Ten years! I can’t believe that it’s been ten years since we’ve started Under the Covers Book Blog! To celebrate this amazing milestone, I’ve decided to walk down memory lane a little with you today and share the ten authors who I consider my most favorite or the most influential for me as a reader and as an author.
So for each of the ten years that Under the Covers Book Blog has been around, I want to share why each author is my favorite and share a bit of my reading/reviewing journey and why I’ve come to love them. Shall we start?
Cassandra Clare
You may be surprised to know that Romance was not the first genre I fell in love with. While I was still in school, I fell in love with reading and Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series was the series that really kicked started my love for it. While everyone else was into Twilight, I was dreaming about Jace. To this day, Clare continues to write in different variations of this world and I still read them. In fact, I just finished her latest book yesterday and I’m still in love with it as I was back then.
Richelle Mead
Similar to Cassandra Clare, Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series remains as one of my favorites. Although I honestly love all her books, including her Urban Fantasy series, I really connected with Rose’s character because she was exactly like me in high school. It’s very rare to find a fictional character that you can relate to 100% but I found that in Rose, so for that reason, she has a very special place in my heart and I will never forget her.
It was also around this time when I was looking for more books to read and I joined Goodreads. This is actually where I met the other ladies of Under the Covers Book Blog and befriended them. As we bonded over our love of books, we became a lot closer despite living in different countries.
J.R. Ward
As I became an adult, I started to want to read more mature novels, so that naturally brought me to the Romance genre since that was my favorite thing about the YA books I read. J.R. Ward’s BDB was so hot that I immediately found myself binge reading the entire series and then regretting it because I had to wait for the next release, which at the time was LOVER MINE.
After reading this series, I think my obsession with reading really took off. I began devouring other Paranormal Romances by other authors. That’s why I always attribute J.R. Ward as my all-time favorite author. It’s because of her books that I fell in love with the Romance genre.
Karen Marie Moning
Another author who has played a huge role in my life is KMM. It’s so funny because I generally prefer PNR over UF and I like vampires and shifters over Fae. But KMM’s Fever series is so brilliantly written that I found myself eating my own words and falling in love with these characters and world anyway.
When it comes down to choosing only two authors to read for the rest of my life, I’d probably go with J.R. Ward and KMM. With these two, I don’t think I would ever want for anything more. It’s also because of them that I wanted to become an author.
Lisa Kleypas
Do I even need to mention the Wallflowers or the Hathaways series again? I feel like over the last ten years on the blog we have gushed about her books time and time again. But both these series also played a huge part in my reading journey. It was her books – along with J.R. Ward’s BDB series – that actually brought all of us at UTC together. We’re all such huge fans of her books, so I definitely feel like she deserves a mention in this type of post.
J.D. Robb
It’s probably not surprising to see her here, right? Whether writing as Nora Roberts or J.D. Robb, you can’t deny her exceptional abilities. With over 50 books alone in the In Death series, I feel like her books can go on forever without any overlap. If there’s an author who I strive to be like, it’s J.D. Robb. I love her ability to reinvent herself with every book and I love that she’s able to stay true to her characters in the process.
Also, much like Richelle Mead’s character, Rose Hathaway, was an exact copy of how I used to be in high school. I feel like Eve Dallas is the equivalent of me now. Our thought process and behavior is so alike that it kind of boggles my mind. She’s definitely a character that I can relate to.
Toni Blake
Years ago, I picked up a book from her Destiny series called ONE RECKLESS SUMMER and I remember thinking, wow, this book has the most interesting conflict I’ve ever read in my entire life! Fast forward years later and I still believe that.
I love Toni Blake’s Destiny series. It’s one of the first Contemporary Romance series that I fell in love with. It’s got a charming small town element to it, but it is also sexy as hell. For me, the combo was dynamite! I still recommend this series to people even years later.
Jill Shalvis
Another Contemporary Romance author that made me love small town romances was Jill Shalvis and her Lucky Harbor series. While she has many series that I enjoy, it was this series that made me fall in love with this genre. Sassy and funny characters mixed with great romance and friendship really made this series stand out to me. If there’s only one series you should try from Shalvis, it’s definitely this one. I’d love to have more time to reread it again.
Cleo Coyle
More recently in the last three to four years, I became interested in Cozy Mysteries after reading Cleo Coyle’s Coffeehouse mysteries series. Since I read so much Romance over the years, I wanted to try something different and this genre appealed to me because it focuses less on the gore and violence that other mystery and thrillers do and really spotlights the whodunit nature of the books.
As a Psychology major, the human mind always fascinated me and I was also curious about why someone would kill another person. These Cozy Mysteries explored that in a fun and exciting way and I love the juxtaposition of the cute characters and settings with the darker mystery.
Laura Childs
Another one of my favorite Cozy Mystery authors is Laura Childs. All her books are great and I highly recommend it to readers who are hoping to try out a new genre. Romance has always been my go-to for many years, but Childs’ books have helped me discover different writing styles and genres.
So there you go! Ten authors for ten years! Obviously I’ve read and loved more authors and genres than those mentioned here, but these are just a few that I would say played a part in my journey as a reader and author. If I hadn’t found these books, then I don’t think I would be the same person because each one was influential to me in some way.
I can’t wait to see where the next ten years will bring and what authors and genres I will discover! Cheers to sticking with us for so many years. I appreciate all your comments and book recommendations over the years.
What about you? How long have you been reading?
Who are some of your favorite authors and genres that you’ve discovered?
B L O G I V E R S A R Y G I V E A W A Y
To celebrate our 10 years of blogging we will be doing a series of SIGNED book giveaways. Every Monday on Instagram and every Wednesday on the blog.
Today you can enter to win a SIGNED copy of DEVIL’S DEAL by Aleatha Romig
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The winner of the previous giveaway for a signed copy of LAKE + MANNING by Jessica Hawkins is: EC Raymundo
When it comes to books I’m pretty adventurous. I read everything from Paranormal Romance to Urban Fantasy, New Adult, BDSM, LGBT fiction, Cozy Mysteries and even YA. If it’s got the littlest trace of romance in it, then I’ll probably read it. That being said, my all-time favorite authors are J.R. Ward and Karen Marie Moning.
When I’m not submerged in a good book, you can find me musing about makeup and planners or dreaming about Kpop boys and beaches. Until then, check out my reviews and let’s talk books!
- Five Reasons why Jericho Barrons isn’t so Bad - December 25, 2022
- My Reading Journey: Ten authors over ten years + Giveaway - May 19, 2021
- Annie’s Top 5 Book Girlfriends of All Time - May 18, 2020
Happy UTC Anniversary, Annie!
Anyway, I definitely read 30+ years, starting young and evolving to the current me. Other than romance, I have enjoyed exploring fantasy, young adult, and science fiction during my journey. Anne McCaffrey comes to mind in my fantasy and science fiction path. My all-time fave authors are all romance authors, which includes Christine Feehan and Betty Neels.
It feels like I’ve been reading forever! When I was younger I would go through phases where I would lose myself in reading then flip to losing myself in sports, dance, school, friends, etc. For the last 20+ years I have managed to balance both.
My favorite authors have changed as I have changed. They have stayed with me in some way and there are entirely too many to write here!
Several of those you chose were real influencers for me, too. I still need to try Cleo Coyle since I’ve seen how much you’ve loved her stuff in the last few years.
Happy Bloggoversary, Annie!
So funny how our reading lives have paralleled!
Happy 10th year! Wishing you many more!
I have been reading all of my life – a long time. Right now I am loving all of the Karin Slaughter and Lee Child books. Next month – who knows?
I love the variety of authors you spotlighted here! My reading and favorite authors has constantly evolved through the years. I’ve got a ton of favorites I still read while discovering more authors and exchanging favorite genres.
long time, Jane Austen
Happy Blogiversary!
I’ve been reading for over 50 years.
Happy 10 years!
Well I started reading when I was 8. Then when kids came along when I was 28 I stopped….just too busy. In 2007 I started it back up and haven’t stopped. I love Carly Phillips, Roxanne St. Claire, Sawyer Bennett, Sabrina Jeffries, Vanessa Kelly, Vi Keeland and Lauren Blakely.
I started reading again about 10 years ago. Some of my favorite Colorado Mountain series by Kristen Ashley, Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott, Discovery of Witches series by Deborah Harkness, Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Thirds series by Charlie Cochet and many more.
I`ve been reading romance for the last 10 years.