Top Ten of My Recent 5 Stars Reads

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I tend to be a bit stingy with my 5 stars ratings, especially since I'm prone to giving half stars so a lot of my favourite reads would have a 4.5 star rating rather than a full 5 stars. As a result, I had to look back all the way to the middle of last year to find the last 10 books that I gave 5 stars rating to but I think the hunt is worth it.

A interesting side note is that, looking back, I realized I have given 5 stars ratings to these books for different reasons. Some of them is because of their amazing story arcs, some because of their character development or imagination, some because they made to think, and some because they were truly entertaining. But yeah, without further ado, here are the 10 recent books that I felt were worthy of the 5 stars rating!

My Favourite Romance Novels - Valentine's Day Edition!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Whether you are single, in a committed relationship or married, I hope you have had a lovely day with your loved ones. :) In honour of today, I have decided to list some of my favourite romances for those who need something to get into the romantic mood!

2015 End of Year Book Survey

Tag created by the Perpetual Page Turner

2015 is well and truly over and overall, I have had a great reading year. I have thought long and hard how to best capture my reading experiences in 2015 and then I discovered the End of Year Book Survey created by the Perpetual Page Turner. This idea is amazing as it not only captures your top books for the year but also all other aspects of your reading journey. So without further ado, let's begin!

Read Online: First Impressions by Claudia Gray

I have recently posted a book review of Ten Thousand Skies Above You, the second book in the Firebird trilogy by Claudia Gray. You can read my thoughts on it here if you would like. If you haven't yet picked up the Firebird trilogy, I would highly recommend it to you. 

The Firebird trilogy is centred around the concept of multiverse (aka parallel universes) - an infinite number of universes set apart from each other by sometimes one small difference and at other times, major changes. As Marguerite's parents and their two college research students, Theo and Paul, are designing a device that will allow them to travel and experience the different universes, they encounter people that are determined they fail in their endeavour and will do anything they can to stop them. 

Whilst I was browsing GoodReads trying to discover when the third and final book in this series would be released, I came across this short story set in the short time period between the first and second book of this trilogy. You can find it on scribd here. If you have read this series and enjoy it as much as I have, I would highly recommend you go and check this short story out!

Read Online: Leave the Windows Open by Victoria Schwab

I have mentioned my love for The Archived duology by Victoria Schwab several times on this blog. You can find my review for The Archived here and its sequel The Unbound here. 

Victoria Schwab wrote a short story set about 4 hours after the end of the Unbound and posted it on her blog. You can find it here. If you love the Archived duology as much as I do and haven't yet stumbled onto this little gem yet, I highly encourage you to. It just makes you wish for a third volume even more!

Feature Follow Friday: Undiscovered Talent

Feature Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. It's a way for bloggers and readers alike to make some new friends and gain some new followers as well. The point of this hop is to follow other bloggers. I follow you, you follow me.

Also, this week's featured bloggers are Romance Dreamland Book Corner and My Random Book Thoughts, so make sure you check them out too!

While I do prefer GFC and/or Bloglovin follows, if you would like to follow me via email/twitter etc., that's great too! Also, please leave a comment so I can follow you back!

Top Ten Books I've Read in 2015 So Far

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Wow, we're halfway through the year already! I can't believe it.

At right this moment, I have read 45 books and am quite behind on my reading challenge. However, with my studying out of the way (for now), I am hopeful that one day I will catch up. Despite having only read 45 books, I still had a struggle with limiting this list to just 10.

Top Ten books from the last 3 years that I would consider as All Time Favourites

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I feel like my reading journey has its peaks and troughs. I was a prolific reader during my high school years. Then, when I hit university, my pleasure reading became non-existent and it wasn't until last year when I really picked up reading again as a serious hobby.

However, despite having only a couple of years of books to choose from for this week's meme, I did read a lot of books, most of which are amazing, so I still have plenty to choose from. So without further ado, here are my top ten all time favourites from recent years.

2014 Wrap-Up: My Top Ten Picks for This Year

Image sourced from Peddhapati at Flickr

2014 is over! And I've read a lot of books this year. In fact, I've read 105 novels so there are a lot of books to choose from for my top ten favourites of the year. I've been quite selective with tagging books as "2014 favourites" yet despite that, I have 24 books on that shelf (click here to see all the books that made that short-list). So without further ado, here are my top ten picks for 2014!!!

Top Ten Favourite Books of 2014 so far

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

So we're halfway through the year and it's time for us to reflect back on the first half of 2014 and showcase our favourite reads so far. In the first six months of 2014, I have read a total of 64 books, reaching just over half way to my goal of 100 books this year. These are my favourite 10 books so far :)

Top Ten Books that Should Be in Your Beach Bag!

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I'm in the midst of winter at the moment so I can only envy the rest of you up in the Northern hemisphere and recommend some of my favourite summer reads! :D

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
For some light-hearted romance goodness set in Paris.

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
This is a book that sings out to the nerd within us all.

3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
For those looking for some action!

4. One Summer by Nora Roberts
Suits the summer theme.

5. 1800-Where-R-You series by Meg Cabot
Add a dash of supernatural

6. A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands
For those looking for romance with the supernatural

7. Legend trilogy by Marie Lu
For those looking for a bit of dystopian

8. Ruby Red trilogy by Kerstin Gier
I absolutely loved this trilogy - it's a good series to sit down and simply devour.

9. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
For those looking for a more serious read

10. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
For the inner child in us.

So those are my 10 picks for this week, what are yours?

Top Ten Books about Friendship

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

As much as I love romance in the books that I read, sometimes books can still be amazing and memorable without it. This week we have to feature ten book on friendship that we really enjoyed.

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
I don't think it come as any surprise that the Fellowship comes out on top in this list. The Lord of the Rings is my favourite book of all times and the strength of the friendship among the Fellowship is amazing.

2. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
This doesn't require any explanation. Friendship plays a huge role in all seven books and although there are pairings within the series, romance was never a huge factor in the story.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Of course, this book contains so much more but the friendships between Liesel and Rudy, and that between Liesel and Max, are so beautifully simple and plays such a stark contrast to what's going on in the bigger picture of the world that I absolutely adored it to pieces.

4. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
One of my favourite novels while growing up, this book almost moved me to tears with how beautiful it is.

5. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Heartbreaking and thought provoking, whether or not you enjoy Jodi Picoult's writing style, this novel raises a lot of ethical questions that I think everyone should have a think about (I may be slightly biased from my medical background).

6. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
An amazing YA novel on so many conflicting aspects of growing up and finding oneself. While there is a romantic element to the story, I still really enjoyed the friendships in this novel too.

7. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Human nature and friendship - I absolutely loved this story whilst growing up.

8. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
The friendship between Percy, Annabeth and Grover is just so strong throughout the whole series, through thick and thin.

9. Tomorrow, When the War Began series by John Marsden
Friendship plays such a strong role in this series - all varying aspects of it gets showcased. I have always meant to come back to this series and finish it but I just haven't had the time yet.

10. Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith
Dogs. Pigs. Sheep. Humans. This book has them all and how friendship can transcend species.

Which books did you pick this week?

Dymocks - The best 101 books as voted by Dymocks booklovers

So recently, I came across Dymocks' list of the best 101 books as voted by their book buyers. For the complete list, you can click here. Curious, I grabbed the catalogue and started ticking the books that I have read and here were my results:

• In the top 10, I'm actually not doing too bad and I have read 6 of the top 10 with another 1, TFIOS, on my TBR list. Plus, 1984 is sort of tentatively on my TBR.
• In the top 11 to 50, I've only read 6 with another 2 on my TBR. I definitely fall short on the classics genre, which features heavily on this list. There's another 2 that I've started and can't really say I've finished - the Bible (read it sporadically in high school - I went to a Lutheran college) and Fifty Shades of Grey (sorry but I couldn't stomach the writing - made it partway into the first book and had to put it down)
• In the top 51 to 101, I've only read 5 (*sigh*) with a few on my TBR. 

I recognise most of the books on this list but I just haven't had the time to read them, especially the classics. Classics just takes forever to get through and although, at the end of it, they are worth the effort, I don't have that much spare time to devote to them.

My goal is to make an effort to be able to tick off most of the books on this list, starting from the top.

Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors in My Reading Journey

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week, we have to list the ten books and/or authors who have been the "gateways" to our reading experience. These may be the books that got us into reading, or books that opened up a genre to us or books that have helped us out of a reading slump. So here, below, in roughly chronological order, are my "gateway" books.

1. 25 Fairy Tales

This is the first set of books that my parents bought for me to read. It is all in Mandarin and is a collection of twenty-five very familiar fairy tales such as The Little Mermaid, Cinderella and The Little Match Girl. You can probably say these are the books that got me in love with stories and reading in general. My mother recalled that I would often sit there with a book in my lap and read out loud. My aunts were all amazed I was reading at such an early age but my mother would roll her eyes and say that I couldn't read, it was just that I had gone over the stories so often that I knew all the words off by heart. :P

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

This is the first book that I picked up by myself and attempted to read (in English that is). Back in grade four, about three months since my migration to Australia, my teacher was reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to us in class. I remember being bored out of my mind because I had no idea what was going on. We had to sit there, on the floor, cross-legged until our feet would go numb. Everyone else was so excited but I really didn't see the point in it all. So out of curiosity, I went to the library and borrowed the second book out and attempted to read it over the weekend. I think I manage to make it about four chapters in before I had to return the book.

3. Thoroughbred series by Joanna Campbell

This series was my staple read during primary school. I think I went through a whole horse-craze phase because of this series and I briefly considered being a jockey because of these books. I only ruled it out because in grade seven, at 1.7m and growing, I was way too tall for the sport.

4. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

My favourite novel of all time. There isn't enough praise I can heap onto this book. I picked it up in grade 8 and I couldn't believe I hadn't read it before. This is also the book that had me falling in love with the fantasy genre. After this, I simply couldn't get enough. From this, I moved onto Jennifer Fallon, Sara Douglas, Philip Pullman, C.S. Lewis etc.

5. The Diary of Anne Frank

You cannot read this book without being completely and utterly moved. I read it back in grade ten as part of the English curriculum and *shiver* it still haunts me today. This is the book that really opened up the experiences of World War II and made me view conflict and battles in a different light.

6. Nora Roberts

Nora Roberts and all her fabulous works made me fall in love with the experience of falling in love. I can't remember which one of her books I read first but afterwards, I was determined to rifle out every single one of her works that was available in the library. She is a prolific author and in turn, she made me into a prolific reader of romance. I eventually branched out and fell in love with the works of many other authors such as Diana Palmer (though her books always give me mixed feelings), Linda Howard and Elizabeth Lowell. But if I'm in the mood for romance, Nora Roberts is almost always my first choice.

7. Oscar Wilde

Another compulsory read of my high school English curriculum but I really did enjoy it. The Importance of Being Ernest was my first foray into classic plays that were not written by Shakespeare and I really had a blast.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Not sure if it's fair for Harry Potter to feature twice on this list but honestly, this series has been the book ends of my reading experience during school. The first two books was the beginning of my reading experience and the final book came out in grade twelve and was possibly one of the last books I read during high school. I was determined not to be spoiled (unlike the sixth book) and despite the fact I had upcoming exams and assignment deadlines, I finished the book in one night, staying up all the way until four o'clock in the morning.

9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is the series that really brought me back into reading. I was in my last semester of university and for the five and a half years before that, I really didn't do much reading for enjoyment simply because I didn't have the time. But The Hunger Games created such a huge wave through modern culture that even a hermit like me found out about it. Intrigued, I read it and a) it was fantastic (with the minor exception of the final volume) and b) it reminded me how much I enjoyed reading. Once I rediscovered reading, there was no way I could go back to my former habits.

10. The next book I read

I'm going to keep this last slot open because I'm always going to be in the hunt for the next book that will mark a milestone on my reading journey.

So that is my list! What books did you pick to mark your reading journey? Leave a comment and/or link below and I'll be sure to check it out!

Top Ten All Time Favourite Books in YA-genre

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I hemmed and hummed over which genre I should pick for this week and I think in the end, the YA-genre triumphed over the fantasy genre. Mostly because I read extensively back in high school and I really needed this meme to remind me of some of my old-time favourites. It's been a while so I had to resort skimming through GoodReads to remind me of the books I read back in high school. So without further ado, here are my top ten all time favourite novels from the Young Adult section.

10. Letters from the Inside by John Marsden

Most people know John Marsden for his series Tomorrow When the War Began, which I think got made into a movie adaptation a few years back too. And yes, I really enjoyed that series too. Never got around to finishing it because towards the end, the volumes all seemed a bit repetitive to hold the attention span of a teenage girl in the midst of her final year exams. So I decided to pick another one of his works that I really enjoyed, Letters from the Inside. It is a weird format as it consists entirely of letters written back and forth between two pen pals but despite that, the story unfolds smoothly.

9. Jacko Moran Sniper by Ken Catran

This is sadly a relatively unknown novel that I picked up on a whim from the library back when I was in high school. I think it's out of print at the moment as well, which is a real shame as I really enjoyed this novel. It  isn't the type of thing I'd normally read but something about the story just stuck with me, even years after I read it. There's a quote that even now I remember, perhaps not the exact wording, but it goes something like this:

War didn't kill me. But peace did.

I'd really like to get my hands on a copy of this now but sadly, as I mentioned before, I can't seem to find it anywhere :(

8. Holes by Louis Sachar

I read this in class in primary school, I think, back before the movie adaptation came out. I remember being really frustrated as I didn't quite grasp the concept of the alternating between the present and the past. But then when the plot was revealed and everything clicked together, I was like, wow, this is awesome.

A few years later, our high school class went to watch a movie together. I initially started off thinking this plot seems strangely familiar and it wasn't until halfway through the film I realized this was a movie adaptation of a book I'd forgotten I'd read long ago.

7. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

I absolutely adored this book. Just thinking about it brings back fond memories. While admittedly, I initially picked up this book due to my obsession with horses, this story is really timeless and it is much more than just a story about a horse. Through the eyes of Black Beauty as he weather various jobs and lives, the reader was given a beautiful clear imagery of turn-of-the-century London.

6. The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques

No one does epic fantasy sagas for children better than Brian Jacques. I grew up with the Redwall series. While some outshine the others a little bit (Salamandastron, Triss, Lord Brocktree to name just a few), each one of them holds a special place in my heart. Admittedly, they are not for everyone and the beginning tends to be quite slow in terms of pacing, but for anyone looking for a good story to chase out the winter chill, these are fabulous.

5. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

I think Looking for Alibrandi may be Melina Marchetta's better known novel as that was made into a film back in 2000 (wow, that long ago?!) but I always enjoyed Saving Francesca just that little bit more. In this story, Francesca is attending a high school that has recently just turned co-ed (by that, it meant the school put in a female bathroom and that's it). If that wasn't enough for her to deal with, her mother has had a breakdown and spends most of the day curled up in her bed. This is just a really good empowering coming-of-age book.

4. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman

Consisting of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Oh man, stumbling onto this on GoodReads makes me wonder how on earth I could have forgotten about this series. If you haven't heard of this series, please, whatever you do, do not watch the movie! The books are much better.

3. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

I picked up this series purely because a friend of mine mentioned the beginnings are funny. And she was right. I have yet to come across another series of books which start by trying to dissuade readers from continuing on with the book. These tales are funny, engaging and just an overall enjoyable read. I must admit I did fall off the band wagon at volume 9 and have yet to complete the series. But the earlier volumes remain some of my favourites and one day, when I get the chance, I'll definitely come back and finish this series.

2. Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

I only started reading Rick Riordan this year and already, his works are some of my all-time favourites. I loved the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and again, you should avoid watching the movie adaptations. They took everything that was good out of the books and threw it all onto the ground. I feel like the only thing they took was Percy Jackson's name and uhm... that's about it.

I'm part way through The Heroes of Olympus series and I can't wait for the final volume to come out this year.

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

I don't think any YA-fiction list can be complete without J.K. Rowling's magical Harry Potter series. These books literally were the bookends my childhood. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was one of the first that was read out aloud in class by my primary school teacher, back when I was still a recent migrant from China and had no idea what she was reading. And the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, came out in the middle of my final year in high school. It was a stressful year but we all made time to read the book (I ended up reading till 4AM to avoid getting spoiled by anyone).

So there you go, these are my 10 picks from the YA-genre. What are some of your favourites? Or perhaps you picked a different genre to highlight this week. Either way, leave a comment/link down below and I'll be sure to check it out!

Feature Follow Friday: Back-List Book Recommendations

Feature Follow Friday is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. It's a way for bloggers and readers alike to make some new friends and gain some new followers as well. The point of this hop is to follow other bloggers. I follow you, you follow me.

Also, this week's featured bloggers are Pottermore Books and Julie & Rose, so make sure you check them out too.

While I do prefer GFC follows, if you would like to follow me via bloglovin/email/twitter etc, that's great too! Also, please leave a comment so I can follow you back!

Question of the week: Back-list Book Recommendations

Recommend some of your favourite back-list books - books that are at least a few years old (I'm thinking 5-10 years old rather than classics).

Some of my favourite books of all times are very well known such as the Lord of the Rings. And what's the point of recommending books that most of you book lovers have already read. So I thought I'll take this opportunity to highlight one of my favourite series that is a little less well known.

I have mentioned Jennifer Fallon before in my library haul when I discovered she came out with another trilogy that I haven't read yet called the Rift Runners Trilogy. One of my favourite fantasy trilogies is the Demon Child Trilogy by her, comprising of Medalon, Treason Keep and Harshini. 

If you are a fan of high fantasy, then you definitely have to try Jennifer Fallon's works. I'm always blown away by her ideas, story-telling and the way everything unfolds. If you like fantasy sagas and you are sick of LoTR rip-offs, then you'll love her works. While the Demon Child trilogy holds a special place in my heart, I also love her other series such as the Tide Lords quartet. 

Which books did you recommend this week? Leave a comment/link below and I'll be sure to check it out!

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon

TTT is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

When I saw this topic, I was a bit stumped. Even though I have read a lot of romance novels, the word "swoon" makes me think of those romance novels that are really really special. And for a moment, I really had to think about this list. This, by the way, is not ordered by any means. It's just the order in which these books and authors came to my mind.

I limited my list to one book per author but rest assured, for the authors below, I loved almost all of their books so definitely check out their other novels too.

1. The MacGregor Grooms by Nora Roberts

When it comes to romance, you can't go past Nora Roberts. She has over 200 romance works to her name and is the first author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame - that is how good she is! There are a lot of books by her that I love but for a quick lighthearted read, I always gravitate towards the MacGregor series. All 11 of them are really good but my personal favourite would have to be The MacGregor Grooms, which is a collection of three novellas. 

2. The Playboy by Carly Phillips

The Playboy is the second book in the Chandler brothers series, which starts with The Bachelor and finishes with The Heartbreaker. All three are really good reads, but I love The Playboy the most if only for the comedic factor. Imagine a town where all the single ladies are throwing themselves at this single cop. Toss in a meddling mother who's faking sick so that her boys will settle down, start a family and give her grandchildren before she dies. Then finish it off with a bride in a wedding dress stuck just outside of town needing police assistance. It's definitely a fun read and I absolutely adore the main characters.

3. The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick

Amanda Quick is my go-to author for historical romance (well, her and Julia Quinn) and The Paid Companion is the novel I regularly refer to when I feel like doing a quick re-read. Elenora Lodge lost her family inheritance when her stepfather squandered the whole lot, forcing her to go into employment as a paid companion for income. Unfortunately, she's a bit too brash and opinionated to be suitable as a demure obedient servant. Arthur Lancaster, the Earl of St. Merryn, is looking for someone to pretend to be his fiance so that he could wander around London's social scene without getting interrupted while he's hunting for a murderer. The two of them are constantly at odds with each other and sparks almost always flies. Amanda Quick, in this novel, I think balanced Elenora well so that she is independent and inquisitive without being too pigheaded. 

4. Dream Man by Linda Howard

Some of Linda Howard's novels always makes me want to fan myself and this one is definitely one of them, which is quite a difficult feat considering this book is about murders. Marlie Keen is content to lead a quiet normal life. She thought her clairvoyance had disappeared after the nightmare in her past so she was shocked when one night, all of a sudden, it came back with a vengeance. Meanwhile, Detective Dane Hollister is busy trying to track down a serial killer and has no patience for the psychic Marlie. But at the same time, he can't help feeling attracted to her. Watching Dane turn between 

5. Remember Me by Sharon Sala

This book doesn't make me swoon as much as it makes me sigh contentedly. I find some of Sharon Sala's works to be a bit too cheesy at times but sometimes, you need some cheese in your life. Life was beautiful for Clay LeGrand until one day, his wife suddenly disappears from their home and he is being grilled like a criminal. Two years later, he returns to work to find his wife, Frankie, sleeping in bed and acting as if the last two years never happened. Where has she been for the last two years? And why can't she remember any of it?

6. Brighter than the Sun by Julia Quinn

This book got me right at the beginning, as Charles Wycombe, the Earl of Billington, crashed out of a tree and landed at the feet of Eleanor Lyndon. Upon learning that she was single, he immediately proposed marriage as he needed to marry before his 30th birthday in order to retain his inheritance. This book had me giggling right from the beginning. Charles and Eleanor are so adorable together, I loved their interactions and the way the story unfolded.

7. Only Mine by Elizabeth Lowell

To be honest, I enjoyed every single book in Elizabeth Lowell's Only series. This one sort of just pipped the other ones to the post. Every single one of Elizabeth Lowell's regency novels are moving in their own right and this one is no exception. It's interesting to follow the journey of how a rugged nature-hardened Wolfe Lonetree slowly and reluctantly falls for the pampered, innocent Lady Jessica. Meanwhile, Jessica has to adapt to a married life in the harsh landscape of America. You can't not feel the emotions written on the pages and when the two of them finally admitted their feelings to each other - it's amazing.

8. September Morning by Diana Palmer

I have a love-hate relationship with Diana Palmer. Her books are very emotional and moving yet almost all of her books depict strong dominant men and submissive women who love those men regardless of how much verbal/psychological abuse they dish out to them. It makes a tumultuous read but sometimes, the happy ending is worth all the emotional turmoil us readers go through. September Morning, I'm happy to report, is one of those books. You feel torn and heartbroken right alongside Kate and then, when everything comes together at the end, you bask in her joy too.

9. Dark Prince by Christine Feehan

There is something very addictive about Christine Feehan's The Carpathians series. Call it guilty pleasure if you want to but I simply adore reading these books and finding out how the couple found each other. Dark Prince is the first one in the series and it's still the one I enjoy the most. The plots of these books might be a bit weaker than those of other paranormal novels but the chemistry between the Life Mates makes it an enjoyable read nonetheless.

10. Vampire, Interrupted by Lynsay Sands

My favourite of the Argeneau Vampires series, a bit surprising since when it comes to a series, I tend to enjoy the younger generations more. But Marguerite and Julius Notte - their history is just so interesting and heartbreaking when you realize exactly what they lost in the years they have been apart. Their chemistry is palpable on the pages and I think I gobbled this book up all in one sitting.

So there you have it, these are my picks. Let me know if the comments below what are yours, or post a link to your list - I'd love to check them out! I'm always on the hunt for more romance! ^_~