Shel's Top Ten of 2015

I hate this time of year...  It's the time when I have to narrow down all the great books I've read and pick my top ten favorites.  *Sigh*  I had a difficult time figuring out my top ten this year, but here you have it - 

Ally Carter really goes for the jugular in All Fall Down.  It's a fantastic, emotionally exhausted ride.

While Ally goes for the jugular, Tiffany King tries to rip out your heart in A Shattered Moment.  It is such a devastatingly beautiful story.

Atlantis Rising is a clever take on the lost city.  A great mythology and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Wow, if you are ever in need of a laugh, you couldn't ask for better than most of Rachel Van Dyken's work.  I laughed so much reading The Consequences of Loving Colton that it had to go on my Top Ten list.

A modern take on the teenaged Lois Lane, newbie sleuth and reporter.  Seriously, it's mystery mixed with superhero mythology, which makes it perfect.

Loving Dallas is a great New Adult revolving around a country music band on the rise.  The whole series is fun and you should check it out.  

A great sport's romance, and check out this cover!

Reawakened was a fun and entertaining story about Egyptian Mythology.  I loved this book so much, I got it for BiblioJunkie Bel for Christmas!

I nearly disavowed Janet Evanovich after reading The Scam - I need to know what happened!!!!  The Fox & O'Hare series is great fun about a straight laced FBI agent partnering with a charming con-man to bring down hardened criminals.  If that doesn't sell you on the series, then you don't know how to live.  :-)

I loved Tessa's story and I hope you do too.  A New Adult about a young woman trying to have it all, but being a single mother, it's not really happening. 














And there you have it, my Top Ten of 2015.  I wish you happy reading in 2016 and too many great books to narrow it down to just 10!

~ Shel

Tessa Ever After by Brighton Walsh

****

From Penguin:

In this grippingly emotional New Adult novel from the author of Caged in Winter, what you want isn’t always what you need…

Jason’s been living (and loving) the rich playboy lifestyle for five years, but now his parents are pressuring him to get involved in the family business. The last thing he wants is another obligation, but when his best friend moves out of state and asks Jason to look after his sister, he can’t just say no.

Tessa had to grow up way too soon. After dealing with the aftermath of her parents’ deaths, then becoming a teenage mom, she knows the meaning of responsibility. Which is why, at twenty-two, she’s looking for so much more than a party boy. She’s looking for someone who can stand by her and her daughter…forever.

A relationship between them is doomed from the start, but who says they can’t have a little fun? But as Jason gets closer to Tessa—and her daughter—fun starts to turn into something else… Something Jason’s not sure he’s ready for.

Being a young single mother, without parents of her own, makes having a life difficult.  In fact, she's barley hanging on now that her brother, Cade, has moved away.  Enter Jason, Cade's best friend.  Jason's known Tessa all his life, but his best friend's sister is strictly off-limits.  Cade's departure brings Tessa and Jason closer together, as Tessa needs help keeping it together for her daughter.  

I love Tessa and Jason.  They are flirty, fun, and sometimes awkward as hell!  Single parents seems to be a trending theme in romances and Walsh does a fantastic job bringing Tessa and Jason together in an organic and entertaining relationship.  If you haven't read Brighton Walsh, you really need to.  Caged in Winter, Cade and Winter's story, is great.  Check out my review here.  I can't wait to see what Walsh has in store for us next!

~ Shel

Caged in Winter by Brighton Walsh

***1/2

From Penguin:

In this emotional and sexy New Adult debut from Brighton Walsh, the only thing more frightening than commitment is hope…

Aspiring chef Cade Maxwell is immediately, viscerally attracted to Winter Jacobson. But it’s not her mouthwatering curves he’s drawn to—it’s the strange emptiness in her eyes. When Cade saves her from a drunken customer with grabby hands, he’s shocked at her response…

Winter doesn’t need Cade’s help. After a lifetime of getting by on her own, she’s happy to rely on herself. She’s exactly seventy-six days away from graduating college, and if she can hold it together that long, she’ll finally be able to rise above the crappy hand she was dealt.

But now, every time she turns around, Cade is there, ready to push her, smile at her, distract her from her plans. Winter knows she can’t afford to open up—especially to a man she’s terrified to actually want…

Big, bad Cade Maxwell with his mountainous size and tats, is a forever boy.  Who woulda thought?  What I love most about Cade is that he is completely open - openly thoughtful, openly caring, and openly protective of those he loves.  There's no posturing with Cade.  

Winter has an obsession with doing everything for herself, accepting no assistance, born from a childhood in rotten foster homes.  Trust is difficult when everyone you've ever known has broken any measure of trust placed in them.  For someone so hell-bent on relying solely on herself, Cade's giving and protective nature is problematic.  Conflict abounds, and Winter has to face her past if she wants a future with Cade.  

This was my first Brighton Walsh book and it was fantastic!  I can't thank Jessica (Walsh's publicist) enough for recommending Caged and Tessa Ever After!  This is new adult romance at it's finest!

~ Shel