We're halfway through 2017. Whether or not this fact fills me with terror or not is irrelevant at the moment (*screams internally*), as I mostly just want to share the best books I read so far. They're a mix of genres, and not all of them were published in 2017, in no particular order.
Romance - I have to say, most of these are the direct result of being subscribed to the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books newsletter...
- The Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden. This is a longish novella, but for once, I didn't feel like it was incomplete. The characters were well-developed and the chemistry explosive.
- Temptations of a Wallflower by Eva Leigh. I'd previously read the first book of this series and though I liked it, I wasn't blown away. This one was really good, though.
- Brooklyn Bruisers by Sarina Bowen. Okay, if I haven't made it clear yet, I'm a huge Bowen fan. This entire series was great, though I have to say I'm really waiting for Becca's story!
- WAGs by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. These two are a dream team. Good Boy was super funny, and Stay was a fast, sexy read, I loved both main characters. Hockey romance is normally the only sports romance that I read because it's a sport I know well.
- The Girl With the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn. Pure, sweet goodness. I love Quinn's historicals, she's always fresh and funny.
- Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne. This is probably the best romance I read so far this year. Layne is one of my auto-buy authors and this one made it to the top of the list easily. I did find the ending a bit rushed, but the majority of the story is pure perfection.
Other Genres
- The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. This is young adult paranormal/urban fantasy, I binge-read the entire series in less than two weeks (the last time I did that was...when I read The Twilight Saga. Don't judge.). I absolutely recommend this if you're into the genre.
- City of the Lost and Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong. I listened to these two on audio and they were fantastic. I don't normally read mystery/crime/thrillers because I'm such a chicken it's ridiculous. But these were just creepy enough and Armstrong really knows how to set the atmosphere!
- The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is another crime/thriller, but it's YA, though no less addictive than the Armstrong books. I also listened to it on Audible and the narration was great!
- Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker - the title might suggest this is a romance, but it's actually a book on writing (and becoming a plotter, ditching "pantsing"). I'll do another post soon on favorite writing resources, and this book will make it on the list for sure. I'm currently trying to draft a new book by her rules and it's going really well!
And now for the books I'm excited to read in the second half of the year:
- The rest of The Naturals series. I'm going to buy one book each month as my Audible credit comes in (I'm trying not to go overboard with spending on audiobooks...).
- Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab - this has already been published but I haven't gotten to it yet.
- Landline by Rainbow Rowell - Rowell is one of my ALL TIME favorite authors and Landline is the last book of hers I haven't read, so I'm sort of...saving it. I already own a copy, so it'll happen soon.
- Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal - I just bought this because of friends' recommendations and because the cover is gorgeous.
- Hello Forever by Sarina Bowen - yup, another one.
- A Dragon of a Different Color by Rachel Aaron - one of my favorite urban fantasy series, this is part #4, with one more to come.
I'm sure I'll be reading a load of other books as well, but I'm going make an effort to read more of the books I already own. I really need to make a dent in my TBR pile.
What are you reading these days? Anything good to recommend? Have you read any of my favorites?
I'd love to heard from you!
