I liked C2′s idea of a Best of 2008 list.  Then Liv got into the action, so thought I’d give it a try too.  (Of course, mine are the best of the bunch.)  I was never one to keep track of my reads, and 2008 was the first time I’ve done that; therefore, this list, though difficult to choose just a few in the long run, was easy for me since I didn’t have to rely on a twelve-month memory.

So here’s my Best of 2008, in no particular order.

Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
Contemporary Romance Audiobook released by Brilliance Audio 25 Mar 08

Actually, I drooled over Hardy Cates while listening to him with the audiobook of Blue-Eyed Devil. My first foray (including Sugar Daddy) into Kleypas books and I loved every darned minute of it!

Weddings Can Be Murder by Christie Craig
Contemporary Romance released by Love Spell 27 May 08

I never thought I would fall in love with a hero who’s a sympathy puker.  Don’t wrinkle your nose!  Read the book, it’s hilarious! Christie Craig is making a huge name for herself and her wonderful humor.
Double Enchantment by Kathryne Kennedy
Historical Paranormal Romance released by Love Spell 26 Aug 08

A breath of fresh air with a new take on the English social castes.  Fun, intriguing, and very romantic. And loads of magic along with shapeshifting, both of which give readers a different look at old favorites.

Superb and Sexy by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary Romance released by Brava 1 Jun 08

Really, you can interchange any one of the three Sexy books in here. Just love those Sky High Men! Ms. Shalvis has a way with humor, romance, mystery, and fun.

Killer Charms by Marianne Stillings
Contemporary Romance released by Avon 26 Aug 08

I enjoyed all three books about the Darling family, but it’s the hero of this one that gave it top honors for me in 2008. I’ll definitely be reading more of Ms. Stillings.

King of Sword and Sky (Tairen Soul, Book 3) by C.L. Wilson
Paranormal Fantasy Romance released by Leisure Books 30 Sep 08

With just one more book to go, this series is now my favorite of all time. Ms. Wilson has created a world that is just absolutely fantastic and she’s giving us a love story like no other.

Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh
Release by Berkley 2 Sep 08

I’ve loved every book in this series.  They’re all incredible.  But Dorian has always been my favorite from the very first book and I’d anticipated his story for so long.  Ms. Singh did not disappoint!

Scandalous by Night by Barbara Pierce
Historical Romance released by St. Martin’s Paperbacks 29 Jul 08

Barbara Pierce has become an all-time favorite historical author for me.  This book she gave readers a darker side of her writing and Everod is her best hero yet.

With Every Breath by Lynn Kurland
Time Travel Romance released by Jove 27 May 08

Beautiful writing, sweeping Scottish vistas, love and romance that crosses time boundaries, and characters you’ll love forever. What’s not to love?

The Missing by Shiloh Walker
Contemporary Paranormal Romance released by Berkley Trade 4 Nov 08

As I said in my review of this book, Ms. Walker has outdone herself with this one.  Absolutely mesmerizing.  If you haven’t read it, you should.  You’re missing out, big time.

Honorable mentions:

Ask Adam by Jess Dee
Contemporary Romance released by Samhain 29 Jul 08

Ms. Dee is a first-time author for me and I enjoyed her writing and storytelling immensely.  I have a feeling she’s really going to go places!

The Hot Line by Cathryn Fox
Contemporary Romance released by NAL 4 Mar 08

Another first-time author for me. Had to love the idea of the Hot Line, firefighters just waiting to help a lady out. And those boys know what they’re doing!

Are you tired of reading 2008 wrap-up lists yet?? Too bad! Read on, suckers gentle readers.

My top 10 books I read in 2008 (in no particular order): 

	Heart Fate (Celta’s HeartMates, Book 7) by Robin D. Owens Fantasy romance released by Berkley Trade Sep 2008 A series that just keeps getting better and better!
	Flat-out Sexy by Erin McCarthy Contemporary romance released by Berkley Sensation Nov 2008 Sweet, sexy, fun read! The internet buzz sucked me in and I’m glad. )
	Innocent In Death by J.D. Robb Futuristic romantic suspense released by Berkley Aug 2007I purposely keep myself behind in this series but I’m catching up – oh noes! I must pace myself better.
	Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, Book 1) by Larissa Ione Paranormal romance released by Forever Jun 2008 An excellent start to a new series! With a looonnngggg wait between books one and two. However, books two and three will be out back-to-back. Yay!
	Gabriel’s Ghost by Linnea Sinclair Sci-Fi romance released by Bantam Oct 2005  Sully! Does anything else need to be said? I didn’t think so.
	Grimspace by Ann Aguirre Sci-fi romance released by Ace Feb 2008
	A Lady’s Secret by Jo Beverley Historical romance released by Signet Apr 2008 I love the Mallorens and this was one secret I was glad to see revealed.
	At the Bride Hunt Ball by Olivia Parker Historical romance released by Avon May 2008An excellent Avon debut! Ms. Parker’s website says she is working on the sequel.
	Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James Contemporary romance released by Berkley Oct 2008 More online buzz I couldn’t ignore and another excellent debut.
	With Every Breath by Lynn Kurland Fantasy time-travel romance released by Jove May 2008One of my very favorite authors! She doesn’t get the attention she deserves, says me.

A side note – I have got to change my rating system, dang it all. I suppose I’ll go back to numbers. I always have too many books with the same rating and then I can’t sort them properly.

Honorable Mention:

	Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English Mysteries – yup, I read them all in 08…I can haz moar, plzkthx?
	J.L. Langley’s Englor Series – just so fab!

Sandy M’s review of With Every Breath (The MacLeods, Book 11) by Lynn Kurland
Historical Time Travel Romance released by Jove 27 May 08

Once I pick up a time travel, the bug hits me all over again and I want another as quickly as I can put my hands on one.  Time travels are my favorite paranormals to read, and one of the best at them is Lynn Kurland.  I’ve not read all of her books yet.  I save them and savor them.  I don’t want to run out of her books and have to wait a year or more for the next to be released.  So, suffice it to say, I had a wonderful time reading this latest in her MacLeod series.

One of the things I really like about this series is that everyone in the MacLeod family knows there’s time travel portals all over their property.  Jamie has even mapped the portals out and hands out a copy to everyone living there.  That includes Sunshine Phillips, whose sister did her fair share of time traveling and ended up married to Jamie’s brother, Patrick.  Sunny has decided to stay in Scotland at Jamie’s request.  She loves the rain and tending her garden.  She also longs for a man of her own, a man just like Jamie and Patrick, but knowing medieval men are hard to find in this day and age, she keeps dreaming while staying away from those portals.

Until one night there’s a knock on her door from someone asking for help.  She agrees to accompany this handsome man who thinks she’s the MacLeod Witch.  Well, in a way she is.  He takes her to the Cameron keep where she finds a man dying and unfortunately she’s unable to save him.  Eventually she figures out she’s no longer in modern day Scotland, but there in a time when dying in such a way is all too common.  Robert Cameron is the laird who has a tenuous hold on his clan, and when she finds the portal near her home is not willing to allow her to return home, she has no choice but to stay with Cam and hope he can protect her from those who would do her harm.

Having lost his brothers in this latest battle, Cam now has no one at his back whenever his cousin decides to take Cam out of the picture and make himself laird.  He’s tired of all the fighting, especially now that Sunshine is in his life.  When things don’t quite work out the way he planned, he tosses his duty aside and goes to the future with Sunny.  But those plans don’t work out just right either.  Cam ends up in a time not his own, but there’s an eight-year time span between him and his love, a love he now can’t remember.  And as much as Sunny wants him to remember once she finds him again, as much as she tries to help him remember, nothing works.  Again, duty keeps him from her, so she decides to go back to the states where she won’t have to see him, long for him, knowing she can never have him.

Cam has other ideas, however, once he spends some time in Sunny’s company.  He doesn’t know why, but she’s so familiar to him and he begins to fall for her.  Even having to deal with those MacLeods is fine by him if he can be by her side.  Asking Sunny to trust him, he goes about cleaning up the mess of his life, but even as careful as he is, Sunny gets caught up in the craziness.  There’s a couple of interesting turns the plot takes, so if you think you have it all figured out, you’re going to be wrong.

I enjoyed reading about Jamie and Patrick and their families again.  In fact, Jamie has always been my favorite Kurland character for a while now, but Cam is definitely giving him a good run for his money.  Though he’s a medieval warrior, I love his sensitivity.  The scene where Sunny and others pledge fealty to him is just wonderful.  He holds his own with those MacLeod boys.  Sunny goes through the ups and downs a woman does when faced with losing the man she’s waited so long for, but she always picks herself up and keeps going, making a decision when necessary and doing what she feels is right.  As with all of Ms. Kurland’s books, I’m thoroughly taken with this one.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Sunshine Phillips’ heart lies in Scotland, a land of rain, legend, and dangerously handsome Highland lords. She longs to call the magical place home, but after a day which includes such delights as blackening the eye of her lecherous boss and changing a flat tire in a chilly spring deluge, she’ll settle for an evening spent curled up in front of a fire with a cup of tea. But what Sunny wants is not what Sunny gets…

When Robert Cameron pounds on Sunny’s door, he isn’t paying a social call. With one brother killed in battle and another fighting for his life, the medieval laird has braved a trip onto enemy soil to fetch the MacLeod witch, a crone rumored to have healing powers. But the woman who opens her door to him is enchanting and young—and not from his century.

Now, it seems that they’ve both found just what they need—if only time will let them keep it.

No excerpt available.

Other books in this series (in suggested reading order):