For Ellen: Top Ten Fave Reads 2016

For many of us, 2016 prolly ended up something like this...

Right?

It's much easier for me to find the lowlights from this year than the highlights. Well, except when it comes to reading. Losing myself in a book provides respite from the most horrible situations. (If you're interested, here's a post I wrote a few months ago on How Books Saved My Life.) I didn't keep track of how many books I read - probably in the neighborhood of 100 to 150 - but for sure I came across some standouts. There might be ten on this list....or maybe a few more...okay, more like 20, but...

Favorite Holiday: Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins

So normally I wouldn't expect a holiday read to make a best-of list. Holiday stories are just there to be warm and fuzzy and fun, right? Glass Tidings is all that, plus it's also a damned fine bit of storytelling. The two heroes are real and complicated, and they had to work for their connection. As soon as I finished this book I turned back to page one and read it again. It's that good.

Favorite Historical: The Society of Gentlemen trilogy by KJ Charles

The link will take you to A Seditious Affair, the second book in the trilogy and arguably my favorite of the three. Along with A Gentleman's Position and A Fashionable Indulgence, these books rank as one of the best trilogies I've ever read in any genre, ever. You could probably pick out one of the novels and read it as a stand-alone, but the way the plot weaves between the books makes reading all three so worthwhile. Really brilliant, on so many levels.

Historical honorable mentions... The Soldier's Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian and Kindred Hearts by Rowan Speedwell
These two novels are both Regencies, and in both, one character has recently returned from fighting Napoleon in France. Because they covered the same ground, it was fun to compare and contrast them. The Soldier's Scoundrel is sort of the Glee version of a Regency, where Kindred Hearts is a much more serious historical novel. Both of them had me turning the pages just as fast, though. Good times!

Historical honorable mention...again. (Hey, it's my list, I can have as many as I want.) Rite of Summer by Tess Bowery.
This one is hot enough I almost bumped it to the erotic romance category. Lots of healthy young men doing what healthy young men do...despite the fact they could hang for it. The stakes were SO HIGH in this one I almost had to stop turning pages because I was too tense. Fun stuff!

Favorite contemporary: His Royal Secret and His Royal Favorite by Lilah Pace.

When I read the blurb of the first book, I wasn't sure someone could sell me on a gay member of the British royal family, and you know what? The author totally did. These books gave me an insider's look at what it's like to live in a fish bowl, with the whole world watching, and the characters' emotional arc was just as believable. Highly recommend!

Contemporary honorable mention... Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Bend or Break) by Amy Jo Cousins.
Okay, at the risk of coming across as a squeeing fangirl,  the two novellas in this duology are pretty amazing. Love Me Like a Rock and Hard Candy follow two guys who have appeared in earlier Bend or Break novels. Austin and Vincent are forced to move beyond their dysfunctional friends-with-benes relationship, and both earn their happily ever afters. I have to admit Hard Candy resonated with me a little more than the other, but they're both excellent.

Favorite thriller: Between Ghosts by Garrett Leigh.

I don't read much romantic suspense, but I thought this one nailed the reality of war when soldiers know they're fighting a losing battle. I was drawn to the main characters, Connor and Nathan, and if the ending felt a little bit too neat, the rest of the story was so good I forgave it.

Thriller honorable mention... Mr. and Mr. Smith by HellenKay Dimon.
This one is slick and twisty and fun, sorta like if James Bond were gay. Lots of action, snappy dialogue, and a solid, fast-moving plot. There's also a sequel - The Talented Mr. Rivers - that I'll definitely be adding to my (towering) TBR pile.

Favorite mystery: Spindrift and A Frost of Cares by Amy Rae Durreson.

Well-written and spookier than heck, I burned through these two and wanted more. I found the love story in Spindrift a little more compelling, but the ghost story in Frost of Cares was scarier. Either way, you can't go wrong. 

Mystery honorable mention... Transformed: San Francisco: Quirky Transgender Spy Novels by Suzanne Falter.
This was a great read, in which the gender of the transman MC is part of the story but not exploited or overly dramatized. The plot works, the mystery is intriguing, and the whole thing was a lot of fun. 

Favorite erotic romance: The Dark Collector by Vanessa North.

This book saved my life, or at least pulled me out of a really sucky place. It's a novella, and I read it in one evening, when I really needed to get my mind off whatever crap was happening. It worked so well, I read it again the next evening. The author packs a lot of characterization and emotion in a short space. It's well worth the read.

Erotic romance honorable mentions... The Back Passage by James Lear, Like a Lover by Jay Northcote, and Old School Discipline by Misha Horne.
Like a Lover isn't classified as erotic romance - it's a contemporary about college guys - but wow is it ever hot! The Back Passage is a tongue-in-cheek historical, and Old School Discipline takes on some very naughty high school boys. And yes, in all of them the sex is sexy, you know, but they're also great stories, with strong characters I came to care about.

And the sex is sexy.

Favorite paranormal: Priddy's Tale by Harper Fox

I love Harper Fox's writing style. She so completely captures the harsh and magical reality of life on the coast of Cornwall. The thing I loved most about Priddy's Tale was the gentle fantasy element, the way Priddy's weakness - an accidental overdose has fractured his reality - turns into something good.

Paranormal honorable mention... Death by Silver by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswald.
This story hits so many of my weaknesses! It's a smart mystery set in a Victorian era where magic is real. I read both this one and it's sequel, Death in the Dionysis Club, in quick succession, and then sat around feeling sorry for myself because there's not a third. 

Favorite sports romance: Reading the Signs by Kiera Andrews

I DNFed more sports romances than I actually read this year, mostly because the characters weren't believable, or the reality of their supposed sport didn't work for me. This one made me wish it was baseball season ALL YEAR LONG!

So there you have it, my top ten(ish) list of favorite books for 2016. I hope your holidays were lovely, and that 2017 exceeds all our expectations!
Happy New Year!
Liv

(See, Ellen? There are almost as many books on my list as there was yours. :) )

Since you got to the very bottom of the post, check out the rafflecopter giveaway Irene Preston and I are running for January. There's a $10 gift card at stake!


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My Favorite Books in 2014

This year I did something new. I started a Pinterest board to keep track of all the books I've read. Last January, I didn't truly expect to be pinning to the board in December, but here I am, still at it. (Jump HERE to take a look at my board.) There are 117 pins, and while last summer I didn't think I'd ever be able to come up with a list of ten favorites, it seems that having a little time and distance from the stories made it possible.

I'm not going to write full-on reviews here - just record a couple thoughts about why I liked the books. As you read through my choices, you'll likely notice a couple things. I'm not much into the literary fiction, and none of my favorites fell very far from the romance tree. Most of them are from the m/m (queer/lgbt) romance subgenre, and while the interwebs are full of opinions about middle aged straight women who read and write about gay men, it's what's working for me right now.

So here's my top ten list for 2014 - all books I loved, most of them I read at least a couple times, and all books I'd recommend in a heartbeat.



10. The Great Sex Olympics of 221B by Eli Easton.
This was a bit of a departure for me - first time reading Eli Easton and first time reading fanfic. It's about Sherlock & Watson, specifically the version of the characters created by the BBC, and lordy was it entertaining. This one was a free download, but I've got a couple other things by Ms. Easton on the kindle now.









9. This Rough Magic by Josh Lanyon
I love a good historical, and this one pretty much nailed it. It's a mystery with a sidecar of romance, and Mr. Lanyon totally sold me on the early 20th century San Francisco setting.












8. Glitterland by Alexis Hall
I think Alexis Hall is doing some of the most imaginative work of any writer, any genre, anywhere. He made me like Ash, who's really kind of a jerk. ;) Here's a link to my review from last February.










7. Love Hacked by Penny Reid
So...mea culpa...when I reviewed this book last April (HERE), I said I liked it, but it wouldn't make my top ten list.
Yeah.
Wrong about that.
Smart and funny and sexy, this one stayed with me. It's hard to do contemporary romance well - I mean, come on, how many reasons can you come up with that a couple of healthy heterosexuals WOULDN'T get together? - but the conflict felt real and the characters rang true.






6. The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles
I don't even know where to begin with this one. It's the first in a trilogy. It's romantic fantasy, the kind of re-imagined history I eat up with a spoon. It's a heckuva lot of fun, and I hope you skip on over to the ebook retailer of your choice and grab a copy!

5. Hold on Tight by Serena Bell
I'm not one for the angst, but a friend (ahem, Amanda) INSISTED I read this one, and I'm so glad she did. The raw honesty in this story of what happens when life tears a couple apart, then throws them back together made for a "stay up way late after a night shift because I can't put the book down" kind of read.










4. Hainted by Jordan L. Hawk
Ms. Hawk has a couple other very popular series, and while I've read parts of them (and liked them a lot), this is the book that grabbed me. I love the combination of mythology and setting and characters (Dan! and Leif!). I can't even tell you how many times I've re-read this one, and every time, I like it even more.









3. Enlightenment (trilogy) by Joanna Chambers
I'm counting these three (Provoked, Beguiled, and Enlightened) as a single entry because the endings of the first two are sort of cliffhangerish, or at least unresolved, so they really can be read as one. The sample of the first book absolutely gutted me, and I knew I had to read the rest. When I think of Ms. Chambers' writing, words like elegant and restrained come to mind (although her naughty bits are fun, too), and I'm absolutely in love with the way she handled the historical setting. Brilliant!






2. Prosperity by Alexis Hall
Yeah, Mr. Hall made my list twice, because he's really that good. HERE's my review of Prosperity, but just to recap, this is one of the boldest, most imaginative books I've read all year. It's a demanding book - all in dialect - but SO worth the effort. Even better, there are a bunch of stories set in the same world that'll be coming out soon!






1. Think of England by KJ Charles
The thing that set this book apart for me was the subtle, unapologetic understanding of it's period, as well as the connection to it's heritage. And yeah, since that heritage is Victorian pulp fiction, specifically King Solomon's Mines, you know you're in for a good time. In the interest of saving us both from embarrassment, I'm going to spare you the fangirl squeeing. Just read it. It's really, really good.
(Here's a link to my Goodreads review.)





Best Anthology - I read a number of anthologies this year - a couple of great holiday sets from Carina, another rather unfortunately called Butt Ninjas from Hell that was way better than it's title, but it was Another Place In Time that resonated most with me. The stories are consistently good, and confirmed my love of historical fiction, especially the m/m variety.









Apparently the only way I could come up with a top-ten list was to let myself go wild with the honorable mentions. Here they are (in no discernible order)...
Hot Head, The Quick, Special Delivery, Liesmith, Circus of the Damned, The Theory of Attraction, Dangerously Happy, Catch A Ghost/ Long Time Gone/ Daylight Again, Snowball in Hell, The Haunting of Maddie Clare, Bad Boys Do, A Companion to Wolves, Cold Copper

Thanks so much for hanging out with me this year, whether on Facebook or twitter, over here on blogspot or on my website blog. It's been an adventure, one I'm happy to have shared with you. Happy New Year!
Liv

Book Addict

Actually, I was going to title this post Book Whore, but didn't want you to get the wrong idea. Honestly, though, when it comes to buying books, I'm incorrigible, and getting a Kindle has made it worse, because now no one can see the stacks that are coming into the house. 
You think I'm kidding? In the last week - since 3/24/12 - I've downloaded samples for the following books:
This Brilliant Darkness     by     Red Tash
The Alchemist of Souls    by    Anne Lyle
Caught (Gemini Men)      by    Jami Alden
Wicked As They Come    by    Delilah S. Dawson
The Indie Author's Guide to the Universe by Jeff Bennington
Midnight's Sweet Kiss      by    Ann Cory
And those are just the samples. They're more like bookmarks, things that caught my eye, reminders of what I want to take a closer look at. And I will take a closer look. 

I also downloaded Her Heart's Desire by Adriana Ryan, and the short story Witch Upon A Star by Deborah Blake, which is a follow-up to her novel Witch Ever Way You Can (a book that totally rocked).

And then, because life is always better when you go to a bookstore, on Thursday night I picked up the following titles at Elliot Bay Books:
Tales of the City                by     Armistead Maupin (because it's a great book and I haven't read it in years)
The Once & Future King      by     TH White (because I've never read it and feel like I should, and I love the King Arthur myth)
The Maltese Falcon             by     Dashiel Hammett (because it's such a great example of a mystery, worth studying, and I've never read it)
The Virgin's Lover              by     Phillipa Gregory (because I recently tried my hand at writing a historical short story and thought I might learn from someone who's really good at it - this is a novel not a short story, so I'll be looking for how she handled the time period)
Discount Armageddon         by     Seanan McGuire (because I love the author's October Daye series and hadn't seen this one before)

Clearly I have a bias towards fantasy & paranormal. I figure if I want real-life drama, I'll go to work. When I read, I want something fun, something that takes me out of the real world.  And if you follow me on twitter, you'll know I frequently tweet that it's raining in Seattle, so I should have plenty of time to lounge around with a book or my Kindle in my hands.

Not exactly

The problem is I'd need about 37 hours in a day to get to all the books I want to read. But I will get to as many of these as I can - along with the 60 or so other books on my Kindle, and the stacks of books around the nightstand in my bedroom. Because there was something about each one that intrigued me. I know how much time and effort went into the creation of every last one, and I may not end up liking all of them, but I appreciate the fact that someone had something to say, and they put it down on paper. Or, e-paper, for us modern kids.
Peace,
Liv

(photo from Cavalier)

Where do you like to do it?

Hey gang!
This morning I'd like to welcome another of my fellow blogging students, Susi Nonnemacher. She's a Pennsylvania girl, born and bred, and her enthusiasm for writing and for reading have made the class a lot more fun. Here she's going to talk about her fave place to do it....
 
I love to read, as most writers do. My favorite place to read is on a beach--the sun beating down, the waves providing the background music. Actually, the beach is my favorite place to be even if I am not reading. :-)

 "Reading on the beach"

Unfortunately, I live in Pennsylvania, about two and a half hours from the closest beach. Even worse, there are only a few prime beach months each year, so I don't get to visit as often as I would like. In spring and summer, when not at the beach, I love to sit on our back patio to read (thank goodness for e-ink readers), but I didn't find that perfect reading spot for winter until recently. For Christmas, my husband and I bought a new sofa. It is a big, fluffy sectional. (We joke that I bought him one piece, and he bought me the other.)
:-)

  "I think Cami spends more time here than I do!"

Seriously, the corner of this sofa I ridiculously comfortable, perfect for snuggling in with a blanket, a great book, a cup of tea, and, of course, my cuddly pup, Cami. I read over 200 books on my first Nook before replacing it after 2 years (and a worn-out page turn). I am up to 8 on the new one (bought the week after Christmas), and most of that has been read in my new favorite reading spot. I wonder if I can wear my shiny new Nook out quicker than the first one? ;-) I hear there is a new one coming out in a few months. 

 

 "Just a little crack--but it still works! :-)"

Speaking of reading, it just started to snow;  I have a crystal-clear view outside from my reading-spot, and a to-be-read list that is calling my name.

What’s on your to-be-read list? Where is your favorite place to read?  Does it change by season? Any must-haves when you are reading—a preferred drink, a pet?

Thanks so much, Susi! I know I always read better with a cat in my lap. What about the rest of you?

Peace,

Liv

S. M. Nonnemacher has loved reading for as long as she can remember. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she enjoyed creating her own stories as much as reading the creations of others.  A lifelong daydreamer, she sometimes claimed her “characters” as actual friends, especially when it meant getting her way with her parents. When not writing or spending time her beloved husband, she can be found with family and friends, at a community theatre rehearsal, at a minor league baseball game, or relaxing with a cup of coffee or tea and a great book. You can find her on-line on the following sites: Facebook http://www.facebook.com/SMNonnemacher,  Twitter http://twitter.com/SMNonnemacher, and her blog/website http://SMNonnemacher.com.