A book is a gift you can open again and again.
Garrison Keillor
I love me a good book. In my definition, a good book is something relatable (plot & setting alike), something that gets me hooked from start to finish such that skipping meals & losing sleep is acceptable, something that gets me to laugh out loud or smile in giddiness, something heartwarming and allows me to think. I know, my choice of books is a tad bit shallow. 😛 But, at the end of the day, we read books to escape our realities. It’s a reprieve! So, why would I subject myself to stressful books? 😛
I’m the type who’s more gravitated towards reading book series more than stand alone ones. I like the continuity of the characters’ stories. With stand alone books, especially if the author is great, I find myself asking for more, unsatisfied, and sometimes sad for the story has to end. Here are my top 5 book series, in no particular order:
- Cocktail series of Alice Clayton
Sometime in 2013, I was going through goodreads.com’s Choice Awards for the year and I chanced upon the Funny as Hell! list of books wherein “Wallbanger” by Alice Clayton is listed as #1. This is the first book in her Cocktail series and based on the reviews from goodreads, it was really worth reading. So I downloaded an ebook copy and started to read it. Indeed it was funny as hell, like I was laughing out loud while reading it. The title itself will make you curious already. Suddenly, I wish I have a cat like Caroline, which speaks volumes for a dog person like me. The other books in the series are Rusty Nailed, Screwdrivered, and Mai Tai’d Up. Just like any series (tv shows, film or books) it’s best to read them in order. That way you’ll know all the characters’, main and otherwise, histories and interrelationships. Although, you can always read them as a stand alone too.
This was the first series I’ve read written by Alice Clayton. I like her style of writing and her way of injecting wit, humor, and romance in every page even if it’s only the female point of view. She’s one of my go-to authors now. She had another series which I also like, the Hudson Valley series. However, between the two, it’s the Cocktail series that I found so funny and the dynamics of the characters (the gang, Clive — Caroline’s cat) is so realistic. Here’s the link to the series’ summaries — https://www.goodreads.com/series/116285-cocktail.
2. FBI/US Attorney series of Julie James
To feed my legal fantasies, Julie James’ FBI/US Attorney series, did the trick. There’s something about intellectual conversations and arguments between a man and a woman that calls on me. Add to that a strong and independent woman and a hard to get/tough guy. A winning plot, right? It’s through this series that I understood, as it was described appropriately, intellectual conversations are sexy and steamy as hell, and is also considered as a foreplay to some.
What I like about Julie James’ writing style is that she also shows the point of view of the male lead characters. This way, we get an insight on the male lead’s thought processes in every situation in the story. With this kind of writing style, not everyone can achieve an organized story telling at the same time encourage the reader to empathize with the lead characters. To me, Julie James was able to do that. I think this male POV is what got me to continue reading Julie James’ works apart from the interesting stories she constructs. It’s like reading Julie Garwood or Judith McNaught books, but a more refreshing one.
The series has a total of 7 books. Set in a shared world of the Chicago justice system. The characters are either FBI agents, who investigates crimes and/or US Attorneys, who prosecutes the offenders. If you are someone who’s interested in US law or law in general, jargons and all, this series is for you. This is the link to the book summaries of this series — https://www.goodreads.com/series/62812-fbi-us-attorney. All books can be read as a stand alone but if you’re like me who wants to know the histories of the characters appearing in the later books, then you’ll read them in order.
3. Marriage to a Billionaire series of Jennifer Probst
I was in National Bookstore when I came across “The Marriage Bargain”, the first book in Jennifer Probst’s Marriage to a Billionaire series. I was just going through the aisles with no particular thing in mind to buy, when I spotted the book. I read the summary and found it interesting. I then checked goodreads.com for the reviews; satisfied, I then downloaded the book. I can say that going through the aisles was definitely worth it!
Jennifer Probst has a similar writing style with Julie James. She has the male lead’s POV as well. I liked this series because of it’s embedded love spell or magic. Not that I believe in love spells, but to be honest, I almost did what they (the lead female characters) did in the series — writing the characteristics you’d want for your future husband. Then, I realized that this is a work of fiction and that I don’t like the burning part of the ritual. So much naiveté! 😛
There are 4 main books in this series, which I suggest you read in order. It’s because the lead characters in every book are somehow connected — brother / sister of the lead character in the previous book. This is not your typical marriage of convenience or loving a billionaire kind of books as it has that magic/ love spell induced spice in the story and that the characters have different nationalities as well (American and Italians) wherein the innate characteristics and nuances of the differing nationalities have been aptly described by Jennifer Probst. If you read them as a stand alone, the story is still well written and how it was being told is still engaging, but you won’t be able to understand the dynamics of the characters that much and the process of the casting the love spell. Here’s the link to the book summaries — https://www.goodreads.com/series/78455-marriage-to-a-billionaire.
There’s a spinoff to this series, it’s called the Searching For series. This series still has that embedded love spell/magic spice but set in an actual matchmaking agency. In case you’re interested, here’s the link to the book summaries — https://www.goodreads.com/series/102328-searching-for.
4. Tangled series of Emma Chase
This is the first book/series I’ve read on a male POV the entire time. A very unique take on novels written by a female at that. It’s puzzling to me how Emma Chase was able to successfully write these kinds of books. How she was able to get inside a man’s head and be able to engage a woman to read her work and be empathic to the lead characters as well, is surprising. I guess this is what sets her apart from other authors and be able to carve a niche in the process.
The Tangled series revolves around the lives of playboy billionaire Drew Evans and a beautiful, brilliant, and ambitious Katherine (Kate) Brooks. The first book was in Drew’s point of view in its entirety while the second book was in Kate’s perspective. The third book was about their best friends’ Mathew and Dee Dee. The first book was left hanging as was intended by the author, thus, you need to read them all in order. Here’s the link to the book summaries — https://www.goodreads.com/series/104332-tangled.
5. Beautiful Bastard series of Christina Lauren
I discovered this series around the time I’ve discovered the Wallbanger, it was through the Funny as Hell! list. It wasn’t at the top but still part of the top 10 in the list. Ok, I’ll come clean, I ended up reading most of the books in that list. 😛
Christina Lauren is actually a combined pen name of besties. You’d think that with a combined pen name, the story telling would be a bit chaotic given that each has their own thoughts and ideas presented. In this case, however, it wasn’t. The story telling was great and well written. Like the Julie James series, this was written in dual(male and female) perspectives, which I prefer.
The series has a total of 5 primary books with 4 extended versions. This series revolves around the lives of 3 billionaire friends and how they’ve met their significant others. If you want a fun, filthy, and light read, this series is for you. It has the right amount of filthiness and sweetness that makes the each books a page turner. Here are the link to the book summaries — https://www.goodreads.com/series/90828-beautiful-bastard.
There are other book series that I’ve read and are also equally entertaining from different and/or same authors. However, I decided to keep the list to 5 so as not overwhelm you. Now is a good time to read them, as all the series have been completed. You wouldn’t have to wait for months or years for the next book/s in the series to be released. You know sometimes, waiting is a pain! 😛
To those of you who have read the series mentioned, do let me know your thoughts. I’m thinking I might be rereading them soon and your comments/thoughts might give me another perspective. Happy reading, everyone! 🙂
SingleBakedMiss by KiaraC 