My Favorite Books of 2016 by Charis Michaels
Is it wrong to promote my own book by raving about other books? If it is, I did not get the memo. Recommending books is the perfect combination of two of my favorite things: Reading and telling people what to do.
As my Christmas gift to you, I offer up my favorite books of 2016 and wish you a cozy fire and several hours of peace and quiet to curl up with one of these captivating books. =
(In no particular order):
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne – chick-lit style contemporary that is really a quintessential romance novel–hot surly hero, spirited heroine, and happily ever after.
Eligible by Curtis Suttenfeld – modern-day retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day Cincinnati. Yes, there really is room for another homage to Jane A.
The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson – nonfiction account of Bill Bryson’s latest journey through England. Bill Bryson is the most entertaining research I ever do.
Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Ann Long – My favorite historical novelist tries her hand at small-town romance and totally nails it. Fallen-star celebrity and waitress find love in the California mountain town of Hellcat Canyon.
Disrupted: My Misadventures in the Start-Up Bubble by Dan Lyons – non-fiction memoir of a middle-aged journalist trying to work for a Millennial Start-up Company. Funny, heartfelt, and alarming.
Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple – Blurb says something like, “hilarious take on a middle-aged woman who vows to get her life and relationships together…” but really this novel is so smart and funny, it defies description.
Royally Screwed by Emma Chase – Modern-day Cinderella story about the owner of a deli in NYC and a prince. I’m only on chapter three, but so far I love it!
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Charis Michaels is thrilled to be making her debut with Avon
Impulse. Prior to writing romance, she studied Journalism at Texas A & M and managed PR for a trade association. She has also worked as a tour guide at Disney World, harvested peaches on her family’s farm, and entertained childre as the “Story Godmother” at birthday parties. She has lived in Texas, Florida, and London, England. She now makes her home in the Washington, D.C.-metro area.
Beauregard “Beau” Cortland has no use for the whims of society and even less for aristocratic titles. As a younger son, he travels the world in search of adventure with no plans to settle down. Even when the title of Viscount Rainsleigh is suddenly forced upon him, he will not bend to duty or decorum. Not until an alluring young woman appears on the deck of his houseboat, determined to teach him propriety in all things and tempting him with every
forbidden touch
Lady Emmaline Crumbley has had a wretched year. Her elderly husband dropped dead without naming her in his will and she’s been relegated to the life of a dowager duchess at the age of 23. She has no wish to instruct a renegade
viscount in respectability, but desperate to escape her greedy stepson, Beau’s family makes her an offer she cannot refuse: teach the new lord to behave like a gentleman, and they’ll help her earn the new, self-sufficient life of her
dreams. Emmaline agrees, only to discover that instructing the viscount is one thing, but resisting him is quite another. How can she teach manners to the rakish nobleman if he is determined to show her the thrill of scandal instead?
Such a good story! I loved Beau and Emma from the very first pages, where she was determined to use the “help” she was determined to give him (which he decidedly did not want) to make life better for herself and her (probably somewhere on the Autistic spectrum?) younger brother. They were absolutely wonderful together on the page, whether they were not getting along, they were resisting getting along even better, or they were navigating their brand new relationship and its responsibilities.
This is the third book in the series, but it worked fine as a standalone. The events that I’m assuming happened at some point in the first book (The Virgin and the Viscount) are important for a catalyst for some of the plot points here, but since you find out what you need to know about it in the prologue, you’re fine if you haven’t read it yet. (If you’re like me, though, it will make you all that much more determined to read it ASAP–I need details! And to see Elizabeth and Bryson’s story from the start 😉
Author Charis Micheals is definitely one to watch!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Thank you for taking the time to review ONE FOR THE ROGUE today!
My pleasure! 🙂