Favorite Authors of 2015

Last year, I wrote a list of my favorite authors from 2014. Some were old favorites, and others were new discoveries. This year, after looking over my 2015 book log, I have a new list! Of course, last year's list still contains some of my favorites authors, and I read several more books by Grace Livingston Hill and Georgette Heyer. I also read a few more by Elizabeth Camden, and she is quickly becoming a favorite author. Here are some new favorite authors I read this year:

1. Clare Darcy--Very similar to my favorite Regency author Georgette Heyer, I discovered Clare Darcy through the same friend who introduced me to Heyer. While Heyer is probably a slightly better author, I loved Darcy's books! They are very similar to Heyer's, and they are all very clean. I mean to begin collecting them at some point. Darcy is an American author, and her books are rare in England; however, you can order them online in America. This past year, I read seven of Darcy's books.

2. Melanie Dickerson--This is my new favorite author! I actually discovered her last year when I read one of her books, but I read all her other books this past year. She is a Christian writer of both young adult and adult historical romance fiction. Her current books are all based on fairy tales, but she writes them as if they could really have happened (no magic, no fairies) in medieval Germany and England. Dickerson is also working on a new series of Regency fiction (the first will be out in February 2016). I have read all of her books, and I can truly say that I LOVE all of them! Most of Dickerson's books belong to a series involving the same family (or at least connected to the same family). So far she has written stories based on Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince, and Rapunzel. Another book, which is the first of a new series, is based on Swan Lake/Robin Hood. Dickerson has several more of these books in the works, and I can't wait to see how both series play out (one will be based on Princess and the Pea/Beauty and the Beast and another on Little Mermaid). I have already pre-ordered two of her books, coming out in February and May 2016.

3. Emilie Baker Loring--I discovered Loring when someone mentioned her on a Grace Livingston Hill facebook page. Her books are written in the same general time period as Hill's, only they are not Christian books. They are similar to Hill's stories, and they are very clean. I've only read two so far, and I intend to buy more because I loved the two I read. They are out of print and not easily found in used book stores, and only one is available on Kindle. You can buy older copies online.

4. Tamara Leigh--I discovered this author through a free book I downloaded on Kindle. It was the first of a series of five, and I have read them all. Not all of Leigh's books are Christian. Some of her older books I'm not sure of (may or may not be clean reads), but the series I read are Christian and mostly clean. Having said that, everyone's opinion differs on what "clean" is, and Leigh's books, even these Christian ones, are sort of on the border line. Sex takes place (between married couples), but is not explicitly described. In one case, a woman loses her virtue to a man she is not married to, but this is only mentioned. A few of the male heroes have a lust problem, which is referred to a few times, but they resist temptation during the story. This is why I put this series on a borderline of "clean." There are no descriptions of the sex scenes themselves--only the before/after, and even those aren't explicit (though nudity is mentioned). I don't care for books with sex scenes, but I felt the instances in these books were tastefully written without describing anything--you just know that characters experience their wedding night. I say all of this to warn anyone who is particular about books being "clean." Despite these issues (as well some very difficult situations that are almost painful to read about), I fell in love with the characters and kept wanting to read more about them. The books focus on a family of 3 brothers and 2 sisters and their love stories. They are not overly Christian in a preachy sense, but there are references to trust in God, etc. I enjoyed the books, but I can't say whether I would recommend them. Some people will love them, and some will not.

5. Sarah Ladd--Sarah is a Christian novelist from America. I have read only 3 of her books, but I like them very much. Her stories mostly take place in Regency England, and I found them very enjoyable to read.

6. Tamera Alexander--Alexander is a Christian novelist, and most of her stories take place in America in the 1800s. I downloaded two of Alexander's books free on kindle, and I finally read them. I enjoyed them enough to want to buy more!

7. Cathy Marie Hake--I discovered this Christian novelist this year (thanks to a friend), and I've read four. Most of her books (and she's written several) seem to take place in the 1800s American West. I have thoroughly enjoyed the books I read, and I intend to read more of them!

So, those are my new favorite authors (to add to last year's list)! I did manage to work my way through a few books I did NOT like, but most of the 100 books I read in 2015 were good reads. What's up for 2016? As a Christmas gift, I downloaded two books I can't wait to start on. One is by Julie Klassen and the other by Karen Witemeyer, two of my favorite Christian novelists. My son got a Gregor the Overlander book (by Suzanne Collins), the only one of the set we never could find at the library. He's already finished it, so I'll be reading it soon. The same friend who introduced me to Georgette Heyer, Clare Darcy, and Cathy Marie Hake, has informed me that she got some new books for Christmas...lovely stories that she's going to loan me. I can't remember the author's name, but I hadn't heard of her. Of course, I'll be reading Melanie Dickerson's books that I pre-ordered. After that, I don't know. I have some books I'd like to reread, and I always have several waiting on my Kindle. Several of my favorite authors have new books out, so I'm hoping I can buy those at some point.

Did you find any new favorite authors in 2015?