Monday, January 23, 2012

Recommend Monday with a Guest Blog!

Good Monday Everyone!

I'm finally home for a few days. Hubby is taking my place looking after my mom. (Love that man!) Thanks to all for the prayers and good wishes. Mom's doing great and is scooting around on her walker faster than I can walk. (:

As I mentioned last week, I asked one of the blog's long time commenters to guest host for me today. Anne Woodall, or as you all know her, Oklanannie, has been a contributer to this blog almost as long as I've been blogging. And she definitely knows her way around a book. (: I was thrilled when she said yes and told me what she'd like to blog about. Her post fits in perfectly for Recommend Monday and I know you'll not only enjoy it, but you'll be adding more authors to your TBR list.

Thank you so much, Anne, for hosting today's blog. I loved your post and I know everyone else will too.

I'm headed into my writing cave where Savannah and Zach are about to discover that Alabama fireworks aren't always in the sky. Can't wait to see what you're recommending today. I'll hop on a little later and add my own recommendation.

Happy Monday All! And now, here's Anne!

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Happy Monday Morning!

Hope everyone enjoyed a good weekend doing what they like best. For me, that’s spending time with family, finding a real bargain on a snazzy pair of shoes, and a little time reading a good book.

It’s no secret to some of you that I had a really hard time making the transition from paper books to e-readers. I was determined that nothing would ever take the place of my beautifully covered books. And absolutely nothing was ever going to change my mind either. But one very stubborn daughter and a beautifully wrapped gift revolutionized my entire reading experience. Yes, a Kindle e-reader is now an important part of my daily life. The road has been long and the potholes filled with lots of those "naughty" words, but "Miss Kindie" (as I so lovingly named her) has won me over. Because of her I’ve been on new journeys into the world of new-to-me authors and books I may never have otherwise given a chance. We’ve definitely reached the BFF status. In turn, I want to give Miss Kindie her very own "Happily Ever After." I’m calling it an "arranged" relationship between Miss Kindie and a handsome Kindle Fire. "Fire" will be joining our reading family soon. A lesson learned and quoting my two-year old granddaughter’s current distraction, the Bieber (Justin, that is) -- one should "NEVER SAY NEVER!"

When Christy asked if I would guest blog today, I immediately thought it might be fun to share some of the experiences Miss Kindie and I had exploring the world of e-book mania in 2011. Some of our searches have been highly successful and rendered great rewards; others not so much. Today I’m only interested in discussing those that ended on a positive note. And you must admit, with the number of new authors offering freebies and 99-cent deals, there are plenty of experiences to be had.

Here’s a list of the "best new authors and e-book discoveries in 2011" that my new BFF and I stumbled upon:
1) Marie Force (While this author is neither new-to-me or unknown, her self-published e-books are certainly worth mentioning and an auto-buy the moment she releases them. I would be remiss in not recommending them.)
"Fatal Series’
"McCarthys of Gansett Island Series"

2) Kaylea Cross (This author’s "Deadly Descent" blew me away. I loved her realistic writing style which actually put me in the co-pilot’s seat when the helicopter went down! Her "Suspense" series is also pretty darn good and kept me coming back for more.)
"Deadly Descent" (Book #1 Bagram Special Ops Series)
"Out of Her League" (Books #1 - 5 "Suspense" Series)
"Cover of Darkness"
"No Turning Back"
"Relentless"
"Absolution"

3) Tracy Sumner (I read the introductory historical novella first and was hooked so I went looking for other books by Sumner. That’s when I found the Seaswept Seduction Series which skyrocketed her historicals to some of my favorites.)
"To Desire A Scoundrel" (introductory novella to 2012 "Southern Heat Series")
"Tides of Love" (Books 1-2 Seaswept Seduction Series)
"Tides of Passion"

4) Kristen Ashley (She writes all her books in first-person! And surprise, surprise-- it really works. Her books are all about the over-the-edge alpha male with off-the-chart sexual encounters and very dirty talk! What? You think Oklanannie can’t handle the heat and badasses? Note: Biggest problem is the editing in these books but for some reason the Harleys and the biker babes overshadow these problems!)
"Sweet Dreams" (part of a buddy-read challenge on Goodreads)
"Heaven and Hell"
"Mystery Man" (Books 1-2 "Dream Man Series")
"Wild Man"

5) Jaycee Clark (Very well-written and enjoyable romantic suspense series. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.)
"Deadly Shadows" (Books 1-4 "Deadly Series)
"Deadly Ties"
"Deadly Obsession"
"Deadly Games" (to be released in February, 2011)

6) Catherine West
"Yesterday’s Tomorrow" (An unbelievably emotional and touching story set during the Viet Nam War and probably my most favorite discovery in 2011.)

7) Melissa Foster
"Come Back to Me" (Another real tearjerker from beginning to end - you’ll definitely need kleenex but it’s worth it!)

8) Teresa Reasor (Can’t wait for the next book from this new author - her writing style "sealed" the deal!)
"Breaking Free" (Book #1 "SEAL Series)

9) Jessica Park
"Flat-Out Love" (Very different, extremely entertaining. Quirky writing style. Can’t say I enjoyed this one, but certainly it kept my attention making me glad I stumbled onto it. It got rave reviews on Goodreads.)

10) Rita Henuber (Another new author whose next book will be an auto-buy for me!)
"Under Fire" (Non-stop action suspense thriller with sizzling romance and great characters)

Along with your usual Monday Recommendations, I hope you’ll share your own favorite 2011 e-book discoveries.

And from all of us – GET WELL SOON wishes to Christy’s mom!

29 comments:

Crystal said...

Hey Anne!
I was a little reluctant at first to get my Nook too. I didn't want to give up my beloved books, but it was getting to the point of a necessity. As much as we move my poor husbands back couldn't take much more of the carrying the tubs of books up and down stairs. Now I LOVE it!
I've added a few books that I haven't read to my TBR pile from your list. They sound amazing. I don't have anything to recommend this week. I've been dealing with 2 birthday parties for my 5 year old who made out better for his birthday than he did Christmas. lol I just took 2 huge boxes and dropped them off at goodwill. It looks like I'll need to sort through things again. :)

Christy I'm glad to hear your mom is doing so well! What a great hubby you have too. Have a great week everyone!

Elke said...

Hi Christy good luck for your writing cave and best wishes for a speedy recovery to your Mom!

Hi Annie, a great theme for your blog. While reading your 2011 discoveries I am grabbing a pen and paper to make notes so I can check out all those new to me authors.

Like you I had a hard time deciding if I should buy a Kindle. I finally got one for my last birthday and since then I became a real Kindle addict( its very dangerous for my bank account because the next great book is just a click away, lol).

The reason to buy a Kindle was actually that it was the only way to read some of the recommends from Rec.Monday because they were not available in print in Germany - as all of Marie Forces books. Her books are autobuys by now. Same goes for all books by Jill Shalvis

My recommends for this week is the new Gansett Island book by Marie Force ( Falling for Love) and "Wait for me" by Elisabeth Naughton which Christy recommended last week - it was really great.

Looking forward to more e-book recommendations. Maybe I`ll manage stop by later again.

oklanannie said...

Hi Crystal! Yes, you move way too much for loading and unloading tons of books. From the pics, the birthday party looked like a hit. Hope you'll enjoy the books you chose from "our" list. One thing I noticed, I need to add more historicals!!

oklanannie said...

Hello Elke! Miss Kindie and I appreciate your kind words & we hope you'll enjoy some of our discoveries. As for the bank account, I allow myself an Amazon card once a month -- sometimes I use it all and sometiems I'll carry-over a balance. Otherwise, I would be in SO much trouble.

Like you, I loved Marie's latest "Falling For Love." Best one yet in this series in my opinion.

Gail Nichols said...

My favorite e-book of 2011 is by a first time author who is also a soldier.Her name is Jessica Scott she wrote a book called "Because of You" A wonderful romance and a book I could not put down.The story "grabs" you from the brginning and you go for a wonderful romantic ride that you do mot want to end. Fair warning though Keep a hanky close by your side you will need it.Christy's mom is in my prayers:)

oklanannie said...

Hi Gail! Yes, so glad you mentioned Jessica's "BECAUSE OF YOU." It's one of my favorites as well. In fact, I interviewed Jessica for Romance@Random. She has quite an amazing story of her own! I'm looking forward to her next book continuing the series.

Christy Reece said...

Hi Anne! Waving hey to Crystal, Elke and Gail! Hope everyone is having a fabulous Monday!

I'm dropping in with my own ebook recommend. Forever His (A Time Travel Historical Romance) by Shelly Thacker. I think this was first published by Avon in the 90's and the author just recently republished it for ebook. Oh my. Such an awesome book. If you're not a fan of time travel books, don't let it put you off this fabulous romance. It's romantic, sweet, sexy and full of major angst. Just an absolutely lovely read. Here's the Amazon link if you want to check it out. At 2.99, it's definitely a bargain. http://www.amazon.com/Forever-His-Time-Travel-Romance-ebook/dp/B006NG0GXQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1327341273&sr=8-5

Have a great week all! Thanks again, Anne, for taking over Recommend Monday today. Send major ((((hugs)))) your way!

Tara said...

Hi Christy,

Sending good thoughts for a speedy recovery to your mom!

Anne,
What a great post! And wow moving on to the Kindle Fire, you go girl!

One of my resolutions was to get back to recommend Monday , better late than never. I always read, but needed to make the time to post again.

I am a HUGE Kindle fan! As someone who travels, I love not having to lug books with me for week long trips! And the bonus is all the new authors I have tried from suggestions here, because they are cheaper, and I must say all the classics I have re-read because they were free from Amazon.

Some of Anne's list is new to me so I'll be off to Amazon to add to my Kindle TBR.

This week I read Silver Sparks by Starr Ambrose and really enjoyed it.

Thanks Anne for the great post, and Christy happy writing and hope your mom is better soon.

Have a great week everyone!

Hope said...

Hey Anne, great job. I will start with my recommendations since I have none it is a short list. I read a tried and true author last week and didn't like the book then I read a new to me author and won't be purchasing any more of her books. Moving on...

My e-book purchases...funny you mention naming your Kindle, I named my Nook Nancy. And the Nook fairy that comes at night to deliver new books is Nellie (I just noticed both are referenced to Little House on the Prairie lol).

Teresa Reasor was a great find for me, I can't wait till she has new books out in that series.

Kaylea Cross was introduced to me by Jackie and I have devoured all of her stuff and am begging for more.

Karen Rose...I am in love with her books. Ronlyn suggested her to me and I love her stuff. I know she isn't a new author but I hadn't read her when Ronlyn suggested it.

Jaycee Clark...Aly was the one that suggested her. I can't wait till Deadly Games comes out in Feb, I LOVED the whole series.

Adrienne Giordano's Private Protector series....love them

Rita Henuber, I am pretty sure that Christy is the one that suggested her, and she is now a must have for me.

And finally...

Trish McCallan, a new author that I wasn't sure I would like but I LOVE her and can't wait for more to come from her brain.

Have a great week everyone.

Alison said...

Hi Anne! Hi Christy! I'm glad your mom is feeling better!

My Kindle was a birthday gift from my hubby two years ago. We were instant besties:) I don't go anywhere without my Kindle.

I just discovered Kristen Ashley...I saw a few people on Goodreads had read Sweet Dreams and their comments made me curious, so I bought the book. So glad I did...it was awesome! I'm reading Mystery Man right now and really liking it.

I just read Marie Force's Falling for Love and loved it!

I read a few of the other author's listed such as Teresa Reasor and Rita Henuber...loved their books!

I have a couple of Kaylea Cross's, Jaycee Clarks, and Adrienne Giordano's books in my TBR...just need more time in the day to get to them :)

Have a great week everyone!

oklanannie said...

Hey there Tara! Welcome back - you've been missed. I read Starr Ambrose's "Silver Sparks" around the holidays. I really like her stuff.

Don't be a stranger and come back soon!

oklanannie said...

Hi Hope! Glad to see you here. Sorry the book market wasn't kind to you last week -- here's hoping better things are in store for ya this week!

I love the name you chose for your e-reader and for the "fairy" as well.

oklanannie said...

Hi Alison - I'm enjoying the Kristen Ashley binge with you -- very different but certainly captivating!

Haven't heard of anyone yet who hasn't ♥ "Falling For Love."

(Note to Hope: Have you read MF's "FFL"?)

KC said...

I also wasn't sold on the Nook until I got one. For the first month or two I didn;t even uy a book, because all of the freebies on B&N.com. Also got my mom one for Mothers Day last year and she is hooked. One of those freebies was called The mating by Nicky Charles (she also wrote: The Finding and The Keeping) They are about shapeshifters. Cute books.
Looks like my TBR pile is glong to be getting bigger(again)!

Last week I read Destiny by Carly Phillips, really cute! Love me by Bella Andre (.99 right now for ebook)

Well thats all I have this week. Have a great Monday.

oklanannie said...

Hi JC - glad you joined us. Because my e-reader was a gift, I didn't have to choose between the Nook or the Kindle -- thank goodness! I've got friends who have Nooks and swear by them.

"Miss Kindie" has "Destiny" ready for me to read. "Serendipity" was so good and I'm looking foward to Nash's story. I need to check out the Bella Andre 99-cent bargain!

Tara said...

Quick question for you all, a couple of you mentioned Good Reads, is there where you keep track of your reads, tbr lists? Or do most of you use a spreadsheet?

I joined Good Reads years ago, but am just now starting to track my reads and TBR's but feel I might be missing out on more features.

I appreciate your thoughts and sorry if this is taking recommend Monday off track.

Thanks!

Alison said...

Tara - Goodreads is where I keep track of all my books now. I used to have a spreadsheet, but I've since moved everything to Goodreads. One thing I like about Goodreads is the iPhone app...I can check and see what books I own and which ones I need when I'm at the bookstore.

Hope said...

Tara, I too use goodreads to keep track of what I have read and what I want to read.

oklanannie said...

Tara, I've finally given up my little black notebook and gone over to the dark side at Goodreads. I think they've got a good system for tracking and I also really enjoy some of the activities they have going on. I recently did a buddy-read challenge on one of the Kristen Ashley books I recommended. It was lots of fun!

krisgils33 said...

Hi Anne!
Great blog! After all the book talk we've engaged in over the past year or so, you've mentioned some authors I have not yet heard of, so thanks to you, I have some new ones to check out!

Unlike most, I got my first Kindle with the intent of fully transitioning out of paperbacks. At the time, I was traveling extensively to Europe and Asia ALOT and couldn't fit a tons of shoes and a ton of paperbacks in my suitcase. Something had to give!!! I'm a self-proclaimed shoe 'ho AND I never know what I'll be in the mood to read, so switching to e-books seemed like a no-brainer. I still travel alot, but not nearly as much as I had been. I still do love my paperbacks though, but the Kindle does make my reading life easier!

oklanannie said...

Hey Kris! Glad you made it home (I'm assuming you're back on home turf) and joined us. And I'm so very glad that I can do my part to add to the neverending list of TBRs.

I must agree that Miss Kindie does keep my bookshelves a lot neater and I'm spending way less money on gas visiting all my favorite UBS -- which allows more moola for shoes. I'm a "shoeholic" myself especially summer sandals.

Mary G said...

Wonderful post Anne!! I'm in love with my Kindle too but he's a guy lol. I call him Kin for short.

You've mentioned so many good ones.

Bella Andre's newest series is great.

Eye Of the Storm By Monette Micheals

Visiting Paradise by Jess Dee

Joyce Lamb first books are still on for 99 cents & they are so awesome.

Unknown said...

Hi all....I have not read any books that have made me have to share but I must put a plug in for Sharon Sala's self publication book Field of Poppies that are available on Nook and Kindle. To make a long story short Ms Sala's publisher did not think her readers would like her new book that did not fit under her regular genre so they did not print it so Sharon printed it on her own electronically.

It is different from what one is use to from Sala but it was an excellent read and I can't wait for her to explore more books in the women's lit area.

Happy reading all.

Tara said...

Thanks All! I am taking the leap and moving from my excel sheet to Good Reads! I appreciate the insight.

oklanannie said...

Just wanted to stop by and say thank you to Christy and to each of you who took the time to share yesterday's blog with me. It was such fun and I've added to my TBR stack as well.

Hope everyone's week is full of good books!

Christy Reece said...

Thank you, Anne! You did an exceptional job! I've added several new to me authors to my TBR list.

And thanks to everyone else for your recommendations. So many wonderful books to be read!

Have a fabulous Tuesday!

Jackie P said...

I was very fortunate and won my Kindle and it has given me at least a hundred instantaneous gratification moments.
Great reads for this year???? Lots. Best find of this year? Definately KAYLEA CROSS!!!!! I kept seeing her in the section of what others bought on Amazon. I took a chance and bought one of her books. I then proceded to buy the rest.

Best books I waited on:
Christy Reece, Pamela Claire, Stephanie Tyler, JR Ward

Best Fun Finds:
Jill Shalvis Lucky Harbor series(LMBO and woke up my hubby)

Other great finds
Victoria Dahl's Brewery series and her Little Bit Wild (historical)

Jennifer Ashley
Kristan Higgins "Catch Of The Day"(I laughed and cried)

Shannon Stacey (Thank you Christi Snow!) Yours series

Jill Mansell this was my BEST on sale find.

Laura Wright (vampires)

And the books The Help and Saving Ceecee Honeycutt

Guerrilla Wordfare said...

I had a similar eReader experience. My best friend raved about his eReader for a year and half and was constantly harping on me to get one.

It wasn't until a Kindle Christmas gift that I gave them a try and I was instantly hooked. I was afraid of eye-strain but now I prefer my Kindle to a paperback.

Christy Reece said...

Hi Guerrilla Wordfare! Thanks for stopping by. I love my Kindle too but have to admit that my favorite is still a book I can hold in my hand, smell the pages, flip the page and hear that little crinkling sound and go back and forth with ease. However, when it comes to traveling, there's nothing more convenient than an ereader. Being able to take hundreds of books with you in one little device is fabulous!