Cupcake's Year in Review

Hi all! Happy New Year to you and yours. Being the end of the year I thought it would be a perfect time to be completely unoriginal and talk about my favorite reads of 2014. 

2014 a.k.a. the year I became a unicorn!

A seminal moment in my life. *snortles* I said seminal… 

I haven't been a unicorn all year BUT I 2014 was also my first full year of reading predominantly M/M.  Still a neophyte in the genre, but we all gotta start somewhere, right?

Without further ado, let's get this party started! 

Lists are in no particular order.

Let's start with one of my favorites. 

*growls*

Slow Bloom by Anah Crow & Dianne Fox

Fantastic MANTIES. Great story with an age gap, a little bit of kink and so much romance.

Blind Space by Marie Sexton

Amazeballs MANTIES!!! Good Lawd, I'm still fanning myself.

Life Drawing by Jane Davitt

Cute story with a big guy bottom. Yum. Who likes MANTIES. Yummerer.

Mark Cooper vs. America by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock
MANTIES + Henry/Rock = Full of Win

Wallflower by Heidi Belleau

More cross dressing than MANTIES. The story has meat on its bones. Plus, Bobby.

Dark Space by Lisa Henry

I really have nothing profound to say. Read it. It's fantabulous.

Sarge by Bey Deckard

Superb D/s in spaaaaccccceeee with a big guy bottom. 

El Presidio Rides North by Domashita Romero

I don't even like zombies and I chortled through this thing. Plus, IT'S FREE!!!

Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts by Lyn Gala

My eyes *may* have become juicy whilst reading this. I rarity indeed.

Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities by Lyn Gala

Phenomenal world building. Fantastic writing. Ondry & Liam… *sigh*

The Laird's Forbidden Lover by Amelia C. Gormley

Uh, kilts. Lots of them. And buttsex in barns. 

All in with the Duke by Ava March

Regency kink with angst. Who can resist that?

Benjamin Pepperwhistle and the Fantabulous Circus of Wonders by Cornelia Grey

Super hot, not your run of the mill kink with two of the best character names, like, ever.

You can't get much more contemporary than The Colbs. Ammah right?

Fight by Kelly Wyre

Loved this story. Loved the relationship. Loved the fuckhot sex. Loved it.

Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan

C'mon! Nowhere Ranch, man! She's Queen Shit of Fuck Mountain. Got to read.

Motel. Pool. by Kim Fielding

Great love story. Fielding can rip your heart out with the best of them & make you run back for more.

It's Like This by Anne O'Gleadra

I just loved these kinky kids. Loved Niles' angst and being inside his hot mess of a head.

The King by Tiffany Reisz

King wears a corset. OMFG KING WORE A CORSET!!!!!!!! 3 words: Sex. On. Legs. (in heels)

Animal Instincts by Kim Alan

Adorbz story with a cute dog, a vet and a damaged new guy to the neighborhood with a pinch of kink.

Bloodraven by P.L. Nunn

I still think of this as my accomplishment read of 2014. It's like 4 books! Long books. Great books, but lllllooooooooooooonnnnnnnngggggggggg. Pack a sack lunch.

Caged:  Love and Treachery on the High Seas by Bey Deckard

Pirates. Kinky pirates who are treacherous. Amazing writing. Blown away by the level of skill in this debut novel.

Sacrificed:  Heart Beyond the Spires by Bey Deckard

Three kinky pirates who get into one heck of a pickle. Did I mention they were kinky?

Master of the Game by Jane Kindred

Angels & demons with a Russian twist and exceptional writing.

Thick as Thieves by Tali Spencer

VORGELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND PETAL!!!!!!!!!!!!! So stoked for the sequel.

Hidden Gem by Lissa Kasey

This book held me hostage and I think melted my brain a little bit, but it was worth it.

Tribute by Lisa Henry

Awesome. Unbelievably awesome. Still can't believe this was Henry's first novel.

Armed & Dangerous by Abigail Roux

Ty & Zane. That is all. I really need to get back to this series.

Hostile Ground by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt

The thriller part sort of petered out but the relationship between Ridley & Mahir was quite nice.

In The Red by Kari Gregg

More like boiling or ON FIYAH!!!! The Gregg brought'd it. Pay no attention to that cliffy ending.

City Knight by T.A. Webb

Growly bear & a rent boy twink. That's all I got. What else do you need? I mean, really?

Love in a landscape. Good, right? 

I don't know about you guys but I thought the quality of the stories that we got FOR FREE this year was impressive. And so many of them!

The Arroyo by M. Caspian

You'd be hard pressed to find another author that writes the most fucked up things so eloquently.

Bird Meets Cage by Anyta Sunday

There was a clown and I still loved it! Nothing scarier than a clown.

Cruel to be Kind by Kim Dare

MY PROMPT!!!! BY MY GIRL!!!!!! STILL SQUEALING!!!

The Case of the Insufferable Slave by Gillian St. Kevern

Inspired noir writing that harkened back to Bogey & Bacall.

Where Willows Won't Grow by Lia Black

Fantastic world building & dub con with kinky wrestling. You heard me.

Geeking Out on 11C by L.L. Bucknor

I giggled & snortled & felt uncomfortable & giggled again & I loved every bit of it.

Stranded By Lies by Finn Marlowe

This just made me happy. It reminded me of some great times in my life & Finn's so talented.

Consorting with Dragons by Sera Trevor

Dragons. Regency dragons in an AU. It's like a soup of all my favorite things. A yummy soup.

Blood in the Water by Tami Veldura

Swashbuckling paranormal pirates who battle & have angry sex.

My SMUTASTIC category. Plot schmot is what I say! Have your lube handy.

Concubine by Jill Knowles

Sparkly butt plugs & bedazzled sex toys & oodles of orgasmic sex.

Dirty Fighters by Kyle Adams

They fight & fuck in a basement. One handed read. 

Please Come at Home for Christmas by Misha Horne

Garland & tree skirts will never look the same to me again. Ever.

Bound to be a Groom by Megan Mulry

So hot & kinky & hot. Did I mention it was hot? Because it was.

These three are in a class by themselves. 

YES by Lord Original Buttersworth

Profound & so wordy. It's almost purple.

Clipped by Devon McCormack

I know there were monster cocks & #teampain & there will be a sequel & I will be there for it.

Kraken by M. Caspian

I don't even know. I know it creeped me the fuck out. I'd read it again though.

And last but certainly not least… 

Cupcake loves her some kink, so here goes.

The Dark Collector by Vanessa North

Fantastic story with cathartic kink.

Fettered by Lyn Gala

Great leather society kink & Dilly is adorbz.

Uneven by Anah Crow

I haven't words adequate enough to describe how good this was.

Her Grace's Stable by Joely Sue Burkhart

The most exquisite pony play.

Special Delivery by Heidi Cullinan

Sam. Sam. Sam. The writing was stupendous because… Queen Shit of Fuck Mountain, but Sam… 

Mr. Benson by John Preston

If you like gay kink. You read John Preston. The Godfather of gay kink.

Bad Things by Varian Krylov

A. Xavi

B. I like Krylov's writing style even though it's wordy or maybe because of. I'm not sure.

The first two of the Ganymede Quartet (A Most Personal Property & A Proper Lover) by Darrah Glass

Slavefic from the Gilded Age with glorious writing. Glorious.

To all of you… 

Have the happiest of new year. May 2015 be your brightest yet.

To the Unicorn Mafia, I love you all.

Thank you so much for inviting me to join BMBR. It's made 2014 a memorable year indeed.

Be well.