From the desk of lesbian romance author Lee Winter
BOOK three in the Villains Series, Number Six, is out January 29, 2025 at the Ylva shop and a week later at Amazon and everywhere else. While technically a spin-off from The Fixers and Chaos Agent, given it puts the spotlight on Ottilie, a secondary character from those books, there is so much crossing over, so many of the same characters, that it had to be called book three.
There’s also a ton of spoilers in Number Six, so don’t touch it without cracking books one and two first. You can read it without having read Hotel Queens, though, which first introduced Monique Carson.
Yes, there will be an audiobook eventually, but no a narrator hasn’t been signed yet. I’m very much hoping for Angela Dawe to continue the series.
So, what’s it all about? Here is the blurb…
What happens when a mysterious former spy with seemingly little interest in sex meets a provocative expert in sexual fantasies? An opposites-attract, spicy lesbian romance set in Lee Winter’s Villains series and Hotel Queens worlds.
All cool, pragmatic Ottilie Zimmermann has been dreaming of for years is retiring from her top-secret, morally gray job to sip Mai Tais on a Pacific island. While in Las Vegas tying up some final loose ends, she crosses paths with a woman who is clever and intriguing yet far too sex-obsessed for Ottilie’s taste. So why can’t she stop thinking about her?
Flirtatious Monique Carson thinks she’s met—or made love to—every type of woman there is until she encounters commanding, charismatic Ottilie. Around others, though, Ottilie shrinks into an older, inconspicuous persona. Who is this chameleon? What secrets does she hide? Monique would dearly love to find out…if only Ottilie would let her in.
For two smart women accustomed to seeing through everyone else with ease, it’s disconcerting to discover they cannot read each other. How can they walk away now?
Number Six includes the bonus short story ‘Number Five’.
AMAZING! Chaos Agent has just won the Romantic Blend award at the 2024 Golden Crown Literary Society awards and…drum roll… the top prize, the Gold Ann Bannon Popular Choice award. Lee was in some brilliant company with the finalists, too. You can watch a video of the awards night here. Lee’s awards are at 0:28mins and at 2hrs10mins.
It turns out readers DO love a villain. Well, a redeemed one at least! Thanks to all the readers who voted for Lee for the Ann Bannon. You have no idea how much appreciated it was.
FUN fact – there is now merchandise available for Vengeance Planning for Amateurs! It’s a bit of “punny” fun inspired by Olivia Roberts’s button pins in the romantic comedy. And proceeds go to feeding our backyard wild quendas, lizards, and birds. 
https://www.redbubble.com/people/slkx/shop
If you check out this thread on Twitter, you’ll see some of the beautiful wildlife from our backyard that I’m talking about. Up to and including the kickboxing birds!
THE first (official) romantic comedy by Lee Winter, Vengeance Planning for Amateurs is out now everywhere, including as an audiobook narrated by Cat Gould. I say “official” because it’s been pointed out to me that The Awkward Truth could well be read as a romantic comedy too. It’s all a bit silly and eccentric and quirky—but of course there’s still a glorious ice queen. It’s a Lee Winter book, after all! Here’s the blurb:
An offbeat lesbian romantic comedy starring penguins, plotting, and payback.
Muffin maker Olivia Roberts has had it with her awful exes taking advantage of her good nature. The theft of her nana’s beloved stuffed penguin is the absolute last straw.
She puts up an ad at her local crime bookstore for a henchperson to help her enact a little mild revenge. To her astonishment, Margaret Blackwood, the mysterious, icy, and annoyingly opinionated bookstore owner, applies.
For two clever, capable women, they turn out to be woeful at vengeance. But much to their dismay, they discover they’re pretty good at falling in love!
BOTH books of The Villains Series are out now everywhere, including Amazon.
For those interested in the audiobooks, The Fixer and Chaos Agent are narrated by the wonderful Angela Dawe. And the result is perfection.
The Villains Series comprises two books, one story about a naïve activist who accidentally finds herself employed by a corporate villain (as you do). Cue one awkward farce, a twisty puzzle, and the slowest of slow burns in this opposites-attract, ice queen romance.
You may recognize the ice queen protagonist’s name: Michelle Hastings (aka Stephanie) was the villain in the On the Record series (The Red Files and Under Your Skin). Writing this book involved a lot of fun and angst trying to see if she could be redeemed after the hell she put Catherine Ayers through.
So far these books have had some amazing reviews at Goodreads along with this wonderful deep-dive critique by Autostraddle.
Discover Lee Winter’s inspirations
WANT to know where my characters live, work, how I saw them, and all the other trivia that filled my brain when writing my books? Readers can now check out the inspirational and/or research pictures I’ve posted on my Pinterest page. Vengeance Planning for Amateurs has just gone up and that page joins The Villains Series, The Awkward Truth, Hotel Queens, Changing the Script, Breaking Character, The Brutal Truth, Shattered, and The Red Files.
As always, my newsletter readers were the first to see all my latest book’s “Pinspirations”, so subscribe for content like this and other goodies.
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EVERY month or two I’ll share any new-release info or other writing stuff I have on the boil. No spamming ever, Scout’s honor. I occasionally also drop free short stories for my subscribers. Each newsletter includes links to previous subscriber freebies, which includes an exclusive Angela Dawes-narrated short scene The Ice Queens Meet. It’s between two of my ice queens, Elena (The Brutal Truth) and Elizabeth (Breaking Character)
New subscribers will also be emailed a free short story set in the Red Files universe, When DC Met Iowa in the welcome letter. What’s the story about? It’s the day after Lauren and Catherine’s wedding. Mega DC bitch Cynthia Redwell wakes to find she’s maybe slept with Suze, the beer-pong-loving Iowan softballer. It’s a funny old morning, that’s for sure.
IF you want to buy a signed copy of a Lee Winter book, the website has been updated to explain how. Click here for details.