On January 31, 2005, Smart Bitches went live with two reviews, and the website was born. Eight years later, we're still here, and more readers find the community here to discuss romance, laugh at the silly parts, celebrate the awesome-y parts, and discover that there are a LOT of fellow romance readers out there in the wonder wily inter webs.
Thank you for being a part of Smart Bitches. Happy eighth anniversary to all of us!
The traditional gifts for an 8th anniversary are bronze, pottery, linens, and lace. I don't think I can do bronze or pottery (that would be a book titled His Lordship's Shipping Nightmare) but linen and lace? That I can do. Time to do fun and silly things!
I went a-looking for linen and lace things and thought…oh, ho ho! FICHU!
I have four to give away – two of each style. They're on their way to me from Turkey, but I'm giving them away right now. Because the 8th Smart Bitch Anniversary gift is FICHU!
Each fichu comes with a $25 gift card to the bookstore of the winner's choice – linen, lace and books! What could be better? You'll be warm, stylish, and entertained.
To enter, leave a comment below and tell us your favorite thing about reading romance – your very favorite. Is it the happy sigh? The potential for Good Book Noise™? The many things you learn? The lovely people you meet (and really, romance readers are among the best people, no question) online and off? Share!
I'll select four winners at random at noon eastern on Monday February 4th, 2013.
Standard disclaimers apply: I'm not being compensated for this giveaway, except for the opportunity to make bad jokes about fichus. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents to the extent permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and sporting excellent décolletage to win. Whereas, upon participation in the contest as aforesaid, said participant shall nonetheless deliver hereunto all such paraphernalia as reasonably necessary and appropriate. Notwithstanding anything hereinafter to the contrary, the contest shall nonetheless be conducted as heretofore described thereupon. Or something.
Most of all: thank you for being here, and making our community worth celebrating every day, and every year. Happy Fichu Anniversary to us!
My absolute, most favorite thing about romance novels is the happy ending. No matter what kind of dilemmas are presented in the story, the author always manages to wind the strands of discord together into a happy ending! Happy Anniversary!!
It is the thrill of witnessing two people falling in love and going through ups and downs to their happy ending.
happy anniversary! can’t wait for your diamond one 😉
I like the aftermath feeling or rather the afterglow of reading something entirely glorious without any other purpose than just to be happy. Also despite how I might not have my happy ending (yet?) I get super elated that a character I grew to love got theirs. Best. Feeling. Ever.
My absolute favorite thing about romance novels is that the good ones remind me that I love my husband for being a beta-hero, and not an alpha-hole!
I read romances for the HEA, but my favorite thing is when an author writes so compellingly that I just got lost in the book and lose all track of time. Not too many books can do that anymore.
One of the things I really enjoy is that moment when a character is truly open and vulnerable in front of the one they desire and is rewarded for it. Life, sadly, doesn’t always work that way, so it’s satisfying to see it happen in fiction.
Happy 8th anniversary!
I love the happy sigh after reading a really good book.
They are a cheap mood lifter.
Apologies for repeat entry, please disregard this for the give-away.
I also wanted to say thanks. Before I came across SBTB, I would only read romance occasionally, and then usually only Nora Roberts and Sandra Brown (because my Mom always had those authors and I could steal hers). I always wanted to branch out and find new authors, but the few times I tried to just choose randomly at the library did NOT go well. You ladies have introduced me to so many new authors and sub-genres that I never would’ve found on my own. Now my TBR pile is a towering monolith of wonderous romance and I’m such a happy reader! So thank you. And happy anniversary. 🙂
Joyeux Anniversaire Bitches!
I love finding Historicals with smart writing and snappy reparte that are also chock full of fun facts. They are like M&M’s for my brain. And it’s a total bonus if the writer is able to reach out and give my heart a twist or two along the way. The ultimate sweet and salty combination you might say.
My Favorite thing about reading romance novels isssss: You know you will always get that happy ending ; )
Happy 8 years of awesome! Here’s looking forward to many more.
Romance, whether reading or writing, is my escape hatch. For those few minutes each day I can leave my life behind and go to a place where there is hope; and if I’m lucky carry some of that hope back with me into my real life to keep me going. Romance has kept me sane and alive more times than I can count. Thanks to all the authors out there for all you do to make my life and the lives of others a better place, and thanks to all of you Smart Bitches for pointing out the Good Stuff and keeping us laughing, informed, and in good company.
Happy Anniversary! My favorite thing is the anticipation: to see the process in which a couple find out that they’re falling in love, especially if they start as enemies or at least dislike each other.
My favorite thing is to lose myself in a great story with interesting characters. I like romance because I don’t have to worry about investing time in a character, only to him or her die at the end!
These are a few of my favorite things: the warm fuzzies of the courtship/the build-up, the fun random factoids, and the happy ending after all the drama. Just a good time!
Congrats on 8 years of awesomeness and to many, many more to come!
I look to romances as an escape to somewhere that will always end with an happily ever after. No other genre can promise a happy ending with each book. Life is full of enough worries and romance helps take those away for a time. 🙂
My favorite thing about reading romance is the variety of genres and getting that peek into that spot of the writer’s brain where the story was conceived… Definitely never boring – who could be, with all the WTFery, OMGMoments, and the ever-wonderful “Awwwwwww!” that’s inside each and every story?!
🙂
My favorite thing about reading a romance is the opportunity to fall in love, over and over and over again!
The thing I like most about reading romance novels is the feeling I get when the book ends well. I love that the main characters end up happy with someone.
I love knowing that no matter what happens, it will all turn out all right in the end. I don’t mind a bloodbath ending in other genres, but sometimes I’m just in the mood to know that the rug is not going to be yanked out from under me.
I love the emotional connection that I get, and the (almost) guarantee of a happy ending.
I love knowing everything will work out in the end but most of all the character development by really good romance writers.
Being able to use words like fichu, portmanteau, and phaeton in games like scrabble!
Those are awesome!
and my fav is the HEA! love starting something know it’s gonna make me happy at the end!
As a relatively recent convert to Romance (need a different font to write that word—the same one that would be appropriate for writing “fichu”), I find that the reading allows me waking dream time to work through the worries of my life subconsciously and not just while sleeping. The HEA means that I won’t be adding more unsolvable problems to my life by reading the book, and occasionally the book is fabulous! That is, it makes me laugh, it makes me cry, or it shows another way of dealing with other people. I learn about which issues were important to authors of different periods. I learn about expectations of contemporary society. I learn about what makes compelling writing. AND I get to lurk on SBTB! A fichu and a $25 gift certificate would be pure, unadulterated icing on this HEA cake.
you’re going to have to take away my romance writer/reader card. I didn’t know what a fichu was.
I love that happy sigh… that moment of falling in love. Just love it. that’s why I read it… and write it.
I love the high I get from researching new books—haunting blogs, lurking on websites that discuss books, etc.—and then making the purchase. It’s even better when the book meets all the hype in my mind.
the happy ever after.
ps – this bitch needs a fichu. sometimes i’m at work and I’m all like, woah, girls, this isn’t a regency era brothel!
A good romance novel gets me invested in the characters, so I really feel warm inside when they finally get their HEA. It’s like hot cocoa.
Best anniversary gift evar! Cuz yeah, this bitch loves a fichu. Even if I’m the only one in my general area who knows what the hell a fichu is.
Hrm, most favorite thing about romance? Well ya know reading about sex is just a delight, but I think the thing I like even more than that is the build up. To me the chase is the best part of any relationship. That complicated dance of look-see-now-look-see-not where people aren’t anymore certain of their own feelings let alone the other persons. It’s a delicious kind of torture that honestly tastes better than candy. I hate when that part is rushed just to get to the sexing. Cause honestly, I want the characters I read to practically go cross-eyed with want before anything happens. Just makes the sex more explosively awesome if there’s been some tension before hand.
i’m finishing up my PhD so i LOVE the escape, even when the story is bad/poorly written/jumps around, and the details not accurate, it’s still an escape from reading about digital literacy! i also absolutely LOVE the giveaway, hahahahahaha FICHU!
I love that when my family wants to know what fichu means they ask me before wiki. Honestly, I got a call last night asking me what’s a tiger when it’s a person not a big striped cat.
I went to the Jane Austen Museum in Bath this summer, and stumped one of the associates who didn’t know what a Fichu was – he had to get the curator to show one to me! Your sight was the first romance blog I found that I really enjoyed because of your off-beat humor, so happy anniversary! My most favorite thing about romance novels is the HEA, because the world is depressing eough, and the HEA gives me hope that love and passion can set things right.
There are two things I love about reading romance. One: I love the witty banter between the hero and heroine. Think Lizzy and Darcy. I adore a clever heroine who can keep the hero on his toes. Two: I love the warm, fuzzy feeling I get at the end of the romance. That “Awwww” moment when you want to cry or hug your loved ones because you realize that there is nothing better than that moment when love makes everything better, and you realize that despite all the bad things that go on in the world, there is always love to get us through those difficult times.
Happy Anniversary!
I love reading about relationships, and people talking to each other.
Oh, and the men. Lovely lovely romantic heros.
I love all the new things I learn, the HEAs, the smoking hot alpha males, the kick ass females…
What I most love is the ability of some books to have me hanging on, holding my breath as part of me is wondering how will they ever overcome this hurdle, while the other part knows that the happy end is guaranteed. I just need to read further and eventually these 2 people will wake up and realize they love each other.
Hooray! Happy Anniversary!
When it’s a good romance – the interaction between characters. Especially when there’s great dialogue.
When it’s bad – how bad can it get from here?
I think my fave part is seeing characters get to know each other, to grow toward each other (overcoming obstacles along the way) and find the HEA
I love the moment where, for the first time, two characters come together. Done right, it’s magic.