My AAR ballot

[jmc_bks]

As I filled in a ballot for AAR's annual poll, I wondered why I bothered. Very few of my choices were reviewed by AAR or would be considered mainstream genre romance. But as AAR_Rachel pointed out, it's tradition.  TBH, I was scrapping the bottom of the barrel for a few of the entries, and ended up leaving a couple blank. Don't really expect the winners to look anything like my ballot, really.

Best Romance: Tigers & Devils by Sean Kennedy
Best Contemporary Romance: Tigers & Devils by Sean Kennedy
Best Romantic Suspense: Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann
Best Paranormal Romance: Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre
Best Historical Romance (UK set): Lessons in Discovery by Charlie Cochrane
Best Historical Romance (non-UK set): False Colors by Alex Beecroft (not sure if this is the right category: English characters but set at sea and in port)
Funniest Romance: ePistols at Dawn by Z.A. Maxfield (ZAM's Family Unit came in as a close second here)
Biggest Tearjerker: blank (books seldom make me cry, I'm just heartless that way)
Best Love Scenes: blank (this one specified mainstream romance, which is why it's blank)
Best Series Romance: The Surgeon's Lady by Carla Kelly
Best Chick-Lit/Women's Fiction: blank
Best Erotic Romance: Inland Empire by James Buchanan
Best Romance Short Story: "Christmas Promise" by Carla Kelly in A Regency Christmas anthology ("Magic Mourns" by Ilona Andrews was good, too.)
Guilty Pleasure: Inland Empire by James Buchanan
2009's Best Debut Author: Louisa Edwards (Can't Stand the Heat)
Best Romance Hero: Simon, Tigers & Devils by Sean Kennedy
Best Romance Heroine: Anna Cornick, Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
Most Tortured Hero: John Cavendish, False Colors by Alex Beecroft
Most Kick-Ass Heroine: Kate Daniels, Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Best Couple: Simon & Declan, Tigers & Devils by Sean Kennedy
Worst Romance: Burning Alive by Shannon K. Butcher

You can probably tell by my ballot that I really enjoyed Sean Kennedy's Tigers & Devils. Just a little bit.

Comments

[sarahf.livejournal.com]

Why is Inland Empire a guilty pleasure? James just got done with #3. Can't wait to read it. Gonna review them all in one go. :)

And...oh, yeah. Gotta check out ZAM's Family Unit. Never heard of it but you liked it, so...

[sarahf.livejournal.com]

Oh, right. That one. Hmm.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I liked Family Unit, and thought it was funny, but I had some reservations wrt stereotypes used when defining conservative/liberal and dealing with the military, self-defense, and guns. YMMV. Er, also, the cover art is a little creepy since the characters look like brothers to me.

Inland Empire is a guilty pleasure for me because I feel so ambivalent about Brandon as a character. Love him, then hate him. While I love Nicky without reservation. And Roberta. I want to see more of Roberta, pls. Looking forward to #3.

[eroticjames.livejournal.com]

Okay, stepping out of author for a moment and into just devil's advocate...Nicky would not be Nicky if he wasn't confronted with Brandon.

[dogzzz2002.livejournal.com]

I see all the ballots and still put my own ballot in knowing some of my picks won't make a dent.

CindyS