My Top Ten Books of 2011

2011 was an excellent year for romance, urban fantasy and erotica.  Ebooks were hitting an even stride and I finally got an ereader which solidified my book mania.  So even with my fanfiction hiatus, I was able to compile a suitable list of favorite reads this year.

 I start with an unexpected frontrunner for me.  I had never heard of Selena Kitt until I got my ereader and found one of her novellas for free on the nook.  I was hooked and then picked up this little gem, which on first glance I thought would read like the worst blend between babysitter porn and erotica, but it didn't.  The dialogue was lively, the story had a good premise and it was the start of a beautiful relationship between myself and the wonderful Ms. Kitt.

 There's not much that I can say about Shelly Laurenston's books that doesn't sound like extreme fangirling.  I've loved her books since I picked up the first one, to the point where I own them in both dead tree and digital.  I anxiously await each new story and devour them multiple times and B-cubed was a particular favorite because it starred Dee Ann Smith, my favorite of the many cousins of Bobby Ray Smith.  Needless, to say I'm already in countdown until Bear Meets Girl is released.  Until, I've got the previous 6 books in the series to keep me occupied...for now.

 I said it before and I'll say it again...I'll never look at the word lubricous the same way again...or a plum for that matter.  In what was one of the best erotic retellings of a myth that I've ever read, Nadia Lee had the nerve to give this gem away for free for Valentine's Day.  If you missed it, I feel sorry for you, but feel free to go put down your .99 and pick it up.  Worth your time and money that's for sure.

 So in late-April, early-May something was amiss in the force.  A not so new author was stirring up the universe with a new series...and it starred some Dragon and had some chick in it.  Lemming that I am, I followed the crowd and was swept up in the storm that was Dragos and Pia.  I read the book, then I reread it...and I reread it again.  Then I dogeared the pages and I was this close to getting out the sparkle pens (cause that's how I roll), before I came to my senses and bought the digital...So this joined the ranks of paper and digital purchase.  Love the series and can't wait to reread them again.

 Saw this one in my bookstore and couldn't figure out why it was in hardcover.  New author, never heard of her and yet she rated a hardcover?  Okay, I'm intrigued.  After reading the first frenetic pages I realized why the publishers just didn't even bother with coaxing people in with paperback.  This series didn't need it.  Any character who names her lady bits: Danger & Will Robinson and Beam Me Up & Scotty, gets an automatic add into my TBR Mountain.

 Two words: Soulless Thundertwat.

Nuff said.

What do a werewolf and a yoga hippy have in common?
Absolutely nothing, but it's never been written so well as when Molly Harper did it in this book.  I wasn't sure what I would be in form when I picked this one up in my bookstore, but it was different from what I was used to and yet familiar in the same way.  I'm a sucker for a funny punchline in the middle of a sex scene, so having the heroine tell the hero that she'll put her very flexible foot behind his head and having him drool in response rates this pretty high on my to be read o-meter.

Okay, this time, one word:

English.

Lauren Dane is on this list twice because no matter what's going on or what I'm in the middle of reading (except for NR, nothing stops that train), I will always set them aside to be completed after I have inhaled the words she's put on the page. 

 This book gave me gooseflesh...goosebumps are too tame.  This one is another book that fell into the high reread ticker (3 times) and that was before I even sat down to write the review!  I've seen some authors torture their heroes and heroines before, but this was probably the first time I was truly worried that I wouldn't get my HEA.  Books that bring forth that kind of emotion should be treasured...and this one definitely was.

The series of books that I have dubbed The Holman Collection by Deanna Lee have been delighting me for years.  I wondered when she would get around to giving my favorite eye candy someone to play with.  She kept Connor on his toes with Lauren, and she even gave the reader an eyeful of the previous characters as they showed up on the pages (this is something I'm happy to see more and more authors doing).  I rang the reread bell for this one 4 times this year and will probably ring it again when she announces the next story in the set.

The Bookish Fangirl Mind…Mashups

I like to think of myself as a fangirl. 
For authors, musicians and any other media outlet I'm into. 
But mostly for authors.  So when I'm into several different authors I start imagining spinoffs of their titles or to use a music term, mashups.  For example:

 


What if Brown Siblings  met up with the The Sinners? (Rock out and Rock On? Tattoos for everyone? If anyone can convince Myrna to dread her hair, it would be Erin)


 
or


 
 

What would the Nauti Boys think of the sons of KGI? (All that testosterone and lots of female tapping feet, school marm style)


 
how about...

   
 
 
The New York Prides cross paths with The Breeds? (oh, the lion egos...the snarling, the scratching...and that's just from the guys)


 
I could go on, but I'd like to hear what the masses thinks.  Who are your favorite book mashups?

It’s not always about the sex

Yes, I do read erotica...problem?

I typically don't get offended when someone raises and eyebrow at what I'm reading. This begs the question, then why am I blogging about it? And the short answer is because I'm going to put out there for anyone who cares to know that it's not always about the sex.

I'm used to people finding problems with the cover (too much nudity), the subject matter (too much sex) or the author (who's that, what literary prize have they won?). I've built up a callous to the remarks that I get and I even have a few zingers that I will happily trade for those who overstep the boundaries in providing an opinion on what I'm reading. The easy answer is that I like a happy ending, but a better answer comes from Alison's Wonderland:

        "…we all love a happy ending (traditional or otherwise), especially when the characters turn out to be kinky."

And now I take off on a tangent.

I love it when the web universe coincides with what I'm blogging on. As I was writing this I ran across the recent SmartBitches post on Porn vs. Romance and I realized that in some cases when people in my life voice their concerns with what I read, I feel the need to explain to deaf ears why romance or erotica is not always about the sex. That's not to say I don't enjoy reading the sex scenes, because I do, but I also enjoy the interaction between the characters and the plot. Any of the authors in my must read pile: Shelley Laurenston/G.A. Aiken, Larissa Ione, Megan Hart, Lauren Dane, Jaci Burton. Lora Leigh, Lisa Lawrence, and Zane, all provide this. They build the relationship between their characters and create a universe for them to play in that offers a slice of life that I'm looking for at that time. I've even witnessed cases where the SEX itself is its own character, with idiosyncrasies of its own that must be navigated just as carefully as matters of the heart. 

And now to reign it in.

 

People read what they do because they like it. The reasons behind it don't matter. I'm done with explaining myself, but I'm pretty sure I'll never be done with people giving me the side eye. For that I'll take the more childish route and hope that their face doesn't stick that way.

BV