My Year in Review(s)...

I entered the world of self-publishing in late 2012. I went into it with my eyes wide open and with absolutely no expectations. All I wanted to do was to finish what I had started...which was to write the book I wanted to write. I set my sights low, held my breath and lo and behold the unimaginable happened. I sold a book, and then I sold another...and then another.

I’ve published three novels since November 2012 – Ice, Mistletoe and Give Me A Reason – and I couldn’t be happier with the response they’ve received, so I’ve decided to share a few comments and reviews left by readers on Amazon US.

So here is my year...in reviews:

Ice – published in November 2012.

Awesome - December 5, 2012 - "I was captivated by the story, the characters, and how descriptive the writing was. It was like I was watching versus reading. Once I started, I did not want to put it down, and now that I am finished, it still lingers in my thoughts. I may read it again, which is something I do not do!!!"

Ice is Hot - December 6, 2012 - "I really enjoyed this exciting story. If you like romance, excitement and a well written book, I highly recommend this novel."

Finally a hot romantic story - January 10, 2013 - "Good story line, attractive characters, hot sex and nice ending (epilog). I hope there will be more books published by this author."

Profound story! - April 2, 2013 - "Just like certain movies that leave a “footprint” on our hearts, this is such a book. The story is engaging and vibrant without bombarding us with needless prompts. One of my life’s joys is reading and this story has rewarded my indulgence. It is rare, indeed, when a novel comes along that captures our imagination and allows us to immerse ourselves in the story to a point where we feel that we are part of the cast. When an author can make us feel like we are part of the characters and more importantly, feel their connection, we have a writer that has a creative and special talent. I await with anticipation Lyn Gardner's next book!"

At the time of this post, readers have been kind enough to leave 135 comments/reviews on Amazon US for Ice...with an average rating of 4.5.

Mistletoe – published December 2012

Sweet, funny, endearing, romantic and even whimsical at times, oh and Santa Claus too! - December 5, 2012 - "This is the first book I have read of Lyn Gardner. I was feeling a little bah humbug and saw this little treasure in my search for some new reading. I was pleasantly surprised, the story is at times funny, witty, charming and doesn't shy on the sexy times :) I read it in one go and I would recommend it if you want to smile and feel warm and fuzzy. I enjoyed the story so much I am about to start another of Lyn's books, ICE."

A beautiful and unexpected Christmas Present - June 22, 2013 - "Sometimes we wish that the magic of Christmas that once was so much a part of our childhood could return once more. The older that you get that dream becomes even more precious. My mom passed away on Christmas morning about a decade ago and I buried that joy I once felt beneath a blanket of grief. After reading ICE I saw that Lyn had written another. With misgivings I purchased it for my Kindle and began to read MISTLETOE. From the moment that Percy trotted toward Santa I became enthralled. I have only two quotes and you can take it from there: "They had fingered, they had tongued, and they had toyed." "Theirs was a love of the soul. "With laughter and tears of joy, Enjoy!"

Awesome read! - November 24, 2013 - "I loved the Christmas plot and the romance! If you want to get in the holiday spirit with romance to help you believe in Santa then Mistletoe is a perfect solution. It's sweet and believable and will leave you asking Santa for a sequel!"

Sweet and Sappy - December 31, 2012 - "I just love sweet and sappy Christmas stories! This one having a particular familiarity to my own life is definitely one of my favorites. I too found my sole mate and she and I have been together 17 years, raised a family and we ALL BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS!"

At the time of this post, readers have been kind enough to leave 50 comments/reviews on Amazon US for Mistletoe...with an average rating of 4.4.

Give Me A Reason – published October 2013

A must read for anyone not just the LBGT community - December 26, 2013 - "Suffering from extreme post traumatic stress syndrome, Toni Vaughn cannot get past the wrongful imprisonment and abuse she suffered at the hands of sadistic guards, until she meets Laura MacLeod. Friendship develops into love with all the complications that come with helping the very damaged Toni come out of her nightmare. All of us would like to find our own Laura to help overcome life's wrongs. This is a well developed story a little longer than what most people would consider light reading, but well worth the time. I personally could not put it down and read it more than once. As usual, Lyn Gardner's words are captivating and truly bring the characters alive. This is a story that covers many emotions that are often difficult for words but Ms. Gardner find them, beautifully. Love and understanding can conquer all. Please keep writing Ms. Gardner, I wait for your next work. Cannot recommend her books enough."

Best book of the year!!!!!! - December 10, 2013 - "One of the best books I have read in a long, long time. Lyn is wonderful at bringing her characters and their situations to life for the reader. I definitely recommend this book to anyone!!!!! But I especially recommend this book to anyone who might have suffered some sort of trauma in their lives. I deal with PTSD and this book helped me look at some things differently and it has helped me. Enjoy!!!"

A MASTERPIECE - December 27, 2013 - "When I bought GIVE ME A REASON I already knew Lyn Gardner to be a very good author from having read ICE. However, I was still awed by the quality and psychological depth of this book. The relationship between Laura and Toni develops bit by amazing bit. Also, since I myself have anxiety disorder, I found it very interesting to experience struggling with fear through Toni's eyes. GIVE ME A REASON is one of the most wonderfully memorable books in my 35 years of reading lesbian fiction. I will buy any new book by Lyn Gardner."

Absolutely AMAZING!!! - December 1, 2013 - "This book is long, but there is not one time I was ever bored with it. I could not put the thing down it was THAT GOOD!! The story is very well written and keeps you plugged in the whole time. I would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book!!!"

Outstanding!!! - December 17, 2013 - "This book was awesome. It kept me interested from beginning to end. I laughed as well as cried. The book kept me up through the wee hours of the morning reading. Kudos to Lyn."

A great read be prepared to be entranced - November 16, 2013 - "One of the best books I've read in a long time. I could barely put it down. I didn't expect the and can't wait to read more by this author."

Excellent - November 12, 2013 - "You want a reason, I'll give you 6 1) The subject matter will have you hooked from page 1 2) The characters are funny, flawed and totally relatable. 3) Their romance develops naturally 4) The author takes the time to paint a complete picture not gloss over events to get to the end 5) Satisfying ending....so important!!! 6) You get bang for your buck not 10 dollars for a pamphlet! Read about Toni and Laura, you will not be disappointed."

At the time of this post, readers have been kind enough to leave 64 comments/reviews on Amazon US for Give Me A Reason...with an average rating of 4.9.

Now, in case you’re wondering, I’ve received a few reviews that were not 5-star, but since this is my blog, and I’m celebrating an unbelievably successful year, I prefer to post what made me smile...as opposed to what made me frown.

I’d like to thank all of those who took the time to post reviews and comments on my books because I suck at self-promotion and quite frankly, without your words, mine would go unread.

I wish you and yours a very happy, safe and healthy New Year!

Lyn