According to my Goodreads challenge I'm an overachiever this year and I've read 165 books!
What a year it's been! I was introduced to some amazing books! My whole reading world has expanded so much and I'm so grateful to all my friends on Goodreads, blogs and forums for their recommendations because without them I wouldn't have found half the awesome books I've read this year.
I wish I could share all the books I've loved with you but that would be one awfully long blog post and if you, like me, suffer from ADD, you wouldn't have the patience to read through it all. So I selected the ones that made the most impact on my world and caused some major obsessions!
Cut&Run series by Abigail Roux and Madeline Urban
Ty and Zane *sigh*
Those guys turned my world up side down and caused one too many sleepless nights. I adore them!!!
If you haven't read the series, what are you waiting for??? It's action packed, funny, sweet, and HOT!!! You need this books in your life, trust me!
In the Company of Shadows series by Sonny and Ais
Hsin and Boyd *another sigh*
Those two are my other obsession this year.
In the Company of Shadows blew my mind! It's a free online series and has an epic following! You can download the whole series HERE - it was completed in March 2013 so if you download it now, you're so lucky that you'll be getting the whole, finished series instead of waiting for months for the next instalment!
But be warned - those books will turn you inside out. They'll chew you raw and spit you out and stomp on you until you can't take another breath. They're beautifully written, painful, amazing, funny, emotional, brutal, sweet... You'll feel every single emotion out there until your poor heart can't take it anymore.
Here's my review for book one - Evenfall.
Read those books. You'll never be the same.
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
The Infernal Devices comes to an end with this awesome book! I think this is the best book Cassandra Clare has ever written. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after I read it, and I still sometimes think about one scene in particular that left me shattered. And epic finale to this amazing series!
Captive Prince by S.U.Pacat
I started reading this book with an open mind, even though I wasn't sure it'll be my cup of tea. Oh my, was I wrong! It was amazing! Went straight to book 2 and after I finished it, I had the biggest book hangover! Couldn't start another book for 3 days!
What makes this series extra special is that it started as an online free read with a gay couple as the main romance story and Penguin acquired it! All 3 books will be published in 2014 under Penguin and will be available in all major book stores. That gives me great hope that the big publishing companies are finally taking their heads out of their butts and all books, regardless of the gender of their lead character, will soon have equal chance at becoming worldwide bestsellers.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I've had this book for ages before I finally decided to read it. I admit it, I was scared.
And y'all should be too.
This book is an emotional suicide.
I cried so hard. I'm not a book crier, I can count the books that have made me this emotional on one hand. But this book... It's so sad, and yet hopeful. So beautiful and yet ugly. So funny and yet tragic. It's a huge contradiction that messes up with your head and your heart.
Promises series by Amy Lane
Read any Amy Lane book you can get your hands on. She can write!! I've read most of her books and I still haven't read something I didn't like.
The Promises series is my absolute favourite of hers, but I also love the Johnnies series and The Locker room. Ms Lane writes emotionally charged books and beautiful stories that stay with you forever.
Conquest series by SJ Frost
If you love rock stars, this is for you! Conquest is just incredible!! Try not to fall in love with Jesse. Try it, I dare you!
Finale (Hush Hush #4) by Becca Fitzpatrick
The Hush Hush series come to an end in 2013. I've followed this series since book 1 was published and I've loved every single one. If you're a fan of Patch and Nora, Finale is a must read.
Soldiers (Special Forces #1) by Aleksandr Voinov and Marquesate
This book messes with your head. Big time.
I'm not a lightweight when it comes to mind f$$ks. No ma'am. But this book distressed me so much that I just couldn't go on with the series. I hope I'm brave enough to read the other 3 books this year...
Having said that, make no mistake - Soldiers is beautifully written. Genius. But I didn't expect anything less from Aleksandr Voinov. *bows her head to the Master*
Training Season by Leta Blake
I cannot thank my Goodreads friends enough for recommending this book to me. I probably wouldn't have found it otherwise.
I've read my fair share of big name bestsellers. I've been disappointed by 80% of them. That's why I made the conscious decision to read lots more indie, underground if you will, books in 2013. I'm so glad I did! Some of the most talented authors are hiding behind those books and I feel so fortunate to have discovered them.
Leta Blake is one of them. Training Season was incredible! Amazing! Breathtakingly beautiful. I loved every single word!
Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville
This is one of those rare books that you just know the author has thought about every single word she wrote until it was just right.
It's a book about self-discovery, acceptance, love and possibility. It has plenty of action but it also has plenty of those quiet, sweet moments that make you appreciate the beauty of the book.
Slammed by Colleen Hoover
What can I say about Slammed that hasn't already been said?
It's inspiring.
I'm going to stop here because if I don't I can go on forever. These are definitely not the only books that I absolutely loved in 2013. There are many more like the Coda Books by Marie Sexton, The Current Between Us by Kindle Alexander, Scrap Metal by Harper Fox, Second Chances by T.A.Webb, Mexican Heat by Josh Lanyon and Laura Baumbach, Faith, Love and Devotion series by Tere Michaels, Sinners on Tour series by Olivia Cunning... Seriously, I can go on FOREVER!
Whatever you do in 2014, just make sure you read.
Read what makes you happy, not what you think you should.
