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Best Romantic Reads of 2008

Katiebabs had an interesting ‘Best of’ list that I thought was a lot of fun, so I’ve copied it. ;) Because that’s what I do around here – shamelessly poach off of other people’s great blogpost ideas. Anyhow. There were a lot of really good reads this year, but I also noticed something while looking back through my TBR pile. I’ve almost jumped off of the urban fantasy bandwagon entirely, moving back toward paranormal romance and historical romance, and even YA. Not a surprise, really, since that is what I enjoy writing, but I thought I’d read a lot more UF than that.

Overall Favorite Read of the Year: DEMON BOUND by Meljean Brook. Hands down. I’ve been babbling about this book ever since I got an early read of it. It features a young ‘puppy’ of a hero and an aloof, spinster-ish heroine and it worked for me on every freaking level. From the archaeology to the magic to the friendships between the characters, it worked like a charm. I loved this book so much that I read it three times this year, and enjoyed it more each time. Meljean Brook’s Guardian series gets better with every novel and I cannot wait for the next installation.

Favorite Contemporary Romance: SEX, STRAIGHT UP by Kathleen O’Reilly. This one was the second book of her Blaze series and featured a widowed accountant and a somewhat shy heroine and it was just NOM NOM. Loved it. Hot and funny and poignant.

Honorable (Backlist) Mention: SUGAR DADDY by Lisa Kleypas. Lisa does the ‘contemporary Texan’ thing very well (no surprise there) and I found myself nodding a few times when the odd tidbits were tossed in. While there was a little too much armadillo action for this Dallasite, it was overall a very pleasing, charming read and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.
 

Favorite Historical Romance: SEDUCE ME AT SUNRISE by Lisa Kleypas. I was slobbering for the Kev/Win story since her last book released, and the cover to this was gorgeous. Kev totally had a loony, obsessive Heathcliff vibe to him that I appreciated, and my only quibble was that Win wasn’t a stronger heroine. Overall extremely enjoyable and fun, and Kleypas is consistently one of my favorite reads.

Honorable (Backlist) Mention: CHERISH by Catherine Anderson. Okay, so this didn’t come out this year, but I read one Catherine Anderson early last month and have since been working my way steadily through her back-list. This is an older one and Anderson definitely has a consistent theme (wounded heroine) but this one had a totally endearing cowboy hero and a naïve heroine and one of the funniest sex scenes I’ve read in a while.
 

Favorite Paranormal Romance: DEMON BOUND by Meljean Brook. So, I always refer to these as ‘urban fantasy romance’ but paranormal’s the category she’s getting marketed in. I seriously love this series. If you like extremely plotty, well-built stories with intense storylines and amazing characterization (and really hot sex) you should really be reading Meljean Brook.

Honorable (Backlist) Mention: Okay, so Kresley Cole’s two releases this year (the blue one and the purple one) were awesome, but I was blown away by her novella in PLAYING EASY TO GET. It’s called ‘The Warlord Wants Forever’ and is about Mysty the Vampire Layer and it is awesome. Get this book.
 

Favorite Urban Fantasy: MAGIC BURNS by Ilona Andrews. Fun and funny and has worldbuilding pretty much unlike anything else in the market. I didn’t read a lot of UF this year but I suspect it was because this one spoiled me for a lot of others. Kate is strong and mouthy, and Curran is irascible and smoking hot.

Honorable (Backlist) Mention: The ‘Alpha and Omega’ novella by Patricia Briggs in ON THE PROWL. Loved the wounded heroine and overprotective hero.
 

Favorite Young Adult: THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins. Dark, grim, and feral – this was a totally gripping read. It was kind of like Mad Max meets Reality TV and I adored every moment of it, even as I screamed about the abrupt ending (it’s the first of a trilogy). I loved Katniss and Peeta and I can’t wait to see how the story continues. It’s also one of the very few hardbacks I purchased this year. No way was I waiting for the paperback release.

Honorable (Backlist) Mention: I read so many good YA books this year it was hard to pick just one, but the one that has truly stuck with me was BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curtis Klause. The heroine in this book is just flat-out amazing. Its wolf-politics with werewolves, handled the way it should be. I loved this book. I wanted to eat this book. I wanted to cuddle it close and never let it go. I totally need to read it again. Seriously – this is one of the most romantic reads I’ve ever read and has a wonderful message to boot.
 

Best Debut Romance: DUKE OF SHADOWS by Meredith Duran. This one was really different for me – it featured half of the book in India (and the historical details are fascinating) and the other half in England. The scope of the novel reminded me a lot more of ‘Gone with the Wind’ (movie not book) than your typical historical romance. I thought this was great and can’t wait to read Meredith’s next novels!

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So what were your favorite reads of 2008? Did I miss anything that left you flat with amazement?