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Anne’s Series List

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

As I worked on my best of the year reads and my list of lists, I ended up with this long list that needed a post of it’s own:

Twelve Series I’m Still Reading  I’ve pretty much given up on Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan, too.  But there are some series that I just keep reading…
  1. The Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries by Julia Spencer-Fleming  – contemporary, small town set mysteries I read by audio.  Incredibly good.  I’ll even put up with some semi-cliffhanger endings, these are so good.  Start with In the Bleak Midwinter.
  2. In Death Series by J.D. Robb – set around 2060 in New York, with Eve, Roarke, and tons of secondary characters that are good enough to steal the scene from Eve and Roarke, which is saying something.  I audio this one, too.  Book 37 just came out this year.  Amazingly I think this series is just as good as when it started!  Start with Naked in Death.
  3. Rough Riders Series by Lorelei James – Contemporary set cowboy romance that includes ménage and men who love each other along with more traditional couples.  The first book was a train wreck for me, but I couldn’t look away.  Things improved drastically in book 2, and by book 3 I was hooked.  Start with Long Hard Ride, but remember the series gets better within a couple books!
  4. Tucker Springs by L.A. Witt, Heidi Cullinan, and Marie Sexton – contemporary set m/m romance takes place in the fictional college town of Tucker Springs. I kind of want to move there.  These books feel so real.  There’s humor, there’s a bit of angst, but really, really well done!  Start with Where Nerves End, though you’re fine to jump in anywhere – I read them terribly out of order!
  5. The Adrien English Mysteries by Josh Lanyon – I plowed through these last winter and loved them.  They are contemporary set mysteries with a running m/m romance throughout the series.  I don’t know if Lanyon will write more in this series, but I’m there if he does!  Start with Fatal Shadows.
  6. The Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs – alternate universe (with werewolves, fae, vampires, and magic) urban fantasy with really good romances running through it.  Yes, it’s actually two series, but they are set in the same world and often overlap, so they are one series in my head.  Start with Moon Called. 
  7. Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews – Another urban fantasy with romantic elements.  Really good romantic elements!  Curran!  Even when the focus switches to Kate’s friend Andrea, they are still good reads!  Start with Magic Bites. But have the next ones ready to read, because you won’t want to stop!
  8. Beyond Series by Kit Rocha – Dystopian Romance in a post apocalyptic world.  The tone reminded me in some ways of the tone of the Hunger Games series, but the content is pure erotic romance and it’s done really well.  Start with Beyond Shame.
  9. Science of Temptation series by Delphine Dryden – contemporary set romance with nerds and BDSM?  The first one made me think of Big Bang Theory Fan Fiction, except that it worked really, really well!  Smart and kinky is a really good combo!  Start with The Theory of Attraction.
  10. Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward – This is total crack.  Just when i think it’s getting to be a little too much for me, I read another book and I’m hooked again.  Start with Dark Lover.  Suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the ride!
  11. The Pride Series by Shelly Laurenston  (if you want to be hard core, go read the 4 books of the Mangus Pack Series, too) These are laugh out loud, extra violent shifter romances that I just love.  Start with the two short stories in The Mane Event.  For extra fun, text the funniest lines to a friend and make them laugh, too.  (Kay and I do this.)
  12. The Kowalski Family Series by Shannon Stacey – this is really, really well done small town contemporary romance that will make you laugh a lot!  Start with Exclusively Yours.

So, what about you?  What are your favorite series?  And am I really missing out on something I need to read next year???

Anne’s End of Year Lists

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

When I sat down to make my best reads of the year list (I’ll put them in a separate post) I ended up making a WHOLE BUNCH of lists.  So here you go.  My list of lists:

A. Best Authors I haven’t read (yet)  This was determined by how much Kay has nagged me.
  1. Tessa Bailey
  2. Kristen Ashely


B. Books I read this year that were really new or innovative
  1. Wallflower by Heidi Belleau – a romance about a young man coming to terms with his desire to cross dress and understanding what that means and doesn’t mean about his sexuality.  Really well done.
  2. Choose Your Shot: An Interative Erotic Adventure by Christine d’Abo – a choose your own adventure in a BDSM club where you make choices along the way that direct your encounters.  Kate and I really enjoyed this one.  I’d definitely read another!
  3. Never Deal with Dragons by Lorenda Christensen – I like dragon shifter books.  This one stuck out (in a good way) for me because of the interesting world building – a present day where dragons had been created as weapons to fight a world war, but came out to be stronger than any humans could control.  Now these very intelligent beings live all around us and society struggles to adjust.  I felt like the book felt a little flat in the second half, but I’ll watch for another in this series because I overall enjoyed it!
  4. Caged Warrior by Lindsey Piper – another innovative set up.  Think non-shifting dragons mixed with a gladiator type set up.  Really riveting!
  5. Stone Guardian by Danielle Monsch – gargoyles!  There’s other supernatural beings in this world, bu she had me at gargoyles!
  6. Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway – another cross dressing romance.  This time the cross dressing character is very comfortable with himself and his (hetero) sexuality.  The author has a great voice and it was funny and sweet.


C.  Books that pissed me off or disappointed me this year;
  1. Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi  (Worst ending ever)
  2. Fearless by Tawny Weber (Gettin’ It was just too much for me!)
  3. All I Want is You by Elizabeth Anthony (waaay too much drama, and a horrible ending!)
  4. Demon Lovers novella series by Kate Douglas (I have enjoyed her books in the past, but this one was disappointing and just got worse with each novella!)

D. New To Me Authors this year:(most with a backlist I still want to read)
  1. Delphine Dryden – her Science of Temptation series is Nerd-mance with BDSM and I love it!  I’ve read a couple novellas on her backlist, too, and really enjoyed them.
  2. Cara McKenna – another author with an extensive backlist who is only new to me.  So far Willing Victim is my favorite, but Curio, Unbound, and Brazen were all really good, and they are very different books.  At this point I’ll follow McKenna whatever she writes!
  3. Mary Ann Rivers – I think she’s pretty new to the writing scene, but wow is she incredible!  The Story Guy and her Christmas novella Snowfall (in the Heating Up the Holidays anthology)  She’s got a unique voice and writing style that I love.  Goodreads shows she’s got more stuff coming next year and I can’t wait!
  4. Anne Tenino – Again, she has a pretty big backlist, but I just found her this year.  I’ve read a couple books in her Theta Alpha Gamma series and really enjoyed them.  She writes m/m and does it really well!
  5. Heidi Cullinan – A m/m author, I’d heard good things about her, so I can’t believe I waited so long to read Heidi Cullinan.  Family Man (written with Marie Sexton) was incredibly good.  It’s a book I’d recommend to someone who hasn’t read m/m before as an example of how great it can be.  Her entries in the Tucker Springs series are awesome, too!
  6. Marie Sexton – Another m/m author.  So far I’ve only read her entries in the Tucker Springs Series, along with Family Man, but they’ve been really good!
  7. L.A. Witt – Yet another m/m author I met through the Tucker Springs series.  Goodreads shows an extensive backlist, which is really exciting!
  8. Daisy Harris – Ok, I’ll admit that in 2011 I read a book by Harris called Studenstein.  This sentient robot romance was good, but a little wacky for my taste, so I didn’t go back for more.  But then I heard about College Boys, and there was talking through a wall, and it sounded cool, and it was contemporary m/m, which i know I like, so what the heck?  This is the start of my review:
    “I just finished reading this book, and I almost feel like I shouldn’t write a review now because I’m too giddy to be coherent.”  I’m looking forward to reading more!
  9. Ruthie Knox – a contemporary romance author who writes great stories in both full length and novella formats!  She’s an author I’ll try anything with – bike ride across the country (Ride With Me)?  I’m in.  Marriage imploding (Making It Last)?  I’m in.  (For the record, both were incredible reads!)  And there’s more to read!

Book Funk by Kay

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

I have been having a very difficult time lately with my reading. I just can not engage. I mean, not at all! I lose interest in what I’m currently reading and then I’m not certain if the book sucked or it’s my mood at the time I read it. Ugh. It’s very frustrating. I have a huge TBR list and it feels like work when I read. I’ve tried every genre lately and nothing is working. I usually hit a historical romance for a palette cleansing but that isn’t cutting it this time.

I have even stopped watching four of my current TV series so I can have more time to read. Then, what do I do? That’s right, I live on Candy Crush. Don’t even say it, I’m not giving up my Candy Crush! I totally immersed in my book funk and I hate it! It wouldn’t be so bad but this funk is coming in on the heels of Kate and Anne’s recent book funks.

Anyone out there have a suggestion to bust me out of this funk? Anyone?

Miserably yours,
Kay (former reader extraordinaire, now a sucky loser)