Top 10 Books(and series) of 2012
FLOWERTOWN BY S.G. REDLINGI was originally drawn to this book because it appeared to follow my normal Dystopian genre love. What I wasn't expecting was to get sucked into this thrilling new world. The main character, Ellie, is a grungy, mouth like a sailor, and mildly crazy girl, who you will fall in love with and root for her the entire time. The rest of the characters all sport quirky by admirable qualities that quickly win you over. The best part about this book is a plot twist that I never saw coming. I'm fairly quick when it comes to twists in plots, and this one I didn't get until I was reading it, not a moment before. And even after I read it, I went back and reread the same sentences, just to make sure. This is a book that I think hasn't got the attention it deserves.
FALL OF ANGELS SERIES BY KEARY TAYLOR
This was one of the first book series that I read that would open the doors to the paranormal romance genre I have grown to love so much. Which leads me to tell you, I was very skeptical at first of this book. Angels? Good vs Evil? Yeah, right. After finishing the series in two days, I changed. Heck, yeah, was more like it! As soon as I started reading I wanted to know why Jessica didn't sleep and why she has a crippling fear of angels. You will find all that out! Alex and Cole join in on the fun and of course, the love story is drool worthy. This book shows angels in a different light, and I loved that. There were many times where I started to doubt that there would ever be a happy ending for Jessica, including tears that were shed for her! This series does not disappoint, even with it's non-traditional views on angels.
This book was one of the first contemporary romance books I read. I really loved watching this hot, steamy, mess of a romance unfold. There were lots of mixed reviews when I found this book, specifically regarding the way Travis acts towards Abby. I decided to not lot reviews influence my decision prior to reading it(as I always try to do) and read it anyway. I'm so glad I did! It's truly a beautiful disaster. Abby and Travis bump heads, can't stand each other at times, and fight. But the love story they create is memorable. Travis is tricky and smooth and Abby wants nothing to do with it, until she falls in love with him despite it all. Although Travis is scary at times, he has a soft spot for Abby that only she can see. The book probably isn't every one's cup of tea, but it sure hit the spot for me!
SLAMMED AND POINT OF RETREAT BY COLLEEN HOOVERI was pretty much sold by just the title of Slammed alone. I'm a huge slam poetry nut and was not disappointed as this was a big part in this book! Layken is a favorite character of mine who meets the dreamy Will, who doesn't disappoint either. The book is fast past and the plot thickens quite a few times, so you're never bored and always trying to guess what comes next .Will was my favorite character in both books. He's a strong, supportive, and lovable man and takes care of Layken like any girl deserves, especially when times get tough, as they do for Lake. Point of Retreat was like an answered prayer when I didn't want Lake and Will's story to end! Although they both have two little people who depend on them, they prove that a family is a family, no matter how it comes to be. I butterflying loved these two books.
Tina was one of the first authors I reached out to on Facebook. LU2 wasn't out yet, and I wanted to keep up with the release info. So I liked her page on Facebook and left her a comment telling her how much I loved her LU. And then she did the most amazing thing. She commented back. My world will never be the same and this was when I knew Indie authors had stolen my heart. I even got to watch as she got picked up by a big name publisher and I felt super awesome to be a part of that! As for these two books, you can see I'm starting to fall deep for romance books. Who would have known, right? As for why I love these books? Well who doesn't enjoy a love story where a normal, small town girl, falls in love with the hunky movie star that's filming in said small town? Their whole love story is an adventure that you don't want to miss. Paparazzi, crazy fan girls(what are those?!), and friend drama is all included. What I love most about Taryn and Ryan's story is that they have to fight for their relationship to make it work. Besides the fact that Ryan is a movie star, they haven't got everything handed to them on a silver platter, and I like that. 
PREMONITION SERIES BY AMY BARTOL
Now here is when I turn into a giant fan girl. This series is one that I stumbled upon in the "books you may enjoy" section on amazon. Thank you, Amazon, for introducing me to this series and to Amy, who ranks right up there with Tina on her amazing love for her fan base! She puts up with all our crazy shipping and talks with us! For that alone, I urge you to check her out. But the series, that's a whole different ball game. You are introduced to Evie, a quiet girl who tends to keep to herself as she goes off to college. We meet lots of new players, including Russel and Reed. There's something off about Reed and with Russel, Evie feels comfortable and at home. Finding out about why she is this way with these guys is just the beginning! Evie is a strong willed, fiery red head who acts with her heart, not her head. But beware, she will capture your heart, too. Along with another character, Brennus,who you all better stay away from. I mean, who also fights for Evie's attention, and may lure you into his world as well. The thing I love most about these books is that Amy has created a whole new world full of people and creatures that don't exist. But with only her words, they come to life. You're never lost or confused as she explains everything new so eloquently. And you begin to wonder, maybe these fairy tale creatures are out there? You just have to find out for yourself!
I discovered this series thanks to the previous talented author, Amy Bartol. This was the first books I read from Shelly Crane(in fact, I didn't even know she had other books out! Silly me!) and I fell in love with the whole concept of these books - soul mates. What would you do if you knew once you found your one true love? A love that could heal you, you could hear each others thoughts, would give you special abilities. Sign me up! (Just kidding. I already found my one true love. I don't need any imprinting to happen.) But how could you not be mesmerized by Caleb and Maggie? Maggie gets her whole world turned upside when she discovered this whole new realm that Caleb was born into. Maggie and Caleb are the perfect ying and yang for each other. The whole journey all the way through their forever in Independence if breath taking and magical. It's not so far fetched in the paranormal genre where you think that it could never happen. It flows perfectly into what we all know and love about out world today. It was great to be a part of watching this series grow, and also seeing the beginnings of a movie! I can't wait for that to start production!
This was a series I was reluctant to read. Not because of the very adult content matter, but because I had read 50 Shades and I wasn't the biggest fan, only because it was so redundant. But this is not a review for that book. This is for the Dark Duet books. READ THEM. They did not disappoint me in the slightest. In fact, I was left wanting more. The whole time my jaw hung open, and again, not because of the amazingly steamy adult content. No! Because of the slightly twisted love story that developed. I was so intrigued on how both Caleb and Olivia flowed together. It's like coming down with Stockholm Syndrome yourself. You start to feel something for Caleb and then you begin to wonder if you yourself are sane? And then you think, shouldn't we hate Caleb? And yes, I use we because CJ;s writing put you directly into the moment. I felt like I was Olivia so many times in this book! When she was confused, I was confused. When she was happy, I was happy! Then Seduced starts and you're just taken through this flashback, flash forward, and present time mix of the same story. You meet some new, just as dark and lovable characters. You start to question Caleb and his motives. It's intense, raw, and dark - but a must read for yourself. My words don't do this story justice.
I bought Callie and Kayden the day it came out, and it sat on my to read shelf for a week or so before I got around to reading it. I didn't read the description prior to busting it open. I knew I loved Jessica and her writing, so I was sure I would love this book as well, and I did. It quickly earned the spot as best book written by Jessica! And how could you not love this cover! I felt so raw and very emotional when I finished this book. Callie and Kayden know how to strike at your heart and make you feel every emotion possible. Their relationship is slow and steady to build with minor set backs along the way. Both their hearts are broken in different ways, but together they learn how to heal each other. I'm chomping at the bit to hear the rest of their story. The ended tore my heart up! It better be put back together!
HOPELESS BY COLLEEN HOOVEROh, hello there again, Colleen! You're the only author who appears twice on my list. Pretty awesome! And she just made it to #1 in the Kindle Store with Hopeless. That's how good this book is. It's only on the bottom because I just recently read it. Colleen has an excellent ability to develop characters in a very short amount of time and make us love them. Sky, Holder, and even Six all seem like you could be their best friends in real life. They're easy to relate to. But Sky and Holder are a couple like I've never seen before. You know there's something different, something big, building in the story. Sky is two completely different people - the person people think she is and the person she really is. Holder is explosive and unpredictable with a past world full of hurt. But the clincher is their unconditional love for each other, even when they don't know they love each other yet. At times I felt like I wasn't reading a story about younger adults. My favorite attribute about this book was the fact that neither Sky or Holder ran away from their problems and they stuck it out until the calm came after the storm, especially Holder. He really manned up so-to-speak in this book, and gave men out there something to learn! That my friends, is something you don't see often.
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