Please recommend a top-notch bookshlef speaker

A book shelf would give me more placement options and not violate the wife's insistence that I am not to cut any holes in the walls or cabinets.

Oh thank heavens! She didn't say you couldn't cut any holes in her... Then you could put whatever you want, wherever you want!

In any case, I would get the Dynaudio C1 or Revel Gem2, or Revel Voice2....

My favorite is the ProAc One SC. A fantastic stand mounted monitor. Dynamic, fast and disappear as good as the best will.

what are you driving the speakers with?

I am using a Denon 2808ci receiver, and blue jeans cables.
I intend to place them in a built-in cabinet. I may have to enlarge the pre-existing speaker grills to fit a more modern [air of speakers. There are three of them, and it is a large open floor plan at least 1500 sq. ft. Opens to several rooms, including the kitchen, DR, LR and sunroom.

A speaker that rarely gets much mention, but offers excellent performance, is the Sequerra MET 7.7. The speaker is designed and made by Richard Sequerra, probably best known for this high-end tuner some years ago. The speaker is now offered in both a standard model and a self-amplified model. I owned a pair of MET 7's for a number of years and sold them quite reluctantly. Here is the link to Sequerra's web site:
http://www.sequerra.com/electronics/data/index.htm