It seems that each year there's a book that propels itself into my TBR pile by the sheer force of its accompanying buzz. You know what I'm talking about, right? When you keep seeing a certain author's latest mentioned online, when you enter a bookstore and see people buying it, when trusted colleagues tell you, "Get this right now!"

For me, this year, that romance is Joanna Bourne's The Forbidden Rose. Marisa O'Neil beautifully wrote about this book a few weeks back, so see her column for a more informative, succinct argument of why you should read it. I'm too flabbergasted by how wonderful it is to be articulate. In my awe I've been reduced to a few enthusiastic exclamations. The French Revolution! An on-the-run aristocrat! A resourceful and powerful British agent! Sentences you want to run away with! And a pair of teenaged spies for whom you will write romances in your head! (Maybe that last one's just something I do...)

My new love affair with Joanna Bourne sparked this week's most interesting conversation at Romantic Reads. What are your favorite books of the year so far? We've gotten a diverse list going at the moment, but want to hear from you. What late winter and early summer tales will be on your Best-of-2010 list come December? My Reckless Surrender? Bed of Roses (Nora Roberts' Bride Quartet Series #2)? Lover Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series #8)? Or an unknown gem that we have yet to discover?

If you haven't found that superlative read yet, why not try our June features? We're talking Julia Quinn's Ten Things I Love about You, Francis Ray's It Had to Be You, and Kris Kennedy's The Irish Warrior all month long, and the authors are periodically dropping by to say hello and to tell us what's on their must-read lists.

I'll be back next week with more on Romantic Reads. Until then, happy reading!

What do you think has been the best romance of 2010?

Melanie Murray is the moderator of Romantic Reads, BN.com's all-romance all-the-time community forum.