The Best of the Best: January-June 2009

Since January 1, I have read 167 romances/women’s fiction novels published between December 30, 2008 and June 23, 2009. Most of them have been books that I’ve enjoyed; a fair number (just under 25%) have been keepers, books that have been B+-A reads for me and that I expect to reread at some point. Selecting the best from among these books I have loved is not easy, but I persevered. Here are my Top Ten of 2009: Part I. (This way I get to pick another top ten for July-December.)

Tempt the Devil, Anna Campbell (December 30)
Sophisticated characters well beyond youth with scarred souls and heavy baggage—how often do we encounter such characters as the heroine and hero in romance? In Olivia and Julian, Anna Campbell gives readers characters who are complex mixtures of strengths and vulnerabilities. Such wonderfully rich characterization and the redemption theme make this one AC’s best. I expect to see this one winning more awards for the warm and witty Ms Campbell.

The Lost Recipe to Happiness, Barbara O’Neal (December 30)
Chefs are popular in contemporaries these days, but there is nothing “trendy” about Barbara Samuel’s first novel under the name Barbara O’Neal, despite its chef heroine. TLRTH is about the ways people survive, the ghosts they carry with them, and the passions that define them, and it includes recipes that will delight the heart of any foodie. Samuel may be writing under a new name, but she has not lost the emotional punch that has always characterized her work.

Smooth Talking Stranger, Lisa Kleypas (March 31)
I love Jack Travis! Yes, this book has a lot going for it. Ella is a heroine who grows into strength, the heartbreak she survives is rooted in credible experience, and baby Luke is more than adorable. But it is Jack, an idealized version of men I know, a real guy with a tender heart and a genuine goodness, that makes the book for me. Kleypas is one of the best in the business at creating memorable heroes, and her contemporary heroes are as wonderful as Derek Craven and Ross Cannon.

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie, Jennifer Ashley (April 28)
Nine books on this list are by authors whose books I buy routinely. This one is evidence of the power of internet buzz. I bought this one solely because I wanted to see what all the talk was about. I loved it—the time, the place, the intelligent heroine with a sense of humor, and especially the atypical/typical hero. I won’t wait on the buzz to buy Mac and Isabella’s story next year.

Always a Scoundrel, Suzanne Enoch (April 28)
I’ve enjoyed the other Notorious Gentleman books, but this one is the best in the series. In fact, it’s my favorite Enoch since England’s Perfect Hero. I have a particular affection for redemption stories, and Bram’s transformation is wholly credible. I usually scoff at the villain totally given over to evil, but Cosgrove is disturbing. And unlike many reviewers, I understood Rose’s struggle with duty. It had more to do with how she viewed herself than with the merits of her family.

To Beguile a Beast , Elizabeth Hoyt (April 28)
I have been fascinated with Hoyt’s Legend of the Four Soldiers since I read a description well before the first one was published. The first two books in the series were both A reads for me, and I think TBAB is even better. The beauty and the beast treatment is innovative, and the children add another dimension to the story. And Elizabeth Hoyt could write a book on how to use highly sensual scenes that are integral to the characters and the story.

Vision in White, Nora Roberts (April 28)
I am delighted that Nora Roberts has returned to the straight contemporary—no bells and whistles and no crazed killers or creatures from another dimension, just traditional romance. Hurray! I liked Mackenzie with all her baggage. I laughed out loud at the advice of math teacher Bob. I loved the realness of the female friendships, and I adored Carter, the smart, funny, bumbling beta hero.

Not Quite a Husband, Sherry Thomas (May 19)
If you hear anyone claiming that European historicals are too much alike, give her NQAH. Set mostly in the Swat Valley and centered on a prickly heroine who is committed to her career as a doctor and a hero who is a golden charmer with heart and courage, this is an extraordinary book. Thomas uses conventions (a reunion plot, an older woman/younger man pairing, a journey motif), but she makes of them a story as original as it is unforgettable. Sherry Thomas’ prose, which I find as addictive as the best chocolate and just as rich and luxurious, is a bonus.

One Reckless Summer, Toni Blake (May 26)
One Reckless Summer is the first in a series set in Destiny, a fictional small town in Ohio. I’m a fan of Toni Blake and of small-town series, so this one started with advantages. But it is Jenny Tolliver, the good-girl, people-pleasing, self-abnegating heroine that places this book on my list. I have the feeling that a lot of other good-girl readers share my jubilation when Jenny happens upon a bad boy from her past and starts breaking the rules. This is a funny, sexy, tender read that made me laugh and cry and left me eager to return to Destiny.

This Duchess of Mine, Eloisa James (May 26)
I think one of the most difficult things for a writer to do must be to sustain the power of a series. Eloisa James always does it beautifully. The fifth Desperate Duchesses book is the best in this stellar series. At more than one point in the first four books, I feared that EJ was going to do the unthinkable and let Elijah die. I’m happy she didn’t. I love Jemma and Elijah’s HEA. I’ll never look at chess the same way again. And those bath scenes! And the lyrical passages that moved me to tears.

The next couple of months will bring a bonaza of books for the romance lover. Next week alone will see new books by Julia Quinn, Mary Jo Putney, Loretta Chase, Barbara Freethy, Karen Rose, and several others. And Eloisa James’ A Duke of Her Own (Villier’s book) and Tessa Dare’s Goddess of the Hunt arrive in July. What riches still await us!

How many of my favorites have you read? What would you add to the list?