Is it late? Yeah. Like...really late. I feel like my brain exploded, I blacked out, and I read way more books than I thought. Soooo....here they are!!!
These are in no particular order and I am not including DNFs or books I particularly didn't like. I will give a short overview of my thoughts, but for full reviews, I usually leave that to Goodreads or a whole blog if I REALLY like it. So here's what I read an a little bit about why!
"Arrival" (Captured Earth book 1) by A.G. Wilde
I don't know how I found this book, but I read the description and was totally prepared for another "all our women are dead. We need females for breeding" scenario. This had a different twist. A fresher one. And those little translators that everyone has in 99% of alien romance books? NOPE! I was so happy to see some of the most repetitive details in alien romance kind of swept aside to give way to something new. Plus these aliens were crazy looking... I loved them. If you want this summed up in a few words...Living bodysuits and cock pockets and scary aliens that are actually pretty sweet.
"Bridget's Bane" (And Icehome Novel) by Ruby Dixon
I hope you guys are ready for 3 Ruby Dixon books in a row because I eat her books up like candy. I'm finding I like her Icehome series more than Ice Planet Barbarians so I'm always keeping a lookout for these yummy aliens. Bridget and her blue alien were feisty as all hell. They start off with a big misunderstanding and then...well, you know.
"Sam's Secret" (An Icehom Novel) By Ruby Dixon
If you read Ruby Dixon books, you know she writes so soooo many and it leaves a lot of room for inclusion. This time, it's age gap romance because a character who was a teen in previous books is now all grown up and sexy as fuuuuu****. I think this is one of my favorites. Everything about this couple was adorable.
"Steph's Outcast" (An Icehome Novel) by Ruby Dixon
I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did. I mean, this guy kidnapped someone in a previous book! I imagined he'd be very submissive and kind of annoying, but this turned out to by my FAVORITE book in the Icehome series so far. This couple was adorable and the outcast (can't remember names...running out of memory in this wee brain) turned out to be super straightforward and badass. LOOOVEE.
"After the Fade" (Rise book 1) by Emilia Foxe and Kamryn Foxe)
If you watch my youtube recommendations you already know what I think about this book. I read it being ready to be let down because omegaverse is a real hit or miss genre for me and I was pleasantly surprised and fell so in love with the characters and the trials they have to go through. LOTS of sex, some trigger warnings, and a love story I can't wait to continue reading about in the newly released book 2.
"The Alpha Awakens" (Alpha Compound book 1) by Anna Fury
This was one of the books I read on my omegaverse reading rampage. I have to say, I lean more toward the growly, rough and tumble kind of alphas so I was a little taken aback with this, but I enjoyed it. This book was very much on the sweet side. The men were adorable and I loved the concept that the alpha...ness... is treated like a disease that makes men total outcasts. I have yet to read the other books, but they're sitting in my library!
"Alien Desire" by Hannah Haze
Yet another victim of my omegaverse rampage. But, I love my alien boys so it wasn't like I was suffering through this phase 😂 I loved this. It was an omegaverse romance set on an alien planet. The whole book is confined in a small building because the H and the h both have crash landed and can't leave. So there is a lot of time for character development and connection. The relationship was cute and I am excited to read book 2.
"Corsairs" Series by Ruby Dixon
Ok, there's more Ruby Dixon. I am so in love with her Corsairs series. Enough said. I recommend them all if you want fun, blue alien boys with big dicks and bigger hearts. Shameless.
"Barbarians of the Sand Planet" Series by Tana Stone
Yeeeahhh, I read all of these...except the last one. And I don't yet have a favorite because they're all great. These ladies are badass and these boys? Mmm. They're just a lot of Khal Drogos that need lovins <3
"A Heart of Blood and Ashes" (A Gathering of Dragons Book 1) by Milla Vane
Ok, HeaBookTubes recommended this book like...1000x. Eventually, I just read it because it started to feel like she was yelling at me personally in every rec video she made. And I was not disappointed. The WORLD BUILDING was incredible. The hero was so rough around the edges but so damn amazing and the heroine was just the ULTIMATE badass in her own right. She was so smart and so strong despite her physical disabilities. This was not a relationship that started with affection. It started with hate and violence and ended with the strongest love. I adored it.
"Stollen by the Wolves" (Viking Omegaverse book 1) by Lyx Robinson
Another omegaverse and this one was BEAUTIFUL. Not like others I've read. Be warned, they are not shifters and the romance is slow burn but book 2 is currently available and I would love to know where this story goes. You have the a literal badass viking alpha who lives by the axe and a sweet christian woman whose both sheltered and learned in violence in a different way and their connection is so radiant.
"Damaged Gods" (The Monsters of Saint Mark's) by KC Cross
I literally typed "Halloween" into search and this book came up so I gave it a try. This book was so beautiful and fantastical. I am not one to gravitate toward monster romance, but reading this was so oddly fun and enjoyable. Curses, satyrs, magic, and tons of sass. This book was filled with so many great things. Imagine if Beauty and the Beast took place in Hogwarts...
"City of Thorns" (The Demon Queen Trials book 1) by C.N. Crawford
I loved this! The h was a bit on the younger side, which I don't usually like, but it was still a great read. It had all your dark and handsome aspects with demons, humans, forgotten pasts, and a H that has some serious smolder. And also great twists. I never see twists coming...I ignore the signs because I need to be surprised and I was a little surprised.
"Tamed by the Troll" (The Perished Woods) by Trcay Lauren
Oh my god I loved this so much! I need more trolls in my life. I even let the spanking slide (If you know me, you know I'm not super fond of spanking) because I just loved this little world so much and somehow, I also had the major hots for a troll. Don't ask...just read.
"These Monstrous Ties" (Unsainted book 1) by K.V. Rose
I also found this by typing "Halloween Romance" into the search. I wouldn't say this is as much romance as it is a story of twisted romantic revenge with a lot of triggers, bad people you somehow root for, and some really f*cked up shit.
...I loved it...
See the full review
"Truly" by Carmel Rhodes
Yet another book I found on youtube recommendations. I am very much into dark romance. I can take it. I eat it up. I'm a little messed up for liking it, I know. I don't care. I heard about this and really wanted to know why people were recommending it with such insane trigger warnings. And, despite the younger characters again, I gave it a try and ended up liking it. I will just say this. You'll scold yourself a little for loving it, but you're not alone....
"Andorra Sector" (An X Clan Novel) by Lexi C. Foss
I haven't read many wolf shifter romances in a while, but in my hunt for omegaverse books, I found this and fell in love. This is not your gentle lover type. This is a true alpha story that revolves around 2 people from different backgrounds trying to adapt to being together. I enjoyed it a lot and actually have read a couple other books in the series, but this remains my favorite.
"Stolen by the Warlord" (Ash Planet Warriors book 1) by V.K. Ludwig
This book was interesting. A bit of a new take on the mating bond between a human and an alien. But I absolutely loved the characters and the way they grew together. I haven't read book 2 yet because this year started a bit rough, but I plan to pick it up soon!!
"The Lady and the Orc" by Finley Fenn
I'm a little new to orcs. I haven't found many orc romance books that I like, but these are fun. I have only read a couple of these, but since @Romantically_inclined (on IG) won't stop talking about them, I might have to pick up the series again 😂 In a few words, LARGE dicks and BUCKETS of cum. Truly a monster romance for monster romance lovers.
"Claimed by the Horde Kind" by Zoey Draven
I read book 1 in this series and it didn't sing to me like book 2. I LOVED the characters in this one and actually put it on my top 5 alien romance list on my new-ish booktube...that I barely keep up with because I suck. The aliens are VERY alien. Don't let the cover fool you. But they're likeable and the h in this book is so strong and I just loved reading about her.
"Beneath" by Courtney Leigh
Shameless self-promotion!! This was my latest release this past Halloween and I was pretty excited. Beneath features a male siren out for revenge in a villain romance that I hope will get your heart pounding. Check it out on Amazon!
And that concludes my 2021 reading list!!! I mean...the ones I liked and the ones that are romance. I actually read some non-romance this past year and loved it. Honorable mentions are "The Eye of the World" (Wheel of Time Book 1) by Robert Jordan and "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein. I hope you guys find this helpful if you're looking for a new read! I know I read a lot of alien romance, but I have actually been wanting some good elven romance or even fae romance. So if you have some recs, shoot them my way! i love hearing from you guys!!!