We blog because we love books, and you take the time to read our blog (thanks for that, by the way, we love you for it, all of you) because you love books.
In that love affair with books, there are some that leave us with hangovers and willing to fight to prove that our book boyfriend is the best of all of them.
While difficult to pick from all of the books we read, as there were so many amazing books in 2017, we have narrowed down our favorites of the last year.
In this post, we will reveal #20 through #11...and then we will post our top 10 each day, with our #1 picks posted on 1-5-2018!
Let us know...do you agree? Did you love a book not on our list? Tell us.
Buy Links are at the bottom of the post!
Laura's Pick
My name is Lucy Tucker, and my life…it was perfect.
I
worked the dream job. I had the most incredible family and friends. My
home, Whispering Willows, a ranch in Montana, was everything I could
ever wish for. My adoring fiancé, Samuel Stone, loved me
unconditionally.
I had everything a girl could ever want.
But
one fateful event shattered my perfect life. It’s unimaginable how
simple, ordinary words can change a person’s life forever. For me those
words were, “There’s been an accident.”
I thought Sam was my
forever, but that forever came to a close the day Saxon Stone, Sam’s
identical twin brother, came back. Saxon returned to Montana to help
save Sam, however, the moment he entered my life, he turned my world
upside down. But through chaos I somehow found clarity—clarity of who I
was meant to be.
As time progressed, as seasons changed, and as a
fire began to burn, I soon realized that Saxon was there for another
reason…he was there to help save me.
Melissa's Pick:
Monica Morgan is off limits. One-hundred percent untouchable.
Too bad I didn't know that when we first met.
We were just two strangers in a club, drawn together by chemistry.
Hot, SIZZLING chemistry.
Imagine my surprise when I discover that she's my new boss.
And now that we work together, she's determined to keep it professional.
My problem? I can't forget the night we met.
That searing kiss. The way she felt in my hands.
I find myself willing to break the rules to get closer to her.
Though she tries to fight it, I know she feels it, too. This pull.
It's all in the way she fidgets whenever I'm around.
It's all in those lingering, hungry looks she casts my way when she thinks no one is watching.
Despite the risk to my job that comes with pursuing her, I can't seem to stay away.
I want to forget about the rules and make her mine.
Warning: This book is recommended for readers over 18 years of age.
Laura's Pick and Melissa's Pick:
They call him a monster.
Pale blue eyes as cold as ice that see right through you.
He’s hard.
He’s damaged.
He’s dangerous.
He lives in a castle fit for a fairy tale, but he’s no prince.
He’s savage.
He’s brutal.
He’s a killer.
By an act of fate, our worlds collide.
They call him a monster, but he is my salvation.
Melissa's Pick
THE PRINCE OF PARK AVENUE FINALLY MEETS HIS MATCH IN A FEISTY MANHATTAN PRINCESS.
I’ve made every one of my billions of dollars myself—I’m calculating, astute and the best at what I do. It takes drive and dedication to build what I have. And it leaves no time for love or girlfriends or relationships.
But don’t get me wrong, I’m not a monk.
I understand the attention and focus it takes to seduce a beautiful woman. They’re the same skills I use to close business deals.
But one night is where it begins and ends. I’m not the guy who sends flowers. I’m not the guy who calls the next day.
Or so I thought before an impatient, smart-talking, beyond beautiful heiress bursts into my world.
When Grace Astor rolls her eyes at me—I want to hold her against me and show her what she’s been missing.
When she makes a joke at my expense—I want to silence her sassy mouth with my tongue.
And when she leaves straight after we f*ck with barely a goodbye—it makes me want to pin her down and remind her of the three orgasms she just had.
She might be a princess but I’m going to show her who rules in this Park Avenue bedroom.
A sexy, standalone, contemporary romance.
Laura's Pick
A BILLIONAIRE BAD BOYS NOVEL
Beauty and the Beastly Billionaire . . .
Eli Crane is one tough bastard. After an explosion left him injured and
honorably discharged from the Marines, all he wants is to be left
alone. Yet his brothers insist he take a greater role in the family
business. They've hired him ten personal assistants-and Eli sent each
one packing as fast as possible. But when beautiful number eleven walks
through the door, Eli will do anything to make her stay.
Isabella Sawyer's employment agency can't afford to lose Eli Crane's
business. Her plan: to personally take on the role of his PA, and secure
her reputation with the wealthy elite in Chicago. But this beauty and
her hot billionaire bad boy soon find themselves mixing business with
pleasure in the most delicious ways. And passionate, stubborn Isabella
won't rest until she tames this wicked beast . . .
Melissa's Pick
Can you fall for someone you've never met?
Hailey Taylor Emery has a hunch that her favorite client at Fetch--an anonymous virtual assistant service--is actually hockey star Matt Eriksson.
Although it's against the rules for her to check his file, she's 95% sure she spends at least part of each day texting with her lifelong crush and catering to his every need. Still nursing a wounded heart thanks to her recent breakup, Hailey is perfectly content with some harmless online flirting...until she has to meet her client. Face to face. Cue: utter panic.
Matt Eriksson is no stranger to heartbreak. He's still not over the destruction of his marriage, and it sucks to be the only guy on the team who knows the truth--that hockey and long-term relationships are a toxic mix. He barely sees his kids, and dealing with his ex makes him feel insane. The only person in his life who seems to understand is someone who won't show her pretty face.
But it's nothing that a pair of fourth row hockey seats can't fix. Hailey can't resist the offer. Matt can't resist Hailey. Good thing he doesn't have to. Fire up the kiss cam!
Warning: Contains rabid hockey fans, misunderstood dick pics, hockey players at the opera and exploding ovaries.
Laura's Pick
A new stand alone enemies-to-lovers romance by USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde...
I spent six weeks screwing Austin Wright’s brains out and all I got was this broken heart.
He
can’t be trusted. Not with my body or my heart. Yet, two years have
passed and I still crave him like an addict needing a fix.
The
last time we tried this, it nearly ruined me. I know I should run and
never look back. But his dark haunted eyes and razor blade smile speak
to my soul. His touch sets my body on fire. And we all know what happens
when you light gasoline. Someone is bound to get burned.
A second chance might destroy us both.
Because everyone knows two wrongs don’t make a Wright.
Melissa's Pick
I wasn’t looking for Derek Wolfe.
I wasn’t looking for anybody. All I wanted was to start a new life in America. But when I found myself stranded here with no place to go, he came to my rescue, offering me a place to stay.
He’s smart, successful, and sexy as hell—I can barely sleep knowing he’s right down the hall. And when the chemistry between us explodes one night with fierce, fiery passion, it’s hard to deny there’s something real there.
But he does.
He says he was drunk. He says it was a one-time thing. He says he’s not into guys and what we did meant nothing.
He’s lying. Because it happened again, and again, and again. And it’s better every time.
I know we could be good together, and I want the chance to try, but I’m done hiding. If he’s not strong enough to admit the truth, I’ll have to be strong enough to walk away.
Laura's Pick
A new story of dangerous temptations from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the This Man trilogy.
Annie
has never experienced the 'spark' with a guy-that instant chemistry
that renders you weak in the knees. That is, until a night out brings
her face to face with the dangerously sexy and mysterious Jack. It's not
just a spark that ignites between them. It's an explosion. Jack
promises to consume Annie, and he fully delivers on that promise.
Overwhelmed
by the intensity of their one night together, Annie slips out of their
hotel room. She is certain that a man who's had such a powerful impact
on her must be dangerous. She has no idea that he belongs to another.
That he's forbidden.
Melissa's Pick
A sexy single dad who lives for his kid and wants me? I'm in a whole lot of trouble...
The first time I saw Will Munroe I had him pegged as a typical LA douchebag—a little too handsome, a little too rich, a little too into his probiotic kale smoothies.
The next time I ran into him—at his daughter’s parent/teacher conference (me: teacher, he: parent)—I noticed his steel grey eyes, his hard chest under a crisp white button down, and his suggestively bare ring finger. I was hooked.
If life really imitated art, he’d have swept me off my feet and taken me right there on the principal's desk. Instead, we are stuck in our assigned roles. He’s the workaholic single dad of a precocious girl child, and I’m her fiery substitute teacher. Never the two shall meet. Enter one zany, yurt-dwelling ex-wife, a stock market that never sleeps, and some over-the-top, A-list fundraisers, and I've got plenty of drama ahead. Better to keep my hands to myself.
But when Will asks me out for a pancake breakfast, how can I resist? My heart (and my stomach) say yes, but am I willing to risk my job for a short stack and a romp in the hay? A slow, sensual, mind-blowing romp in the hay…
But where there’s a Will…
Laura's Pick
New York Times bestselling author, Emma Hart, brings the heat and heart in a brand-new series of sexy standalone novels, starting with SIN...
Damien Fox lived up to his name.
Cunning, sly, and dangerous, fifty percent of Vegas’ strip clubs were his.
Whatever he wanted, money, attention, women, he got.
And now he wanted to buy my bar, no matter the cost.
I wanted him to go to hell on a first-class ticket.
He played a dirty game, and I followed his rules. I let him think he would win.
Despite our differences, it was clear to see that we were no more than two broken hearts colliding in the darkness.
Closed off, sexy, and holding a pain that would crush a lesser man, he was the ultimate sin.
One I couldn’t deny myself, even though I knew better than to trust a fox...
Laura's Pick
Chloe
I know I shouldn't covet my sister's ex-boyfriend.
She
may have wanted nothing to do with his BDSM lifestyle, but I'm a born
submissive. And the only place I want to be is under Simon's command.
But he won't go near me. Not with the memory of her so close.
That leaves me no choice. If he won't touch me when he knows who I am, I'll have to come to him in disguise.
He's worth the risk. I'm meant to be his. Now I just have to prove it to him.
Simon
Being
a Dominant cost me my first love, but I can't deny who I am. I won't.
Control and power are everything, and the way I keep mine is by playing
only with experienced subs. No exceptions.
Until I met her.
She
wore a mask, but I knew the moment our lips touched she was meant to
belong to me. Young, new to the world of BDSM—I knew training her would
be a risk.
I didn't know it would destroy me.
Melissa's Pick
They say that every tragic hero has a fatal flaw, a secret sin, a tiny stitch sewn into his future since birth. And here I am. My sins are no longer secret. My flaws have never been more fatal. And I’ve never been closer to tragedy than I am now.
I am a man who loves, a man whose love demands much in return. I am a king, a king who was foolish enough to build a kingdom on the bones of the past. I am a husband and a lover and a soldier and a father and a president.
And I will survive this.
Long live the king.
***American King is the third and final book in the New Camelot Trilogy***
Laura's Pick
The first time I saw
Will Munroe I had him pegged as a typical LA douchebag—a little too
handsome, a little too rich, a little too into his probiotic kale
smoothies. The next time I ran into him—at his daughter’s parent/teacher
conference (me: teacher, he: parent)—I noticed his steel grey eyes, his
hard chest under a crisp white button down, and his suggestively bare
ring finger. I was hooked.
If life really imitated art, he’d have
swept me off my feet and taken me right there on the principal's desk.
Instead, we are stuck in our assigned roles. He’s the workaholic single
dad of a precocious girl child, and I’m her fiery substitute teacher.
Never the two shall meet. Enter one zany, yurt-dwelling ex-wife, a stock
market that never sleeps, and some over-the-top, A-list fundraisers,
and I've got plenty of drama ahead. Better to keep my hands to myself.
But
when Will asks me out for a pancake breakfast, how can I resist? My
heart (and my stomach) say yes, but am I willing to risk my job for a
short stack and a romp in the hay? A slow, sensual, mind-blowing romp in
the hay…
But where there’s a Will…
Melissa's Pick
The first time I met Caine West was in a bar.
He noticed me looking his way and mistakenly read my scowling as checking him out.
When he attempted to talk to me, I set him straight―telling him what I thought of his lying, cheating, egomaniacal ass.
You see, the gorgeous jerk had wined and dined my best friend-smooth talking her into his bed, all along failing to mention that he was married.
He deserved every bit of my tongue-lashing and more for what he'd done.
Especially when that lazy smile graced his perfect face in response to my rant.
Only it turned out, the man I'd just told off wasn't the right guy.
Oops. My mistake.
Embarrassed, I slunk out without an apology.
I was never going to see the handsome stranger again anyway, right?
That's what I thought...until I walked into class the next morning.
Well, hello
Professor West, I'm your new teaching assistant.
I'll be working under you...figuratively speaking.
Although the literal interpretation might not be such a bad thing―working under Professor West.
This was going to be interesting...
Laura's Pick
Ten years ago I had no
idea what I wanted out of life, until I met Hannah Michaels. She was a
computer-engineering student ready to conquer the social media world,
and I was smitten. Even though I knew she was taken, I had to have her.
Being
the big shot that I was, I didn’t let her status stand in my way. It
wasn’t long before my hands were on her thighs and my name a whisper on
her lips. This smart, sexy girl inspired me to greatness, helped me grow
into the kind of man I never knew I wanted to be. The man I am today.
Too bad I hadn’t grown fast enough to keep her.
Moving
on wasn’t easy, but I knew I had to let her go. Eventually, I found
someone to share my days and nights with, and together we had a
daughter. My life was nearly perfect until my world turned upside down.
A
single father has challenges, and one of those is learning how to
calmly deal with your child coming home in tears. I had no idea the day I
pounded on my daughter’s classmate’s door, Hannah would be the one
standing on the other side.
The wild, burning desire that roared
through my veins was unwanted, and yet impossible to ignore. Letting her
in meant so much more this time around. Guilt hit me like a hammer. I
hated myself. I hated her. The problem was I really didn’t hate her—I
wanted her more than ever.
But this time around I can’t have her.
This time it’s my status that stands in our way. And going up against myself just might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Melissa's Pick
What’s sexier than a bad boy? A bad ass man who’s got his shit together.
Max Alexander is nearing thirty-five. He’s built a successful company, and he’s conquered the professional world, but he’s never been lucky in love. Focusing so much time on his business and raising his daughter, adulting has come at the expense of his personal life.
His social skills are shit, his patience is shot, and at times, his temper runs hot.
The last thing he has time for is the recently single, too gorgeous for her own good young woman he hires to take care of his little girl. She’s a distraction he doesn’t need, and besides, there’s no way she’d be interested. But you know what they say about assumptions?
This is book 3 in the Roommates series, but each book can be read as a complete standalone as they all feature new couples to fall in love with.
Melissa's Pick
Logan St. James is a smoldering, sexy beast. Sure, he can be a little broody at times—but Ellie Hammond’s willing to overlook that. Because, have you seen him??
Sexy. As. Hell.
And Ellie’s perky enough for both of them.
For years, she’s had a crush on the intense, protective royal security guard—but she doesn’t think he ever saw her, not really.
To Logan, Ellie was just part of the job—a relative of the royal family he’d sworn to protect. Now, at 22 years old and fresh out of college, she’s determined to put aside her X-rated dreams of pat-downs and pillow talk, and find a real life happily ever after.
The Queen of Wessco encourages Ellie to follow in her sister’s footsteps and settle down with a prince of her own. Or a duke, a marquis…a viscount would also do nicely.
But in the pursuit of a fairy tale ending, Ellie learns that the sweetest crushes can be the hardest to let go.
***
Logan St. James grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, in a family on the wrong side of the law. But these days, he covers his tattoos and scars with a respectable suit. He’s handsome, loyal, brave, skilled with his hands and…other body parts.
Any woman would be proud to bring him home to her family.
But there’s only one woman he wants.
For years he’s watched over her, protected her, held her hair back when she was sick, taught her how to throw a punch, and spot a liar.
He dreams of her. Would lay down his life for her.
But beautiful Ellie Hammond’s off-limits.
Everybody knows the bodyguard rules:
Never lose focus, never let them out of your sight, and never, ever fall in love.
Laura's Pick
What’s sexier than a bad boy? A bad ass man who’s got his shit together.
Max
Alexander is nearing thirty-five. He’s built a successful company, and
he’s conquered the professional world, but he’s never been lucky in
love. Focusing so much time on his business and raising his daughter,
adulting has come at the expense of his personal life.
His social skills are shit, his patience is shot, and at times, his temper runs hot.
The
last thing he has time for is the recently single, too gorgeous for her
own good young woman he hires to take care of his little girl. She’s a
distraction he doesn’t need, and besides, there’s no way she’d be
interested. But you know what they say about assumptions?
This is book 3 in the Roommates series, but each can be read as a complete standalone, as they feature new couples.
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