I have three books that made my Best Of the Best Romance shelf on Goodreads this year.
Bring Him Home by Karina Bliss. I have gone on and on about this book, but it was probably the best book I read this year. It broke my heart in every possible way, then put it back together. I bawled my way through it.
Suddenly You by Sarah Mayberry. I want to be Sarah Mayberry when I grow up. Real, sweet, funny. A swoony, yummy, realistic romance about two everyday people doing everyday things.
Can’t Hurry Love by Molly O’Keefe. I should hate Victoria, and Eli for that matter, but O’Keefe somehow makes them not only redeemable, but she also makes you actively root for them. The writing in this book is one hundred percent top notch. And the romance is exactly what love is. Hard. HARD. And worth it.
Honorable Mentions:
I read my first erotic romance this year. Curio by Cara McKenna was a really beautiful read and a great intro to the genre. I plan on reading the rest of the series as soon as possible.
I also really enjoyed books by Jill Shalvis (stumbled upon the Wilder series–loved! And At Last was probably my favorite Lucky Harbor), Ruthie Knox (Ride With Me and About Last Night both have great heroes), and the first in Molly O’Keefe’s Crooked Ranch series, Can’t Buy Me Love (gritty, fascinating, excellent writing).
I’m hoping to get a few gift cards for book buying next week, and I have quite a few 2012 books I still want to buy. But, this is where I’m at as of today.
Going to take a blog break for the holidays, Oldest’s birthday, and seeing old friends. I’ll be back January 7th with regular (biweekly) writing.
(I may pop in before then to share some news if I can. Otherwise…)
See you next year!
Nicole Helm 