Best. Books. Ever.

Here's a list of my favorite books ever - the ones I highly recommend to all of my friends -the ones I stay up til 6 a.m. reading - the ones I laugh out loud to, cry to, fall in love to, and lust to! This list will be updated periodically.

Thoughtless 

If you enjoy a good love triangle, you will love this book! Kiera starts out with an amazing boyfriend, Denny (And, ladies, he has a sexy Australian accent), whom she's dated for a while, and things are going great. Then she meets the super SUPER hot Kellan, who turns out to be her and Denny's new roommate. Kellan has perfect "just-fu**ed hair" that is pretty much irresistible by all women, especially with him being the singer of an up-and-coming band.

Her relationship with Kellan starts out innocent, and they become friends quickly. But one night when something happens with Kiera and Denny, things get messy (emotionally & physically) for all of them. Kiera very quickly second guesses herself about both of her relationships, making it hard to stick with a final decision. It doesn't help any that Kellan is rockstar-godly-hot with a fun personality, and he shows his secret sweet side only for her.

At some points I was screaming, "Why would you do that, you idiot?!" Then a few steamy pages later, I was like, "Ooohhhh...okay." :D

If you've read this book, let me just say OMG to the coffee stand scene and the raining/car scene. *Fans self* I just love how those scenes are slowed down so you can enjoy every second!

Denny is charming, constant, & reliable, Kellan is sexy, unstable, & unknown. Who to choose? Read to find out. Then read Effortless to see how the story continues!


Beautiful Disaster

This book is so addicting. The relationship between Travis & Abby develops in such a strange way that leaves the reader wondering what will happen. 

She is forced to live with Travis after losing a bet with him. There is no way that Abby will sleep with Travis, let alone date him. She knows what a womanizer he is, and she refuses to be another conquest. They become great friends, and Abby begins to wonder if Travis has really changed for her.

This is a great choice if you loved Thoughtless. It is real, funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, romantic, and steamy!



Fifty Shades Trilogy

My sister-in-law recommended this series to me last week and I finished the entire series in 5 days. I was hooked! However, I had no idea that it was an erotica read, so I was quite surprised, but the storyline already had me pulled in. There was no turning back.

Book #2 was my favorite. Christian really proved his feelings for Ana through his words and actions throughout the entire book. Many people complain that his 180 change was unrealistic and it ruined the story for them. I, however, am a hopeless romantic and my heart melted as I really fell in love with Christian's character.

I must say, the look into Christian's mind at the end of book 3 was AMAZING. I wish we could get to his view of the elevator scene with the famous, "fuck the paperwork" line. ;)

The emails were one of my favorite parts of the books. The subject lines and signatures made me laugh out loud several times.

"Laters, baby," made me laugh a lot. I loved seeing that side of Christian. I also know that his controlling side is unhealthy in a relationship, but it kept things interesting and it showed his true feelings about Ana. When Ana defied him from work or wherever, I always hoped that Christian would just show up (as he did pretty much every time). I see the sweet element of his need to control Ana while also understanding that it's not healthy for either party.

I secretly hoped for a smidge of a love triangle including Ethan, but then I realized that Christian would KILL Ethan and I decided against it.

Overall, this is a highly addicting series- a grown-up version of Twilight, but with a much more realistic plot. I love that Christian and Ana were based from Edward and Bella. E.L. James didn't make it too obvious IMO. It is just easy to see the resemblance in the form of their unexplainable, unending pull to each other. And who doesn't want a happy ending like this series offers?



Love Unscripted

I LOVED this book! The 657 pages kept me happily occupied the entire time! I really loved the MC, Taryn. She is an independent, laid back woman and is also a realist. I was happy that she turned down Ryan at first!

The description of the storyline made me a little hesitant at first when I bought the book...I didn't think a story about a mega-hot celebrity could seem realistic, but the pace that Taryn and Ryan started out with and their personalities made me believe it could really happen!

Ryan is just the most adorable, romantic guy ever- oh, and he's super sexy ;)

I have to admit that the writing style was very plain. I knew what every single word meant (usually I have to look up at least one new word when I read a book), and there were a TON of grammatical errors. It could just be the Kindle version with most of these mistakes, but there were spelling mistakes and wrong words used. For example, she used 'affect' one time instead of 'effect' (two different meanings). She also keeps saying "Leave me go" instead of "Let me go", and a couple of other phrases that she substituted incorrect words into.

I was also a little disappointed that Ryan never went public with his feelings for Taryn to 'clear the air'. Taryn was so right when she was upset after the hospital, when she was talking to Ryan on the phone. She thought it was wrong that he wouldn't let the public know the truth about his relationship with Taryn and just kill the rumors about the other women, all because he wanted to make more money. I REALLY wished that he would have at least released a statement or something at the end. He'd better do that in book #2; maybe actually keep him by her side on the next red carpet and answer some questions about their relationship. He's already loaded, so why hide the truth to make a little more money at the box office?

Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can't wait to read the sequel! I have been looking for a good read to rival Thoughtless and this book did just that! (Thoughtless is still better by a smidge) ;)


Wings series

This book series...*smiles & sighs*... SO GOOD! I could read it over and over.

This was my very first series about 'faeries', and I was hooked! Wings beautifully introduces the characters and situations in Laurel's life.

I was very pleased to see the development of a love triangle! One guy seems to be meant for her in the human world, while the other guy seems to be meant for her in the Faerie world. But the real question is, which world does she really belong to?

Laurel begins a crazy journey in her life as she begins to learn who she really is. There is a lot more at stake than just her love life; she has to make difficult and fast decisions that could impact her life and the Faerie world.

Tamani is one of my favorite characters ever. I pictured him as mega-supermodel-hot, what with the perfect symmetry and all. And the passion in his eyes, words, and actions had me melting in the palm of his hand. David had his moments too, but IMO, he doesn't hold a flame to Tamani. No matter who I was rooting for, Laurel's final decision isn't made until the very last book (#4- )Destined.

The reading order is here.



Divergent series

Tris grew up in a place where everyone is selfless, gentle, and kind. They don't even look in mirrors and all wear the same clothes. The day of choosing is among Tris and her fellow classmates. They can choose to stay in Abnegation, the place where they all grew up and where their families live, or they can choose a new path, which is pretty much unheard of. Tris takes a chance and follows her gut. Surprisingly, she is not the only one. Tris also finds out something about herself that no one can ever know- it could get her killed. She doesn't understand why, though. She meets Tobias, who is her instructor in her new place of residence. He discovers her secret and she discovers his in return. They must work together to keep themselves safe, and eventually to save everyone. One of the few books/series where romance isn't the main theme that I actually LOVE! This is very similar to The Hunger Games and Birthmarked.





Birthmarked

Gaia is a midwife- she delivers babies for women outside of the Enclave. She, as well as everyone else, is under control of the Enclave. When her parents go missing, a young, very attractive guard- Leon- comes to question her. Later Gaia is caught trying to rescue her parents from the Enclave, where she finds out who Leon really is within the Enclave. He helps her along the way, even helping her eventually escape. Their feelings for each other grow strongly. 

In the second book, Prized, Gaia is separated from Leon as she journeys out for help into the unknown. Once there, she meets many new people, two of which happen to be brothers who both fall in love with her. Gaia becomes the 'it' girl in this new, strange place. They hold a tournament for the men and the winner gets to choose one girl to live with for a month. Imagine Gaia's surprise when Leon is in the tournament! Who wins the tournament? Do they pick Gaia? And does Gaia love the brothers? This story doesn't have a love triangle- it has a love square!



The Hunger Games trilogy

Katniss is a kick-ass young woman. She is an amazing older sister, and volunteers herself for The Hunger Games (certain death) in place of her sister. All the while, she doesn't know if she has feelings for her good friend, Gale, who every other girl is in love with. She has to pretend to be in love with Peeta during the Hunger Games to try to save their lives. It's a complicated situation; Peeta admitted that he had always been in love with her, and after she thinks maybe there is something there with them, Gale admits he also has feelings for her. What's a girl to do? There are more important things for Katniss to deal with than boys, though. She needs to make sure her family is safe and healthy. The time will come, though, later in the series when she must choose.






That Boy

I absolutely LOVE this book! It is so witty and funny and never got boring! The proposal & the charms were so stinking cute!

"College is so awesome! Too bad they try to ruin it with classes!" - JJ

The MC, JJ, had me cracking up the entire time. I loved how laid-back she was. I did cry during the shocker! I couldn't believe that happened. But her 'boys' were amazing during that time.

I expected a major love triangle but it really wasn't like that. I'm glad they all remained such great friends. JJ ended up with the right guy :)

The ending was a great happy ending and really believable. I read the sample of the next book and it seems like it will be good too! This book definitely deserves 5 stars. Thank you Jillian Dodd for the smiles!!!


On Dublin Street

Jocelyn meets an extremely handsome (and arrogant) man in a taxi ride, and blows him off- she's not about to give some cocky man her number, let alone her name. It turns out, though, that he is her new roommate's brother. Thus, they are forced to be around each other. As the attractions grows between them, she is forced to  decide if he has changed his playing ways or if he is just going to use her and move on. 

If you like (steamy) romance, a little humor, men who don't stop until they get what they want, and angst- then this is the book for you! It is similar to Beautiful Disaster.






Fall From Grace 

Amazing!!!! This book (and the second, Saving Grace) was so good! I could not put my Kindle down. The romance/angst really draws you in, and I had a feel of Thoughtless from it. My reading goal is to feel like I did when I read FSOG, Thoughtless, and Beautiful Disaster. This book is definitely worth reading.










Bared to You 

 Rip-off of Fifty Shades? Yes. Awesome read? Hell yea. If you liked Fifty, you'll love this. The series (called Crossfire series) is addictive, yet still does not rank up as high as the famous FSOG. 












Wallbanger 

God.

I absolutely loved this book! It had everything I want in a book: romance, angst, sexual tension, comedy, fun MC and friends, wine, and last but not least, an extremely HOT man to dream about ;)

I want to be Real Life friends with these characters. I loved every single one of them. 







Twilight

 Do I really even need to say anything? This book series turned a lot of 'non-readers' into readers! Myself included. 













Dead Until Dark

 Sookie Stackhouse series. This is the series that HBO's True Blood is based off of. Vampires, Witches, Weres, and ERIC. A great love triangle/square throughout the books. 

There are a whopping 13 books in this series! Check out the reading order here.














Nightshade

 Love the cover? So do I! This 3-book series includes a love triangle that actually makes sense! You really don't know who you want her to be with- the decision isn't an easy one as it will affect everyone she cares about.













Darkfever

 This series is really amazing. It got more and more exciting as each book went on! There are 5 books in the series. These books have 2 of the hottest, sexiest, masculine men vying for the main character. Holy hotness. It is very paranormal, but I loved it!














The Mighty Storm

 Girl has boyfriend, girl reconnects with childhood best friend (who just happens to be a HUGE rockstar), love triangle ensues. Loved it!














Fallen Too Far

 Wow, I seriously loved this book! I read it all in one sitting. The main character, Blaire, is an independent woman and is working hard to keep it that way. The story was very well-paced and I wished I was Blaire the entire book. 













Down to You

 Brothers. One = her boss. The other = her cousin's boyfriend. This one had me loving both guys, and who wouldn't want to be pursued by these two men?










Collide

Oh yea, now that's what I'm talkin' about! I SOOOO needed a good read and this was great!!!
Alpha hottie, check!
Bomb-diggity best friend, check!
Angsty, sexual tension, check check check!
The crazy thing about this story is that the author was able to pull off switching POVs within the chapters. There was no pause in the story to change POVs. I loved this, because when the POV waits to change until the next chapter, you only get inside one character's head during major events. Sometimes I am left wondering how the other felt or what they thought during a scene, and this story gave us both of their feelings, switching between paragraphs so that we were able to capture it ALL!
Gavin reminded me a lot of Gideon. Not quite as damaged as Christian Grey, but still pretty Alpha. ***SWOON*** 

This Man 

 Holy Hell, I LOVED this book!!! It pulled me in the way that Fifty Shades did!!

I did guess correctly as to what the big surprise toward the end would be. Ava can be so dense sometimes... But it wouldn't be an interesting read if she wasn't!


If you loved Fifty Shades, you'll love this.
I had two other books in line to read, but the sequel to this book is skipping ahead to the front! I'm off to Amazon to buy the next one!!

"Wings" by Aprilynne Pike- Reading Order

#1 Wings

#2 Spells

 #3 Illusions

#4 Destined