Reader Confession – Who knocked your #1 best, most intense book boyfriend crush into the #2 spot?

THE ROMANCE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL, FOR ME. EDWARD WAS MY FIRST REAL BOOK-BOYFRIEND…

“Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn.

Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife — between desire and danger.”

Dawn: Twilight started it for me too!

Amy: That’s what started it for me!

Branden: I mean was a big reader when I was younger but then was on like a decade hiatus and got pressured into reading Twilight lol! The rest is history 🤷‍♀️

Michele: I googled what to read after Twilight and found my Maryse’s Book Blog!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Sherry: Same!!!!! And I found my Maryse 🥰🥰🥰

ERIC’S BOOK!!! This is the book that had me fall in love with Eric, head-over-heels!!!

“When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn’t just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn’t a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It’s the vampire Eric Northman—but now he’s a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

Sookie’s investigation into why leads straight into a dangerous battle among witches, vampires, and werewolves. But a greater danger could be to Sookie’s heart—because the kinder, gentler Eric is very difficult to resist…”

Michelle: Eric Northman from the Southern Vampire Mysteries had my full attention for 12 books so I guess he wins.

Karen: Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse books. Something about a badass immortal Viking. *sigh*

Shelley: My favorite book is Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris. It’s the 4th book in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series. I’ve read that book at least 10 times. I love the “amnesia Eric Northman” *swoon* and it set soooo many things in motion! <3

MY FAVORITE OF THE ENTIRE SERIES (even though I loved them all!!) THIS IS MY HERO!!! —> Maryse’s Book Review of “Lover Awakened”

“…the most fearsome member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood discovers just how tempting the night can be…”

Julia: I would recommend “Lover Awakened” by J.R. Ward. I’ve reread it many, many times. You don’t even have to like vampire books to appreciate this story. LOVE IT!!!!

Lola: Nothing like some good ol’ ass kicking, leather-clad, vampires! Hands down favorite has to be Lover Awakened!

The thrilling and highly anticipated next installment in the bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series!

When Zsadist’s daughter, Nalla, falls in love, the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s deadliest fighter has to confront the future and the reality that he can’t protect his young forever. Or can he?

THE BAD BOY UNDERGROUND FIGHTER COLLEGE BOY & THE GOOD COLLEGE GIRL!! This is one of my forever 5-STAR favorites, and here’s my review.

“…The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear and has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. With the darkness of her past behind her, she believes her freshman year at college is the start of a new beginning. But then she meets Travis Maddox.

Lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand is exactly what Abby needs to avoid. Intrigued by her resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in his apartment for the same amount of time...”

Tiffany: The one book that is still my favorite after all these years is Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, Travis enough said!!

Renee: There are a lot of great ones out there but my hands down favorite is Beautiful Disaster. I read it about five times and just love to revisit Travis and Abby. 

Patricia: My favorite opposites attract book is Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. I love the romance build-up between Pidge (Abby) and Travis!

MEGA LOVE TRIANGLE!!!!! She’s falling for her boyfriend’s best friend/roommate… P.S. I 5-STAR LOVED it!!! Here’s my review.

For almost two years now, Kiera’s boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she’s ever wanted: loving, tender, and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together—Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university—everything seems perfect.

Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart. Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he’s purely a friend she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship.

And then one night everything changes…and none of them will ever be the same.

Patricia: Dear sweet Jesus……………….where do y’all find theese books? Do you know where I had to read this book????? Hiding in the laundry room (so they couldn’t find me) like some love stricken teenager hiding from her parents……..yes…..I know and let me tell you what it was………….ugh….amazing blew my socks off now I feel like I cheated on Travis…….shhhhhhh

Shreya: Ugghh….can’t sleep after finishing this book…… 🙁 🙁 It was soooooo touching!!!& i would say Kellan’s character has so much more depth than “Travis”…..Beautiful Disaster basically had a feel-good vibe…but Thoughtless is gut-wrenching……it’s an emotional roller-coaster….thank you so much for the suggestion Maryse….. 🙂

Anabel: I loved Thoughtless like no other book. I fell in love with Kellan. It was gut wrenching and I couldn’t put it down. Read Effortless as well. Now what???? I need more.

REALITY HOME RENOVATION SHOW & THESE TWO ARE ALWAYS ON THE ROAD TOGETHER…

“...It’s a constant battle on set between sexy home renovation reality star grumpy Gannon and his no-nonsense field producer. Paige has zero time for temperamental talent, especially one who acts like being in front of the camera is the last thing he wants.

Mr. Sex in a Toolbelt has made it his mission in life to get a rise out of her, but Paige is a master at locking down her temper…”

THIS STORY RUINED US!!!

“A boy who dreamed about rock and roll. A girl who dreamed about a boy. A story about obsessive love, betrayal, loss and learning.

‘I was just eleven years old, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt I was staring into the eyes of the boy I was going to love forever.’

No matter how many lies are told, no matter how many people conspire to keep us apart, despite the fame and the distance, it will only ever be him.  This is NOT, your typical love story, but this is OUR story. The Story Of Us.”

Michele G: FLT: “I was swinging upside down by my knees on the monkey bars in our back garden the first time I met him.” Carnage: The Story of Us (yep the book many of you love to hate)

Tiffany: That series was a rough one to read but MAN I loved it!!!! It has definitely stayed with me over the years.

Laurie: My favorite epic love story is Carnage.

Kim: I would have to say Carnage gave me a WHAT moment and has stuck with me for years.

Tracy: Carnage gutted me!

Maryse: We whisper that title here in the blog for fear of visceral gut reactions by some of our fellow readers… 😉

ARRANGED MARRIAGE!!

“…My family chose the option neither of us wanted. For thirty-eight years, I waited to marry the right woman, and then I was forced to marry the wrong one. I now realize that my temporary paper wife is my equal in every way. My Ma Duster. My f**king queen.

Fate may not have chosen me for her, but that doesn’t mean he never chose her for me. This future Irish King always gets what he wants, and I want her. Permanently...”

Tracy: … 2nd time round. They are all very good reads

Kelsie: I have this on my re-read list.

Tiffany: Yes!! The MC and Mafia series by Harley Diamond Oh my gosh!! It’s so good! Im on book 5 out of 6 and wow!!

Maryse: EVVVVVVERYBODY LOVES this series so much!

“...As a member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain...”

MaryLynn: JR Ward’s Lover Unbound – V is the epitomy of the tortured hero !!!

Lisa: …my forever fav will always, always be Vishous.

Maryse’s Book Review – “Lover Unbound”

“…the most highly anticipated novel of her career—one that blurs the line between madness and genius, between subjugation and liberation, between the living and the dead…”

“…A dangerous, volatile rebel, hands stained bloodred. A woman whose very existence has been erased. A love story so dark, it may shatter the world itself. A deadly price that must be paid. The day of reckoning is here…”

Alice: Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. It was the best of the Psy-Changeling series so far, and had a true damaged hero whose redeeming grace was his love for his woman. I loved it so much I got it in hardback as well as on kindle.

Selena: Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. It was fantastic! So glad “he” got an HEA!

Lindsey: Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh…it was everything I wanted in a book and more 🙂

THE ROMANCE THAT ADDICTED US!!!

“…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...”

Shannon: I absolutely LOVE Gideon Cross! He’s my go to guy! 

Amaya: My favorite moody character is Gideon Cross from the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day.

Cinthia: GIDEON CROSS FOREVER!!!! HE´S MINE 

HE’S NOT WILLING TO LET HER GO

“…Young interior designer Ava O’Shea has no idea what awaits her at the Manor. A run-of-the-mill consultation with a stodgy country gent seems likely, but what Ava finds instead is Jesse Ward–a devastatingly handsome, utterly confident, pleasure-seeking playboy who knows no boundaries…”

Angie: This man 💯%. Such a good book!

Dana: This Man by Jody Ellen Malpas. Jesse Ward was “The Manor” and obsessively goes after Ava. She’s an interior designer and her best friend/roommate is a cake maker with a really beat up van.

Lisa M: This Man series I can’t even tell you how many times I have re-read this series!!!

Leslie M: I loved This Man series. Gah! Jesse Ward & his craziness. That series had the best epilogue.

FAMOUS STAR & THE WAITRESS ALERT!!

“…Taryn Mitchell believes men are best kept at a safe distance. But when Ryan Christensen unexpectedly bursts through the front door of her pub, she can’t help but be drawn in by his humor, charm, and undeniable good looks. At six foot two, with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and an incredible body, Ryan has every girl in Seaport swooning. But Taryn isn’t every other girl…”

Amy: Love Unscripted (still get butterflies when I think of that one!)

Sherry: Love Unscripted was a great slow burn 🙂 One of my favorites!

Elizabeth: My favorite this year was Love Unscripted by Tina Reber. It was so good I just wanted to start reading it over again when I reached the end!

UNREQUITED LOVE… ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!! He says something so rude about her when he thinks she’s not listening…

“…Lauren Grahame is looking for her bit of peace. After leaving her cheating husband, Lauren moves to Carnal, Colorado, and gets a job as a waitress in a biker bar called Bubba’s. It’s a nothing job in a nowhere joint . . . until Tatum Jackson walks in. Lauren has never seen a man with such looks and attitude. But Tate does something Lauren doesn’t much like and she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Too bad for Lauren he’s also the bar’s part-owner and bartender.

When the rough-around-the-edges Tate meets the high-class Lauren, he thinks she won’t fit in at Bubba’s...”

P.S. Here’s my 5-STAR book review of Sweet Dreams

Amanda: Tate from Sweet Dreams…..sigh….

D.G.: Sweet Dreams by KA…my fav! Love the way Laurie bonds with Jonas and Tate loves her all the more for it!

Nay: The most alpha of the alphas: Tate Jackson from Kristen Ashley’s Sweet Dreams.

Kendra: OMG… thank you sooooo much for introducting me to the fifty shades of FANTASTIC that is Mr. Christian Grey!!! I just finished the first two books this weekend (couldn’t put them down!!!!) and I feel like Ana’s goddess doing backflips that I have one more to read! I’m sure that I’ll feel the sadness when it’s done (I hate that about good books… they end!). I can’t wait to pick this one up, but I sooooo need to get some work done now that I blew a whole weekend in Grey bliss. I really love this “support group”… so needed… might need a Dr. Flynn after all is said and done? LOL

Bia: MARYSE…OMG!!! I can’t put this book down..so far my fave quote ”Oh my. Christian Grey’s lost look.” (like you say…squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!) He’s so Hot…

Linda: Finished Driven trilogy last weekend. Brilliant!!!! Colton Donovan another book boyfriend. 

Cristina: Ladies, if you have not checked out this series, PLEASE DO! I’m not a racing fan, but a HUGE fan of this series. It ranks high on my fav books of all time! Colton Donovan is an arrogant, rude, and snarky bad a%&! I still remember finishing the last sentence and then letting out a big sigh.. I looked at my husband and said, “I can’t believe it’s over.” And then the book hangover commenced…

Cristina: …I did love these books as much as Fifty Shades of Grey, maybe more so in a way because Colton Donovan’s character was more complex and broken. He was a such a hot mess, even more so than Christian Grey. Colton was more expressive when it came to his emotions. Couple that with a strong heroine and it’s book heaven for me! Plus (and correct me if I’m wrong), the series was told from her perspective (Colton may have been added in book three), which I LOVE! It adds so much more to the angst! It’s like a frustrating puzzle trying to figure a damaged man out. My book hangover was worse with this series than with Fifty. I may have to do a re-read soon… 😉

HERE’S THE ENTIRE DRIVEN SERIES

CLASSIC UNREQUITED LOVE (at least… at first 😉) ALERT!!

Elizabeth M: Pride and Prejudice! Mr. Darcy set the standard for all fictional swoon worthy leading men that came after him!

Roxy: Pride and Prejudice, the “great-grandmother” of all “love-hate” relationship books? Lizzy and Mr. Darcy meet for the first time at the local assembly and she overhears him saying, “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.” Ouch!

MichelleS: Favorite classic book? Probably Pride & Prejudice. Mr. Darcy. Swoon.

Sara: Pride and Prejudice is my most favorite book ever. Mr. Darcy is my original book boyfriend. 🙂

Yunet: Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. I think every male literary character since has been based on him. Prideful swoon worthy Darcy who loves Elizabeth even though she is everything he has never wanted. Darcy is the ultimate rock star of his time. I compare every other to him.

TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE!! I LOVED THIS ONE & here is my 4.5 star review

Elle: Jamie Fraser, from the Outlander series (of books) : fierce, passionate and yet respectful and a family man…

Jules: Outlander for me as well. Nobody tops Jamie Fraser for me. The first and third are my favorites so far in the series.

Regina S: Hands down, Jamie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon’ s Outlander series. All the other hunks in the books that I read, just crushes. Oooh, to find a man like Jamie, a woman can only dream…..oh yea, I did have dreams….hehe.

Rhoawan: Outlander series by Dana Gabaldon…Ever woman Needs a Jamie Fraser

SO MANY WENT CRAZY FOR THIS BOOK IN 2023!! And Megan included it on her BEST OF 2023 LIST!

Megan: Honorable mention – Fourth wing

Natasha: Best book of 2023 so far

Jamie: Fourth Wing pulled me out of a long book slump! It was AMAZING! 

Alice: the ratings on that book are crazy, almost unheard of they are so high.

Ivette: …..obsessed with that book!

MUCH LOVED GRITTY & RAW BIKER BOOK!!! Here’s my 4 STAR review!

“…When she was seventeen, he finally crossed the line. Now she’s twenty-two, and he’s back in town as an old nemesis rears its ugly head, and puts the entire club in danger. The fate of the club is uncertain, but Mercy has no doubts about his heart; it still belongs to Ava. ...”

Jennifer: fearless from Lauren Gilley! My favorite mc series of all time!

Michelle: Fearless by Lauren Gilley….Oh Mercy!!!

Michele G: I’m reading Fearless by Lauren Gilley and guess what?! It’s an emotional gut wrencher too! I’m loving it though even though all this angst is wearing me out…

Joy: I’ve been completely immersed in Fearless the past few days… I completely LOVED it!!!