At the end of the year we all take a moment to reflect on the year before and look to the year ahead. As corny as it sounds, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching trying to understand myself and my ambitions. I was going through some rough stuff and was trying to make sense of everything. I stopped reading and writing for the month of December and I was miserable. Reading and writing are two things that make me the happiest. Diving into fictional worlds of either my own imagination or the imagination of others, completely captivates me. So now, let me share my Top 10 Most Anticipated Books of 2014.
1. The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison – The first book, Dead Witch Walking, was the first Urban Fantasy story I’d ever read and I fell in love with the genre. The story line is amazing and even now towards the end of the series, the story is just as compelling as it was in the first book. The twelfth book in the Hollows series is set to release February 25, 2014.
Pre-order on Amazon Pre-order on Barnes and Noble
2. Night Broken by Patricia Briggs – This series was recommended to me by one of my guy friends. After I read the first one I was hooked. I read the five that were out at the time and the Alpha and Omega spin off. The characters and the world are fascinating. She even weaves some history into the stories, I love it when they do that. The eighth book in the Mercedes Thompson series is set to release March 11, 2014.
Pre-order on Amazon Pre-order on Barnes and Noble
3. Sixth Grave on the Edge by Darynda Jones – A co-worker recommended this to me. She said, “You’ll really like this because you’ll appreciate the smart ass-ery and sarcasm.” She was right. Charley Davidson has quickly become one of my all time favorite characters. She’s witty and funny. Add that to the sweet hotness of Reyes and you have a hilarious, sexy story. The sixth Charley Davidson book is scheduled to be released May 20, 2014.
Pre-order on Amazon Pre-order on Barnes and Noble
4. Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead – These may be young adult books, but they’re one of my favorites. Everything I’ve read, to date, of Richelle Mead’s has been awesome. This is the Vampire Academy spin off, Bloodlines. I’m glad she writes two of these a year. That means I’ll probably be able to read the last book of the series sometime towards the end of the year. The fifth book in the Bloodlines series is set to release July 29, 2014. After her cliff hanger at the end of the last book, I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Pre-order on Amazon Pre-order on Barnes and Noble
5. The King by J.R. Ward – The Black Dagger Brotherhood… what’s not to like? Violence, action, romance, hulked out hotness, sounds good to me. I also like that she’s created a whole society inside our society. It’s all extremely well planned out and captivating. There’s even a dictionary at the beginning of each book of the language she invented. Talk about diving into worldbuilding. The King is scheduled for release on April 1, 2014. *laughs*
Pre-order on Amazon Pre-order on Barnes and Noble
6. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Claire – I read these when it was just a trilogy. Two more books came out before I realized that it wasn’t a trilogy anymore. I’m caught up now and patiently awaiting the last book to see how it ends. The characters definitely use teenager logic to rationalize their decisions, causing me to scare people as I yell, “No! Why would you do that!” randomly. I think it gives the stories a bit of believability. The final book is set to release on May 27, 2014.
Pre-order on Amazon Pre-order on Barnes and Noble
7. Crave the Night by Lara Adrian – I know what you’re thinking, another vampire romance series? Yes, I like the spin that she put on vampires. Who would have thought that they’re aliens? Before you get your panties in a bunch, don’t worry. These vampires still burst into flames in the sunlight. The last book through me for a loop and I can’t wait to see what else she’s cooked up. The next Midnight Breed book is set to release August 5, 2014.
Pre-order on Amazon Pre-order on Barnes and Noble
8. Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs – I’m really excited for this one. It’s a Mercy Thompson short story collection that has all of the currently published short stories and some new ones. According to her website, Shifting Shadows is set to release sometime this fall.
9. The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan – I love mythology so, reading this series was a no brainer. Even though they’re kids books, they’re really interesting. The Heroes of Olympus brings together Greek and Roman mythology, making them twice as interesting for mythology dorks like myself. I read the Percy Jackson series and I was really glad that I could read more of his story in The Heroes of Olympus. I still need to read the last one, House of Hades, but I’ll have plenty of time to catch up since the new book doesn’t release until October 7, 2014.
Pre-order on Amazon Pre-order on Barnes and Noble
10. The 1st Sinjin Sinclair book by H.P. Mallory – And finally, the Sinjin Sinclair spin off. I’ve read her Jolie Wilkins series and the Dulcie O’Neil series. They’re a fun light hearted read that leaves you grinning at the end. Sometimes J.R. Ward and Lara Adrian can go a bit dark side, and that’s one reason I like them, but sometimes you need something a little warmer to help brighten your day and these are the perfect remedy. The release date is listed as March 25, 2014 on her website and the book doesn’t have a title listed yet, but I read on her Facebook page the other day that she’ll be holding a contest to be a character in the new Sinjin book sometime soon.
That wraps up my Top 10 Most Anticipated Books of 2014 list. Are any of these books on your 2014 reading list? Do you have any recommendations for my list?
I hope everyone has a wonderful and prosperous year. Happy reading!
