jmc_bks

As promised earlier, here is my ballot compared to the poll results at AAR.

Best Romance
My vote: Beguilement, Lois McMaster Bujold
This is probably the “lightest” of all the Bujold that I’ve read. It’s a straight up romance, though. Dag & Fawn. I’ve already preordered the sequel due out this summer

Winner: Lover Awakened, JR Ward.
Okay. I thought this was a good enough book. Ward grabs readers, despite some flaws in her writing style (too much label dropping, etc.). But it wasn’t the best.

Favorite Funny
My vote: Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich.
The best Plum book since Hot Six. B read for me, but it made me laugh out loud while reading.

Winner: Lord Perfect, Loretta Chase
I have this TBR. I thought Miss Wonderful was okay and the follow up ordinary, so I haven’t been able to summon up much enthusiasm. I’m not a big fan generally. I know a lot of people think her Lord of Scoundrels is the Best Romance Book Ever! But the charm escapes me.

Most Hanky Romance
My vote: none

Winner: Lover Awakened, JR Ward.
Ho-kay. What about this book was tear inducing?

Most Luscious Love Story
My vote: none

Winner: The Raven Prince, Elizabeth Hoyt
Haven’t read it, although I’ve read a bunch of very positive reviews.

Best Erotic Romance
My vote: All U Can Eat, Emma Holly
A heroine who has sex without angst? With someone other than the hero? Shouldn’t she be dead by the end of the book? Nope, thankfully not here.

Winner: All U Can Eat, Emma Holly

Best Cabin or Road Romance
My vote: The Rogue’s Return, Jo Beverley
Loved how Simon and Jancy got to know each other and fell in love.

Winner: Lord Perfect, Loretta Chase.

Best Author Who Debuted in 2006
My vote: Darlene Marshall
Well, this was an assumption, based on the fact that the three books I found were all copyrighted in 2006.

Winner: Elizabeth Hoyt.
Haven’t read her, so I can’t really say.

Best Buried Treasure
My vote: Smuggler’s Bride, Darlene Marshall
I have to admit that this category still puzzles me somewhat.

Winner: Jacob, Kathryn Frank
I read a lot of very mixed reviews about this one. Paranormaled out, so I won’t be reading it in the near future.

Guiltiest Pleasure Romance
My vote: A Bit of Rough , Laura Bambach
Again, perplexed by this category. Guilty pleasure for me because although it wasn’t the best m/m book or romance or ebook I read all year, I kept going back to it.

Winner: All U Can Eat, Emma Holly

Romance Author Most Glommed
My vote: Darlene Marshall
Only three books, but it was the only thing approaching a glom for me this year.

Winner: JR Ward.
I read the SSE she released under the name Jessica Bird, but otherwise, nope.

Best Medieval/Renaissance Romance
My vote: Liberty, Kimberly Iverson
Not a medieval or renaissance set book, but it didn’t really fit anywhere else and I wanted to have it on my ballot somewhere.

Winner: Silver Rose, Susan Carroll
I read this one, but was pretty irritated by the hero and heroine. Felt like good prose and world building was wasted on the two characters.

Best European Historical
My vote: His Majesty’s Dragon, Naomi Novik
Loved this series. Loved. It.

Winner: Devil in Winter, Lisa Kleypas
Average Regency-set European historical, I thought.

Best Amer Hist or Western Historical
My vote: Smuggler’s Bride, Darlene Marshall
This one just edged out Jo Beverley’s The Rogue’s Return.

Winner: The Rogue’s Return, Jo Beverley tied with A Reason to Live, Maureen McKade
Hadn't heard of McKade before.

Best Contemporary
My vote: Major Crush, Jennifer Echols
I had a hard time with this category, because a lot of the contemporaries I read last year were forgettable.

Winner: Drop Dead Gorgeous, Linda Howard
This was a wall-banger for me. Blair as heroine/narrator was entertaining for one book, but too irritating for more than that.

Best Series/Category Book
My vote: Gladiator’s Honor, Michelle Styles
Original setting, good research. The first of several Roman-set romances.

Winner: Family at Stake, Molly O’Keefe
Haven’t heard of this one.

Best Romantic Suspense
My vote: Memory in Death, JD Robb

Winner: Cold as Ice, Anne Stuart
Meh. DNF.

Best Alternate Reality Romance
My vote: Beguilement, LMB

Winner: Lover Awakened, JR Ward
Interestingly, on the results, this is listed as “Best Paranormal” but on my printed ballot, it was “Alternate Reality”.

Best Chick Lit/WF
My vote: Invisible Lives, Anjali Banerjee

Winner: Hot Dish, Connie Brockway
Not a big Brockway fan.

Best Romance Short Story
My vote: "Tacky", Charlaine Harris’s story in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding

Winner: "Hot Toy", Jennifer Crusie in Santa Baby
This is still TBR. I wasn’t feeling very holiday-ish.

Most Tortured Romance Hero
My vote: Zsadist

Winner: Zsadist

Strongest Romance Heroine
My vote: Jancy/Jane from The Rogue’s Return.

Winner: Bella from Lover Awakened. Huh?

Best Romance Hero
My vote: Brody, from Angels Fall

Winner: Sebastian, Devil in Winter.
Meh.

Best Romance Heroine
My vote: Moira, Valley of Silence

Winner: Evie Jenner, Devil in Winter
Meh.

Best Romance Couple
My vote: Captain Will Lawrence & Temeraire, His Majesty’s Dragon
I know, not a “couple” in the traditional sense, but they were the heroes of the book, and their relationship is romantic, I think, although not in any sexual sense.

Winner: Bathsheba & Benedict, Lord Perfect, Loretta Chase.

Best Romance Villain
My vote: Big Bad from The Circle Trilogy, Nora Roberts

Winner: The lessers from Lover Awakened.
Meh. Could’ve done with less of them in the book.

Most Annoying Lead Character
My vote: Blair Mallory, Drop Dead Gorgeous

Winner: Blair Mallory, Drop Dead Gorgeous

Romance Author You Gave Up On in 2006
My vote: Linda Howard
Between Drop Dead Gorgeous and Cover of Night? Finished.

Winner: Christina Dodd
Haven’t ever read her.

Most Disappointing Romance
My vote: Simply Love, Mary Balogh
Sydnam Butler was an intriguing character in A Summer to Remember, but his story was quite a let down. It felt like a reunion story because of all of the appearances of the Bedwyns.

Winner/Loser: On the Way to the Wedding, Julia Quinn
Didn’t finish this one because of a huge historical error.

Worst Romance
My vote: Blackmailed, Annmarie McKenna (ebook)

Winner: On the Way to the Wedding, Julia Quinn
While I didn’t finish this one, it was not the worst book I read last year. :shrug:

Purplest Prose
My vote: Megan’s Mate, Lora Leigh

Winner: Prince of Ice, Emma Holly
I hadn’t even heard of this book.