the ask@AAR is, today, an answer! Here’s what you’ve read and loved in 2020.
Earlier this week, we asked you what you’d read and loved this year. Over 50 of you filled out our survey–thank you!–and the results were varied. And while it’s a little early yet to declare the Best of 2020, there are several books that are clearly in contention.
When asked What’s your favorite romance you’ve read thus far this year?, your clear favorite was Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material. (Our DIK review is here.) Five of you picked it! The runner up was Milla Vane’s A Heart of Blood and Ashes, chosen by three. (Our DIK review is here.)
Other books mentioned more than once were Bench Player by Julianna Keyes (our DIK review is here), Headliners by Lucy Parker (our DIK review is here), and The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (our DIK review is here).
There was also a clear winner to What’s your favorite historical romance you’ve read this year?: Five of you picked Mia Vincy’s A Dangerous Kind of Lady (Our DIK review is here). Second up, with four votes, was K. J. Charles’ Slippery Creatures (our DIK review is here.)
Many of you listed older books–romances by Loretta Chase appeared twice as did Georgette Heyer. You guys also like books by S.M. LaViolette (she also writes as Minerva Spencer)–you picked her twice as well.
In the What’s your favorite contemporary romance you’ve read this year? category, Lucy Parker’s Headliners edged out The Boyfriend Material by one vote, four to three. Readers also chose Parker’s The Austen Playbook, Act Like It, and Pretty Face, each of which received one vote. The Flatshare garnered two votes.
Many of you said you don’t read Women’s Fiction (oh how I hate that term) and thus we had fewer answers to the question What’s your favorite women’s fiction you’ve read this year? There was a top choice however; three of you chose Beach Read by Emily Henry (our B review is here.) Two of you opted for The Switch by Beth O’Leary (our DIK review is here).
Ilona Andrews dominated the paranormal category–her books were mentioned by six of you, a hefty number given a somewhat smaller number of responses. Milla Vane was mentioned three times. Interestingly, in both cases, no one chose the same book!
There also were fewer responses to What’s your favorite romantic suspense you’ve read this year? The clear winner here was Adriana Anders’ Whiteout (our B review here). Blue on Blue by Dal Maclean was the runner up (our DIK review is here), followed by books by Gregory Ashe.
You are all reading and liking very different nonfiction. The only book that appeared more than once was Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, a five star read at Amazon from 3500 readers. Other choices were as varied as Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell, Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity by Peggy Orenstein, and Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein.
And as for what the best book you’ve read this year, well, not one of you chose the same book. Here’s the whole list:
| A Gentleman in Moscow is my current favourite. |
| A Man Worth Shaving For by Michelle Pennington |
| A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson |
| All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries 1) by Martha Wells |
| An Elegant Façade by Kristi Ann Hunter |
| Autoboyography by Christina Lauren |
| Bet Me- Jennifer Crusie |
| Boyfriend Material |
| Blue on Blue by Dal Maclean |
| Dangerous Illusions |
| Devotions by Mary Oliver |
| Expecting it to be Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith |
| Finally started reading Veronica Speedwell series by Deana Raybourn and I absolutely love them. Finally got the newest one and I can’t wait to read it. |
| How can you ask me to pick from all of them?!?😁 Probably Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë |
| In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan |
| Just Mercy |
| Life and Other Inconveniences |
| Murderbot series, Martha Wells |
| My yearly reread of the Touchstone series – Andrea K Host |
| Network Effect – Martha Wells |
| Off Duty, Volume 2, by Gregory Ashe |
| Outside of the romance genre, I love feminist literary fiction that pairs human women with nonhuman males to explore complex ideas about gender, sexuality, modernity, existentialism, and the way romantic entanglements challenge and change us. These books are a highly acquired taste and I would NOT recommend them indiscriminately, but The Regrets by Amy Bonnaffons and Bear by Marian Engel knocked my socks off. |
| Probably the A. Tinniswood – Behind the Throne |
| Santiago Postegillo: ‘Las legiones malditas’ (historical novel about Scipio, in Spanish) |
| Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin |
| Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes |
| Sherwood Smith, Lhind Trilogy |
| Somerset & Hazard series by Gregory Ashe |
| The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty |
| The Marigold Chain by Stella Riley (audio) |
| The Missing Pieces Trilogy by N.R. Walker |
| The Paragon Hotel by Lindsey Faye |
| The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black |
| The Regency Revolution: Jane Austen, Napoleon, Lord Byron and the Making of the Modern World by Robert Morrison |
| The Shaman of Karres – Flint, Eric & Freer, Dave |
| The Sun Down Motel Simone St. James |
| The Switch by Beth O’Leary |
| The Ten Thousand Doors of January |
| Vanity Fair’s Women on Women |
| You deserve each other by Sarah Hogel |
I agree with the individual who nominated the Veronica Speedwell mysteries. Book one had been sitting in my TBR pile forever. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. The next one is slated to come out in March 2021. I have had Veronica Speedwell withdrawal pains ever since I read Book 5, and I don’t know how I will last until March!
If you like Veronica Speedwell series, you might try Anna Lee Huber’s two historical mystery series. She has one starting with The Anatomist’s Wife featuring Lady Darby who meets a love interest in book one. And her Verity Kent series starting with This Side of Murder. Of the two series, Verity Kent has a bit more of the derring-do like Veronica Speedwell, but both have the same great blend of mystery and romance and starring strong, smart heroines.
Thanks, Jane! Guess what I found buried in my TBR pile? The first two books in the Verity Kent series – Yipee!
I’m one of the people who voted for Whiteout by Adriana Anders in the romantic suspense category, but it was a win by default because it’s the first romantic suspense novel I’ve EVER read. I liked it and I’d love to read more books in this sub-genre! Does anyone have a recommendation for where to start?
I read m/f or f/f and I want to avoid stories where the villains are brown or Muslim. I’m open to any heat level (although I gravitate towards steamier stuff) and explicit violence doesn’t bother me.
Rachel Grant’s Evidence and Flashpoint books are excellent (and pretty steamy!). I’ve recently listened to – and enjoyed – two of the books in Toni Anderson’s new Cold Justice: Crossfire series and would recommend those as well. I’d also recommend looking into books by Laura Griffin, Melinda Leigh, Mary Burton, Anne Calhoun, Jill Sorensen to name but a few. There’s a lot of good RS out there, although as I said in my comments on the original post, most of it seems to be happening in m/m right now.
Thank you, Caz! I found some old Jill Sorensen and Anne Calhoun paperbacks at my local used bookstore over the weekend, but Rachel Grant, Lauren Griffin and Toni Anderson’s novels look tempting, too. I’ll have to report back. :)
For good steamy romantic suspense, here are a few of my faves:
Loreth Anne White’s The Slow Burn of Silence
Carolyn Crane’s Undercover Associates series
Nalini Singh’s A Madness of Sunshine
Jill Sorenson’s Against the Wall
I also enjoy Pamela Clare’s earlier work and Rachel Gibson’s Writer Friends series.
Gah – how could I have forgotten Loreth Anne White?!
Well, her recent works aren’t romances so it’s understandable.
Wow, thank you for linking these recommendations, Dabney! I ordered A Madness of Sunshine and The Slow Burn of Silence to start with since I love Nalini Signh’s paranormals and Loreth Anne White’s name was mentioned repeatedly. :)
Enjoy!
There isn’t a lot of steam (which I thought would bother me, but doesn’t) & it’s historical (which you didn’t mention?), but the Sebastian St. Cyr novels are wholly satisfying & there are 15 of them! They’re terrific. I’m a newer fan of Loreth Anne White & would recommend her, too.
Are you sure I can’t convince you to give m/m a try??!! Like Caz, I read A LOT of romantic suspense & I can think of so many wonderful m/m recommendations that satisfy with thrills/chills & romance. IF you’re even a little bit tempted, try Hazard and Somerset. Clever, funny, challenging, suspenseful, thrilling, romantic, intense…GAH! THEY’RE SO GOOD.
Yes—there’s a lot of good m/m romantic suspense! I realize that pairing preferences may drive reading selections, but if Cece would be willing to try an m/m romantic suspense book, there’s a big selection. I loved Adrienne Wilder’s WILD, a survival against the elements story about a plane crash in Alaska (with one hero on the run from a crime boss). Also, Elyse Springer’s WHITEOUT (not to be confused with Adriana Anders’s book of the same title) which has a great setup: a guy wakes up in a snowbound cabin with amnesia…and he starts having doubts about the other man with him, who claims to be his boyfriend.
Ooh, I loved Elyse Springer’s Whiteout. I think it was an unusually effective use of the amnesia trope.
“I realize that pairing preferences may drive reading selections…” Yeah, as much as I enjoy m/m, I have to remind myself it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
I unfortunately can’t think of a single f/f romantic suspense offhand since Cece specifically mentioned an interest. I just checked Carina Press’s catalog, and they don’t have any.
I did, however, find this Goodreads list entitled “Lesbian Romantic Suspense:” https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/21645.Lesbian_Romantic_Suspense
I remember Rachael Stewart’s UNSHACKLED being a pretty good f/f romantic suspense. After her mother dies, the heroine is beholden to her stepfather (not a good guy) and she starts falling for the stepfather’s new fiancée while they’re both trying to escape his clutches.
Oh, yay! I love bonkers set-ups like that, I’ll have to check it out. Thank you for the recommendation, Deb!
Ohhhh, I love historical anything but I didn’t even think to ask because when I think of romantic suspense, I associate it exclusively with contemporaries. I’ve ordered the first “Sebastian St. Cyr” novel which I’m pumped about – a few years ago, I read the Candice Proctor novel, Night in Eden, so it’ll be interesting to read her work as C.S. Harris.
With m/m, it’s really not my thing, but I’ll never say never.If I’m tempted, now I know where to start.
Thank you for the recs!
If you’re looking for some formulaic fluff, I occasionally enjoy reading titles in the Harlequin Intrigue line. I haven’t read any of the Harlequin Romantic Suspense books yet, but that’s an option too. At this time, they are all m/f and the heat levels are warm rather than steamy, which you might find too tame. But they can be fun to breeze through.
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/brand/harlequin-intrigue.html
Have fun!
I’m ALL FOR formulaic fluff! Thanks for the tip, Nan De Plume.
You’re welcome! They have lots of titles to choose from and publish several every month.
Oh, but if you do make a purchase, please consider using the AAR link so the website gets a cut. :)
Of course, I always do! Happy to help any way I can.