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!