Top 10 of 2018: Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2019

And the wait begins. Some are coming in a matter of weeks, some almost a full year away. But these ten books have me waiting for their release in 2019. Bring on all the books!

Only a Breath Apart | Katie McGarry
I read very little YA anymore but I will always read Katie McGarry.
Daisy Jones & the Six | Taylor Jenkins Reid
I'm convinced TJR can do no wrong.
Be the Girl | K.A. Tucker
Tucker is one that never disappoints.
The Wicked King | Holly Black
Court intrigue and machinations + Cardan + Jude = I need.
What He Never Knew | Kandi Steiner
The guy not chosen now gets his own story? I'm so there.
The Bride Test | Helen Hoang
After loving The Kiss Quotient so much, I need more from Hoang.
Storm and Fury | Jennifer L. Armentrout
Zayne gets his own story? Yes! *fist pump*
The Son & His Hope | Pepper Winters
The Ribbon Duet is now a trilogy! And I need it now.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird | Josie Silver
It'll be a long wait for this one but I already have grabby hands.
What the Wind Knows | Amy Harmon
Amy Harmon's writing never fails to elicit an emotional response.

What 2019 release are you most looking forward to?

Top 10 of 2018: Favorite Couples (OTP's)

I love romance. I'm all about romance. All romance, all the time. :) So picking my favorite couples from the year was easy. The only hard part? Narrowing it down to only ten.♥

May + Elliot | Love and Other Words
Calla + Jonah | The Simple Wild
Stella + Michael | The Kiss Quotient
Beth + Chase | One Small Thing
Gavin + Penny | Blind Kiss
Laurie + Jack | One Day in December
Jude + Sophie | Steadfast
Tanner + Sebastian | Autoboyography
Henry + Sarah | Royally Matched
Ren + Della | The Girl & Her Ren

Who was your favorite couple this year?

Top 10 of 2018: Captivating Characters

I am all about the characters when I read. I get attached. And I'll always choose characters over plot. Yes, a strong plot is important, too, but give me a character that I love and I'll follow them anywhere.  I can't always pinpoint what draws me to a certain character or what makes one more memorable than another, but certain characteristics seem to be a constant. One of those being vulnerability. A character - man or woman - who can be vulnerable, and let that show... gets me every time. Also characters who are more than they appear to be. The whole 'still waters run deep' thing. Characters who have a depth that is only hinted at, that is only shared with a precious few... that's another trait that pulls me right in. So here are the characters that, for a myriad reasons, were utterly captivating and truly memorable this year.

Evelyn Hugo | The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Cardan | The Cruel Prince
Stella | The Kiss Quotient
Monty | The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Blake | Good Boy
Ren | The Boy & His Ribbon
Jude | Steadfast
Grizz | Nine Minutes
Mal | Play
Rev | More Than We Can Tell

Have you read any of these books?

What character captivated you this year?

Top 10 of 2018: New-To-Me Authors

I thought I wouldn't be able to come up with ten authors for this prompt, assuming that I had mostly stuck with my tried and true favorites this year (a lot of Jennifer Armentrout and Sarina Bowen). Color me surprised when I realized that I had actually read TWENTY new-to-me authors over the course of the year! Some were hits, some were misses (I'm not including those LOL), some I consider new favorites. So here are my top 10 new-to-me authors of 2018 and the book(s) I read.

J E N N   B E NN E T T

 

M A C K E N Z I   L E E

 

E R I N   W A T T 

 

A L Y   M A R T I N E Z

     

R O N I   L O R E N

    

K A N D I   S T E I N E R

    

J O S I E   S I L V E R

 

H E L E N   H O A N G

 

C H R I S T I N A   L A U R E N

    

Have you read any of these authors?

What was your favorite new-to-you author of 2018?