Sunday, January 1, 2012

The Best of 2011: My ULTIMATE Top 10 Favorite Reads & Giveaway!


Okay folks, we're down to it. Time for my ultimate Top 10 Favorite Reads of 2011! Super hard to narrow down but after a few hours I think I've finally got my list. lol However, if you'd like to see my Best of 2011 list in it's entirety check out my GoodReads shelf! Now it's time to bring on 2012 and many more amazing books! Happy reading lovelies! *psst* There's a giveaway at the end...



10. 

The Heart of a Killer (The Killer, #1)
Before the Special Forces hero has even unpacked his bags from twelve years of active duty, he's embroiled in murder—corpses bearing the brutal trademark he's seen only once before—on the worst night of his life.
The last time Detective Anna Pallino saw Dante Renaldi, they were in love. Now, he's part of the connection to a string of fresh homicides and a horrible assault Anna only survived thanks to him.
More than anything, Anna wants to trust Dante. But as the bodies and the coincidences stack up, Anna will have to decide, and fast: Is the man she owes her life to the very same one who wants her dead?



9.
Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians, #1)
Once, Sarah Bingham's biggest challenge was making her students pay attention in class. Now, after rescuing a wounded stranger, she's handed in the middle of a battle between corrupt vampires and powerful immortals who also need blood to survive. Roland Warbrook is the most compelling man Sarah has ever laid hands on. But his desire for her is mingled with a hunger he can barely control...In his nine centuries of immortal existence, no woman has tempted Roland as much as Sarah. But asking her to love him is impossible - when it means forfeiting the world she's always known, and the life he would do anything to protect.
8.
Hidden Away (KGI, #3)
Most people would take an all-expense=paid trip to the beach in a heartbeat. Garrett Kelly only accepts to keep tabs on Sarah Daniels, who's in hiding after witnessing a murder committed by her half brother-a personal enemy of KGI. But Garrett hadn't planned on falling for Sarah. When he glimpses her dark past, he feels an urgent desire to keep her safe-even as she disappears, running for her life.


7.

It’s an Immortal War…
Vampires and werewolves have been blood enemies for centuries, but now a new threat is rising...demons are escaping from hell and those demons are intent on wiping out both the vamps and the werewolves.
In order to stop the demons, pureblood vampire princess Morgan LaBeaux agrees to the treaty offered by werewolf alpha Jace Vaughn. She'll mate with him, share her blood with him...and in return, the wolves will aid the vampires in this battle.
But Morgan doesn’t realize just how dangerous the wolves can truly be. Jace has been waiting years to claim her. He’s set a trap for his princess, and now that he has her, Jace doesn’t plan to let her go. He’ll send the demons back to hell, and he’ll keep his vampiress—forever. 
6.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior (Immortals After Dark, #11)
HE VOWED HE’D COME FOR HER . . .
Murdered before he could wed Regin the Radiant, warlord Aidan the Fierce seeks his beloved through eternity, reborn again and again into new identities, yet with no memory of his past lives.
SHE AWAITS HIS RETURN . . .
When Regin encounters Declan Chase, a brutal Celtic soldier, she recognizes her proud warlord reincarnated. But Declan takes her captive, intending retribution against all immortals—unaware that he belongs to their world.
TO SATE A DESIRE MORE POWERFUL THAN DEATH . . .
Yet every reincarnation comes with a price, for Aidan is doomed to die when he remembers his past. To save herself from Declan’s torments, will Regin rekindle memories of the passion they once shared—even if it means once again losing the only man she could ever love?


5.

North of Need (Hearts of the Anemoi, #1)
While attempting to escape the agonizing memories she associates with Christmas, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband and collapses in tears against the snowman at the sight of what she'll never have.
Called to life by the power of Megan's tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity.
Megan is drawn to Owen's mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things, and her heart opens enough to believe he's a Christmas miracle. But this miracle comes with an expiration before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow's grief and learn to trust love again, or she'll lose Owen forever.


4.
The Darkest Surrender  (Lords of the Underworld, #8)
Possessed by the demon of Defeat, Strider cannot lose a challenge without suffering unimaginable pain. For him, nothing stands in the way of victory. Until Kaia, an enchanting Harpy, tempts him to the razor's edge of surrender.Known among her people as The Disappointment, Kaia must bring home the gold in the Harpy Games or die. Strider is a distraction she can't afford because he has an agenda of his own-steal first prize, an ancient godly artifact, before the winner can be named. But as the competition heats up, only one prize will matter-the love neither had thought possible...


3.
When You Dare (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor, #1)

The tougher they are, the harder they fall...
Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he'll take the mission he's offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who'd had her kidnapped—and for the first time, Dare's tempted to combine work with pleasure.
Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she's uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful, estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all…
2.

Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #9)
Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either.
When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.
As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.


1.

The Perfect Play (Play by Play, #1)
The last thing event planner Tara Lincoln needs is the jet-set lifestyle of a football pro like Mick Riley; even though their steamy and passionate one-night stand proved that Mick is an all-star-both on the field and in the bedroom.
Tara played the game of love once and lost big, and she doesn't intend to put herself out there again, especially with a certified heartbreaker. But when Mick sets his mind to win, nothing will stop him. And he has the perfect play in mind to catch this sultry vixen.


And if you missed it I listed my Top 10 Debut Series, Debut Authors and Paranormal Romances of 2011 too! 


~*GIVEAWAY*~
Did you miss one of my picks? Well no worries, because I am giving away your choice of one book from my list above to one lucky reader, print or digital, to wherever The Book Depository ships to! You just need to be a follower of RBtWBC to enter, either by GFC or Network Blogs and fill out the RaffleCopter below. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck! 



a Rafflecopter giveaway





46 comments:

  1. GOOD CHIOCES. IVE READ 5 OF YOUR TOP 10

    MARIA

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  2. one of my fav books of 2011 is Shayla Black Belong to Me

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  3. That list looks awesome. I have only read one of them and have two of them on my TBR pile. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.

    My favorite read is a tie between 'Fifty Shades Darker' and 'Shadowfever'.

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  4. Thanks so much for the love for NORTH OF NEED! I share so many of your favorites! Happy New Years!

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  5. What a great list! We have very similar tastes. TURN IT UP by Inez Kelley was my top read for the year. smiles...

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  6. Great list! One of my favourite reads of 2011 was Changeling Dawn by Dani Harper. Thank you for the great giveaway!
    -Dawn aka dawnmomoffour
    thedoyle6@rogers.com

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  7. One of my favorite...dragon bound by thea Harrison

    Happy New Year to you and your loved ones

    thansk you for this international giveaway

    all the best

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  8. One of my favorite reads was the Hunger Games :D
    I would love to win a print copy of the Perfect Play :D I have the ebook but haven't gotten around to it yet.

    Happy New Year!

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  9. I loved Torment. That was a pretty good read. Tore923@aol.com

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  10. I have 2 favs for 2011. "The Darkest Surrender" and "The Darkest Secret" by Gena Showalter. I am definitely saving your list. I am always looking for new books to read.

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  11. My 2 favorite reads of 2011 were Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning and Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh.

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  12. One of my favorite reads of 2011 was Jack Wallen's I Zombie I.

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  13. My favorite read was Love Unscripted by Tina Reber

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  14. Great list, Crystal! One of my fav's was J.R. Ward's Envy. Happy 2012!

    barbbattaglia@yahoo.com

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  15. One of my favorite reads in 2011 was The Color of Heaven by Julianne MacLean.

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  16. My favorite read was Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich.

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

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  17. Great list! I cannot say which is my fav of the year, having read a new book almost every other day and they were pretty much all great. I just started Gena Showalters books yesterday and cannot wait to get the rest of them, so they are my favs for the new year!

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  18. I love this list - I have my eye on a few of them.

    sallans d at yahoo dot com

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  19. Ive read two of your favs and I have three more on the tbr list. I can't wait to read North of Need. I really liked Unleashed by Sara Humphreys and Fated by Rebecca Zanetti. Those were two of my favorites in 2011. Happy New Year!

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  20. Great List!
    I loved Lauren Danes 'Heart of Darkness' & then I read her Brown Sibling series.
    sallans d at yahoo dot com

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  21. I couldn't pick a favorite, so I just picked one of the top books that I loved
    When you Dare...
    Actually all three from that series was really good =)

    emilytardy(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  22. There were so many favorites.Pale Demon by Kim Harrison was one.

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  23. There are a few of the books that I would like to read. A few of them I have read. North of Need is one that I recently discovered and would love to read.

    Thanks for the contest.

    Elizabeth Gray
    elizabethgr@sbcglobal.net

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  24. Oh, and I loved Lover Unleashed and When You Dare.

    Elizabeth Gray

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  25. A few books that I have loved this year. I loved Violets of March by Sarah Jio, Bound in Blood was another good one, Hit List by Laurell K Hamilton, and White Lace & Promises by Natasha Blackthorne.
    Thanks for the chance to win some fantastic books.
    christinebails@yahoo.com

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  26. I loved ETERNAL RIDER! It was the first Larissa Ione book that I read, but after it, I had to get all the Demonica series, and IMMORTAL RIDER when it was released.
    June M.
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

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  27. Great picks! I have read a few of them and can't wait to check out a couple more especially The Perfect Play. I read so many great books in 2011 that there are too many to list. The most recent great read for me was Cover Me by Catherine Mann.

    rjofus(at)gmail(dot)com

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  28. Lots of great books in 2011, one of my recent favorites was Vampire Instinct by Joey W Hill.


    caity_mack at yahoo dot com

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  29. Mine is North of Need! I so fell in love with the characters of Owen & Megan.

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  30. My favorite read was NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman. It was incredible.


    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  31. My favourite read was Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison. I read it again just before christmas.
    Irene Jackson

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  32. I've read 2 of those above, and loved them. Since the others are your favorites, looks like I'll be adding them to the ole TBR list! Thank you for the chance at this giveaway too btw.....
    I have too many favorites to list just one: JR Ward, Sara Taney Humphreys, Erin Kellison.....I could go on...
    Thanks Again!
    Sebrina_Cassity at yahoo dot com

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  33. It was so hard to pick my favourite read of 2011 so on my blog I broke them down to categories. I have to say that Contentment by Margaret Ethridge, Kiss of Snow by Nalini and ShadowFever by KMM had to be the tip picks for sure!
    Great list.

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  34. Oh man, I must have been under a rock b/c I did not read/nor hear of these books in your list! But they look awesome!!!

    I'd have to say that my fav book of 2011 isn't just one but a trilogy. Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles. Soooo good and refreshingly different and original.

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  35. GreatList Bothof Jaci Burton's were on my top reads list as well.. haven't gotten to get to the others yet unfortunately :).

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  36. I really enjoyed the Iron Druid Chronicles too despite the ending of Hammered: Arrrrghhhhh!

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  37. There were so many good books that I read that I don't even know where to begin.

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  38. One of my favorite reads of 2011 was Pandora's Box by Gracen Miller.

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  39. I think my favorite read of 2011 was If I Die by Rachel Vincent. Thanks for this amazing giveaway!

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  40. One of my favorites was A Lot Like Love by Julie James

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  41. How did I miss these? Not finding your blog in time, but no worries. I will read them!

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  42. I was wondering when you were going to post the winners name. I don't see it on the rafflecopter. Thanks!
    -Dawn

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