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.
Seriously . . . one. . . ???
CLosed my eyes and reached on to the keep shelf – came back with Welcome to Temptation by Crusie.
So excited for your new book!
Recommending only one book is quite a feat and, as other’s have said, largely depends on the person. However, a book I’ve read recently and still continues to haunt me with its glory is Broken by Megan Hart. Ms. Hart has captivated me with this book and even though it’s not as happy-go-lucky as other romances can be, it’s utterly spectacular with a HEA and I have recommended it to many people, even if I know that they don’t read that type of literature. I want them to open their minds and love this book as much as I did.
Congratulations on the new book!!!!
There are just too many good books out there (which is a *good* thing!) to select one. I agree, it depends on the reader. If it is someone who isn’t scared off by a large book – start with the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series. If it’s someone looking for a quick HEA fix, Nora Roberts’ Bridal Quartet series.
I love Ain’t She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
Don’t contain the excitement, let those exclamation points fly!!!
I would recommend Ain’t She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I could (do) re-read that one often!
This is a tough question! But, if was forced to recommend one book, I guess it would be ‘What Happens in London’ by Julia Quinn. Wonderful characters, hilarious situations, just a good time all around.
Thanks of for the awesome giveaway! I loved your last book (and like Betty Fokker, I also used it to inform some of my academic work).
As for the one book I would recommend to someone who hasn’t tried the genre, I would go with Sandra Brown’s “Texas! Chase.” Yes, it is old school, but I recently re-read it during a bout of insomnia. While it didn’t help me go to sleep any faster, it did remind me what a great book it is.
So many great books and we can only recommend one?!? OY!
One of my all time faves: Dreaming of you by Lisa Kleypas. Derek Craven and Sara Fielding…*Sigh*
I’m going to say SEP’s Aint she Sweet becos of that awesome heroine but it was really difficult to choose just one. Luckily most of my other recommendations have been mentioned by other readers.
Congratulations on the book.
I’m going to throw Summer of You by Kate Noble into the mix. I picked up this book based on a recommendation from…SBSarah (KISS UP). For reals, this book was so good – funny without being twee, sigh-inducing, and I’m pretty sure I cried at the end. I checked it out from the library and loved it so much I went out and bought a copy, which I have since re-read at least twice. And the author has a new book coming out soon so YAY.
I’d say “Cotillion” by Georgette Heyer because it is hilarious and romantic and it defies genre expectations because the heroine doesn’t end up with the hunky rake, she ends up with the “idiotic” fop and it is fabulous.
The one book I would recommend to someone who isn’t familiar with the romance genre would be “Bet Me” by Jennifer Crusie. It was the first one I read and I can’t think of a more perfect introduction.
Congrats on the book! Can’t wait to read it!
Honestly, it would be a toss-up between Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase and Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale. Those are two books I come back to time and again—the characters are so great.
1 book??? It’s definitely a Nora Roberts. And the winner is… simply because I’m in the mood to read it again is Genuine Lies.
I would have to recommend a Jennifer Crusie – probably Agnes and the Hitman. I really love a good assassin, and most of my friends do too. How can you argue with good cooking and sniper rifles?
Let me first echo everyone else by saying… “One recommendation?!”. And also “New book! Yessss!”.
I have always prescribed Jennifer Crusie’s Bet Me to anyone who has ever looked askance at my reading material. They have all since become converts. It’s a book I always go back to and it never fails to remind me all the reasons why romance novels (and Jennifer Crusie) rock.
Congrats on the new book!
SB Sarah, Congratulations on your new book!! That is awesome!
Only one recommendation to the genre, eh? Well, I am going with one of my long time favorites, Dream Fever by Katherine Sutcliffe. It is one of the few romances that I have read that the main story takes place in New Zealand on a sheep farm between a Courtesan’s daughter and an exiled Aristocrat. I read this quite a long time ago and to this day, it is still my favorite.
I can’t wait ‘till your book comes out! I would have to go with Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten.
Did I win yet? How about now?
Oh, the one book to recommend to somebody new to romance…
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.
(Kidding! Totally kidding!)
Right now, I’d go with Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts. It’s got the romance, but it’s also got action in the smokejumping and some dead bodies, so I think it has a broad appeal besides being an excellent read.
The Windflower, by Laura London. It is my keeper of all keepers, and I still wish the Curtises had waited to retire until writing Cat’s HEA.
Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon (although if you’re going to read that one, you should really read the rest of the series cause he’s in almost every book).
I’m totally using the suggestions for my TBR list. Thanks!!
I came here from facebook to escape the mermaids. Congratulations on the book! I was honestly going to recommend either Bet Me or Welcome To Temptation, but now that I see they’re both included in that omnibus book I wonder if it’s still cheating to include them both…
Wow! Just one book! That is so hard, because it depends on who the person is and what we’ve already talked about and what they normally read. . . .
I was going to say “Anything by Julie Garwood, but that isn’t just one book. . .
Then I was going to say
It Had to Be You
by SEP or
Irish Hearts
by Nora Roberts,
The Jewel
by Julie Garwood or something by Sandra Hill. . .
But I think I’m going to go with
For the Roses
by Julie Garwood because it is such a wonderful story and it’ll hook them into the other two/four books! WHo doesn’t LOVE the Claybourne Brothers!
Plus, the book starts with one of the best lines ever,
“They found her in the trash.”
Who could put the book down after that amazing first sentence?!?!?!!
And the whole rest of that chapter – with the argument over what to name “him” and the story of how they came to be a “gang.”
Yep, I would recommend “For the Roses.”
Awesome cover to your book, Sarah. Congratulations.
I recommend Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. It won me over big time. Oh, yeah.
Oh yeah, I was going to end that with
Congratulations on your book!
but I hit “submit” before I remembered!
Congratulations! I’ve been looking forward to reading your book.
This really depends on who is asking for the recommendation. By far, though, I would recommend The Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. THE GLOVE SCENE! OMG! I know it’s very old skool, but seriously. Oh, seriously.
It hooked my sister too!
I’m going to go with the book that got me started on Romances: Georgette Heyer’s The Talisman Ring. TOOO funny!
Congratulations on your book!
Lord of Scoundrels, of course:)
Is it cheating if I pick a different book using a different email and name?……
If not then, I am going to say that since the only other genre of book I really read is sci/fi-fantasy, than I assume that I will be recommending a book to someone who likes that or has seen Twilight. . . soooo. . . .
I would recommend
Moon Called
by Patricia Briggs and get them hooked on Mercy Thompson…. then add more titles until they were devouring everything from Harlequin Historicals to Susan Elizabeth Phillips!
I’d recommend
Practice Makes Perfect
by Julie James. Not only is it one of my all-time favorite romance novels, I think it would appeal to many readers who don’t read romance.
I just went to your Amazon Page and I totally
<3
LOVE <3 your "About the Author"
It is just full of Awesome!
I’d go with Jennifer Crusie’s Welcome to Temptation, because I think the humor and the interractions between the supporting characters would subdue any preconcieved (and false) notions.
”Sea Swept” (First book in the Chesapeake Bay Saga) by Nora Roberts.
It had been too many years since I had made time to read a book and while visiting a book store with a friend I picked this book up and haven’t stopped reading since.
I can’t think of a better book to introduce someone to romance, though anything by Roberts would be a good introduction. She has a way of making you feel for the characters and when you finish it feels like you said goodbye to a good friend.
Nora Roberts is my go to for pure romance.
Best wishes on the success your new book Sarah!
I really like Manhunting, by Jennifer Crusie. I know in some ways she’s grown and developed as a writer since that book, but the scene where they break the rowboat and almost sink from having such vigorous sex in the middle of the pond… that still makes me chuckle every time I think about it. This is the book that got me hooked on Jennifer Crusie and on romance novels in general.
Like others have already said it would really depend on the person, but I think, even though I now lean more towards the smart ass contemporary books, I’m going to have to go with the book that made me FALL IN LOVE with romance novels at the age of 13, “Whitney, My Love” by Judith McNaught. It made me sad, it made me happy, it made me angry and it made me cringe! Who doesn’t love a romance that makes you cringe!!
Any of Amanda Quick’s earlier books.
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Yes there is an over the top villain, but the lessons learned about how love is patient, kind, and forgiving have stuck with me over the years.
Derek and Sara are amazing. Despite occasionally showing TSTL tendencies, Sara does manage to save herself and isn’t waiting around to be rescued. I love, love, love this book and dare anyone not to love this one.
(To lazy to try to log in right)
A romance novel I would recommend above all others? Hmmmmm. . .Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole.
captcha: However56: However there are 56 other books I want to recommend.
wow, what a tough call – so much depends on to which person I’m recommending the book!
but, I think I’d go with Jennifer Crusie – probably Agnes & the Hitman, which would be appreciated by just about everyone I know