Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

I actually do need a new iron, as sad as it may be…
Hmm, 6 things: HEAs, escape from my own boring life, happy fuzzy feelings when things work out in the story (does this count under HEA?), the variety of genres available underneath the romance umbrella, added perspective on non-rom genres, finding another author I like and the associated backlist.

(1) The ability to totally immerse myself into another era/world/location without having to get out of my jammies or off the couch (2) Unlike television or movies, the ugly duckling/bluestocking/nerd can reinvent themselves and catch the hot guy (3) Variety - from sweet and pure to hot and heavy (4) Discovering ‘new to me’ authors that instantly become my favs and must have everything and anything they wrote (5) The covers - I can admit that sometimes just a cover can sell me a book (6) The men - enough said…

6 things…. growing connection, sweet sex, nesting (in some novels), cool best friends, hot sex, cool h/h, hot h/h, HEAs, when they aren’t idiots, exotic places, etc.

1) A garunteed HEA
2) I’ll admit to having implemented some…techniques…I’ve found in romance novels into the bedroom!
3) All the different Heroes actually help me understand my husband better- an unexpected foray into even a ficticious male psyche can be insightful
4) Romance novels led me to the Bitchery!
5) All the different time periods that are covered, but you still don’t feel lost because with a romance, you know indirectly how it will end
6) Romance, for me, is a perfect cleansing-of-the-palate if I’ve been reading something heavy or dark

1) Connecting with the characters and becoming part of their lives.
2) Simply imagining that after all of the alpha-male shite that goes on there’s still a caring man in the world of Romance (ha!)
3) Awesome covers that make people uncomfortable when they see them in public
4) The sex everyone dreams about but can really only find in great a romance novel
5)Getting away from real life of school, work, and family and going to a place that you never could have imagined.
6) After reading all of these romance novels, discussing them with all of you lovely, lovely people.

Only six things?

1.  Strong women.
2.  Smart women.
3.  Men who love strong, smart women.
4.  The idea of sex for the woman’s pleasure.
5.  Unappologetically evolving from what men thought women wanted to read (back in the day when we were told to desire marriage, children, and Alphole Heroes) to being an industry actually based on what women want to read and marketing to it (which, while not excluding those old ideas, embraced ideas such as relationships not based on desiring marriage, children, or Alpholes of any kind).
6.  Never having to say you’re sorry for loving an Old Skool romance, even if you’re all liberated ‘n stuff.

these are in no particular order, off the top of my head.

1. I love it that I can read romance novels and then talk about them with friends.
2. the cover- the embarrassment of the people around me when they see me reading the book on the tube (that’s why I still don’t own an e-book reader! but a friend said she would make me an extra-cheesy cover if I ever buy one. win!)
3. the amount of research that goes into writing good historical romance awes me
4. the story - love, sex, conflict, humour
5. alpha dudes having to work to get the girl because of love
6. HEA

Yay! Happy 6th anniversary! :)

1. Love the HEA
2. A way to escape reality
3. The romance community—so awesome
4. Being transported to a different time/setting
5. If not for romance novels, I probably won’t voluntary read books
6. They make me feel fuzzy inside~

1. twoo wuv - silliness
2. catharsis
3. good dresses
4. adventure
5. exploring reality through fiction
6. connection with other people,  both the people within the story and me connecting to the author

1) Its like having a good friend with you and only you know all her juicy details! 
2) Takes me to a happier place in my head no matter what kind of day I am having.
3) Its like a relationship.  I make an emotional bond with each book. 
4) The trashier the book the happier “bitch” I seem to be!
5) Its a fantasy of mine….. to have a (hot sexy) man (with perfect muscles) that knows when to take charge (and when to be quite and read my mind and still think I am the most amazing, beautiful woman in the entire world)....oops!
6) I envision myself being the main charactor and I can “cheat” on my boyfriend without actually going out and cheating on him.  Satisfaction every time with a smile baby…. win win!!!

Oh, what a shame. Australia’s strict quarantine laws forbid food and timber imports so I can’t enter . . .

not that I’m too chicken to enter to win a hello kitty candle. It is a candle, isn’t it?????

Gee that iron looks nice, my husband would love it. (He does all his own ironing).

Good luck everyone :-D

1.) the HEA. they always fall in love. no matter what has happened or didn’t happen, twoow wuve always prevails
2.) the escape, i get sucked into it. reading those stories is like watching a movie for me, only i’m the director.
3.) the fact that no matter what goes wrong it always fixes it-self by the end of the book.
4.) i know it’s already been said but the covers. i love the look on my brother-in-law’s face when he sees the covers of my books. so scandalized. Priceless. lol
5.) i love when the guy makes an ass of him-self, then later has to dig back out of the hole he’s jumped into.

Reading romance gives me -
1) something I share with women around the world (eg see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12112421)
2) excellent storytelling,
3) vicarious thrills,
4) the fuzzy warm comfort feeling of a happy ever after,
5) a refuge from the world, and
6) chocolate-covered cherries (I’ve never had them, but now I’ve read Zero at the Bone I have to put that right, right?).

1. The guaranteed happy ending. I have the bad bad habit of reading the ending as soon as the story gets good, and I never need to do that with romance novels as the ending is always more or less predictable (i.e. hero(ine) gets hero(ine))
2. Escapism (from papers etc I should be writing)
3. I’m pretty sure romance novels have prepared me for almost anything I have/might encounter(ed) in my sex life.
4. The covers. I love the contrast on my bookshelves with more serious works.
5. Romance novels seriously made my high school life much more fun. When I was not reading the books themselves, I used to spend hours drawing romance novel cover-like things during classes/study time on my strict boarding school when bored. And the times spend with my best friend browsing for more reading material on the wednesday afternoons when we were allowed to leave the schoolgrounds were rather awesome too.
6. They improved my English a lot. I used to suck at foreign languages, but when I started reading in English (mostly RN) English became my best subject in a rather short time.

1. Hea—i hate investing myself in a character and story only to be miserable at the end
2. Kickass strong chicks in the paranormals especially
3. Making fun of the silly covers
4. Admiring the really good covers
5. Something to enjoy on the train to work
6. Literature I enjoy for its own sake, not because I am trying to better myself or impress people.

Happy Anniversery!

Reading romance——

1.  Takes to places I can only read about
2.  Everyone has a HEA
3.  The men are all hunks
4.  Love reading about the past
5.  Sex
6.  Sexy Covers!

Happy anniversary!

Six things I love about romance:

1. The chance to live vicariously in another era (I’m partial to historicals), but without the inconveniences.
2. The heroes are hot.
3. The bad guys usually get what’s coming to them.
4. HEA
5. The chance to relive the breathless feeling of falling in love.
6. Delicious love scenes.

1.  Happy endings (I will throw books and or blacklist an author if someone dies who’s not supposed to)

2. When something emotional happens, and you get that twinge in your own chest.

3. Women who have flaws, but the hero loves them just as they are.

4. Flawed heros who are still the epitomy of hot (not just in a physical sense).

5.  Escapism

6. What’s not to love??

I love that you’re giving away wood. Oh also the vibrator! haha.

6 things.

1. Sweet sexual tension
2. Strong women and men dead set on not marrying
3. Men who are transformed into mushy fellows because of the strong women :)
4. Being able to feel like you’re living through a different place/time/universe and falling in love there
5. Definitely the sex, whether its between humans, or mermaids(yes i’ve read some…dont judge!)
6. The happyily ever afters. Having the satisfaction of knowing they belong together and they now are happy.

Six things:
1.  Learning about different historical periods (I knew nothing about Regency England before!)
2.  Escapist fantasy!
3.  Realistic character development.
4.  I actually like series involving related characters, and it’s hard to find that anywhere else (other than mysteries, which can be more realistic.  I mean, c’mon, how many people stumble over 15 murders in their lifetime?)
5.  There are so many different genres that I can switch things up and not get bored.
6.  It always works out in the end :)

I don’t have any need for the lurrrve™ly prizes, but HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BITCHES!

Happy Anniversary and many happy returns!

6 things I love about romance novels:

1. When reading historicals I have learned so much history! Which is helpful in armchair participation of Jeopardy and Cash Cab.
2. I love reading about characters who make stupid decisions that I’m too scared to make IRL.
3. I love reading about people who get it right in their relationships because so many times I didn’t.
4. I love rooting for someone because sometimes people around you don’t seem very rootable.
5. When I read romance novels, I’m nicer to my hubby and kidlets.
6. I love happy endings, in every sense of the term. Woot!

Hmmm….only 6 things?  But there’s so much to love about romance novels.  How can we choose? 

Well, I’ll give it a shot. 

1)Wuv…twoo wuv!
2) reading about smart, handsome, funny, gainefully employed (and/or independently wealthy) men who are also sincere, loving, committed (but in a good way!) and able to see & love the heroine’s inner beauty.
3) Being swept away to other worlds or our world they way I wish it was.
4)  Smart, funny, loving, gainefully employed (or wealthy), average looking women who are able to capture the heart of an “unattainable” man by virture of her kick ass personality, brain and emotions
5) Reliving all the chaotic/fun/scary/funny moments of a new romantic relationship without having to go through any of it myself.
6) Experiencing vicariously the kind of sexual escapades that rarely if ever actually happen in real life (Hello multiple simultaneous orgasms or the never ending woody!) but sound like an awful lot of fun.

1. Found the Bitchery through looking for a review, which led to many laughs and good times, and subjecting the husband to out-loud readings of funny reviews…
2. The way I can dial a romance to my mental requirement - I don’t want to THINK, early 80’s supermarket Harlequin category it is. I want history, I can choose an era. I want alpha, or tough women, easy peasey.
3. The thrill of a perfect moment - doesn’t happen every book, but it does come - when your breath catches in your throat from emotion.
4. The deep deep satisfaction of conflict resolution, or HEA. There are so many roads to take to it, and I like wandering the paths.
5. Heroines with purple eyes. Or silver hair. Absurdities which make me laugh, like impossible sex positions, research inexpertly applied, clunky dialogue which provokes howls from the husband when I read them out.
6. Characters. My hero of many faces, sizes, temperaments, sweeping me and the heroine away to better places. Heroines tall and short, plump and willowy, who show the dastardly rakes and I the light. Healing wounds, donning disguises, duelling, raising the roof, making out and finding love - in locales familiar and exotic. The characters bring me in and keep me, until I know FOR CERTAIN what will happen. Even though I KNOW romances are happy endings.

1.  The comfort of knowing everything will work out happily by the last page.

2.  The humor (both intentional and unintentional)

3.  The power of a strong, whipsmart woman to land what is usually the hottest man on the planet. (hello, grownup fairy tale)

4.  The glamour. IRL, i *never* get to wear ball gowns or jet off to Europe.

5.  Getting SBTB’s take on whatever book I just read.

6.  Enjoying romance w/o stigma now that my nook replaces the mantitty covers I used to try to hide.

wrote73:  In the time it took me to come up with my list of six, Danielle Steel wrote at least 73 novels about a woman starting over after her marriage fails.

1. Reading is fun
2. Books take me to different places.
3. I can read different worlds that the author creates.
4. Vampires, Wolves, and bears, oh my (paranormals)
5. One minute I can be at home and the next in Australia or Scotland.
6. The HEAs, got to have those.

Happy Anniversary!

Six things I love about reading romance:
1. That in the end romances are stories of hope
2. That in the end the lives of the hero and heroine are richer than when they were alone/before
3. That along the way there is lots of good, guilt free, safe sex
4. That world changing, inter-species love happens; showing that we are all worthy of being loved and our love matters no matter who or what we are
5. Passion matters
6. How talking to each other solves problems

Happy anniversary SB Candy and SB Sarah!

That has to be the oddest prize combination my eyes have ever beheld. That’s awesome! Congratulations on 6 wonderful years :)

On to the RRR: (Reasons I Read Romance)

1. The developing relationship - I enjoy going for the ride along with the characters as they struggle to achieve their HEA.
2. The HEA - few things in life can be guaranteed like the HEA of a Romance Novel - that is comforting. And while I’m down with authors who serve up untraditional HEAs (as in: marriage is not the ending and a house full of kids is not the epilogue) I feel cheated and misled if I read a “romance” that does not end with some kind of HEA for the main characters.
3. Since my early teens I have been a sucker for a good historical - I love all the descriptions and details of clothes, daily routines, celebrations, courting rituals, etc. Especially when it is woven into the story deftly and not pages of awkward info dumps. You also better do your homework, it is hard for me to keep my head in a story with glaring anachronisms.
4. Great dialogue & wit: when a conversation / argument can have me cackling with laughter; that author has done her job and then some.
5. I love the fish out of water stories: those paranormal romances that have some long ago warrior freaking out in a 21st century car? Love ‘em - even if I have to remind myself that in reality, he’d have nasty teeth, pathetic hygiene and abhorrent ideas about the treatment of women.
6. The Sex. There, I said it - a well written sex scene is a joy to read. And yes, skipping to the naughty bits in my mom’s romances when I was around 12 is how I got started, then I actually started reading the pages between the sex scenes and realized these books were good in and of themselves!

1. The wonderfully cheesy lines
2. Over the top Alpha males
3. TSTL heroines!
4. The descriptions… oh god the descriptions!
5.The “fits into all genres” factor
6. The COVERS yes yes COVERS!

1. Getting to “watch” vicariously as a couple gets to know each other
2. Learning a little about careers/jobs I will never have (like stained glass artist or Navy SEAL)
3. Getting to choose an exotic or familiar setting every time I pick up a book.
4. Living out a fantasy of the handsome stranger sweeping me away and my saying just the right sassy thing at the perfect moment.
5. Participating in the community of Smart Bitches.
6. Good is rewarded and evil is punished.

Happy 6th anniversary, Smart Bitches. I hope you’ll be around for the magical 25th!

First of all, congratulations on six wonderful years of bitchery and keep up the good work!  Now my list:

1.  Because I’m a “woman of a certain age,” I love the fact that I’ve witnessed and participated in the evolution of romance novels from the early days of gothic/mills&boon;/harlequin to today’s multi-genre umbrella called “romance.”

2.  Re-reading favorites over and over—and experiencing the roller-coaster of emotions again, even though I know all will be resolved and the HEA is still going to be there.

3.  Learning about historical eras/incidents with which I’m unfamiliar.  I love learning something new about, say, the great fire of London (1666), while enjoying a romance novel.

4.  Being aware that not every book is going to be a keeper (or even a finisher) and accepting that it’s OK not to like a book that others have raved about (or, conversely, liking a book that others have hated).

5.  Having reached a point in my life that I don’t care if the covers are garish & trashy, if I want to read the book in public, I will.

6.  Reading (and getting reading suggestions from) the multitude of romance blogs available on the intertubes—first and foremost, this one right here.

1. Georgette Heyer
2.  Heroes - alpha, beta, hunky, whatever
3.  Heroines with brains
4.  Humor
5. 1001 euphemisms for genitalia
6. Authors who research their time period, enabling me to win multiple trivia contests.

Happy, happy 6th!  I can’t even say, happy 6th Bitches, it sounds so wrong.  :)  My 6 favorite things:

1. They give me a place to go where I know the object of the story is that a couple of people are going to fall in love - happiness is guaranteed at some point.

2. I get to leave whatever place I’m at, whether it’s good or bad, and and live in someone else’s shoes for a while.  I get to wear new clothes, have a new job, new hair - all fun stuff and if I don’t like it, it’s temporary anyway.

3. When I’m having a super-crap day, I get to choose if I’m in the mood to be a wench stowing away on a pirate ship or a mousy secretary involved in a torrid affair with my British boss or whatever.  I get to pick my poison with a romance novel and go wherever I want to and to hell with whatever ticked me off that day.

4. When was the last time a guy who lived forever thought I was the most gorgeous thing on the planet, wanted to bite me, spank me, have sex with me until I was unconscious and was willing to do whatever it took to keep me for eternity because we were fated to be lifemates?  Well, since last Thursday?

5. Women who have it all, can do it all, because it’s pure escapist fun.  What’s not to love about a brilliant crime-fighter who happens to be absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and rich as sin (not necessarily talking only about Eve, Mallory from Carol O’Connoll’s series, while not generally romance is the same way - LOVE her).

6. Hot monkey sex between two characters who really like each other and an HEA.  Can’t get better than that.  Unless you toss in an exquisite grovel scene.

The romance
Having something to go along with bubble baths and champagne
Indulging in reading that doesn’t involve thinking too much
Never running out of something to read
Getting turned on
SEX

There 6 things

1. Happy Ever Afters
2. Heroines who are smart and effective.
3. Heroes
4. Sex
5. Humor
6. The knowledge that I support the only genre dominated in both authorship and readership by women.

1. The HEA
2. Sex without shame (and it’s GREAT sex)
3. The romance!  (with the guaranteed HEA)
4. the escape of it
5. How finishing a book leaves me with a book high (because of the HEA)
6. The fantasy

Happy Anniversary!  Here’s to many, many more!

1. The escape from my everyday drudgery
2. Alphas
3. Alphas with rock-hard abs
4. Sexual tension - remembering what it was like falling in lust/love with that special person
5. Matching wits with that special person - nothing better than funny banter
6. Passion - that gotta have it, bone marrow melting sex

1.  A kick in libido department.
2.  Sympathetic heroines who make me want to be more compassionate, more altruistic.
3.  A respite from ironing.
4.  A good laugh (esp. SEP and Cruisie).
5.  A substitute for chocolate.
6.  The last thought in my head when I turn off the lights.

Happy Anniversary!

1) The happy ending

2) The satisfying feeling of reading a really good one

3) The different genres

4) Finding a really good, new or new-to-me author

5) The sex

6) Finding this place because of them

1. Happy Endings
2. Hunky Men
3. Smart Ladies
4. Exotic Locales (anything is exotic when you’re in rural south Georgia)
5. Pirates!
6. Escaping the everyday, humdrum life for a few minutes.

Six years already?  Hard to believe.

1. Pirates!
2. Satisfaction
3. Wit
4. Hunky Heroes
5. Inexpensive get-away for my mind
6. Talking books with friends

I love:
1. the HEA (seems to be a theme here)
2. the fact that some people discount me when they hear I read them, only to then learn I’m a medical student
3. the titles
4. my favorite part of a novel is when the heroine gets hurt/sick and is rescued by the hero (old skool, I know)
5. the fact that it is the most prolific genre so I’ll never run out of reading material
6. that my sister and I share the same taste in books!

Things i love about romance novels:
1- the escapism, they are a vacation in a book.
2- the witty repartee, seriously sassy flirty dialogue is awesome and mostly in romances
3- highlanders, vikings, rakes, pirates, shieks, former SEALs, vampires, werewolves, gentlemen, bastards, cops and PIs. ect.
4- Plot twists, the secret babies, mixed identities, “who’s sebastian?” lines I find pleasure in the contrived conflict. lol
5- The community of readers

Or i could write all 6 lol.

Things i love about romance novels:
1- the escapism, they are a vacation in a book.
2- the witty repartee, seriously sassy flirty dialogue is awesome and mostly in romances
3- highlanders, vikings, rakes, pirates, shieks, former SEALs, vampires, werewolves, gentlemen, bastards, cops and PIs. ect.
4- Plot twists, the secret babies, mixed identities, “who’s sebastian?” lines I find pleasure in the contrived conflict. lol
5- The community of readers
6- reading about it all on SB!

congrats on the accomplishment sarah.
-mary

1. Escape
2. Live vicariously
3. Fantasize
4. Expand my “lovemaking phrases” repertoire
5. Learn historical facts
6. The whole reading part is just plain great!

Six things:

1.  Going places I never get to go in real life.
2.  The HEA
3.  The very HOT covers (I’m thinking of Jaci Burton’s The Perfect Play coming out on Tuesday - WOW)
4.  The imperfect hero or heroine who finds love
5.  The humor/excellent writing to be found
6.  The way I lose myself in one and forget all about the dust rhinos under the bed waiting for me.

1. L-U-V luv.
2. The inevitable squabbles between the H/H, because you know they don’t hate each other and They Are In Love
3. The covers. Oh, the covers.
4. While we’re speaking of it: man titty.
5. The “holy shit, where did the last five hours go?!” feeling
6. The people of the romance world. You guys make it all even better.

I could always use wood, you never know when you’ll need to start a party in the car out in the woods! 

Six things I love about reading romance novels:
1) the vocabulary termonology you learn (tumescence, bosom)
2) the education it provides (do not have sex w/strangers off the street more than once in a lifetime)
3) the lol entertainment ( her throbbing canal throbbed)
4) a strong female influences
5) the range of ethnic backgrounds that promote cultural understanding (sheikhs are people too!)
6) the really good sexual positions that you will try out on your boyfriend who will ask you for the name of the man who taught them to you and become jealous when you’re too embarassed to tell him the truth and you have a big fight which ends with more really good sexual positions

1. There are no restrictions as to what controversial topics can be included-disabilities,same sex.
2. The Heroine - She’s everything we want to be or admire in others.
3. I love the adventures,the struggles that tug on your heart - The will they won’t they? and how in **** is the author going to get them through all this?
4. I like to experience the initial rush, the feeling of falling in love over and over.
5. The hero-because I can fall a little bit in love with him every time I open the book.
6, And Finally - I just like the sizzling sex as long as it ends in love and frankly,romance just gets me stoked.

Six things I love about romance:
1. dreamy fictional crushes
2. ridiculous covers
3. sex, obviously
4. adventure, suspense, paranormal, or what-genre-have-you wrapped in a HEA blanket
5. that HEA blanket comfort factor
6. The feeling I still get, as if I’m reading something naughty with a flashlight past bedtime.

oh, BONUS: my spam word is, I KID YOU NOT, gives69.  Hell.  Yes.

1.)  Always having an HEA to look forward to (priceless when I am having a horrible day).
2.)  Laughing a really awful plot twists (in old skool romance)
3.)  Being unable to put down a book because the author has made characters so real that I’m almost worried that something might ruin the HEA if I don’t finish the book quickly.
4.)  Correcting someone about a historical fact and when they say “Where did you learn that?” I know it was from a historical romance novel I read.
5.)  The fact that, in romancelandia the Strong, Handsome, Intelligent man is attracted (instantly) to the smart heroine.
6.)  Connecting with other SmartBitches on this website

Happy anniversary and thanks for the wonderfully entertaining website!

*tapping chin thoughtfully* Six reasons…

Hmmm….

1. Smokin hot men that do not exist in reality *smiles and fans myself*
2. Women who get to throw themselves at previously mentioned men and use all the pithy dialogue I want to use in RL!
3. Realizing how many of my girlfriends read the same books I do!
4. Meeting NEW girlfriends in reading groups!
5. HEA
6. My husband’s appreciation of my trashy books!

1.  Happy endings
2.  Snappy dialog
3.  Vicarious travel and careers
4.  Sexy time
5.  Break from the drudge of the everyday
6.  There’s always a book that will fit my mood:  angsty, funny, dark, fluffy, whatever.

Happy 6th Anniversary!! These are awesome and hilarious prizes by the way… XD

6 Reasons Why I Love Romance Novels
1. There’s always a happily ever after
2. Many of the writers write good solid stories. Romance novels get flack for not being literature but, that’s wrong! Romance novels can be literature depending on the story and the writer.
3. You can emotionally involved in the story line.  When the books ends and you’re crying the happy tears, you know that it was a wonderful and satisfying read.
4. There’s a genre of romance novel out there for everyone!
5. Great steamy sex scenes! *fans myself*
6. Websites like Smart Bitches that gives the fans a place to have intelligent conversation about the Romance Book Community.

Wow, Congrats!  I can’t believe I’ve been reading this blog for almost 6 years, yowza..

Alright, the things I love about romance novels:
1. How they take a “predictable” story concept and turn it into an awesome adventure, perspective on characters, or just a great romp down written cliché lane.
2. The metaphors.  OH THE METAPHORS.
3. Interesting historical (or faux historical) stories.
4. The settings, the silly side characters, and THE CLOTHES.
5. Covers covers covers covers covers!!!!!!!!!
6. And the sex.  I certainly couldn’t leave out the sexytimes, no matter how over-described, over-orgasmic, unrealistic, borderline-illegal, or just kind of impossible… Girlpr0n is where it’s at.

1. I love being taken away to another time.
2. Clever dialogue and characters you fall in love with (or love to hate).
3. Luscious description of fashion from different eras.
4. I love looking at the differences in manners and conversational styles from different eras.
5. Travelling without leaving the house!
6. Good stories with satisfying endings.

Sarah & Candy, you’ve provided a unique, refreshing perspective to the romance community. Thanks for blogging and keep going beyond heaving bosoms!

What do I like?
1.The heaving bosoms
2.The throbbing manhoods
3.The inevitable, inexorable breaking of all society’s rules
4.The Dark Moments
5.The Happy Endings
6.The secret and not-so-secret babies

Happy Anniversary!!! First I would just like to say thank you. I only found this site in the last year or so ago when someone gave me the book (which I still pull out for giggles and one day I will do the cover scavernger hunt). This site is one of my four sites I check everyday and you give me so much pleasure!
6 things I love about romance:
1) I like to read about lives that are more screwed up than mine (it makes me feel better)
2) occasionally they have random bits of factual knowledge that make people say “where in the world did you learn that?” “why, in one of my trashy romance books!”
3) I can make my husband blush by saying “honey did you know you could do this with fruit?” -actually I don’t think it is a very good idea to mix sugar in your body fluids down there
4) well written romance can make you feel every emotion in the time it takes you to read one book cover to cover
5) in your mind you can travel to different places with the characters with out leaving your bedroom/tub/couch (great for homebodies like me)
6) I like to share good books with friends and bond over our romance book habits

Happy birthday! I could totally use a new iron. My old one keeps staining the quilts I make.

1. I’ve met more romance heroines with interesting jobs than I have in real life.

2. I’ve made people at dinner parties snort wine out of their noses by telling them about “Did you enjoy your sexual awakening, lizard?”

3. Romance is cheaper than going to a film and lasts longer.

4. My husband won’t fit in the bathtub with me, but a romance novel will.

5. My day job doesn’t guarantee happy endings.

6. Reading romance led me to write romance, which has been the most creative, enjoyable thing I’ve ever done.

1) it doesn’t have to be literary (got a degree in that) which means 2) it’s a great escape and 3) it’s just fun to read. But not to forget that 4) it always has hot guys in 5) romantic situations and 6) a happy ending.

rofl How f’in random - then I saw Hello Kitty. WANT.

1. Unlike vibrators it’s not illegal to sell romance novels in Alabama. (don’t worry if the winner is from AL you can still ship it to them)

2. You can steal a line of dialogue to use on your husband and be extra happy when it turns him on as much as it did the Hero.

3. Girl power. (writing, publishing, reading)

4. Better than Calgon for taking me away.

5. I know more about historical lingerie than the average bear.

6. Love conquers all.

Iron, wood, and candy? I can think of a LOT of ways to use those words together. Nice.

Congratulations on six years of bitchery!

(Don’t enter me in the drawing—the last thing I need is more candy.)

Happy anniversary, and thank you for creating and maintaining this wonderful place!

1) fun. Not necessarily escapism, not necessarily HEA, but pure FUN.
2) Heroines. Not just there-as-the-hero’s-romantic-interest, or babes in chainmail, or whatever, but actual, thinking, acting heroines.
3) Relationships. They may be good or bad, but they’re always there.
4) Community. I grew up in another fandom, so to speak, but it’s always nice to have a community, and romance offers a great choice of communities, too.
5) Sex. Female-centered, too. All right, so this may not be deep, but it’s a legitimate reason.
6) Covers. They make for great conversation starters, really.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! What would we ever do without you?
1. HEA
2. Alpha males
3. Beta males
4. smart women
5. other places
6. other times

off the top of my head….........

1. escape from the chaotic real world of family and job
2. getting to have conversations with friends about yummy heros and smart or annoying heroines
3. getting to visit different locations and time periods
4. all specimens of alpha males
5. HEA’s
6. SEX.

Six things I love about reading romance novels:
(1) Central female characters.
(2) Mostly (but not only) female authors writing for mostly (but not only) women.
(3) Plots about the biggest question once you’ve got basic needs covered: what makes a relationship work?
(4) Endorsement of the idea that sex should be enjoyable for women, too.
(5) Endorsement of the idea that if the sex wasn’t enjoyable for all parties, it wasn’t good sex.
(6) A taste of mine that surprises snooty people who assume highly-educated professionals wouldn’t love *that* genre. See also country music.

1. The SEXy male characters
2. The SEXual tension created between characters
3. The SEXtillion different ways Romance authors use to make me laugh and cry.
4. The exciting place Romance authors take us like SusSEX.
5. The great adventures and SEXcapades.
6. umm, did I mention the SEX?

Happy Anniversary Smart Bitches!!

CONGRATS on your success!!!

Six things? Here goes!

1. The exhilaration of experiencing (if only in my head) exotic places, people, and situations.
2. The guaranteed HEA
3. The warm and fuzzies that happen when a good resolution to a satisfying read is found.
4. Discovering new authors within the genre that make me strive to improve my own craft.
5. The intense love affair that is both hot and cold and everything in between.
6. And lastly, because romance is what I cut my teeth on when I was a young girl and there’s something indescribable about the pleasure gained from losing yourself in a good romance. Romantic tension written well makes for sublime reading pleasure!

Wow, a Hello Kitty vibrator! I thought it was a pen! >:)

First of all, HAPPY 6TH ANNIVERSARY bitches!

I love, love, love
1) the giddy/sappy feeling you get when you’re reading a fab scene,
2) the covers! the covers! who could resist those man-titties?,
3) the reviews of books i’ve read and should’ve read,
4) how it occupies my time and attention so I won’t have to waste any of it by listening to inane chatter of people who think they know better,
5) feeling superior and thinking “you don’t know what you’re missing out on” when people mock me for what I read,
6) how romance pushed me in the right direction and led to me meeting Beautiful, Intelligents Talented, Cool, Honey[s] -> I think that one’s a song?

Cheers to more Bitching Years to come!

Who can’t use a bag of wood? Or a vibrator ;)

I read romances for…
—To escape the exciting world of work and laundry
—I can either visit the highlands, have my coming out, or whatever else I am in the mood for.
—The fuzzy feeling at the end with the I love you’s
—I particularly enjoy series so you can catch snippets of past character lives in future novels.
—Always has a HEA
—Just a fun way to spend an afternoon-ESCAPE!! lol

Happy anniversary!

1. Knowing SOMEONE’s going to fall deliciously in love
2. The often-hilarious misunderstandings that keep the leads apart
3. Palate cleansers for real life
4. can affirm that, yes, Virginia, good things DO happen to good people
5. SEXY TIME
6. good female characters in sci-fi/fantasy

Happy Sixth Anniversary, Smart Bitches! Well done Candy and Sarah!

As for six things I love about romance… 1. the happy ending, 2. the intense focus on relationships, 3. perfect heroes, 4. smart, competent heroines, 5. a wide variety of sub-genres, 6. an overall great community of readers and writers

Heh - and fitting. My reasons were easy to come up with, and my “code word” was easy39

Reading good romance novels provides: 1) escapism
2) connection with different points of view and 3) places around the world. Can’t forget to mention the 4) HAWT stuff, which can be so awesome. I also like 5) the brooding hero, and 6) the happily ever after.
Thanks for 6 great years, SB!

1.  Escapism.
2.  Travel.
3.  Learn something new.
4.  Fun to meet authors at booksignings.
5.  Empowering.
6.  HEA

Too fun! Love a good romance novel because:
1.) I can escape to another time
2.) I can “live” in another place
3.) I love love.
4.) Always a cool hero
5.) Usually a stong smart woman
6.) The thrill of the hot stuff! :)

1. HEA’s
2. Talking about the books.
3. Sharing the books with friends
4. Living a fantasy for a little while.
5. Smart, capable female characters.
6. Male characters I’d like to tear from the pages and make
  them my own. :)
Happy Anniversary Smart Bitches!

Happy 6th Anniversary!!
You’ve found the best prizes to celebrate! (Btw - my 9th anniversary is next week. Is there any way you could help me find a present for my hubs?)

In no particular order, the 6 things I love about reading romance:
1. The happy sigh from reading the perfect HEA
2. Constantly finding new authors, genres and sub-genres. There is always something new to expand my horizons.
3. Getting new ideas. Especially from erotic romance. ‘Nuff said.
4. Talking about romance w fellow lovers of the genre (pun intended).
5. My romance habit accelerated my conversion to ebooks. Now I can read even more, everywhere. And better yet, no one has to know what I am reading.
6. Romance novels let me escape from the stresses of life. I am transported to another world. Bliss.

hi bitches! :) not in any particular order heres my list of six:
1. escape from reality & leaves me with the feeling of believing that it could or want it to be real
2. how the man handles the woman or woman handles the man
3. the vividness of the romance scenes
4.  photos on the covers you either like it or you don’t & it helps me determine if its a good read
5. time period & location of novels are always far away, non-existent or other
6. the best entertainment cost the least

1. I read them now too escape from mommyhood for a few hours at night! preferably with a glass of wine and hot bath!
2. Laughter! I need to laugh my books have to be funny and exciting!
3. I love the history in historicals. Learning little facts that the author took time to find out and write is great
4. I love reading a good book and getting that warm tingling feeling when the hero and heroine realize they are hot for each other!
5. I love a smokin’ hot, almost naked hero to drool over!
6. I love sharing and talking with friends about a awebook I just read!

Happy Anniversary! Thanks!

I love the prizes! I’m totally getting my husband a bag of wood for our next anniversary. ;)

I love romance novels because
1) They show how people can work through the negative things in life and reach for the positive ones—like love.
2) There is a ton of variety in the genre, and I never know who or what I’ll meet next - just that they’ll be sexy.
3) When I’m stressed, romances remind me that fun, relaxation, and orgasms exist.
4) They contain some really great examples of strong, smart, sexy women who also make good partners and friends.
5) They provoke interesting discussions, dissections, digressions, and debates between women (and men) around the world.
6) They make me happy.

1. The awesome places I can go from my couch of reading.
2. Great covers like the Last Airbiscuit = hours of fun.
3. The harping of my husband of when I read them and say, honey it is a zombie romance, would you like some of my brains too dear?
4. I love the many descriptive words used to describe the male and female bodies in R novels.
5. Hot barky shifter lovin’.
6. I love the dialog when it gets snarky and funny.

Happy anniversary bitches!

1. Indulging my romantic side
2. Effortless, enjoyable reading
3. Guaranteed happy ending
4. Swoon-worthy heroes
5. The Sexxoring
6. The fun - the fun of a perfect book, the fun of snarking at the bad ones, the fun of hunting through the stock at the used book store for the ultimate prize

1) The HEA
2) I almost always learn something I didn’t know before.
3) Tension. Oooooo the tension.
4) Eloisa James
5) Relationships, not just the romantic, but the relationships the protagonists have with the people around them.
6) And I admit, I do love the occasional secret baby.

Congratulations on six years Smart Bitches! Thank you for creating such agreat site for romance readers!
1. They make me laugh.
2. There are hot men in it.
3. There are smart (mostly) women in it.
4. They give me a break from real life.
5. The sexual tension and the “loosening” of it.
6. The benefits hubs reaps from #5. ;)

Congrats Ladies on six with many more to come!
I’ll use up 5 by saying a Big ditto to the comments already posted.
I reserved my sixth for what I call what romance reading did for me.
I had a patient, an Internist in my practice a few years back. I just had read Linda Howard’s Duncan Bride and in it the h/h were playing a queer knowledge based game. One of the questions was “the medical term used to describe the noise your stomach makes”. I thought I was being cute by teasing the said Internist by identifying his grumbling stomach with this word - borboygmous. He laughed and I confessed I read about it in a romance novel. This became a running gag everytime our paths crossed. He’d ask me what romance novels taught me this week and I’d tell him my latest tidbit. Eventually that led to shared coffee, dinner out…and SO forth… ;-)
So number six is what I luv about reading romance—My own HEA!

1) The assurance that no matter how screwed up things are in the middle of the book, there’s going to be a happy ending.
2) Sexy men, both realistic and unrealistic
3) Sex scenes.
4)Creativity in own life inspired by above
5) Getting to escape into someone else’s life, someone totally different from me, but who I share common feeling and experiences with
6) Sharing my romance novels with anyone who will listen and read with me—getting to laugh, cry, and AWW! in all the appropriate places

Happy birthday!

1) HEAs—of course!
2) The series—I love following characters throughout multiple books!
3) Recommending a romance to a non-romance reader and opening up a new (under-appreciated) genre to people.
4) Discovering a friend is a romance reader as well—and the two hour conversations that follow about our favorite authors/books.
5) Smart women and alpha males with a heart.
6) The sex.

I want the wood. I need to fire up my grill… And many congratulations on the anniversary. Y’all rock the romance world like damn and whoah!

Okay, ONLY six things I love about reading romance?

1. All that iron, wood, and sculpted faces, chests, and tushes.
2. Gotta love me some alpha males.
3. Feisty heroines (and sassy, driven, smart, and willing to take chances on love)
4. Exotic places, even if it’s the small town next door
5. Villians—be they an ex, a boss, the escaped madman, or the demon down below.
6. Gotta have the HEA.

Heh! My spamword: bring86 YES! Bring me 86 romance novels and I will read them!

6 things I love about reading romance novels:

1.  Escape, escape, escape!
2.  Perfect men who behave perfectly ... most of the time.
3.  Learning lots of trivia from historical novels that let me do really, really well when watching Jeopardy.
4.  HEAs (of course)
5.  The absolute romance of it all!
6.  Really well written stories that appeal to all the things inside of me that make me go squee!

1. The guilty pleasure of it all, 2. Happy endings, 3. Steamy interludes, 4. Imagined lives, 5. Fantasy men, 6. Pure undiluted escapism

Happy Anniversary!

1. It is an escape from real life.
2. With a big family, reading romance novels is the only “alone” time I get. There is no other way I’d want to spend my alone time.
3. Lots of my friends read romance novels so it is a great conversation when we get to talk about how exciting, good, interesting and drool worthy a book was.
4. I know that they are fantasy but romance books generally end with a happily ever after so it is a great sense of hope and a wonderful rush of the warm & fuzzies.
5. I like how you can email a romance author you love to compliment them and they are so thankful for the feedback. They are the most gracious celebrities!
6. Uhm oh yeah…the smutty sex it awesome. Even the implied sex can be written steamy and dreamy.

1.) Hysteria-inducing euphemisms
2.) Sassy heroines
3.) Interfering elders
4.) Dress porn
5.) BFFs getting hit with cluesticks
6.) HEAs GONE WILD

1) That happy, squee kind of feeling I get when two characters finally get together after half a book of tension.
2) HEA, of course, like everyone else.
3) The supporting cast. Gotta love the best friends (who may star in their own sequels).
4) The emotional rollercoaster. I get really, really involved in my books, so I really feel what the characters go through
5) Sex. When well written, it’s hot, steamy, and awesome.
6) The fact that it’s mostly lighthearted and a good way to relax while curled up on the couch in a fuzzy sweater.

Yay, Happy 5 years! :D

Here are my top 6:
6. HEA’s. There is enough drama in the real world that I want my HEA every chance I get.
5. Humor. Whether it the heroine tripping over her shoes or cracking a scalding, I wish I had thought of that, remark.
4.Closeness. I love when I come across a perfectly messy meshing of characters. Always makes me love hubs even more.
3.Men. Mmmmm… I enjoy reading about them from all walks of life. Mmmmm
2.Romance. I love telling people that I read romances. I love the look that comes from most people when I say I read romances. I love pointing out all the romance that is immersed in their lives that they love (but don’t think of it in term of romance).
1. Smex. I love all the joys and benefits of reading about smex. :D

Happy Anniversary, Bitches!
Hm, only 6 things? Let’s see:

1) escapism (time, place, people)

2) excuse to stay on the couch all day

3) hot menfolk acting heroically

4) pirates!

5) within reason, purple prose (as in, I’d laugh my ass off if it were said to me, but I can read it for days)

6) HEA/HFN (real life is a little short on these, so I’ll take ‘em where I can get ‘em)

Thanks for being here (this site is reason #7) and adding laughs & books to my days! Any day spent with the Bitches is a good day:)

Congratulations!  Happy 6th Anniversary!

My 6 fave things about romances:

1.  Taking time for myself to read.
2.  Not being able to put down a well written book.
3.  Flawed heroes.
4.  Who *doesn’t* love the HEA?
5.  A strong, smart woman who meets her contemporary.
6.  An underlying current of sexual tension.

A 50 lb bag of wood?  Sign me up!

Six Reasons I Love Romance Novels

1) After many years “in the closet” about my romance novel habit, I finally decided it didn’t matter what other people thought about my choice of reading material.  Turns out, I had more than a few friends who loved the same authors I did!

2) Cover snark

3) I’ve never looking for a (recently published) romance I wanted to read as an e-book and been unable to find it.  I wish I could say the same for biographies and memoirs.

4) Getting to participate in HABO discussions

5) Reading mysteries in bed gives me nightmares.  Reading romance in bed gives me far more pleasant dreams. 

6) There’s nothing like settling into a hot bath with a romance novel to metaphorically wash away a bad day.

Happy Anniversary!!

My 6 favourite things about reading romances:

1. does not require understanding of off-side rule
2. learning word “sweetheart” in many languages
3. HEA
4. lots of weddings, and I do love a wedding….
5. something to have in common with my mom.
6. the occasional line that is so very funny it sticks with me forever…

Thanks

1.  the escape from 4 kids
2.  the smile I get when I finish a book
3.  knowing there’s a happy ending (although I admit to skipping ahead and reading the ending sometimes—pathetic, I know)
4.  my husband won’t touch my romance books with a 10 foot pole—any other books I end up having to share
5.  the fantasy
6.  when I get tired of reading about shapeshifters, there’s always a new area to go into—historical, vampire…you get my drift.

i like reading romances because it’s something i can do in the privacy of my home, they’re all about lovelovelove, my characters screw up but still live happily evah afta, none of the men in the books suffer from bad body image, all the women kick ass, even when they have to make lemonade, and they are little beacons of light and happiness in a sometimes dreary world.  Happy Anniversary, girls!

Congratulations and jubiltaions, I want the world to know I’m as happy as can be!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, LADIES! I can’t believe it’s been 6 years - I found you late in your first year, while I was a grad student, badly in need of a lift. I stop by here practically everyday, and thought I rarely comment,this bitchin’ hot pink site never fails to but a smile on my face.

So, the Six things I Love about Reading Romance Novels are:
1) the escape from real life it provides;
2) the variety it offers, without having to compromise on
3) the guarantee of an HEA;
4) the sheer volume of good stuff out there that I haven’t read yet;
5) the community of women it links me too;
6) the smug knowledge that the people who are too busy looking down their noses at it to try it are really missing out, the fools!

Happy Anniversary!

1) Hilarious dialogue
2) Character growth
3) Vulnerability
4) Happily ever after!
5) Readability (I’m an MFA student. The shit I read for class . . .)
6) The Covers. Yeah, heaving bosoms!

What a great contest, SB Sarah, as always, and thank you for thinking of us, again, as always.

Six reasons why I read romance:

1. My own personal vacation from the comfort of my chair.
2. I meet characters I would like to have as friends.
3. A really good romance will make me think, long after the cover has been closed.
4. I learn how other, albeit fictional, people cope with difficult, painful or even unusual and funny situations.
5. The books I love are character-driven and romance is all characters, all the time.
6. And sometimes they just take my breath away with their words.

chance36: that number times 10 or 100, the odds of winning those chocolate-covered cherries.

1. I am guaranteed a happy ending.
2. If I’m reading a heterosexual romance, I’m guaranteed a story with central female characters.
3. If I read a queer romance, I’m guaranteed a story with a queer characters.
4. I can read the other genres I’m interested in-mystery, fantasy, science fiction-at the same time.
5. If I don’t like the one I’m reading, I can easily find a different romance to read.
6.  Sometimes, the stories are really hot.

I love romances because:

1.  I get an HEA without having to worry about mortgages or anger management issues.

2.  Fantastic sex every damn time.

3.  They’re FUN to read.

4.  Cover snark is an artistic and intellectual exercise where sarcasm is encouraged.

5. They play so well with other genres that I can read SF-flavored romance one day and mystery-flavored the next.  Yum!

6.  My fellow romance readers are wonderful, helpful, generous people!

Six things I love about reading romance novels:

1.  Alpha males
2.  Women who can handle alpha males.
3.  A great respite from reality.
4.    Different locales.
5.  Talk about only one type of bodily function.
6.  Knowing the book won’t surprise me in the end by knocking off the main character(s.)

***I won back in December, so I don’t think I should qualify to win this time, but I wanted to play too, and to say Happy Anniversary to the Smart Bitches!***
1) Awesome characters (and sometimes even the awesomely bad;)
2) Julie Garwood, Loretta Chase, Linda Howard, Katie MacAlister, Elizabeth Hoyt, Tasha Alexander (although I suspect she identifies herself more as a mystery writer), Patricia Briggs (okay, she’s more fantasy, but some of the newer ones definitely fit), the list goes on and on. Basically my point is that when I start listing my favorite authors, the bulk of them fall squarely into one form of romance or another.
3) Location, location, location. I’ve travelled a bit within the U.S. and I’ve lived in Germany (although I was too young to remember much) but after delving into the fabulous world of romance, it not only adds to the list of places I’d like to visit someday, but the really good ones make me almost feel like I’ve been there already.
4) The covers. I mean, not only do they sometimes force you to be creative in keeping them covered up, but the more awesomely horrific they are, the more entertainment they can provide.
5) No matter how bad the beginning and middle is for the heroine, you know the ending is going to be happy, and sometimes that’s just what you need.
6) It is the genre that inspired the Smart Bitches, who make me laugh on a daily basis, and if that’s not valuable, I don’t know what is.

1. Reading romance makes me feel better when life gets me down.
2. Romance takes me away to a more interesting place than where I’m at.
3. Romances come in all shapes and sizes, so I have a vast selection to choose from.
4. In romances I get to read about strong, independent women who sometimes kick ass.
5. In romances I can read about strong, sexy, delicious heroes.
6. There is always a happily ever after in romance.

Happy anniversary.  That iron is fabulous, the one I have is 40 years old, LOL.  Either it has held up really well, or I hardly ever use it, guess which one is true.

Let’s see, six things I like about romances…

The best ones offer me:
1. Witty dialog
2. Demonstrated growth in affection and connection
3. Enjoyable escape from my mundane life
4. Believability (it’s OK to stretch the boundaries, but please don’t pop that balloon)
5. Three-dimensional, non-stupid characters who are wrestling with issues and solving problems in their lives.
6. A great HEA

and sometimes:
7. Oh wow hawtness!!!

Six things I love about reading romance novels:

1) The guarantee of a happy ending- all the good people live!
2) No one wakes up with morning breath.
3) Every guy is hot, sexy, and can give a woman an orgasm with his tongue.
4) Every women is gorgeous with a gorgeous wardrobe to match.
5) You can go to exotic places without leaving the comfort of your own home.
6) You can take a vacation from your daily life and come back to your life without the sunburn or huge credit card bills.

I would love that iron!  Mine is a hot mess.

Reasons to read romance:
1) the HEA
2) the ability to take me out of my own boring world and immerse me in a more thrilling one full of hot men and smart women
3) the chance to interact with and discuss with fellow romance readers
4) strong female leads, who can handle strong male leads
5) cover snark
6) that sigh at the end of a really good book - the one that days later still makes you think of the characters/story and smile

Happy Anniversary to my favorite Smart Bitches!  Here’s wishing for many more years filled with snarky goodness!

1) Interesting women
2) Fascinating men
3) Drama
4) Getting inside someone’s head
5) Happy endings
6) Awesome world building

Happy Damn Anniversary! Keep up the great work, Bitches. The site is a pleasure, and you’ve created an amazing community.

1. Hawt sex. ‘Nuff said.
2. Exploration of the whole gamut of emotional experiences for women AND men, all from the comfort of your own reading space.
3. The strong, smart, creative women (and men!) who get to call themselves “romance authors” for a living and be damn proud of what they’re creating.
4. The forum for social issues that romance novels tackle so well.
5. Nora Roberts.
6. Super sexy dialogue like whoa and like damn (tm not me).

Happy Anniversary, SBs!  You’ve brought such sassy, smart fun into my days.

Six things, huh!?! Well, here’s my caffeine-deprived list:
1. Hot alpha men
2. Smart, smart-ass, sweet, fun women
3. guaranteed HEA
4. sexy, smart, heart touching banter between h/h
5. A fun escape from my everyday life
6. Did I mention hot alpha men?!?!

First of all, congrats on the anniversary!! And now for the 6 things I like about romance. Hmmmm, 1- snarky women who don’t take shit from nobody!! 2-HEA 3- SEX (i have to admit, some good books can give a whole new life to the bedroom with new ideas to try out.) 4- alpha males, and I need to elaborate on this one, the alphas that are still strong, but willing to admit they love/can’t live without their female, and will “help” prtoect her, and treat her as a cherished co-person, not a thing. 5- the laughs - I know, romance is not comedy, but I like a book that throws in some good one liners to make me laugh! 6- SEX, opps, already said that one, okay, how about the friends I’ve made on websites I go to when I stalk, er, make that look for info on my favorite writers, the whole genre is usually full of nice, funny people.

Let’s see…

1) Female self-actualization as the focus of a story.
2) Orgasms.
3) Validation of the fact that emotional and sexual experiences are super-important and worthy of being codified as text. (Yes, I was an English major. Why do you ask?)
4) Unashamed sexual expression. Hell yeah.
5) Happy endings, even when the two leads have real, complex, relatable problems.
6) Being temporarily adrift in a world in which people can have sex outside and not wind up chafed, tick-bitten, or with poison ivy in their naughty bits.

Congratulations, Smart Bitches! The day I found your site was one of the happiest days in my recent history! Thanks for all you do!

Also, as an aside, my image verification word was “ill69.” Which is awesome on so many levels.

1) The guaranteed HEAs!!!
2) When the book has the sort of writing that sucks you into the story and the real world disappears for hours at a time.
3) How the proverbial ugly duckling can get the sexy as sin hero.
4) The fantastic (and often educational) sex scenes.
5) The happy after glow you get when you finish a good book.
6) Converting others into avid romance readers.

Also, the fantastic snarkiness, mantitty, and heaving bosoms of SBTB. Happy Anniversary!

#1 great ting about romance novels is that HEAs make us smile and weep (but in a good way).
#2 great thing about romance novels is the comfort they provide “for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health”... you know the drill.
#3 great thing about romance novels is the way they’ve evolved to reflect the lives and dreams of the women who read, write, and produce them, from passive to active, delicate to strong, kindly to kick-ass.
#4 great thing about romance novels is there is no funner way to get your sex ed.
#5 great thing about romance novels is that they are the entree into a community of absolutely incredible, generous and bright women.
#6 great thing about romance novels is (apologies to the cuke) that they never light up a cigarette in bed afterwards.

Happy b-day and many thanks, SBTB, and best wishes for many, many more!

Congrats on the anniversary!  That’s DEDICATION!

1)  Bemusement at the historically inaccurate or politically incorrect in old skool.
2) The quick or light reads that don’t absorb my time like Shogun.
3) The light-headed feeling the next day where I’m still reliving a good romance, which gets me through the workday with a smile.
4) As most of us here: to take me away, far away!
5) The hunt.  It’s like shopping for the perfect shoe.
6) That I’m encouraged to read more in general; I go book shopping more, I go to the library more, I talk about books more.  My mother (the book hoarder) can finally relate to me XD

Happy Anniversary!!! You have given me many hours of happiness :)
  The six things I love about reading romance are in no particular order 1)HEA’s 2) Immersion in the history 3)Hot Men 4) Covers that are soo good even when they are sooo bad 5) Hot sex 6) Living vicariously through drama that will never occur in my real life.

Happy Anniversary SBTB!

1. Chance to experience a different place, job, life.
2. Powerful women who are braver and often smarter than me.
3. The men that love powerful women.
4. The guaranteed HEA. I don’t want to read tragedies or about death, want the happy ending.
5. The blush of passion. Sometimes that means smexy sex and sometimes that means Elizabeth and Darcy touching hands and eye contact.
6. Fellow readers. I see you guys like strawberries and champagne and as Edward tells Vivian, it adds to the flavor.

HEA, it’s about two (or more) people working to be together, hot men, humor, good sex (orgasms for everyone all the time!)

1-escape from the mundane
2-armchair travel
3-titillation
4-time travel
5-HEAs are good from time to time
6-did I mention escape?

Oh man that was only 5!  HEA, it’s about 2 (or more) people working to be together, hot men, humor, good sex (orgasms for everyone all the time!) and a nice way to end stressful days.

1. Hot sex, every time, with no akward moments!
2.  Escapism
3. Rock hard abs and, OMG please don’t use all that on me penises.
4.  Strong heroines.
5.  Happily ever after endings
6.  Build up to number 1!

Happy Anniversary :) OK so 6 things . . .hmm 1) easy quick reads that get me out of my problems for a little bit B) usually hot guys and even hotter sex 3) authors like Julia Quinn, Elizabeth Bevarly, Eloisa James, and so many freakin more (that mostly I’ve found out about HERE :) D) historicals that however unaccurate make me dream of Mr. Darcy and Pemeberly 5) did I mention the hot sex?? and finally E and/or 6) getting to go somewhere other than my house with 6 kids and a hubby overseas and yeah I escape for a little while

1. HEAs 2. Steamy sex without that nasty morning breath! 3. Being able to stop worrying about my life for a little while 4. Giggling at some of the craziness I come across 5. Fuzzy feelings when everything works out 6. Later finding and reading the review on Smart Bitches

1. Long, drawn out courtship
2. Hot, reliable orgasms
3. Enjoyable lessons in history
4. Picking up new words
5. Reliable happy endings (not the same as #2)
6. A sweet, short diversion, which doesn’t take too much of my brain power, but seems to restore some of it.

Happy Anniversary! 

I’ve loved romance books for more years than I want to think about.  I’m not actually entering the contest since I don’t need (or shouldn’t have - candy) the gifts but I had to post a congratulations message.

Six Things I like
1.  Talking with others who started reading with Sweet Savage Love.
2.  Getting a daily dose of Bitchery.
3.  Learning about new authors.
4.  Playing detective to help folks figure out what book they are looking for.
5.  Escape from reality (without artificial means, lol)
6.  Chocolate and sex (is that two)?

6. The first kiss
5. The first night
4. The first fight
3. The laughs
2. The make-up sex
1. The Happily Ever After

Yes, I’m a bit of a sap. Can you tell?

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary! 

1) The connection you feel to the characters - I always hate when a good book is over.
2) Being able to take a mental break from life.
3) All the choices out there for romance novels now. Especially paranormal, which is my fav.
4) Finding new authors to check out - I’m always on the look out! 
5) The SEX - oh the sex!!  lol Especially when you can get new ideas to try out ;) 
6) HEA.  Because sometimes we all need some of that.

Woo-hoo! Six years is forever online :)

Why I read romances:

1. Recharges me in a way that suits my romantic soul

2. Love the firewords and sexual chemistry between strong characters

3. The HEA or HFN

4. Love the creative world building from a sexy paranormal romance story, and the endless possibilities for storylines and romantic connections

5.  That bit of humor combined with a smokin hot romance

6. Love that fantasy world where love conquers all, lust always turns into love, that someone special exists for everyone, and that real love lasts forever.

1.  Romances are fun to read!
2.  There are some seriously sexy scenes…
3.  The heroines are awesome.
4.  Imaginary guys are the greatest.
5.  Adventures by proxy!!
6.  Did I mention they’re sexy?

Six things I love about romance novels:
1.  the woman ALWAYS wins!  (I read that years ago in “Dangerous Men and Adventerous Woman” and it’s my favorite response to anybody who thinks badly of romance novels)
2.  HEA (hey, real life has enough bad news already)
3.  hunky heroes illustrated on the cover or stepback (I’m a visual person)
4.  hunky heroes (but I have some imagination)
5.  learning how others react to situations and environments (because I’m so curious about things)
6.  learning about history (I so love to watch a show on PBS that goes against stereotypes and realize I’d already read most of the correct information in a romance novel—Vikings anyone?)

I know the limit is 6 but I really could come up with many more reasons to enjoy reading romance novels.  And at least as many reasons to enjoy reading this blog!  Happy Anniversary, Sarah and Candy and all of us smart bitches out there!  I’m so happy I found you a few years ago!  And meeting Sarah at RT Orlando was a highlight of my trip!

Happy Anniversary! 

In no particular order:

-Automatic HEA
-Meeting characters I will love forever
-Great escapisms from reality
-Finding this blog, which gives insight, laughter, and the occasional coffee choke
-Great ideas to try out in bed
-Some places/positions not to try things out with your guy (the ‘EEEUUUWW’ factor)

Hahaha! Best prize ever!

Don’t enter me in the contest; I just wanted to stop by and say congratulations! And thanks. If I hadn’t stumbled across this website last year, I would never have cracked open the awesomeness that is a romance novel.

Cheers!

1. The emotion
2. The settings, especially if they are Gothic
3. smart suspense plots thrown in
4. The hotness
5. Byronic heroes
6. smart heroines

1. Hot heroes
2. They take you to places you’ve never been
3. escape
4. Girl Power
5. Paranormal worlds
6. There is always a HEA

1. Hot Men
2. Sex
3. Men that are hot
4. Sex with men that are hot
5. some plot in there somewhere
6. hot sex with men that are hot.

:D

1) Escape
2) Adventure
3) Pretty dresses and sometimes makeovers
4) High highs and low lows and funny bits in between
5) Strong women
6) Great community of writers & readers

Six reasons I looooove romances: 1. I’ve been looking for a job for 5 months-I need those happy endings on a daily basis to not fall apart completely, 2. My fiance is a computer science grad student and sometimes there’s just no time to let the love flow freely-fantasy is an excellent substitute, 3. It connects me to my raunchy best friend and gives us plenty of smut to mull over our 2 hour long phone convos, 4. when there ain’t no real drama, the annoyingly un-communicative lovers in romances provide a soap opera full, 5. there’s nothing like a fantastically cheesy romance cover to spark up a conversation with un-believers at the park-I’ve convinced 4 people to pick up Pamela Clare’s I-Team books this way!, and 6. who wants to read non-fiction anyway?!

Congratulations!

1. Smart, independent women who are funny and sexy and kick ass (sometimes in a very proper, period-appropriate way) on their way to satisfaction and love.
2. Witty banter!  Witty banter!  If forced, I can do without the sex, but I must have sharp dialog.
3. Hot, smart men who are funny and who love the above noted women.
4. HEA: escape and comfort at the same time.
5. SBTB and the romance community, what an amazing group, made me proud to say I’m a reader of romances.
6. Ah, um, “sexual knowledge,” both lo these many years ago when I was but a virginal teen; and now, when I blush while thinking of how to convince my husband to try out something I’ve read…

Happy Anniversary!

OMG!  I just found this blog recently and it is officially my guilty, morning coffee in hand, pleasure!  Way too much fun…
Lets see….

1) of course, the title and cover of the book alone is enough to catch a giggle, and let my imagination take off…sometimes I like what I’ve come up with better than the author! haha

2)comic relief….leaving book on the coffee table when having guests (or MIL) over.  To see their expression is almost better than reading the book!

3)heats up my sex life….After reading for a while in bed, I can’t help but look over at my hubby and want to jump him…

4) the HEA…come on, who doesn’t!?

5)Emotional men!...do they really exist?? while being heterosexual anyways??  I always let out a jealous sigh…until I actually think about it.  I like my mans man!  But it’s always great to read about them….

1.HEA                                                                                                             2. Pure escaping from every day life.                                                              3. Laugh out loud moments.                                                                4. Cry at the ending moments.                                                                  5. Wondering how the author came up with that sexual position/ story idea/how she wrote that and still has more stories to tell.                                                          6. Having conversations with friends about the books ie laughing crying and/or cursing..

1) Guaranteed happy ending.
2) Pure escapism.
3) Easy reading.
4) Sometimes I actually learning something, especially in a historical, but even in some of the contemporaries too.
5) If I’m lucky, I get to add a really good comeback or joke to my repertoire.
6) Dammit, they just make me feel good and really really make me appreciate my generous and oft=times romantic husband.

Happy Sixth Anniversary Smart Bitches!! I feel like I should be sending you a dozen roses or something. I mean, I’d have never tried the genre (apart from little snippets - see #5) if it wasn’t for you, so thank you so much!

1. I loooove reading… and romance novels guarantee a HEA.

2. And since I know that everything will end well it’s a grand adventure to witness how it happens. After all, it’s about the journey not the destination - something that other genres should take into consideration a little more in some cases.

3. The covers, haha. I mean, sometimes it is awkward to be reading a novel on the subway when said novel is a deep purple and the couple swimming in all of that purple is, er, about to experience a certain special sort of happy ending… but sometimes that’s half the fun.

4. The heroes! For obvious reasons, ehehe.

5. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that romance novels have facilitated some intense bonding amongst me and my closest friends. When we were really young (early high school years, maybe?) we used to bring out stacks of romance novels at get-togethers and flip to the, erm, best scenes, and read them aloud, with different voices for the characters, giggling all the while. Or, you know, stifling our giggles so as not to alert the parentals. It was spectacularly amusing and afterwards we’d conduct semi-serious conversations about love and sex and boys. So, thanks, romance writers - they were good times.

6. The importance of The Power of Luurve Tm. I know it might sound sappy, but I do believe in love, in true love in many different forms. To have a genre devoted to the discovery, the development, and the life-altering power of love is absolutely fantastic.

Happy Anniversary, y’all!

In no particular order:

1. The happily ever after
2. New perspectives on life and love
3. A few hundred page vacation from my own life, problems, deadlines, laundry etc
4. An education on relationship pitfalls and how to avoid being TSTL in my own life =)
5. Insight into how awesome and varied love can be
6. All of the smart bitches who read and write Romance.

Hot Alphas, escape, the settings, the stories, and the really awesome people I have met because of them.

And I forgot how to count- #6- that all the genres I love to read can be found in a romance somewhere.

1.  HEAs
2.  Finding a good looking, educated and interesting man in a small town still exists in romance novels
3.  Escaping from reality
4.  Being able to follow author progression in quality and content
5.  Enjoying a community that discusses and analyzes
6.  Wondering what in the world some authors smoke/drink while writing

1. HEA
2. Strong friendships
3. Spunky locations - it’s great when the city/town becomes its own character
4.  The romance
5.  Funny, lol moments that make you laugh and smile
6.  Escapism

1. I love reading romance novels because they taught me that sex is best in the context of romance and shared respect.
2. I love reading romance novels because the covers are often way prettier than the covers of other books.
3. I love reading romance novels because they taught me to be confident and assertive in my sex life and to not settle for no orgasms.
4. I love reading romance novels because they don’t take themselves too seriously. They’re not trying to be great literature, just entertaining, and therefore they’re not pretentious or condescending, just fun to read, and sometimes beautiful (wow, run on sentence much?).
5. I love reading romance novels because they provide me with an escape from my incredibly mundane and un-exciting existence.
6. I love reading romance novels because they make me feel happy inside.

1. The man-titty.
2. Happily ever-afters that *stick*.
3. The sheer expanse of different genres that fold into romance: historicals, mysteries, comedies, heart-wrenching tragedies, epic sci-fi stories of epicness…
4. The fact that same-sex romances are on the rise.
5. The pure joy radiated by the whole community of romance readers.
6. Also, the man-titty.

Happy Sixth, SBTB! :)

1) They gave me something light and fun to read when my school assignments were going to make my head explode

2) Watching the couple have those adorable moments of connection that make me all warm and fuzzy on the inside

3) Hot men

4) Intelligent and witty women

5) Imagining all those gorgeous dresses

6) And of course, the happy ending

What’s an iron? Was that something that came with turntables?

1) Actual research done to make the careers interesting.
2) Diversity of careers that can be sold as novel-subject; where else can you find a book about someone who makes their living knitting?
3) Stranger and stranger sex scenes as the books progress. Increasing efforts to avoid male orgasms shift to High Comedy. Who knew most paranormal protagonists were beyond even “Sensitive New-Age Guys”?
4) Because romance readers actually complain when something isn’t done well.
5) Being able to note, when told “only Laurell Hamilton can do that” that a Kressley Cole or a Gena Showalter do as well.
6) Seeing people transition from genre to genre without problem (speaking as the person who chaired the committee that gave Sharon Shinn her first award), and then come back with lessons learned and better writing.

Happy anniversary, SBs :)

1) HEAs - WHY do I want to read a book the doesn’t have a HEA?
2) the variety in people, places, situations, settings…
3) the mix of genres - historical, suspense, mystery, sci-fi, paranormal, fantasy, urban, erotica (and IT"s many sub-category)....
4) re-visiting old friends.  some books linger forever and I love re-reading
5) the mini-vacation from work/stress
6) the people I’ve met over the years BECAUSE I read romance

I really want that Hello Kitty vibrator. Just trying to imagine the Hub’s face when I whip it out…

1.  Good romances are thrilling and make me happy
2.  Bad romance novels provide endless hours of amusement
3.  Way more realistic and uplifting than “literary” fiction, which is jam packed with cardboard cutout characters and plots where nothing much ever really happens
4.  The great sex is fun to read, and so is the bad sex
5.  When Diva’s old enough for YA romance we’ll enjoy reading the same books together
6.  So many subgenres I never get bored.

Word: again69…Again with the 69? That’s so 1980s…

I really do need an iron. I assume these are things I love in good romance novels?

1) I love the guaranteed happy ending.
2) I love how they aren’t often romantic in the sense of flowers and chocolate, but in emotions.
3) I love watching people grow together as people.
4) I like the wish fulfilment. I don’t need a man who’s perfect, but I do want one who thinks I am. :)
5) I love how they’re really not all the stereotypes any more.
6) I love the variety! If I want historical, or fantasy, or erotic, I can get it.

Happy Anniversary!  and many more!

1. HEAs
2. Many of them are like fairy tales: once upon a time in Regency England/otherworld London/alternate New York City with vampires, etc…
3. Male eye candy on the covers and stepbacks (Paul Marron, Jed Hill, Nathan Kamp, etc.).
4. Okay, the women are pretty, too.
5. Loves scenes from the man’s point of view because real guys aren’t that talkative or emotionally descriptive about that.
6. Asking my boyfriend about sex scenes: “is this really possible?”

Happy 6th Anniversary!!!
I have way more then 6 reasons to love romance novels, but here are my top 6:
1. Get taken away into another time, another life, another world
2. Reading them helps remind me that passion is so necessary in my life
3. Feel the excitement of the first touch, kiss, sexual encounter all over again with each novel
4. Let’s my imagination spill over into my real romantic life
5. Always a happy ending…who doesn’t like that?
6. The men are usually so incredibly sexy, it’s nice to picture them naked…yes, I said it, naked
Again, congrats on the 6 years. Here’s to another 6!!!

I love:
1. the moment when the hero realizes he loves her
2. the support by and for women that is inherent in the romance writing world
3. the magnificent writing and world building of people like Joanna Bourne, Nalini Singh, Mary Balogh etc.  Too many writers to name!
4. the superiority complex I have from being a romance reader - I mean, let’s face it, we’re just better.
5. the slow unfolding of a relationship
6. having promiscuous sex the safe way - through a book!  LOL.

1.  Sexy men
2.  Strong women
3.  Escape from the mundane chores of laundry and cooking
4.  Love the settings (beach, mts., jungle, small town)
5.  Overcoming something
6.  Happy Endings!

Congrats on the 6 years - and here’s to at least 60 more!!

1. The alpha menz
2. Stories that suck you in and make your heart ache.
3. You learn new euphemisms for genetalia
4. Laughing out loud over funny scenes and rereading them over and over again and laughing some more.
5. The excited feeling you get when you buy the book you’ve been waiting for on the release date.
6. The HEA. Who doesn’t look forward that?

Happy Anniversary Smart Bitches!

6 reasons to read romance:

Great stories
Hot heroes
Plucky heroines
Great cars/pets/costumes/places to live
The HEA!!!!
Finding SBTB to talk about them

1. Sheer unadulterated escapism.
2. Strong women and attractive loving men.
3. S-E-X *blushes*
4. The chance to see other people find real happiness. This is rare in a world that often revels in the awful.
5. The opportunity to see inside worlds that I will never be a part of.
6. The unintentional hilarity found between the covers of many a romance novel.

1) HEA
2) the men
3) different places/times
4) the funny and/or supportive friend/sister/aunt/grandmother
5) good sex scenes
6) the men (oh, did I already say that?)

What do I love about reading romance?

Good stories, characters I can care about, a happy ending, sex, hot sex and steaming hot sex!

In that order!  =)

Happy Anniversary!
1.) Heroes that respect their woman
2.) Esacaping to another world
3.) Love over everything
4.) Sex that makes me blush
5.) Cool locales
6.) Leaving the world of work and screaming toddlers! :)

PS. My other entry didn’t show up!

Wood on any anniversary is a good thing. I’m probably the hundredth person who’s said that! Congrats on six years of SmartBitches!

Six things I love about romances:

1. The happily ever after is guaranteed even if it isn’t written or epilogued in. (Did I just make that a verb?)

2. Hot Heroes be they alpha or beta. I love ‘em all!

3. Heroines who know what they’re about from Fredrica to Annabelle and every one in between.

4. The cheapest, healthiest form of escapism anywhere.

5. Stories that stir you in more ways than one!

6. A community of readers and writers who inspire and uplift. Many who have become treasured friends.

Once again, HUZZAH!

Six things I love about romance:

1) Guarantee of a happy ending

2) Getting to revisit the heady early stages of a romance while still secure in my own committed relationship

3) Even when it’s quiet, calm, and sweet it’s never mundane.

4) Strong heroines and men secure enough to appreciate them.

5) The online romance-reading community.

6) The time-travel escape you get with a really good historical.

1. Uber-hot chemistry that leads to…
2. Uber-hot sex. Sex outside in the gardens…in the phaeton…against a wall…anywhere but the bedroom!
3. Damsels in distress.
4. Damsels *not* in distress, who can defend themselves quite effectively, thank you very much!
5. Damsels who are sharp-tongued and quick-witted, who can one-up the heroes and leave them panting for more!
6. Heroes who look great in a pair of buck-skin breeches and low-strung weapons (a-hem… guns and swords, of course!)

Congrats, and happy anniversary!

J

1. sexy alpha males.
2. smart snarky heroines
3. fabulous locations
4. engrossing plots.
5. sex
6. happy ever after
and maybe not in that order lol. but that is the way they came to mind.
scrtsbpal at yahoo dot com

First time poster long timer lurker. (that sounds wrong somehow)

My top six:

1) As a Black girl I will never be the the popular widow of the ton, but I can read about her.
2) Every once in a while I need a good laugh with an imaginary girlfriend.
3) Every once in a while I need to yell at my imaginary girlfriend for trying to confront the bad guy on her own. ( Having 6’2 200 lbs of backup is a good thing
4) I’ve never been on a horse but I love a hunky cowboy.
5) It is nice to know that most of my real life friends nor I have the messed up family hi-jinks that go on in fiction.
6) It’s nice to know somebody is getting some even if it is my imaginary friend.

Happy 6th Anniversary!!!!

1. Escapism…this is what I love about reading in general but particularly in regards to romances.

2. The HEA…you have a darn good idea there’s a happy ending, but what route is going to take you there is what keeps me reading.

3. Alpha males that have to work to get their woman…what fun is it if she just gives it up (see no. 1). Alpha’s who have to work for her are just better, plus the woman is no push over.

4. The storylines/different genres…same base different kink!

5. The loving (i.e. sex)...yes I can watch porn, but who doesn’t want to create their own images of the porn. Plus…you don’t have to worry about anyone else overhearing it.

6. The Bitchery…last but certainly not least in the 6 reasons. I typically try to research an author prior to purchasing, SBTB has made that research much easier…less research more reading!!!

-I’d actually kinda like the iron. *sheepish grin*

Romance novels celebrate WOMEN’S lives and the emotions and events that are important to WOMEN, a rare thing in our culture.

I checked and I registered here on November 27, 2005 03:25 PM! I had been coming to read here awhile before then so I’ve been along for the ride for awhile! Love the site and it just continues to improve so kudos Sarah and Candy and all the other contributors!

my list.

1. During the years when my children were young, reading romances was pretty much the only adult contact I had for long periods of time and it was ok that the stories were accompanied by the music from Barney and Sesame Street lol.

2. It takes effort to peer over the top of a book to notice the housework that needs to be done so it’s easily ignored till The End.

3.One benefit was kick ass Trivial Pursuit skills from the art and history knowledge gleaned from romance novels. Back when that game was popular I beat the CRAP out of people who thought they were sooo much smarter than me. HA!

4. Going through my divorce romance reading helped remind me that all men aren’t assholes. Kinda.

5. The simple pleasure of reading a passage of a book that reminds me of my youth or of some other happy memory. There’s been a couple that actually gave me goose bumps they were so accurate and nostalgic.

6. Sharing. Having my mom or a friend hand me a book and tell me they know I’d like it. And me reading a book that I can’t wait to pass on to someone that I know will love the book as well.

1. Characters I care about
2. Witty banter
3. Falling in love vicariously
4. Heroines that take what they want without being a bitch about it
5. Sexual tensions
6. Happy endings

1) Smokin’ hot storylines with hot chemistry and even hotter sex!
2) The fact that romance covers practically all genres—comedy, drama, paranormal, suspense, historical, thrillers, even horror—there really is something for every taste.
3) Richly-drawn heroes and heroines who embody fantasies but still manage to feel realistic and down-to-earth.
4) Crackling, witty, and heartfelt dialogue—romantic comedy screenwriters should turn to romance more often to find their inspiration, b/c the crap they’re putting on the screen isn’t cutting it too often!
5) Real emotional impact—it’s a rare romance that can’t evoke SOME measure of feeling from a reader, be it tears, laughter, or even disgust.
6) Most romances are relatively quick and easy reads, so you can devour several of them in a week! (At least, I do!)

Really—what’s NOT to love??

1) The Calgon experience (“Take me away”)
2) The adventure
3) The laughter and the tears
4) The flutter of anticipation
5) The hero grovel
6) The sigh at the end.

Bonus thing 7) The total lack of Hello Kitty Vibrators

Happy Anniversay.

My Six Things:
1. HEA is a big part. Beging able to read across the genre and know whether its a contemporary or historical I’m going to be satisified at the end.
2. That there is so much to chose from in the romance genre. I can ready about dragons one day and a sexy librarian the next. Paranormal, contemporary, suspense what ever your in the mood for you can find a romance to fit your need.
3. Sexual tension. From sweet to schorching sex scenes its in there.
4. Authors. Most of the ones I have met have been so freindly.
5. Camaraderie. Do you know how many people read romance? It’s great to have something in common with people.
6. The covers. I love looking at all those bare chested men.

Thanks for being such entertaining reading. Here’s to six more years…and even more than that!

1) Hot Men
2) Women breaking societies rules to get what they want.
3) Hot sex!
4) Happy endings
5)Alpha Males (is that the same as hot men?)
6) All the misunderstandings and confusion that happens before they happy ending.

1. “Sardonic” Heroes (eyebrows, gazes, laughter, etc.) - I have only seen this word used once in a non-romance format, and I have read a shitload of stuff.

2. Tips and Pointers - I quote, “(sigh, moan) Did you learn that from your book?!”

3. Random Trivia and Knowledge - Do you know what demotic papyri are? Well, I do.

4. Life Lessons - Reading about someone else’s HEA (even if fictional) helps me figure out what I want out of life when I feel like I’m stuck in a rut.

5. Happy Endings - If I want to feel depressed I’ll watch the evening news.

6. Love - Seriously, love is powerful stuff, and all of the awesome karmic sauce that pours out of it brightens up my day.

6. Female protagonists who don’t exist solely to die and motivate the hero to heroic deeds.
5. Light, accessible prose that doesn’t stand in front of the plot and scream, “ZOMG, CLEVER METAPHORS, I HAZ THEM!”
4. The wide variety of themes, plots and sub-genres.
3. The passionate online discussions about said themes, plots and sub-genres.
2. The strong character relationship focus.
1. The knowledge that no matter what, no matter how sadistic the author is with her characters in the middle of the book, this book will end happily.

Don’t enter me in the contest, but I wanted to share my answers.

Six things I love about Romance:
1) The HEA—no matter how bad it gets, I know it’s going to come out all right. I get enough examples of the opposite IRL and in other reading.
2) The fantastic on line community of smart people who discuss the reading I love
3) The emotion a really fine writer can evoke
4) Reminders that men can be caring and loving, too.
5) The reminder that things traditionally thought to belong to women are worthy of respect
6) Being swept away.

(I’m not entering the giveaway, so I’m only posting one reason instead of six.)

Truly—and I’m not kissing up, I swear—my favorite thing about reading romance is this here hot pink palace of Bitchery. I lurk a lot more than I post, but I’ve been hanging around here, reading every single post (and most of the comments) since sometime in 2007. I love it here. The Bitchery is filled with such smart, interesting, funny people—it makes my day to come here and see what’s happening. I love you guys SO MUCH.

So, uh, how ‘bout those [insert sports team here]?

Happy Anniversary! Love what you’re doing here….much luck for the future.

1. Women have small boobs but none of the men are less than perfectly endowed.
2. No roaches
3. get to have sex in different locales without leaving your area code
4. No commitments required; I can always return books back to the library
5. Fall in love 7-8 times a week
6. Get to laugh during sex and no one is offended

Congrats again.

1.  Escapism
2.  Humor
3.  Romance (the swoony kind)
4.  Interesting settings (even if it takes place someplace normally mundane, it’s interesting because it’s in the book)
5.  Time consuming (yes, I really like that aspect!)
6.  DUH, the sexy parts!

Thanks for the contest and Happy Anniversary!

1. Empowered female characters, going after what they want in a relationship and getting it.

2. Characters who see each other as equal partners, creating a relationship that is good for both of them.

3. A variety of settings (place and time, history and fantasy).

4. Families that come in all shapes and sizes; a diversity of types.

5. Authors who get me, as a reader, and who are often quite amazing people above and beyond the books they write.

6. Being part of a diverse, interesting community of readers with whom I can discuss these terrific books. That never happened to me until I came back to reading romance.  It happened here first, for which I will always be grateful to SBs Sarah and Candy!

Escape, adventure, watching how love creates changes in the characters, having all my friends ask me for recommendations—secretly (while little do they know everyone else has done the same,) discussing books on smart bitches, and having my belief reaffirmed that LOVE CONQUERS ALL!!!

The six things I love about reading romance novels:

The comfort of knowing it all works out
The fun of imagining the different settings
The laugh out loud bits (in the dialogue and the sex)
The hot, sexy bits (in the dialogue and the sex)
The ease of immersion
The knowledge that there’s always another one to be read!

Thanks, Bitches.

You know, I could actually use ALL of those things. I don’t have an iron, I love chocolate covered cherries, my pocket vibe broke a while ago and I haven’t replaced it, and I MAKE DIORAMAS. Really!

Six things I love about reading romance novels:

1. Seeing how authors can stay within the genre and yet do SO MUCH anyway.
2. Stumbling on a feminist idea (like, yes, the heroine IS creeped out or annoyed by something the hero does, and she knows she has a right to feel that way), especially when I’m not expecting it from a particular author.
3. How comforting good romances are.
4. Knowing that there are so many women (and some men) all the way around the world reading romances.
5. I love reading about competent, responsible people finding happiness, and there’s a lot of that in romance novels.
6. The emotions: I love how romance novels make me laugh, squeal, tear up, and sigh.

I could go on but you just asked for six!

I think we’re all saying the same things.
What I love about romance novels:

1. happy endings
2. escaping my life
3. living out a fantasy (hot Scotsmen and Navy SEALS)
4. it makes me feel good
5. easy to read - they’re fast reads for me and I rarely put one down before I’m done reading
6. they make me feel something, well the good ones at least

1. Seeing all the marvelous variations on the theme of romance, from werewolves to Regency (not to mention the Werewolf Regency, of which I think there have been some already).

2. Enjoying the journey of the hero and heroine (for us breeder types, anyway) toward happiness through all the obstacles (real ones, not Too Stupid To Live Ones, and yes, I mean YOU, Forever Amber).

3. Enjoying it when the author gets the history right (Roberta Gellis, hail to thee!).

4. Moments that make the heart sing (the thousand cranes in THE SHADOW AND THE STAR, Herbert the bull running loose in LESSONS IN FRENCH. Why, yes, I _am_ a Laura Kinsale fan. However did you guess?).

5. Humor when it’s done right (THE MAD MISS MATHLEY by Michelle Martin, many Regency farces such as AN AFFAIR OF INTEREST by Barbara Metzger).

6. Happily Ever After. If I want real life horror, I’ll read the newspaper, or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (still have a grudge over Snape dying and Lucius Malfoy walking free as bird? Ya think?). But with romances, you know that the people you love will come out all right, one way or another, even if not on earth. (sobbed like a child over ONE PERFECT ROSE, though I will admit that the Noble Child Misplaced at Birth and Raised as a Commoner is a tad, um, old after a while. What _does_ happen when a noble falls in love with a commoner, anyway? Ans. emigrate to the States or Australia where they don’t care, but you rarely see this solution being brought up—it’s too easy to bring in the Kidnapped by Gypsies routine).

But I love romance anyway.

1 -  The (almost always) guaranteed HEA.

2 -  A way to escape from whatever and/or whomever I don’t want to deal with IRL.

3 - The chance to “traveL” all over the world.

4 - The opportunity to learn something new.

5 - The plethora of blogs that are dedicated soley to the romance genre

6 -  I heart smut!  ;-)

Anti-spam word :  clear69

1.A great storyline
2.HEA
3.Hot love scenes
4.Likable side characters
5.Smart women
6.Getting lost in the pages of a great book.
Happy Anniversary!

Six things I love about reading romance novels:

1.  Guaranteed happy endings.
2.  The variety within the genre.
3.  Well-researched historicals that make me feel as if I’ve traveled back in time.
4.  Discussing them with friends.
5.  The entertaining escapism they provide.
6.  Discovering terrific authors.

Happy Anniversary!