AAR

[mirole]

I forgot to include in my list of favourites Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

I absolutely loved this book, could not put it down. Just want to mention that for me the first part of the book was the best (read a lot of reviews on Good Reads that said it was boring/too long/should not have been included altogether.

[Tinabelle]

Here is my list of some of my favorite reads for 2012. Not all of these books were published in 2012, however, and not all are romances.

2012
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
When Maidens Mourn by C. S. Harris
A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long

Earlier
The De Montforte Brothers Series by Danelle Harmon
Books 1-4 in the Maisie Dobbs Series by Jacqueline Winspear
Mariana by Susanna Kearsley
Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley
Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly
_________________
So many books; so little time!
www.shelfari.com/tinabelle

[Eggletina]

I've bolded my top tier favorites.

Favorite 2012 releases in Romance
His Very Own Girl by Carrie Lofty
The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry
A Gentleman Undone by Cecilia Grant
About Last Night by Ruthie Knox
Defiant by Pamela Clare
The Last Renegade by Jo Goodman
Beautiful Bad Man by Ellen O’Connell
Sea of Secrets by Amanda DeWees

Older Romances I read and liked
Dirty by Megan Hart
Whisper of Warning by Laura Griffin
The American Duchess | Lord Richard’s Daughter by Joan Wolf
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale
Reforming Lord Ragsdale by Carla Kelly
A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant
Flirting with Italian by Liz Fielding

Favorite 2012 releases from other genres
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (WWII Thriller)
The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman (Historical)
Mission to Paris by Alan Furst (Historical Espionage)
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (Literary, Booker Shortlist)
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson (Contemporary Dystopia/N. Korea)
The Daemon Prism by Carol Berg (Fantasy / 3rd in a trilogy)
Where Maidens Mourn by CS Harris (Historical Mystery – ongoing series)
Sacrificial Magic | Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane (Urban Fantasy with romance, ongoing series)
Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novak (Fantasy/Alt History, ongoing series)
Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig (Urban Fantasy, start of a series)
Raven’s Shadow Book One: Blood Song by Anthony Ryan (Epic Fantasy, start of a series)
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor (Mythic Fantasy with romance, ongoing series)

Older fiction I read and liked
The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon (SF)
Galore | The River Thieves by Michael Crummey (Historical)
Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier (Historical)
South Riding by Winifred Holtby (General Fiction, 1930s England)
Lady Julia Grey Mystery series (all books to date) by Deanna Raybourn
Adrien English Mystery series by Josh Lanyon (my gateway to m/m romance and several other very good Lanyon novels)
Master of Hestviken series (vol 2-4) by Sigrid Undset (Historical)
Lost Nation by Jeffrey Lent (Historical)
The Light Bearer | Lady of Light by Donna Gillespie (Historical)
Disturbed by Her Song by Tanith Lee (Story Collection)
Bear Daughter by Judith Berman (Mythic Fantasy)
City of Bones by Martha Wells (Fantasy)
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (Retold Fairy Tale)

[pwm in mi]

[quote="Eggletina"]I've bolded my top tier favorites.

Favorite 2012 releases in Romance
His Very Own Girl by Carrie Lofty

I knew I was forgetting something. I thought Lofty's His Very Own Girl was a very good book!

[Natalie]

DIKs so far

At Your Pleasure by Meredith Duran (2012)
DUFF by Kody Keplinger (YA)
The Bride of Larkspear by Sherry Thomas (2012)
Easy by Tammara Webber (2012)
The Duchess War by Courtney Milan (2012)

Just very good reads:

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mahi (YA)
Pleasure Me by Monica Burns
The Stranger I Married by Sylvia Day
No Longer a Gentleman by Mary Jo Putney (2012)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (mystery/general fiction, 2012)
A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant
A Gentleman Undone by Cecilia Grant
The Heiress Trilogy by Sherry Thomas
Between the Lines trilogy by Tammara Webber

[sanalayla]

Posting here from another thread (sorry, I didn't see this one before).


10) Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews: I read the entire series this year and I’m lumping it into one as though it were one big book. Urban fantasy is normally not my thing. I don’t like the first person narrative, I don’t like the lack of emphasis on the romance, and I also don’t like that the same couple features in multiple books. While these books got a little slow for me (from time to time, I’d skip whole pages), overall I really enjoyed these books and would recommend them to folks looking for a good UF series.

9) The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst: I have no rational reason for really enjoying this book. It’s incredibly simple in premise: fake marriage; lots of sex until both decide they’re in love. I do love a good “marriage of convenience” plot (even in contemporary) and this one is straight up a fake marriage book. The writing is easy and breezy; it’s a fun and quick read. I bought this book when it was a Kindle-only book and $3. It was also the only one in the series. Now, it’s $6 on Kindle and $13 in paperback (and part of a 3 book series). I don’t know if I would have liked it as much if I’d spent $13 on it, but for $3 it was a fun and hot read.

8 ) Matthew (Circle Eight) by Emma Lang: This book was HOT and it was nice to read a historical that was set in the United States as opposed to the tons of stuff out there set in England. (How many more books can one read about the Ton and parties during the season? I am so burned out on regency England romances.) This book was fun to read, the two characters had amazing chemistry, and I thought the author crafted a good set of supporting characters. And, of course, I love a good marriage of convenience plot, so I ate the book up.

7) Lothaire by Kresley Cole: I really looked forward to this book. It was brilliant by any books standards, but not amazing by Cole’s standards. I thought the main love story was a bit like watching Stockholm Syndrome play out. Lothaire was fairly abusive and I thought the heroine fell for him much too easily. However, it was immensely readable and the IAD universe was fleshed out quite a bit. The romance was hot as hell and I enjoyed reading it. Will I read it again? Maybe not… but it WAS one of the best written books I read this year.

6) I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella: It wasn’t as good as “Can You Keep a Secret?” (which is on my top ten romance novels of all time list), but it was still pretty good. It had a likable heroine and an excellent premise. It was a bit wobbly in character development, but I’m willing to overlook a lot of things and suspend disbelief for a silly, engaging read like this one.

5) Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews: This is a short and sweet novella, but I really loved it. It was a futuristic sci-fi type book where the writers quickly built the world for you and then let you dive right into the romance. The love story was hot and sweet while also giving you great character development. (There’s a pretty interesting action sequence, too.) I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants a nice, futuristic book.

4) Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordian: Technically, this is a young adult series and not romance in any way. However, I’m going to cheat and put it on here because it was a great book series (could not put the books down!) and also there is a focus on the love story between Percy/Annabeth as well as Jason/Piper. The love story between Percy/Annabeth is one of the most well done I’ve seen. In fact, I think some romance novelists could take some tips on how to write a strong heroine and how to write a hero that can handle that.

3) Lethal Rider by Larissa Ione: A lot of people had problems with this one because it featured a heroine that had, essentially, roofied the hero and made him get her pregnant without his consent. I get why readers would have problems with that. For some reason, I got past it and I loved the heat and chemistry between the two leads. I liked them both the most out of all the Four Horsemen in this series. It’s probably one of my favorite Ione books now.

2) Shadow’s Claim by Kresley Cole: I loved this book and will definitely do a re-read soon. The hero was very hot in a geeky way (my favorite kind) and the heroine was very smart, with her own interests and hobbies outside of needing to get laid. A lot folks have had problems with her being in love with another guy, but I didn’t have a problem with that. She had good reasons. And the tub scene? HOT.

1) Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer: My favorite book of the year wasn’t even straight romance… it was a young adult book that featured great romantic moments, but that wasn’t the focus of the book. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it is Book 1 of a four book series that will take 4 years to complete. (Damn you, young adult authors, and your inability to release multiple books in one year!!!) This was an amazing read and I cannot wait to read more of this series. It was imaginative and intense, with an immensely likable and relatable heroine.
_________________
Superman: You know what's great about you?
Lois Lane: Sure, but you could repeat it again.
Superman: Everything.

[Audrey]

My 2012 - published A reads were:

Carrie Lofty - His Very Own Girl
Julie Anne Long - How The Marquess Was Won
Courtney Milan - The Governess Affair
Courtney Milan - The Duchess War
Loretta Chase - Scandal Wears Satin

I know, not very many, but the good news was there were lots of B's, way too many to list here

[TerryS]

Favorite Books published in 2012

The Sleeping Night by Barbara Samuel
A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant
Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas
My Loving Vigil Keeping by Carla Kelly
Suddenly You by Sarah Mayberry
About Last Night by Ruthie Knox
The Duchess War by Courtney Milan
The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
The Lovesick Cure by Pamela Morsi
The Garden of Happy Endings by Barbara O’Neal

Favorite previously published books read this year

How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’Neal
The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue by Barbara Samuel
Because of You by Jessica Scott
The Crossroads Café by Deborah Smith
Fall into Me by Linda Winfree
No Place Like Home by Barbara Samuel
Miss Milton Speaks Her Mind by Carla Kelly
In for a Penny by Rose Lerner
Skin Deep by Kathleen Cross
Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan
Nobody’s Hero by Melanie Harvey

[Eliza]

Favorites in no particular order (no grades)

A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long
Importance of Being Wicked by Miranda Neville
Scandal Wears Satin by Loretta Chase
A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant
Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt
Confessions of an Arranged Marriage by Miranda Neville
Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig
No Longer a Gentleman by Mary Jo Putney
How the Marquess Was Won by Julie Anne Long
A Scandalous Scot by Karen Ranney
Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James
Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie
Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley
The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James
Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne
The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne

(I'm behind in my 2012 reading, and some of the books in that TBR pile look very promising and are on other lists as well.)

ETA: I like this list which is extensive and categorizes books in slightly different ways: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-awards/nominees-and-winners?award_type=book
Now added to my 2012 should read list from the many lists I've seen are...
TAMING AN IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE by Suzanne Enoch (I'm on book 1 now)
RULES TO CATCH A DEVILISH DUKE by Suzanne Enoch
A LADY NEVER LIES by Juliana Gray
A GENTLEMAN UNDONE by Cecilia Grant

[Eliza]

Just Janga has her top ten here-- http://justjanga.blogspot.com/ -- but she also has a separate post from Dec 14 that includes six other lists from:
Booklist
Publishers Weekly
Amazon
Library Journal
Kirkus
GoodReads

I love reading all of your lists and ones like those above just out of curiosity, to see what I may have missed, and since they're great for ideas. Do you like to check out a variety of lists too?

[MEK]

Favorites this year but not necessarily published in 2012:

Lothaire, Kresley Cole
Fair Game, Patricia Briggs
Oracle's Moon and Lord's Fall, Thea Harrison
Guild Hunter Series, Nalini Singh (had never read these!)
Lady Gallant, Suzanne Robinson
The Proposal, Mary Balogh
The Governess Affair, Courtney Milan
Defiant, Pamela Clare
Castaway Dreams, Darlene Marshall
Warprize, Warsworn, Warlord, Elizabeth Vaughn
Logan's Outlaw, Elaine Levine
Beautiful Bad Man, Ellen O'Connell
currently reading The Duchess War, Courtney Milan (great!)

I read a whole bunch more I liked just fine but they didn't stick in my mind as much as these.

Oh yes! I'm not much of an audio listener, but I took another's advice and am listening to Gabaldon's Outlander on audio. Love it! Makes a huge difference. I got impatient with the series (book length, mind wandering), but I think for me audio is the way to go for these books!

Happy Reading!

[Eliza]

Amazon's best 10 romances ranked by sales and their categorizations:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=s9_dnav_bw_ir34_b?_encoding=UTF8&node=5917160011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=0BH4PFX16C1FSKFG03MW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1444234982&pf_rd_i=5916596011


ETA: The Bestselling Self-Published Kindle Books of 2012 :
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/54575-the-bestselling-self-published-kindle-books-of-2012.html

This list includes more than romance but notes: This all adds up to a mixed picture for self-publishing for Kindle: while a wider variety of different authors are making it big through self-publishing on Kindle, most of the titles in 2012 are romance. And this year’s slight decline from 2011 in the total number of bestsellers poses the issue of how much more the self-published “blockbuster” market can grow, and how much it can grow outside the romance genre.

[Jocelyn]

My favorite (new-to-me) romance reads of 2012 (not all published in 2012):

Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
The Bargain by Mary Jo Putney
Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley
The Legend of Banzai Maguier by Susan Grant
Reforming Lord Ragsdale by Carla Kelly
Gabriel's Ghost by Linnea Sinclair
One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare

I did a lot of re-reading this year, but that is another list...

[Natalie]

Another list from RT
http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-blog/first-wave-rts-2012-award-nominees-here-historical-romances

[pwm in mi]