Behold, the excitement! I am containing myself to one exclamation point (not including the title) and that was it. Please appreciate my restraint, here.
I have A Pile Of ARCs to give away of my October book, Everything I Know About Love, I Learned from Romance Novels, which so very, very many of you helped create.
From the depths of the box on my dining room table currently being fought over by my cats, I have 10 shiny copies to giveaway.
But that is Not All.
This book is all about the lessons we’ve learned from reading romance novels, and it includes stories from romance readers and authors. My goal with this book was to show that the romance community is filled with incredibly smart and thoughtful readers and writers, and to put to rest the tired idea that romances create unrealistic expectations of love, relationships and sex. Romances, as many of us know, are more often a road map of What To Do and What Not To Do in real life relationships.
So many people contributed, and so very many people went above and beyond to make suggestions and provide stories and lessons learned that this book really isn’t about the genre so much as it is about the women who read and write romance, and how much we have learned from our favorite books. Therefore just giving away the ARC isn’t really enough.
Here’s my plan. Leave a comment and please tell me the one romance novel you want to recommend above all others to someone who hasn’t tried the genre (yes, just one) (yes, I suck) and you are entered to win.
What can you win? Awesome stuff!
Ten winners will be picked at random and each winner will receive an ARC of Everything I Know About Love, I Learned From Romance Novels (Which I refer to as “EIKAL” because there is nothing I love like a REALLY LONG TITLE, BABY, YEAH!).
The winner will also receive one of the following titles from these authors who also appear in the book:
But wait, there is still more. I have 10 copies of a special Jennifer Crusie omnibus edition that contains both Bet Me and Welcome to Temptation in one book – and each winner will receive a copy of that book, too. Each of these authors, plus many many more, appear in the book, providing stories and advice or landing a spot on one of the recommended reading lists in the book.
There will be more chances to win, do not worry. I’m giving away 10 here, and a few on Goodreads and on Twitter. (Any possible giveaways on Facebook will have to be random like a semi-drunk fairy landing on the keyboard and highlighting someone’s comment by chance while I’m half-looking at the screen to stay in line with the Facebook Terms of Service. Then I have to contact the winners by semaphore with hot pink flags while facing the eastern skyline.)
Standard disclaimers apply: I’m not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Do not wear a pelisse in the rain. Stirrups are required, but boots are optional. We’ll sell you the whole seat but you’ll only need the edge. Stripes and plaid are rarely a positive fashion statement.
Comments will be open until noon on Friday, 20 May, and I will announce the winners then. Contest is open to international readers, and since my stats indicate no readers in Greenland, if someone enters from Greenland and wins I’ll send them extra stuff. Come on, Greenland!
Honesty time: I am enormously proud of this book, and humbled by the number of people who shared how much their romances mean to them, and how valuable romances have been in their lives. This book wouldn’t be what it is without the authors and readers who contributed, so I can’t send out the ARC by itself. It has to have company.
I’ve recommended a whole host of authors’ novels based on a n00b’s preference for historical (Elizabeth Hoyt, Courtney Milan, or Meredith Duran) or contemporary (Jill Shalvis or Julie James) or paranormal (Kresley Cole, Nalini Singh, or Meljean Brook) or suspense (Roxanne St. Claire)…but the best all-around, ease-you-into-it book that comes to mind is Nora Roberts’ Vision in White, the first in her recent Bride Quartet series.
But gosh, asking us to pick one was just cruel, Sarah!
If it is for someone I know, the book would depend on who the recommendation was for. Having said that, I have NO IDEA! 😀
hmmmm I think I’ll go with Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie. Srsly one of the best books ever.
Hmmm…I really, really loved the Samaria series by Sharon Shinn. Can’t tell you how many people I forced to listen as I rhapsodized about her world-building. Quite cool.
pay27: I’ve paid more than that, smartie-pants.
I hope this isn’t cheating, because it’s really four books in one, but Nora Roberts’ Quinn Brothers quartet is my all time favourite, especially book 4, Chesapeake Blue. I lost count long ago of the number of people I’ve recommended that series to.
Definitely “Fast Women” by Jennifer Crusie. That was actually my entree into contemporary romance (previously, I’d only read historicals). A heroine who wasn’t 20? Who’d been married before? Who had a grown kid?? AND she has sex with not-the-hero prior to jumping *his* bones??? I was speechless (with delight), and immediately went out and bought up every Crusie I could find. Rock on!
This comment thread is awesome. I love seeing many of my favourite books and authors recommended, like anything by Nora Roberts (can’t go wrong) and Gabaldon’s Outlander, which is just such a rich, detailled, interesting story.
My recommendation is His At Night by Sherry Thomas. I laughed, I love her way of writing, which feels relevant. I adore her complicated and conflicted characters. I love that the lead is a spy whose cover is the guise of an idiot. They’re not the typical historical romance, and I find them interesting. Plus, so fun!
The Jewels of Tessa Kent by Judith Krantz
Can’t wait to read the book! 🙂
Gosh, so many to choose from….from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, to anything by Jennifer Crusie-funny! Nora Roberts never disappoints though I am still working my way through her stuff. Shelley Laurenston’s shifter series. I know it’s not simply romance but paranormal, but they’re hilarious-just finished re-reading all of them after finishing her latest.
I didn’t really have anyone recommend a novel to me. It was more of me seeking out quality reads through various sites, including this one. I remember that I started with Nora Roberts, because (sadly) hers was the only name that rang a bell. I started looking at any/all Best of or Top … and that’s when I picked up SEP, and then THIS ONE, by Jennifer Crusie, probably the most mentioned(?) in this post, BET ME. I whole-heartedly endorse this book. There’s so many little things to love in this book, like the chicken marsala, Sondheim, doughnuts, wedding cake, Elvis and Elvis, snowglobes; the moments (I keep reverting to the food, hahaha), the clever banter, and the funny, flawed, and oh-so-real people that populated this book. The enjoyment I had while reading this book, the way I personally connected with and cheered for this lively, witty and lovable groups of friends (and even the non-friends), and how the whole entire book is a romance dedicated to the blossoming relationship of our lovely couple … there’s no doubt that Cal and Min’s story of love is indelibly imprinted on my mind. I would love for other readers to have this kind of fantastic experience and hopefully, when they do chance it, they would respond to it as well, if not as strongly. 🙂
Have used Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I to convert many a first-timer (that’s my official answer), but I always include a McNaught and a Crusie to round out the “beginner trifecta.”
Congratulations on your book!
Congratulations on the book, Sarah!
As many others have said, picking just one book is killer. I’m going to go with Nalini Singh’s Slave to Sensation since I’ve already used it (twice, successfully) as an introduction to the genre.
Devil’s Cub, it’s a must read for regency enthusiasts and it teaches you that shooting somebody can make them love you.
I can’t wait to read this book!! So happy for you!
It is cruel, Sarah, to make us only choose one each. I have nearly 800 books in my personal library and over half of those are romances, and that’s after I sold a bunch to Half Price Books!
Congratulations on the book! I, too, love the cover. If I don’t win then I will sadly have to wait until grad school is over before I can buy another book, but I will definitely buy it eventually!
Ok, if I had to choose one book to introduce romance novels with it would have to be…. Educating Caroline by Meg Cabot. I’ve loved all of Meg Cabot’s old romances but this one was my favorite and it was definitely one of the first true romances I ever read.
Congrats on your new book, can’t wait to read it!
I’d definitely recommend the book that hooked me into giving the romance genre a chance. It was Katie MacAlister’s Corset Diaries. I used to tease my mother relentlessly over her stacks of romance novels with their cheesy covers. Though when I finally moved out on my own with my husband a few weeks before our wedding, I had no cable hooked up yet and not much unpacked and walked down to the local drug store and found a copy. I studied Broadcasting in college and was a nerd for all things reality tv and when I read the back blurb about a reality TV show I was hooked. I couldn’t put the book down and it was laugh out loud funny. Such a pleasant surprise, it’s a great book for newbies to try out!
I think Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale is a good introductory romance novel for anyone who has been in a “forbidden” relationship with someone from outside their social class or status group.
I tried writing all my great reasons for my opinion, but couldn’t keep it under a million words, so I’ll just leave it at that.
I loved your first book, Beyond Heaving Bosoms. I have learned that the romance community is so generous and caring, plus that we have so many talented people. Not to mention when tragedy strikes, we all come together and do what we can to help each other.
I really, really would like a copy of this book.
I add my congratulations to a book we so need – I dropped in today because a friend compared internet porn addiction with “the unrealistic relationship expectations romance novels give women – ‘where are my flowers?’” and I needed a dose of reason.
I echo recommendations for Crusie and SEP, and was glad to see one of my favourite enduring couples – Elizabeth Peters’ Emerson and Peabody – mentioned.
However, it’s a close race for me between Bujold’s Shards of Honour and Brockmann’s SEAL series, starting with book 3 (Over the Edge) because it’s so layered, and the series is so well written that reading a little out of order doesn’t ruin it. Forced to chose one I pick the latter, only because some people have anti-SF biases as strong as thei anti-romance preconceptions. Unless I tried to tackle both prejudices at once…
Holy cats! You need an affiliate link on EVERY COMMENT! I just added 7 books to my digital TBR pile.
ok. my current goto pick is Loretta Chase’s Lord Perfect.
and can I say, I am so thrilled for you! I can’t wait to read this book. I love that your post is *beaming* with pride. well done!
With me, it always comes back to Judith McNaught. I would have to recommend the book that got me into romance novels in the first place (I stole it from my mom’s bookshelf when I was like 13), Almost Heaven.( I will also always have a soft spot for Whitney, My Love, because how often do you have a weird heroine named whitney?)
It’s a tie between Lord of Scoundrels and Bet Me (both of my respective copies are currently on loan to romance newbies). But if I had to choose I’d say Bet Me.
I just recently found this blog (hallelujah!), and want to say congratulations on the book, and thanks for the chance of the giveaway! Just reading the comments make me look forward to putting together my summer reading list when graduate school reading is put aside for a while.
My pick would likely be Naked in Death, by J.D. Robb, since I think it’s a series that can be approached by all genders, and mystery lovers, without making them think too hard about the fact that really, it’s a romance.
I think Gabaldon’s Outlander makes a great romance starter book. You get sucked into the adventure…and then into a whole lot of Jamie.
Flowers From The Storm by Laura Kinsale.
They are real human flawed characters. Not picture perfect cookie cutter people. She is a quaker, he’s debauched nobleman that has a serious medical condition. How they both change and grow and their families around them. It’s a romance with a twist. One of my all time favorites!
I’d have to say “After the Night” by Linda Howard. It has well developed characters that are identifiable and real. It has captivating mystery and emotion. Its just a great read.
Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
I can’t decide just one favorite, so I’ll just list the last one I read (re-read actually) Nalini Singh’s Angels Blood.
And I just have to add that my word is SERVICES69—awsome.
Congrats 🙂 Hmm one book that I would recommend above all others? Oh, too many to name…I think I’d recommend Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips because it’s hilarious and has a memorable opening line and the characters are very strong. Not to mention amazing secondary characters that don’t fade as the book goes along.
OMG just ONE book???? Eeek!
Okay, I’m going to say Nora Roberts’ Carolina Moon. It has it all. Some humor, good mystery, sexy hero, strong heroine, family drama, a happy ending, and, most importantly, a great dog. LOL.
For a first-time romance reader, I’d recommend Anne Stuart’s Prince of Swords. A dark anti-hero and a pragmatic heroine who cuts him no slack—it’s a match made in heaven and a beautifully believable romance with fabulous characters. Still, after all these years and many titles later, one of my all time favorites.
Without knowing anything about the person I’d be recommending for, I would probably go for Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie. Because nobody doesn’t like Jennifer Crusie.
Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz. It is in many ways perfect.
The book choice would naturally be tailored to the person, so I have a long mental list, but to conform w/ Sarah’s rule, the one I would pick … at least for this particular moment and hypothetical person… would be Nora’s Northern Lights. Just because.
Diane 🙂
When I was a freshman in high school, I read “Midnight Warrior” by Iris Johansen. I fell in love with it…the drama, the magic, the trust issues, the love and the sex…oh, the sex. It was amazing, and it has held up. I have gone through three copies, and I just recently purchased another. I can still, at 28 years old, read and enjoy this one. It is my favorite. I love it so much…still!
I would recommend ‘Bet Me’ by Jennifer Crusie. I love love love it!
I got my friend who was a bit meh about reading romance to read it and she loved it, so now I’m slowly working her through all my Crusie.
I thought about it, and SEP Fancy Pants would be my recommendation. Though Nora Roberts reigns as Romance writer extrodinare, SEP I think actually captures several tropes and does it well in that book. The ‘Princess who lost everything” , Bad Boy who just can’t get a break, the discovery of self through working a dead end job, The ex-wife who is not a b*(*h but best friend, the ‘tragic event’
that destroyed marriage number 1, Secret pregnancy, Brilliant child confused parent, and child who outshines parent but hides it…all good tropes and done so well in that one book.
Speaking of books done well, Congrats! on yours!…it shall be my nook purchase of the month!
This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Heartbreaking and hilarious, Tragic and tangy, this book has IT ALL!
annfesATyahooDOTcom
Yet another nomination for Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer. It was my first Heyer and a book that still makes me snort with laughter (as opposed to laughing outloud, which my mother reminds me is unladylike). It has mistaken identity, duels, family meddling and a heroine who shoots the hero. Plus, once this book is finished there are still many more by Heyer to start . . .
Heartless by Mary Balogh. If pressed, I’d have to say that’s my favourite.
Congrats Sarah! 🙂
Hooray for the new book!!!
My go-to book for any non-romance readers is The Summer of You by Kate Noble. I usually start out by saying that it was the best book I read in 2010 to hook them, talk about the wonderful themes (such as responsibility to family), then slip in that it’s also a very moving romance.
congrats on the new book, Sarah! I can’t wait to read it.
My recommendation: Sea Swept, because Nora Roberts is awesome, because the Chesapeake Bay series is one of her best series and, particularly, because I love the Quin men – IMO they are among the most memorable romance heroes out there.