I tend to read a lot of books published in the year I am reading because of Advanced Reader Copies, new books in my favorite series, and book buzz.

However, I love finding books I missed and new series and writers.

Here are Best Romance Novels Read in 2015 Not Published in 2015 that I read. 

My lists are never in any particular order. 

In my Top Books of the Year

1.  Revenant and Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione 

2. A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev 

3.  The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright: by Tessa Dare

Here are my other favorites:

1. Dinner at Rose's by Danielle Hawkins

In the wake of an unfortunate best-friend-and-boyfriend-caught-having-sex-in-a-chair incident, Jo Donnelly flees her civilized city life to take up a temporary job at the physiotherapy clinic in her small home town.

Jo is ineptly assisted at work by a receptionist who divides her time between nail care and surfing the internet. Meanwhile, her new flatmate is a joyless couch potato who hogs the TV and is vigilant in her quest to prevent excessive electricity consumption. Life would seem a bit grim if not for Jo's eccentric honorary Aunty Rose, who lives up the valley with her pet piglet, four dogs and two sheep.

Rose was a wise and infinitely patient friend to both Jo and her bona fide nephew, Matthew, while they were growing up. And when Rose is hit by illness Jo moves in to look after her, while Matt helps out as much as his farming duties allow. But illness aside, it's not long before the mischievous Rose is playing cupid...

2. Sharing Space (The Complete Series) by Nina Perez

It’s official: Chloe Brooks is having the worst week ever. Her roommate has just moved out with no notice, leaving Chloe little time to find a replacement. The pressure is on at work as she vies for a big promotion. And she just caught her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She doesn’t need any more complications, but that’s exactly what Chloe gets when Patrick Murphy shows up on her doorstep.

Life is good for Patrick Murphy. He has an agent who can help kickstart his acting career. His relationship with his best friends has never been tighter. And he’s saved up enough money to finally move into the city. Now if he can just find a place to live…

There are many reasons why they shouldn’t be together: They’re both focusing on their careers, Chloe is coming out of a nasty breakup, and is it ever a good idea to date your roommate?

3. Venomous by Penelope Fletcher

She is mine to protect, mine to shelter, mine to feed and mine to cover. When she is weak, I shall be her strength. She was stolen from her world by our captors. Now her survival is my responsibility. It is her duty to endure my lust, respect my nest mates and honour our union with offspring. I revere this giver of life, as is the way."~ Venomous One, formerly of Rök, enslaved gladiator

"Six things a woman should not have to deal with: 1) More than one barbaric alien lover/life mate. 2) Long term stay on a slave planet where you’re one female amongst thousands of 'needy' males. 3) Killer space pirates. 4) Psychotic mother-in-law. 5) Putting your alien lover/life mates’ species under the threat of annihilation because you ticked off the wrong Slave Chieftain. 6) A marauding overlord with a harem four hundred strong who is determined to make you concubine number four hundred and one. My name is Lumen. I am stranded in a galaxy far, far away and here be huge f***ing aliens."~ Lumen Young, formerly of Earth, lost in space

Abducted from Earth and transported to a slave planet in an unknown galaxy, Lumen finds herself, shackled, naked and put on display before an alien horde. Told the males will battle for the right to slake their lusts with her body, she would become the slave of slaves. Venomous One, a proud warrior enslaved, has given up hope of returning to his home world and finding a life mate. When a female is tossed into the arena his soul demands he claim her. Winning his mate by Right of Might, he vows to protect Lumen and be a good provider, no matter how ugly her human appearance. Rescued by Venomous’ people, the couple face space pirates, the condemnation of an alien government, galactic war, and a deadlier threat from within the warrior’s own kindred.

4. Imperfectly Criminal by Mary Frame

Freya Morgan thought it was a great idea to hire the bad boy on campus to beat up her douchebag ex-boyfriend after he cheated and treated her like crap. Fast forward a few months, and nothing she’s done has helped her get over the scars left behind by her ex. Not the paid beating, not the string of dates, nothing.

Dean Collins is in trouble, and it’s all Freya’s fault. After all, she started the trend of all the ladies on campus paying him to do their dirty work. But now, two of the boys he was hired to beat up are dead, and he’s the only connection.

When Freya agrees to help him find the real killer, she discovers that this bad boy isn’t so bad, after all. And getting involved with him means more than finding a killer, it means potentially losing her life…and her heart.

5. In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks

Ewan McCabe, the eldest, is a warrior determined to vanquish his enemy. Now, with the time ripe for battle, his men are ready and Ewan is poised to take back what is his—until a blue-eyed, raven-haired temptress is thrust upon him. Mairin may be the salvation of Ewan’s clan, but for a man who dreams only of revenge, matters of the heart are strange territory to conquer.

The illegitimate daughter of the king, Mairin possesses prized property that has made her a pawn—and wary of love. Her worst fears are realized when she is rescued from peril only to be forced into marriage by her charismatic and commanding savior, Ewan McCabe. But her attraction to her ruggedly powerful new husband makes her crave his surprisingly tender touch; her body comes alive under his sensual mastery. And as war draws near, Mairin’s strength, spirit, and passion challenge Ewan to conquer his demons—and embrace a love that means more than revenge and land.

6. Crazy, Stupid Sex by Maisey Yates

How to Land the Hot Guy 1.0

A multimillionaire by the age of 27, app developer Evie James is clueless when it comes to hooking up. So she does what any self-respecting geek-girl looking to get laid would do: she programs her own app for landing a hot guy. After a few failed attempts at making contact, beta testing leads her to Caleb Anderson.

Caleb is used to female attention, but finds himself attracted to Evie because of her unique brand of awkward. A master of one-night stands, he's more than happy to show her what she's been missing in the bedroom. But he quickly discovers that one night with a woman like Evie will never be enough for him…

7.  Winning the Wallflower by Eloisa James

Lady Lucy Towerton, who is plain, tall, and considered very lucky to be betrothed to a man who lauds her irreproachable propriety. When she unexpectedly becomes an heiress—and belle of the ball—she breaks her engagement and makes up her mind to never be proper again. 

8. Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis

Special Ops soldier Griffin Reid doesn’t exactly have happy memories of growing up in Sunshine, Idaho. He’s only come back to recover from a war injury, and while he refuses to admit he’s in a weakened state, he finds comfort in the last person he’d expect.

Kate Evans teaches fourth grade science in Sunshine, the place she’s always called home. Dreaming of graduate school and a happily-ever-after, she’s desperate to break out of the monotony of Sunshine. Luckily, a certain sexy man has just come back into her life.

To Griffin, Kate as always been his little sister’s friend, but now he’s finding her to be so much more. As both attempt to forge their paths, they must decide if their passionate connection can turn into something lasting…

Do your have a favorite older treasure you read this year? 

I was really excited about this book because many who liked The Last Hour of Gann loved this one too.
This isn't a bad book when it comes to writing, plot, and worldbuilding, but it was way too much:

• too much drama, and not feasible things, every time they sat down someone was abducting and about to rape Lumen
• too much of Lumen doing stupid things and never rescuing herself, always needing her lizard lovers to come to her rescue
• too many rants by everyone, Lumen especially
• TOO MUCH RAPE, like seriously! It's understandable in some instances as part of worldbuilding, but it lingers, and liiiiiingers, and it's graphic, and overly descriptive
• too much of making excuses for rape commited by the actual MAIN LOVE INTEREST
• too many villains: whenever one would go down another would pop up it all became repetitive and trivialised violence against women

I don't know, it was just too much of everything. 

Admittedly the worldbuilding is amazing. Fletcher really has a gift for it! 
And I did like the basic plot, Fletcher knows how to write. It's just that it plods on and on, always repeating the same dangers, merely changing the villain. I was on page 200 of 652 and I was ready for the book to end.

Listen, I don't mind ménage. Sometimes I even like it, if it's well written which, many times, it actually is!
But quite honestly Lumen falls in "love" with Venomous, then she's forced to accept Fiercely, and then Cobra. Bear in mind that Lumen wanted none of them, but ended up falling in "love" with all. 
Why is love in quotation marks, you ask?
Because Lumen's relationship with Venomous begins with him raping her. She begs and pleads, she cries. But he rapes her. It takes a while, by the way. With descriptions of how horribly it hurts her. Of how she'll never, ever forgive him. 
But then, bam! she loves him. 
Later on, closer to the end of the book, she even tells him he never apologised for raping her and he tells her he has no regrets because that made her his. 
Like... 

And Fiercely? And Cobra? 
She was coerced into accepting them as mates. She was forced to be raped in public to be "married" to them. Even though she spent more than just a few chapters begging everyone not to do it, that it was destroying her emotionally. 

I tried to like this book - it has a lot to like - but I don't understand how anyone can excuse all those trigger warnings above, especially when it's all unapologetic and written off as romantic in the end. 

I was horrified and sickened throughout the entire book. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't kill them or refuse to be with them. I understood why she wouldn't run away, since it was always made perfectly clear that without their "protection" everyone else would rape her. 
How romantic.


Penelope Fletcher's official site

Buy Venomous (Alien Warrior #1) 
@ Kobo

"She is mine to protect, mine to shelter, mine to feed and mine to cover. When she is weak, I shall be her strength. She was stolen from her world by our captors. Now her survival is my responsibility. It is her duty to endure my lust, respect my nest mates and honour our union with offspring. I revere this giver of life, as is the way."~ Venomous One, formerly of Rök, enslaved gladiator

Abducted from Earth and transported to a slave planet in an unknown galaxy, Lumen finds herself, shackled, naked and put on display before an alien horde. Told the males will battle for the right to slake their lusts with her body, she would become the slave of slaves. Venomous One, a proud warrior enslaved, has given up hope of returning to his home world and finding a life mate. When a female is tossed into the arena his soul demands he claim her. Winning his mate by Right of Might, he vows to protect Lumen and be a good provider, no matter how ugly her human appearance. Rescued by Venomous’ people, the couple face space pirates, the condemnation of an alien government, galactic war, and a deadlier threat from within the warrior’s own kindred.

Warning: violence, profanity and sexual situations with multiple partners.

Review

This is a massively uneven book. The first 10 pages might be the worst I have read in a long time. Notice though I gave it 4 stars overall. This is my first Fletcher book and I tend to be generous with new to me authors and there were also glorious moments in the book that make it a romance I am likely to reread and I can't wait for the next book in the series. Claws tapping.

The prologue is an ill advised stream of consciousness and badly done. It is like watching a chronic drunk take another drink. You whip your head around thinking isn't anyone going to stop her? And no one does. Fletcher needed better beta readers. Or beta readers at all. The opening was a bad idea. It is the first thing a reader sees. I am shocked I kept reading. It must be my love for reptilian aliens. Yep. I love them. lol

The actual opening chapter of the book is only slightly better. We get zero character grounding. We have eviscerated recently but are healed and are peeing on ourself in self defense against other horrors. Now, I actually like the brutality of this scene about how awful it really would be to be captured in this way by a being who thought you were little better than an animal but we don't find out until way way into the book that our heroine is black and English. Not that race and country of origin really matters much in this tale but we are disoriented as readers. You could argue that we are disoriented and cut off from who we/she is to replicate what the heroine is feeling but it doesn't work. It comes off like lazy writing instead.

Now. the writing gets better once Lumen meets the hero. There is a non con scene but first of all it is cultural and second of all she brings it up in several places and works through the violation so this aspect of the book works for me.

The faulty translator chip writing is rough but plausible on the slave planet. This is a gritty book that doesn't hold back on what it would mean to be in such a place.

There are is a ton going on in this book: Slave planet, rescue, pirate attack, adjusting to new culture and hero's home, acquiring of second mate, kidnapping, acquiring of third mate, pregnancy, space station and trial, the threat of war, Lumen the ambassador.

Its long. I liked it though. I love the world building. I love the characters. The cultural clashes and Lumen's problem solving are fun. The romance is sweet if unnecessarily erotic in places. What I mean is the romance gets more and more erotica based it is goes along for no really benefit to the overall story.

I was happy in this world and liked the adventure and the writing got way better after the awful start.

I can't wait for her new bestie the bisexual cat like king alien's book. LOL.

Because...yeah...I like overtop alien romance that has a heart.

I kind of surprised myself by absolutely LOVING this book!! I couldn't stop reading and carried my Kindle around everywhere. I am still kind of shocked at the depth of my love for the characters and the story; I continue to think about them and wonder how they're doing as if they were real people (or perhaps "people" is more appropriate!). The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is just that it needed polishing. I do think pages could have been cut (though it still didn't feel like 600+ pages to me) and it needes a final look through by a good, strong copy-editor (I found myself wanting to rip out my red pen a lot). However, I will say, I've read books that had fewer grammar/spelling/editing mistakes in them but where those mistakes made me disgruntled with the book as a whole -- amd that did not happen here. Although there were times I wished I could make corrections, there were just as many times where I sailed right past those errors without stopping because the story and the characters were so good!!

I can't wait to read ThunderClaw's story, and I loved the very brief tease we got at the end of Venomous!! I will miss the focus being on Lumen, Venomous, Fiercely, and Cobra, but I have a soft spot for old Beowyn ThunderClaw and I'm so eager to read more about him!

Final comment: be aware that this is an *erotic* paranormal romance. I did NOT see that on the cover of the ebook when I picked it up as the Kindle Daily Deal on Amazon!!! I wasn't offended, by any means, but I WAS surprised by it! This is definitely a book.for MATURE readers, 18 and up -- heck, I'm almost 40 and I blushed my way through this book :-)

I liked the story but many, many pages could have been cut out - it dragged a lot. Some of the dialogue was choppy and certain elements were hard to follow.  The characters were interesting and I am definitely interested in book 2.