The Best of 2016: Janet’s List
2016 was a big year for me, because I started writing reviews for AAR, which has been both crazy fun and a big learning experience. I started reading more Contemporary Romances, which I rarely read before. I’ve loved the switch, but two Historicals still made it onto my best of 2016 list. #NeverBored
Royally Screwed by Emma Chase
Who wouldn’t want a hot, Crown Prince to sweep you off your feet? #HoldingOutForHarry
Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt
It’s Elizabeth Hoyt and Maiden Lane. Do I really need to say anything else? #JustReadIt
Tapping the Billionaire by Max Monroe
The funniest & dirtiest romance I read in 2016. If you don’t laugh, you probably give those serious, sappy birthday cards. #HateThoseCards
Dirty for Me by Jackie Ashenden
Uptight, rich girl and tortured, tattooed bad boy have crazy, hot sex in a car. I can’t remember anything else that happens. #BrainBurn
Beard Science 
by Penny Reid
I never thought beards were sexy until I met Cletus. I still don’t think they’re sexy… unless it’s Cletus. #JanetLovesCletus
For Better or Worse 
by Lauren Layne
If I had a neighbor as handsome & funny as Josh, I’d block all the building’s exits until he fell in love with me or at least had sex with me. #DontJudge
Bossman
by Vi Keeland
I married my boss. How can I not love this book? #TrueStory
Bittersweet
by Sarina Bowen
No one told me apple farmers were sexy. If they had, I would have gone to college in Vermont and tried to meet one. #RedDelicious
Magnate
by Joanna Shupe
I didn’t even know Historical Romances could be set in America. Seriously. It’s perfect, because Americans don’t know our own history so everything seems historically accurate to me. #SoundsRightToMe
Someone Like You
by Lauren Layne
Lincoln is sexy, tortured & NEEDS someone to help him heal. I LOVE to be needed; therefore, we are perfect together. #Codependant
I bought Beard Science yesterday when it was on sale and started reading it last night. Thus far, I am loving it!
I am so glad!
I just got the weirdest error message!
“You are posting too fast. Slow down.”
Whatttttt? I tried to leave one three sentence post today. How on earth is that too fast?
Ha! I have never seen that error.
Janet and Lynda: I agree with you both about Hoyt’s Duke of Pleasure.being the best of the year. And Janet I think you said all you needed to say about it! :)
I loved this post. You and I have pretty different taste in books, but I’m looking forward to reading the Hoyt. I read Magnate, but didn’t love it. I hear Baron is better. Still, your hashtags were amazing.
I KNEW you’d have Lauren Layne on there! :) my
I am a sucker for witty dialogue – any kind of funny really – and she always delivers.
Great, thanks, Caz and Dabney! Janet, I thought Duke of Desire was good, but not great–for some reason, I just could not envision this couple long term. Maybe if they’d had a heart-to-heart to discuss the future–really discuss it–and/or if we’d seen more introspection from Alf about her qualms about being a duchess and how she would approach this new life going forward–I’d have felt more reassured. As it was, I was left feeling like there would be a lot of frustration as Alf tried to adapt to her new role/life.
I gave this one 3 stars. I’m not sure Hoyt can write a BAD book but sometimes they’re boring. The romance in this one didn’t click for me.
It was not my favorite either. The age gap and the life experiences gap bugged me.
Sometimes I have emotions tied into a book before I start and I think that makes me block out anything that I might not normally like… if that makes sense. I felt that way about Alf. If that was the first book in the series I had read, I am not sure what I would have thought. Same with Someone Like You. I was already emotionally invested in Lincoln before I started the book. I guess that’s what can make a series well executed. Hook your reader a book or two beforehand.
The Earle by Katharine Ashe too. I couldn’t wait for Lady Justice and Peregrine’s book. It was amazing, but I have no idea what I might have thought if I had not anticipated their story. (I’m actually kind of surprised I didn’t have it on my list now that I think about it.)
i was hoping a blog post would be created for those of us who were using the forums and wanted to post our top picks this year. I couldn’t disagree more with Duke of Pleasure–Duke of Sin for me was vastly better and probably my favorite historical of the year–and I disliked Magnate but loved Baron, both by Joanna Shupe. It would be great to have an AAR blog that would allow visitors to post their favorite books this year, but it kind of looks like that’s not planned. So I’ll go on record saying that while I was disappointed in Nalini Singh’s Archangel’s Heart and Mary Balogh’s Someone to Love (new series), the best books for me this year were Duke of Sin (Hoyt), Baron (Shupe), Act Like It (which I think came out last year), The Hating Game, and Soldier’s Scoundrel (M/M historical). Everything else is a blur.
I loved Duke of Sin as well. It was hard for me to choose. I have a soft spot for Alf. I loved Hating Game too. I need to read Soldier’s Scoundrel. It’s on a lot of Best of lists this year.
We will have that blog post. We will run it the week after Christmas!
That means I have a week to get over the massive anxiety that Best Of… lists create for me!
As Dabney said, watch this space. We already plan to run the AAR Reading Challenge for 2017 on the blog (all suggestions welcome here!) and hopefully will be having more discussion posts here, too.
I have a deep love of hashtags, because my best friend and I sometimes text exclusively in hashtags. We think we are hilarious when we do it. #Delusional #HashtagSaysItAll
#Hmmmmmmmm
#SoundsLikeDeepThoughts
#wehavecompletelydifferentchoices #varietyisthespiceoflife
#iloveyourhashtags
#alsoholdingoutforharry #butiamold #sotheresthat
#beardsAREsexy #wellmyhusbandis
#goodjob
#FreakingLoveYourHashtags #INeedSomeReadingVariety
#IAmOldToo #ButSoundLikeAHornyTeenager
#CantWaitToSeeYourPicks
I agree that DUKE PF PLEASURE by Hoyt was the best book of this year. People will be enjoying it for decades, I’m sure. I reread it about once a month.
I wanted to post a new entry at our “Let’s talk Romance” forum, asking people to nominate their Top Ten, but as you know, all forums (fora?) have been down now for at least two weeks. They are one major, major reason why I come daily to AAR. When are they going to be restarted?
I’m not sure we will reinstate them. They are used by very few people and slow down the site. We would prefer to use blog posts for conversations instead. That said, I am looking into creating an offshoot site that AAR would link to for the Boards. This is one of the issues I plan to resolve in January.
Now that the boards are no longer functioning, Lynda, many of us been using Goodreads for this sort of thing. Have you created an account at Goodreads? Lots of AAR readers have linked up their accounts to discuss individual romance books and trade information. Just a thought! I’m Blackjack over there and you can friend me if you’d like :)
Blackjack, if I join Goodreads will you friend me along with Lynda?
Yes! Is your user name “Eliza” there? I’ll search for it.
Blackjack, I haven’t joined yet but I noticed there is another Eliza so I’ll have to add some letters or something. Great idea since I miss the people and the boards. Thank you.
Lynda, are you going to sign up at Goodreads as Blackjack suggested?
I am at Goodreads and miss the boards here too. Eliza, I miss your Upcoming Lists. I posted my list at Romantics Times, Favorites New & Old.
Great choices and love how you put the post together!
Loved your list and comments! I am going to try some of these.
Loved your comments, Janet! You gave me a lovely morning smile.
One observation I read ‘Royally Screwed’, as I was in the mood after reading Lilah Pace’s Royal Secret duology.
I um…didn’t agree with your feelings sorry :( I think it disappointed me after the Lilah Pace series. I DNF :(
I have not read the Lilah Pace, but I will now! #GladIMadeYouSmile
I adored the Lilah Pace books – I couldn’t squeeze them into my Best Of, but they are in my top fifteen!
I am guessing I need to download them at the same time. #HateCliffhangers
Yep – they really are one book split into two.
Beard Science was a knockout for me too. I was pretty excited and curious to read Cletus’s story because he was just such an oddball in the previous books, and his solo book really delivered. Definitely one of my favorite romances of 2016.
Also, I want to read a Lauren Layne book soon.
It make my list too!
Love your comment about the Shupe book. ;)
Thank you, Lee. When I say “Americans don’t know our own history,” I actually mean I don’t know my own country’s history… or much world history. #GrewUpinEastTexas #WeOnlyStudiedTexasHIstory :-)