Give Yourself Some Romance

It's Valentine's Day! There's red and chocolate everywhere, and there will be a lot of dining out and champagne and general fuzziness. Oh – and some media attention toward the romance novel since it's an annual thing, asking romance authors what the best date nights are and how to woo the unwilling maiden after you've taken over her father's business in an act of cold blooded corporate revenge. 

I figure, let's give gifts! I am giving away two $50 gift cards to the bookstore of the winner's choice! All you have to do: tell me which romance novel you think would make a great gift, and for whom. Maybe it's the book that has the most wide and giddy appeal to the most readers you know. Maybe it's the book you think is one of the best kept secrets of romance publishing. Maybe it's just your favorite for a whole pile of reasons. Either way: name the book you think would make a marvelous gift in the comments, and you might receive the gift card that will enable the purchase of much of the romances! To the yay!  

I will select two winners at random, and they will receive $50 to spend at the bookstore of their choosing.

Standard disclaimers apply: I am not being compensated for this giveaway. Your mileage may vary. Turn inside out before washing. Void where prohibited. Must be wearing a cowboy hat and be 18 years of age or older to win. Stop clubbing, baby seals. 

You've got 24 hours, so let's start suggesting the perfect giftable romances! 

ETA: We have winners! Thanks to the random integer generator, our winners are #3, Anna, and #122, Kirsten. Ladies, please contact me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooks.com to claim your gift cards. Thank you to everyone who entered – my books to recommend list is now miles long! 

Comments are Closed

  1. eleine says:

    I’m sure I won’t be the only to suggest Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, but that book’s one of my faves overall, and while I don’t actually give copies of it as gifts, I’ve been known on occasion to hand my friends my copy to try. Then I hand them her other books. 😀

  2. Kirsten says:

    Shattered Rainbows by Mary Jo Putney. Because my kids (who are four and six) caught me reading it and make me tell them the story of Catherine and Michael (toned down to a G rating) again and again.

  3. Bleulucy says:

    Welcome to Temptation (Crusie) who spend too much time at City Council meetings.!!!!

  4. Mekaela says:

    I’ve been trying to get my sister to read Frederica by Georgette Heyer. It’s one of my go-to comfort books 🙂

  5. Olivia says:

    I would give A Lot Like Love by Julie James.  She gives good banter and interactions between her characters. Such witty writing. I would give this book to anyone who loves and knows their wine.

  6. Susan says:

    Best book to give as a gift?  Not necessarily MY fave(s), and it depends on whether the recipient liked contemporaries or historicals, light or dark in tone, etc.  But, for a contemporary, I’d choose Susan Donovan—probably Take a Chance on Me.  For an historical, probably Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander (yeah, I know a lot of you don’t like that one, but tough) or Lisa Kleypas’s Love in the Afternoon (last in the series, but can be read alone—and this IS my fave Kleypas).

    I was tempted to recommend a Heyer book, but I’m not sure if her books are as easily accessible to someone who’s never read a romance or doesn’t know much of the actual history of the time period. 

    Oh, and Linkmeister #10—I read Helen MacInnes’s While Still We Live when I was a teenager and have never forgotten it.  A different setting, and a bittersweet story.

    I have a feeling I’m going to be adding a LOT of books to my TBR pile when I read thru all of these posts!

  7. Jennifer in GA says:

    I’d give Lord of Scoundrels, because it was the book that finally made me be out and proud about my love of romance novels.

  8. Vicki says:

    I think that Montana Sky would be a good book for my youngest daughter is going to school in Missoula and is now planning a wedding to a Montana boy. It’s got a lot of romance, some suspense and danger, and a lot of wide open sky. In addition, it has sisters who have to learn to get along, something all sisters have to learn.

  9. maered says:

    You cannot go wrong with Lord of Scoundrels.  This book can turn even the most hardened of hearts to mush.

  10. Julia says:

    Elizabeth Hoyt’s Scandalous Desires – for a totally shallow reason. Damn do I love the inside cover of that paperback. My friend has the ebook but the cover makes the paperback really really worth it.

  11. I’d probably give “Vision in White” by Nora Roberts- It’s the first in the Bride Quartet, and I loved hearing about the friendship between the four main characters with a healthy dose of weddings!

  12. RubyAlison8 says:

    I would pick The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts, because those were the first Nora Roberts books I ever read and I loved them so much.  They opened up a door to me of a whole other section of the bookstore I hadn’t ventured into before.

  13. JenniferM(OR) says:

    I would give Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas. I love almost everything by her, but this is my favorite and my go to read when I need a pick me up. I would want to share that with someone and hope it does the same for them.

  14. Susan Reader says:

    If I could, I’d give “A Splendid Defiance” by Stella Riley but it’s been out of print for ages.  Maybe “The Lion’s Daughter” by Loretta Chase?  My favorite of hers.

  15. Nicolette says:

    I just recently bought my mom the Crystal Singer trilogy by Anne McCaffrey.  Not strictly traditional romance, but Killashandra gets her happy ending.  I met with some geographical restrictions, so I had to spend a little extra time and effort in defeating that little obstacle.

  16. Jim L says:

    I’d vote for: WHITE ROSE ENSNARED by Juliet Hastings, in good ol’ paperback format.  It’s historical, it’s extremely kinky, and it’s out of print (so she knows you did a lot more to get it for her than just click on an eBook link).

    And PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen.  This may not be the first romance novel, but it lays the foundation for most of them that followed, from the couple who initially can’t stand each other but grow to love each other, to a Big Mis that makes sense, to the woman who rejects a proposal from a seemingly good match because she knows he just isn’t the one for her.

  17. Anya says:

    I would lend Patricia Briggs’ Moon Called. It’s already converted at least one person to reading romance novels!

  18. Al says:

    I love Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy. This story is one of those that I go back and re-read often because it’s got such a fantastic storyline to it. Believable coming out story, no insta-acceptance, communication issues, no Mary/Gary Stus, funny and witty dialog, human characters and an awesome resolution.

    I’ve probably bought about twenty or so copies of this book to give to others so that they can understand how amazing this book is. It’s just about the best book I’ve ever read and I use it as my primer as to how an LGBT book should be written and what a good coming-out story should look like.

  19. E C M says:

    As a recent convert to the genre, I’d recommend either of the two books that finally convinced me there was goodness to be had in romance – Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (of course!) and Icecapade by Josh Lanyon. Especially the latter, honestly, although it’s just a novella. It was exactly perfectly what I wanted. 🙂

  20. Kristin says:

    Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey.  The Kowalski’s are so much like my own family sometimes that it’s scary… and absolutely hilarious at the same time!  =)

  21. Cheryl says:

    For smart, witty, and poignant contemporary romance I would pick a Julie James or Kristan Higgins book.  JJ’s Just the Sexiest Man Alive and Practice Makes Perfect are great reads.  So is KH’s The Next Best Thing and Too Good To Be True.  Any of these would make lovely gifts.

  22. megsan says:

    I think I would give His At Night by Sherry Thomas or the complete set of the Turner’s series by Courtney Milan as these have been my favourites so far.

  23. VandyJ says:

    I always go back to the classic Julie Garwood books.  My favorite is Lyon’s Lady.  It’s goofy, totally outside the realm of possibility, but it’s fun.

  24. patricia Johnson says:

    I loved Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard.  I read the paperback so often it fell apart … so I bought the hard copy.  Now that i own a Kindle, maybe I’ll download a copy.  🙂

  25. Vanessa says:

    Sandra Brown’s early romance novels are favorites. For anyone just starting to read the romance genre, I would recommend her older books.  Especially, The Texas! Trilogy.  Thank you for the contest and Happy Valentine’s Day!

  26. JessiG says:

    Agnes and the Hitman. There’s a woman in my book club who sneers at “trashers” so I’m afraid she’ll hate this one but I’m working up my courage to try and change her mind.

  27. Meinbrazil says:

    I’d give Imminent Thunder by Rachel Lee to anyone who likes their romance with a side of the supernatural! 
    I found this book @ a library in Canada and have since checked it out so many times that I just had to download it to my nook!

  28. Kathryn says:

    For a Valentine’s gift: Heartthrob by Suzanne Brockmann.  Two flawed people trying to be better and learning that with love they can help support one another’‘s efforts.  Not as in “You love me, I’m fixed.” but as “I love you and you’re worth my efforts to be the best I can be.”

  29. Keslynn says:

    I’m giving my friend Bonnie a copy of Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready. I love the book because the heroine is kickass without wandering into annoying territory and the hero is all musician-y hotness. The plot is compelling, there’s a unique twist on vampirism, and the sex is hot. I picked this book for Bonnie because she really loves the Twilight series, and I’m trying to introduce her to vampire romance geared more toward adults.

  30. Rebecca Kovar says:

    Joanna Bourne’s The Black Hawk. It acknowledges that love can be difficult and sometimes involve a lot of time apart. The MCs are both fully realized individuals with responsibilities that are often diametrically opposed, but they recognize the difference between what they have to do and how they feel about each other. And while I felt an aching regret for the years they missed due to a catastrophic incident, it was not simply a foolish misunderstanding that kept them apart. It is simply brilliant, and I would give it to anyone, whether they normally read romance or not.

  31. MaddBookish says:

    I gave my husband Don’t Look Down in audiobook and he later picked up Agnes and the Hitman. I also got him into Bujold.

    As to who would I give what romance? I’d probably give one of my aunts Jennifer Crusie’s Bet Me. Min reminds me very much of my aunt. My aunt doesn’t read romance, she’s never really given it a try. I think she might get in to Bet Me.

  32. Mary Ann says:

    I’ve given The Heir by Grace Burrowes to my husband because it features emotional and sensual men (the hero and his brothers), freaking delicious sounding food, and talky/messy/hot sex.  He is the first thing and he’s way down with the last two. Holla!

  33. Cerulean says:

    I have to go with Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It’s just a wonderful, heartening story with fully-fleshed characters, drama, and romance. And then they get to fall in love with Jamie 🙂 Extra bonus.

  34. Rosie says:

    I would gift Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas to all non-romance readers out there to turn the tide of opinions about what a romance novel is, which is awesome. 😉

  35. Erin T. says:

    I’d love to start my mother in law off with the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn.  My MIL has a smaller family, but she’s got all the moves of Violet Bridgerton – and I say that with all the love in my heart!  The Bridgertons are just such a nice family…

  36. cayenne says:

    I have given Joanna Bourne’s Spymaster’s Lady twice to history fiends who were previously unconvinced of the historical accuracy of romance novels (granted, some really aren’t good, but some are meticulously researched), and they went over really well

  37. cyclops8 says:

    I would gift Julie Garwood’s “The Bride” or any of her historicals to my friend who has never read romance.  I think she would be hooked after reading the book.

  38. Erica Hassler says:

    I would have to say The Bride by Julie Garwood..at least that’s what I would say today.

  39. kkw says:

    The romances I give most frequently of late are Crusie’s Bet Me and Chase’s Lord of Scandal.  I’ve also given a fair amount of Heyer, Roberts, and Quick over the years.  Most recently I gave the Higgins book with the vet to my cousin who married a vet, and it was a big hit.

  40. Melissandre says:

    I just lent someone The Summer of You by Kate Noble.  It’s a sweet story, that deals with family love – as well as conjugal love.  It hits all the right romance buttons while dodging a lot of the cliches.  The perfect book to lend a skeptic.

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