Authors celebrate their favorite romances of 2013, part 3
HEA is sharing romance authors' favorite books of 2013. Be sure to stop in often over the next several days to see more of authors' favorites, and don't miss part one and part two.
VIRGINA KANTRA, author of Carolina Man (March 2014)
• The Best Man by Kristan Higgins. Combines Higgins' fabulous humor with lovely emotional poignancy. Plus ... Best. Hero. Ever. Just saying.
• The Chocolate Touch by Laura Florand. Emotionally intense. I loved the contrast between the hero's beastly exterior and his princely heart, and Florand's writing is always delicious.
Also at the top of my list this year: Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James (I winced and cheered for the conflicted young lovers) and Castaway Cove by JoAnn Ross (trademark warmth in Shelter Bay). I can't possibly choose between them!
JULIE ANN WALKER, author of Born Wild
• Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan. Delicious descriptions, wonderful world-building, and delightful dialogue make this historical paranormal romance one for my keeper shelf!
• Cold Blooded by Amanda Carlson. The third in Carlson's Jessica McClain series, we finally, finally get to see Jessica reunited with Rourke. Talk about steamy! My e-reader caught itself on fire!
• Sanctuary Island by Lily Everett. Sweet and poignant, this story of recovery, atonement, and romance will have you reaching for the tissues one minute and cheering your head off the next!
VERONICA SCOTT, author of Magic of the Nile
• Archangel's Legion by Nalini Singh. Deepened the relationship between Raphael, ruthless Archangel of New York, and his consort, Guildhunter Elena in satisfying and unexpected ways. Added complex layers to the world-building. Plus, angels!
• Ruby by Jeffe Kennedy. Fascinating New Orleans was the setting for this intense, sensuous romance and when I finished the book, I wanted a sequel right away! A Cajun chef, a heroine torn between chasing her dreams and the happiness right in front of her – spicy recipe for a tasty book.
• South of Surrender by Laura Kaye. Loved her use of the ancient Greek gods of the Winds as heroes. The romance between the God of the South Wind and Laney, a human slowly losing her vision, was heart tugging.
Also: Breeder by Cara Bristol, Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh and Tactical Strike by Kaylea Cross.
KATE DOUGLAS, author of Spirit Wild: Dark Spirit
Oh ... wow! There are so many! Just three? I'll have to go with the ones I've read over and over again:
• Meljean Brook's Guardian Demon, the one that tied up her Guardian series. So good. I think I've read it four or five times now.
• Then Joey W. Hill's Taken by a Vampire and Eileen Wilks' Ritual Magic. I've read all three of these multiple times this year, and will most likely reread the entire series multiple times.
But I have to mention the others that I couldn't put down — Robyn Carr's Virgin River spin-off series, Thunder Point comes to mind. Love the first three: The Wanderer, The Newcomer and The Hero. Can't wait to see what's coming next. J.R. Ward's Lover at Last was another much-anticipated book that was everything I was hoping for. Same with Nalini Singh's Archangel's Legion. I also got hooked on Bella Andre's Sullivans. Stella Cameron's new Alex Dugan mystery series hooked me with the first book, Cold. Love the small English community and the characters she's introduced, and of course I can't leave out Jayne Ann Krentz because I love everything she writes. My favorite of hers this year was Dream Eyes. And there are so many more — I read and reread constantly, and I'm absolutely thrilled that so many of my favorite authors keep working really hard to keep me in good books!
WILLA BLAIR, author of Highland Seer
• The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley. Wonderful writing and the unusual mix of Scottish and Russian history made this fascinating story a must read for me.
• Blood Entangled by Amber Belldene. Continues the fabulous saga of vampires and Napa Valley wine begun last year in Blood Vine — I couldn't put it down!
• The Chieftain by Margaret Mallory. Mallory deftly weaves characters and storyline from the earlier stories in this series into this book.
Honorable mentions: Cherry Adair's Afterglow, Susanna Kearsley's The Winter Sea, Mary Hart Perry's Seducing the Princess, Cathy Maxwell's Lyon's Bride and Roxanne St. Claire's Barefoot series.
DEE DAVIS, author of Escape
• Jill Shalvis' Always on My Mind.
• Lori Austin's An Outlaw in Wonderland.
• And Claudia Dain's Much Ado About Dutton.
Honorable mention: The Firebird by Susannah Kearsley.
TINA CARREIRO, author of Covet the Moon
• Genesis Queen by Gracen Miller. Book three of the Road to Hell series. This horromance was wickedly dark and has you craving to sell your soul to the dark side.
• Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye. Humorous, sweet, hot, and packed full of emotions. Don't let the page count fool you. This short story is so well done it should have a bow on it. It left me feeling complete when I finished and that is a gift.
• Connected by Jolyn Palliata. Creative, funny, hot, rock stars with a paranormal edge. This read has the wow factor and my love for it will last way past 2013.
• Obsession by Sofia Grey. Contemporary thriller sprinkled with paranormal. This read was not only scary at times, but it also gave me heart palpitations. I should have known with a tagline that reads: When the perfect husband, becomes the perfect monster ...
ALEXA GRACE, author of Profile of Evil
• Gotcha (Tall, Hot and Texan) by Christie Craig. Her hilarious romance about a pizza delivery girl and a hot detective cracked me up. She included a good mix of humor and hot love scenes that made her book one of my favorites in 2013.
• To Die Series by Lisa Jackson. This past year, I was delighted to find books by Lisa Jackson, who is a fellow romantic suspense author. In her To Die series, I got caught up in the lives of detectives Regan Pescoli and Selena Alvarez as they tracked some of the best crafted evil villains in the genre, while making time for some hot romance.
• Skye Tempe Series by Dianna Love. Lastly, I have to mention Dianna Love's Skye Tempe series. Dianna has an expertise in crafting interesting characters while adding a generous dose of romance, mystery and building suspense — my kind of books.
M.J. SCHILLER, author of Between Rock and a Hard Place
• Black Creek Burning series by R.T. Wolfe. I'm cheating and using these three as one because I honestly can't decide whether I liked Black Creek Burning better, or if books two and three (Flying in Shadows and Dark Vengeance) were my favorites! Just when I thought the Reid boys couldn't get any better R.T. Wolfe would come out with a new book to win over my heart.
• Bound by Brenda Rothert. This is such an amazing book about two people bound to each other by the common thread of having lost. Brenda Rothert knows how to grab your heart and take it for a ride and I love that it involved a hockey player. While athletes are often seen as romance heroes, hockey players tend to get overlooked. If you've looked at some NHL players lately you'll see that some of them are very HOT!
• Beneath the Wall by Eryn LaPlant. Another heart-wrenching story with a little different setting than you usually see, Vietnam, 1967. This one was great because it had a little bit of everything, action, mystery, romance, drama ... it was a real page-turner.
ELYSSA PATRICK, author of Holiday for Two
• Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. I'm a huge fan of Nalini's writing, and I was highly anticipating this one. Nalini is a fabulous writer, and HOO blew me away with the depth and emotional intensity. It's definitely one of my favorite books ever written. I cannot wait for Shield of Winter in June 2014 and the next in her Guild Hunters series.
• Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins. How much do I love this book? Let me count the ways … 1) It's awesome. 2) It completely blew me away. 3) I LOVE it, and I will read whatever Elkins writes. It has all the best things I love in a romance: humor, emotion, sexiness, and just the rush you get when you read a really, really amazing story. Basically, everyone needs to read Stir Me Up.
• Ripped by Sarah Morgan. Trust me, this sexy, funny novella will have you laughing from the start. It's a great romantic story about a heroine who thinks the hero hates her — but she soon discovers how completely wrong she is. Sarah Morgan is one of my favorite authors, and she never disappoints.
Honorable mentions: The Chocolate Heart by Laura Florand (sexy angst, for the win!), The Derby Girl by Tamara Morgan, Dark Witch by Nora Roberts, Wait for You by J. Lynn, Foreplay by Sophie Jordan, Playing Games by Jessica Clare and Entwined by Kristen Callihan.
HELENA FAIRFAX, author of The Antique Love
• Longbourne by Jo Baker. Pride and Prejudice from the viewpoint of the servants. A brilliant idea cleverly executed, and my favourite romance of 2013 :)
• The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow. Set in a silk mill in WWII. Strong heroine and memorable story.
• A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan. Snuck into my 2013 reading. Have been in love with the hero ever since.
I also much enjoyed Much Ado About Sweet Nothing by Alison May, Fast Forward by Juliet Madison, The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley, Dearest Rose by Rowan Coleman and Scrap Metal by Harper Fox.
KENDALL RYAN, author of Craving Him
• Give Me Something by Elizabeth Lee. A fresh take on new adult, this team of sexy college-aged con artists hooked me right from the first page!
• The Arrangement by HM Ward. A high-priced call girl who falls in love with her first client. So ridiculously addicting!
• Lick by Kylie Scott. One of my absolute favorite rock star books!
• Tall, Tatted and Tempting by Tammy Falkner. An absolute gem, I adored our tall, tatted and tempting hero Logan and all his brothers!
• Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder. An emotional and sexy read. Highly recommended!
JUDITH ARNOLD, author of Still Kicking
• Kathryn Shay's The Perfect Family is a gorgeous novel about love —between a husband and a wife, between parents and children, between teenagers learning about romance, both straight and gay. It's utterly believable and deeply moving, and it was definitely one of the best books I read in 2013.
• Also perched at the top of my list: P.B. Ryan's Nell Sweeney mysteries, a series of six novels set in post-Civil War Boston, with a glorious romance thread between the indomitable governess Nell Sweeney and the troubled but charismatic Dr. Will Hewitt running through the entire six books. These books create an authentic atmosphere of mid-19th century Boston, offer tricky and interesting mystery plots, and shimmer with sexual tension. I loved all of them.
Don't forget to check out parts one and two of authors' favorites of 2013.