Year in Review: My Favourite Historical Romance Novels in 2014

As I review the books I read in 2014, I've come to realise a few things:

I didn't read as many debut authors as I would've liked. I plan to rectify this in 2015. I already have a list in my planner of debut authors from the past 2 years whose books are in my TBR -- my hope is to cross out as many names as I can this coming year.

2014 was a year of series starts and series ends. I was so happy when Lorraine Heath decided to revisit her Scoundrels of St. James starting with When the Duke was Wicked, the first book in her Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series, which features the next generation of "scoundrels" and Tessa Dare released Romancing the Duke, the first book in her new Castles Ever After series, but it was also the year when Sarah MacLean concluded her The Rules for Scoundrels series with Never Judge a Lady by her Cover, Sophie Nash finally released Isabel and the Duke of Candover's story, The Once and Future Duchess, which ended The Royal Entourage series, and Courtney Milan completed her The Brothers Sinister series with the final instalment, Talk Sweetly to Me.

It was also the year I read and fell in love with Jennifer Ashley's MacKenzie series, and discover Juliana Ross.

2014 was a year of really, really amazing stories and a record number of superlative adjectives from me, and here are my Top 15 for the year:



1. Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
2. The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas
3. Rogue Spy by Joanna Bourne
4. Sapphires are an Earl's Best Friend by Shana Galen
5. The Once and Future Duchess by Sophia Nash



6. The Dark Affair by Maire Claremont
7. Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner
8. The Captive by Grace Burrowes
9. Moonlight on My Mind by Jennifer McQuiston
10. The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan



11. The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley
12. Vixen in Velvet by Loretta Chase
13. Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt
14. The Baron Next Door by Erin Knightley
15. Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran

Also:
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean
Beauty and the Earl by Jess Michaels
The Traitor by Grace Burrowes
London's Last True Scoundrel by Christina Brooke

Here's a link to last year's list.