Top Ten Tuesday – Favorite Books Released In the Last Ten Years

Today’s Topic: Favorite Books Released In the Last Ten Years (one book for each year)

Hosted by: That Artsy Reader Girl

Well, what an interesting topic this turned out to be. I actually had to do a little research through my bookshelves, looking for publishing dates.  I had a very difficult time narrowing it down to one favorite book per year, so I decided to include all the titles that were contenders for my favorite.

2019 so far…

Favorite: Up From the Sea – I’ve been waiting for years for a new story from this author and it does not disappoint even though it is a prequel novella. With a lyrical style, this story is sweet and mystical and the perfect lead in to whet my appetite for the following novel.

Runner Up: Fearless

2018

Favorite: Rose in Three Quarter Time – Though short (it is a novella), this story about musicians in Vienna captured my heart. I read it at least three times within a couple of months from its’ release date. It’s full of magic, beauty and romance.

Runners Up: The Matrimonial Advertisement, Light on the Hill

Related: Reviews for Rose in Three Quarter Time, The Matrimonial Advertisement, Light on the Hill

2017

Favorite: The House on Foster Hill – It almost killed me choosing a favorite for this year. Though I’m not generally a fan of the suspense genre, this dual timeline title debut was full of atmosphere and mystery and has haunted me ever since.

Runners Up: Engaged in Trouble, Firstborn

Related: Reviews of The House on Foster Hill, Engaged in Trouble, 

2016 

Favorite: From Sand and Ash – Another tough call to make between two exceptional historical novels, but this one barely edges out the runner up. This WWII tale about an Italian priest and a Jewish violinist whose childhood friendship grows into something more which they must deny is beautifully written. Plus, it’s not often a handicapped priest is written as a romantic hero. I learned so much about the Italian Resistance effort too.

Runner Up: The Lady and the Lionheart

Related: Reviews of From Sand and Ash, The Lady and the Lionheart

2015

Favorite: Price of Privilege Series (2013-15) – Really, there is no close competition for this year and I’m cheating a bit listing an entire series. This is an exceptional story of a woman searching for identity and a place to belong which spoke to me on a deep level. It’s the type of story which changes lives and perspectives.

Runners Up: Carry Me Home, When Fall Fades, Told You So

Related: Review of Carry Me Home

2014

Favorite: For Such a Time – Ugh, so hard to pick a favorite for this year. Honestly, this one which is a modern re-telling of the biblical Esther story set in the concentration camps of WWII was almost tied with With Every Breath. But I can’t get over this story about a blonde haired, blue eyed Jewess who is taken under the protection of a compassionate Nazi guard.

Runners Up: With Every Breath, For Such a Time, Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn

2013

Favorite: Blackmoore -Written very much in a Bronte-esque style with its’ melancholy, gothic-lite feel, the sacrificial love story in this is enough to almost rip out your heart. It definitely left me sighing and swooning over two childhood friends who are kept apart by a their families. I also loved the author’s other novel Edenbrooke which is more of a light-hearted story. Julianne Donaldson is an exceptional writer whose stories are full of emotion and I have been waiting too long for a new release.

Runners Up: One Night with a Rock Star, Fair Child, Birdie Saves the World

2012

Favorite: My Stubborn Heart – Well since I’ve already listed a Julianne Donaldson book, I chose this title over Edenbrooke. My Stubborn Heart was the debut novel from one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. How could I help becoming emotionally involved over a grieving hockey star hiding out as a general contractor who is brought back to life by a compassionate, guileless young woman, her grandmother and a pack of elderly friends?

Runners Up: Edenbrooke, The Rose of Winslow Street

2011

Favorite: The Colonel’s Lady – There is no competition for this story which is one of my all time favorites set during the Revolutionary War. The villain and the hero are twins serving on opposite sides of the war. The heroine is left an orphan by the friendly fire of the hero who is determined to honor his promise to her dying father to take care of her. I love the characters, the setting, the plot and pretty much everything about this book.

2010

Favorite: Pearl in the Sand – Once again, choosing a favorite was a very close call. I’ve loved the Beneath the Blackberry Moon series so much. But this story about the biblical prostitute Rahab was so good that I’ve not only made all my family read it, but also given the book as a gift more than once. I am always moved about how the author attacks the issue of shame and identity so beautifully.

Runners Up: Beneath the Blackberry Moon: The Red Feather, A Hope Undaunted

Related: Review of Beneath the Blackberry Moon

2009 

Favorite: So Not Happening – Another close call, but I have to go with this first book in The Charmed Life series. It introduced me to the genius of Jenny B Jones romantic-comedy skills and made her one of my must read authors.

Runners Up: A Bride in the Bargain, Nothing but Trouble, Seaside Letters