Monday, December 30, 2013

Our "Best of 2013" Picks + Giveaway!



2013 has been a busy year on the blog!


Late 2012 I started Ink Readers, the pen-pal program for book lovers, which is still going strong!




April was the debut of the Shifter-a-Thon-Read-a-Long group, which I co-host with Wickedly Delicious. If you are a fan of shifter romances, be sure to join the group!



June marked the blog's 5 year blogoversary!




And of course every Sunday, without fail, there has been a new Lusting for Covers!


Pat


Kame

And this year we welcomed 2 more reviewers -- Pat and Musing Maddie! Kame joined the group in 2012. Thank you for joining the blog, ladies! 


So today, as we near the end of 2013, we decided to share our favorite books from the year with you! 

Many of our favorites have been reviewed here on the blog; some have not (sorry!). All the titles link to their GoodReads page, so you can check out the book and add it to your list! Titles are not listed in any particular order (that would be far too hard!).



Starting with Kame . . . 


2013 Kame Reads Hit List


Category
Book
Best All Around Read 2013 Striking Distance – Pamela Clare [Review]
Favorite Funny Romance:   Tangled – Emma Chase [Review]
Favorite Tear Jerker Romance:   Striking Distance – Pamela Clare
Most Luscious Love Story:   The Story Guy – Mary Ann Rivers [Review]
Best Erotica:   First Strike – Pamela Clare [Review]
Most Tortured Romance Hero:   Zeke Foster: Embattled Minds – J.M Madden [Review]
Best Kick-Ass Heroine:   Vanessa Cordova: Thrill Ride – Julie Ann Walker
Best Romance Hero:   Cash Garrison: Garrison’s Creed – Cristin Harber [Review]
Best Romance Heroine:   Kat Lewis: Louder Than Love – Jessica Topper [Review]
Best Romance Couple:   Shy & Tabby – Kristen Ashley Chaos Series [Review]
2012's Best Debuting Romance   Tie
Knowing the Score – Kat Latham [Review]
Titan Series - Cristin Harber 
Louder than Love – Jessica Topper 
Guiltiest Pleasure Romance:   I-Team Series – Pamela Clare
Best Historical outside UK:   To Have and To Hold – Leigh Greenwood [Review]
Best Contemporary Romance:   Wallbanger – Alice Clayton [Review]
Best Category Romance:   The Nurse’s Secret Suitor – Cheryl Wyatt
Best Romantic Suspense:   Striking Distance – Pamela Clare
Best Inspirational Romance:   Stealing the Preacher – Karen Witemeyer
Best Chick Lit:   The Chocolate Touch – Laura Florand [Review]
Best Romance Short Story Making It Last – Ruthie Knox [Review]
Most Disappointing Romance of 2012:   Tie
Real – Katy Evans [Review]
Forever Black – Sandi Lynn



And the clear winner is . . . STRIKING DISTANCE! :) 



Great picks, Kame -- and wow, you are much, much more organized than I! Of course, I put off picking my favorites until the very last minute, so . . . Oops. 



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Now on to Musing Maddie's . . .


Hmmmm . . .

Not in any particular order.....


A Slight Change of Plan -- Dee Ernst [Review]



Hard as it Gets -- Laura Kaye


Stripped -- Jasinda Wilder [Review]


Losing Hope -- Colleen Hoover [Review]


Façade -- Nyrae Dawn [Review]


The Way You Look Tonight -- Andre Bella


Gentling the Cowboy -- Ruth Cardello


Tangled -- Emma Chase


Beat of the Heart -- Katie Ashley


Wait for You -- J Lynn



Wow, more great picks, MM! :) I am glad to see you and Kame both loved Tangled -- I really must bump it up my TBR list! 


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On to Pat's . . . 


Rumor Has It -- Jill Shalvis
I love her Animal Magnetism stories.


I'll be Home For Christmas --Jessica Scott [Review]
I have read every one of her books, and couldn't wait for this story. Vic Carponti, and Nicole.


Making it Last -- Ruthie Knox
Brought me to tears several times.


Striking Distance -- Pamela Clare
I-Team novels are always an auto-buy.



Three Sisters -- Susan Mallery
Wonderful friends to family story.


Now these are my "different" favorites.


Have No Shame -- Melissa Foster
Set in the 60's, in the south. A forbidden love.


Craving Constellations -- Nicole Jacquelyn  
I LOVED this novel. Was a 5 Star for me.


Don't Make Me Beautiful -- Elle Casey
Very moving story.


The Biscuit Witch -- Deborah Smith
This is a sequel to her novel called The Crossroads Cafe.  Loved it!



See, this is why I love our group -- we all read different things, though we have favorite authors, books, and series in common! 

I admit, Pat, there are more than a few that I have never heard of, but now they are on my radar. Thank you for that. 

Oh, and I really must read Striking Distance ASAP!


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And finally -- Mine! (TBQ) . . .



Deeper by Robin York (aka, Ruthie Knox!) -- Ugly cried through 90% of this book, something that I rarely do. I'm now waiting for book 2. I may die while waiting, it hurts that bad! I'll be reviewing this in mid-January; highly recommend! Sorry, I guess this should be in next year's list, as it releases in January, but I can't wait that long to share my love for this book.




Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt -- Technically this one has been out for a few years, but I read it in 2013 so it counts!. Wicked Intentions reminded me again why I love historicals, though I don't read as many as I did a few years back.  Great banter and wit, Hoyt is a favorite author from way back when I started reading romance!




Forged in Dreams and Magick by Kat Bastion -- I don't know what more to say about this AMAZING book other than go read my review and then buy a copy NOW!




Spark and Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer -- I couldn't pick just one! I fell for Gabe first in Spark, but I so loved Hunter's book, too. (I read Chris' book this year as well, but his fell short for me.) Basically, I flipping love this series and recommend it to all! It's a YA paranormal; bonus, there's no vampires or shifters! Oh, and the interactions between the brothers is awesome. Trust me on this series!






The Curse Keepers by Denise Grover Swank -- What a wonderful paranormal, very unique and interesting, and the chemistry is smokin' hot! Can't wait to get my hands on book 2 in 2014!






Pushing the Limits + Dare You To + Crash Into You by Katie McGarry--- Again, I can't pick! They're all such amazing books, full of angst and deep emotion along with characters that you really care for, not to mention beautiful writing. Highly recommend, but grab  some tissues!









I'll Be Home for Christmas by Jessica Scott -- Carponti! Oh, how I fell in love with your wicked sense of humor from book 1! It's rare for me to rate a novella so high, but if it's from Jessica Scott, no mater the length, chances are it will always get a top rating from me! She writes such real, heart-breaking stories, and Vic's tore me apart. Trent and Laura's, which I'm reading now, is doing the same. *cries* Grab tissues!





Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan -- AMAZING! Really, I have no other words for this other than GO BUY NOW! Captivating, sexy, unique and full of great banter. Oh, and you may need a tissue or two. Seems to be a theme with my favorites. . .




ParaWars: Uprising by Caitlin Greer -- Another very unique and sexy paranormal; I couldn't put this one down and had to buy a copy for my keeper shelf. Now I'm debating on whether or not it would be right to track down the author (who lives in my state) and steal book 2's manuscript from her . . . Oops, you didn't hear read that!




Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis -- Touched me in a very, very personal way! Great romance, great characters. I connected so deeply with this heroine. And yep, I needed a few tissues!



Beautiful Broken by Nazarea Andrews -- Oh Dane! I loved the first book in this series, too, but Dane's book really broke me. Literally. Again, tissues!





There you have it -- our favorites of 2013! It was very hard to narrow down our selections, and I am sure we left some great books out without even realizing it. 

We've got a little something for everyone -- from inspirational (thanks Kame!), to a unique historical (thanks Pat!), a good chunk of New Adults (thanks MM!) and of course various paranormals and Young Adults from me. :) What can I say, our tastes run everywhere! 




How about you? We've shared our 2013 favorites, now it is time to share YOURS! 




Fill out the Rafflecopter, leave a comment, and you may win an ebook of your choice (up to $10)! 

Winner will be picked January 1st! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway








Enjoy!


Until Next Time,

Photobucket
  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

19 comments :

Pat Egan Fordyce said...

Wow, we do have eclectic tastes!! Thanks for the opportunity to share TBQ. Bring Striking Distance to the top of your list!

Janie said...

My favorites include Cara McKenna's "Unbound," Elizabeth Hoyt's "Duke of Midnight" and Julie James' "Love Irresistibly."

alyn said...

I have to say the Hunger Games series. I know they came out a long time ago but I finally read them this year!

Kame said...

We do have great tastes! This was fun!

Colleen Isolde said...

So my favorites: Striking Distance by Pamela Clare for favorite Romantic Suspense and favorite Series; Under the Full Moon by Bobbi Romans for favorite Paranormal; Under a Winter's Night by Pamela Clare for favorite Historical; 4-Way Tie for favorite Military Romance; Thrill Ride by Julie Ann Walker, Anything for You by Jessica Scott, I'll Be Home For Christmas by Jessica Scott, Embattled Minds by J.M. Madden; and for

favorite Contemporary romance Long Simmering Spring by Elisabeth Barrett.

Book Queen, Musing Maddie, Kame, and Pat - Thank you for another amazing year of reviews. You all definitely added to my TBR list. :) Happy New Year!

Texas Book Lover said...

Heart Of Obsidian and The Slammed series to name a couple.

The_Book_Queen said...

I am soo behind on Nalini's books, but I hope to catch up very soon!
Thanks for stopping by,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

If we added to your TBR list, then we're doing our jobs, both as reviewers and friends, right? :)
Happy New Year!
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

*nods* But that's what makes us AWESOME! :)
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

Hey, that still counts! :) I really liked the HG series, though I admit parts made me frustrated at the time.
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

I have not yet read any of McKenna's books, but yes to Hoyt and James'!
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

:D Yes we do! I will, I promise. Before the end of 2014, I will have read every book in the I-Team series! It's going on my goals for the year.
Enjoy!
TBQ

Lover Of Romance said...

Great picks you have here. I love Elizabeth Hoyt and Kristen Callihan is on the top of my list to read in 2014!!! Thanks for sharing.

suepeace said...

Arg!! To many to choose from...to name a few The Perfect Match by Kristin Higgins, A Hero To Come Home to by Marilyn Pappano, A Time For Home by Alexis Morgan, Two of a Kind by Susan Mallory, etc., etc.!! :)

Jackie Turner said...

Favourite book was definitely Pamela Clare's Striking Distance, but I also discovered Maya Banks' KGI series and Cindy Gerard's Black Ops. Really love them all.

Melody May said...

I think I will go with THE BEST MAN'S BABY cause of the home pregnancy test scene. I mean that was freaking awesome. Most memorable scene ever. However, I need to make my list a little better next year.

The_Book_Queen said...

Oh, you must let me know what you think of Callihan's books; soooo good!
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

*nods* Etc, etc is always a proper answer when being asked for favorite books! ;)

The_Book_Queen said...

I have all three of those series at the top of my list!