So it has come to my attention that many of YOU have absolute die-hard favorite books that many of US haven’t read yet. Most of y’all know MY favorites (’cause I can’t stop finding excuses to bring ’em back up)… LOL!!! But, I haven’t read ’em all, and now I just found out that there are SO many other OMG -BEST-EVER books out there and I (we) wanna know ’em!
Fabi: I need help. I need a recommendation that’s going to knock my socks off. The kind of book that can’t be put down. The kind you walk around with your ereader in your hand and call in sick to work over. The problem has reached epic proportions. I have 6 books started plus 2 betas. I have 8 in my “read next” category and 14 in my “must read” category, but I’m afraid of starting anything else. Please ladies, give me your all time favorite read of forever. Hopefully I haven’t read it yet and it will knock me out of this yucky fog I’m in.
Maryse: I love these lists… maybe I should post YOUR favorites lists. Like dedicate a post to the “favorites list” for each of our crew. We all have similar tastes, BUT some of our fellow readers might lean more towards let’s say… MichelleS and bev’s historical romance tastes, or me and Amy’s “destructively angsty” tastes… etc etc. I like this idea!!
Jean: I would love to see everyone’s lists! I didn’t really do it in any kind of order, just what came to mind.
Fabi: I need to make a spreadsheet of everyone’s recs unless Maryse is going to create those blog posts, then I can just reference those.
That’s it!! I’m doin’ it!
So I’m starting a new Saturday blog post. Every Saturday, I will post a reader “favorites” list, so I’m asking for submissions (<— by email or leave ’em in the comments)! No real limit to the list, but I’m thinking your absolute TOP TEN (or more… or less) but the only requirement is that HAVE to be your personal favorites (those that you would recommend to you die-hard book-buds, but also -and maybe especially – to those that you know a “non-reader” could get hooked on). They can be ANY genre. No limits there, either. Just YOUR favorites list.
And *if* you feel like it, a little note, or even just ONE word next to each book as to why it’s your favorite. Whether it be “book-fog”, “book-boyfriend”, “scared-the-poop-outta-me”, “ugly-cry”, “my-favorite-of-all-time” or “OMG TWIST I DIDN’T SEE COMING” or… ANYTHING. If you feel like it, give us an idea of what we’re in for. 😉 Now of course, I’ll accept just the lists, but I’m nosy. I like to know WHY you love it. 😉
So let’s start with Jean’s list, shall we?
It’s hard to list favs, but here’s my short list.
- Real (The REAL series Book 1) by Katy Evans
- The Summer Remains by Seth King
- The Sea of Tranquility: A Novel Katja Millay
- Making Faces by Amy Harmon
- The Rocker Series by Terri Anne Browning
- Tear Asunder Series by Nashoda Rose
- Promise Me Darkness/Promise Me Light by Paige Weaver
- Fisher’s Light/Worth the Trip (A Fisher’s Light Companion Novella) by Tara Sivec
- The Year We Fell Down: A Hockey Romance (The Ivy Years Book 1) by Sarina Bowen
- Jake Undone by Penelope Ward
- Wallbanger (The Cocktail Series Book 1) by Alice Clayton
- Ruin Series by Rachel Van Dyken
- Wrecked and Ruined Series by Aly Martinez
- Sheltered by Charlotte Stein
- Becoming Calder/Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan
- Fighter Erotic Romance Series by Scott Hildreth
I could go on and on and on….
Fabi: Thank you Jean. I haven’t read almost any of those.
Do you have a “Top Favorite Books” list? Don’t forget to send me yours!! I post one every Saturday (send it here: https://www.maryse.net/contact-me). You can make it just a list (top 10 or more) but if you want to include a tiny (or longer) tidbit next to each one about why you loved it, that would be awesome, too! 
Not sure why I keep putting off Sheltered, has a trope I love but I hesitate.
No hesitation!!!!
I promise you. Bev. BEVVVVVV!!!!!
Stop. Hesitating.
THAT ONE!!!
*throws an entire bag of peanuts at bev*
What a fantastic list. What a fantastic idea Maryse. I can bookmark these every Saturday. That way I always have a favorites list to refer back to when those slumps hit. I am also determined to read everyone’s top 5. It may take me a while but I love the challenge (and the excitement of a guaranteed great book). I’m looking forward to throwing my own wacky list up here too. This is so awesome.
HA! All of the Sheltered peanuts were used on Bev so you can’t throw any at me for not reading it yet!! *pbltttt*
Oh I loved Sea of Tranquility, and I love hearing people mention it even after all this time. I just read Becoming Calder after Jean gushed over it not long ago, and WHOA! Some pretty intense moments in it, especially with not really knowing what’s going to happen.
I love this list idea! 😀
Oh what’s this here??
Did I double stock up on peanuts this week? Why yes. I did.
*opens 2nd bag of peanuts…*
*stares at Amy*
Yay Fabi and Amy!!!!
I’m already getting lists in my email, so send me yours (you can do it in the comments, too. That’ll work! 😀
*eeeep!!!*
*puts hands up to ward off peanuts*
It’s already in my library…that counts for something, right?
*hides behind sofa*
Great List! Your #1 is my #1. A few I need to read ASAP. On to my TBR list.
THANKS!!!
Amy, do you make your beans from scratch?
Fabi, that’s a goal. Lol. Now I feel like just making my top five the ones I could not read, just to make you, lol. There is a book I have tried to read three times, because such love. I can only get a couple chapters in, just goes right over my head. But I know I’ll try again. It’s the first in the Lymond chronicles. Fabi if you haven’t read it and explain it to me. Seriously feel like I’m missing something and a great book.
Maryse great idea!! I look forward to more recommends! 🙂
lol Bev, I haven’t read it. But if it goes over your head, it will certainly go over mine. 95% of my reading is escape lit. Nice and easy (and preferably slutty). *snort*
Okay, I’m going to sound morbid here, but, I really really need some really great book recommendations. Ugh. Life is so getting in the way right now. My mom had a stroke 4 years ago and we bounced back from that, but, now I’m only 40, and I just found out on Friday that my mom has stage 4 pancreatic cancer at the age of 66. I don’t know about you, but, in my opinion very young for all this S@&!. Anyway, I am in a huge book funk. I need something to take my mind off of all this. I kinda read Empathy recently and I’m trying to read Desolete but haven’t been able to finish yet. Help. Please. Thank you friends. We need each other and I need you now, more than ever. thank you again. “D”
Denise, I’m so sorry to hear about your Mom. You’re right, both of you are much too young to deal with all of that. But illness often doesn’t care about age.
A couple of lighthearted, cheer me up books that come to mind are Pucked and The Virgin Novelist. Maybe they can put a temporary smile on your face.
Thank you. You are the best and they do sound amazing. Thank you. A lot of great reviews.
Great list (and loving this new feature!) – quite a few books that I utterly adore! And a few new ones I hadn’t really heard of that I’ll have to check out. Not mentioning which ones because I don’t want to play dodge the peanuts!!!
Wow, this is awesome! I feel famous (for a minute)! Can’t wait to see everyone else’s lists!
Denise, sorry to hear about your mom. Been through the same with my dad. Agree with Fabi, Pucked was great and funny! I’m reading Throb right now and loving it….. Totally different premise!
Oh and Sheltered is so good guys! It is a quick read with so much meaning….. Seriously……
I recently discovered a new author, Dahlia West, her first book Shooter is great! I think it’s free on Amazon right now 🙂
Jean, you are famous to us.
Fabi, I highly doubt it. I really need somebody to walk me through that book, lol.
I’m sorry Denise. Been through it with my mom a few years ago in my early 30s and yes feels too young. Maybe try some of your old favorites, the comfort reads. KA and Lisa Kleypas works well for me.
Ok Jean, it looks like I’ve read 1, 4,12 & 16, though I probably haven’t completed the series on most of them. I think I’m going to pick Sea of Tranquility to complete my five from you because y’all were talking highly of it. ( even though I really don’t like the title ) 🙂
Oops, I read 13 also (and did complete that series) but I’m still going to read one more from your list.
Hmmm, since I’ve read your number 1 & 4, should I read your #3 Sea of Tranquility or should I read your #2 The Summer Remains?
Fabi???!!! No Sea of T??
I thought that one was required reading, lol.
Wow, you are going to get so many peanuts.
Love this list, and Sea of T was amazing 😉 My favorite must be The Atfterlife Saga by Stephanie Hudson (All the books). I’m craving the Drave 😉
This is a hard task, it’s like which one of your children do u love best. Ok maybe that’s a bit extreme. Good to see that Ruin was on your list, I bought that over a year ago and still haven’t read it but am going to get to it – especially since the author is at a book signing event in October I am attending. Looking forward to seeing more of these go up.
Maryse, thank you for the link directly to the series page, this helps a lot!!
I loved the idea of posting readers fav book list, I had some of these already on my Kindle “lost” on my TBR list, I jumped them to the top. As always, thank you Maryse !!!!
I have read #3,6 and 13. All amazing! Also, I think Archer’s voice by mia sheridan and When it rains by Lisa DeJong are amazing. I have a lot of these on my TBR. Thank you.
Also, thank you Bev and Jean. Sorry about your dad and mom as well.
Oh yeah and Ten below zero by Whitney barbetti(spelling?)
Fabi, SoT!!!!! Please!!! Summer Remains was great too…. you can’t go wrong with either!
Agree about Archer’s Voice…… That book is in a class of its own!!
I must include the BDB series, Undeniable series, and the Opportunist series!!!!!!!
Yay Jean! I only read #3 lol but I have almost every other one on my kindle lol, and I’m dying to read some Charlotte Stein too
I’m always in the minority with Mia Sheridan, Leo is still my favorite (I think it’s bc it’s a 2nd chance, those are my faves)
Mia Sheridan is a favorite of mine! I automatically 1-click her books as soon as they are released!Stinger and Kyland were awesome too!!!
Very cool idea Maryse! I’m bookmarking these lists for sure. SoT is in my top ten too – yes read it Fabi! I haven’t read Sheltered and I bought it a while ago now. Like Bev, no idea why I hesitate. I will think about my favs and send them in, although I think my list will be a hodge podge of genres!
Funny how we all have a different list! Just goes to show there is a book written for all of us.
I am saving everyone’s list since you all have lead me to some fantastic reads! I better update my list before Maryse posts mine (if she does) – because I only put what I think you all might have missed, not my all time faves! (with a few exceptions that I keep shoving down everyone’s throat… cough….Tairen Soul…. cough….). 🙂
I bet we end up with a bunch of the same books!!
I sure hope so, otherwise I’ll be reading favorites (and nothing new) for years. Not that that would be a bad thing. I’ll be starting Jean’s SoT as soon as I finish the FCH series. I wasn’t planning on reading the whole series right now but I buckled under pressure. Hahaha. Starting book 3 today.
It’s amazingly dark. Totally unexpected. But I should have known Amy would never be pushing a regular ‘ol YA series. 🙂
Fabi, thank you for recommending The Warded Man to me. I was happily blown away. You and MichelleS should exchange favorites. Both different types of epic fantasy but still capable of blowing me away.
I’ll get to Sea of Tranquility after my last library book. I apparently had it this whole time, but I don’t think I’ve read it. It was un-categorized. *sighs*
Jean, agree with the ones I read as being great. Heck, Rocker who Loves Me is on my list. The relationships between all of them just made me fall for them..
Maryse, what a great idea!
Jean I’ve read some on your list, but how did I miss #5 the Rocker series. Gotta add that to my tbr.
Aw Fabi…you know if I recommend a book, it’s gonna have *something* in it that sates my crazy cravings! 😛
Bev, I sometimes make my beans from scratch, but most of the time I forget to start soaking them the day before so I end up just using frozen or canned beans which I keep on hand. BUT I do add my own seasonings no matter what type I am using (canned or frozen).
Oh Diane… *gives Diane a big bear hug* I’m glad you’ve found us…the ladies here are wonderful in so many ways. I am NO good at recommending funny books (also no good at English :P) ’cause most of the time I’m reading something that makes me all splotchy, but I know for a fact that the Virgin Romance Novelist has had so many around here just cracking up…including Maryse’s mommy!!
Oh Denise – I feel your pain, hugs all the way from Australia.
I suggest the Rock Chick Series – Kristen Ashley
and anything by Lani Lynn Vale – her alphas are fabulous.
thanks for the love Amy!! i REALLY needed that hug but next time no kissing on the lips, okay? i’m a born again Maryse poster (er, lol, not sure if that’s the word) i’ve been in and out since i found her in 2012 but you are by far the most entertaining in all the years
OMG Diane, LOL!!!!! Don’t worry, I draw the line at cheek smooches…hubby is the only one who gets lip smooches. 😉
And your last line was so sweet… *blushing*
I have work to do with your list Jean! I’ve only read like 5 or 6! Yey SoT…LOVE! I think Real since it was on MichelleS’s list too needs to be pushed WAY up my TBR.
Remington Tate (Remy)…..my all time favorite book boyfriend from Real!!! Love him!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m off to finish Storm by Cole Carian….I am really liking it. Kind of like a Charlotte Stein book… lots of meaning and very likable characters. She gets stuck in a snowstorm and is rescued by a hot guy who turns out to be an upcoming rock star! She has no idea who he is and has a boyfriend already. Fun!
Your all time favorite…well then…moves it up to my ‘Just Read It Already, Dummy!’ list