Apparently “cartoon” covers are the current big thing in romance, and I’ll be honest–I don’t hate it. I’ve never liked clinch covers, or models with the clothing falling off in a ridiculous manner. So I liked most of the covers this year.

Which means that pretty soon it will once again be shirtless men and clinging partially-clad women.

The Charm Offensive (2021) Alison Cochrun

Published by Atria Books. Cover illustration and design by Sarah Horgan

Contemporary, LGBT

This cover does an excellent job giving you an idea about the characters in the story. Charlie lost his job as a tech CEO due to his compulsive (and other) issue, and is looking to rehabilitate his image by going on a reality dating show.

Dev is a handler for THE reality dating TV show, whose job is trying to keep Charlie from losing it.

I really love how Charlie looks uncomfortable in the spotlight, while Dev is hovering in the background, waiting to come in with a quiet word.

The Love Study (2020) Kris Ripper

Published by Carina Press

Contemporary, LGBT

This cover is also cute, and the heart as an O actually fits both the concept of the podcast episodes the two are doing and the feel of the story.

I think they could have done a better job making it clear the story centered around a podcast, but at least they have the technology bits correct.

It is an appealing, eye catching cover, with bright colors and easily readable fonts.

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (2021) Alexis Hall (Winner Bakes All)

Published by Forever. Cover design and illustrations throughout by Lila Selle.

Contemporary, LGBT

Rosaline is a single mother who loves to bake and so decided to take a chance on a popular British baking show.

This is one of the few covers I really liked that does not have a couple on the cover, but instead has Rosaline standing by herself, in the kitchen.

Despite the hearts in the background, that might make people think this was not a romance, however, as there are several things about the story that are not traditional for a romance, I think that works quite well.

I also really like the clean look of the solid background, which drew my eye to the title.

Sweetest in the Gale (2020) Olivia Dade

Published by Hussies & Harpies Press

Contemporary

This is another drawn covers, but unlike the three above, the characters are more detailed, and it’s absolutely clear this is a romance.

It’s also clear that the women (women) in these stories are plus sized, which is Olivia Dade’s thing, and absolutely fantastic.

Even though yellow is not one of my favorite colors, it works well here, and I love the dappled light.

Best Laid Plans (2021) Roan Parrish (Garnet Run)

Published by Carina Adores

Contemporary, LGBT

I love the sunrise / sunset color here.

It is interesting that all three books in this series have very different covers. Especially since the series prior to this (Riven) had covers that were very strongly all of a series.

I don’t think the elements of home renovation are quite as clear as they could be, since this house is barely visible, and the drafting lines aren’t at all clear in a smaller size, however, the wide open spaces around the couple do match the feel of the characters, that they are just a little bit apart from the world.

Especially since this isn’t initially the case with Charlie, who seems to be friends with everyone in town, but still feels isolated and alone.

A Lady’s Formula for Love (2021) Elizabeth Everett

Published by Berkley. Cover design by Rita Frangie

Historical

I really love this cover: the color, the silhouettes, the flask of bubbling chemicals. Even the mismatched fonts work for me. All of it makes it clear at a glance this is an historical with a lady scientist.

I also love the two-color look, with everything seemingly in shades of the two strong colors.

Sadly for me, the story didn’t live up to the color.

Bringing Down the Duke (2019) Evie Dunmore

Published by Berkley. Cover design and art composition by Farjana Yasmin

Historical

Another silhouette design (which I really like). Everything tells me this is an historical romance.

Although he is most likely the one in charge of the horse, she is still in front of him from the viewers point of view, and they are off doing something and having some sort of adventure. I especially love the sense of movement that comes with the horse.

I also love the font and bold blue for the title and author.

Sadly, the story wasn’t for me.

The Labours of Lord Perry Cavendish (2021) Joanna Chambers (Winterbourne)

Self published. Cover art: Natasha Snow

Historical, LGBT

I love all the covers she has done for this series. They are simple and evocative. I could probably have done without Lord Perry being in a super curly script, but at least it’s a legible even at a smaller size.

And the blue is very very pretty.

Especially the splat of paint, which very much fits with the story.

My only ding is that it’s not clear this is a romance–and a MM romance at that–which could be problematic for some readers. However, it is obvious it’s an historical, and since it’s a later book in a series, you’re probably already aware it’s a MM romance.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem (2020) Manda Collins

Published by Forever. Cover design and illustration by Sarah Congdon.

Historical

Another book with a very pretty cover. The title font should have been easier to read, but it’s illegible at a smaller size. Just a bit of a struggle to parse initially. And like Bringing Down the Duke above I very much like the line drawings of the city behind them, as well as the two primary colors for everything.

Sadly, I didn’t like was the romance. Or much about the story.

Here is a breakdown of the publishers:
Carina – 2
Berkley – 2
Forever – 2
Atria
Self

I read a lot of romance this year. As the dumpster fire that is 2020 continued, I simply couldn’t stand to read anything that wasn’t going to end well. Really, I picked mostly happy, fluffy books, with little to no angst.

Because 2020.

Something to Talk About (2020) Meryl Wilsner – Berkley
Contemporary, LGBT

Cover design and illustration by Vi-An Nguyen

Cover the first that promoted me to read a book that I might not otherwise have been interested in.

The story was fine, but I didn’t like it as much as I liked the cover.

There’s something her that makes me keep looking at all the different bits, as my eye rovers around. In some ways it’s very simple–almost a line drawing–but you also see immediately what is happening–one woman is whispering into the ear of the other. It’s also a scene from early in the book, which is lovely.

Boyfriend Material (2020) Alexis Hall – Sourcebooks Casablanca
Contemporary, LGBT

Cover design and illustration by Elizabeth Turner Stokes

I love absolutely everything about this book.

I love the bold colors and the boxes and subtle drawings of things and how Luc (it’s obviously Luc) is leaning casually while Oliver is upright and in a suit.

All I can think of is Luc saying “In the end I went with my skinniest jeans, my pointiest shoes, the only shirt I could find that didn’t need ironing.” Even if he’s not wearing a jacket here.

UGH. This story. Even looking at the cover makes me want to read it all over again.

Blank Spaces (2016) Cass Lennox (Toronto Connections) – Riptide
Contemporary, LGBT, Mystery

Cover art: L.C. Chase

This is another perfect cover. I love all the things about it–the colors, the space between the two, the pinkie join–everything.

Real Men Knit (2020) Kwana Jackson – Berkley
Contemporary

Cover art and design by Farjana Yasmin

This is another book where I was drawn to read book because of the cover, and ended up disappointed, because the story didn’t live up to the cover. Which makes me sad because I love almost everything about this cover, from the colors to the guy knitting to the yarn loops around the title.

The Kiss Quotient (2018) Helen Hoang – Berkley
Contemporary

Cover design and illustration by Colleen Reinhart

I think these drawn / comic style covers just really work for me. But the fact they’re standing on the long division symbol makes the entire cover for me.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown (2019) Talia Hibbert – Avon
Contemporary

Cover design and illustration by Ashley Caswell

Chloe looks precisely as described in the book.

Precisely.

I love all the rep this cover gives. It’s lovely.

Meet Cute Club (2020) Jack Harbon (Sweet Rose)
Contemporary, LGBT

Cover by Jack Harbon

He designed his own cover.

Let that sink in for a minute.

This cover that initially drew my attention to the book, was made by the author.

This shames every single terrible cover we’re still getting from major publishers.

Upside Down (2019) N.R. Walker – BlueHeart Press
Contemporary, LGBT

N.R. Walker & SJ York

This is a non-comic/drawn cover (thus breaking the trend) but I really adore it because everything about it matches the story. It’s simple and eye catching and cute.

Glass Tidings (2016) Amy Jo Cousins
Contemporary, LGBT

Cover art: L.C. Chase

This cover is gorgeous. No, it doesn’t tell you it’s a romance, although it does give you a hint of the story, with Eddie walking away.

But mostly it’s just so very pretty and evocative and I really want that as a Christmas ornament for my tree.

The Remaking of Corbin Wale (2017) Roan Parrish – Monster Press
Contemporary, LGBT

Cover design by Natasha Snow

Again, this book doesn’t tell you it’s a romance, but it also isn’t something you’d likely be seeing on the shelves of stores, and chances are someone looking at this story already knows about Roan Parrish, so if that is the case it does hint that this is going to be a somewhat less angsty story than is normal for her.

It also gives hints to the fact that you’re never quite sure if this is actually a fantasy or not. (I lean towards not.)

All the blues blues and the sky and the snow–it’s just another flat-out gorgeous cover.

The Books of 2020

A Murderous Relation (2020) Deanna Raybourn (Veronica Speedwell) – Berkley
Historical

Cover art and design by Leo Nickolls

I love the covers for this series. Just two colors with everything looking embossed. Embossed shapes above the silhouette of Veronica. It’s just so simple and lovely.

Who Speaks for the Damned (2020) C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr) – Berkley
Historical

Jacket art: cloaked running man by Roy Bishop / Arcangel
Jacket design by Adam Auerbach

Although my favorite cover will always be the original first book in this series, I do like these covers. Again, we have the character in silhouette, and everything monochromatic.

I love the ships in the background.

I love that although the basics of the above to covers are the same (two colors, characters in silhouette) each is recognizable as being to that author and that series.

A Stroke of Malice (2020) Anna Lee Huber (A Lady Darby Mystery) – Berkley
Historical

Cover by Larry Rostant

This cover is also primarily composed of two colors (although some of the earliest books in this series had far more color) but is quite different from the other two, and also recognizable as a Lady Darby cover, with her in the foreground, facing away from you looking towards a somewhat barren or empty landscape.

The green here is lovely and eye catching, really making the cover, especially since greens often look artificial to me.

The Art of Theft (2019) Sherry Thomas (Lady SHerlock) – Berkley
Historical

Cover Design by Vikki Chu

This cover also follows the pattern of the previous books in the series, with Charlotte Holmes centered and looking behind her, mists or fog obscuring the scene beyond her.

As you might have noticed, Berkley swept the field this year, which isn’t a surprise because they produce my favorite mystery covers, year after year.

The Books of 2020

I didn’t read a lot of new fantasy this year–most of the new books I read were automatic pre-order authors, and even then in some cases it took me months to actually read the books I pre-ordered.

Spells for the Dead (2020) Faith Hunter (Soulwood) – Ace
Supernatural, Mystery

Cover art by Cliff Nielson
Cover design by Katie Anderson

Every single cover in this series has made by best-of-the-year list.

They’re gorgeous and they are very clearly part of the same series, although I’ll note Nell has broken out of the circles of of the previous books–which pretty much describes Nell in this book, that she has pretty firmly broken with her past.

I adore the swirly colors in these covers.

Shattered Bonds (2019) Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock) – Ace
Supernatural

Cover art by Cliff Nielsen
Cover design by Katie Anderson

Even in the first books, when they clearly didn’t have a cover budget, Ace managed to portray Jane pretty perfectly. I love that they now consistently have a Native American model for Jane, and I adore how from the start it is clear that Jane is the hero of her own story.

These covers have become more monochromatic as the series has progressed, and the colors have shifted to icy whites and blues.

The Affair of the Mysterious Letter (2019) Alexis Hall – Ace
Steampunk, LGBT

Cover design by Adam Auerbach

This is a simple but effective cover. The silhouettes which are currently so popular in mysteries are giving you a clue (ha) that in addition to fantasy (see the tentacles) this is also a mystery. And her dress gives you the idea that it’s going to be some Victorian flavor.

It’s simple and good.

A Study in Honor (2018) Claire O’Dell (The Janet Watson Chronicles) – Harper Voyager
SF, LGBT, Mystery

Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Cover illustration by Chris McGrath

I love this cover, and it does a good job of representing the content of the book. The story has so many elements hidden in the shadows it feels precisely like this cover looks.

A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking (2020) T. Kingfisher – Red Wombat Studio
YA

This is another cover that accurately represents the content: pissed off gingerbread men.

It’s a fun story and this simple cover perfectly illustrates that.

Passing Strange (2017) Ellen Klages – Tor
Historical, LGBT

Cover art by Gregory Manchess
Cover design by Christine Foltzer

This cover is so very pretty.

It actually depicts a scene from the story, and also (with the shadows in the corners) hits at the mysterious elements of the tale.

Turning Darkness Into Light (2019) Marie Brennan – Tor
Historical, YA

Cover art by Todd Lockwood

Although this cover isn’t as gorgeous as the covers for the Lady Trent books (which are some of the most beautiful covers I saw in probably the past decade) it does have a similar feel to the other related books, while also telling you this story is about different characters.

It also feels like it could well be an illustration of the book the two main characters are translating.

The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) TJ Klune – Tor
LGBT, Alternate Timeline

Cover art by Red Nose Studio

This cover is very different from any of the other fantasy covers I particularly liked this year, which is perfect, because it’s very much not like the rest of the fantasy books I read this year.

The colors are bold and eye catching, and the house teetering on the edge of the cliff is a perfect representation of all the main characters in the story.

It’s lovely.

Ace – 3
Tor – 3

It looks like this year is a tie between Ace and Tor, which is a good showing for Tor, because Ace usually, well, aces the best covers in any given year.

The Books of 2020

As is traditional, I’ll start with the book covers I hated. That way we can be positive from there on out.

Pleasantly, there were only three covers I really disliked this year, and as expected, they were all from Avon.

Emerald Blaze (2020) Ilona Andrews (Hidden Legacy) – Avon

This isn’t as awful as the other covers in this series–but that’s not saying a whole lot, since it’s still pretty awful.

I do not understand what they have done to get such abysmal covers, but they are always awful. I don’t recall her wearing a dress even once in this story–and the dress in the picture is ill-fitting. They did an awful job photoshopping her knife/sword into her hand, and the guy just creeps me out, with his blank stare and no neck and terribly photoshopped hands.

Ugh.

A Delicate Deception (2019) Cat Sebastian (Regency Imposters) – Avon

His shirt unbuttoned and tucked into his pants. Besides that there’s nothing explicitly awful about it, yet it creeps me out.

Daring and the Duke (2020) Sarah MacLean (The Bareknuckle Bastards) – Avon

Again, there is nothing specific about this cover I can put my finger on, but I hate it all.

The Books of 2020

In some ways, mysteries have an easier time of it: all the characters are human and they’re rarely in a state of undress. They can at times be boring, but they almost never bring full-on hate the way some fantasy and romance covers do.

An Artless Demise (2019) Anna Lee Huber (Lady Darby)

Berkley

Historical Mystery, British, 1831

All the covers in this series are beautiful. You never fully see the woman’s face, which I believe I prefer, and there is usually a sense of movement, either her walking or the windows blowing.

Who Slays the Wicked (2019) C.S. Harris (Sebastian St Cyr)

Berkley

Historical Mystery, British, 1814

Although I love these books, there were several covers that I didn’t much care for. This cover and the previous, however, I do very much like. The man is in silhouette, so we don’t see any features. (The covers I didn’t like showed the man’s features, and that man did not look at all like Sebastian, so it was problematic.)

I also love the starkness of the color palate. It emphasizes the mystery and unknown. I am so very glad they switched up the covers, especially since these have a feel closer to the first, original, cover, which remains my favorite.

A Dangerous Collaboration (2019) Deanna Raybourn (Victoria Speedwell)

Berkley

Historical Mystery, British, 1888

This is another cover series I absolutely adore. You know at a glance this is a Victoria Speedwell mystery. All the covers have a woman with a butterfly net, and that woman is strong and independent–there is no man in sight.

These is a fabulous set of covers.

Penny for Your Secrets (2019) Anna Lee Huber (Verity Kent)

Kensington Books

Historical Mystery, British, 1919

A very different sent of covers for this Anna Lee Huber series, which makes sense, since it’s a very different time period. But there are still similarities, in that you never see the woman’s features, and the three books in the series are all clearly tied together.

I don’t love these covers the way I do the Lady Darby covers–they’re not beautiful, but they do give you a sense of time, and again the woman is on the cover by herself, and again there is a sense of moving through space.

I don’t love this cover the way I do the Lady Darby series, but it is still a good cover, and very effective in making it clear this book is tied to the previous three.

A Murdered Peace (2018) Candace Robb (Kate Clifford)

Pegasus Books

Historical Mystery, British, 1400

This cover has elements in common with the previous book, but is better (IMO) in that she is far more active. Here is has not just her dogs, but her bow and arrow (which are accurate to the story).

I also prefer the woman facing away from the viewer, since it leaves all of her features up to our imagination.

The Mystery of the Moving Image (2018)
The Mystery of the Bones (2019) C.S. Poe (Winter and Snow)

DSP Publications *

Mystery, LGBT

What I really love about these covers is just how much they evoke the main character.

Sebastian has a severe form of color blindness that also affects his vision, making him legally blind. These monochromatic covers that are slightly hazy and washed out give you a strong sense of how the world might look to the him.

And the background elements give you a glimpse of what is happening in the story.

Skin and Bone (2019) TA Moore (Digging Up Bones)

Dreamspinner Press *

Mystery, Police, LGBT

Although I prefer the cover of the book before this one, it’s still gorgeous. I love the watercolor feel, the man matches the description of one of the main characters, and most importantly, we get the dog, who is, in fact, a main character. But since she’s belongs to the other character, it’s right that she’s in the background.

A Geek Girl’s Guide to Murder (2015)
A Geek Girl’s Guide to Arsenic (2016)
A Geek Girl’s Guide to Justice (2016) Julie Anne Lindsey (Geek Girl)

Carina Press

Mystery

All of these books are older than my normal cut-off of this year and the previous year, but since I hadn’t heard much about them, and since I think they are so well done, I wanted to mention them.

All three covers are obviously related, but they also give a very strong sense of the main character. If the words “Geek Girl” didn’t give it away, the glasses tell you this is someone who isn’t afraid to wave her geek flag proudly.

The design elements are repeated either exactly, but closely, but colors make it quite clear which book is which, since all three are quite distinct.

I think these are wonderful, distinctive covers, and I love them.

Murder Takes the High Road (2018) Josh Lanyon

Carina Press

Mystery, LGBT

This is a stand alone, and caught my attention enough to give an unknown-to-me author a try.

No regrets here since I then binged on all the books I could find.

Honestly, it’s almost a generic cover that doesn’t give you a ton of hints as to the contents, but it’s very atmospheric, and its a well-done simplicity.

Carina Press: 4
Berkley: 3

Much to my surprise, Carina Press won this round, with is impressive since Berkley almost swept the mystery category last year.

The Books of 2019

* Dreamspinner Press is currently listed by Writer Beware as a publisher of concern, as many authors have not been paid in a timely manner. Several authors have requested their rights back and moved to either self-publishing or a different publisher.

If I’m going to complain about book covers, I should also point out ones I love. Luckily, I’ve got way more covers I liked than ones I hated.

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics (2019) Olivia Waite

Avon Impulse

Although I kinda wish the two had been doing stuff–like looking at the stars and embroidery, it’s still pretty and quite good.

One of the things I like is that this is sweet and romantic, and yeah, they’re about to smooch, but it’s not all chests and thighs and clothes coming off.

It’s obviously two women in a romantic relationship, but right here they’re enjoying being with each other and the cover doesn’t scream to me CLOTHES ARE ABOUT TO BE RIPPED OFF.

Plus, the red! The red coverings and red dresses are gorgeous, and everything looks so soft and touchable and it looks like it would be comforting to run your hand along the silk and satin and just lovely.

 
Can’t Escape Love (2019) Alyssa Cole

Avon Impulse

I want to find whoever made this cover and give them all the chocolate and gold stars.

It’s sweet and fun and is a precise representation of the characters and it is ALL THE SQUEE!

ahem.

I really like this cover.

Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure (2019) Courtney Milan

Courtney Milan

LOOK AT THIS COVER! LOOK AT IT!

It’s a GORGEOUS older woman looking completely comfortable in her skin and happy to be who she is.

It is MARVELOUS!

And it’s SELF-PUBLISHED. Yeah, it lacks some of the qualities of an expensive cover, BUT I DON’T CARE.

Because it’s absolutely lovely.

Whiteout (2017) Elyse Springer

Riptide

This cover is just gorgeous.

I enjoy looking at it–I wouldn’t be mad at all if this was art in a waiting room.

But it also matches the story and the title perfectly. It opens in winter, with the characters snowed in, and the cover looks like a snowstorm where the colors are washed out of the world.

Beautiful.

Counting on a Countess (2018) Eva Leigh

Avon

Although there are parts of this cover that aren’t my thing, the colors here are so striking and so pretty–I keep coming back to look at it.

A Holiday By Gaslight (2018) Mimi Matthews

Perfectly Proper Press

Not only is this a pretty cover, it actually pretty accurately depicts events in the book without being specific and giving something away.

She wears a rich colored red dress on several occasions, the house has gaslights (which are important to the story) and the go out into the woods (in the snow) to collect branches of pine and holly and mistletoe for the Christmas party.

And I love the way her name follows the curve of the hem of her dress.

Very lovely!

Much to my shock, Avon Impulse wins this round.

The Books of 2019

I generally try to squee about covers that are relatively new releases–either this year or last (since I don’t always read new releases immediately). I don’t have a lot of fantasy series that I pre-order anymore, and at least one of those I didn’t like the cover (I didn’t HATE it, I just disliked it; there is a difference).

The Phoenix Illusion (2018) Lisa Shearin (SPI Files)

Murwood Media, LLC

This cover made it here not because it’s perfect, because it does have flaws.

This cover made it because this is book six in a series, and the author switched from traditional to self-publishing.

So even though the author didn’t have access to the original artist, they did an amazing job of replicating the feel of the earlier covers.

Additionally, it is in no way obvious that the author switched to self-publishing: There is no evidence of terrible Photoshop, and it’s clear someone with artistic skills put this together.

Unfortunately, seeing how good this cover is just makes me madder at the big name publishing houses that give their authors utterly crappy covers: Come on publishers! If an author can do this on her own, you can CERTAINLY stop pushing out the ugly, horrible dreck.

Not that I have strong feelings or anything.

Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations)

Mischief Corner Books, LLC

This cover is just fun.

It’s depicting the first story in the collection, which involved the Minotaur (WHO IS WEARING A KILT! HOW PERFECT IS THAT?) and Dionysus (yes, that god) and that’s perfect.

But what’s even better are the details: the books and tomes and scrolls made it clear that this is an impressive library. The small creature staring down from the top of the shelves. The magical cloud hovering over the two of them.

It’s just a really neat cover.

(NOTE: This is a boinking book.)

 

Circle of the Moon (2019) Faith Hunter (Soulwood)

Ace

All the covers for this series are gorgeous. I’ve loved every single one of them, but I think this might be the prettiest.

I adore the purple here, but even without the purple this would be a marvelous cover.

With magic users, covers often have difficulty portraying the active use of magic. These covers always show Nell as using magic–and in a gorgeous manner.

Additionally, since Nell is some flavor of what might be considered a druid or dryad, her connection to trees and the land is also clear.

And the moon! And the stars behind the trees!

So lovely!

All the publishers here are winners, with no publisher having more than one book in this category.

The Books of 2019

First, things first, I’m only hating on covers from major publishers. They have budgets and should know better. Independent publishers and self-published books gets points for trying, so I almost never point them out (unless it’s really egregious).

Secondly, I liked the content BETWEEN the covers of both of these books, so I recommend the words themselves, I just HATE these covers.

This year, I only have two covers I really hated, both (coming as no surprise to me) were from Avon.

Sapphire Flames (2019) Ilona Andrews

Avon

I don’t understand how Ilona Andrews consistently get such awful covers. This isn’t the worst they’ve ever gotten, but it’s not good either.

Positives are that I love all the purple. I actually love all the colors in the cover. In fact, if this cover were just the swirly stuff and colors, I’d love it!

But no, it has people. And that is always where Avon screws them over.

One of the characters has a reputation for flitting around the world, and constantly posting beauty shots on social media.

The other character helps to run a detective agency, including going out on investigations.

Can you guess which character runs the detective agency?

I really really hate how weak and secondary the women on these covers always look. Yes, the guy ends up being a super secret agent, but all we know at the start of the story is that he’s a playboy. While she looks like she exists only to be arm candy.

I admit this cover is nowhere near as awful as the one for Burn for Me, but since I despite that cover with the burning hatred of the sun, that’s not saying much.

I just want covers where the heroines look competent and capable of standing on their own two feet and fighting their own battles.

This is not that cover.

The Wallflower Wager (2019) Tessa Dare

Avon

This is nowhere near as egregious as the Sapphire Flames, but I really dislike it. It’s all really bad Photoshop, where the couple obviously were not originally on that bed, and they’ve instead just been roughly pasted into some really bland background.

Then to hide the bad photoshop job, they fill everything in with swirly colors.

And boosted the outer glow on the guy, because he kinda looks like he’s on fire.

And the less said about that facial hair, the better, because that that level of manscaping did not exist in Ye Olde Historical Times.

I’ll also note that there is no way you’d guess from this cover that the heroine is a spunky spinster who has dedicated her life to saving animals. But that’s kinda par for the course with these kinds of covers, so it’s mostly just disappointing, and a reminder of why I love the existence of eBooks.

The Books of 2019

I do yearly wraps ups, but it’s summer and it’s hot and I know you’re looking for something to read, so I decided that y’all need a midyear wrap up of some of my favorite books.

As is my habit, I’ll start with some of the covers I really liked. Shockingly, I don’t have any terrible covers so far this year! (This probably means I haven’t ready any Avon books.)

To make this list, a book had to be published in 2018 or 2019.

An Artless Demise (2019) Anna Lee Huber (Berkley)

She always gets lovely covers, but I think this one is particularly beautiful.

The color is gorgeous, with everything sepia-ish with that pop of red. The way she’s in motion. The feeling of atmosphere that tells you this is a mystery.

I love this.

A Dangerous Collaboration (2019) Deanna Raybourn (Berkley)

This matches the previous books in the series, and I love that they didn’t got with a model. The silhouette is gorgeous and striking, and obviously of the main character (since she has a butterfly net).

It’s just a very good cover that draws me right in.

Who Slays the Wicked (2019) C.S. Harris  (Berkley)

She always has good covers, although I admit that I preferred her first covers that didn’t have people in them at all. But if we are going to have a person, then this is perfect for this book.

I love that everything is grayscale except for the title.

Berkley has knocked everything out of the park for me so far this year.

Good job y’all.

Murder Takes the High Road (2018) Josh Lanyon (Carina Press)

For a publisher that does erotica, they have some really good covers. (Sorry, I just expect boinking books to have covers that I want to hide in a brown paper package (like a lot of the epic fantasy I read in the early 90s.))

This is clearly a mystery, which is what drew me in initially (this was the first of MANY Josh Lanyon books I read this year).

Another cover with mostly grays and that spurt of red of the title and an eerie splash of yellow.

But the birds are really what make the cover. Very nice.

Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure (2019) Courtney Milan (Courtney Milan)

I’d like to point out this is a self-published book. So although there are a couple issues with the production, I am NOT going to quibble.

First and foremost, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this model! The main characters are older women, and here we have a lady who is clearly gray haired and past what would have been considered her prime for that era. Yet she is clearly comfortable with herself and her place in the world.

This is MAGNIFICENT.

The Duke I Tempted (2018) Scarlett Peckham (NYLA)

Straight up. This is just a really pretty cover.

Circle of the Moon (2019) Faith Hunter (Ace)

I have liked pretty much every cover Faith Hunter has gotten with Ace. Even when they clearly didn’t have much of a budget, they were clearly trying to stay true to her characters, and as the books became more popular, they kept the same feel but everything was just nicer.

The covers for this series have all been gorgeous, with the strong colors and the sense of circular movement. I can tell at a glance this is a Soulwood book.

Lies Sleeping (2018) Ben Aaronovitch  (DAW)

Although the initial US release for the first couple books of the series were fine, I love that they have switched to the map based covers.

I keep meaning to zoom in on a high res version of these covers and see all the details, but I never quite get around to it.

The October Man (2019) Ben Aaronovitch (Subterranean Press)

Although this novella has a different publisher, it keeps the map and river theme. If I have a quibble, it’s that for a related novella it’s not truly clear enough this is NOT a Peter Grant story.

In theory it shouldn’t matter that much, but I think it does, because the Rivers of London series is very much Peter at its heart, so it needs to be a little more distinctive to separate this story a bit.

The Phoenix Illusion (2018) Lisa Shearin (Murwood Media, LLC)

This is another self-published book, and I think she did an excellent job matching the feel of the previous books in the series. It’s nowhere close to my favorite cover in this series, but for self-published it’s pretty excellent.

Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Mischief Corner Books, LLC)

This is a delightful cover and it fits the book perfectly.

You’re getting a Minotaur librarian. What more could you possibly want?

The Wolf at the Door (2018) Charlie Adhara (Carina Press), The Wolf at Bay (2018) Charlie Adhara (Carina Press), Thrown to the Wolves (2019) Charlie Adhara (Carina Press)

Three more for Carina Press.

These are supernatural mysteries, and I love how the theme carries across all three books in its color and simplicity.

Skin and Bone (2019) TA Moore (Dreamspinner Press)

This is another series I found because the covers caught my eye. The colors are gorgeous. And although it’s clear there is a dog in the story, it’s not floating or looming or weirdly presented, it’s just hanging out in the background, precisely as it does in the story.

And those are the book covers I’ve loved so far this year.

Three from Berkley, four from Carina Press, and two self-published.

HUZZAH to all!

The Books of Midyear 2019: Romance
The Books of Midyear 2019: Mysteries
The Books of Midyear 2019: Supernatural Fantasy

Since I discovered that I can borrow ebooks from the library, I got caught up on a couple mystery series this year.

Sherry Thomas is writing a Lady Sherlock series, which has good some beautiful covers.

A Conspiracy in Belgravia (2017)
The Hollow of Fear (2018)

You can see these are historicals, and are both from the same series.

I love the fancy dresses, and the woman walking away from you into the unknown. And I love the color changes.

Publisher: Berkley

Anna Lee Huber is writing two series that I’m reading.

Verity Kent
This Side of Murder (2017)
Treacherous Is the Night (2018)

The setting is post The Great War, and the art has a look that I (for whatever reason) associate with the Roaring 20s.

They’re interesting, and draw my attention to the woman. Also, as with her other series, the woman is facing away from the viewer, looking out into the world.

Publisher: Kensington

Lady Darby
A Brush with Shadows (2018)

This is obviously set at an earlier time than the other series, and the portrayal of the woman is more realistic than the other series, but the theme of the woman standing alone and looking out away from you is still there.

I like that although the covers are very different, they still have common elements.

Publisher: Berkley

A Treacherous Curse (2018) Deanna Raybourn

The covers for this series have all been beautiful. I enjoy looking at the different elements.

Publisher: Berkley

Lady Helena Investigates (2018) Jane Steen

This is far simpler than the previous covers, but it’s still very appealing.

Publisher: Aspidistra Press

Why Kill the Innocent (2018) C.S. Harris

I actually didn’t much care for several of the covers in this series, primarily because the model used for Sebastian didn’t look a thing like Sebastian should have looked like.

This lets you imagine more what the character looks like, which I very much prefer. I really did not like the model facing you–at least when that model didn’t look like the main character. But I think in general I prefer the looks of the main character to be left to your imagination.

I also really like the starkness of the cover. The series has been rather dark the past several books, and this matches that feel very well.

Publisher: Berkley

Berkley almost swept the field with their covers this year–they’re all beautiful and evocative.

The Books of 2018

Now onto some of my favorite covers for Fantasy books!

Very Important Corpses (2017) Simon R. Green

All the books in this series are similar–a man with his back to you walking into the gloom.

I think they actually make the books feel darker than they actually are, but I also suppose that at this point the fact that it’s Simon R Green should really give you a point of reference to the amount of irreverence to be found within.

I only wish the books made it more clear which number this book was in the series (that’s really a personal nit).

Publisher: Severn House Digital

Deadly Assessments (2018) Drew Hayes

I really liked all the covers for this series.

The first three books emphasize the accounting/finance angle to the series–because this book is about a vampire accountant.

All the books have drops of blood somewhere on some paperwork, and all have the same label-type-font that signals the kind of geek who has always carefully labeled and organized things.

Each cover is distinct, yet also clearly belonging to the same series. They’re fun, and give you a good idea as to the content.

Publisher: REUTS Publications

The Myth Manifestation (2018) Lisa Shearin

I actually hadn’t realized she’d switched to self-publishing, since the cover has only a few changes to the patterns of the earlier covers (the fonts are slightly different, for the most part).

I think the cartoon-y feel makes it clear this is a fun book (rather than a dark and serious book) and throughout this series, I love the fact that throughout the series, Mac is depicted as clearly being an active participant in the events and always positioned in front of Ian.

She is always wearing reasonable clothes, and is obviously not going to put up with any nonsense.

I think these covers do an excellent job of showing that this books are full of action, but fun and not taking themselves too seriously.

Publisher: NLA Digital LLC

Pyromantic (2017) Lish McBride

This is another relatively simple-looking cover, but it also gives you a distinct feel for the story. The two characters are bound together in some manner, although it seems also pretty clear they’re at odds at the start of the story.

The fire is obvious, which is good, since Ava is a fire-starter, and the red emphasizes that. It’s also clean and relatively straight forward.

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Dark Queen (2018) Faith Hunter

I love that from the start ROC has always portrayed Jane as active–doing something, usually fighting and getting ready to go kick ass.

Even when they didn’t have a Native American model. Even when the outfits were (when you looked closely) patched together bits and pieces that were individually ridiculous. Even when they didn’t get it quite right, they still tried their best to make the covers true to Jane’s character.

I’m delighted that this series has become so popular and long-running, and that they’ve stayed true to what they started with that first cover.

And I absolutely adore their current model.

This is a wonderful addition to the series, and also ties into the feel of Nell’s spin-off series.

I love this cover.

Publisher: ROC

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (2018) Mackenzi Lee

The cover of this book, and the previous book in the series, is wonderful.

Both books give you a clear feeling for the main character (in the first book, Monty is a mostly dissolute rake. His sister, Felicity, is clearly something completely different, and that’s obvious from the cover.

The font and the little doodles help to show it’s a YA book, and it doesn’t take itself too series, and they also tie the two books together perfectly.

More importantly, they’re quite unlike anything else I came across, which made them stand out.

I’ll admit, that initially I didn’t care for the title, but it actually ties in extremely well with the story, in a way I was completely not expecting.

Lovely.

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Within the Sanctuary of Wings (2017) Marie Brennan

These covers are just flat-out gorgeous.

They are art, and I kinda want posters of them, except I don’t have anywhere to put posters.

But I still kinda want them because they did such and incredible job with these covers.

Publisher: Tor Books

Pretty good mix of publishers this year!

The Books of 2018

As I don’t much care for the kissing parts of romances, these are unsurprisingly non-traditional romance covers, even though they are boinking books. So keep in mind these are ALL boinking books.

Hamilton’s Battalion: A Trio of Romances (2017) Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole

This is a trio of novellas set during the revolutionary war, and revolving around Alexander Hamilton, in that his wife is collecting stories of those times.

These are LGBTQ romances, just so you are aware.

What do I love about this cover? First, it’s simple–four major colors. Second, there is no clinch, but the heart coming out of the rifle makes it clear these are romances. Third, the simple cut-outs of the soldiers make it clear the time frame. Especially with the background of the soldiers being the Declaration of Independence (that is a GORGEOUS touch there).

Also, I think it’s pretty clear from the two figures that these are LGBTQ stories.

I just think it’s an extremely well-done cover, and quite lovely.

Spectred Isle (2017) K.J. Charles

This is a M/M romance, and it’s an historical, although one sent in the early 20th century, in this case between the two world wars.

It’s also a paranormal romance, with one of the characters a magician, and the other a skeptic who works for someone who believes in the supernatural.

I love the lines of this cover, as well as how the man and the font evoke the roaring twenties, while the Green Man represents the magic.

Plus it’s just a pretty cover.

Unfit to Print (2018) K.J. Charles

This is another M/M romance.

The historical aspect is shown in the background of the man’s silhouette, of the tenement houses, but the silhouette is what I liked best. It’s quite clearly a man of African descent even though we don’t really have any of the details about him.

The text is also another hint to the fact this is an historical.

Again, I love the lines of the cover, the layout, the font, the fact that it gets across so many aspects of the story with a relatively straight-forward design.

And the last thing I want to note is that NONE of these books came out of traditional publishing houses. They were all published by the authors.

Which makes the covers all the more impressive, since I think we all have come to expect self published books to be a nightmare of fonts, horrible photoshop, and general awfulness.

These covers are instead wonderful.

The Books of 2018

I have a list of mystery authors I tend to auto-buy, however, only two of those authors made this list. The others were books I found on sale or had on my wish-list and received as gifts.

Publisher Tally
Berkley: 3/4

A Study In Scarlet Women (2016) Sherry Thomas (Berkley)

This is a gorgeous cover, letting you know that this is an historical mystery and the main character is a woman who goes out and does things. I think the light streaming from the opening door is a particularly nice touch.

This is the first book in this series.

Where the Dead Lie (2017) C.S. Harris (Berkley)

I’ll be honest, I don’t much like this model as Sebastian. However, they did a fantastic job despite the model not matching the description of Sebastian, so although this isn’t my favorite of her covers, it’s still beautiful.

This series begins with What Angels Fear

Earthly Remains (2017) Donna Leon (Atlantic Monthly Press)

All of her covers are scenes from Venice, and even if they don’t necessarily grab your attention the way other covers do, they are pretty, and they let you know that you are getting a Brunetti mystery.

It may be at this point I just have a Pavlovian response to this covers, knowing that within is not just a mystery, but the atmosphere and food of Venice.

This series begins with Death at La Fenice

A Perilous Undertaking (2017) Deanna Raybourn (Berkley)

This is a gorgeous cover. It’s really a piece of art.

It makes me wish I loved the story as much as the cover.

This is the second book in the series, which starts with A Curious Beginning

The Books of 2017