Best 17 romances I read in 2017

1/ The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles. I don't know why I waited so long to read this. It's a mix of historical romance and some horror tales. It's my favourtie of KJ Charles' books that I have read. So beautifully written, so heart-wrenching. In my mind it has a most deserved HEA though the underlining sadness and hurt is almost too much to bear. Amazon

2/ A Crown of Bitter Orange by Laura Florand. Another favourite book by Laura Florand. I really enjoy this series and this time we see a hero with ADHD and a heroine struggling with commitment. Both have a lot of baggage but also have loved each other since they were kids and are only now learning/trying to share their feelings with each other. Review / Amazon

3/ Under Her Skin by Adriana Anders. A fantastic debut m/f romance about a woman overcoming horrific abuse and the giant with the gentlest heart who helps her do it. Review / Amazon

4/ Pretty Face by Lucy Parker. A m/f contemporary romance set in the London theatre/TV world, age gap, opposites attract kind of romance. Review / Amazon

5/ Madly by Ruthie Knox, a m/f romance, part of a series but works as a standalone. It's an age gap story with young, artistic but also successful business woman and an older divorced man who has lost his direction in life. There is a sex list involved and some suspense plot leading to deep intimacy and true connection between two people. Review / Amazon

6/ An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole. This was my first by this author and it's an outstanding m/f romance set in the Civil War in the US. Amazing, super smart Black spy heroine and a charming white guy who is also a spy. So many feels and intense suspense. Review / Amazon

7/ Silver Silence by Nalini Signh, spin off the Psy-changling series, can be read as standalone. It's about the extraordinary psy Silver Merchant and Valentin, the alpha of a bear shifter clan. There is a secondary m/m plotline (first in ta series of over 15 books so far) and an interesting twist of the amnesia trope. Review / Amazon

8/ Abroad by Liz Jacobs is stunning debut, queer NA romance about finding oneself and one’s place in the world. Review / Amazon

9/ The Layover by Roe Horvat, debut mm romance, some angst in a forced proximity situation. I loved the powerfully presented European setting. Review / Amazon

10/ Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai. It's my first book by this author and my mind was blown. This is a m/f romance with a heroine with depression, complicated family dynamics. Review / Amazon

11/ Beard in Mind by Penny Reid. It's a romcom with some serious edge. It's part of the Winston Brothers series but works well as standalone. The author gave us a heroine with OCD, that broke my heart and a hero ready to stand by/with her. Review / Amazon

12/ Dear Mona Lisa by Claire Davis and Al Steward. I read this following the estatic praise by my most of my reader friends. It's unlike anything I;ve read before, two older MCs, one with synethesia The writing is truly mesemrising. It's a powerful story of love, despite strong homophobia. CW for death of an infant. Amazon

13/ Beginner’s Luck by Kate Clayborn. Another great debut on my best books list. This a m/f contemporary romance with a scientist heroine trying to set roots and a hero with ADHD trying to recruit her for a big corporation. This is a story about family and friends and people we love and care about. Review / Amazon

14/ Caroline’s Heart by Austin Chant. I have all the love this historical trans PNR with cowboys and witches and spells and the most gorgeous writing. Review / Amazon

15/ The Love Experiment by Ainslie Paton. This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it a lot. It's a m/f office romance with two journalists forced to work together who go from enemies to lovers. It's about who we are, how we adapt our dreams to the changing world around us. Review / Amazon

16/ Handmade Holidays by 'Nathan Burgoine. This is a Christmas novella, following a group of queer friends as they make it through the holidays over 15 Christmases. It's very sweet, nostalgic, hopeful and poignant. Review / Amazon

17/ The Doctor’s Discretion by EE Ottoman is a trans historical romance set in 1830s New York. One of the MCs is POC, the other is trans and disabled. Theirs is a story about kindness and empathy and being human and most importantly love. Review / Amazon

Here are my Recommended Reads from the past month.

I didn't read much in April but it was a month of great series for me and top is indisputably taken by Mnevermind trilogy by Jordan Castillo Price! Book 2, Forget Me Not, is the best book I've read this year so far and goes straight to my all-time favoruites!

I have yet to review this series but I sum it up as a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good furturistic/sci-fi story which rings true to the present day, skillfully written and intermixed with romance and the best non-neurotypical character I have ever read! It's a mixture of genres, described by JCP as speculative fiction, some m/m romance and very, very imaginative. 

Note: Must be read in order!

Honourable mentions go to another trilogy, Elements of Chemistry by Penny Reid, which I finished this month and The Shameless Hour by Sarina Bowen.

I'm late posting my recommended reads from March but real life got in the way and my blogging schedule got mixed up. 

March was a busy month for me book-wise. I read some books, some fanfiction (Sterek) and some free short stories (companion pieces to Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling series). Without further ado, here are my March favourites - Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins and Champion by Marie Lu.

Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, M/M, New Adult

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I very much enjoyed the first book in this series (Off Campus) but Jack was a real jerk there and I wasn't sure how/if Ms Cousins will manage to redeem him. Boy, did she do it. I fell in love both with Jack and Miguel and their second-chance, reconciliation, coming-out love story. 

February, despite being the shortest month, is always the hardest for me emotionally and physically to some extend. I'm tired of the cold and snow and winter depression and by the end of it I'm desperate for spring, sunshine and new things. Despite some lows, it was a good month in terms of the books I read.

Just like the previous month, in February I also had two Recommended books and 2 Honourable mentions.

Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, France, roses

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I love Ms Florand's Amour et Chocolat series and this book is the first in a new spin-off series, set in France and telling the stories of a family making rose oil. It\s the perfect fairy tale romance 

while keeping things real and easy to relate too. The writing is sensual and rich 

and there is this highly entertaining play with popular romantic tropes. 

It was a rocky start to my reading this year - some amazing read, some disappointments from favourite authors, some free short and extremely long reads. Quite a month!

I have two favourite books this month and they both happen to be romantic suspense stories - Evenfall by Santino and Ais and Lay It Down by Cara McKenna.

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I read the directors cut of the first book which is divided in two parts. This is an amazingly complex and enthralling series and I'm excited to continue with it. Fans of dystopian stories with lots of action, complex plot and touching (m/m) romance shouldn't hesitate trying this series. 

Genre/Themes: Romantic suspense, bikers, small town

So, I already posted my favourite books of the year in the end of 2014 (Part I and Part II) and they were so many that I split the list into two posts. Now at the beginning of 2015 I am doing my monthly meme of the books I loved the most during the passing month.

December was a strong month for my reading - 3 DNFs (which is a lot for me for just one month) and too few books read because the holidays completely turned upside down my everyday routine. I've read two books that I can highly recommend this month and incidentally (or not so much since I've been on m/m reading streak lately), both of them are queer romances.

Genre/Themes: Steampunk, queer romance, novellas

My review to come

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Anything, Alexis Hall writes goes straight to my recommended reads list, every single thing. Four additional stories about our beloved heroes and heroines from Prosperity. It's easier to read because the slang isn't as heavy as in Prosperity and all the stories are beyond amazing. I think my adjective to describe Mr. Hall's stories is mesmerising. I think you can start with this stories in order to get a feel of the world of Prosperity and then move on to the novel itself which is an amazing read, but a challenging one, especially if English is not your first language

What are recommended reads from December? Leave me a comment or enter the url of your post in the link-up tool. 

It's time for this month's Recommended Reads. It's a wonderful month in terms of reading for me. I didn't read as much as I wanted but I read some awesome books, so I have a couple recommendations and some honourable mentions.

Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, M/M

My review

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I've just recently discovered Alexis Hall and he has quickly become one of the favourite author. This contemporary m/m romance is both realistic and dreamy at the same time. It's a masterfully written story about love, mental illness and the search for happiness. There is sadness and desperation in it, but also a lot of glitter and a tiny for a better future. 

Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, India

My review

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This is my first Indian romance/romantic comedy and I really enjoyed it. Told from dual POV is's a sweet and engaging love story full of the vibrancy and colourful drama typical for the Bollywood movies. It takes you on a journey to present-day India and some of the USA.
Sweet, funny, emotional!

Honourable mentions:

An anthology of 4 short stories about the couple from the Knitting in the City series we have met so far plus an intro story about the next couple - Fionna and Greg. It will be available until 15 December. It's 0.99 and the proceeds go to Toys for Tots. A recommended read for fans of the series!My review. Add on Goodreads. 

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I expected a lighthearted  romantic comedy but what I got was story of love and second chances and making the right decision, be it an impulsive one. Review to come. Add to Goodreads. 
Pre-order from Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo / Penguin

Here are the October picks for my monthly meme with Recommended reads from the previous month.  

I was contacted by the author, Ms Alexi Lawless, with a request to review the first book in this series back in the summer. I usually don't take such request since I don't really have the time, but something in the blurb of the book told me to make an exception. And I was so glad I did since I ended loving Complicated Creatures: Part I so much that I recommended it to all my friends on GR. It ends with a cliffhanger and I couldn't wait for its sequel. Complicated Creatures: Part II didn't disappoint. It has everything I look for in a good book - competent and strong writing, engaging story and characters, plot twists and turns, passionate love. 

Feel free to share your Recommended Reads from September in the link up tool or the comments. I'll be happy to check them out :)

So, I've decided to try starting a monthly meme sharing the best books I've read in the past month. It's called Recommended Reads and it will replace the Monthly Blog Recap I've been doing so far. 

I'm inviting all my blogger friends and readers to join in by writing a short blog post, or just on FB/Twitter or any other social media, at the end of each month highlighting the books that they read and recommend in the past month. You can leave a link to your post in the Linky sign-up form. You can also choose to write a post of recommendations based on different criteria - genre, topic, type of hero, type of reader, etc. Feel free to base your recommended reads on any principle you like. 

It was a short notice for this month, but the linky sign-up will be open till the last week of September, so you can join at any time during this period. 

Recommended Reads - August

August was a month of great reads for me, so I can recommend two books and list a few more as honourable mentions. 

Recommendations:

Genre: Romantic suspense, bikers

Read my review - 5 stars

Buy on Amazon

I've read a couple of Cara McKenna's books and I really enjoy her style and the sexy story she tells. Lay It Down was no exception. It's an intense romantic suspense (not as MC romance, though the characters ride bikes and stick together as a group). The mystery kept me on the edge till the end the romance was both deep and passionate. Both the hero and heroine are complex, real characters that you can't help but get involved in their fate. 

Genre: Contemporary romance

Read my review - 5 stars

Buy on Amazon

Beauty and the Mustache is book 4 in the Knitting in the City series by Penny Reid. This one is not as funny and carefree as the previous ones but it is just as good. The unique characters of the hero (rough-looking poet and game warden) and the heroine (a nurse, a knitter and a sister to 6 brothers) fall into an all-encompassing, life-changing, epic-kind of love under the worst possible circumstances. It's a wonderful story full of poetry and philosophical musings, balanced out by geeky humour and some crazy antics of the Knitting club ladies and the 6 bearded Winston brothers. 

Leave a link to your post in the sign-up below. I will be happy see what were your favourite books this August.