Top Pearls 2011

And here it is!
My post with my top reads for 2011.

As you might have guessed: Laura Bickle, Jess Haines, Gini Koch and Carolyn Crane again made it in my Top Pearls list of 2011, but because I just spend the last 4 days telling you how awesome their books are I will not talk about their books again, but name the other authors and books that rocked my reading world this year.

Ann Aguirre

I will confess I read Grimspace in 2010, but in 2011 I really discovered what an awesome author Ann Aguirre is.

Her Sirantha Jax series is an emotional rollercoaster ride with me loving Jax in Grimspace, loathing her in Wanderlust and loving her all over again in Doubleblind. I will most certainly be reading the other books in this series in 2012.

Enclave is my all time favorite Young Adult read! It has a wonderfully gritty post-apocalyptic story and world and Deuce is a really cool character. I'm impatiently waiting for the next book in this series.

Stone Maiden is a bittersweet, exotic fairytale and if you haven't read it yet: get the PDF free here (although I can really advice you to get it in print, it's beautiful).

I just started Aguirre's Corine Solomon series and I'm so going to get my trotters on all books in that series as well.


Ellen Connor

Ok, this is actually Ann Aguirre again, this time teaming up with Carrie Lofty to write some amazing Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal Romance.

It's the really amazing setting that makes this trilogy so utterly awesome, although the stories are really cool as well.

I can advice this trilogy to any reader of PNR who loves post-apocalyptic settings and I hope the Ellen Connor duo will decide to write more books together.


Marjorie M. Liu

I won the first three books of the Hunter Kiss series and the prequel novella in a giveaway and I must say I'm so glad I did. Liu's Hunter Kiss series is totally amazing. Maxine Kiss is a heroine I liked from the start and her demon pals are so cool. The stories are intense and full of action. At the moment I'm waiting impatiently for the 4th book in this series (which released this week) to arrive.

The Dirk & Steele series by Liu is just as wonderful as her Hunter Kiss series and so far I've read four books in this series and have a 5th book in my tbr-pile. I will most certainly try to get my trotters on the rest of the books in this series as well in 2012.


Some other amazing reads

Feast by Merrie Destefano: this is a wonderfully dark fairytale that draws you in and keeps you captivated from start to finish.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder: An awesome Fantasy that caught me by surprise and made me fall head over heels in love with its heroine and her love interest.

A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang: So much mentions of bacon in this book, but that couldn't stop me from loving this story about Abby and the Incubus she falls for.


My favorite Zombie Read

Married with Zombies and Flip This Zombie by Jesse Petersen are both funny and full of zombie mayhem. A terrific combination.


Voodoo Bride's favorite reads of 2011

The Goblin King by Shona Husk: Who can resist a Paranormal romance where the hero is a goblin king?

Enemy Games by Marcella Burnard: This is a perfect mix of Scifi, adventure, suspense and romance.

Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison: Tiago is so amazing! Go read this book now if you want to read a PNR with a swoonworthy hero.

Petals and Thorns by Jennifer Paris: A wonderful BDSM retelling of Beauty and the Beast.




And lastly some series that deserve an honorable mention:


The Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh
The Persephone Alcmedi series by Linda Robertson
The Elder Races series by Thea Harrison
The Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane

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And that's my Top Pearls list for 2011!
Have a great New Year's Eve everyone and a wonderful 2012.

Petals and Thorns - A Book Review by Voodoo Bride

Petals and Thorns by Jennifer Paris
(ebook novella)

What is it about:
In exchange for her father’s life, Amarantha agrees to marry the dreadful Beast and be his wife for seven days. Though the Beast cannot take Amarantha’s virginity unless she begs him to, he can and does take her in every other way. From the moment they are alone together, the Beast relentlessly strips Amarantha of all her resistance.

If Amarantha can resist her cloaked and terrifying husband, she gains his entire fortune and will be allowed to return to her family and a normal life. But the Beast seduces her at every turn, exposing, binding, tormenting, and pleasuring Amarantha until she no longer knows her own deepest desires.

Increasingly desperate to break the curse that chains his humanity, the Beast drives Amarantha past every boundary. But her desire for a normal life may jeopardize the love that will save them both.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:
I love the story of Beauty and the Beast, but always thought that for a story featuring a Beast it was too sweet and lacked a certain edge. This retelling fixes that problem once and for all. It's a hot and intense BDSM romance that is strictly for adults that aren't too squeamish about the darker side of lust. I really enjoyed it and can recommend this story to anyone who likes their Beast beastly not only in looks, but in certain appetites as well. My one negative point would be that sadly enough this retelling is just a novella, so much too short in my opinion.

Why should you read it:
If you like BDSM and Fairytales this is your story