Favorite Authors and Best Reads of 2015

Favorite Authors and Best Reads of 2015

I’ve read 275 books this year, so it’s extremely difficult for me to choose my top ten; 

for that reason, I decided to give readers my favorite authors and reads of 2015!

So….Here they are

Favorite Authors – in alphabetical order by author’s last name

Click on the Author’s Name to Reach Their Amazon Pages

Sawyer Bennett  

I adore Sawyer Bennett’s writing; it’s sexy and sweet and her characters are complex and well written! Her Cold Fury Hockey Series is one of my absolute favorites!

 

 

Tillie Cole

Tillie Cole is truly in a category of her own when it comes to her willingness to write outside of the box and bring readers to the edge of darkness and destruction.

Emma Hart

Emma Hart continues to be one of my top go to writers. She creates amazing characters and story lines – ones that keep my heart racing, my emotions swirling, and my panties in need of changing;)

Jay McLean

Jay McLean is an amazing writer whose new adult stories pull readers in from the very beginning due to her wonderfully crafted story lines and her multifaceted characters who stretch and grow as Jay takes them on a whirlwind of adventures that cannot help but alter their lives. A lot of her characters have been through horrific experiences, and while they want to give up and surrender to the pain, the consistent message that is explored throughout these heart wrenching stories is that in order to survive, you fight, and when you don’t feel like you can do it anymore, you reach out your hand and hold on tight to the people around you who would willingly lay down their lives to make you happy.

Penny Reid

If I could read Penny Reid’s writing every day, I would because there’s something so seamless about the settings and characters she creates. She sets herself apart from most romance authors because she doesn’t try to glamorize anything or try to impress. She writes from her heart and strays outside the box with her witty exchanges between characters and her realistic perceptions of life, love, and the idea of happy living.

Pepper Winters

I am absolutely in awe of Winters’ ability to dive into the darkness and manipulate it the way she does in order to bring readers a captivating and mind boggling story of corruption, betrayal, and loss as well as love, redemption, and sacrifice. I love that Jethro and Nila’s tale is so much more than good vs. evil because nothing is ever as clear cut as that idea and by illustrating the multiple dimensions of those two concepts and proving that there are always exceptions and complications to them, it serves as a reminder that history doesn’t have to repeat itself and one’s fate/destiny can be changed as long as that person is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure a new future occurs.

Rachel Van Dyken

Rachel Van Dyken continues to captivate me with every book that she releases in her Eagle Elite series. She weaves a story that is the perfect blend of suspense, angst, passion, mayhem, and loss. Each time Van Dyken provides insight into one of her Mafia Men by way of his own story, I see them in a new light, focusing beyond his role as a criminal and murderer because Van Dyken allows readers insight into what lies beneath their place in the criminal world…beyond the guns, blood, and unredeeming acts. We see each one through the eyes of the woman who loves and claims him, and we get the full picture because many of the relationships do not start off at all like soulmates should, which makes their connection even more intriguing.

Aly Martinez

Aly Martinez continues to amaze me with her writing and character development in her newest release, Fighting Shadows. Martinez allows her readers inside her characters’ heads, providing them with an up close view of their emotions and the thoughts that force them to act out and hurt those closest to them. Flint’s anger, frustration, and pain is palpable right from the beginning of the text, and as Flint begins to change and adjust, readers witness his transformation and cheer him on as he gets his act together and becomes part of his family again, moving forward not looking back.

Top Reads of 2015 – in no particular order:) 

Perfect Ruin by Nashoda Rose

Perfect Ruin is a fantastic read that continues to illustrate the ease in which Nashoda Rose can blend suspense, drama, and eroticism into one cohesive story line. The circumstances and events of the text are seamlessly shown and amped up by the unique layers that Rose exposes in Kai and London. Both Kai and London are stripped of their humanity and used in ways that are cruel and reprehensible, but even though they have fractured and yielded to the manipulation and control, they take back the power along the way until they learn how to create an impenetrable façade – one that protects their true selves until they can be freed and no longer ruined.

Asa by Jay Crownover
Asa has never spoken truer words and that introspection applies to every hero in Jay Crownover’s Marked Men series. None of the alpha males are perfect – each of them has been shaped by his past, which has both empowered and inhibited him. Each of the girls who has stolen the hearts of her tattooed hottie is the perfect balance to his intensity and darkened soul and has marked him, both inwardly and outwardly, just as much as he has done to her, and I’ll admit – marked me just the same.

Him by Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen

I am a huge fan of M/M books; they deal with real issues faced on a daily basis and work to prove the idea that love is love, and Him clearly sends that message in one sexy, emotional, and highly entertaining read.

Avenging Us by Gina Whitney

Gina Whitney created Abel with so much depth and complexity that his character continues to twist and bend, attempting to get at the heart of who he was…who he is as Gia helps to change him and who he will be with his Beauty and his Angel. Abel will always be the broody alpha male who demands control and submission from Gia, but Gia’s love allows him to be a contented man who only wants to protect what’s his and shower her with love and affection – things she never had while growing up.

Sustained by Emma Chase

I absolutely loved Jake’s story; it was amazing to witness Jake’s transformation, and while there were setbacks, and I wanted to punch him a time or two, he steps up in really big ways and learns to love the idea of commitment and more.
Emma Chase once again proves why she reigns as a writer of the male pov, but even more than that, her character and relationship building in Sustained is phenomenal, and it’s part of the reason why I’ll always read her stories!

Overtime by Toni Aleo

Overtime is definitely an emotional read, which makes perfect sense because there’s a lot of pain and scars to try to heal between Jordie and Kacey, and Toni Aleo’s writing makes readers feel EVERYTHING! She captures Jordie’s torment so well through her word choice and characterization. I sensed his anguish, his desperation, his desire to change.

Trust by Ella Frank

The conclusion to Logan and Tate’s story is swoonworthy…hot as hell…heartfelt. It’s everything I wanted their ending to be. I don’t think I’ve ever been more attached to another book couple like I am with Logan and Tate.
Ella Frank definitely needs to create another set of boys for readers to drool over!

Perfectly Imperfect by Harper Sloan

Boy did Perfectly Imperfect have my emotions all over the place! Willow’s journey is heartbreakingly painful and beautifully poignant. There’s a bevy of angst and drama created by external forces and just as much sweet, steamy, and touching moments that will have every female reader wishing for their own Kane Masters.

Every woman at some point in her life will be Willow Tate. I am Willow Tate. Willow Tate is so much more than a character; she’s a reality; she’s a constant self perception; she showcases everything that’s wrong with society’s expectations and everything that’s working against young girls loving themselves and their bodies regardless of what society says.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but I agree with Jim Henson that it “may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid misinformed beholder a black eye!”

Be the change you wish for yourself. Be impenetrable. Because you’re worth more than you know.

Salvation by Ahren Sanders

I absolutely adored everything about Ember and Robbie’s story. It’s a text full of raw emotions felt by both the characters and readers alike. I laughed; I cried; I swooned; I raged. Ahren Sanders allows her readers into the complicated and at times dark minds of both Ember and Robbie, so we understand how much their individual torment has shaped their lives. There’s guilt over things out of their control; there’s anger over the situations they were forced to endure, and there’s an immense amount of pain and suffering still to be dealt with and the only way Ember and Robbie will conquer it is to rely on one another, which is easier said than done, especially for Ember, because for the longest time, there hasn’t been anyone in her corner, and she’s only relied on herself.

King/Tyrant by T.M. Fraizer

T.M. Frazier is truly a gifted writer; her ability to weave a story that is both dark and dangerous as well as witty and charming is a feat that not many authors can perfect and she does it every time she crafts a tale. I can’t get enough of her multi-dimensional characters who are complete enigmas for what they’ve been through and how they react to their circumstances, and to me, Preppy, is the ultimate sidekick who continues to be felt and heard even after he goes off to have his own party!

Beneath These Scars by Meghan March

I absolutely loved Beneath These Scars, and Lucas Titan is by far my favorite of Meghan March’s heroes because he is who he is and he doesn’t give a shit, at least externally, what others think about him. He may take drastic and underhanded steps to get what he wants, but that’s because he’s used to taking care of himself and fighting tooth and nail for what he wants. His scars come from his relationship with his deceased father and every step he has taken since his father’s death has been to prove that he’s a better man than his father ever was in terms of his intelligence and drive to succeed. I never hated Lucas in the other books in the series because at some level, I understood his game plan and I saw that there was more to him than his duplicitous ways.

Unlawful Justice by K.C. Lynn and K. Langston

“Seek the truth and you will find justice.”

Those are definitely words to live by, but in a society that currently thrives on retribution, it’s extremely difficult to toe the line of justice when injustice, vengeance, and distrust are barreling in from all sides.

There are so many lessons in this book, and even though they’re ensconced in a place of hatred, prejudice, and heinous acts, readers will understand the authors’ messages and leave the text understanding what’s at stake when wrong prevails over right and injustice threatens to supersede justice.

Secret by Kindle Alexander

Secret is a definite must read. It’s another heartwarming and sexy as hell read from Kindle Alexander. It focuses on the realistic issue of coming out or living a lie and the consequences of both options. Dylan definitely needed someone like Tristan to show him exactly what he’s been missing and Tristan also gave Dylan the courage to put his wants and needs first for once. I absolutely loved the characters and how the storyline played out. Everything about this book worked for me and I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to read it.

Thick Love by Eden Butler

I adore Eden Butler’s writing; there’s something quite lyrical about it, which allows for a smooth read, and the way Butler develops her characters leads readers to truly understand them to their core, which is essential in Ransom and Aly’s story because there’s an immense amount of inner turmoil that both characters experience and in order to grasp all of the self inflicted torment, readers must be aware of what makes the characters who they are – their past experiences, their current mental state, and their innermost feelings.