The Book Barbies: Racquel's 2015 Favorite Books So Far

Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This Week's Topic:

Favorite Books of 2015 so Far

Racquel's picks: top 10 lololol I ain't about the narrowing down life AT ALL since I really believe that a favorite is a favorite, whether you have 3 favorites or 300. I have to share them all! Beware, this is an amazing list except for one fact: 2 YA book. I'm so far behind on reading YA and I vow that this summer I'm going to read a ton of YA to make up for it!!

01. The Chocolate Kiss by Laura Florand: hands down my favorite book of the year! The writing is absolutely stunning, the setting is Paris and you'll feel like you're there, the romance is an honest to god hate-to-love which is my favorite, it has a hint of magical realism which I LOVE, and finally, macaron and chocolate heaven.

02. Graceling by Kristin Cashore: why didn't anyone tell me Grcaeling is what dreams are made of?! Super romantic, the ultimate OTP, feminist and awesome fantasy? Unbeatable.

03. Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare: my first book of the year set a high standard! It was so delightful and feminist. I loved it.

04. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, narrated by Julia Whelan: This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read and listening to it on audiobook has turned an already amazing book to an extraordinary experience. I can relisten to this audio for everyday of my life. If you take one thing from this blog or me let be this: Read Dangerous Girls and listen to The Sky is Everywhere. The audio just makes the book even more emotional and journey even more beautiful. I am OBSESSED with the audiobook.

05. The Master by Kresley Cole: I'm on my third read of the year of The Master which has the best and hottest opening scene I've ever read. Plus the heroine is hella feisty AND it's female sex positive. Hell yeah. Here's the 7 chapter excerpt that hooked me from page 1 (literally. This is by far my favorite opening chapter/opening scene in the history of all of books).

06. Ruining Mr. Perfect by Marie Hart: I didn't even want to read this book because I wasn't looking forward to the couple and I only read it to read the book after it but NEVER DOUBT because now Ruining Mr. Perfect is my favorite of the McCauley Brothers series! Funny how life works that way.

07. The One in My Heart by Shery Thomas: Sherry. Thomas. 'Nuff said. This is her first contemporary and it's unique because it has some historical romance themes but it works so well!! So emotional like you'd expect from The Queen.

08. Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas: I've been waiting for this book for almost FIVE years. I'll never in my life be as excited for a book again! So much of who I am and what I love is shaped up by Kleypas and specifically this series so I can't believe it has come to an end! Good thing Lisa Kleypas never lets me down so I was not disappointed.

09. Suddenly One Summer by Julie James: I've wanted this book for 2 years and after Lisa Kleypas, JJ is the other author that never lets me down. Another smart, funny and sexy read from the Queen of Contemporary!

10. Blamed by Edie Harris: even though this is romantic suspense, it's out of the world ROMANTIC. I mean pure swoony romance. It was heaven. It's really hard for me to find super romantic books. Not sex wise, but straight up romance that make you clutch your heart and happy sigh.

11. Kiss of Steel by Bec Master: okay whatever this is a steampunk romance but I didn't want it to be all by itself! Anyways, I love me some vampires so I was all over this. I love me some steampunk even more, and what I really really, realllllly love is SLOW BURN and holy moly, this was an epic slow burn!!

12. The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale: The MOST unique historical romance I've ever read. I'll never read another romance like this one and I'm still in awe of the research that went into it. Absolutely breathtaking. Also, shoutout to my boy Fabio!

14 The Seduction of Elliot McBride by Jennifer Ashley: my second favorite historical romance series after the Pennyroyal Green series! I LOVE the fact that it's has VICTORIAN Scottish heroes! It's so sexy AND romantic and the big family dynamic is just spectacular. I always love these books.

15. First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh: it took me a few chapters to get into this but omg when I did I never wanted it to end! Marriage stories will forever by my favorite.

16. Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas aka QUEEN: one of my new ALL TIME FAVORITE historical romances!! Gigi and Camden hate each other but they have so much chemistry and ugh they're so snarky with each other and it's just BEAUTIFUL to see their journey!!

17. Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt: thank you Alyssa for this awesome super forbidden romance!! Who doesn't love a good forbidden romance? and in true Hoyt fashion, it was the perfect mix of epic and swoony.

2015 in two words: LAURA FLORAND. The Chocolate Kiss is my favorite book of the year which I've already reread multiple times and pushed on countless people but the whole series is fanfuckingtastic. I was worried about reading The Chocolate Rose because how can it live up to my favorite book of the year? But it did! It's set in south France and it had all the beautiful elements that Florand SLAYS at. Beautiful setting, mouth watering descriptions, amazing chemistry, amazing romance and swoon for days. The exact same thing for The Chocolate Touch which takes us back to Paris. Another 5 star jackpot. As for Turning Up the Heat, it's a marriage in trouble novella so you know I went into it already loving it because I've said this a million times: I LOVE MARRIAGE STORIES!