This wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be. There were quite a few books that I really, really did lose myself in this year. So, I went to the Lists, sorted them various ways, and started culling, culling, culling. Okay, done. These are listed in no particular order. No, wait, alphabetical order by genre, just because I’m that way: anal. All of the 2010 Top Reads are works that were published this year only.
Without further ado, drum roll please….
TOP READS OF 2010
Without further ado, drum roll please….
TOP READS OF 2010
Erotic Romance: Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone
HE MUST FIND REDEMPTION IN THE MOST UNLIKELY BEDCHAMBER...
In Victorian England vice of every kind can be purchased, and Matthew, the Earl of Wallingford, makes certain he avails himself of every possible pleasure. Bored and jaded, he is as well known for his coldness as for his licentious affairs with beautiful women.
While these numerous dalliances fulfill Matthew's every physical need, they secretly leave him numb and emotionally void. Until one night when he finds himself beaten, eyes bandaged and in the care of a nurse with the voice of an angel--and a gentle touch that sooths the darkness in him and makes him yearn for more.
Yet Jane Rankin is a lowly nurse, considered shy and plain by most. There is no place for her amongst the lords and ladies of aristocracy--despite Matthew's growing craving for the fire that burns behind her earnest facade. And then there is Matthew's secret. A secret so humiliating and scandalous it could destroy everyone he loves. A sin, he fears, not even the love of a good woman can take away...
Historical Romance: Wicked Intentions
by Elizabeth Hoyt
A MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES
HE MUST FIND REDEMPTION IN THE MOST UNLIKELY BEDCHAMBER...
In Victorian England vice of every kind can be purchased, and Matthew, the Earl of Wallingford, makes certain he avails himself of every possible pleasure. Bored and jaded, he is as well known for his coldness as for his licentious affairs with beautiful women.
While these numerous dalliances fulfill Matthew's every physical need, they secretly leave him numb and emotionally void. Until one night when he finds himself beaten, eyes bandaged and in the care of a nurse with the voice of an angel--and a gentle touch that sooths the darkness in him and makes him yearn for more.
Yet Jane Rankin is a lowly nurse, considered shy and plain by most. There is no place for her amongst the lords and ladies of aristocracy--despite Matthew's growing craving for the fire that burns behind her earnest facade. And then there is Matthew's secret. A secret so humiliating and scandalous it could destroy everyone he loves. A sin, he fears, not even the love of a good woman can take away...
Historical Romance: Wicked Intentions
by Elizabeth HoytA MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows the area like the back of her hand—she cares for its children at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk…
A WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST
Caire makes a simple offer—in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as a cold bargain soon falls prey to a passion neither can control—and may well destroy them both.
Novella: Leave No Trace (from Deadly Promises) by Cindy Gerard
These heroes are 100% raw, dangerous, and . . . undeniably sexy.
New York Times bestselling authors Sherrilyn Kenyon and Cindy Gerard and rising romance star Laura Griffin mix seduction and suspense in three irresistible romantic adventures. From sultry international jungles to the rugged terrain of the American southwest, join the larger-than-life, scorching-hot alpha heroes of the Bureau of American Defense, Black Ops Inc., and the U.S. Navy SEALs for the pulse-pounding, heart-racing, toe-curling excitement. They’re cool under pressure, steamy under the sheets, and when the enemy strikes, there’s not a lethal mission these gorgeous men can’t handle.
These heroes are 100% raw, dangerous, and . . . undeniably sexy.
New York Times bestselling authors Sherrilyn Kenyon and Cindy Gerard and rising romance star Laura Griffin mix seduction and suspense in three irresistible romantic adventures. From sultry international jungles to the rugged terrain of the American southwest, join the larger-than-life, scorching-hot alpha heroes of the Bureau of American Defense, Black Ops Inc., and the U.S. Navy SEALs for the pulse-pounding, heart-racing, toe-curling excitement. They’re cool under pressure, steamy under the sheets, and when the enemy strikes, there’s not a lethal mission these gorgeous men can’t handle.
Paranormal Romance: Entwined by Elisabeth Naughton
ZANDER — The most feared of all the Eternal Guardians. It’s rumored he can’t be killed, and he always fights like he has nothing to lose. But as a descendant of the famed hero Achilles, he’s got to have a vulnerability… somewhere.
Forces of daemons are gathering and have broken through the barriers of the Underworld. Now more than ever the Eternal Guardians are needed to protect both their own realm and the humans’. Zander can’t afford to think about what might have been with the bewitching physician he once regarded as his soul mate. But with eternity stretching before him, he also can’t fathom spending his life without the one woman who makes him feel most alive. Perhaps he’s found his weakness, after all…
ZANDER — The most feared of all the Eternal Guardians. It’s rumored he can’t be killed, and he always fights like he has nothing to lose. But as a descendant of the famed hero Achilles, he’s got to have a vulnerability… somewhere.
Forces of daemons are gathering and have broken through the barriers of the Underworld. Now more than ever the Eternal Guardians are needed to protect both their own realm and the humans’. Zander can’t afford to think about what might have been with the bewitching physician he once regarded as his soul mate. But with eternity stretching before him, he also can’t fathom spending his life without the one woman who makes him feel most alive. Perhaps he’s found his weakness, after all…
Paranormal Romance Suspense/Thriller: Enemy Lover by Karin Harlow
It’s Jax Cassidy’s first mission for L.O.S.T.—one that will give the former cop who went rogue a chance to prove herself. Her assignment: gain the trust of assassin Marcus Cross . . . eliminate him . . . then take down Marcus’s mentor, Joseph Lazarus, a man with a bold eye on the White House. But the woman who’s known by her team for being a femme fatale succumbs to passion, only to discover Cross’s deadly secret. He’s a vampire, and Joseph Lazarus is his creator.
Left for dead by his platoon in the violent hills of Afghanistan, special ops sniper Marcus Cross was given a second chance at life. His newly heightened skills make him the perfect killing machine, and as Lazarus's right hand man, he’s quickly rising to the top of his dark empire, purging enemies with speed and precision. Only when dangerous beauty Jax Cassidy is sent to bring him in does he begin to question Lazarus’s motives and his own actions. But when Jax’s life is threatened by the one thing that can destroy them both, Marcus must make a bitter choice—her death or his.
It’s Jax Cassidy’s first mission for L.O.S.T.—one that will give the former cop who went rogue a chance to prove herself. Her assignment: gain the trust of assassin Marcus Cross . . . eliminate him . . . then take down Marcus’s mentor, Joseph Lazarus, a man with a bold eye on the White House. But the woman who’s known by her team for being a femme fatale succumbs to passion, only to discover Cross’s deadly secret. He’s a vampire, and Joseph Lazarus is his creator.
Left for dead by his platoon in the violent hills of Afghanistan, special ops sniper Marcus Cross was given a second chance at life. His newly heightened skills make him the perfect killing machine, and as Lazarus's right hand man, he’s quickly rising to the top of his dark empire, purging enemies with speed and precision. Only when dangerous beauty Jax Cassidy is sent to bring him in does he begin to question Lazarus’s motives and his own actions. But when Jax’s life is threatened by the one thing that can destroy them both, Marcus must make a bitter choice—her death or his.
Romantic Suspense: Promises in the Dark by Stephanie Tyler
On the run, in each other’s arms, with one last chance to survive.
A rugged Navy SEAL, Zane Scott was part of a failed mission to rescue Dr. Olivia Strohm from abduction by the terrorist group Dead Man’s Hand (DMH)—and her anguished screams have haunted him ever since. So when he gets word that the beautiful physician has escaped from her captors in Africa, he’s got personal reasons to storm the continent and save her.
Like her would-be liberator, Olivia carries the burden of a dark secret from her past. Ruthless and relentless, the DMH has threatened to hunt her down – and to systematically hurt anyone she’s close to. The last thing she wants is to be rescued—even by someone as shockingly handsome as Zane. Yet the hot-headed special ops hero has come for her, and together she and Zane just might have a shot at not only stopping DMH’s reign of terror, but also saving what’s left of their souls.
On the run, in each other’s arms, with one last chance to survive.
A rugged Navy SEAL, Zane Scott was part of a failed mission to rescue Dr. Olivia Strohm from abduction by the terrorist group Dead Man’s Hand (DMH)—and her anguished screams have haunted him ever since. So when he gets word that the beautiful physician has escaped from her captors in Africa, he’s got personal reasons to storm the continent and save her.
Like her would-be liberator, Olivia carries the burden of a dark secret from her past. Ruthless and relentless, the DMH has threatened to hunt her down – and to systematically hurt anyone she’s close to. The last thing she wants is to be rescued—even by someone as shockingly handsome as Zane. Yet the hot-headed special ops hero has come for her, and together she and Zane just might have a shot at not only stopping DMH’s reign of terror, but also saving what’s left of their souls.
1-900-Lover by Rhonda Nelson
When high school teacher Rowan Crosswhite finds herself out of a job, she comes up with an ingenious way to make ends meet—she installs her own phone-sex line. But when Will Foster dials her number, Rowan is the one who gets all worked up. Will can't believe that a woman as sexy as Rowan has to resort to giving phone sex to strangers…especially when he wants her to give it to him instead! And once she does, it doesn't take long to convince her that burning up the sheets is better than burning up the phone lines. Still, Rowan is determined to give up the job only when she's ready. So what else can Will do but make sure Rowan is too "busy" to answer her phone…?
Silk Confessions by Joanne Rock
As a hotshot detective, Wes Shaw thinks he's seen it all—until he meets the luscious Tempest Boucher. She's a blend of artistic sensuality and no-nonsense practicality that he can't resist. Too bad he suspects one of her companies of being a front for an illegal sex ring…and possibly murder. Tempest has always lived by the rules. So to find herself the subject of an intense investigation by one sexy cop has sparked all kinds of rebellious impulses in her. Soon his interrogations lead to intimate confessions across the sheets…and even hotter explorations!
You may be wondering why I didn’t choose such-and-such book for this-or-that category ---When everyone knows IT was the BEST one ever! Because I am a selective, moody reader. (Don’t forget anal.) I may absolutely love the series or the author, but I have to be in the mood to select the book off of my shelf. There are times I will devour an author’s work. Then again, I may not pick-up another one from that same author for months on end.
Hence, The Honorable Mention category. And because
The Honorable Mentions
Caine’s Reckoning by Sarah McCarty
Jaded by Karin Tabke
Silent Truth by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love
The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
One of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2010 was to devote more time to reading. According to my Goodreads stats, I read 129 books -- ‘Scuse me!?! That is above and beyond what I thought I would ever read in one year. I’m happy with that for the coming year also. My Reading Resolution for 2011 will be to discover new authors and read at least three of their writings. Looking at my TBR, I have a start on it. One and one and one…..
Lastly, I want to thank Laurie *take a bow* for giving me another opportunity to do what I love: Read.
And thanks to all of you for just being here and hanging out with us….it’s cool.
Cheers!
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