I haven’t really done a top ten post in a very long time, but I have exactly ten books on my favorite 2015 reads shelf on Goodreads, so I figured I could share those with you today – since the blog has been so quiet lately and all.
Favorite 2015 Reads
Happily Ever After by J.A. Huss – link to my review
Life in Rook & Ronin’s world has been bliss for fifteen years. Rook, Veronica, and Ashleigh are still BFF’s raising their kids together. Ronin, Spencer, and Ford have managed to go legit and stay out of trouble. And they have a pack of kids running around the eight thousand square foot Vail mansion they all share for the holidays–begging for gifts, and fun, and love.
But every HEA has problems.
Five is fifteen and getting ready to go off to college. He’s put it off as long as he could in order to stay close to Princess Shrike, but his stay of execution is over and in three weeks he’s off to Oxford. But Five can’t leave until he gets the only thing he’s ever wanted. The heart of his Princess.
Ford and Ashleigh never had any more children after Five. And now that Kate is sixteen, Ashleigh is out of her head with desire for just one more chance to have a baby in the house.
Rook and Ronin have two beautiful daughters, but Sparrow is growing up too. And she just got a job offer that has Ronin crazed with paternal worry.
And Spencer is the father of a fifteen-year-old princess who looks way too much like her Bombshell mother for his comfort level.
Anarchy Found by J.A. Huss – link to my review
Everyone needs a hero.
That’s what Detective Molly Masters tells me. “What we need,” she says, “what the whole world needs,” she pleads, “is a champion.”
The only thing I want to talk about with Molly Masters is how I’d like to make her scream my name when I push her up against a wall, slide my hand up her thigh, and live out my wildest fantasies.
“Someone who will fight against injustice,” she says.
I’ll fight against anything you want, honey. Just come a little closer.
“Someone who will stand tall in the face of adversity,” she says.
I’ll do it standing, sitting, or lying down. See how easy I am?
“Someone who believes in the value of a good deed,” she says.
I believe in the value of me, sweetheart. Because I’m Lincoln Wade. Jaded genius, obscenely wealthy, capable of violence, and looking for revenge.
Molly Masters might have delusions of grandeur. She might see me as some superman capable of cleaning up the scum, filth, and corruption in Cathedral City.
But I’m not the hero she’s looking for.
I’m the dark alley where all her good intentions hide.
So be careful what you wish for, Molly Masters.
Because you’re about to get it.
The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis – link to my review
Maggie Sanders might be blind, but she won’t invite anyone to her pity party. Ever since losing her sight six months ago,Maggie’s rebellious streak has taken on a life of its own, culminating with an elaborate school prank. Maggie called it genius. The judge called it illegal.
Now Maggie has a probation officer. But she isn’t interested in rehabilitation, not when she’s still mourning the loss of her professional-soccer dreams, and furious at her so-called friends, who lost interest in her as soon as she could no longer lead the team to victory.
Then Maggie’s whole world is turned upside down. Somehow, incredibly, she can see again. But only one person: Ben, a precocious ten-year-old unlike anyone she’s ever met. Ben’s life isn’t easy, but he doesn’t see limits, only possibilities. After awhile, Maggie starts to realize that losing her sight doesn’t have to mean losing everything she dreamed of. Even if what she’s currently dreaming of is Mason Milton, the magnetic lead singer of Maggie’s new favorite band, who just happens to be Ben’s brother.
But when she learns the real reason she can see Ben, Maggie must find the courage to face a once-unimaginable future…before she loses everything she has grown to love.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – link to my review
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.
Uncovering Ray by Edie Danford – link to my review
When the right love uncovers the wrong secrets…
Hey, man–you a chick or a dude? Dealing with the same old boring question is a downer for college drop-out Ray Fayette, especially when it’s asked by the low-tipping, over-privileged students at the Ellery Diner.
When six-foot-five, muscle-bound straight arrow Wyatt Kelly publicly smacks down a fellow frat bother for caveman behavior, Ray’s interest is sparked. Wyatt’s not-so-subtle attraction sparks a few other things too.
But getting to know Wyatt proves dangerous. His sexy smiles and smart questions slide under even Ray’s prickliest defenses. Worse, his academic mentor happens to be Ray’s ex-stepfather, the dictatorial jerk who just kicked Ray out of his house. Again.
Wyatt suggests a housing arrangement that has surprising appeal—there’s space available at his frat house—but he’s unaware just how complicated Ray’s “identity issues” are. Ellery College kicked out Ray for a reason—a reason that could deep-six Wyatt’s academic career and Ray’s newly hopeful heart.
Three Two One by J.A. Huss – link to my review
ONE GIRL
Battered, barefoot, and huddled under a bookstore awning in the pouring rain, Blue only knows one thing. After fifteen months of captivity, finally… she is free.
TWO FRIENDS
Self-made millionaires JD and Ark are not out to save anyone when they stumble upon a wet and shivering girl one early Sunday morning. But when you sell sex for a living and salvation rings your bell… you answer the call.
THREE SOULMATES
After years of searching, love lifts the veil of darkness, and three people—with three very big secrets—find themselves bound together in a relationship that defies the odds.
Or does it?
Love. Lust. Sex.
This trinity might be perfection… but not everything should come in 3’s.
November 9 by Colleen Hoover – link to my review
Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.
The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams – link to my review
The papers have called me a monster. You’ve either concluded that I am a braggart as well as a sadist or that I have a deep and driving need to be caught and punished.
In the sweltering heat of an Atlanta summer, a killer is pushing the city to its breaking point, preying on the unsuspecting, writing taunting letters to the media, promising more death. Desperate to stop the Wishbone Killer before another victim meets a shattering end, A.P.D. lieutenant Aaron Rauser turns to the one person he knows can penetrate a deranged mind: ex–FBI profiler Keye Street.
And you must certainly be wondering if I am, in fact, the stranger you seek.
Keye was a rising young star at the Bureau until addiction derailed her career and her life. Now sober and fighting to stay so, Keye picks up jobs where she can get them: catching adulterers, serving subpoenas, chasing down bail jumpers, and dodging the occasional bullet. With multiple victims, little to go on, and an entire police force looking for direction, the last thing Keye wants is to be pulled into the firestorm of Atlanta’s worst nightmare.
Shall I convince you?
And then it suddenly becomes clear that the hunter has become the hunted — and the stranger she seeks is far closer than she ever dared imagine.
Golden Son by Pierce Brown – link to my review
With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation.
Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.
A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.
Burned by Karen Marie Moning – link to my review
It’s easy to walk away from lies. Power is another thing.
MacKayla Lane would do anything to save the home she loves. A gifted sidhe-seer, she’s already fought and defeated the deadly Sinsar Dubh—an ancient book of terrible evil—yet its hold on her has never been stronger.
When the wall that protected humans from the seductive, insatiable Fae was destroyed on Halloween, long-imprisoned immortals ravaged the planet. Now Dublin is a war zone with factions battling for control. As the city heats up and the ice left by the Hoar Frost King melts, tempers flare, passions run red-hot, and dangerous lines get crossed. Seelie and Unseelie vie for power against nine ancient immortals who have governed Dublin for millennia; a rival band of sidhe-seers invades the city, determined to claim it for their own; Mac’s former protégé and best friend, Dani “Mega” O’Malley, is now her fierce enemy; and even more urgent, Highland druid Christian MacKeltar has been captured by the Crimson Hag and is being driven deeper into Unseelie madness with each passing day. The only one Mac can depend on is the powerful, dangerous immortal Jericho Barrons, but even their fiery bond is tested by betrayal.
It’s a world where staying alive is a constant struggle, the line between good and evil gets blurred, and every alliance comes at a price. In an epic battle against dark forces, Mac must decide who she can trust, and what her survival is ultimately worth.
So that’s my favorite 2015 reads, not all of them were actually released in 2015, but those are the ones I loved the most. Do you have a favorite list for 2015?
I am THRILLED to see Raven Boys on here Lexxie. THRILLED. 😀 Personally, I still need to read Red Rising ( a copy is finally on it’s way to me as we speak) and Iced before I can get to Golden Son and Burned but seeing them here is all the motivation I need LOL! Fantastic selection here^^ you had a wonderful 2015 book-wise! Here’s hoping 2016 delivers for you as well! If we don’t chat again before then, HAPPY NEW YEAR ♥
Oh my gosh, Micheline, you are gong to love Red Rising and Golden Son!! Thanks for stopping by.
I LOVED The Raven Boys. That series is really special, I think.
I have only read the first in the series so far, Quinn, but I truly loved it! So well done!
Twitter: Mlsimmons
Okay, J.A. Huss has three on this list. I will have to move her up my list ASAP.
Yeah, I’m a complete fangirl when it comes to her, Melanie 🙂 I hope you’ll enjoy her books as much as I do!
Ooh I haven’t heard of any of these but The Raven Boys (love) and Golden Son (haven’t read Red Rising yet), so it looks like I have some awesome reads to look forward to 😀
You definitely do, Alise!
Twitter: talksupeblog
Huss dominated your 2015! Wow!
I have to browse my 2015 shelf, I bet I’ve forgotten a few books that I’ve read this year that maybe blew me away… or not.
Yup, I’m a Hussie through and through, Braine 😉
Twitter: Mollykatie112
I totally agree with November 9th. I loved that book! I would like to read Burning and The Stranger You Seek sounds really good! In the last couple of days I read Sustained by Emma Chase and Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino and they both belong on my favorites for the year. Also, Charming and Two Minutes by Dannika Dark and Betrayed by Amber Lynn Natusch belong there as well. Those are just off the top of my head 🙂
I’m listening to Charming right now, actually 🙂 It’s awesome! Before We Were Strangers is on my TBR, so hopefully I’ll get to it fairly soon, Lorna.
So many great books! I´d like to read every single one of them 🙂 Tuuusen takk for koselig kommentar hos meg <3 Det har dessverre blitt lite blogging og blogglesing i desember, det er jo så mye annet som skal rekkes over. Håper dere har nydelige juledager, er dere i Norge fortsatt? Vi har hatt en strålende jul og er så fornøyde. Godt å bare slappe av og kose seg. Ønsker deg fine romjulsdager og et riktig godt nytt år. Gleder meg til å følge deg videre i 2016 <3
Vi kom hjem fra Norge på søndag, det var bare en liten tur, men det var en veldig god tur! Jeg skjønner godt at blogging har tatt baksetet i desember, det er en del andre ting som må gjøres 🙂
Så flott at dere hadde en strålende Jul 🙂 Kos deg og fortsett å slappe av. Klemmer.
Great list! I haven’t read any of these but I definitely need to check them out 🙂
I keep adding books as I read these end of the year posts, Danielle 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Twitter: kbaby81
Gah, I need to read Golden Son soon! I really loved the first book but haven’t read the next one. The Raven Boys is on my TBR for 2016 s well.
I love the Red Rising series, Lekeisha, and maybe you’re right to wait, as the last book will be out very soon 🙂
Great list, Lexxie! I am still working on my top reads for 2015 and I am finding out how hard it is to narrow it down. The only book that I have read on your list is Golden Son which I loved. I will need to check out the rest of the books on your list.
It is definitely hard to narrow down when it comes to favorites! I look forward to reading yours!
That’s kind of funny you already had EXACTLY ten books on your favorites list! I need to read some of these like The Raven Boys series, etc.
I know, that was funny – usually, there are many more books on that shelf. I’m thinking I may have forgotten to put some books on to it during the year.
Yay for Burned! I thought it was AMAZING! One of my reading goals for 2016 is getting to November 9. I WILL read it (and hopefully love it). 🙂
I’m so glad to see someone else who loved Burned, Stephanie! So many other bloggers hated it 🙁 I hope you’ll love November 9 as well!
I love seeing all the Huss books on your list, Lexxie. And a few other favorite authors made your list as well. 😀 I’m sure you had difficulty paring down this list…I would. Here’s to hoping 2016 brings us the same sort of problem. *haha*
Oh, I definitely hope 2016 will bring us the same sort of ‘problem’ favorite books are the best 🙂 *BIG HUGS*
I haven’t read any of these but I am trying to read Golden Son, trying and failing!!! I think I need to go back and read Red Rising and then Golden Son straight after.
Great list, thanks for sharing!
Yeah, the world building is quite complex there, and there are many characters to keep track of as well! Thanks for stopping by, Heather.
The Stranger You Seek and Burned sound really good, and definitely ones I plan to check out next year. Loved your reviews! Hugs…
The Stranger You Seek was amazing! I need to continue with that series 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Ro! Hugs!
I love love love The Raven Boys! I really need to do a re-read before The Raven King comes out!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings Enter my 2nd Annual Blogoversary Giveaway
I can’t wait to continue with the series, Missie, I really loved The Raven Boys, and can’t wait to see what will happen next 🙂
The Stranger You Seek sounds so good. I’m going to have to read it soon. I keep seeing the Red Rising books pop-up with wonderful reviews. I might need to give in and start that series.
I loved The Stranger You Seek, partly because the MC was so flawed and realistic. The mystery was really well done, too 🙂
I haven’t read a Maggie Stiefvater since The Scorpio Races first came out. I have meant to read The Raven Boys for a long while now. The same goes for Colleen Hoover. I have read and enjoyed a few of her books, but haven’t read her in awhile.
I love that you favorites come from all sorts of book genres.
Happy New Year!