Top 5 Reads of 2009

Coming up with a long list of great reads from 2009 was easy. Narrowing it down to just a few was really, really hard.

Here is my short list for 2009:

Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong Not only did this anthology give me new insight into one of my favorite series, it also was excellent as a stand alone novel. Clay’s and Jeremy’s stories were great peeks into characters that usually serve as foils to the women of the Otherworld. Clay’s voice, especially was wonderful, and gave me insight into why he is the scary, sexy misfit he is in the Otherworld series. See my post about Men of the Otherworld here.

Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale The book was a wonderful surprise. It included a highly original world, a heartbreaking protagonist, and beautiful prose. Belimai and Captain Harper are unique characters, and I love the combination of mystery, fantasy, and romance in Wicked Gentlemen. Also, Blind Eye Books did a wonderful job with the production and artwork. I So much was fit into the 2 novellas that make this beautiful, slim volume. Read my review here.

Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh This was a world and a story that stayed with me for days. The beautiful imagery and original story line made Angels’ Blood a page turner for me. The angels, vampires and hunters were fascinating. I loved how the Archangels had such an edge of danger to them. Raphael was appropriately powerful and scary, yet I loved how as the story progresses, his feelings for Elena become clear. This book was labeled and “urban fantasy romance”, and it’s clearly grittier than a typical paranormal romance, but still has more focus on relationships than a strict urban fantasy. Read my comments about Angels’ Blood in my Top 5 Paranormal Romances post.

Scandal by Carolyn Jewel This was one of those books that I wanted to tell everyone about. Prose, character development and a moving storyline completely entranced me. I loved how Banallt has already reformed his rakish ways before the book opens. The drama centers on his efforts to convince Sophie that he has truly changed, and how she sloooowly comes to trust and believe in him—and trust in her own judgement. This was the first book I read by Carolyn Jewel, but she has now become one of my favorite authors, both for her historicals and her paranormals. Read my review of Scandal here.

The Dark Tide by Josh Lanyon An amazing conclusion to one of my favorite series. I’m still thinking about this books, which I just finished reading last week. In fact, last week I did something I never do: as soon as I finished reading The Dark Tide, I turned to the first page and started reading it all over again. I LOVE that Josh Lanyon was able to provide a compelling story arc that extended through the 5 books in the series, and wrap it up in The Dark Tide in such a satisfying way, while at the same time providing an interesting and suspenseful mystery. Adrien’s and Jake’s relationship was never smooth, but in the final book they achieve a resolution to their relationship that is oh-so-rewarding for the reader. All the things that needed to happen at the conclusion of this series, did. Bravo, Josh Lanyon.

Now, there are too many books that deserve a mention, but didn’t make my Top 5. Some didn’t make this list because, even though I first read them in 2009, they were released more than 12 months ago. Also, there are a number of books or series I really enjoyed that were excellent, but were in the top 10 or 15. Given that I read over 225 books in 2009 (not including re-reads) it was really difficult to narrow my list down to even a top 15. In an upcoming post, I’ll visit some other great reads from 2009, as well as some reading discoveries I made this year.

What were your Top 5 for 2009?

The Non-romance Romance

I picked up the Men of the Otherworld audiobook on Friday. The previous audiobook I had been listening to wasn’t suiting my mood.  And, although I had already read MotO when it first came out, I had purchased the audiobook a couple of months ago because it is one of my favorites in Kelley Armstrong’s Otherworld series.

What really works for me in this anthology is that there is a strong narrative thread that runs throughout all of the stories. It starts with the birth of Jeremy Danvers, North American pack leader and then follows up with the “making” of Clayton into a werewolf, when he is a small child.

The subsequent stories follow the development of the relationship between the two men, starting with a young adult Jeremy, gaining the trust of the feral wolf-boy Clay, taking him home, and eventually integrating him into the pack.

My favorite part of this book is how Jeremy patiently “woos” a mistrustful and skittish Clayton, feeding the starving child hamburgers, and getting him to don clothing (he’s been living alone in the bayou for a couple of years, switching between wolf and human form) and reminding him how to communicate with words instead of growls and grunts.

And, it really does feel like Jeremy is wooing Clayton in a non-sexual courtship. There is a definite simpatico between them, and even a “meant to be” inevitability about their father/son relationship. I LOVE this.

One of the main story arcs in MotO follows their relationship: “the meeting”—”the wooing/courtship”—”the ‘other man'” aka “the competition”—”the moment of truth” aka “the delcaration”—”the HEA (happily ever after.)” Now, being a romance reader as well as a UF reader, it’s hard for me not to see it in these terms and totally dig it.

In a way, this is why I turned to this audiobook when the previous (paranormal romance) wasn’t keeping my attention. I think I was in need of a comfort read, and in the way that one might turn to their favorite romance for comfort, I turned to this book, knowing that Jeremy and Clay’s “courtship” and eventual HEA would hit the spot.

Now, this isn’t the only book that I love that has this kind of non-romance romance. Naomi Novik’s His Majesty’s Dragon is another wonderful example of the development of a deep and abiding relationship between two beings — in this case, between a man and a very intellectual dragon. In fact, I love this sweet and touching relationship so much that last year for my Best of 2008 posts, which I did yearbook style, I chose Will and Temeraire as “Cutest Couple.” (You have to scroll all the way to the bottom.)

Here is what I said about them in that post:

. . . the relationship that grows between Will and Temeraire over the course of the series is beautiful in how it develops. They are truly each other’s Significant Other, in an emotional sense though not a romantic one. There is a reunion scene in one of the books that is worthy of slow-motion/split perspective camera work as they run toward each other in joy.

These two come pretty easily to me as examples of a non-romance romance. After thinking on this for a while, I thought of the relationship between Liberty and her little sister Carrington in Lisa Kleypas’ Sugar Daddy. Their relationship is definitely a “falling in love,” even to the point that there is little emotional room left over for their mother.

To be clear, I’m not referring to any kind of close relationship. I mean a soul-mates kind of relationship, with a unique and rare understanding between the two involved.

ETA: ::smacks forehead:: I had totally forgotten to include Mildmay and Felix from the Doctrine of Labyrinths series by Sarah Monette. As dysfunctional as their relationship often is, they are two people who are tied together at an fundamental level. I love how each one can reach the other in a way no one else can.

Can you think of other non-romance romances? I love reading these kind of stories, and would be interested in finding more of them.

Courtship and wolf pictures courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.