December 30, 2017

Best Reads of 2017



It has taken me a few weeks to get my top read list together.  That's not a bad thing!  I read almost 400 books in 2017 so narrowing down a top 20 much less a top 10 list has been a challenge.  As I was collecting my thoughts, it occurred to me that many of my top reads were by prolific authors who put out more than one book in a series in 2017.  So my top 10 list is a group of series that have been awesome!  The books published in 2017 were 4.5-5 heart reads for me.  Grab the whole series and you won't be disappointed!


Steel Country  by MJ Fields


MJ Fields brings fans a spin off from her popular Men of Steel series.  This group of brothers are flawed and moody and extremely sexy.  The heroines in the stories are all strong and willing to put those broody alphas in their place.  

From the author: 

You loved Men of Steel, Jase, Cyrus, Zandor, Xavier, Momma Joe, Kat, and all things dirty taking and hard loving, about the Steel Brothers.You loved Ties of Steel, Abe, Dominic, Sabato, and their alpha dominant ways.

You got rocked by the Rockers of Steel. Memphis Black, Finn Beckett, River James, Billy Jeffers and begged for more.

I gave you The Match Duet, Kat, long time tattoo artist at Forever Steel on the Jersey Shore, and you loved her, okay maybe not her, but her epic tale of online dating leading to the most wonderful HEA.
Now I've brought it home.

STEEL COUNTRY is all things Steel, maybe even hotter.

You'll get to see all your favorite Steel Brothers in their alpha, dirty talking, hard loving, glory. You'll see Abe and watch as he reminisces about the pool table with his 'Four'. You'll see Kat and Ricco and laugh at the struggle for 'top'. Then you'll get a bigger picture of the Gage Falcon, you've read about since the beginning.

Saddle up and get ready for one hell of a ride.

 Start with Hammered and read them all from there:   Amazon


Men of Haven Series by Rhenna Morgan

This was a new to me author but I have completely fallen in love with this group of brothers by choice.  The series is written very much like an MC book but this group of men are an entirely different breed altogether. And this author published FOUR titles in this series in 2017!  Each one better than the rest!

"Live hard, f*ck harder and follow only their own rules. Those are the cornerstones the six men of the Haven Brotherhood live and bleed by, refusing to conform to society's expectations, taking what they want and always watching each other's backs."

Check out the Haven Men beginning with ROUGH & TUMBLE :    Amazon

  

Blood Brothers
Realm Enforcers
Scorpius Syndrome

by Rebecca Zanetti 

Yes.  You are reading this right.  THREE different series by this author made my top reads list. In 2017, Rebecca Zanetti gave us two books in the now complete Dark Paranormal series, Realm Enforcers and sci fi/paranormal Blood Brothers.  She also published two books in the ongoing dystopian romantic suspense, Scorpius Syndrome series.  Zanetti writes suspense with a twist that will have you turning pages. If you have not read this author, you are missing out on some wonderful story telling.  


This is a spin off of the author's SIN BROTHERS series.  It can be read as a stand alone but characters and story line do cross over.  I recommend reading Sin Brothers first.  Books 2 & 3 published in 2017 and were 5 Heart reads for me.  Start with DEADLY SILENCE:   Amazon


This series is also a spin off of the author's DARK PROTECTOR series.  It can stand on it's own.  Hot, motorcycle riding, Irish brogue speaking witches.  What else is there to say?  Suspense in each story and kick ass heroines to wrangle these deadly alpha males into some sort of submission.  Loved all of these and the last two of the series were published in 2017.  The whole series was a 5 Heart read for me.   Start with WICKED RIDE:    Amazon


This is a series that I was kicking myself for not starting sooner.  The first books came out in 2016 but I didn't finally jump into this dystopian world until 2017.  The world as we know it has collapsed due to a bacterial  pandemic.  What survives are warriors-- all fighting for the same resources.  This particular group is about protecting the innocent, getting rid of the bad guys and hopefully finding a cure for the syndrome.  LOVED all of these.  Justice Ascending and Storm Gathering came out in 2017.   Scorpius Rising is a prequel novella that is not necessary to read before getting started with MERCURY STRIKING: Amazon


Landry Family Series
Gibson Boys Series

by Adriana Locke


Head down south and meet the Landry Family.  Four brothers. Twin sisters. All looking for their HEA---well at least finding one even if they didn't know they needed it.  Lots of humor. Super steamy connections. Great heroines to match the alpha males.  Ms.Locke put out the last THREE books of the series in 2017.  SWINK wrapped things up but I was so not ready to say goodbye to this family.  I need another whole book just in epilogues please!  You may see that there are 6 siblings but only 5 books.  That is because Miss Sienna moves away from the family and has her own adventures without her big brothers bearing down on her.  So I have also added her book CRANK to this list.  This is the first book in the Gibson Boys series and it was wonderful!  


 SWAY:  Amazon
CRANK:  Amazon




Crossbreed Series  by Dannika Dark



Once again, a very prolific author.  Three novels released in this new series in 2017.  This one is enjoyable because of all of the different breeds that are represented.  Vampires, shifters, mages, sensors, and some unknowns.  The series is written as a serial.  The Keystone group works undercover and off the books to get read of the paranormal bad guys. We get some closure to the action in each book, but there is an ongoing menace and the tension is rising on a possible HEA. I have read this author in the past but not this writing style.  It threw me for minute but now I am hooked! 

Grab Keystone first as it sets up the premise.  You will want to read these in order.  KEYSTONE:   Amazon

 King Series  by TM Frazier

TM Frazier wrote "perhaps" what is the ending of the series in 2017 with Preppy, the Life and Death of Samuel Clearwater books 2 and 3.  This whole dark romantic suspense series will keep you guessing and needing a long tall glass of something cool to get through the steam written within these pages.  Preppy book 1 has one of the hottest scenes I have ever read.  Whew!  You will need to read these in order and also try not to read reviews or synopsis until you are done so nothing is spoiled for you.  If the rumor mill is right, we may get to go back and visit this group again in 2018.  Fingers crossed! 

KING:  Amazon




An Ending and a new Beginning    Books by Lauren Gilley


Lauren Gilley is an author you MUST read.  In 2017 she gave us what was promised as the END to an epic saga of the Lean Dogs MC.  (maybe more to come??!) This story of family and brotherhood is THE best I have read in many years.  This author gives us not only a romantic interest in each book, but also delicately weaves in the lives of all the secondary characters.  There is a master plan at work and I have always been pleasantly surprised by the unfolding of the story.  Standing ovation for the whole series but a wonderful wrap up in AMERICAN HELLHOUND.  We get the history behind the making of the Pres as well as a look forward.  LOVED! 

American Hellhound,  Dartmoor Series #6 : Amazon



So if that awesome story was not enough, Ms Gilley turns around and switches things up.  Paranormal, historical, suspense.......What??!!??  2017 brought us the first in a new series by this author --WHITE WOLF.  Same epic saga type storytelling but written in the richness of Russian winters, war torn landscapes and myths of vampires and werewolves you thought you knew but now with a new twist you could not have guessed coming.  The prologue will suck you in and you better set aside time to finish this one because you WILL NOT want to put it down. 
White Wolf, Sons of Rome Series #1: Amazon


So those are my top reads.  But, wait....  There were also some stand alone books that were not only well written but also left a message on my heart. I would be remiss if I didn't include these in my best reads.  Stay tuned for another post with all the details! 




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