The party continues today as we move closer to our 10th anniversary. Snow? What snow? We have MAYHEM!
We’ve been counting down each month looking back at some of the most popular pages in the site’s archives over the past year. And now – more fun!
Ready for more giveaway mayhem? Givea-hem? May-away? Whatever? It’s time for more!
Mr. DeSalvo and his pink gladiator style are ready on the right, so let’s get to the next pair of celebratory gift packs! I’d call them gift baskets but there’s no actual basket. Maybe the basket is imaginary.
Standard disclaimers apply: Each giveaway will be open until 31 January 2015, and each prize pack is open to international residents where applicable by law. Must be over 18 to win. Void where prohibited. Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. Close cover before striking.
Here’s the first one – ready? Reading and tea! READING AND TEA! (And nipple. Just about every prize picture includes mantitty. Yes, that’s on purpose!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway features 2oz. of Fava Tea Company‘s Winterblend tea. Elyse’s favorite tea, this robust black tea has hints of orange, clove, pink peppercorn and pistachio. Subtlety spicy and delicious. Please note: This blend contains nuts.
Plus, the following books are included: A Fine Summer’s Day by Charles Todd, Wildalone by Krassi Zourkova, Beautiful Stranger, Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren, Linger by Lauren Jameson, Spellbound by Sylvia Day, a digital copy of Pride, Prejudice and Popcorn by Carrie Sessarego, Standoff by Sandra Brown, The Wedding Vow by Cara Connelly, When a Laird Takes a Lady by Rowan Keats, To Marry a Scottish Laired by Lynsay Sands, and three books by Laura Kaye – Hard as You Can, Hard to Come By, and Hard as It Gets. And ready for giveaway part deux? a Rafflecopter giveaway
Included in this giveaway are a Smart Bitches flask featuring The Ladies, a 1000 piece puzzle featuring classic Harlequin covers, a hardcover notebook featuring The Widow Gay by AA Marcus, a collection of Harlequin Notables matchbook notepads with vintage covers, a bottle of Posh Wash bath & shower gel in cherry blossom scent, a digital copy of Pride, Prejudice and Popcorn by Carrie Sessarego, a copy of Sweet Surprise by Candis Terry, a hardcover copy of Burned by Karen Marie Moning, and (drumroll please!) an Advanced Reader Copy of Eloisa James’ April 2015 book, Four Nights with a Duke.
Good luck with the giveaways – and get ready for more. We’re hosting two a day all week, leading up to our 10th anniversary on the 31st!
I’d go with Julia Quinn’s The Bridgerton series for historicals and Nora Robert’s The Bride Quartet for contemporary romance. Those two are my all-time favorite series!
I always recommend Jennifer St. Giles gothic “The Mistress of Trevelyan” and Julie Garwoods “The Bride.”
Heartless by Mary Balogh.
I recommend Just one day by Gayle Forman 🙂
I discovered so many treasures on your blog! But mainly I come here for the laughs, the Bitchery, the snark, the D and F reviews and the sense of belonging. Thank you so much for these amazing ten years!
I always recommend anything by Eloisa James!
WHITE LIES Linda Howard- Romantic Suspense
Happy 10th Anniversary!
Um, I’m a librarian who has a specialty in reader’s advisory, so I recommend a lot 😀 For me, it *always* depends on the reader. I think my top picks over the years have been: Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, Northern Lights by Nora Roberts, and Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase.
I most often recommend Eloisa James, all of her books are awesome!
Of course it’s the Lord of Scoundrels, with Courtney Milan’s entire opus coming a close second, lately.
Huh… never counted it obviously, but perhaps Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath.
Sarah Morgan for contemporaries, or Lord of Scoundrels if people want a historical.
I like Nora Roberts, she does it all Romance, thrillers etc.
Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie.
“What romance do you recommend most often?”
Depends on what the other person is looking for! Lately it’s been people who are looking for steamy hot fantasies, so I always recommend Nalini Singh. If someone is looking for a gentler into to romances, I will recommend a Mary Balogh. But I don’t have a good contemporary to recommend yet…so I’m going to troll these comments for a good one!
I always recommend Courtney Milan’s Unlocked first. Otherwise Georgette Heyer’s works.
Pretty much anything by Jennifer Cruisie.
It depends on what they typically read. I’ve actually converted a couple of guys (ie 2) with Celeste Bradley’s spy novels and JD Robb of course. Mostly I recommend Karen Marie Moning cause she’s my favourite and I feel everyone should love her (and Dageus) as much as me. Other recommends are Amanda Quick (Arcane Society) and Brenda Joyce (Francesca Cahill Deadly Series) if they like period mysteries, Meljean Brook and Kresley Cole if they are fantasy readers and Julia Quinn and Eloisa James if they are Austen fans. I also work in a used bookstore so I recommend a lot of romance cause it’s my genre of choice. Oh and Lyndsay Sands cause she’s a local author and I absolutely love her Vampire mythos.
Usually the friends that are asking me are looking for paranormal so I always tell them to start with BDB.
I always recommend Loretta Chase’s The Sandalwood Princess and Knaves Wager.
Anything by Carla Kelly! Or Loretta Chase, Or the Pennyroyal Green series by Julie Anne Long, or the Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt.
Lollipop! I can’t wait!
I recommend Stephanie Laurens and Laura Florand a lot.
Not lollipop…. 🙂 oooooooo!
Anything by Connie Brockway!
The Spymaster’s lady by Joanna bourne
Depending on what my friends are currently reading, i might give them Lord of Scoundrels (Chase) or Unveiled (Milan), or Welcome to Temptation (Crusie), or the Psy-Changeling series (Singh). Thanks and happy anniversary!
My recs depend on the subgenre that I think will most appeal to the person, but my greatest success was when I got my non-reader sister into contemporary romances by introducing her to Suzanne Brockmann’s Seal Team 16 books. Once she finished the series, she started coming back to me for more and more recs! It was awesome 🙂
Professionally? I recommend all kinds of thing depending on the person. Between friends and my bookclub I think I’ve recommened Laura Florand the most lately.
I do t have very many friends who read romance, but I did just share my love for the Pink Carnation with a friend!
Pride and Prejudice
Depends on who I recommend to, because not all of my friends will love historicals the way I do! IF I know they like sci fi or fantasy, the Meljean Brooks books are excellent. And if I can get them on the historical train, Summer of You by Kate Noble.
Current recommendation would be be Courtnry Milan.
All romances I love. I guess the one I recommend most is an action romance by Linda Howard, Cry No More.
So many that have already been mentioned (Loretta, Eloisa, and Jennifer Cruisie), but I love Elizabeth Hoyt and Connie Brockway!
I never get tired of recommending Lee and Miller’s Liaden books. They’ve got something for everyone — spaceships, shootouts, spies, assassins, mysteries, musicians, esp, gods, thieves, honest merchants, conspiracies, con artists, trees, cats, rugs, and badass Turtles. Plus almost always True Love — the swooniest is probably LOCAL CUSTOM, but they’re all great.
Tough question – depends on the person! If an SFF reader, I try Juliet Marrillier…
Outlander series, even though it isn’t a straight up romance.
I recommend Fiona Harper for contemporary and Carla Kelly for historical, most often. They are both fun, accessible authors.
Lately I’ve been recommending Dorothy Garlock – her series that are set in the early & mid-20th century have been bringing over my historical-fiction-reading friends. I’ve also recommended Zoe Archer’s Blade of the Rose series for my fantasy-reading friends.