R.E. Hargrave's TOP TEN Books of 2015

Another year is coming to a close. I didn't get to read nearly as many books as I would've liked, but around editing manuscripts and working on my own stories, I did manage to get a few in. Here, in no particular order, are my top ten favorite books of 2015.

IT STARTED IN TEXAS by M.B. FEENEY

Contemporary Romance / 225 pages

Read MY REVIEW

Leaving the familiar comfort of her UK home for a weekend in Texas is one of the craziest things Charlotte Evans has ever done. Celebrating her birthday with friends is the highlight of her year until she bumps into her favourite rock star, literally.

Gage Weston is used to having women fall over themselves at his feet … A rock star, an actor, he’s got his fair share of female attention, but what is it about the Brit that grabs his attention from the moment they meet?

Communication issues and crossed wires plague them as they try to work out what is going on with them across thousands of miles. Crazy friends and distance issues aside; can a relationship work, or is it a simple case of ‘a girl in every town’?

BEATLESS by AMBER L. JOHNSON

Contemporary Romance / 213 pages

Read MY REVIEW

Mallory Durham has been left behind and it is making her feel less like an adult and more like an afterthought. 

Divorce, sickness, educational aspirations being shattered, and her Aunt Sam moving into her home, have made Mal's life nearly unrecognizable to her.

When Tucker Scott re-enters her life along with his band, will they offer what she needs to once again find her voice and self confidence or will it strip her of it even more?

Told through the dual voices of Mallory as she navigates her new world, and Aunt Sam's letters to her niece, Beatless tells the story of two women at very different points in their life, fighting the same battles; proving that no matter what age a person is, there are always lessons to be learned.

MAYBE by AMBER L. JOHNSON

Contemporary Romance / 184 pages

Read MY REVIEW

Letting go is hard. Admitting you need each other is harder.

Emily Portman loves her job. A writer for Breakout! Magazine, she shadows and showcases up-and-coming bands. When her next assignment takes her to Austin, Texas, she can’t wait to add the city to her map of places she’s visited. Places she’s left without looking back. Her plan is to keep moving on, and the last thing she needs is a man holding her back. She’s not going down that road again.

Tyler Macy is stuck in a rut. Despite his exceptional talent as a musician, he has chosen to take a back seat with his music and let others grab the limelight. Wounded and mistrustful, he doesn’t appreciate his friends’ efforts to bring him back to center stage. Emily comes onto the scene and sees his full potential, but he fights to stay in the shadows, shutting her out before she can add to the scars another woman gave him.

For Tyler to find his music again, he needs to accept the help that Emily and their friends offer. When he discovers that his muse lies underneath Emily’s skin, it is still not enough to keep her from walking away. Neither will admit what they really want until it is too late.

Emily is once again thrown in Tyler’s path when she is assigned to join them on tour. Despite the pain in his past, Tyler sees that she is worth it, even if she’s stolen both his heart and peace of mind. In order for them to be together, they both must discover whether the music and their passion are enough to overcome the obstacles that separate them.

Maybe finding love is worth the risk.

TIED BETWEEN by KIRA BARKER

Book 2 of the We Kinky Three Series

BDSM MMF Erotica / 346 pages

Read MY REVIEW

Erin Slater loves her life. With the career she has always dreamed of just one phone call away, and two hot guys who have tied up her personal life in the very best of ways, what more could a girl ask for? Yet as hot and steamy as the sex is with Jack and Simon, sex alone does not a relationship make. They each have their own demons to battle, but acknowledging them can be much harder than it seems.

Not having enough time to spend with the guys is wearing her down, and as much as she loves being Simon's submissive, she needs more from him than the occasional workout in the attic. Simon is still hung up on what happened in the past, and sometimes, she's not sure that he has realized that Jack and Erin can give him everything he'd ever want. Then there is Jack--who is learning to accept Erin and Simon as they are, but still wears his heart on his sleeve--a constant reminder that Erin is not the only one who needs so much more than they have right now. And with their track record? Let's just say that she hopes that they can work this out before they end up unravelling all ties between them.

If you love steamy BDSM erotic romance with a twist, this is the series for you! For the best experience, pick up the first novel - Caught in the Middle - first!

COME UNDONE by KIRA BARKER

Book 3 of the We Kinky Three Series

BDSM MMF Erotica / 306 pages

Read MY REVIEW 

Sometimes, the one thing you can’t have is the only thing you want. 

That is exactly how Erin Slater has been feeling for a while—on so many levels. Sidelined in her career as a trauma surgeon; no longer welcome in her father’s home; being just Simon’s submissive, not the love of his life. What started out as her journey of self-discovery is looking more bleak now that the honeymoon phase is over and reality has come crashing in. That things between Jack and Simon seem to be smoothing out is the high note of her life right now—and that is, by far, not enough. 

But she is willing to fight for what she wants—and she wants so much more. But when she gets it—will she be able to deal with it? 

Dive into this vivid erotic romance full of friendship, lust, love, bondage, dominance, and submission. Intended for mature audiences. 

OBLIVION by JOSHUA RYAN OGG

Suspense Thriller / 260 pages

Read MY REVIEW

A maniac is murdering gang leaders in the desert outside San Diego . An upstart Mexican cartel has infiltrated the local market with a toxic new drug. Black magic is whispered in alleys and zombie tweekers roam the streets. The world stands on the brink of something sinister and occult but the only guy Donnie DeGrassi knows that can piece together this supernatural puzzle has completely vanished from the scene. 

Some say Kal Renley is crazy, others claim he’s a genius, but those that dose his chemicals just know him as the Medicine Man, master of high-flying drugs and head-spinning trips. He also knows more about the supernatural than anyone else on the streets. 

Can Donnie get his best friend out of an early retirement before reality gets as ugly as the underworld?

ASCENSION BY LORENZ FONT

Book 4 in The Gates Legacy

Paranormal Suspense/Romance / 444 pages

Read MY REVIEW

Rohnert comes from a long line of pure-blooded vampires. Quiet and principled, he is known for his combat expertise and is beloved by peers and students alike. Having broken away from the Vampire Council, Rohnert has nothing to do with the affairs of the elite group of Elders, which is being run into the ground by Goran, a former friend and ally. 

With the vampire race in upheaval, he must rise to the occasion and fulfill the prophecy of the black book, which is the source of wisdom and history of his people. Refusing to support Goran’s tyrannical rule and with no interest in ruling himself, he allies with freedom fighters led by the indomitable Harrow Gates. However, the prophecies failed to prepare him to handle one passionate and determined human doctor.

Shelly Anderson vowed to never fall in love again, but her resolve quickly changes upon meeting enigmatic and reclusive Rohnert. Although she was lucky enough to get what she wanted, their one night together ended in a nightmare. Now carrying his baby, she intends to raise the child on her own, but Rohnert’s unexpected reentry into her life derails her plans.

While she teaches him how powerful a human’s love can be, Rohnert realizes the lengths he is willing to go to keep her close and safe, even if it means violating a long-standing decree among pure-blooded vampires to keep their bloodlines alive. 

When Goran begins to kill off the remaining Elders, Harrow’s rebels urge Rohnert to step in, but it isn’t until harsh reality comes knocking at his door that his choice becomes clear. Rohnert must do whatever he can to save the people he loves or risk losing them forever, but the reluctant savior may already be too late to protect the lives that matter most.

FIRE DOWN BELOW by DEBRA ANASTASIA

Book 1 in The Gynazule Series

Contemporary Romance/ Humor / 257 pages

Read MY REVIEW

Dove Glitch is embarrassed about everything above her knees and below her belly button. When she has to fill a delicate, embarrassing prescription the last thing she needs is a sexy-as-hell (and brand spanking new) pharmacist behind the counter. 

Johnson Fitzwell’s first day of his dream career also happens to coincide with the exact moment Dove needs her feminine meds filled. His glorious voice is way too loud–as in, he should be counting down the hits with Ryan Seacrest kind of loud. Thanks to Johnson’s handsome face and gorgeous jaw line, Dove dives headlong into her waking nightmare and asks for a vagina-scented cream. 

How could she not fall for him? Dove's only active goal now is to get Johnson to kiss her right on the lips. Either set. However, his horrible girlfriend is one of many obstacles preventing her from making that fantasy a reality. When Dove defends Johnson in the most unhygienic, unconventionally gross way in the middle of a crowded restaurant, their tender, slightly tantric relationship is off to a galloping, farting start. 

Each print copy of this book will be dipped in holy water by my mom, and glared at by my father as he purses his lips. Neither will help. So, drop your pants and turn to the left and cough. I hope you're not allergic to latex, because it’s time to fill your prescription. Anally.

POUGHKEEPSIE BEGINS 

by DEBRA ANASTASIA 

Book 4 of The Poughkeepsie Brotherhood Series 

Contemporary Romance/ Suspense / 199 pages

Read MY REVIEW

It ends with the beginning. This legendary, indie, cult-favorite series ends its tale with the story of the Poughkeepsie brotherhood before the tattoo. Before the train station, before the church, before a criminal empire there was a foster home and three teen boys who chose each other as family, because the ones they were born into didn’t exist

Still in high school, Beckett is already laying the groundwork for a grander life ahead, one where his brothers want for nothing and get some respect for once. But even as he plans, Beckett must decide if he’s ready to make that choice—diving in to a life that trades his chance at a future, his chance at something as simple as first love with a girl named Candy Cox, for their chance to find happiness.

Blake, Beckett, and Cole’s devotion to each other is forged by fists and the driving need to belong somewhere, to do more than just survive this life. Readers of the series know they each get there in the end, but before we count smiles, we must first shed tears. These early days of the Poughkeepsie brotherhood will play on your heartstrings before serrating them with a knife; they’ll lift your soul with music, only to leave you with nothing but a desperate prayer for hope.

And when you reach the end of the beginning, you’ll be ready to start the series all over again.

BURNING FOR HER KISS 

by SHERRI HAYES 

Book 1 of The Serpent's Kiss Series

BDSM Erotic Romance/ 315 pages

Read MY REVIEW

Beth Davenport has no interest in getting involved with another man for the foreseeable future. To say her last relationship ended in disaster would be a colossal understatement. The only reason she agrees to put in an appearance at Serpent’s Kiss, a private kink club in downtown St. Louis, is because her best friend, Nicole, won’t quit nagging her. When she walks in the door that night, the last thing she expects to do is meet a man who will have her reconsidering her ban on men.

As a captain with the St. Louis Fire Department, Drew Parker is used to being in charge. His crew relies on him to make sure they know what they’re doing and return home to their families after every shift. It isn’t, however, what he wants in a relationship. Drew decides to join Serpent’s Kiss to see if what appeals to him in fantasy is something he wants to explore in the real world. He’s also hoping that he’ll be lucky enough to meet a woman with whom he can explore his desires. The night Beth walks into the club, he is intrigued. Drew has to get to know her better.

After what happened to her, Beth is reluctant to get involved with Drew. It doesn’t matter that he is sweet and charming. She’s been burned before and Beth doesn’t think she can survive having her heart crushed again. Drew, however, won’t take no for an answer. He wants a relationship and is determined to chip away at her defenses until she relents. Will she give him a chance, or did her ex leave her with scars too deep to heal?

happy reading in 2016!