This week's TTT is Top Ten Best Books I Read In 2016!
Okay I know its been forever since I did a TTT but I had to do the best of '16! So in no particular order here we go..
1. Bounty by Kristen Ashley
I totally begged for an ARC of this book and I loved it so hard. I've said it before and I'll say it again—I love Kristen Ashley books. I re-read all of her books once a year and yeah. Give me more KA.
2. Spiral of Need and Force of Temptation by Suzanne Wright
Two books in The Mercury Pack series released this year and I lovedthem. Suzanne Wright is one of those authors that I can read whatever mood I'm in and I know I'll love it.
3. Idol and Managed by Kristen Callihan
I waited until Managed was released to read this series and I was so mad at myself for waiting! I loved it! And I've had a serious lack of hot rockstar reads lately so this was the perfect start to the VIP series.
4. Beyond Ruin, Beyond Ecstasy and Beyond Surrender by Kit Rocha
The three final books in the Beyond series were released this year (holy crap what!) and I loved them all. I may or may not have cried a bit when I finished Beyond Surrender because this is one of my all-time favorite series forever and ever but the authors are writing another series in this crazy world they created. Looking forward to Ashwin in 2017!
5. Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis
This one isn't actually out until 2017 but I snagged an ARC (lucky me!) and totally fell in love with Archer. So I'm cheating! Seriously though, I call dibs on him Jill!! Hoping there are more books to come in this series!
6. Archangel's Heart by Nalini Singh
Yessssss. I binged this series last year, or early this year I forget, and I was kicking myself for waiting so damn long to read them. They are amazing and I want this series to have 50 more books, deal Nalini?
7. Addicted by Elle Kennedy
It's no secret I love me some post-apocalyptic books and Elle totally killed it with her first book in this series Claimed. Addicted was amazing and I haven't gotten a chance to read Ruled yet—which I read is the last book in the series noooooooo!—but definitely one of my favorites!
8. Beard Science by Penny Reid
I love me some Penny Reid—it's no secret. I totally fell in love with Cletus and I've heard whisperings we may get more of him and Jennifer! If you haven't read this series YOU NEED TO.
9. The Saint, The King, The Virgin and The Queen by Tiffany Reisz
Okay, I know the final book in this series came out in 2015 but I couldn't bring myself to read it because I didn't want this series to end. Tiffany Reisz books grab your soul and squeeze. Hard. One of the most well written series I've ever read.
10. Royally Screwed by Emma Chase
Give me Emma Chase books or give me death! For real though her books are always so good with a mixture of humor and romance and just look at that cover. LOOK AT THAT COVER. I need to go buy this in paperback asap. But if you're looking for male POV books Emma Chase slays.
For years, Nessa has been focused on work. She keeps the whiskey—and the money—flowing, and life is sweet. Sure, she’s tired of being everyone’s baby sister, and she longs for a man who can stand up to her overprotective O’Kane brothers. But she never thought she’d meet him in the middle of a war.
He’s the brains of the revolution.
War is all Ryder knows. He was raised with one goal: to ensure the sectors’ successful rebellion against Eden. His father and his mentor both died for freedom, and nothing will stop him from securing their legacies with victory. He doesn’t have time for distractions—especially beautiful, impulsive ones like Nessa.
Opposites don’t just attract, they combust. Together, Nessa and Ryder have a chance for something more than the lives they’ve always known. But this is war—deadly, bloody war—and the only way to happily-ever-after is straight through Eden.
*This review will have spoilers for the previous books in the series, but not so much for Beyond Surrender.
“War was war, after all. The same story, repeated for tens of thousands of years. Some who fought lived and others died, and you never knew which you were destined to be.”
I've been sitting here trying to come up with the words to describe how much I loved this book. And I can't. I read Beyond Shame 5 months after it was released. I've been stalking the heck out of these authors ever since. I couldn't wait for Beyond Control. Then I couldn't wait for Beyond Pain, so on and so on.There are very few authors that as soon as their books are released (or if I can get an early copy) I have to read straight away. Kit Rocha is most definitely one of them. We've gone through Jasper & Noelle and Lex & Dallas and Bren & Six etc. Every book, every novella, every extra scene I got to read I gobbled up the first chance I got. But not this one. I waited about a week to start it because I wasn't ready to say goodbye. But once I started, I couldn't stop.
“She was going to die. Just fucking implode. Here lies Nessa, perished from sexual frustration-induced cardiac arrest.”
Nessa has been a constant in the Beyond series, everybody's favorite little sister who loves to paint her nails and get all the dirty details on everybody's sex life. She's been burned once before and is determined not to make that mistake again, so instead of getting close to anyone she soaks up, maybe a little jealously, the passion going on around her. We also have Ryder. Sexy, sexy Ryder. The new leader of Sector Five and Jim Jernigan's successor. His whole life has been leading up to this war that he's been preparing for most of his life.
“He was just standing there, smiling, cradling her like a princess—but that wasn't why she kissed him. Nessa had been pampered and petted like a princess her whole damn life.
No one had ever invited her to build bombs with them before. That was why she kissed him.”
This book was freaking wild. Wild. We didn't get as much sexy-times as say Beyond Shame BUT that in no way means this book wasn't as good. I mean the war is finally here, shit is going down, people are dying and as much as people cling to each other in times of despair, life isn't as fun as it used to be. We get a ton of alternate POVs *YAY* and a lot of insight into characters we haven't met yet—and some that we're dying to read their stories (I'm looking at you Ashwin). I don't know if I'll ever forgive these authors for what happened in Chapter 17 but I get why it had to happen. Even if I didn't like it. Damn it I'm crying again.
“They'd fight and they'd win or they'd fight and they'd die, but one way or another, there was a time in the near future where none of them would have to worry about Eden anymore.”
Anyways, I loved this book. It made me want to go back and re-read the whole entire series again. Which I probably will do before Ashwin comes out. This book definitely isn't rainbows and butterflies—people on both sides die all because Eden couldn't contain their greed.
“That's their real mistake, you know. I'd pretty much reached a point where I liked my life just like it was. Fighting and fucking and not worrying about what happened beyond my sector. I was content, and they could have let me be content.”
But they hadn't, and now it was too late.”
—Dallas
Thank God Kit Rocha is continuing writing in this world, moving over to Sector One. I want to thank Kit Rocha for writing this series, which is one of, if not my most favorite series of all time. I fell in love with their writing. I fell in love with the characters they created. I can't wait to see what the hell they come up with next.
O'Kane for life!
*An advanced copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
If you want a little tease—you can read the first two chapters on the authors website here! Series Links
About the Authors
Kit Rocha is the pseudonym for co-writing team Donna Herren and Bree Bridges. After penning dozens of paranormal novels, novellas and stories as Moira Rogers, they branched out into gritty, sexy dystopian romance.
The series has appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, and was honored with a 2013 RT Reviewer’s Choice award. Find out more at kitrocha.com, or sign up to be notified of their next release at bit.ly/kit-rocha-updates
Some are born with fire in them. ✮✮✮SECOND CHANCES, HOPE, & RED-HOT CHEMISTRY…FIRE IN YOU, the final book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Wait For You World is here! Don’t Miss Brock and Jillian’s passionate and richly moving story in this standalone contemporary romance!✮✮✮
Let the FIRE IN YOU burn and grab your copy today!
About FIRE IN YOU:
From the # 1 New York Times and International bestselling author comes a richly moving story about heartbreak and guilt, second chances and hope. Full of familiar, fan-favorite characters and no two people more deserving of a happy ending, Fire In You will burn bright beyond the last page…
Jillian Lima’s whole world was destroyed in a span of a few hours. The same night her childhood love, Brock ‘the Beast’ Mitchell, broke her heart, her life was irrevocably altered by the hand of a stranger with a gun. It takes six years to slowly glue together the shattered pieces of her life, but Jillian is finally ready to stop existing in a past full of pain and regret. She takes a job at her father’s martial arts Academy and she’s going out on her first date since a failed relationship that was more yuck than yum. Jillian is determined to start living.
She just never expected Brock to be a part of her life again. But he’s firmly back in her life before she knows it, and not only is he older, he’s impossibly more handsome, more teasing and more everything. And when he sees Jillian, he’s no longer capable of thinking of her as the little girl who was his shadow growing up or the daughter of the man who gave him a second chance at life. He sees the woman who’d always been there for him, the one person who believed in him no matter what.
Brock knows she’s the one he should’ve made his, and what begins as a tentative friendship quickly turns to red-hot chemistry that sparks a flame that burns brighter than lust. Falling for Brock again risks more than her heart, because when the sorrow-filled and guilt-ridden past resurfaces, and a web of lies threatens to rip them apart, the fallout could lay waste to everything they’ve fought to build together, and destroy the dreams of those they care most about.
Order a digital or paperback copy of FIRE IN YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout, writing as J.Lynn, AND fill out THIS FORM by December 3rd, and get an exclusive bonus scene-an Epilogue featuring POVs from all the major couples throughout the Wait For You World!
FIRE IN YOU will be available in paperback and eBook November 28th, 2016!
Just enter your name, age, email address, and the order number from your digitalor paperback pre-order receipt at https://a.pgtb.me/M7KhMC to receive your exclusive FIRE IN YOU bonus scene! All entrants will receive the bonus scene on December 5th, 2016 through email using the email given when the entrant filled out THIS FORM.
EXCERPT:
Making my way through the narrow pathways between the tables, I headed back toward the bathroom. Only once I pushed open the double doors and stopped in front of the water-spotted mirror did I realize I’d left my purse at the table, so there’d be no reapplying my lipstick.
I pumped soap onto my hands and waved them under the facet. Water flowed, washing away the suds as I slowly lifted my gaze to my reflection. Normally when I looked at myself, I didn’t really pay attention longer than was necessary to put makeup on without ending up looking like a tutorial gone wrong.
Standing here now, I really looked at myself, though.
I used to wear my hair up all the time, but I’d stopped doing that every day. My hair now hung in waves and the ends curled over the tips of my breasts. I also used to have heavy bangs, but thank God they were long gone. I’d finally learned how to put on eyeliner. That was another miracle. The slight flush of my face darkened my naturally tan skin. My lips were fuller and my nose straight.
My hair was parted to sweep to the left so it shielded my cheek…and my cheek didn’t look that bad, especially considering how it looked the first time I’d seen it after…after days in the hospital.
Hell, my entire face had been one hot mess.
There was a deep indentation in my left cheek, almost like an icepick had been shoved in there, and as I stared at my right jaw line, I was still amazed by what reconstructive plastic surgeons could accomplish. Half my face had literally been pieced back together with an iliac crest graft with a reconstruction plate and a crap ton of dentistry to give me back a full set of functional teeth.
Plastic surgeons didn’t have magic wands, but they were magicians. If you weren’t looking at me straight on, you’d have no idea that my right jaw was thinner than my left.
You’d have no idea what had happened to me that night.
Now I stared back at myself just like I had done that night, six years ago, standing in a bathroom, mere minutes before my entire life came crashing down.
It wasn’t that I hated the way I looked now. The fact that I was alive meant I was one of those rare, walking and breathing statistics.
But even knowing how lucky I was didn’t change the fact that I felt…deformed. That was a harsh word to use. I didn’t like to whip it out often. Doing so on what was so far a pretty good date was probably not a good idea.
Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. I didn’t need my thoughts going in that direction tonight. So far, the dinner had been amazing. Grady was nice and he was cute. I could maybe see myself going out with him again, to an art exhibit, and maybe coffee.
And that was what had freaked me out.
I was not going to let living freak me out.
Nope.
I could give him a chance and not worry about whether or not I was settling.
Turning from the sink, I dried my hands and then readjusted my hair so it fell forward, over my left shoulder and cheek. I walked out of the bathroom and into the narrow hall, gaze trained on the floor as I took about two steps before I realized someone was standing right outside the door, leaning against the wall. Before I nearly plowed into him.
Gasping, I took a step back. All I could see were finely cut black trousers paired with…with old black and white Chucks? What an odd combination, but those shoes reminded me of…
I gave a little shake of my head and stepped to the side. “Sorry. Excuse—”
“Jillian.”
I stopped.
Time stopped.
Everything stopped except my heart, because it was suddenly pounding in my chest too hard, too fast. That deep, rough voice. I recognized it all the way to my very core. Slowly, I lifted my gaze, already knowing what I was going to see but refusing to believe it.
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.
She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
✮✮✮READERS OF THE #1 NYT BESTSELLING WAIT FOR YOU SAGA REJOICE! FIRE IN YOU is coming! SECOND CHANCES, HOPE, & RED-HOT CHEMISTRY… Don’t Miss Brock and Jillian’s passionate and richly moving story in this standalone contemporary romance releasing November 28, 2016! ✮✮✮
Check out the excerpt below and preorder your copy today!
About FIRE IN YOU (Standalone Contemporary Romance Releasing November 28, 2016):
From the # 1 New York Times and International bestselling author comes a richly moving story about heartbreak and guilt, second chances and hope. Full of familiar, fan-favorite characters and no two people more deserving of a happy ending, Fire In You will burn bright beyond the last page…
Jillian Lima’s whole world was destroyed in a span of a few hours. The same night her childhood love, Brock ‘the Beast’ Mitchell, broke her heart, her life was irrevocably altered by the hand of a stranger with a gun. It takes six years to slowly glue together the shattered pieces of her life, but Jillian is finally ready to stop existing in a past full of pain and regret. She takes a job at her father’s martial arts Academy and she’s going out on her first date since a failed relationship that was more yuck than yum. Jillian is determined to start living.
She just never expected Brock to be a part of her life again. But he’s firmly back in her life before she knows it, and not only is he older, he’s impossibly more handsome, more teasing and more everything. And when he sees Jillian, he’s no longer capable of thinking of her as the little girl who was his shadow growing up or the daughter of the man who gave him a second chance at life. He sees the woman who’d always been there for him, the one person who believed in him no matter what.
Brock knows she’s the one he should’ve made his, and what begins as a tentative friendship quickly turns to red-hot chemistry that sparks a flame that burns brighter than lust. Falling for Brock again risks more than her heart, because when the sorrow-filled and guilt-ridden past resurfaces, and a web of lies threatens to rip them apart, the fallout could lay waste to everything they’ve fought to build together, and destroy the dreams of those they care most about.
Pre-Order a digital or paperback copy of FIRE IN YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout, writing as J.Lynn, AND fill out THIS FORM, and get an exclusive bonus scene-an Epilogue featuring POVs from all the major couples throughout the Wait For You World!
FIRE IN YOU will be available in paperback and eBook November 28th, 2016!
Just enter your name, age, email address, and the order number from your digial or paperback pre-order receipt at https://a.pgtb.me/M7KhMCto receive your exclusive FIRE IN YOU bonus scene! All entrants will receive the bonus scene on December 5th, 2016 through email using the email given when the entrant filled out THIS FORM.
EXCERPT:
Brock’s gaze flickered over my face and the line of his jaw softened. “It’s been a really long time since you and I have sat and talked to one another. I know you have every reason to hate me. I don’t blame you.”
“I don’t hate you.” That twisting motion in my chest picked up. What I had said was true. Maybe at one point I did. Okay. I’m sure I had, but I’d never been one to hate anyone. It just wasn’t in me. Well, I hated plenty of fictional characters, but some people would claim they didn’t count. I drew in a shallow breath and repeated, “I don’t hate you.”
Brock was still as he stared at me, a flicker of surprise and relief mingling across his chiseled features. “I’m…I’m glad to hear that.”
I pushed all that mess aside and focused. “Why are you even the GM? You’ve probably made enough money to live a very, very long time without having to worry about a paycheck.”
“I have. When I retired from professional fighting two years ago, I could’ve lived quite comfortably for the rest of my life.”
I wanted to ask why he’d retired so young. At his age, he still had a couple of more years left, but I resisted the urge. “So why take this job?”
A frown started to appear. “Do you really need to ask me that?” Before I could respond, he lifted a hand, thrusting his fingers through his hair as he said, “Your father saved my life. That’s not an exaggeration. You know that. If it hadn’t been for him, I would’ve died on those streets. The Academy became my life and it is a part of me. This company is important to me, and even if I’m not fighting, representing the Academy, I still need to be a part of it.”
Lowering my gaze, I squirmed in my chair. Of course I knew that. No matter what had happened, that would’ve never changed for him.
“I love scouting, looking for fresh talent,” he continued. “As the GM, I can still do that. I can give back to your father for everything he did for me. I need to do that. Especially considering how badly I let him down.”
“How in the world did you let my father down?” I asked, genuinely curious. “You’ve won championships for him. Brought so much attention to the—”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Tone serious, he held my gaze. “You never told him why you were at Mona’s that night.”
I stilled.
“If you had, he would’ve—”
My eyes snapped to his. “Brock.”
“And I would’ve deserved everything I had coming to me,” he continued, leaning forward. “And the only reason why I never told him you were there because of me was because you made me promise not to.”
Closing my eyes, I pressed my lips together. I had made him promise not to say a word. I’d begged him, because I knew what would happen if he’d been honest. Brock would’ve lost everything.
The knot was back, expanding in my throat. I couldn’t sit here and think and talk about these kinds of things if I was going to be able to make this job work. Curling my hands together, I opened my eyes. “What happened back then has nothing to do with now. It can’t.”
Brock leaned back and straightened.
“And I don’t want to talk about it,” I continued, struggling to keep my voice steady. “We don’t need to talk about any of that for us to work together.”
He was silent for a moment, his body deviously relaxed, but he was like a coiled cobra, and could strike at any moment. “I don’t agree with that, but I’ll let it go.”
Some of the tension seeped out of my shoulders even though I had a feeling there was an unspoken “for now” at the end of what he said. “That’s all, then? I would like to get my office set up and get to work.”
Brock nodded and pushed off the desk. Walking around it, he scanned the paperwork on his desk. “I do believe we have a meeting today with the sales team. Two o’clock.”
“Sounds good.” I rose on oddly shaky legs and turned to the door. Everything felt surreal.
“Jillian.”
Stopping, I faced him. “Yes?”
His shoulders rose with a deep breath as his gaze drifted over my face once more, and I wondered what he thought about how I looked now. “I really want this to work for us, Jillian,” he said, and I felt the very sharp twisting motion in my chest give one powerful stab. “It’s a second chance for us.”
About Jennifer L. Armentrout:
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA.
She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Heartbreaker Bay with a fun and festive holiday novella! Order your copy for just $0.99 today!
About ONE SNOWY NIGHT:
It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl.
Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south.
They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.
Max whistled for Carl but the wind was so loud, the sound got swallowed up.
Rory slipped out of the truck and back into the mind numbing cold to make her way to Max. “Carl!” she yelled and nearly got blown over by the next gust of wind.
Max caught her and held her at his side. “You could’ve gotten home,” he said. “You know you’re crazy, right?” he asked.
Yes, she knew. And yeah, her whole purpose had been to show her family she’d changed but hey, there’d be plenty of time to stress about that later. “This is for Carl, not you.”
He choked out a rough laugh. “You’re still crazy,” he said but he’d kept his arm around her, holding her close. And he didn’t sound quite as mad at her anymore.
Which might have just been wishful thinking on her part.
“Carl!” Max yelled, using the hand that wasn’t holding onto her to cup around his mouth. “Carl, come!”
From out of the woods came a huge snow abomination. When it was only a few feet from them, it stopped, shook, and sent snow flying.
Carl.
Proud of himself, he sat happily at their feet and panted a smile, while Rory fought with relieved tears.
What was wrong with her tonight?
Max got them all back into the truck. He dried off Carl the best he could and then turned to Rory.
She had no idea that she’d lost the battle with her emotions until Max cupped her face and swiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “Rory,” he said, voice low and concerned.
“Does Christmas always have to suck so hard?” she whispered.
He looked at her for a long beat and then slowly shook his head. “No. Not always.”
They stared at each other some more and then…he kissed her. Softly at first, carefully, but she didn’t need either and let him know by fisting her hands in his jacket and letting out a needy little whimper for more.
This wrenched a deep, rough male groan from him that rumbled up from his chest, and she clutched at him, trying to get closer. Before she knew it, he’d hauled her over the console and into his lap, tucking her thighs on either side of his, letting her feel exactly how his body had responded to the kiss. He was hard.
Everywhere.
Hungry for the connection, desperate to forget her problems, trembling in her boots for more of this man beneath her, she kissed him back with all the pent-up longing and need she felt. When they broke free, his eyes were heavy-lidded with lust and desire, and she had one single, devastating thought.
All these years later, she still wanted him as her own.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s sexy contemporary and award-winning books wherever romances are sold and click on the blog button above for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
