Friday, January 14, 2011

Our Top Picks of 2010

It's that time of year when everyone is making their "Best of" and "Top Picks" lists of 2010 of everything from books to movies to blogs and more. Here at The Romance Dish, we decided to make our own personal lists of our favorite romance books published in 2010. (Note: We linked to books we reviewed.) Are any of our picks on YOUR list? What are some of your favorite romance novels from 2010?


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PJ’s Top Twenty Books of 2010

2010 was another banner year for romance fiction. While that’s great in that it brought me new characters to meet, new worlds to explore and hours of reading enjoyment (though not enough hours to read all the books calling to me), it also made the requisite, annual “Top Ten” list that much more difficult to compile. So I didn’t! Instead, I narrowed my list down to twenty books and that’s where I left it. Here, in alphabetical order, are the twenty books published in 2010 that I most enjoyed reading. (Note: I didn’t include any of the books released in late December since the publishing industry considers them January releases.)


A Kiss at Midnight – Eloisa James

A Marine for Christmas – Beth Andrews

The Accidental Wedding – Anne Gracie

Chains of Fire – Christina Dodd

Deadly Little Secrets – Jeanne Adams

The Devil Wears Plaid – Teresa Medeiros

Edge of Sight – Roxanne St. Claire

The Forbidden Rose – Joanna Bourne

Homecoming Day – Holly Jacobs

I Kissed an Earl – Julie Anne Long

The Irish Warrior – Kris Kennedy

Last Night’s Scandal – Loretta Chase

Money, Honey – Susan Sey

Nothing But Trouble – Rachel Gibson

Open Country – Kaki Warner

Seduced By an Highlander – Paula Quinn

Something About You – Julie James

The Summer of You – Kate Noble

Three Nights with a Scoundrel – Tessa Dare

The Wicked Wyckerly – Patricia Rice


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Gannon’s Top 20 Books for 2010

Each year seems to bring more fantastic books than the last and 2010 was no exception. I read books by my auto-buy authors and was introduced to new authors who have since become favorites of mine, spending many an hour lost in some truly wonderful stories. Of course, there are so many books out there that I did not get to read---so many books, so little time---but that’s what these snowy days are for, right? The following are my top 20 books that I read this year, listed in alphabetical order.


Afterlight – Elle Jasper

Barely A Lady – Eileen Dreyer

Chains of Fire – Christina Dodd

Fantasy In Death – J.D. Robb

Firewalker – Allyson James

The Forbidden Rose – Joanna Bourne

A Kiss At Midnight – Eloisa James

Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage – Jennifer Ashley

Love Mine – J.R. Ward

The Making of A Duchess – Shana Galen

Much Ado About Marriage – Karen Hawkins

Never Less Than A Lady – Mary Jo Putney

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake – Sarah MacLean

One Touch of Scandal – Liz Carlyle

Pleasures of A Notorious Gentleman – Lorraine Heath

Stormwalker – Allyson James

The Surrender of A Lady – Tiffany Clare

Ten Things I Love About You – Julia Quinn

Venom – Jennifer Estep

Warrior Ascended – Addison Fox


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Buffie’s Top Picks for 2010

2010 was a year chocked full of fabulous romance novels in every subgenre imaginable. While I was fortunate enough to read quite a few books during 2010, I have to say that life kept me too busy to read all that I wanted to read. There are still so many books from 2010 left in my TBR pile. Two authors blew me away with not only one book but two releases in 2010. They are Lila DiPasqua and Sarah MacLean, and both deserved spots on my list for BOTH of their books. Now, while my Top Picks for 2010 is a short list (at least compared to the other Dishes), it is full of hours of fabulous enjoyment.



Awakened by a Kiss by Lila DiPasqua

Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh

Kismet by Monica Burns

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

The Princess in His Bed by Lila DiPasqua

The Rogue Prince by Margo Maguire

Still the One by Robin Wells

Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean


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Andrea’s Top Picks for 2010

2010 was an unforgettable year for those of us who adore romance fiction. So many good books in an array of sub-genres were released and met with thought-provoking reviews and lots of enthusiasm. I was lucky to be able to read many of my favorite authors’ works, discover several debut authors, and was introduced to several “new to me” authors, as well. It wasn’t easy, but I was able to narrow my ‘Top Picks’ list down to 12. The ones that made my list met three conditions: they all blew me away, every one went straight to my keeper shelves, and all are books that I can highly recommend without a doubt. So, without further ado, here are my Top Picks from 2010, as listed in alphabetical order:


Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

Marry Me by Jo Goodman

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
by Sarah MacLean

Seven Secrets of Seduction by Anne Mallory

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Something About You by Julie James

Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

Ten Ways to Be Adored While Landing a Lord
by Sarah MacLean

The Golden Season by Connie Brockway

The Summer of You by Kate Noble

Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt

47 comments:

  1. I shared a lot of the books you guys read, auto buys for the most part. A few more that I read and enjoyed were Something About you by Julie James, Candace Camp's Scandalous (another auto buy), My Unfair Lady by Kathryne Kennedy, and the Broken Heart Oklahoma series by Michele Bardsley.

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  2. Dianna, isn't Julie James's writing terrific?! She has made my list every year and I have a feeling she'll make it every year to come. :)

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  3. I agree with both of you about Julie James. Her books are terrific!

    Dianna, I haven't read any books by your other three authors. I'll have to check them out!

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  4. I didn't get to read Julie's latest (where does the time go??), or I'm sure it would have been on my list.

    Dianna, I love Michele Bardsley's Broken Heart Oklahoma series---so much fun!

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  5. I hear you, Gannon. Suzanne Enoch had two books out last year that I never got to read and I'm sure at least one of them would have been on my list. I love her books!

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  6. PJ, I think Julie is in for a long, rewarding career...which is good for her and for us!

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  7. Same for me with Sarah MacLean. I have both of her books on my tbr but just haven't had the time to read them!

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  8. Here's mine:

    1. Kate Noble - The Summer of You
    2. Julie Anne Long - I Kissed an Earl
    3. Lorraine Heath - Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman.
    4. Lisa Kleypas - Married by Morning
    5. Lisa Kleypas - Love in the Afternoon
    6. Nalini Singh - Play of Passion
    7. Anne Gracie - The Accidental Wedding
    8. Meljean Brook - The Iron Duke
    9. Nalini Singh - Bonds of Justice
    10. Madeline Hunter - Ravishing in Red

    Runner-Ups:
    Forbidden Rose - Bourne - France
    Irish Warrior - Kris Kennedy- Med Ireland
    Kresley Cole - Demon from the Dark
    Sarah MacLean's 2 books - Nine Rules to Break... and Ten Ways...
    Suzanne Enoch - Rules of an Engagement

    I see I have several favorites in common with you all, and some others, like the Patrica Rice and Julia James aren't far behind in the running for me. Always hard to select when you read a lot of good books, but this year the Noble and Long books were clear top faves for me.

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  9. Lots of great books, Pam! The Noble and Long books were both 5-Star reads for me and high on my list of favorites. I have the Meljean Brook book in my tbr but haven't had a chance to read it yet. Must push it closer to the top.

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  10. 2010 was such a great year for books! I see a lot of my favorites on these lists! :)

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  11. HOT DAMN! err... I mean DISH! I finally made a list! LOL Buffie, I'm so glad you liked Kismet enough to include it on your list of good reads for 2010. Thank you!

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  12. I loved reading all of your list! But gosh, it's hard for me to pick a top 10, but here goes. In no particular order:

    1. Happy Ever After by NR
    2. Something About You by Julie James
    3.One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare
    4. Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare
    5. A Groom of One's Own by Maya Rodale
    6. Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
    7. Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
    8. Promise Me Tonight by Sara Lindsey
    9. Tempting the Marquess by Sara Lindsey
    10. Savor the Moment by NR
    11. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
    12. Ten Ways to Be Adored When landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean

    See? Couldn't keep it to 10! lol

    Looking forward to more wonderful books in 2011

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  13. Great list, Pam. I simply adored Kate Noble's The Summer of You!

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  14. If you see a lot of your favorites on our lists, then you have great taste, Trisha!

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  15. LOL, Monica! Kismet is another book I wasn't able to get to last year. I hope to this year!

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  16. Hi, Lisa! 12 is a great number. ;-) And I knew you'd have Happy Ever After on your list!!! Love that book.

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  17. Some of my favorites of 2010 were:

    His At Night by Sherry Thomas
    Something About You by Julie James
    A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh
    I Kissed an Earl by Julie Anne Long
    Nine Rules . . . by Sarah MacLean
    Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts
    Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne
    Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
    Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

    Sinful Surrender by Beverley Kendell & Promise Me Tonight by Sara Lindsey were a nice debut.

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  18. I love reading these annual list of favorites. I always let out a little cheer when I see someone has the good taste to reflect my own choices. ;-)

    I wish I had been smart enough to go with a top 20. I narrowed mine to a top 12 (alphabetized by title).

    1. The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie
    2. The Dangerous Viscount by Miranda Neville
    3. The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne
    4. The Irish Warrior by Kris Kennedy
    5. A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James
    6. Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase
    7. Marrying the Royal Marine by Carla Kelly
    8. A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh
    9. Money Honey by Susan Sey
    10. The Redemption of Tyler O’Neill by Molly O’Keefe
    11. Something about You by Julie James
    12. What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss

    If I had gone for 20, the longer list would have included the 2010 titles by Julie Anne Long, Julia Quinn, Patricia Rice, and Kaki Warner.

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  19. I too have read so many fantastic books in 2010 and choosing would just be too hard I have to say you Ladies have listed a lot of my favourite books as well and you have also listed a lot that I still have on the TBR pile that I know I am going to love. Sarah MacLean and Lila Dipasqua where great finds and both have been added to my auto buy list and I also started on Pamela Clare's I Team series and WOW they are really good.

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  20. Hey, Dishers! PJ, I am so honored you chose A Marine For Christmas to be on your list! Thank you so much :-)

    I have to admit, I didn't read nearly as many books as I wanted last year but I plan to rectify that this year - and I'm making a list of all your favorites to help me get caught up *g*

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  21. Hello, Dishers! I'm so honored to be on PJ's list with Money Honey! And if I had to name one debut author this year who just blew me away, I name Kaki Warner. I just discovered her Pieces of the Sky & am now burning through the other two on my Kindle.

    Speaking of which, I'm 92% through book two & the kids are asleep. What am I doing on the computer? :-)

    Thanks again! And I look forward to another wonderful year of dishing!

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  22. Oh wow! Thank you for selecting AWAKENED BY A KISS and THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED! I'm so honored to be on Buffie's list!! Thank you for your lists, dear ladies. I've extended my TBR pile because of them. :)

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  23. I have several of these and many more are on my Wish List. As you (and most of us) have said "so many books, so little time.'

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  24. Penfield, I have that Sherry Thomas book in my TBR pile. I hope to get to it soon!

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  25. LOL @ Janga! I couldn't narrow mine down to 10 either. I actually kept track of mine throughout the year, but it was still tough! Maybe I should have done a top 20 like PJ and Gannon. *g*

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  26. Helen, I never got the chance to read Lila DiPasqua's books, but have them on my "Goals for 2011" list. ;-)

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  27. Beth Andrews said: I have to admit, I didn't read nearly as many books as I wanted last year but I plan to rectify that this year...

    Same here, Beth. Reviewing has given me the opportuity to read books I may have missed (which is great!), but it also cut a little into my "reading for pleasure". I just wish I read faster! :)

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  28. *waving* Hey, Susan! If my list had been a top 20, your Money, Honey would definitely have been on it. Can't wait for your next one!

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  29. Hi there, Lila!

    Lila DiPasqua said: Thank you for your lists, dear ladies. I've extended my TBR pile because of them. :)

    Our job here is done. *vbg*

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  30. librarypat said: I have several of these and many more are on my Wish List. As you (and most of us) have said "so many books, so little time.'

    LOL! That is definitely most romance readers' motto, librarypat. :)

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  31. Sorry I missed the party yesterday. After the office being closed for 4 days due to ice and snow, yesterday was a very long day at the office.

    But I'm here today and can't wait to respond to some of these comments!

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  32. Sorry I missed the party yesterday. After the office being closed for 4 days due to ice and snow, yesterday was a very long day at the office.

    But I'm here today and can't wait to respond to some of these comments!

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  33. Dianna, you have a good list there. I still haven't made it to Julie James' Something About You. But I am really looking forward to reading it.

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  34. Hi Pam P! I see that you picked Nalini's Bonds of Justice too. I think everyone of her books is just fabulous, don't you? I can't WAIT to read Hawk's book!

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  35. HOT DAMN! err... I mean DISH! I finally made a list! LOL Buffie, I'm so glad you liked Kismet enough to include it on your list of good reads for 2010. Thank you!

    LOL, Monica! No, thank you for writing such a great book. I enjoyed it so much.

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  36. Hey Lisa! Love your list! There are a few on there I haven't had a chance to read yet, specially Tessa Dare's books. I have heard so many great things about her writing. One day I'll get to them :-)

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  37. Penfield, you have a great list too. I see Nora on your list. I'm the last of the Dishes who hasn't read Nora yet. Maybe I will in 2011.

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  38. Thanks for your great list, Janga! I'm going to have to try Molly O'Keefe. I have seen her name her and there, so I really need to give her a try.

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  39. Sarah MacLean and Lila Dipasqua where great finds and both have been added to my auto buy list

    YAY, Helen!! I'm so glad you enjoyed their books and made them auto buys for you!!

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  40. I have to admit, I didn't read nearly as many books as I wanted last year but I plan to rectify that this year

    I am nodding my head in agreement with you, Beth. I just hope life slows down just a little this year so that I have the time to read more.

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  41. And if I had to name one debut author this year who just blew me away, I name Kaki Warner.

    Hey Susan! You know, PJ has gone on and on about how great Kaki Warner is . . . and now you too! LOL! Guess that means she needs to be on my list for this year.

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  42. Oh wow! Thank you for selecting AWAKENED BY A KISS and THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED! I'm so honored to be on Buffie's list!!

    Oh, Lila, you are so darn welcome. Thanks for writing such wonderful works!!! You deserved to be on the list twice. And I can't wait for your full length novel this year!!!

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  43. I'm so honored and FLOORED that I made these lists...and with such fabulous company! Thank you thank you thank you! xoxo

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  44. I'm so honored and FLOORED that I made these lists...and with such fabulous company! Thank you thank you thank you! xoxo

    Come on, Sarah, you shouldn't be floored at all! You know how much we love your books!!! Can't wait for until Eleven comes out!!

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  45. This comment is from Christina Dodd. Blogger is being ornery and not letting her sign on.

    Thank you all for including CHAINS OF FIRE on your best lists! And what great company I'm in. And ::groan:: looking at the lists, I'll be at the store buying more books I haven't yet read. My TBR pile will never shrink.

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  46. (Did I tell you, PJ, you're in THE WILL?) Thanks for including Open Country on your favorites list. And another thank you to you, Susan, for your kind words..which are especially gratifying to hear from a fellow author.

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  47. Sorry I'm late to the party but life gets hectic sometimes.

    Thank you from me and from the rest of the wordwenches for including us on your lists. The company is exalted, for certain. I've read and enjoyed almost all the titles mentioned. Here's to another fabulous year for romance!

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