Sally Thorne's debut hit novel, The Hating Game, was a polarizing book, but I came down on the side of really enjoying it. I liked it enough that I just looked past the issues and enjoyed the ride. That said, 99% Mine is not much like The Hating Game at all. I know that I'm a different reader than I was in 2016, when her first novel came out, so it fits that this book is different than Thorne's last. It's as though the book fits where I am now. Perhaps it'll fit for you, too.

This book came to me via a recommendation by author Cathy Pegau on Twitter and I'm so very happy we were both in the same digital space that day. I adore Hades and Persephone retellings, not only because Demeter/Ceres is my BFF, but also because Hades is the ultimate bad boy. When done properly, retellings make their relationship a forbidden romance rather than a forced abduction and well, I am here for that every day. 

My opinion of Six Weeks with a Lord varied greatly as I read it, and the origin of my issues: the hero.

When my daughter and I sat down to watch the Netflix reboot of the 80's cartoon, She-Ra, I knew it was created by the wonderful Noelle Stevenson (Nimona, Lumberjanes), and I knew she'd drawn her fiancee, Molly Ostertag (The Witch Boy) into "Princess Prom." Oh, and I knew that a bunch of grown men on the internet were annoyed that this version of She-Ra wasn't going to be half naked and drawn for the male gaze. Sold and sold.

In her black leather, heavy lined eyes and dark cloak, Diana, a coyote shifter, exudes confidence and primal energy but there is one human who can fluster her like no other - her ex, Laine. Laine never believed Diana’s reasons for their break up with her and is back to see if Diana is ready to admit they should still be together and put them back on track.

New year, new books! Kick off your 2019 reading with some new romances! 

Silvia Moreno Garcia's The Beautiful Ones is a difficult book to categorize, blending fantasy, historical fiction, and romance into one complicated, character-driven novel. On the whole, I can't say that it made me "happy," but I did enjoy reading it. Fluff this is not.

This is a difficult book to review, because I had two completely different trains of thought going while I was reading. On one hand, it's an over-the-top romantic comedy, with a heroine doing some truly batty things that sound straight out of The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. On the other hand, the book doesn't deal well with mental illness, the reality of stalking, and/or actually building the romance between the two main characters.

His Dark Magic follows Chloe, a witch from a well-connected family who is a medical student in Vermont. A terrible incident from her past has led her to pursue a career in medicine, where she hopes to combine her magical talent with her scientific work to heal otherwise unhealable conditions. The local coven, the Northern Circle, takes notice of her ability and asks her to join. At first, Chloe isn’t very interested in joining - the Northern Circle has had a rough past, and its reputation is discouraging. 

Before we get to my Top 5, a note:
As with any "Best Of" list, this is a highly subjective selection, limited by my own tastes and time. I read over 245 books this year, but not all of them came out in 2018, which limits the group further. Nevertheless, this was a hard list to compile!

With that said, here are five books that had significant meaning or impact for me this year. I've also tossed in a few runners up and non-romance picks at the end, because I read a lot of good stuff this year. A lot.