Best of 2021 Archives : All About Romance

the ask@AAR: What was your favorite romance published in 2021?

By Dabney Grinnan|2022-02-10T11:41:14-05:00February 11th, 2022|Categories: the ask @AAR|Tags: AAR Annual Readers Poll, Best of 2021, the ask@AAR|

We want to hear from you. We’ve shared our top picks for 2021–now it’s your turn.

If you’re looking for inspiration, we have two sources for you. Using our new Power Search, we learned that, in 2021, we gave DIKs to 139 books published in 2021. We gave the most DIKS to contemporary romance (30), historical romance (25), historical fiction (13), and romantic suspense (14). Thirty-three featured leads of color and twenty-five were by authors of color. Additionally, you can see all the books our staff picked in one place on our Amazon Storefront. […]

The Best of 2021: Best Belated Reads

By Caz Owens and Caroline Russomanno|2022-03-16T18:55:38-04:00February 2nd, 2022|Categories: Romance reading|Tags: Best Belated Reads, Best of, Best of 2021, CarolineAAR|

Every year I do a “Best Belated Reads” column to accompany my “Best of” column, because a lot of my year’s reading is not books that were published in that year. Here are some books I read and loved in 2021 which were published earlier, and which I finally caught up with!

The Society of Gentlemen series by KJ Charles (click link to find individual reviews).

I binged this SO HARD. I loved how the couples were all so dramatically different from each other, how their courtships intertwined with the social and political events of the day, how the recurring characters from previous books were actually interesting and relevant (and sometimes… gasp… troubled?) when they reappeared. The series is, quite simply, a triumph.

Buy at Amazon: A Fashionable Indulgence: A Seditious Affair: A Gentleman’s Position

Best of the Best of 2021

By Caz Owens|2022-01-31T09:19:23-05:00January 31st, 2022|Categories: Alexandra AAR, Best of 2021, Best of List, Caroline AAR, Caz AAR, EmAAR, Lisa F, Maggie AAR, Maria Rose|Tags: Best of, Best of 2021|

Every year, after we’ve run all our individual “Best of” lists, we ask each reviewer to choose their ONE favourite book of the year from their list. We’re an eclectic bunch when it comes to our reading habits, so this is an eclectic list – hopefully with something for everyone! […]

The Best of 2021 – Dabney’s List

By Dabney Grinnan|2022-01-25T14:29:26-05:00January 26th, 2022|Categories: Best of 2021, Best of List, Dabney AAR|Tags: Best of, Best of 2021|

According to Goodreads, I read eighty-two books (for the first time – my rereads would have put that number closer to 165) in 2021. I read across genres and glommed series. I DNF’d anything that didn’t grab me after the first fifty pages. I gravitated (overall) to books that were aspirational and viewed humankind with a sympathetic eye. I read enough Karin Slaughter to sink a Kindle.

Here are the books I liked the best. I didn’t love them all but I’m glad I read them all and can recommend them easily.

[…]

The Best of 2021 – Caz’s List

By Caz Owens|2022-01-17T05:35:04-05:00January 17th, 2022|Categories: Best of 2021, Best of List, Caz AAR, Romance reading|Tags: Best of, Best of 2021|

I always struggle to whittle down my annual “Best of” list, although some years there are more clear winners than others. Fortunately for me (because I’m rubbish at choosing), that proved to be the case this year, so making my list this time around wasn’t too difficult; however, as has happened before, there are a few authors with multiple books on the list because it’s just impossible to single out one as being “better” than the others!

Here, in no particular order, are the books I most enjoyed reading in 2021.

Relative Justice and Custody Battles by Gregory Ashe

Surprise!! Gregory Ashe continues to dominate my DIK table and has earned […]

The Best of 2021 – Anne’s List

By Anne Marble|2022-01-10T15:44:11-05:00January 12th, 2022|Categories: Anne Marble, Best of 2021, Best of List|Tags: Best of, Best of 2021|

I read more new books this year than usual, but it wasn’t easy. First, I tried to rekindle my love of domestic suspense books, but I got sick of naive heroines with the time to watch their ‘perfect’ neighbors. Next, I discovered Dark Academia books – and learned how long most of those books can be. Still, I managed to finish some current books in time for this column. I didn’t pick up as many young adult books this year which, I now I realize, was a mistake! So in the last month, I’ve been trying to make up for lost time.

The Gilded Ones (Deathless, #1) by Namina Forna

This is the book I really tore through this year. It’s a YA feminist fantasy novel that gives off dystopia vibes with a strong connection to West Africa. (The […]

The Best of 2021 – Alexandra’s List

By Alexandra Anderson|2022-01-08T14:14:12-05:00January 10th, 2022|Categories: Alexandra AAR, Best of 2021, Best of List|Tags: Best of, Best of 2021|

I’ve watched my preferred reading move away from historical romance and toward fantasy and paranormal in recent years, but there’s nothing like making a “Best Of” list to smack you in the face with how your tastes have changed. While I still very much enjoy historical romance, I’ve found the genre slowly slipping off my auto-buy list as new authors and storylines rise to the fore. Here are some of my top books from 2021: […]

The Best of 2021 – Maria Rose’s List

By Maria Rose|2022-01-05T09:16:16-05:00January 5th, 2022|Categories: Best of 2021, Best of List, Maria Rose|Tags: Best of, Best of 2021|

I didn’t read as much this year as I usually do for a variety of reasons (pandemic included). When I couldn’t concentrate on books, I found myself binge watching a lot of television – reality shows like The Great British Bake Off, or fantasy/sci-fi series like Loki and The Mandalorian. So it won’t come as a complete surprise that some of my favorites romance reads this year have similar themes as my viewing choices. Several of the authors have made my previous lists but there are a few new authors that have caught my eye.

Here are my choices for best reads of the year, in no particular order.

Donut Fall In Love by Jackie Lau

I’ve been a long-time fan of Jackie Lau’s books, and the way she fits Canadiana and delicious tempting dessert […]

the ask@AAR: What’s your reading goal(s) for 2022?

By Dabney Grinnan|2021-12-31T08:30:04-05:00December 31st, 2021|Categories: the ask @AAR|Tags: Best of, Best of 2020, Best of 2021, the ask@AAR|

Happy New Year!

Given that I’ve never been able to keep a New Year’s resolution going for a whole year, I’ve given them up. Instead, I’ve become goal oriented. It’s a lot easier.

In 2022, my biggest goal is to care less about politics–believe me, in my case that’s a good thing–and to do more to create community in my neighborhood. My reading goal is to read every novel each AAR staff member picks as her best book of 2021. I always love this list. (And this one too–it’s all the books we chose as Best of 2021 picks!) […]

The Best of 2021 – Caroline’s List

By Caroline Russomanno|2021-12-31T07:05:46-05:00December 29th, 2021|Categories: Best of 2021, Best of List, Caroline AAR, Romance reading|Tags: Best of, Best of 2021|

I wrote a Best of 2021 So Far post that ran a month or so ago, and since then I’ve been reading frantically to see what would fill out my final post. (Every year, I delude myself that I’ll be able to have read EVERYTHING, and thus will have THE PERFECT LIST. I never learn).

A few books have stayed on the list since my early draft:

In Not Here To Be LIked by Michelle Quach, an eminently qualified young woman running for high school newspaper editor loses to the last-minute candidacy of a newbie male jock, prompting our heroine and the entire school to confront systemic misogyny and what feminism really means. It’s nuanced, compelling, important, and well worth an adult read. This book is my […]