Top 10 Best Romance Novels August 2012
Transport yourself to a romantic place and time with these best-selling romance books
1. Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy
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When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms. Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.
2. Bared to You: A Crossfire Novel
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“If I were to recommend any book today to readers who enjoyed 50 Shades…this would be the first one I would offer….scorching love scenes.”–Dear Author
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness…
He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I’d never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily…
Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other’s most private worlds…and desires.
The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn’t tear us apart…
“Is it possible for two abuse survivors to have a functional romantic relationship?” — Eva Tramell
Eva’s question is the core of the Crossfire series. The answer she receives (“Absolutely.”), gives her hope that she can find her way there with Gideon. I hope their journey touches you the way it has me. We all deserve a happily ever after.
3. The Night Circus
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The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.
4. A Discovery of Witches: A Novel (All Souls Trilogy)
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“A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight.” –People
In a sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches became the “it” book of early 2011, bringing Deborah Harkness into the spotlight and galvanizing fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and the descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript deep in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar’s depth to this riveting story of magic and suspense. And the story continues in Book Two, Shadow of Night.
5. Beautiful Disaster
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6. Gabriel’s Inferno
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“Gabriel’s Inferno” — semi-finalist for Best Romance in the 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards “This is not only one of the best debut books this year, but Reynard is one of the best new authors this year. 5 stars.” – Donna of Offbeat Vagabond “It’s not very often that I am left so affected by a book, but this one took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions … This novel is thought provoking, entertaining and beautiful. 5 stars.” – Nix of Scorching Book Reviews “This is one of the most romantic and sensual stories I have read …the words he writes will sing to you. 5 stars.” – JJ of JJ iReads “I was seduced, entranced, and completely satisfied …The narrator, and its characters were equally charming and sinful. 5 stars.” – Tigris Eden’s Garden of Books Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption. When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide. An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love and redemption, “Gabriel’s Inferno” is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man’s escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible…forgiveness and love.
7. The Last Boyfriend: Book Two of the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy (The Inn Trilogy)
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A new novel of a shared past, a fresh start, and a lifetime of love. #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts introduces you to the Montgomery brothers—Beckett, Ryder, and Owen—as they bring an intimate bed-and-breakfast to life in their hometown. Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family’s construction business with an iron fist—and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers bust on his compulsive list-making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn’t plan for was Avery McTavish… Avery’s popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a first-hand look at its amazing renovation—and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery’s thoughts. But the attraction she’s feeling for him now is far from innocent. As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whole town of Boonsboro a reason to celebrate. But Owen’s hard work has only begun. Getting Avery to let down her guard is going to take longer than he expected—and so will getting her to realize that her first boyfriend is going to be her last…
8. Coming Home: A Story of Undying Hope
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Coming Home is a novel about tremendous victory and unprecedented loss, a story of faith and a forever kind of love, love that will stay with you long after the last page. This stand-alone novel will serve as either a grand introduction or a beautiful conclusion in the saga of the Baxter Family. The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, a celebration like they haven’t had in years. But before the big day, the unthinkable happens. As the Baxter Family rallies together, memories come to light in the grief-stricken hours of waiting and praying, memories that bring healing and hope during a time when otherwise darkness might have the final word. In a season that changes all of them, the brilliance of family love overshadows even the valley of heartache as the Baxters draw closer to God and each other. Along the way, secrets are revealed and the truth about the Baxter Family history is finally made known. Ultimately, in this portrait of family love, the Baxters cling to each other and to God’s promise of forever.
9. Slammed by Colleen Hoover
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SLAMMED is Colleen Hoover’s New York Times best selling debut novel. Amazon’s #1 United States Drama and a Top Rated e-book in Romance. Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she’s losing hope. Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slams. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope. Not long after a heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the forces that tear them apart.
“There is no description that could do this book justice. Slammed is a heart-wrenching, emotional, yet somehow humorous journey of two souls that are destined to be together, despite the factors that stand in their way. So much more than a romance, Slammed teaches lessons about love, life and the soul-deep moments in between. Not to mention the forbidden…it’s oh, so good.” ~Katie’s Book Blog.
If you’re in a reading slump, and you want to try something genuinely unique, unlike anything else out there – here’s your book. It sneaks up on you, starting out with one girl (Layken) missing one parent (check). Add quirky little brother (check) and an unwanted move cross country, because of a parental job transfer (check). She arrives at her new destination, and immediately meets cute, charming guy (Will – double check). What you don’t realize is that this is the end of what you expected…I honestly don’t want to tell you any more. Just go read it already. And when you hit that point at about 20% or so that makes you go, “OMFG!” – that’s your departure point, right there. Strap in and put your tray in the upright position. Oh, and prepare to buy the sequel (which is out now – lucky you!), because you’re gonna want it. As. Soon. As. You. Finish. Reading. -Tammara Webber, author of Easy
10. On the Island: A Novel
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Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring sixteen-year-old T.J.
T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.
Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.
At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.
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Copyright 2012 David Masters