Today marks the Sixth Anniversary of this here hot pink website. Our first review was posted January 30, 2005 – a review of Sharon Shinn’s Angel-Seeker. Wow, huh? I’m sort of shocked and amazed and ready to party!
The official gifts of the Sixth Anniversary are… wait, don’t have anything liquid in your mouth, ok? … iron, candy, and WOOD.
Oh, this is going to be fun. It’s giveaway time! To celebrate our sixth anniversary, I’m giving away the following prizes:
That’s 4lbs of chocolate covered cherries, an iron, a 5lb bag of wood, and a Hello Kitty vibrator (a much better substitute for the wood, because it’s woody-like).
All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me six things you love about reading romance novels, and you’re entered to win. Standard disclaimers apply. Void where prohibited by law. I ship internationally when possible. Take your shoes off. Wash your hands. Any resemblance to iron wood made of candy is completely coincidental. No chocolate was harmed in the creation of this contest.
You have 48 hours to leave a comment, and I’ll select the winners at random. I know you all want that iron, right? RIGHT? Right. Of course!
Happy Sixth Anniversary to us – thank you for being here to make the site as fun and fantastic as it is. I’m so glad to know you visit every day to talk romance, man titty, and general mayhem.
6 fav things about romance novels? Piece of cake:
1) Staying up past midnight because I just HAVE to know that everything will work out and hero/heroine will live HEA
2) Knowing that there will always BE a HEA
3) Man Titty
4) Ridiculously good dialogue and witty reparte
5) Hot, hot, makes me want to wake up hubby we we can try something, sex scenes
6) Even when they’re bad, there’s almost always some redeemable content. And if not, I can bitch about it here or settle for mental mockery
1. Learning new euphemisms.
2. Scandalizing random hipster douchebags in coffee shops.
3. Being reminded of my own past romantic encounters.
4. Getting inspired to write said past romantic encounters down.
5. That moment in some great romance novels where it gets so good you have to slam the book shut for a moment and exclaim out loud.
6. The validation of my firmly held belief that just in being yourself, you’ll captivate an un-gettable guy who’ll be ruined for life for anyone but you.
Happy 6th Anniversary!
Best things about romance novels for me:
1) Escapism factor – reality is highly overrated sometimes:)
2) Stories that take me to different times & places without leaving home!
3) Drool-worthy guys!
4) I always get my HEA ending that real life sometimes doesn’t give us!
5) Hawt sex scenes (hawt covers are nice too!)
6) Warm fuzzies I get reading a story where everything just comes together at the end for the Hero/heroine regardless of all the obstacles (see above mentioned overrated reality)
1. The chance to escape
2. The love with a sprinkling of sex
3. The sex with a sprinkling of love
4. Strong characters
5. Engrossing plots
6. And like so many have said, the HEA
1) Escapism, pure and simple. 2) Validation that spunky, smart-assed women have a place in this world and that 3) there are smart-assed men out there that appreciate them. 4) There is no dialogue like the fights, flirts, and fussing of two people in love. 5) The historical elements. I love the clothes best. Lastly, 6) they make my heart go pitter-pat.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!
Six things I love about romance novels… eternal happy endings, learning new and interesting ways/places to do the dirty, finding out new and descriptive ways to describe the dirty, escape from reality, being able to shock people when I happily admit that I read “bodice-rippers,” and the discussions that result from aforementioned admissions.
1. Love overcomes adversity.
2. Love overcomes ill health.
3. Love overcomes poverty.
4. Love overcomes separation.
5. All you need is love.
6. At the end of the book, I feel better about life, work, family, friends, and everything than I did when I started.
1. They’re a portable means of escape
2. The knowledge that there’s a happy ending somewhere
3. Usually cheaper than a movie for hours more of entertainment
4. A warm, generous community of romance readers and writers
5. Learning about history in a fun totally painless way
6. Just plain fun!
Happy anniversary!
1. The HEA
2. The Creativity
3. The Fun
4. The ‘OMG I love you!’ moment
5. The ‘OMG You love me? Awesome!’ moment
6. Badguys, usually, get their comeuppance
OMG, I think this is the best giveaway evah! Too funny. Hmmm, 6 things I love about reading romance novels…
1) the wonderful escapism
2) the hot, steamy sex…even when it’s only implied
3) the assurance that there will be a happy ending
4) love triumphing over all…especially the eeeevil, back-stabbing bitches and bastards who try to keep the hero and heroine apart
5) cheering for the underdog who become the surprise sensation of the season
6) knowing that even if the book sucks, I’ll get entertainment from mocking it with y’all
1) Reading only for enjoyment, not for school or literary self-improvement.
2) The great sex scenes.
3) The horrible sex scenes.
4) The addictiveness of the happily ever after.
5) The loving snark of fellow romance readers.
6) Totally pwning people who mock my reading material with cunning arguments gleaned from years reading Smart Bitches.
Things I love about Romance Novels:
1. HEA ends
2. Series, I just love romance novels series for some reason.
3. Any mood I am in to read be it mystery, western, sci-fi, fantasy, historical to time traveling Vikings there is a book in whatever genre I am in the mood for in Romance.
4. Romance authors have always been some of the coolest authors to meet in person even impressed my husband enough to read one of her books.
5. Sex scenes (I doubt I have to explain further)
6. Some of the best characters ever.
I have so many more reasons but for the 6th anniversary these are my top ones. Happy 6th and here is hoping for several more years.
1) Love
2) Written by women
3) Written for women
4) Knowing, like you just can’t in life, that there will be a HEA
5) Sex
6) and Love, again
ohh!!! happy 6th Annie!!!!
now my 6 favorite things about Romance in random order
6.The WORK (From the begining an idea starts to grow… all the way to taking the time to hit every yard sale within an 1hrs. drive cause the you have read a book to peices and it out of print!!)
5. The COVERS (How found you all so best thing ever!)
4. The WORDS ( I can never hear the words Weeping, Twinkies and many others.I have and will laugh like a Loon. Also if I or Anyone else says “Stay” My mind adds on “-For the Man Titty”)
3. The TBR (HaBo has turned My TBR pile to so many I could make a book case outof books)
2. The DEDICATION (Of fans of Romance to read what thay love and love what thay read. Or to Bitch about what thay don’t so everyone can laugh right-along with them
1. The LOVE (HOT!!! Sex, AWW Cuddling, Or “THE KISS. FINALY.”
THE END/ FIN /HAPPILY EVER AFTER…………………….)
AND My Capcha I kid you not
firm77 Thanks to Romance I know 77 ways to describe the firn weeping manhood of many an Alpha Male.
Happy, Happy!
I’m a lit major, so I read lots of heavy duty, intensive and, in most cases, depressing stuff. I love romance novels because they are the opposite. I don’t have to wonder or worry about the end. I know that no one will be murdered or kill themselves or wander off alone into the distance. It’s comforting in the sea of books that I swim in daily, to know that there is a genre that will uplift and guarantee a happy ending where the good get rewarded and the bad get their just desserts.
I totally love this site! From reviews to great advice, it just keeps getting better (and it doesn’t hurt that you give away prizes/great books too). Happy anniversary.
1.I love historical romance and the way you can actually learn while reading “trashy” books
2. The look on people’s faces when I tell them I know things because of romance novels
3. They give me courage to believe that love does always find a way
4. Finding female role models who own their sexuality and enjoy having sex.
5. The immediate escape from the world.
And of course…..
6. THE MAN TITTY!
Here are my six reasons:
1. HEA
2, They’re fun
3. Takes me away from my everyday life (read boring)
4. Great Heroes/Heroines
5. All kinds of genres, so there is something for everyone
6. They bring out all kinds of emotion in me: weepy, happy,etc.
Happy 6th Anniversary!
1) Love the heros
2) HEA
3) Great escape
4) Love the witty dialogue
5) Variety within the genre
6) Can I mention the heros again?
Happy sixth anniversary! May there be many more anniversaries to come 🙂
Six Things I Like About Romance:
1) The fact that the heroes are always decent blokes (not that I’m bitter about my evil exes or anything *cough*)
2) The names are really entertaining, in a slightly trainwrecky kind of way. Most people I know have normal names, like David and Sarah. Not romance heroes/heroines.
3) The highly entertaining descriptions of sex and orgasm. As I dabble in writing myself, I heartily sympathise with those trying to work out the words to describe it…but it doesn’t make any of the weird descriptions any less weird or less entertaining!
4) The covers. There’s a few good ones (or at least inoffensive ones, like when they do a landscape cover or a flower on the cover), but – as proven by the SBTB cover snark, there’s a LOT of very funny ones.
5) The stories. Despite my poking fun at a number of elements of romance novels, I do love the stories, and the fact that there’s always a HEA.
6) The fact that the romance genre was responsible for this blog! This honestly is one of my favourite blogs – where else would one find serious discussions of society and the impact of romance novels mixed with man titty and blue fart gas covers?
Happy Anniversary!
1. There’s almost always a happy ending.
2. The chemistry between the lead characters.
3. The hot men.
4. The clothing descriptions.
5. The situations you know almost never happen in real life.
6. No matter how bad your day was, you can escape into a romance novel and feel better.
I can’t believe it’s been 6 years. It seems like I’ve been following for much longer. Congrats! What I love: the sex, the escape, historical descriptions, lead characters that rock, some whitty banter, and your reviews on this blog!!
Is it wrong that I actually DO want that iron?
I read Regencies almost exclusively, so…1) being able to imagine a world in which I wouldn’t have to work a lick, ever.
2) Dropping fully into another world if the writing and research are good—or not, if they aren’t. (Either is an enjoyable exercise.)
3) Following familiar-ish characters through a series. I love picking up on a secondary character’s story later on.
4) Lawful marital congress. Sacred man/wife intimacy. Also, sitting it sideways in a carriage. (Mind the velvet squabs, now!)
5) Finding this community and throwing off my shaaaaaame at being a smart person who reads those kind of books.
6) The comfort of knowing mostly how a story is going to go, and the ultimate happy ending.
Thanks for all you bitches do here. I love this site and its readers.
SITTING it sideways? Jaysus.
Hitting. HITTING it sideways. And scorpion-style.
1. HEA’s
2. multiple orgasms. EVERY SINGLE TIME SEX OCCURS!
3. magic hoo-ha’s. Every girl needs one.
4. the hero is always handsome and washboard abs are required
5. the hero always takes care of his woman
6. (based on items 1-5) giving me the ability to completely suspend disbelief!
1. HEA’s & HFN’s
2. Learning new words for sexual organ’s Example: “Lady Softness” (snort, haha)
3. Alpha males, gotta love ‘em. Nom nom nom.
4. Escapism. No matter how sucky my life is, I can always trust my kindle books to take me to my happy place.
5. The variety. No matter how many romances you read you will always find another that is completely different from all the others you’ve read.
6. Love. IRL I still doubt that this exists, but in my stories it’s there and it feels tangible. I can immerse myself in the emotions of the characters and believe.
1. Happy endings – I get too stressed out if I don’t know that the characters are going to be together in the end. Knowing that it will all work out means I can concentrate on how the author gets me there.
2. Historical romance – I love when they get the history right. I don’t mind too much when the author gets small things wrong. If I can’t get through the 1st chapter without cringing, I don’t read the book. Hey, I know how it’s going to end anyhow.
3. Hot men.
4. Snappy dialog between people who are attracted to each other but haven’t (yet) hooked up.
5. Finding a heroine I can relate to.
6. Finishing a really good book and then reading it again for the “good scenes.”
1. Escapism
2. Hot sex
3. Hot men
4. Happy ending
5. Fantasizing about escaping to a place where I have hot sex with a hot man and get a happy ending (ha).
6. Shocking people with my duality of smut-love and a Ph.D.
Hey, you guys share my birthday! (that’s so cool)
1. Escapism from my boring life
2. HEAs… if I can’t find one for myself, at least I can read about it
3. Getting caught up in a story
4. Talking about books (read heros) with my friends
5. Dashing off to far off places, daring sword fights, a prince in disguise…
6. Finding a book and characters I absolutely love to read about over and over and over again.
1. The opportunity to take 10 minutes and be somewhere completely different.
2. The way they make me laugh
3. The HEA’s
4. The swoon-worthy moments
5. Quotable dialogue
In no order of importance:
1. Fun, sharp heroines
2. Really cheesy euphemisms
3. Giggle-worthy moments
4. Interesting plot lines
5. Escapism
6. I work with kids, and I like the chance to have something grown-up to occupy my down time even when surrounded by minors
1. My friends write them, and I love to support them.
2. The locations are GREAT. I love exotic locales!
3. Lots of romance novels are historicals, and I dote on ‘em.
4. Romance novels cross over into so many other wonderful genres I love, SF, mystery, etc. I can get two fixes at once!
5. I rarely read a romance with a true bummer of an ending. There’s always a glimmer of hope.
6. Strong women and interesting men.
6. Learning new vocabulary words.
5. Picking up new items of interest, like historical events/people/places, to spend time with on Wikipedia.
4. When I’m reading, I’m not out putting more money on my credit cards.
3. Reading romance led me into my two professional careers.
2. Having a huge community to talk about the good and the bad of the genre and using romance as a jumping off point to develop deep and long-lasting friendships with them.
1. Getting the opportunity to spend time in other people’s minds 😀
1. HEAs
2. The tasty sex
3. Flexible reading – 1 chapter, 20 minutes, 5 hours: they always fit my schedule
4. The covers!!!
5. The inexpensive travel opportunities: any time any place for less that $10
6. Where else will I read about a hunky viking trying to evade a randy she whale?
1. Short and Quick
2. *sniff* happy endings!
3. chance to live vicariously through other people
4. Ridiculous sex
5. Reading them led me to THIS lovely site
6. Covers that don’t match the characters.
I found one last night. Cover: toned Adonis in restless sleep next to sylph-like woman with long blond tresses. Characters: 2 tall, sexy Spanish men who are brothers. Main female is…short. Not curvatious. BLACK, SHORT hair. All I can think is that either the couple on the cover is the younger brother (freddy) and his girlfriend (who IS the cover wench), or for some reason, Caesar is sleeping with his brothers wife after she has her baby…‘cause she’s pregnant throughout the book. Very strange.
1.) Experiencing a new exotic locations
2.) Happily Ever Afters
3.) Falling just a little bit in love with every hero 😉
4.) sex!
5.) Hilarious Dialogue
6.) This site
Happily-ever-after
Relatable heroines
Alpha heroes
Sexxin’
Cowboys
Weird historical tidbits
1.) Getting lost in the world the author creates
2.) HEA’s
3.) Cross over romance/sci fi or romance/mystery
4.) The Characters, of course
5.) Amazing men loving intelligent women
6.) always a fun read, even if its because I’m making fun of the book!
Happy Six Years!
Well, you asked for it, so here goes (in no particular order):
1) They’re emotionally satisfying. I’m left with a smile on my face, even if I’ve shed a few tears/had my heart broken on the way to the HEA.
2) I learn stuff. About history, women’s issues, why diamonds are so damn expensive, cooking tips, whathaveyou, a well-researched romance will help with my next game of Trivial Pursuit. (I also learned how to read while walking. So romances are the reason I spread hilarity and astonishment around town. :-P)
3) They entertain me when I’d otherwise be bored out of my gourd. Sitting on the bus, waiting for a appointment, in line at the grocery store, waiting to get a changing room during a sale… I just whip out my paperback or ereader, and I’m good.
4) The online romance reading community, especially at SBTB.
5) As the bumper sticker says: I READ ROMANCE SO THAT I DON’T KILL PEOPLE!
6) Romances are just generally full of win. Which means they make my day better.
My top six reasons for loving romance:
1) Happily-ever-after
2) When there is a relatable heroine (my favorite is the one who’s more clumsy or accident-prone than I am)
3) Alpha heroes (not gonna lie, love me some old skool Diana Palmer)
4) Sexxin’
5) Cowboys
6) Weird historical tidbits