Like many of my fellow reviewers, I’ve had a decent – if not outstanding – reading year. A quick look through my reviews shows a good number of B and B+ grades and a handful of DIKs, although my favourite genre – Historical Romance – made a pretty poor showing (again), with many of my previously “must-read” authors failing to deliver the sort of engrossing, emotionally satisfying stories I’d hoped for. Like last year, I’ve looked more and more often to other genres to feed my reading habit (!), and happily have found a number of other authors to add to that list.
It’s not been too difficult to narrow my ‘best of’ list down to ten, although I must confess I’ve cheated a little bit by including two series on this list; in my defence, all the books in each series were published in 2019, and it was impossible to pick favourites!
Here, in no particular order, are the 2019 books I most enjoyed.
Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles
This fabulously entertaining and deftly plotted tale of murder, betrayal, mayhem and suspense was my first DIK of 2019. The story of a duke’s son who hires a pair of notorious jewel thieves to help gain revenge against the cold, callous father who disowned him and his siblings is a real page-turner with a wicked twist, superbly-drawn, memorable characters and a lovely slow-burn romance. KJ Charles is, without doubt ,one of the best writers of historical romance out there, and long may she continue to be so!
Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
Dukes are Forever by Bec McMaster
My Best of 2018 list included the two previous books in Bec McMaster’s London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy, series, so it’s probably no surprise to see this final entry on my 2019 list. The whole series has been consistently good, and Dukes Are Forever delivered everything I was hoping for; a fast-paced, action-packed and intricately constructed story featuring a dynamic and engaging central couple who are clearly each other’s perfect match, while also bringing the whole ten-book saga to an immensely satisfying conclusion.
Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
Not Dead Yet series by Jenn Burke
I had never read anything by Jenn Burke before, so wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked up Not Dead Yet. But the unique premise – the central character Wes Cooper is an immortal “not-ghost” who can move between different planes of existence – the excellent world-building and the terrific mix of poignancy and humour, together with Wes’ quirky, distinctive voice, the sexy second-chance romance and the superb characterisation made this entire series an absolute joy to read.
Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker
When I reviewed The Austen Playbook back in April, I was pretty sure it would end up on this list – et voilà! Lucy Parker is probably my only go-to author when it comes to m/f contemporaries, and she didn’t disappoint in this tale of the romance between a popular West-End actress and London’s grumpiest theatre critic. It’s got all Ms. Parker’s trademarks; two wonderfully appealing principals, a well-drawn secondary cast, snappy dialogue – and most importantly, the depth, emotional resonance and soul-deep connection between the leads she’s so good at creating.
Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
The Rational Faculty by Gregory Ashe
The first of two appearances on this list for Gregory Ashe, who has rapidly become one of my favourite authors. The Rational Faculty is the first book in his second series to feature detectives Emery Hazard and John-Henry Somerset, two men with a complicated and painful history who – after much pining and angst – are finally a couple and are now adjusting to that fact while continuing to work as detectives (albeit Hazard is no longer with the police), dealing with some extremely difficult and unpleasant cases and still unpicking the thornier issues relating to their shared past. This particular story sees Hazard and Somerset working the same investigation from different angles and dealing with the fallout and potential damage to their relationship while also – quietly – setting up what I suspect is the overarching plotline for the series. The writing is top-notch; Mr. Ashe really knows how to craft a complex and twisty plot, and his continued exploration of Hazard and Somers’ past is clever and incredibly insightful.
Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
This is one of those books I picked up on the off chance – and then couldn’t put down. It’s a kind-of-but-not-quite enemies-to-lovers story that takes place across the span of almost a decade as readers follow the development of the relationship between two players from opposing teams. It’s not without faults (some aspects of the plot didn’t quite work for me) but when I came to compile this list, I realised the book had obviously made a bigger impression on me than I’d thought and I couldn’t not include it! The chemistry between the two leads is off the charts, and I loved the structure – the story is told in a mixture of present day scenes and flashbacks – the humour and the way the author balanced that with the more poignant aspects of the tale.
Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
American Love Story by Adriana Herrera
This is the third book in Ms. Herrera’s series of novels about four Afro-Latinx friends who live and work in and around New York, and is my favourite of the set so far. American Love Story is complex and romantic while remaining grounded in reality; the romance between two men from very different worlds is intense, angsty and tender and the author tackles some difficult topics in the course of the story, taking a long, hard look at the immigrant experience in the US so skilfully that the reader is completely drawn into the world she has created. This is a damn good story that isn’t afraid of telling some unpleasant truths while also telling a tale of love, friendship, shared experience and shared ideals.
Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
Borealis Investigations series by Gregory Ashe
Gregory Ashe’s second appearance on this list comes with his Borealis Investigations trilogy about two friends who run a detective agency in St. Louis. North and Shaw have been friends since college and have loved each other just as long, although of course, neither of them has ever admitted it – to themselves, or each other. The case they take on in the first book brings those long-buried feelings to the fore in a way neither expected and also sets up the storyline that runs throughout the next two books. The mysteries are complex and well-executed, the characters are compelling, and while the slow-burn romance here isn’t quite as much of a slow-burn as Hazard and Somerset’s, there’s still plenty of angsting and pining as North and Shaw circle each other while trying to get to the bottom of the crime that’s haunted Shaw for the best part of a decade.
Buy it at: Amazon
A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy
Mia Vincy’s début, A Wicked Kind of Husband, proved to be an all-round winner last year, and like many fans of historical romance, I was eagerly awaiting the follow up, A Beastly Kind of Earl, and delighted to discover it was every bit as good as its predecessor. The story of a young woman determined to salvage her reputation after two so-called gentlemen maliciously ruin it, and a reclusive earl carrying a whole shedload of guilt is funny, charming and deceptively insightful, featuring two wonderfully rounded protagonists, an engaging secondary cast and a beautifully developed romance that just oozes sexual tension and chemistry.
Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
In the Dark by Loreth Anne White
This riff on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, is an utterly compelling read and one that pulled me in from the very beginning. It’s perhaps a little different from Loreth Anne White’s other books in that it’s more suspense than romantic suspense (there is a romantic angle, it’s just pretty low-key) and it’s an ensemble piece; but all in all, it’s a superbly constructed ‘locked room’ mystery and a tense and exciting detective story as the author shifts between timelines and narrators to keep the story moving and the suspense high.
Buy it at: Amazon
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Good picks!
I’m amused that you put all of Jenn’s ghost series as one book – I would have done that too! Instead I picked the first one for my list. The Austen Playbook just missed the cut for me (let’s call it my number 11).
As all three books were published this year, I thought I could get away with it (!) – it’s not like I was including all the books in a series published over several years. (That’s my reasoning and I’m sticking with it!) Actually, a couple of my “almost-made-its” were final books in series (Thrown to the Wolves by Charlie Adhara and A Chip and a Chair by Cordelia Kingsbridge), but I put both of those series into my 2018 list, so I decided to focus on newer series rather than ones that were wrapping up (the exception being the McMaster – which is a different type of series in that each book focuses on a different romantic pairing).
Great list Caz! I’ve read well more than half of these this year, and couldn’t agree more. And pretty much everything else is on my TBR. . . .
Hazard and Somerset you need to start with the original series, book one is Pretty, Pretty Boys. Borealis is a separate (similarly great) series. There is a tiny bit of overlap but they stand alone from each other series-wise.
thanks, Caz & Em!
Thanks, great list!
Many authors I already love and will pick up their newer books now.
Can one start with the second series by Gregory Ashe or is the first series necessary to enjoy the continuation?
You absolutely do need to start with Hazard and Somerset at the beginning – Pretty Pretty Boys to understand the relationship at the centre of all the books.
The Borealis Investigations series is – at present – a trilogy, so you could easily start there, if that’s more manageable!
ETA: I’ve reviewed most of the books in either print or audio – you’ll find them on at my Goodreads page or at my blog.
My husband–who broke his ankle last week and is far more stationary than usual–is reading In the Dark and is enjoying it tremendously.
I’m sorry to hear your husband broke his ankle. Ouch! I hope he gets well soon! In the meantime, at least he has a book he’s really enjoying. Books and TV are so comforting when I’m sick or hurt, provided the stories are interesting!
American Love Story and Any Old Diamonds made it onto my favourite reads of 2019, too.
Bec McMaster and Gregory Ashe are both on my TBR list. Last night I listened to the audio sample for the first in the Borealis Investigations series. Amazing, hilarious writing.
Gregory Ashe is a terrific writer and is getting better and better, I think. He has the most amazing insight into what makes people tick and especially into how troubled relationships work. I really enjoyed the audio of Orientation (I reviewed it for AudioGals.) In fact, I prefer the narrator in that (Charlie David) to the one used for the Hazard and Somerset books.
great list Caz! so many of my own favorites – and a few that didn’t quite make my top 10 – appear here. I also loved the Burke books, but I didn’t find the ending of the trilogy quite as satisfying as hoped. I’d give Dreamers a slight edge in a head to head match up. Although they are such different books!
Ashe gets my author of the year nod – love everything he writes; Heated Rivalry is my favorite book of the year.
I haven’t read Loreth Anne White – yet. She’s on my TBR.
I loved HEATED RIVALRY (I may have mentioned that a time or two—lol). It was my favorite book of 2019. Then, at the very end of December, thanks to a rave review here at AAR, I read Taylor Fitzpatrick’s beautiful and gutting THROWN OFF THE ICE, which has a similar set-up to HEATED RIVALRY (many years in the relationship of two professional hockey players). Both books are beautifully written, but could not be more different in style, tone, and outcome. I loved them both.
I’m waiting until I can have a clear run at the Fitzpatrick book; I think I’m going to need processing time.
I’m so happy to see someone else raving about the Fitzpatrick book. IT WAS AMAZING. I’m glad you read it!
When I finished THROWN OFF THE ICE, I thought of two quotes: the first attributed to Orson Welles, “If you want a happy ending, that depends on where you stop the story;” the second, to Ernest Hemingway, “All love stories have unhappy endings.” It’s a beautiful book; not a capital-R-Romance, but all about the love.
“Not a capital-R-Romance, but all about the love.” That makes me wonder if romance should have a subgenre called “Tragic Romance” for writers and readers who insist on love stories without an HEA or HFN. I know the definition of official romance novels must include a central romance and a HEA or HFN, but I think that having a new subcategory for classification purposes could allow for tragedies- as long as it’s clearly labeled and kept totally separate so readers who want an HEA or HFN don’t get any unwanted surprises. Anyone else agree?
I have no issues with the development of a category like this, but I am unlikely to read many of its offerings. I need the happy, real life is hard and sad enough, thanks.
@Nan: With all due respect, I don’t think a “tragic romance” category would gain much traction. I’ve only read a handful of romances that did not have an HFN/HEA (of course, I’m not including duets & trilogies where the first book(s) end in cliffhangers that seem to put an HEA in doubt) and my feeling is always “this is not a Capital-R-Romance.” I primarily read Romance (even dark—which I like) for the promise of the HEA. I know Damon Suede is a persona non grata right now, but one quote attributed to him, “Romance is the literature of hope,” is in my mind unarguable.
I always think of a non-HEA/HFN story as a “Love Story” rather than a romance. (Romeo & Juliet is the obvious example always trotted out in this argument!) So I’m happy to have the definition of “Romance” stay just as it is :)
All great responses, everyone. Thanks!
@DiscoDollyDeb, I think you’re right about tragic romance not gaining much traction. If it did, it would definitely be a niche within a niche. And I like that quote “Romance is the literature of hope.”
@Caz Owens, “love story” is one of those terms that sounds, to me, like it could go either way. A love story, after all, can have an HEA. But, I guess if you use “romance” to mean there is an HEA/HFN, “love story” could be the alternative if “tragic romance” would be too off-putting to the readers of either genre.
As for HEAs and HFNs in general, I think it’s great that category romance standards have the feel-good ending worked into the definition. To my knowledge, it is the *only* genre that does so (except maybe certain types of comedies?). Sure, you can have a science fiction story that ends happily, but you can’t exactly put that on the cover or advertising or it’s considered a spoiler.
Plus, I’m glad that romance has evolved to include HFNs as an acceptable ending. From what I’ve read, what constituted an HEA at major romance publishers used to be a lot more stringent and traditional.
Also, erotic romance with a guaranteed HEA/HFN is now considered a legitimate subgenre, at least according to my observations. This is nice for erotica writers and readers because erotica industry standards do not require an HEA/HFN. Now there’s a somewhat established category/genre where sexy stories are guaranteed to end happily- in more ways than one. So yay! Expounding upon what KesterGayle said, I agree that the world needs more joy, happiness, and lightheartedness- and reading can be a great way to have that.
Read and loved both of these this year. If I had to choose between them (and, no, you don’t – go ahead and read both) I give the nod to Thrown Off The Ice, just because it is so different. And I love the quotes. They fit my definition of romance perfectly.
Yes…but it’s a 2018 book! I tried to squeeze it into my best of 2019 (it was released in December 2018) and had to pull it when it made it to my editor (Caz!).
I am SUCH a hard taskmaster! :P
Truth.
:)
I’m currently rereading The Austen Playbook and I think maybe I’m liking it even more the second time around. It might turn out to be my favorite of all her books – just wonderful.
I really enjoyed Vincy’s A Beastly Kind of Earl too. In the dramatization of the heroine’s reputation-destroying personal story early in the book in which locals at a tavern perform Thea’s play while the hero looks on, I actually got teary. That was one of the best scenes I’ve read in fiction from the past year.
Lucy Parker’s books just work for me pretty much all round :) The forthcoming Headliners is terrific! (Review to appear soon!)
Look forward to your review, Caz. Headliners left me with so many joyful feelings.
I liked the rest of the series but Austen Project just never grabbed me. Looking forward to Headliners – those supporting characters were more interesting to me than the Austen Project leads.
Mia Vincy is a new to me author. After learning about her here at AAR, I read “The Work of Art” and now have “A Beastly Kind of Earl” and a few more of her books in the TBR list. So glad to find a great new author (for me) in the sadly disappointing HR field.
I think you might be confusing Mia Vincy with Mimi Matthews? (Matthews wrote The Work of Art). Personally, I rate Vincy WAAAAAY higher than Matthews; I’ve read and listened to some of her books and while she certainly does write period appropriate historicals, I’ve found her books tend to have a fantastic first half and then fizzle out in the second. So far, she’s a B-/C+ author for me. Mia Vincy, on the other hand, has got 2 DIKs from me so far :)
Duh!!! Will sort myself out on this ASAP and try Vincy. Though I do feel The Work of Art was terrific. Ta, Caz.
I see lots of 4 and 5 stars for her work over at Goodreads, so I know I’m in a minority on that!