Best of 2014: Suzanne’s Picks!
| BEST NEW RELEASE: THE KRAKEN KING by MELJEAN BROOK / MAGIC BREAKS by ILONA ANDREWS |
This series is relatively new to me, but after reading The Kraken King I was hooked and then proceeded to read everything I had missed. Meljean Brook thoroughly seduced me with this romantic and adventure filled tale containing a heroine I loved and hero I want to do naughty naughty things with. Even though I read this toward the beginning of the year, it has still stood out as one of my favourites.
I confess I am an addict. Ilona Andrews has me addicted to the Kate Daniels series, I have come to love all the characters, especially the heroine Kate and my very favourite Beast Lord, Curran. So, once again she dragged me in with the latest installment of the Kate Daniels series, a series that only seems to get better. It has everything that I need, an exciting story, romance, Curran….I can’t wait for the next book!
| BEST NEW TO ME BOOK: PRINCE OF HEARTS by MARGARET FOXE |
ReviewI really enjoyed this book, I got it on a whim as I liked the cover…something that doesn’t always pay off, but in the case of Prince of Hearts it worked out beautifully. It seems vampires and steampunk mix quite well, add in a dash of romance with a broody handsome centuries old professor and his poor beleaguered secretary and I couldn’t put the book down.
| BEST NEW SERIES: HIDDEN LEGACY by ILONA ANDREWS |
Can Ilona Andrews do no wrong? Apparently so! Burn for Me is the first book in her Hidden Legacy series, and a book I literally couldn’t put down; this puppy got devoured in one sitting. If you want a series full of a magic, mayhem and sexual tension you can cut with a knife then it looks like this may be for you!
| FAVORITE HEROINE: MERCY THOMPSON from NIGHT BROKEN by PATRICIA BRIGGS |
Oh Mercy, I do love her! She puts up with a lot, and in Night Broken, it is the dreaded ex-wife; she deserves an award for that alone. Add in an insane god, a wily and untrustworthy father who likes to interfere than you have Mercy’s week. And I can’t help but admire Mercy for putting up with it with her mix of humour and smarts that keep me coming back to read more.
| FAVORITE HERO: WRATH from THE KING by J.R. WARD |
Oh Wrath… he is a long standing member of the “Suzanne’s Book Boyfriend Club” and still one of the ones I love most. Is it the to-die-for body, the beautiful black hair, his love and loyalty for his friends, family and ever his race? I think it is a little bit of everything and the WARDen just reaffirmed by devotion to Wrath with The King, where we see more of his past and see how he deals with his future.
| BEST COVER: INTO THE SHADOWS by CAROLYN CRANE |
Do I really need to say anything? I mean…just look! Tattoos, six pack, the ripped jeans…pure girl porn!
| BIGGEST LETDOWN: THE VIPER by KELE MOON |
I love the Battered Hearts series by Kele Moon, so I was jumping with excitement to start her Untamed Heart series. Unfortunately, although I did like it…it didn’t quite reach my admittedly high expectations. However, I am still looking forward to the next book and am willing to give it a second chance!
| FAVORITE COUPLE: IZZY & RANSOM from ROMANCING THE DUKE by TESSA DARE |
Every time I think of Izzy and Ransom my heart does a little sigh. Ransom the broody grumpy Duke and Izzy the quirky heroine. They made a lovely couple and the whole book enchanted me and the parts I love most are between Ransom and Izzy, they really do make the perfect couple.
| BEST SEX SCENE: THE PROFESSIONAL by KRESLEY COLE |
Review: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Can I just highlight the whole book as my favourite sex scene? This book is HOT. If you read this I highly recommend you bring some ice cold water and a bucket to catch the drool. But beware, this may be hazardous to your health, after I finished I was very tempted to go out and look for my own sexy Russian mobster…Not sure how that would have worked out…!
| AUTHOR OF THE YEAR: PENNY REID |
Everything Penny Reid has brought out this year I have loved and she has now made beards seem strangely attractive, clearly with is some kind of voodoo magic worker…twisting me to her will *sigh* and I don’t seem to mind.
Remember to check back for the next 3 days to see the rest of our Best of 2014!
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Annnnnd I will stop myself there, before I start waxing lyrical about my love of historical romance and fantasy as well; no one needs to know about my elf fantasies. As you can tell, I adore and day dream about most romance genres, and my three big loves are 1) reading about romance 2) writing about romance and 3) talking about romance with my gals. Which, is why I love Under the Covers so much, I get all my bookish needs satisfied and don’t get judged when I talk about my favourite characters like they are real people. Which they are right?
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I love Penny Reid. She is my author of the year. I am constantly rereading. My only gripe is that not all the books are on audible.
I’ve got some of these on my tbr pile the others I’ll look into getting thanks Suzanne
Sounds like we have very similar good taste! I swear, I would read the phone book if Ilona and Gordon Andrews wrote it. The only problem with Burn For Me is that I want more NOW and I hate that we have to wait. I’ll definitely have to check out Prince of Hearts. Reading over the description, it sounds like the heroine is in her 30’s which I love. It’s so hard to find good fantasy books with lead characters that are a bit more mature.
Lots of these are going on my wishlist now! I haven’t gotten a chance to read to many of the new releases for this year. I’ve been to busy catching up on old ones.
I totally agree about ilona andrews! Wrath and mercy are great picks…and yes the professional was HOT!
I really need to get busy and read some Meljean Brooks. I see good things on the Kraken King all over the place. Totally agree about Mercy. She’s a fave too. I still need to read the latest BDB and new Ilona Andrews.
Enjoyed reading your list, Suz!
Love your selection here! I will pretty much read anything written by Ilona Andrews – the duo is so talented! I also really enjoyed the first two books in Meljean Brook’s Iron Seas series – need to get my hands on books 3 and 4.
Some of my favorites on here too. Burn for Me is coming up on my TBR, but the holidays have me reading really slow. Hopefully I finish it by book club. If it made your top pick, I’m sure I’ll burn through it!
I love Penny Reid!