This year proved to be a challenging one in my book and blogging world. I am first and foremost a reader, but blogging is a fun way for me to shout out my love of a book. I knew this year was my year to add new tropes, new authors, and new genres to my already long list of books I want to read. Sometimes it doesn't always work out in my favor and I end up with a ton of DNFs to contend with. But sometimes I find that gem.
Needless to say, I always carry on because I love to find a book that makes me feel all the feels and want to shout it out. Here are the books that have left an impression on me this year. I hope you enjoy this list.
Without further ado....
Without further ado....
Please note: I will always provide a spoiler free review for every book I list on here, as well as an affiliate purchase link.
FAVORITE STANDALONE for 2019
This came highly recommended to me by a few of my reading friends and I hadn't really read a bully romance before this one. I have also not read one since this one that has given me all the feelings CARTER did. This was probably my favorite introduction to a crazy new mind to explore. Sam Mariano jumped straight onto my list of authors to read more of. I loved this book and can't wait for more in this series. (Standalone) This sits HIGH atop my favorites list for 2019. It was brutal. It was harsh. It was downright WRON(G)OOD.
When an author can tell me a story and make me put myself in the shoes of the character's POV I am reading, that is awesome - it's great. I love it. When an author can make me empathize with the antihero in the book, that is amazing. But to make me cheer him on?? To make me want him to succeed in his quest?? What the heck?? Either I am SICK, because this is not ok - or she is just bringing out the depravity in ME. Ok, she's not (let's laugh together - we are laughing, right?), but I couldn't help but question myself the entire time I read this book.
I love it when an author can take me inside the inner recesses of the mind and mess with my emotions. This story was most definitely a trip and one that had me thinking about it long after I wrote my review and moved on to another book. I never knew what was going to happen and I love that she had me guessing the entire time I was reading.
I cannot describe adequately the love that Lucas and Mila had. It wasn't necessarily one of uncontested love, because it most definitely fought hard for the hearts it inhabited. But that love withstood some serious testing of wills.
What I thought I knew, I did not....
When a love story is written with so much depth, yet the story isn't a Point A - to - Point B scenario, it adds a little more weight to the reality of the situation I am reading and I crave that complexity. This one was very complex because the layers were riddled with facts and emotions, actions and reactions. So, so good. So telling. So arduous. So worthy.
MY REVIEW AMAZON GOODREADS
MY REVIEW AMAZON GOODREADS
I honestly picked up this duet because it sounded a lot like Jewel E Ann's Transcend Duet, and we all know how much I loved that one!!! Well, what a surprise at how much I loved this one as well. This time travel style trope is fast becoming a favorite of mine. I love the juxtaposition of old world vs new world. I couldn't put these books down and loved that it was also an introduction to a new author for me.
Her words were heavy and articulate and she had no problems building a world around something so unbelievable, yet she made it completely believable. And, of course, by the end I physically felt my heart......fall. It sunk. My chest got heavy and my breathing changed. To physically feel a book like that is a wonderful thing.
Connor and Ava have stuck with me all year. This duet was a YA Angsty Mess of Perfection. The love story was complemented beautifully by the life lessons and truth behind true love.
This book was the epitome of YA emotions on CRACK. It was organic. It grew naturally and it moved me. Gosh, it made me follow with half a hitch in my breathing - I was breathing funny!!
She nailed the teen angst and the stubborn anger.
She nailed the pressure and teenaged stress.
She nailed the love and the heartbreak.
This book was a very emotional one for me to wander through, but it showcased why Ella Fields sits on my list top authors that I know that can deliver a YA/NA romance with a punch of truth and reality. It was delivered painfully well. She never fails to amaze me with her stories of tortured characters and flawed love.
I sat for a few minutes with my head in my hands, pondering....thinking....mulling over what I just read, wondering why the heart is a warrior the mind chooses to battle. I went in knowing this was a triangle, and if you've followed me for any amount of time, I've made no secret that this is my favorite kind of story/trope because the pull between two lovers gets me every time.
This was the second book in the Fallen Angel Series and Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine left nothing out. This was the hottest book in Halo and Viper's storyline and it was simply delicious. The cover, to me, gave me the best visual of a brooding band member that always thought the only way was the naughty way. His transformation alone was what made not only this book, but this series one of my favorites for 2019.
Rockstar Romances are a favorite trope of mine, so when it happened to be an MM story, I knew I was in for it!
This second book in the trilogy was nothing short of sexy and fun, but it also allowed a deeper growth that I did not truly anticipate. Detailing a love with so many obstacles and yet, the need outweighed the want in this one. The desire outdid the lust.
FAVORITE REMAKE for 2019
I walked into Bred with zeal - I knew that I was ready to revisit Pip's story from Great Expectations in a new revamped, reworked story that followed the same vein. Bred sits on my shelf next to my original hardback of Great Expectations. Absolute perfection and she nailed the nostalgia for me.
I honestly and personally think Scott nailed it. Had I not read Great Expectations, would I feel the same way? I can't truthfully answer that because, again, favorite book from my childhood being updated and presented to me in a current format? I couldn't walk away from the opportunity to fall in love with the same story all over again. I enjoyed every page, every word, every scenario....I read it with a smile and it was such a breath of fresh air for me.
A PLACE WITHOUT YOU by Jewel E Ann
Jewel E Ann never ever ceases to amaze me. Year after year she provides me with love stories so profound that I'm left thinking about that arc for months later. The love between Bodhi and Henna still makes my heart squeeze because the ultimate decisions are sometimes the hardest ones....but they are the right ones to make. This story provided me with a good amount of angst, not to mention a few tears, but it also solidified why Jewel is my favorite FATE writer.
I am such a slow, meticulous reader, so when the words are visual and the feelings are palpable, it brings the story to life. This is exactly how Jewel writes. Her words are electric when she tells a story. When Bodhi and Henna met, it was a sensual dance of flirting, smiling and winking. Their chemistry was immediate and intense, but I don't think it was unexplainable because it was destined to be.
And once again, I got a story that was an emotional journey. It wasn't a marathon, but a well-paced journey through the turmoil one family faces. I loved that it was a different background, a different kind of story. One that defined perspective in a whole new light. I think my favorite part about her books are that they provide me an alternate reality to my own understanding. I always have something to discuss after I'm done reading her words and I enjoy the fact that her voice, her flow, speaks to me and really works well for me.
Leave it to Hoover to give me a reality check - no billionaires. No rich man's world. No over the top proclamations or actions. Nothing. Just reality and normal, everyday people....with a devastating journey to watch unfold. This whole story was a story of perspectives. A story of life unfolding without bias or fairness, taking no shame in the lives it's destroying in the process. This book stopped me in my tracks and glued me to my seat.
FAVORITE SERIES for 2019
After my introduction to Ella Frank in 2018, I knew I wanted to read more by her. It's no secret I pack my calendar with tours and leave very little time for personal reads, so I knew after reading her Confessions Series, I needed to make sure I saved time for her every.single.time. This series, however, made me fall in love with them as a DUO. They are my favorite co-writers and this series sealed that deal. I absolutely loved Halo and Viper, and adding Killian, Jagger and Slade into the mix made it that much better. This series is NOT to be missed.
FAVORITE INTRODUCTION for 2019
The Wives was my introduction to Tarryn Fisher's words. I had heard about her over the years, even met her a time or two - but I had never set aside enough time to make it through one of her books. I was determined to fix that this year.
I got to a certain point in the book, and the writing on the wall became very clear in a blurry sort of way - so trying to make sense of it all was interesting. Now I had answers, but I needed the coordinating questions to match them up to. Not totally unpredictable - given the layout, but completely eye-widening because while I clearly don’t read this genre enough, it had just enough suspense and shock to guide me along, making me cling to her every word. I originally read it one way, but then I found myself scrutinizing the words and the implied tones used earlier, the further I got into it.
FAVORITE COVERS for 2019
There were two covers that stuck out and still remind me of the story I read....
Another first read for me landing on my favorites list because of a cover - this cover actually caught my eye before I even knew what the book was about, and that's what drew me in to wanting to read it. However, lucky for me - the story was just as good and I'm so glad I grabbed it. An emotionally taxing journey for one of my favorite tropes: Best Friend's Little Sister.
FIRST AND FOREMOST: I don't feel like I can start this review without first mentioning this absolutely exquisite cover. This cover immediately caught my eye the very first time I saw it and it's what drew me to actually wanting to see what the book was about. So this time....I did judge a book by it's cover. And thank gosh I did. I definitely love this cover and enjoyed the book. And oh so fitting and original. Bravo, Miss Lane. Bravo.
MY REVIEW AMAZON GOODREADS
For my first read of Marni Mann's, I was impressed. I was also emotionally broken. I always do a spoiler free review, but this one is one that I wanted drilled in that you needed to go in blind. The whole part of this book was the systematic unraveling and discovery of everything that was going on. It was torturous beauty in a dance of words. It was so good! But the cover is what seals the deal placing this one on my favorites list.
I felt like I was reading a story within a story - and that was awesome. Mann's word play is excellent! Distinctly separate men, wholly separate voices, and completely different outcome than I imagined. I cried from 85% on in this book. Not because of what happened, but because of WHO happened and, you guys....just YES. I completely loved this one and seriously cannot recommend it enough. I *really* really liked this book!
MY REVIEW AMAZON GOODREADS
This was my first read by Amy, and boy was I sucked in! The plot was riveting, the words were flowing, and the story was intriguing. I fell completely addicted and was so glad I jumped into her book. It was so different and definitely not run of the mill, and I enjoy that incredibly so.
With a plot that harbors on angering, I knew that this one was going to give me a lot to think about, and even more to discuss.
I have always maintained my love of a triangle not only because of the forbidden aspect of someone stepping outside the relationship, but more of the exploration of one's emotional capacity, mentally and physically. That has always intrigued me. So many opinions about how you can't love more than one, or you can't fall for someone else if you're truly in love with your GF/BF/Spouse/etc. I love the discussions. I love to debate it, pros and cons. So when I had the opportunity to read this book after seeing it around FB, I knew that I was in for a ride. After reading, the title for this book was perfection in three words - it couldn't be more perfect.
It's interesting to see my lists each year because some authors that have repeatedly been on here before are absent this year, but I have had a few new ones to add to it. Here are the links to my previous favorites lists.
2015 2016 2017 2018
2015 2016 2017 2018
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LOVE IT!!! Most of those were either on my list or high up in my TBR.
ReplyDeleteI love hearing that, Tracey! This was a fun list to make. I'm excited that we lined up so well!
DeleteGreat list. Adding to my TBR
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy the ones you try!!
DeleteThank you for listing these. Now I know which ones I can move to the top of my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteOh, Joy!! Always my pleasure. I hope you LOVE the ones that you check out!!!
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