There are plenty of writers out there posting about their New Years resolutions, but I didn’t make any. Those things don’t work for me. I’m constantly making resolutions, new plans each week, each month to improve myself and my habits. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Either way, January is really just another month, and for me, living in Northern Alberta, it’s a cold one. One of my all time favorite things to do is to curl up with a good book, especially on cold days, so instead of posting any new goals I might have, I decided to post a list of some books I’ve enjoyed in the past year. Sadly, there wasn’t a lot, which makes me wonder if publishers offerings have become stale, or if I’m just getting more picky. While these are not the only books I’ve enjoyed this past year, they are the ones that stuck in my memory.
In no particular order…
Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler. This story took me a bit to get into, but the authors voice hooked me, and by chapter four the character hooked me too. I loved it, and can’t wait for the next Jane True book.
Kitty Raises Hell by Carrie Vaughn. Another great addition to the Kitty Norville series.
Nothing to Lose by Lee Child. Another Jack Reacher novel. Normally I love them, and this one was good, but it isn’t in my top three of the series.
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs. Because I love the Mercy Thompson series I gave the spin off series with Charles Cornick a try. I enjoyed the novella Alpha and Omega a couple of years ago, but Cry Wolf, the first novel in the series didn’t really thrill me. I wasn’t planning on buying the second novel, but I really wanted something to read, and was having a hard time finding anything that interested me, so I gave Hunting Ground a try, and am glad I did. I enjoyed this one much more than the first novel, and will continue to read the series.
Crimson by Jordan Summers. The final story in her Dead World series. A raw new take on werewolves and things that go bump in the night. Loved the whole series.
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione. The first book in her Demonica Series. Loved it.
Death Angel by Linda Howard. Linda Howard is a hit and miss author for me. Some of her stories I love, some I can’t get past the first chapter. DEATH ANGEL I loved. I’ve always been a fan of the “Bad Girl” and this story delivers. It hooked me from the first page, and kept me enthralled and cheering for the protagonist the whole time. Two broken people finding love together. It rocked in many ways.
The Darker Side of Pleasure by Eden Bradley. Not many authors can write BDSM like this author can. Eden Bradley brings emotion to the fore and makes it sizzle each and every time.
Dark Summer by Iris Johansen. This book rocked. The characters were very well developed. I was kept guessing almost to the end if one in particular was a good guy or bad guy. (Which to me is great storytelling) The storyline itself was unique. And the ending pretty much perfect. It was an all around engrossing read that kept me hooked from the first page to the last.
Undercover by Lauren Dane. A futuristic erotic romance that has it all. Characters I could love…and uhmm drool over. A world that made me wish I could time travel, and hot sex full of emotion and style.
Like many readers I love a good sereis, but in 2008 I gave up on a few of my favorite’s. There’s definitely something to be said for knowing when to end a series. Then again, maybe it’s just my reading tastes that have changed.
Stephanie Plum. As much as I didn’t want the series to end with Ten Big Ones a few years ago, I think Finger Lickin’ Fifiteen has killed it for me. It wasn’t a bad story, but it wasn’t anything new either. At all.
Sookie Stackhouse. I loved the first books, even before True Blood became a TV show. But I just couldn’t get into the last book. I might buy the next one, to give it a last final try, but I’m just not sure.
Rachel Morgan. One of the first Urban Fantasy series out there, I loved The Hollows. Not sure why, but it lost it’s flavor for me.
Women of the Otherworld. Another Urban Fantasy series I used to love, yet somehow I seem to have lost interest in it.
I’ve definitely found it hard to become enamoured of books in the past year, but I have high hopes for 2009. On my To Read list…
Hard To Hold by Stephanie Tyler
Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
Kitty’s House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn
Blown Away by Sharon Sala
Claimed By The Wolf by Charlene Teglia
Spirit Banner by Alex Archer
and pretty much anything that catches my eye. What are your best and worst reads of 2009? What are you looking forward to in 2010?
