Top 10s of 2012

When Em and I decided to compile our list of top 10's for 2012, we thought, no problem, we can do that! NOT! Combined we've read over 250 books this year. Let's rewind on how this all got started.
You should all know that Em got me into this reading thing. I hadn't read a novel in years and while on vacation in April, read two on the Kindle app on my phone. Then I read the 50 Shades series and that was totally up my ally, jumpstarted me into the seductive reading world. My dear friend Em kept me up to date on what I should read next and after about a month, I caught on and started finding and following authors on my own. The hubs gave me a Kindle for Mother's day and then I couldn't be stopped. Eventually we had a few friends asking us what we were reading and commenting on our reviews on goodreads. So, in November Em proposed the idea of having a blog. I squealed! Let's do it! And here we are less than 2 months later, with over 150 fans and a Colleen Hoover giveaway. We are some very blessed ladies! I can't wait to see what 2013 brings to Novel Seduction!
Now, on to the top reads of the year. It was so hard to narrow it down to 10 each. I'm not sure why we decided to be so strict on ourselves, but I think it will mean that much more to the authors who made our list. To narrow it down to these fabulous reads was no small feat. Our lists changed and evolved over the last week as we were doing this. I love that you will see how our reading styles slightly differ. A lot of you probably know that I'm (D) the erotica lover and tend to go for the sexier, steamier books. Em leans more to the YA and deep love stories. However there is a lot of overlap with us! If you haven't read these novels don't wait! You won't be disappointed!

~ D's top 10 reads for 2012 ~

1. The Dark Duet Series by C.J. Roberts. Just as the title describes, this extremely dark and extremely erotic series is captivating! You have to read with an open mind and an open heart. Maybe not for everyone. Captive in the Dark is book one and Seduced in the Dark is book 2.

2. Love Unscripted by Tina Reber is probably the best love story I've ever read. I love everything about it! I even read it twice. It holds a special place in my heart. The sequel Love Unrehearsed was just as great with an genius ending!

3. The Avoiding Series by K.A. Linde will make you scream, cheer, want to throw your book or e-reader. It evokes so many emotions and keeps you glued to it. I once said that Avoiding Responsibility made me avoid all of my responsibilities because it was so good and I could not put it down. Fabulous series!!! Book 1 is Avoiding Commitment and book 2 is Avoiding Responsibility.

4. Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover. This series touched and warmed my heart. It has so much to offer and has stayed with me all year. It is one of the few books that I can recommend to young people and I love that! I even was lucky enough to win a signed copy of Point of Retreat this year :)!

5. The Mighty Storm by Samantha Towle. Somehow I was lucky enough to stumble upon this novel months ago. It tore me to shreds! Such an explosive love story and hot! I cannot wait for the sequel next year!

6. Crash into You by Roni Loren. Holy Hell, this was the hottest book I have ever read. No one can do a sex scene like Roni Loren! This book was so much more than just sex though. The writing style was unique and so well done and the multiple layers of the story made you not want to put it down! This is the first novel in a series called, Loving on the Edge. This is BDSM, so it may not be for everyone.

7. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. An amazing journey that touched my heart and soul. At times I had tears running down my face and it had an ending that gave me chills over my entire body. This is one of those once in a lifetime stories that will never leave you!
8. The Redhead Series by Alice Clayton. This is a hilarious and super sexy series. Alice Clayton's writing, language and steaminess are the perfect combination for me. I often connect so well with her characters that I feel like she made them about me! (yes, I'm delusional) The Unidentified Redhead is the first book and The Redhead Revealed is the second book.

9. On Dublin Street by Samantha Young. Such a great love story and scorching hot sex scenes with a man to die for!

10. Backstage Pass: Sinners on Tour by Olivia Cunning. This is the first book in a series. Each of the rockstars have their own book. I finished this and was still fanning myself for a few days later! Hottest sex scenes ever written! The whole group of guys are wonderful and unique!

So there is my top 10! A few that came so close were: Wallbanger by Alice Clayton, If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones, Collision Course by S.C. Stephens, If I Stay by Gayle Forman and Where She Went by Gayle Forman.
xo, D

Ah Shoot. It's my turn. Let me tell you, this is one of the hardest things I have had to do. D & I agreed that we HAD to be able to let a series count as 1 book or else I would've been up a creek! I started this year out reading The Hunger Games and absolutely loved them. I made it my goal to read 52 books this year. I work full time and have 3 little ones and figured 52 was kind of a lofty goal. So, nearly 150+ books later, I met my goal ;). Narrowing it down to a top 10 is nearly killing me. I could've made this list in June without a thought, but the 2nd part of this year has been SO packed with books that have simply blown me away.
Like D pointed out, we will have some overlap, but some that are very different. I'm going to list mine, but I wouldn't say that they are actually in any order. I loved all of these for very different reasons. In reality, I could probably do several different categories and do 10 for each of them. So... here we go!

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young - I must say, this one had me halfway considering leaving my family to head to Ireland and finding Braden for myself. It was an amazing story along with some hot scenes. Jocelyn's past was intriguing and really captivated me. The chemistry between Joss & Braden was fabulous.

The Proposition by Katie Ashley- Ah. Aidan Fitzgerald pissed me off so much at the end of this book. I'm considering looking him up when I'm in Atlanta this summer just so I can kick his tail myself. I loved how strong Emma was. She wasn't going to be walked all over and she would get what she wanted. Aidan was just as strong and just as stubborn as her. It made for some great sex and amazing arguments.

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover- This one rocked.my.world. I cannot say enough things about this. I'm going to just point you to our review in regards to this one.
Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover- So, what D didn't mention earlier is that while she was reading Slammed, I was up visiting her. Obviously that meant I had to re-read them. I've read both several times. I've recommended them to almost everyone I know... including my mom. I don't share a lot of what I'm reading with my mom b/c well... she just doesn't need to read most of this stuff ;). Both of these just have everything in them. Heartbreak, love, angst, romance... you get the drift. I seriously laughed at parts, sobbed at other parts, and felt what the characters felt.

Avoiding Commitment and Avoiding Responsibility by K.A. Linde - So if you read our review of Avoiding Commitment, you know that I bought this the day it came out, started it, put it down, loaned it out, and then came back to it. I am SO glad I came back to it. I yelled, I laughed, I held my breath, I considered slamming my Kindle against a brick wall. And when I finished, I hunted down Avoiding Responsibility on Fiction Press to find out what comes next. I also had the thought to avoid some commitments and responsibilities while reading these because I could not stop. I needed to keep reading. And bonus! There will be a 3rd book!

Reason to Breathe and Barely Breathing by Rebecca Donovan - These books really had me going. Given my line of work, reading about abuse and mental health issues really hit home. It was heartbreaking, but at the same time you want to fight for Emma and help her. At the same time, you get SO angry with her and so frustrated with her. And Evan, oh Evan. He is amazing.
Thoughtless and Effortless by S.C. Stephens- I think these books speak for themselves. There's not much I can say that hasn't already been said. Rocker + Love Triangle + reformed man-whore = amazing. Hands down.

Take This Regret by A.L. Jackson- A story of a chance encounter and second chances with a first love. It is beautifully written and has a way of really making you just keep wanting more. It isn't about puppy dogs and rainbows. There are serious issues that are brought up and dealt with. Forgiveness isn't easy and this book really showed that.

I Love You To Death by Natalie Ward - Oh.my.word. I sobbed my way through this. I picked it up because I was waiting on another one to load so I thought it'd be a good time filler. It was so much more than that. I don't think there was anything not to love about Luke. He was AMAZING. I cannot wait to read the next story from his point of view. Ash. Oh my heart hurt for her. I cannot imagine dealing with the things that Ash has had to endure.

Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay - D read this and immediately told me I HAD to read it and that I COULD NOT read the end ahead of time (patience is not a virtue I possess. I frequently get about 10% in to a book and read the ending). I am so glad I listened. I don't think there are words to describe the emotions I felt while reading this one. Each character was developed beautifully without becoming redundant. The story was executed brilliantly. And the romance was so raw and so beautiful.

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton- holy crap. HILARIOUS. I started this book while I was in B&N with a friend and we were both laughing so hard and could not control it. Just like the Redhead series, it had everything. I love her sense of humor. The sex was hot. It was excellent. We talked about this one over here.

Ok. So that was 11. I had a hard enough time narrowing it down to that and there was just no way to take any of those off. Don't judge me.
Others that were fighting for top spots would be: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, Easy by Tammara Webber, The Sea Breeze series by Abbi Glines, Vincent Boys series by Abbi Glines, Collision Course by S.C. Stephens, Come Away With Me by Kristen Proby, and Devoured by Emily Snow.
~Em