So, when I sat down to do my top 5 contemporary reads I discovered two things:

1. I didn't read as many contemporary romances as I thought.

2. Of the books I did read (including New Adult contemporary) there was really only one book that I loved.

Thus, instead of a top 5, you get my very favorite contemporary read this year. And, unbelievably, it was a freebie! I'm a Sarah Mayberry fan and have enjoyed other books by her, but this book is my favorite so far. I love that the characters are normal people that react the way you would expect them to. There isn't any of the crazy dramatics you find sometimes in contemporary romance and it's a better book because of that. What you get here is a romance that builds beautifully. You never wonder why these two are perfect for each other, it's obvious with every interaction they share. So, for that reason, I'm pleased to get to feature it on it's own.

What about you? Any good recommendations for contemporary romances? I would love to find some winners to read in 2014.

I think I tend to be really picky when it comes to smutty reads. I'm not sure I've ever given one five-stars because there is usually always a little something that bugs me. That being said, I enjoyed all of these quite a bit.

Addicted is by Charlotte Stein. I think of Stein as the Queen of Smut, so of course this book did not disappoint. Despite all of the smuttiness this book has a surprisingly sweet romance.

Backstage Pass was one of those compulsively readable books. Even though I know it had some issues, I still really enjoyed reading it.

Pick Your Pleasure is a smutty choose your own adventure... seriously! You just can't go wrong there (and if you do go back to the beginning and take a different path.)

Unwrapped is one of the best menage books I've read. I like that it deals with a lot of the issues that get glossed over normally. Plus, it's m/m/f, which is my favorite.

Another Night, Another Dream had some of the best build-up to sex I've read, unfortunately when the actual sex happened it didn't live up to all the tension. It's still worth reading though.

I find that I'm getting away from paranomal romance a bit and even urban fantasies. I think some of the problem is that I find it tougher now to find original books with vampires or shifters. Has everything been done or am I just not looking in the right places?

Having said that the London Steampunk series is one of my absolute favorite series. I have loved all the books so far. I love that it feels original. The author does a great job of combining historical, steampunk and paranormal elements to create a world that is dark and dangerous but for some reason you never want to leave it.

The Queen is Dead is the second book in a trilogy. I really like the world the author has created. It has intriguing rules, interesting characters and goblins. Also, a pretty hot shifter love interest.

Obsession is an adult book written in the same universe as the author's YA Lux series. I think the reason this one worked so well for me was that it took one of the villains from the YA series and made him the hero... and the author managed to make it work for me.

I didn't read as many m/m books this year as in 2012. Not sure why that is since I bought more this year than 2012. The bright side is that I have tons of books ready to go for 2014. Of the ones I did read, these were my favorites.

I think I've mentioned A Reason to Believe before. It's a really great story about a TV medium and a cop teaming up to solve a murder. I loved this book.

Almost Like Being In Love was one of those unexpected books that surprises you with it's awesomeness. The book is written in the epistolary style, which I always find to be a nice break from a traditionally written novel.

Blame It On the Mistletoe was just so very cute. You can't help but smile while you are reading it.

Dirty Laundry made my list because of it's extremely well done portrayal of OCD. This is the first book I've ever read that really gets it right. I saw so much of myself in it that it was almost a little tough to read at times, but worth it in the end.

Naked Tails is a book about possum shifters. Yep, possums. The shocking thing is that this book actually had a really lovely story about a guy not only falling in love but also finding his place in the world.

I think I read more YA books this year than any year since I was about 12 (and trust me, YA was a totally different thing back then.) I read quite a few that I really enjoyed, including the first two Hunger Games books, but these were my top 5 favorites.

This Is What Happy Looks Like is exactly what you would expect with a title like that. The book just leaves you feeling happy. Plus, the whole teen celeb and normal teen accidentally starting up an email friendship is just fun.

The Hallowed Ones was so much better than I thought it would be. It was also way creepier than I expected. I was glued to the pages until the very end. The second book, The Outside, was good as well, but not quite as good as the first one.

The Distance Between Us is a poor girl/rich guy story, which I'm a sucker for. I enjoyed the hell out of this book and it has one of the most interesting not-dates ever (digging graves.)

From What I Remember... is crazy, madcap and zany. It's just nonstop from the first page to the last. I really enjoyed it. This would be my pick for a YA book that would make a great movie.

Obsidian is a bit of a guilty pleasure book for me (although I'm not really guilty about it) because I know it has some issues, but it's just so freakin' readable. This book was a five-star read for me. None of the follow-up books were able to excite me as much as this one, though I did enjoy them.