The DA BWAHA is a yearly contest where Romance and quasi-Romance books slug it out for world domination.
For information on the contest and how to play (vote) see here.
This post here below is me reminding everybody of some wonderful books that came out in 2010.
I've listed 15 of the 64 DA BWAHA books. Most of them I've had the opportunity to read and like.
There's also some that are on my TBR shelf that I haven't got around to reading yet.
I'm saying -- "Hey, go take a look."
Because the DA BWAHA always has great books.
(Click on the book to go to the book. Click on the author to go to author website.)
Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
Naked Edge, Pamela Clare
Something About You by Julia James
The Time Weaver by Shana Abe
Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh
Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase
The Summer of You by Kate Noble
Trial by Desire by Courtney Milan
His at Night by Sherry Thomas
Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran
Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn
And, as long as I'm here,
let me add a couple few books that didn't get picked up by DA BWAHA.
These are some of the just Great Reads of 2010.
Some of them are just beautiful.
Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley
The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie
Whisper of Scandal by Nicola Cornick
Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer
Blameless by Gail Carriger
In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz w/a Amanda Quick
Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas
A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh
Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin
Queen Hereafter by Susan Fraser King
In for a Penny by Rose Lerner
Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale
The Golden Season by Connie Brockway
Sinful in Satin by Madeline Hunter
Promises in Death by Nora Roberts w/a JD Robb (ok. ok. It's from 2009. So sue me.)
The Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice
Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt
Marry Me by Jo Goodman
Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare
ETA:
Now I am going to add some few selected more books. Maybe like twenty. These are reader favs. These books competed for the 'empty slot' the DA BWAHA folks left as the 8th book in each category.
I've listed the ones I know a bit about and like. If I already mentioned them, I don't repeat.
YA
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Finalist)
Matched by Ally Condie
The Duff by Kody Keplinger
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
PNR/SF
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews (Finalist)
Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
Warrior by Zoe Archer
Play of Passion by Nalini Singh
Crossover
City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane
All Clear by Connie Willis
Contemporary
All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins (Finalist)
The Search by Nora Roberts
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
Historical
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig
Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig
The Heir by Grace Burrowes
A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James
For the whole shebang of 80 reader nominees -- go here. It's an interesting list.
If there's a book on the DA BWAHA list or some other 2010 book I've missed, let me know.
Have you read Cold Magic? I found it very engrossing.
ReplyDeleteI have it on the TBR shelf and mean to get to it. I've heard good things about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the list, Jo. I'm thinking I'd better start reading more books in the genre I'm actually writing in. Since, you know, I've only read yours so far [g]
ReplyDeleteOh Deniz -- You are so right. You have to read in your genre.
ReplyDeleteWell . . . you've mostly got to read OUTSIDE your genre, but . . .
This might be too late but I recently read THE IRON DUKE and it was very different from what I was expecting, especially for a book billed as a Romance.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I'm here, one of the best experiences I ever had with a book was reading THE SPYMASTER'S LADY. Thank you so much for a book that I read again and again. (And for your blog, which I really enjoy.)
Hi Rachel --
ReplyDeleteI am so delighted that you enjoyed Spymaster's Lady. I'm even more pleased -- nutty chocolate sauce on top of the ice cream -- that you found it good enough to read again.
I'm also glad you find this site interesting as a reader. Every once in a while -- like here -- I try to bring together books I think will be of interest -- good books that deserve to be read.
Like you, I did not find The Iron Duke to be primarily a Romance book. This is not a criticism by any means. I don't think TID was trying to be strictly 'inside the genre'.
A good many of the DABWAHA books I list above -- and the majority of the books at the site -- are not primarily Romance books in a traditional sense.
I like it that Romance genre is pushing its elbows out and drawing in a lot stuff that is not narrowly focused on the lovestory. This enriches everybody's writing possibilities.
OTOH, the heart of the genre, the center, the commercial core of Romance genre, is the HEA lovestory. Gotta have it.
I would add Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn from DA BWAhA. Not on their list but on mine would be Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt and Marry Me by jo Goodman and Three Nights with a scoundrel by Tessa Dare.
ReplyDeleteThe Iron Duke was not at all what I expected buy I really likes it--and her short story from the same world.
I hope it's easier to play Da Bwaha this year. It was almost impossible last year. DLS
Hi DLS --
ReplyDeleteWe will add those indeed. It is done.
"OTOH, the heart of the genre, the center, the commercial core of Romance genre, is the HEA lovestory. Gotta have it."
ReplyDeleteOh, I like that. Gives me a little hope for mine. I've definitely got the HEA, just don't know yet if the rest of it fits within the bound of the genre - so used to reading outside the genre [g]
Hi Deniz --
ReplyDeleteMy feeling is the 'edges' of the genre have really loosend up. There has never been a better time to 'try something new'.
I see on Facebook that you've been making HUGE progress. So many congratulations.
Thank you Jo! [s]
ReplyDelete"you found it good enough to read again"
ReplyDeleteSuch a mild description! I'm pretty sure I read it monthly and have done since I first read it. (That's in between lovingly forcing it on folks so they, too, can know the joy.)
Again, many thanks and happy writing!
love all these books, proud that I did read them all! lol
ReplyDelete...Leesa Kleypas LOL
I cannot spell icannotspell icannotspell
ReplyDelete