Need some inspiration? I did today so I am sharing with you.

You’re welcome.

First off, I fully admit I don’t read as much as I like but that is a time issue. I also have weird tastes that I don’t even try to excuse. For example, I read very few historicals this year simply because I am not a Victorian or Regency fan AT ALL. Sci-Fi is hit or miss with me as well. Those two things are so strange because I cut my teeth on historicals (medievals mostly) and Sci-fi. And some of the biggest titles this year I read and just didn’t get the appeal. I know I am weird but, hey, this is me.  You should be used to it.

Also, some of these are not 2011 books but I read them in 2011. It works for me. I am NOT a reviewer. I am an author. I am a reader. I buy books as well as write them. Some of these authors I have talked to via twitter, etc. Others I have never had contact with. Some are romance, some aren’t.

So anyway, my list in no particular order:

Dragon Bound – Thea Harrison- I also read the sequel and liked it but I preferred Dragon Bound. I REALLY want to read Rune’s story though. That is on the TBR pile. But the world she created was so inventive and rich in detail. It did get a little weird at one point but by then I was so hooked, she could have had a spaceship land and I would have bought it, lock stock and barrel. I actually got this in print, which is super rare these days.

Eternal Rider – Larissa Ione – I truly enjoyed her take on Ares, who is my favorite Greek deity. I love that she didn’t soften him at ALL and he was still yumtastic. The revisit with other previous characters I hadn’t read was a bit distracting but nothing to draw me out of the magic. Limos’ book, Immortal Rider was good but damn it, I want THAN NOW!! *pants*

The Gladiator’s Master – Marguerite Labbe and Fae Sutherland – Whoa damn. It woke me up from a long line of meh-whatever-boring reads and smacked me with a great story, hot sex and a male/male story that drew me in and wrung me out.

The Dragon and The Pearl – Jeannie Lin – I had zero interest in ancient China. None. Until I read Butterfly Swords. I *HAD* to have the next installment and Li Tao is one of my Drool-worthy heroes of all times. He is so bad and yet he has this calm honor, this presence that makes you just quiver. The Festival of Lanterns scene is so damn beautiful yet there isn’t even a kiss. The tattoo scene is hot and yet there is no sex. The sex is wonderful and yet real. A sense of calm flows in the book, a serenity that is just Lin’s style. The lyrical words tell such a tale beyond the factual meaning. This might be the #1 book this year for me.

Black Ice – Anne Stuart – I bought the entire 5 book ICE series but the first is my favorite. Bastien takes BAD BOY to a new level. He’s real, gritty, an asshole and a ghost. I honestly thought a time or two he might kill Chloe or at least try. Unlike some PNR alphas, this man is a modern day James Bond with a streak of Don’t-Give-a-shit a mile wide. I adored how his mind worked and seeing him unravel. Also worth mentioning, Ice Blue, Takashi’s story is a great read. In fact, the whole series consumed me for 3 days. It got a bit predictable and there were some irksome things but I was so vested in the storyline, I just shrugged them off.

Dark Sins and Desert Sands – Stephanie Draven – The heroine is the ice queen… or is she? The hero is Middle Eastern. He is a Modern Day minotaur. He is sex on a stick. I once had a passion for Greek mythology and loved the minotaur story. Draven’s take on that is fascinating and dark, and so good. I wanted the book to be longer to enjoy the uniqueness of the tale but alas, I finished it in one day.

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins – Yeah, I know. I am late to the game. I read this series in two days, though. I think the first is the best. It was fresh and dark and hopeful and sucked me in with a straw names Katniss. I will eventually see the movie but for now, the book is rich enough. I just can’t believe Galen… well, no spoilers here.

The Iron Duke – Meljean Brook – I had this book for over 6 months before I read it. I won it on twitter and honestly was meh. I had never really liked any of the so-called steampunk I’d read and wasn’t particularly drawn in by the blurb. The reviews were staggering however so I cracked it open. I didn’t move. Pizza for dinner. It was that good. I haven’t been drawn to continue the series but it ended well enough I felt satisfied.

Shadow Fever – Karen M. Moning - Jericho Barrons is hot. While I don’t get all swoony like some other readers, I found him fascinating, evil in a good way and I wanted more. Mac irritated the shit out of me and I wanted to smack her until she saw rainbows and stars, but the tale was worth gritting my teeth and sailing through. Read the series in a week and I would have gone INSANE if I hadn’t had this book to finish after the nasty cliff hanger in the 4th book. (I swear I will NEVER do that as an author. I HATE it as a reader)

I also reread some of my old standbys, the books I adore for one reason or the other.I read a lot more that was just okay or nothing special, many of them top reads of 2011. Again, my weird tastes don’t always jive with others. That’s okay.

I really hope to add more to this post in the coming days (some reviewers have told me I have been named but their lists don’t go live until January) but to start it out…

The BEST OF 2011 lists are starting to pop up and so far, in addition to the RT BOOK REVIEWER’S CHOICE nomination for TURN IT UP and the DESERT ISLE KEEPER from all About Romance for SWEET AS SIN:

Library Journal named TURN IT UP as one of the BEST OF 2011

Heroes and Heartbreakers named SWEET AS SIN as one of the BEST OF 2011

SmexyBooks named SWEET AS SIN as a favorite of 2011

Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks named both SWEET AS SIN and TURN IT UP as her Mostest Favoritest Reads of 2011

Fiction Vixen named BOTH as the BEST OF 2011

Hanging With Bells named SWEET AS SIN right under Shadow Fever!

 Smitten with Reading named TURN IT UP as her absolute favorite in 2011

Some Like it Hot named SWEET AS SIN as a favorite in 2011

Read My Mind named SWEET AS SIN as her 2nd favorite read of 2011

Everybody Needs a Little Romance named TURN IT UP as #4 and SWEET AS SIN as #2 on her Top of 2011

Romance Novel News named SWEET AS SIN as a top contemporary romance read of 2011

Basia’s Bookshelf named John Murphy from SWEET AS SIN as one if her TOP 10 Characters in romance 2011

Leontine’s Book Realm named sweet AS SIN as the only M/F contemporary recommended read of 2011

Reading Reality named TURN IT UP as a Best Read of 2011

Reading with Tequila organized 34 different blogger lists of Recommended Reads for 2011 and both TURN IT UP and SWEET AS SIN made the list

Maryse’s Book Blog names SWEET AS SIN to her TOP 25 Reads of 2011

The Season Blog named TURN IT UP a TOP PICK of 2011 and called it a near perfect read!

Nice Girls Don’t Read Naughty Books‘ Kelly Meding named SWEET AS SIN as her #2 Top Book of 2011

 The Romanceaholic named SWEET AS SIN to her list of Best in 2011

Romance around the Corner named SWEET AS SIN one of her two Top Contemporary of 2011

Dear Readers,

Do you know how much I love you? Seriously, you are the reason I get to do what I do. Thank you for every penny spent, every time you told a friend about my stories, every time you remembered my name while browsing. I strive every story to make sure that YOU are not disappointed. Your emails and notes have been the source of encouragement and humility and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This year has been a whirlwind with new releases, new babies and everyday life. SWEET AS SIN did more than I ever thought it could. I was afraid people would hate John. He is so rough, so wounded, so broken. But people embraced him and cheered him, cursed him and cried for him. I got letter after letter from readers who sadly had been abused as children telling me not only did I get John ‘right” I also gave them hope and comfort through him. That, my friends, is a priceless thing and I thank each and everyone who wrote. It also garnered me my first ever Desert Island Keeper status from All About Romance.

I was soooo worried about TURN IT UP coming after Sweet as Sin. It is different, lighter, comedic and full of laughter. Maybe because it was lighter, it was received just as well. The lightness wasn’t a deterrent. It stood alone and has surprised me with how many people loved it. It was nominated for a Reviewer’s Choice Award from RT Magazine!

Both SWEET AS SIN and TURN IT UP have been named to many BEST OF 2011 lists and I am very grateful.

My backlist is still selling well and wow, thank you. From my very first story JINXED to my erotic Dirty Laundry series, readers keep coming back and I thank you all for that. I hope I am growing as a writer and , stay tuned. I am still working on new stuff that is up and coming!

From friends like Jeannie Lin having itty-bitty babies(3 pound twins!) to my sister-in-law having a 9 pounder on Christmas Eve, new life flourished in 2011. I’ve seen writer friends succeed with wonderful stories like THE GLADIATOR’S MASTER, THE DRAGON AND THE PEARL, SOME LIKE IT HOT, QUARTER SQUARE and DARK SINS AND DESERT SANDS. I am amazed by the talent surrounding me.

Personally, I can’t wait until 2012! It is going to be a wonderful ride!

Happy Holidays Everyone.

WHEW! Nearly a week back in WV with family. The kids had a blast visiting with friends, eating everything in sight and riding Grandad’s 4-wheeler(Which mommy didn’t know until AFTER or that would never have happened). The boys went hunting with the other male family members and let’s just say that no deer were in danger. My twins are LOUD! Spawnetta went hunting for the illusive teenage bargain and scored several shopping kills judging by the amount of new clothing she brought back.

However, I had zero internet connection so I feel a little out of the loop. Family was very excited about my RT Reviewer’s Choice nomination for TURN IT UP. It’s nice to have the excitement even if they don’t read my stuff. We also celebrated 5 birthdays and my anniversary(Coming up on Nov. 30th). Lots of cake and good food. I think Damien O.D.’d on Strawberry cake filling. And 10 hours in an SUV with 3 kids who were grandparent spoiled was 10 kinds of fun. *insert grimace here*

But TODAY is my birthday(Number unknown *ahem*). I plan on doing NOTHING. Nada. The kids want to put up the Christmas tree and Big G will supervise. He’s also making dinner. Laundry can wait until tomorrow. Today is me, the computer, some books and maybe some Criminal Minds later. A day of rest for the ancient wicked.

Holy shizzoodles! TURN IT UP has been nominated for a REVIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD from Romantic Times Book review in the Indie Press Romance category!!

I can’t tell you what this honor means to me. First, they selected my book. I didn’t enter anything. Those type of reader inspired contests are always a gift. When I saw the twitter link to the RT nominations, I clicked on it only because a few people already knew they had been nominated and I wanted to support them. Imagine my shock when I saw MY TITLE AND NAME!!

See, I really wanted to enter SWEET AS SIN in the RITA award through RWA but real life stuff caused a delay and when I went to enter, RWA had closed the entries early! Waaaa! I was crushed. So this nomination for such a prestigious award is truly an honor.

I’m up against some stiff competition including some fellow Carina Authors and can only hope I do well but no matter who wins, THANK YOU READERS AND REVIEWERS!

Tonight I had a wonderful opportunity to chat with a book club about SWEET AS SIN. It was so much fun! Writers love to talk about their characters and stories and Sweet as Sin is so dear to my heart it was like revisiting old friends. One person said she found the story after discovering the CHOCOLATE ORGASMS recipe on Leah Braemel‘s blog but hadn’t read my DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP STUDMUFFIN’s post over at Leontine’s Book Realm. So I said I’d repost the link.

CHOCOLATE ORGASMS

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP STUDMUFFINS

And just to be fair, here is the link to the post SWEET AS SIN follow-up visit with main character’s John and Livvy.

Thank you ladies for a fabulous chat!

Remember your first kiss? I do. I was 13 and Darrin A. slipped me the tongue faster than a cobra and… let’s just say I liked kissing right away. *fond memories*

The luscious Bonnie Dee stopped by to talk about first kisses and her new release.

~~~~~

When was your first kiss? Was it a never to be forgotten moment or has it already receded so far into your past that you’re really not sure when it happened? Was it with someone special or some boy or girl you were “practicing” on?

Some months ago I was suffering a bout of writer’s block. When this happens, I usually write a short piece just to get my creativity flowing again and to remind myself  I can finish what I start. Plotting is exceptionally hard for me and TIRING. I just wanted to write a mood, a few scenes that would tell a story without a lot of exhausting plotting, so I started with a first kiss.

The heroine’s experience is not based on my first kiss, I can tell you that. The girl in Four Kisses has a much more interesting experience. Today I was trying to remember exactly when and where my first kiss was. I hadn’t thought about it in years. At first I couldn’t remember, then a certain summer came to mind.

In high school I was one of the overachieving, smart, geeky girls who didn’t drink, do drugs or know how to talk girl talk. A misfit who was beginning to think that life would pass her by, I just knew I’d reach the ancient age of forty and never have been so much as kissed.  Now let me make it clear, I had options. There were several boys in my clique who were interested, but you know how it is when you see who’s available and try to reach for something “better”.  I didn’t want the boys who would’ve actually been a good match for me. They didn’t make my hormones thrum.

It wasn’t as if I was trolling for one of the jocks or super popular guys. No. I just wanted a particular band guy, but I had no idea how to flirt or let him know. Nothing ever happened with the band guy, but the following summer I did finally have that first kiss I’d been dreaming about.

I was visiting one of my older sisters at her house for a few weeks. Her fiancé was an administrator at a Boy Scout camp. I became friends with one of the camp caretaker’s daughters and together we ogled the hot teenage counselors. Of course I developed a powerful crush on one of the guys. We went on a double date to Cedar Point (an Ohio amusement park) and at the end of the evening—voila, my first kiss at last. I don’t even remember whether he was a good kisser or not. It wasn’t as if I had anything to compare him to. But at least I was assured that I wouldn’t die with virgin lips.

How about you? Do you have a first kiss story you’d like to share?

You can download a copy of First Kisses for 99 cents at Amazon, B&N and All Romance, but if you’d like a copy for free (or freewill offering J) you may get one at Smashwords.

Four Kisses by Bonnie Dee:  Unforgettable moments shape a romance that could last a lifetime.

Jen Adams’s first kiss didn’t happen the way she’d expected. On a steamy summer’s day, a shared moment with a boy who runs with a bad crowd leaves an indelible impression on a thirteen year old girl. But that’s only the first time Jen and Drake Malinson’s paths cross in an unforeseen way.

The night of junior prom Jen bumps into an older, sexier and even wilder Drake. He distracts and mesmerizes her, turning a disastrous evening into one she’ll always remember.

 When they meet again as adults under stranger circumstances, Jen tries to ignore old memories. Were her insights into Drake real or had his kisses seduced her into believing he was deeper than he was. Can straight-arrow Jen and aimless Drake change enough to find common ground?

Four vignettes illustrate a relationship that spans years. A 20,000 word novella.

WOWSER! A cover and a half! Anyone else hearing the song “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy ” in their head?  *ahem* WIthout further ado… Lillian Grant!!

 When I sent off the cover request for Male Order I had no idea what the cover artist would come up with. I have to say I love it.  The dude is perfect for my hero, Sam.  The man is a handful, or maybe I should say loves a handful.  When he starts to yell Yee haw my poor heroine walks into his room to discover him sitting in his reclining chair wearing socks and a cowboy hat and giving himself a very good time.  So begins the mayhem, endless riding jokes, and horse related names for his wild stallion.  I had no idea there were so many different words for a horse, and I think I used them all, other than gelding…Sam certainly didn’t suit that one.

~~~~~

Sleeping with her flatmate, Sam had been a mistake—becoming a strip club manager’s pimp was a disaster

Meg’s mother can’t even say the word sex. Her great aunt is a nymphomaniac. The few men she’s slept with left her frustrated.  The closest she’s come to sex was as the unwitting visual aid for hot flatmate, Sam’s, cowboy style, wanking session. No wonder her libido went on permanent vacation and she substitutes ice-cream and chocolate for sex.

With so many hang ups, why does she agree to no strings sex with Sam? Why is hunky, strip club manager Michael bent on seducing her? And why the hell does she invest in a male escort business offering extra services?

Sam’s delighted when he convinces Meg to let him go looking for her missing G spot. A ride on his wild stallion shows her how good sex can be…with the right man. One encounter leads to a dozen. Sam is living every man’s dream, sex with no commitment, too bad it’s not his dream.

His new life turns nightmare when Michael enters the scene. Will the Irishman steal her away, or will his involvement in her Male Order business lead to a disaster that gives Sam a chance to prove to Meg their relationship is more than a sexual rodeo?

To win a copy of Male Order leave a comment with a word for a horse that you think would suit my very lickable heroes pride and joy! 

 ~~EXCERPT~~

A dull thud, thud, thud accompanied by yells of, “Yeehaw, ride ‘em cowboy,” made Meg roll her eyes and sigh loudly.

“For fuck sake, can you keep it down in there, literally?”

Laura glanced at her, then back at the bedroom door. “What’s he doing?”

Meg shook her head. “You don’t want to know.” She shuddered with mock horror at the memory.

“Really? Oh, please tell me, or I’ll have to go find out for myself.”

Laura got to her feet, a wicked gleam in her dark brown eyes. Geez, she would, too. Not that the sight of Sam laid back in a reclining chair, wearing only a cowboy hat and white socks, with his hand wrapped around his dick, jacking off like it was an Olympic sport, would freak her friend out. Hell no, she’d probably offer to ride him. She wasn’t about to let that happen. Sam was too good for the likes of Laura. He deserved a girl a little fussier about where she slept.

Meg jumped up and grabbed Laura’s arm, spilling coffee down the front of her own white shirt in the process. Shit, why couldn’t she do anything without making a mess of herself?

“If I tell you, will you sit back down and promise never to mention it to Sam?”

Laura retook her seat, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Oh, this is going to be really good.”

Meg glanced at the bedroom door. Despite her yelling at him to shut up, yips of pleasure still reached the lounge room.

“Go, baby, ride em. You got it.”

She looked back at Laura then stared at a slice of salami on the coffee table. It must be from the pizza Sam had after she went to bed last night. What a slob. An extremely well endowed slob, but a slob nonetheless.

“Well? Are you going to tell me or not?”

Meg sighed. “He’s jacking off.”

Laura snorted coffee all over the place. Choking, she banged her chest, tears streaming down her face. If Laura died from asphyxiation, she sure as hell wasn’t telling the paramedics Sam’s wanking caused her death.

Between gasping breaths Laura squeaked, “And you found this out how?”

Meg shrugged nonchalantly. No big deal really. He liked to jack off, a lot, and she wanted to see what had him yelling. How was she supposed to know what he was doing in there? She could feel the heat rising to her face at the memory.

She had shoved the door open and there he lay in all his glory, reclining chair toward her. The moment they made eye contact, a huge grin spread across his face as he continued to pummel his dick.

The thought of that monster in his hand still made her panties dampen and her insides throb. The head red and engorged, the shaft decorated with bulging veins, heavy balls bunched up tight between his widespread thighs. She’d been unable to move until he groaned and shot his wad all over his stomach. The memory of his warm spunk spilling from his cock made her squirm in her seat.

The spell had finally been broken when he winked at her, asking if she wanted to take a turn on his trusty steed. She had turned tail and run out of the house. Hiding in the mall for hours dressed in her food stained hot pink sweats and matching fluffy slippers.

“I went to check on him one afternoon when he got to yelling and I found him sitting in his chair jacking off. Anyway, I thought you were here to talk about work?”

Laura leaned forward, her face flushed. “So you’re not even going to tell me if he’s hung like a horse?”

Having Laura over was a mistake, she made no secret of the fact she liked Sam. Always going on about his buff body and rippling abs. No way was she going to add anything else to her best friend’s fantasy life, she already had an overactive imagination.

Despite all but chasing after him with drool running down her chin, Sam had shown no interest in her. She wondered why. With her heart-shaped face, willowy figure and immaculately styled long blonde hair, most men found her irresistible. Now she thought about it, Sam hadn’t just ignored her not so subtle advances but, as far as Meg remembered, the only dates he had since he moved in were with his right hand. Even if the women he met hadn’t seen him in all his naked glory, his cute smile and pale blue eyes would win him many loyal fans. They had sure as hell worked on her when he turned up in response to the landlord’s advertisement for someone to flat share with her. She glanced at Laura, who was wrapping a fat blonde curl around her finger and staring at her waiting for an answer.

Meg shrugged. “More like My Little Pony.” She was shocked at how easily and convincingly the lie slipped out without guilt or hesitation. “Now, can we please get back to our discussion?”

With a shrug, Laura put her coffee cup on the side table and pulled a pad and pen out of her bag. “Okay, we need a slogan for Wonder Bites.”

“I thought we did that already?”

“I ran them by Bill. His exact words were ‘you girls better get your shit together or you’ll be wearing sandwich boards advertising condoms in a brothel’.”

“Such a lovely turn of phrase, no wonder he’s in marketing. So did he hate both of them? I thought yours truly sucked. ‘Wonder Bites, good all the way from your mouth to the pan’.” She giggled at Laura as she pouted in response to her teasing.

“I was focusing on the health aspects of the cereal. Anyway you can’t talk. You would hardly win the Clio Award for advertising slogans with ‘Wonder Bites smell funky but taste real good’.”

“They do smell funky. I was just being honest. I’m getting sick of all the bullshit.” Meg stretched out the length of the couch and stared at the ceiling. She’d become fed up with peddling crap in New South Wales’ least successful ad agency. How many more lies could she couch in catchy slogans to sell garbage no one wanted? If only she had a product she believed in, or a job she enjoyed. “Laura, have you ever thought about doing something else for a living?”

“Every day, hun, I’ve even researched what else I could do with my skills.”

A kernel of an idea had been growing in Meg’s brain for weeks. Maybe Laura wouldn’t laugh if she told her. “I was thinking of going out on my own. You know, setting up my own business.”

“Doing what?”

Meg sighed. “That’s the big problem.”

Laura leaned forward into Meg’s peripheral vision. “Funny you should mention starting your own business. I’ve been thinking the same thing and I might just have an idea we could both use.”

The door to Sam’s room banged open. Meg glanced over at Laura. She’d lost her attention. Turning her head a little further, she could see why. There he stood. Skin glistening with sweat, his only attire a less than adequate white towel slung low on his hips and a cowboy hat on his head. Every step he took revealed the full length of his thigh, but thankfully not the full length of anything else.

He grinned at them, flashing a perfect set of pearly whites. “Ladies, what are you two plotting now?”

Meg crossed her arms over her chest. “How to kill noisy flat mates.”

She didn’t need to look to know he had moved closer. The scent of fresh sweat and musky cologne tickling her nose announced his arrival. His voice growled in her ear. “I think you enjoy hearing me almost as much as you enjoyed watching me. Maybe if you got out more you wouldn’t find my private life so stimulating. Unless you do really want me, but you’re too sexually repressed to let go.”

His face hovered above hers. Screw him. Why did he have to look so damn good when he had that smug expression on his mug? His blue eyes twinkled with amusement, his full lips quivered with barely contained laughter.

“For someone so ready to hand out dating advice, I can’t say I’ve noticed you being so lucky with the ladies of late.”

“Maybe I’m waiting for the right jockey.”

Meg grinned at him. “Or maybe you can’t find a jockey small enough to enjoy the ride.”

Her jibe missed the mark. He laughed before bending forward and brushing his lips against hers. His breath tickled her neck, making her shiver, as he whispered, “Perhaps you should slide in the saddle one night and take me through my paces. Then you would find out just how big my stallion really is.”

Hands on his shoulders, she shoved him away. It wasn’t the first time he had kissed her, but this time it had felt more intimate. Not the usual friendly peck and definitely part of his teasing. “Fuck off, Sam. We’re trying to work here.”

~~~~~~~

LILLIAN GRANT - Born and bred in the UK, my whole life was turned on its head when, at the tender age of eighteen, I met and fell instantly in love with my darling husband.  I knew the minute I met him I was going to marry him and, fortunately, he came to the same conclusion less than six months later.

My husband has shown me the world, starting by bringing me to Australia.  The country we now call home, and where we have raised our two boys. It didn’t take me long to turn native, becoming a citizen and dropping the British accent. However, our wanderlust didn’t stop there. We have moved from state to state, always ready for a new adventure.  We have also visited  many destinations around the world.

My stories reflect my love for travel and exotic locations, along with my quirky British sense of humor. Well, you can’t give up all of your heritage now can you?

There is a Q & A thread over at GOODREADS featuring me! Come ask me anything and maybe win something.

In other news, someone dumped a stray kitten off on the corner 2 weeks ago. It is a little gray fluff ball that was honestly too small to be away from her mother but I supposed the person dropping her off didn’t care. After a few touch and go days of trying to get her to eat, she is now doing well and has been adopted by my children. I am trying to get a picture but you know how life is. So anyway, Gray Goose is her name and she is a riot, a live wire bundle of energy who thinks she needs to sleep on my shoulder every morning… all morning long.