Best Reads of 2012

Another year ends and I would like to collect a small list of great reads from 2012. Now, because this is a sort of farewell to 2012 this list will only include works that were published during 2012. Some of them I haven’t reviewed yet, but don’t worry, those are coming. These are organized by genre and then by publication date.

So here I leave you with: The Best (of what I’ve read) of 2012!

Urban Fantasy

The Force of Wind (March 2, 2012)

by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: ★★★★☆  
Find out more: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

How far would you go to protect the ones you love? 

What would you sacrifice to kill the one you hate? 

Join Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo as they travel to a hidden island on the far edge of China and seek the help of an ancient immortal court. Can they weave their way through the tangled web of centuries-old alliances and ruthless feuds to find what they’ve been looking for? Friends will be revealed, enemies will find them, and a dangerous secret will come to light.

The Force of Wind is the third book in the four-part Elemental Mysteries series. It is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers.

Crimson Midnight (March 15, 2012)

by Amos Cassidy
My rating: ★★★★★  
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Rose wants excitement, bright lights and late nights, but she gets more than she bargained for when she swaps her wholesome country life for the hustle and bustle of London.

The city night is home to hungry shadows, eager to consume her.

Rose discovers there is more to this world than what the mundane eye sees, and that she herself is a part of it. Unexpected friendships are forged and unwanted, sometimes dangerous, attractions flare.

London becomes a playground for magic, danger and supernatural threat. While her life, and those of who she loves, hangs in the balance, she must endeavour to embrace her new nature and assist in identifying the hidden threat before it succeeds in its dark purpose.

An Urban Fantasy filled with moon-praising, flat-dwelling vampires, chic corporate werewolves, bar-tending warlocks, ravenous demons and much, much more.

Step inside…

Review: An Enchanted Season by Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and, Jean Johnson

Title: An Enchanted Season
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Length: 341 Pages
Publication Date: October 2, 2007
Available Format: Kindle Edition, eBook, Paperback, Mass Paperback
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Book Description: (taken from Goodreads)

It's the time of year when dreams come true, miracles happen every day, and love is the greatest gift of all. The holidays always seem to bring out the best in everyone, with heartfelt hugs for long-missed friends, sincere smiles in the spirit of the season, and a feeling of magic in the air...

This scintillating collection of paranormal romances celebrates the holidays as never before. From a shape-shifting leopardess who wants a pack-mate to be her soulmate, to a sudden snowstorm that brings a surprise gift, these four tales will stir readers' spirits in all the right places.

An anthology of Christmas stories, perfect for the holiday season. It includes four shorts: Melting Frosty by Maggie Shayne, Charlotte’s Web by Erin McCarthy, Beat the Temptation by Nalini Singh, and Gift of the Magi by Jean Johnson. Because these are short stories I can’t really tell you what they are about without risking revealing the whole thing up, but I’ll do my best to review them without spoilers.

So I read this book due to the Vet VS Newbies challenge at Goodreads’ Gotta Have Paranormal Romance with a Kick Group. The book showcases spirits, witches, werewolves, and the magi and I totally love it. I usually stray away from Christmas books unless I want to read a story from a particular author. It’s nothing against the books, just not what I normally read. Which is why I’m so glad that I was given this book as one of my alternatives, otherwise I would have missed it completely. All four stories are worth the time and can be read in one sitting.

Here is the breakdown:

Merry Christmas to You and Your Love Ones

May this Christmas day be filled with happiness, joy, family, friends and all that special people in your life. May you be cover in health, love, kindness, and affection. Regardless of your believes, may this be a merry, merry Christmas...

Let's Talk: Book Déjà Vu

With the end of 2012 approaching lot’s of reading challenges have sprung, most of them are aimed at finishing, or rather, diminishing our eternally growing To-Be-Read (TRB) piles. If you are like me, you have read countless books on the same genres. So I wonder

What book(s) have you read that has one or more element that reminds you of a previous novel? For example, I’m currently reading How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 1) by Kerrelyn Sparks [currently $0.99 at Amazon] and I’m at a part that although is not developing the same way, in its essence it reminds me of Jeaniene Frost’s Halfway to the Grave. Another one was when I began Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed Series –I love it, but throughout the first three books I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was reading another version of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. So I ask you, which book(s) have you read that gives you a déjà vu?