Books I read in 2013 that MUST go on your "I have to read them right now!!!!" list.

I didn't get as much of a chance to read this year as I'd like, but that was because I was so busy writing, so I'm not complaining. I did, however, read some truly amazing books, and I'd like to pass those recs along to you on this last day of 2013. Note that not all of these were published in 2013. A few came out in late 2012, and I've slipped one on here that I actually read in December of last year.

So, here we go.

Anything Jay Crownover writes will always and forever be on the top of my list. I read RULE in April and fangirl emailed Jay when I was only halfway through, even though she didn't know I existed. I've NEVER fangirl emailed ANYONE before, but I couldn't help myself. Jay writes the most authentic male
POVs I've ever read, and let me tell you, these boys are smokin' hot. After RULE, it took me months to pick up the next book in the marked men series, because I was so in love with Rule Archer that it felt like cheating on him to move on to JET. ROME releases next week (the day after my birthday, btw, so I've decided he's what I want, in case you were thinking of picking me up a gift ;p) and I was lucky enough to get an ARC. So now I am in love with all of Jay's boys. I am a polygamist. Yes I feel guilty, but not enough to give any of them up. I have never read guys as compelling as these. You definitely want to pick these up.

REAL, MINE, and REMY by Katy Evans have to make the list, because, REMY! He is totally swoon-worthy. Katy also writes some of the hottest sex scenes I've ever read. :D I met Katy in Houston a few months ago, and when she signed my copy of REAL, she wrote that she loved my books. I nearly fell over. Now we have a mutual fangirl thing going, which I love. I've gotten a sneak peek at the first few chapters of her upcoming RAW, and this is another one you are NOT going to want to miss. You think Remy's hot? I dare you not to drool all over Greyson.

And the super fun news? I'll be giving away signed copies of all six of these books for the release of A LITTLE TOO HOT! Follow the blog tours starting on January 13th for your chance to win!

More books I read and loved this year:

BEST KIND OF BROKEN by Chelsea Fine. Unfortunately for you, you can't get your hands on this one until March, but when it releases, you won't want to wait to read it. It was all kinds of heartbreak wrapped up in some of the funniest dialogue I've ever read.

FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowel. This lady is all kinds of talented. I liked Eleanor and Park, but I LOVED FANGIRL. All her books are about normal people in real situations, which isn't really supposed to be great reading, but her characters are just so damn compelling that you HAVE to know what happens to them.

WAIT FOR YOU by J. Lynn. Though this one follows the standard NA tropes, Jennifer is just so insanely talented that she can make something old seem new. And holy hotness, Batman, can she write great swoony boys. Always. You can't help rooting for Avery and Cam to find their way to each other.

LOSING IT by Cora Carmack. If you've read ALTF, you know I like a little silliness, and Cora is the queen of silliness. Her characters end up in serious situations, but there's always a sense that they don't take themselves too seriously, which is refreshing. Like with Chelsea's THE BEST KIND OF BROKEN, you'll find yourself laughing out loud. A lot.

So what did I miss? There are tons of books I'm dying to get to burning a hole in my iPad, like K.A. Tucker's series and Christina Lee's ALL OF YOU, but I'm a book junkie, so I'm always glad for more suggestions. What were your favorites this year?

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 20!!

Happy Christmas to all who celebrate! And today culminates our 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration! I've had so much fun bringing you these sweet little nothings. (Yes, there are times I really hate my job ;p) Today's post features my favorite line from A LITTLE TOO MUCH.

I hope maybe you'll consider reading about my beautifully tormented French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest. His story starts in A LITTLE TOO FAR, in Rome with Lexie. We find out a lot about him through Lexie's eyes. But after he makes his life-altering decision there, the rest of his journey in A LITTLE TOO MUCH nearly proves to be his undoing. He broke my heart in this book. He and Hilary are two of the most complex characters I've ever written. Library Journal says: "Although Hilary is tough on the outside, her honest narration leave her raw and exposed to the reader, which makes her plight all the more substantial."

I love Hilary. I love Alessandro. He's very private and keeps his thoughts and feelings closely guarded, but he's starting to open up. There's more to his story, and I hope to be able to bring it to you from his perspective soon. So...our last taste of my tortured, beautiful man.

Happy holidays to you all! There will be some exciting things happening after the New Year, including a contest for signed books from all the fabulous authors who blurbed A LITTLE TOO HOT (Katy Evans, Jay Crownover, Sophie Jordan) so I'll see you then!

{hugs}

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 19, and it's RAINING men!

It is Christmas Eve, and I am here to shower you with Man Candy gifts! Tomorrow is the end of our 20 Days of Alessandro Holiday Man Candy Celebration, and I have had sooo much fun bringing you so many tasty treats. But today...it's not just Alessandro, but ALL the A LITTLE TOO FAR men. (Yes, I'm showering you with men. As in, it's raining men? Get it? ;p)

Drum roll, please...

It all started with Trent from A LITTLE TOO FAR, Lexie's sensitive musician stepbrother-best-friend who she sort of accidentally has sex with just before leaving for a year abroad in Rome...

...where she meets Alessandro, her tortured French-Italian-American soon-to-be priest.

He has his demons to face down, and he gets his chance in A LITTLE TOO MUCH. But while Lexie's away, getting tight with Alessandro, Trent is also getting cozy...with Lexie's best friend Sam. Some of you love to hate Sam, but I just flat out love her. When things go to hell for her and she lands in a gentleman's club, dancing for a living, she meets Harrison in A LITTLE TOO HOT. Unfortunately for Sam, he's not who he seems to be...and his secret will probably get her killed.

Now get a towel and dry off, because your holiday company will be here soon! But don't forget to check back tomorrow for the LAST serving of Alessandro Man Candy for 2013!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 18

Three days till Christmas, so I have three more sweet bits of Alessandro Man Candy for you. He's still on sale on all major e-tailers for only 1.99, don't forget! So, here is one of your lasts tastes of my beautiful, tormented, French-Italian-America ex-almost-priest.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow, because it's not just my ex-almost-priest. Tomorrow is the HOTTEST Man Candy I've posted...a rundown of ALL my A Little Too Far boys, starting with Trent, and ending with Harrison from A LITTLE TOO HOT, which releases in FOUR SHORT WEEKS! You seriously don't want to miss this! See you tomorrow, and until then, sweet dreams!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 17

Yep, he's back, my beautifully tormented French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest. We're winding down our Man Candy Celebration on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with our last three slices of heaven. And then I think we MUST have a contest for the New Year. I think there MUST be signed books involved. Yes, definitely. *schemes*

But, without further ado, what you all came for. I give you, Alessandro, in the...flesh.

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 16

Hope you enjoyed reading the first six chapters of A LITTLE TOO MUCH yesterday! It's still only 1.99 on all major e-tailers, and will stay that way until the New Year. A LITTLE TOO FAR is only 99 cents right now on Amazon, and that could change at any second, as that's Amazon's gift to you. It's your shot at a double dose of Alessandro for under three bucks, so HURRY!

And speaking of my French-Italian-American tormented ex-almost-priest, we've got five more days of his hotness for you, right here on the blog. Here's your daily dose of Alessandro Man Candy.

Come on back tomorrow for more!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 15 (And the first six chapters of A LITTLE TOO MUCH!)

Only a week until Christmas! Have you finished your holiday shopping? I've turned into an internet shopper, for the most part, though if we had an actual book store where I lived, that would probably be my go to stop for holiday shopping. But, if you let your fingers do the walking like me, here's something for you. Right now, A LITTLE TOO MUCH is on special for the holidays at only $1.99! And, it seems Amazon is giving you a gift of their own, because they reduced A LITTLE TOO FAR to just 99 cents! So, now you can get a double dose of my beautiful French-Italian-American tormented ex-almost-priest for under 3 bucks!!!

And, as a special holiday threat, because HarperCollins loves you guys, here is an excerpt of, like, the first six chapters! Seriously! So now you can really taste my Alessandro Man Candy before you buy ;-)

Be back tomorrow with MORE Man Candy!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 14 (and OMG Katy Evans blurbed A LITTLE TOO HOT!)

So, honestly, I have no idea if it mean anything to readers at all when an author gives a book a blurb. But I've got one that's going on the front cover of A LITTLE TOO HOT. Here's what it says:

“Every page is deliciously breathtaking, wickedly sexy and sensational. A LITTLE TOO HOT is wonderfully unique and a LOT HOT! I am a HUGE Lisa Desrochers fan.”
   — Katy Evans, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of REAL, MINE, and REMY

This makes me ecstatically happy because I love Katy and her Remy to death! As does this:

“Lisa is brilliant at creating sizzling sexual tension and impossible circumstances that make the reader hold their breath all the way to happy ever after. Sam and Harrison are more than A Little Too Hot, they are scorching!"
   — Jay Crownover, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of RULE, JET, and ROME

If you've followed this blog at all, you know what a HUGE fangirl I am of Jay. Rule Archer will forever be my co-favorite book boy. (Along with Adam Wilde from WHERE SHE WENT.) To have these amazing authors say such incredible things about A LITTLE TOO HOT puts a smile on my face that will not be fading anytime soon. But that's not all, because there's also this:

“Lisa Desrochers’ best yet! A LITTLE TOO HOT is hotter than hot with all the emotional punch to back it up!”
   — Sophie Jordan, USA Today bestselling author

Sophie is an awesome person and author, and I loved her FOREPLAY so much, I blurbed it!

So, that all makes today's Alessandro Man Candy just a little bit sweeter! And a BONUS is that A LITTLE TOO MUCH just went on sale for only $1.99!!! That means you can have my beautiful French-Italian-American boy for less that two bucks!

I've so loved putting together all the Holiday Man Candy for you, and there's still more to come. Six more days to be exact! So keep checking back!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 13

I have officially exceeded the song, but I'm far from done. We started at the end of November, and I have more Man Candy treats prepared to see you all the way through Christmas. And after the holidays, there are some totally fun things planned, including giveaways for signed books and other fun stuff!

So, without further ado, I present today's Alessandro Man Candy...

Keep checking back for more!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 12 (I'm running out of song...)

It's the last official day of Christmas, according to the song, but never fear! I'm not going to leave you hanging at drummers drumming! We're going right up until actual Christmas with our Alessandro Man Candy Celebration, so keep checking back!

So, dovetailing off yesterday's post, we have more of my tormented French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest. He's got a lot to atone for, but he's also horribly lost.

Maybe you can help him find his path? He still needs that hug! If you want to give him one, order him in paperback today at Amazon or Barnes&Noble!

See you tomorrow. The best is yet to come! =)

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 11 (and no, I'm not showing you anyone' piper)

After the hiatus for Harrison and Sam A LITTLE TOO HOT hotness on day nine, and the Real Life Hot Priests excitement of yesterday, we're finally back into our regularly scheduled broadcast. Semi-naked Alessandro, my holiday gift to you. So, my French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest hottie is definitely tortured. There were several occasions as I was writing him in A LITTLE TOO MUCH that he broke my heart. This is one of them.

Never fear, tomorrow is NOT the last day of our celebration. We're definitely over-shooting the song. So keep checking back for my gift that keeps on giving! And remember that the paperback released this week...you know, in case you want to cuddle with my tortured hottie at night.

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 10 (And a hot male virgins you can OWN!)

All the exiting things today! First, I have to show you this! It popped up in my Twitter feed this morning thanks to some of my diligent readers. You want the REAL Alessandro, here he is in Hot Vatican Priest calendar form, just in time for your holiday shopping! Click on the picture to order yours!

Nothing sexier than a hot virgin, right? (Though, if you've read ALTF, you know Alessandro is NOT a virgin, and you know who he lost his V-card to :D)

And if that's not enough, there's also the release of A LITTLE TOO MUCH in paperback! Now you can get your hands on Alessandro in the flesh (or paper, really), you know, in case you want to lay in bed at night with him wrapped around your fingers, or maybe stuff him in your stockings. (because he makes a great stocking stuffer too ;p) You can pick yours up at Barnes & Noble or Amazon. Go ahead, you know you want to!

But, with all this excitement, I didn't forget your daily dose of Alessandro Man Candy. Yesterday we took a one day break from Alessandro to bring you Harrison and Sam hotness from A LITTLE TOO HOT (which I'm now thinking I should have titled A LOT TOO HOT, but I digress). So, today we're back to my beautiful French-Italian-American ex-almost-priest hottie. You ready? I thought so...

So, there you go. Another reason to get the paperback...Alessandro's arms wrapped around you at night. Yeah?

Keep checking back everyday between now and Christmas for MORE hotness! We're only halfway through our Man Candy Celebration!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 9 (but really it's Harrison Man Candy today)

Because today is nine ladies dancing, it seemed appropriate to take a short break from Alessandro to feature Sam from A LITTLE TOO HOT. Because she's a...well...dancing lady. In ALTH, Lexie's best friend, Sam, finds herself in some dire straights when she flunks out of school and her parents decide on the tough love route and throw her out. She needs money fast, and her goofball rocker friend hooks her up with a exotic dancing gig. And because this is a Man Candy Holiday Celebration, I must share her leading man with you. Harrison is beyond hot, and way too tempting for Sam to resist. So, on day 9 of our 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, I give you instead Harrison Man Candy...

and our dancing lady, Sam...

I can't wait for you to meet them in person on January 21st!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 8 (and it's not milking maids)

I can't even tell you how much fun I'm having finding fabulous Alessandros for you to ogle. For a rundown of the last seven, go here. I suppose it depends on the maids-a-milking, but, speaking for myself, I'd definitely rather have this:

Agreed?

There are more Days of Alessandro Man Candy coming your way, and some exciting announcements about A LITTLE TOO HOT too, so keep checking back. I'll have the winners of the GINORMOUS book giveaway posted later this week as well, so if you entered, you'll want to stay tuned!

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 7 (six swans a-swimming, and a signed book giveaway)

All I have to say today is, would you rather have swans a-swimming, or this:

I thought so...

And we're down to our last few days to enter for a chance at TONS of signed books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 6 (six geese a-laying, and a signed book giveaway)

Okay, so five golden rings was tough to beat, but geese a-laying? Not so hard. Though, I think I've done Team Alessandro proud with this one. If you want to see my answer to French hens, turtle doves, and the stinking partridge, all you have to do is click here. But be sure to enter the giveaway for tons of SIGNED BOOKS at the bottom of this post before you click over :D

So, my humble offering for you on Day 6 of our 25 Days on Alessandro hotness...

Yeah... Wipe the drool off your chin before you go out in public. ;p

And the giveaway. Day six, and if you're lucky that's what you'll win: 6 fabulous signed books by the likes of Jennifer L. Armentout, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover, Katy Evans, and K.A. Tucker. Yup, you heard me right. So go enter!

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The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 5 (and a signed book giveaway)

Five golden rings. That's what I'm up against today, on our fifth day of Alessandro.

That's tough to beat, but I'm feeling it today. I think I've got something better. Here's a little more sophisticated Alessandro, outside the boxing ring, where we've spent the last few days.

Yeah? Better than golden rings?

And make sure to enter the HUGE signed book giveaway, because signed books by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cora Carmack, Jay Crownover and others are ALWAYS better than golden rings. ;-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 4 (and a giveaway)

There are only a few more days to enter the HUGE giveaway for signed NA and YA books! (My other gift to you!) Scroll to the bottom of his post to enter!

Now to the gift that keeps on giving. ;p

Keeping with the boxing theme (get it, boxing--like Boxing Day and Christmas? ;p), I have more sweaty, semi-naked Alessandro goodness for you on day four of our 20 days of Alessandro yumminess celebration. I promise you'll like this much better than four calling birds. And if you want to see my answer to three french hens, two turtle doves and a lousy partridge, check out the first three days of Alessandro!

Without further ado...

And the giveaway...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check back tomorrow. Five golden rings are tough to beat, but I think you'll agree that Day 5 Alessandro does it =)

The 20 Days of Alessandro Man Candy Holiday Celebration, Day 3 (more semi-naked Alessandro)

It's the third day of our fabulous 20 Days of Alessandro Celebration, and I thought I'd spare you the three french hens and get right to the good stuff. Dovetailing off yesterday's post (get it, dovetailing...second day of Christmas was two turtle doves ;p) here's more of Alessandro's sweaty hotness.

Should I keep going? You want more?

The 20 Days of Alessandro Holiday Celebration, Day Two: More Man Candy (meaning a semi-naked Alessandro)

I've got 20 days of Christmas, which is much better than twelve, right? And I'm pretty damn sure you're going to like this a whole lot better than turtle doves. For the next eighteen days, I'll serve up my French-Italian-American hottie, Alessandro, for your viewing pleasure. You can find Day One's offering here. Here's your second serving of Alessandro...

Do you want more? I'll keep going, every day between now and Christmas if you want it. Let me know!