazi-occupied Paris. This was an unexpected gem in my reading year. See review here.
Neon Gods by Katee Robert- This book is scorching, burn it all down hot and yet wonderfully sweet. The hero is such a caretaker and the heroine his strong, smart equal. I can not wait until the next book in the series comes out next year. See review here.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas- Woooo this book. Super hot Nesta and Cassian were fire together. I don’t know what I expected from their book, but I do know this exceeded all my expectations. Good stuff. See review here.
Melinda: Same here, and even better is that there’s no overlap! I haven’t read all of the ones Angela has, but they’re on my list. Mine are a mix of 4.5 and 5-star books.
The Wreckage of My Presence by Casey Wilson – This memoir struck such a great balance of both humor and honesty that it’s going to stay with me for quite a while. Read review.
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon – I loved this enemies to lovers contemporary romance. Shay and Dominic pretending to be in a relationship and of course, falling in love while doing so, was just perfect for me.
Totally Engaged by Mina V. Esguerra – Another fake relationship on my list…maybe this is a trope I love more than I realized? Mina did a wonderful job of balancing romance and family in this #romanceclass book. Read review.
Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan – I adored this YA, which Melanie reviewed for the site. I listened to the audiobook and it was so wonderfully done. The anxiety rep was great and it’s one of my favorite YA books I’ve read in quite a while. Karina and Ace in a fake relationship…wow I need to examine my tropes again lol!
Sweet Talk by Cara Bastone – Another audiobook I loved! The extra production value-added so much to this and while I’m not normally a fan of lies, I could handle this lie-by-omission the way Bastone did it here. Elliot and Jessie’s relationship is 95% over the phone in this and it still worked for me! Read review.
Best Laid Plans by Roan Parrish – Roan’s writing is always beautiful and this is no exception. Add a few animals and some carpentry and this one worked really well for me. Read review.
The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod – This romance is really all Toni’s story, and it’s one that’s also all about the music. It’s completely obvious that the author knows what she is talking about here, her knowledge shines through. The romance is there but Toni is the star and I loved her getting her HEA and her career.
Last Guard by Nalini Singh – This comes out next month…I can’t say much beyond Nalini blew me away with this book. Blew me away. Joint review with Melanie to come closer to release date.
Melanie: I spy a couple of books on Melinda’s list that also made it into mine and a few that haven’t been mentioned yet. I had a fair number of 5 star reads to pick from and limited them to books that were published this year.
Make it Sweet by Kristen Callihan – No one does a slow burn, tension filled contemporary romance like Kristen Callihan and this gorgeous book about a retired hockey player and an actress is full of delightful banter, scorching hot sexual tension, and characters who’ll make you wish you knew them in real life. See my review here.
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon – I adored this twist on the fake relationship trope, where public radio station producers Shay and Dominic have to pretend to be exes in order to save their jobs. It was funny and sweet and sexy with an unique premise that really delivered. See my review here.
Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder – At first, the world building seemed a little confusing until I realized it was done almost entirely through the various character introductions and it felt big and epic; I adored Neha and her fierceness, Joe and how completely he was gone for Neha, and would love for all of the supporting characters to get books of their own. See my review here.
When Tara Met Farah by Tara Pammi – Initially, I was thrown of by the different POVs – the story alternates between Tara’s 1st person POV and Farah’s 3rd person POV but please don’t let that deter you. This is absolutely one of my top reads of the year and the distinctive POVs make total sense once you get to know the two main characters in this delightful sapphic romance. See my review here.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert – I had high expectations for the final book in The Brown Sisters Trilogy and Talia Hibbert did not disappoint. A female main character that’s messy and still figuring out her life coupled with a rigidly controlled male main character with trust issues made for an unbeatable pairing. See my review here.
Last Guard by Nalini Singh (out 7/20/21) – I can’t link you to my review because the book isn’t out until next month. But believe me, Nalini delivers and then some in this latest installment of the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, introducing two brand new characters, Payal Rao and Canto Mercant, while somehow managing to organically connect them to previously featured characters and to the amazing world she’s built in this series.
The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan – Courtney Milan always manages to delivery the most unexpected historical romances and this one is no different, with a captivating Chinese born, British raised female main character (Amelia Smith) and a male main character (Grayson Hunter) who is just trying to revolutionize the way telegraphs are sent. Uncommon premise, sure, but it definitely makes for a delightful romance. See my review here.
Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan – I don’t typically read a lot of YA but this book just knocked it out of the park. It made me feel seen in ways too numerous to list here. I adored Karina and Ace and the underlying message of being brave enough to stand up for yourself and fight for your dreams. See my review here.
Jen: Only one overlap here, which just adds more reassurance that you NEED to read that book! Looking above, I see a couple on my about to read list with Neon Gods and People We Meet on Location. So excited to dig in!
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas- Ditto, wow, this series is just so freakin’ hot. It started off as nice, sweet fantastical YA and now…super spicy but with zero downside on the plot. It’s still the best story ever. Just read it.
The Bridge Kingdom duet by Danielle L. Jenson- TikTok made me read it. Actually, I listened to it and loved both books. If you like ACOTAR or the From Blood and Ash series…you’ll enjoy these books. A reluctant king protecting his island kingdom, an evil king/father, a bad ass queen, so much adventure, action, slow burn romance that turns into one of my favorite couples of the year.
The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout- Swoon! The beginning starts with a bang, and it does slow down a bit in the middle, but finished strong. This whole series is a must read for me. Just fantastic. Oh Casteel…how I wish you were real and cloned. See my review here.
Chronicles of the Stone Veil by Sawyer Bennett- First book was out in February and she dropped five books by early May. I was on the edge of my seat between each book. It’s Bennett’s first shot at fantasy and it’s amazing. Dark Fae, Light Fae, Vampires, Demigods, Demons and an epic love story.
From the Embers by Aly Martinez- out of so much tragedy, this love story builds and I was there for it. So much emotion, so much loss and eventually love. I was up all night with this book. See my review here.
The Songbook of Benny Lament by Amy Harmon- I listened to this book and the narrator was absolutely perfect. It’s a love story in the 1960s, set against the Civil Rights movement. Benny and Esther fall in love, people love their music but the idea of them being together as a couple isn’t something everyone loves. SO well written and the audible was fantastic. See my review here.
Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann- This was one I wasn’t sure I wanted to read, but after seeing so many great reviews, I gave in. I have no regrets. It deals with some rough trigger-y topics. Two people who think they hate each other, but find out through a horrible event, that it’s never been about hate. See my review here.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco- The pain of waiting for the next book is extreme! Ugh… I listened to this one. Not exactly a romance just yet but the author says romance kicks in BIG for book two. Book one was addicting enough with all the princes from hell, all manipulative in their shirtless wonder.
The Finish Line by Kate Stewart- Book three in the Ravenhood Series. Blew me away. This whole trilogy was a roller coaster. I so desperately wish Stewart would keep writing about these characters. I’m just not ready to let them go. See my review here.
What are your favorite books so far this year?
I keep two Favorites of the Year lists: one for books published in the current year and another for books published in prior years but that I only just got around to reading in the current year. So far I have four books (published in 2021) on my favorites of the year list:
FORBIDDEN by Karla Sorenson: Slowest of slow-burns between a widowed MMA fighter and the woman who manages the gym he owns. Suffused with melancholy & loss and amazing levels of sexual tension.
SWEETHEART by Sarah Mayberry: Not only a smoothly-written romance about a woman falling for her sister’s ex, but also a sensitive exploration of the toll mental illness takes on the sufferer and their family.
HER DEAL WITH THE GREEK DEVIL by Caitlin Crews: Extremely dark and incredibly well-written category romance (Harlequin Presents) with an almost irredeemable hero who spends years plotting the downfall of the woman who was briefly his stepsister, eventually leaving her no choice but to become his mistress to save herself and her mother from bankruptcy. Crews appropriates a plot often found in dark/mafia romance and adapts it to the conventions of the HP universe, thereby expanding the boundaries of what is acceptable in the line.
DISTORTED by Nyla K: Extraordinarily dark m/m story, with psychological suspense and horror elements, about the relationship between an inmate and a prison guard. Twisty and full of triggers (including non-con, dub-con, and power imbalance), almost more “romance-adjacent” than romance. Rewarding—but not for the faint of heart.
Forbidden sounds really good. *adds to TBR
It’s the fourth and final book of Sorensen’s Ward Sisters series (FOCUSED, FAKED, FLOORED, and FORBIDDEN). You don’t have to read the other books in the series to know what’s going on in FORBIDDEN, but I think it makes a richer reading experience. (Also, FAKED, which features the “wrong twin” trope, made my list of favorites read in 2021 but published in a prior year—in this case, 2020. It’s a wonderful book about truly seeing and being seen by the person you love.) I highly recommend the entire Ward Sisters series, but I think FORBIDDEN is the best of the four.
What fun lists to peruse. I’ve read some enjoyable books this year but nothing that stands out as a new favorite.
(face palm) I meant “People We Meet On Vacation” not “Location”. Oy… I just started listening to it today. So far, so good! :)