BookNook: Author Round-Up
A few of my favourite authors all in one place.
If you’re on the hunt for your next great read, you can’t go wrong with these six incredible authors. Whether you love heart-pounding suspense, life-changing romance, or emotional drama, there’s something here for everyone. Here’s a quick guide to their work and why you might love them:
📚 Karen Rose – Romantic Suspense at Its Best
Karen Rose is the queen of romantic suspense, combining intricate mystery plots with steamy, emotional romance. Her books are often dark and intense, featuring complex characters and high-stakes danger. If you love thrillers with a strong romantic core, her work will keep you hooked from the first page.
Where to start: “Closer Than You Think” – A gripping blend of suspense and romance featuring a psychologist being stalked by a dangerous figure from her past.
❤️ Marie Force – Small-Town Romance with Heart
Marie Force is known for her heartwarming small-town romances and passionate love stories. Her Gansett Island and Fatal series are fan favourites, offering rich character development and emotional depth. She’s great at creating characters you’ll wish were your real-life friends.
Where to start: “Maid for Love” (Gansett Island series) – A sweet story about finding love when you least expect it.
💖 Kristen Ashley – Alpha Heroes and Strong Heroines
Kristen Ashley writes addictive contemporary and romantic suspense novels, often featuring alpha male heroes and independent, no-nonsense heroines. Her books are known for steamy romance, fast-paced plots, and lots of heart. The Rock Chick and Colorado Mountain series are cult favourites.
Where to start: “The Gamble” (Colorado Mountain series) – A swoon-worthy story about a city girl falling for a rugged mountain man.
🔥 Tijan – Intense New Adult Drama
Tijan’s books are packed with emotional intensity, complicated relationships, and high-stakes drama. Her writing captures the raw emotions of young adulthood, with themes of love, loyalty, and betrayal. Her Fallen Crest and Crew series are hugely popular in the new adult genre.
Where to start: “Fallen Crest High” – A dark, addictive story about family secrets and forbidden romance.
🌶️ Cee Bowerman – Small-Town Romance with a Hint of Heat
Cee Bowerman specialises in small-town romances with plenty of steamy moments and strong family dynamics. Her books often feature protective heroes and fiercely independent heroines, with a good mix of drama and light-hearted moments.
Where to start: “Texas Heat” – A small-town romance about finding love where you least expect it.
🌙 Scarlett Dawn – Fantasy Romance with a Dark Edge
Scarlett Dawn blends romance with fantasy and paranormal elements, creating fast-paced, imaginative worlds filled with complex characters and high-stakes relationships. Her Forever Evermore and Marked series are full of magic, political intrigue, and forbidden love.
Where to start: “King Hall” (Forever Evermore series) – A gripping mix of romance, magic, and political drama.
✨ Final Thoughts
Whether you’re craving an emotional small-town romance, a dark and dangerous suspense story, or a fantasy-filled escape, these authors have you covered. Happy reading! ❤️
BookNook - May 2018
My Reading List for May featuring some of my all time favourite authors. (Incidentally, they're all women!) Let me know what you've been reading!
I adore this series so completely. I am genuinely fully invested in Nick and Sam Cappuano's relationship - I love the political element to these books but also that it doesn't take away from the life and love that comes through so much. Sam's struggle with conceiving, adopting a grown boy, dealing with family troubles and all while holding down a day job in the NYPD and being a wife to a US Senator turned VP. I have nothing bad to say about this series, I just hope it doesn't end. (And also that Sam eventually gets the baby she wants so much).
This is a classic YA series and also the one that introduced me to Tijan's writing. Wow. And I mean WOW. This woman knows how to write. I think Fallen Crest is her best known work and I kid you not when I say that I can easily see this whole storyline being adapted for TV, omg, the drama! This is a seven book series in total and follows the journey of Samantha and the Kade brothers.
I think what I love the most about Fallen Crest and also in Tijan's other books, is that her female leads are always strong, independent, determined young women. Yes, there's a running theme of falling in love (generally with someone fairly unsuitable), but who cares when you have a badass female lead ready to push through all the obstacles in her path. If you like YA books and you haven't read this series, you absolutely must. Trust me, you'll thank me later!
Ruthless People series by JJ. Mcavoy
Oh my. Where do I even start with this series. Although there are technically two lead characters in this series, I think the female lead, Melody Giovanni comes through much more strongly. Like the other series above, she is a seriously determined and focused woman with no plans to let anyone get in her way. Unlike the other series, in the Ruthless People world, Melody is the head of the Russian mob and perhaps the most ruthless of them all. It's an odd one because clearly there are an awful lot of references to crime families and the things they do, but as an individual character, Melody is maybe one of the most compelling female leads I've read in a long time.
I'd suggest suspending disbelief with moral judgments if you read this one, but in so many other ways, it's exactly right when it comes to the love story between Melody and Liam. Theirs is a very dominant story and during the first book, when their relationship eventually settles, I found myself rooting for them so much to find their peace and to be able to move forward with life. If you've never read anything in the "mob romance" genre, this one will chuck you in at the deep end, but damn if it isn't all worth it.
Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong
This series is slightly different in that it moves from one set of lead characters to others as the series develops, all of whom belong to the Otherworld in some way. This series is set in our world but its characters come from the Otherworld which is home to witches, sorcerers, werewolves, vampires and all manner of other creatures, weird and wonderful.
I do love the whole series but there are two books in particular that I really loved, which focus on my two favorite leads. The books are Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic with Paige and Lucas as the leads. Theirs is a funny and fiesty relationship which I adore. (And for the super sleuths among you, you may recognize these names from the TV show 'Bitten' which was the Canadian adaptation of the earlier books in the series, when it's focused on Elena and Clay and their relationship).
Happy reading friends! Let me know which books you're loving at the moment and any titles I should check out <3