best 2015 Having done one of these list before, I felt a little more prepared on what criteria to use when making my favorite selections. But you know what? That didn’t make it any easier! I’ve read a lot of great books this year and they all deserve their due. I had to carefully make my selections, and once I had my favorites, weeded it down to just my top 15. And when there was doubt about what to choose, I paid particular attention to world building and characterization and those were the ones that came out on top. So! Without further ado, here’s my top books for the year, in no particular order

  • On Wings of Song by Anne Barwell—unexpected, sweet, poignant, and exceptionally well written
  • Taste in Men by Douglas Black—loved the way this story balanced the realness with a bit of a sweep you off your feet fairy tale feeling
  • Where There’s Fire by Cari Z—superpowers, villains, anti-heroes, and life or death quest. Fantastic world building coupled with amazing characters. What’s not to love?
  • The Tide of War by Lori A. Witt—had all the elements of sci fi that I love, with a fantastic storyline, amazing world building, and characters that felt real
  • Sons Series by Shae Connor—Unfortunate Son, Wayward Son, and Nobody’s Son—I adored them all, and each one is better than the last. Utterly fantastic characterization in this series
  • Black John by Amy Lane—The titular character will grab hold of your heart as he struggles, wins, redeems himself, and makes every drop of angst absolutely worth it
  • Thirty Things by Cate Ashwood—A fantastically clever plot device makes the friends to lovers road trip book an outstanding read
  • Axel’s Pup by Kim Dare—had amazing world building and characters that just absolutely worked, together and on their own
  • The Gilded Scarab by Anna Butler—Steampunk at its best. Outstanding world building. Rafe may just be one of my book boyfriends.
  • Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall—everything just works in this story. Setting, plot, characters, everything. I’ve read it several times. I know I’ll read it again.
  • Second Act by Kaje Harper—this is a story where it just feels real and believable, and that makes the character growth and the romance all the more awesome
  • Tower of the Ice Lord by Anne Mok—the world building alone makes this story worth a read, everything else is just a bonus
  • Marriage Most Convenient by Amberly Smith—these characters are so well drawn, and they drive the plot so perfectly, that I’ve read it multiple times just to watch Tom and Luke fall in love again and again

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