My Top 5 Reads of 2015

I've kept no secret about how much I love Eve: The Awakening. Why would I? The author is an amazing cyborg of sass (see Jenna's Youtube Channel filled with writing advice).

Eve, the main character, is a kick-ass heroine of a new breed (literally—she's a Chimera). She's not weak in any sense, her sarcasm is after her creator's and my own heart, and there is NO instalove of any kind.

Jason, the male main character and love interest, is totally swoon-worthy and has his own developed character arc (he's in no way just a pretty face or rich kid).

You can read my complete fangirl freakout review of Eve: The Awakening.

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​Buy on Amazon | Buy on Kindle I've been a fan of Wendy Higgins since I heard about this series on Figment back in 2012. If you're new to Wendy's world of angels, demons, and nephilim, you can read my review of Sweet Evil (Book 1) before adding it on Goodreads and buying it (Paperback | Kindle). Don't forget to buy Sweet Peril (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle) and Sweet Reckoning (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle) before moving onto this companion book because it has spoilers for the original trilogy. It's a lot of reading, but it's ABSOLUTELY worth it.

Kaidan Rowe is my favorite bad boy in any YA romance I've ever read, not just within the paranormal genre. And you may think that's a bold claim (clarification: it is), but he totally deserves it. You can read my slightly incoherent review of Sweet Temptation—It's not my fault Kaidan makes me crazy. It's who he is/what he does. Even Anna, the main character agrees that he merits the extra T in HOTT. (P.S. you can follow Kaidan Rowe on twitter).

And the chance to be inside his head and see how he viewed the trilogy's events? Priceless. Not actually, it's about $10, but no one said a book addiction was cheap.

Convinced yet? Go get  Sweet Temptation (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle). I will admit, as much as I love the dystopian genre (I'm writing one for God's sake), I've become a bit weary of the category after reading the Hunger Games (my review) and Divergent trilogies. You can also read my article about the appeal of the genre.

When Lan Chan emailed me and asked for an honest review in exchange for a free copy of Poison, I jumped at the chance. The description sounded so unique and the story didn't disappoint. A true page-turner, I was scrolling so quickly my mom asked me to take a break because she was afraid I'd induce a headache. And of course, like any good story, there were surprising twists and turns that successfully surprised me (a hard task to accomplish).

You can read my  full review of Poison and buy it online (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle). The first book I read from Swoon Reads, and definitely my favorite of the bunch, Velvet imbued new blood into the oversaturated and deadened genre of YA vampire romances. Too much Twilight and Vampire Diaries can really wear a girl out! I unfortunately didn't have time to write a review on here yet, but I will add it to my To Do list and get on that soon.

The characters, plot, and humor were a breath of fresh air. The premise pulled me in immediately, and kept me turning pages from start to finish! And also, it may be superficial, but... the cover is pretty​. I'm so excited for the rest of this series (the author is writing the sequel, Cashmere, now and you can vote for a character name on her website).

Buy Velvet today! (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle) As an author, I'm always reading books to help me write better, but I've read so many of those types that I've started reading ones about one area that I've always had trouble with: Writing quickly and effectively.

I've read about 5 in this category so far, and I consider 5k Words Per Hour (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle) to be the best one so far. There's a 2nd book in the series called Lifelong Writing Habit (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle) and an iPhone app (sorry non-Apple customers).

I've found it super helpful and highly recommend it. Chris Fox's advice is written in an organized, concise, and easy-to-follow format. The app itself has definitely helped me put the written advice into practice and that's what matters most.

​I would recommend getting all 3 (both books and app) to get the best experience. Happy writing! Bonus Favorite Another author-y book I loved was Beth Revis' Paper Hearts. It's the first in a 3-book series of writing, publishing, and marketing advice. Believe me when I say it is JAM-PACKED with writing advice. If this book had been out earlier, I would have been able to save a lot of time (and money) from reading other, less helpful writing books.

Buy Paper Hearts: Some Writing Advice (Vol 1) now (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle)!

Buy Paper Hearts: Some Publishing Advice (Vol 2) now (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle)!

Buy Paper Hearts: Some Marketing Advice (Vol 3) now (Goodreads | Paperback | Kindle)!

And again, happy writing in the new year!

P.S. Today I found out I just won Beth Revis' HUGE giveaway for this series (cue excited fangirl scream here). I was SO surprised (and obviously psyched) when I got the email today. :D
What were your favorite reads of 2015? Comment Below!