We made it! It’s the eighth night of Hanukkah, the night when you can toast marshmallows over the menorahs, and the cat knows to stay the hell off the counter when the candles are lit.
It’s also time for one last giveaway!
Ready to see tonight’s prize?
Here we go!
The eighth Smart Bitches Hanukkah Party giveaway is: a $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice.
WOO HOO!
You can buy a looooooot of books with that, right? We’re here to enable all the book shopping we can!
Ready to enter to win?
Just leave a comment below and tell us about a book you discovered here that you loved – any book! Hearing that recommendations worked is the best feeling and we’d love to know which books have been your favorite discoveries!
Standard disclaimers apply: I’m not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 years of age and ready to read and relax. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Sun damage may occur if you don’t use sunscreen. Use sunscreen. Use only in a well-lit area so you can see all the words. Keep away from fire or flames unless it’s a menorah or two. Comments will close at or near 8am ET on Monday 14 December 2015 and winners will be announced shortly afterward.
Good luck, Happy Hanukkah, and thank you for being part of Smart Bitches!
ETA: We have a winner! Congratulations to Lynette!
Thank you to everyone who entered and celebrated with us. The community at SBTB is a truly marvelous group of humans, and I’m so pleased that you are part of it. Thank you and happy holidays to you!
I discovered Meg Benjamin here due to Sarah’s review of Long Time Gone (which I loved and Sarah…didn’t – LOL). Many others too over the years, but that’s the one that I always think about when a question like this pops up.
Long time lurker here 🙂 I have discovered untold numbers of new authors here. My budget does not thank you but I do. The latest I think is Jackie Ashenden. I think Elyse did the review of Mine to Take. I one clicked that bad boy and have since devoured her entire backlist.
I finally broke my historical drought by reading Sarah MacLean and I’m in love! I glommed MacLean and moved on to Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove books which are awesome, too. Thank you, Smart Bitches!
Oh man… what have I NOT discovered here? This site led me to Lord of Scoundrels, Bet Me, and all of Laura Kinsale and Courtney Milan. But the two have startled me with their depth of feeling have been Flowers from the Storm and Black Silk.
There are so many, but one that has stuck with me was His at Night by Sherry Thomas which was one of the book club selections.
I’ve discovered so many books here, but Courtney Milan (okay that’s an author, not a book, but you know what I mean) certainly qualifies as a beloved discovery!
Silk is For Seduction by Loretta Chase
Which always makes me question why I don’t read more Loretta Chase.
I’d only read a couple of romances in high school before finding this site in my 40s! I owe EVERYTHING to Smart Bitches. I seriously don’t think I’ve read anything in the romance genre that I didn’t discover through you awesome folks.
Sarah Morgan’s books! I think the first was A Night of Scandal…
I suppose the Spindle Cove books by Tessa Dare are the best thing I found from a recommendation here. They are so delightful. I am in the midst of “The Lake House” by Kate Morton, which was recently recommended here too. Actually, the good books I have read about here and felt compelled to purchase are too numerous to name. You ladies are costing me a fortune, but I love it! Happy Hanukkah!
The review for A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare got me to borrow the book from the library and that got me to buy a few books from the store. Loved that book – it was so fun and I loved their gradual recognition of feeling!
You introduced me to Lois McMaster Bujold, and I am forever grateful. *enters all LMB books as Exhibit A*
Sarah Maclean gafe up on historical but trief her and was hooked
I have a Goodreads shelf called “Blame Smart Bitches” to keep track of all the good stuff I find here 🙂 Two of my favorites on it are “Lord of Scoundrels” and “The Lies of Locke Lamora”. I read both of them at least once a year!
I finally went to the dark side (a.k.a digital) when the description of Karma Girl, by Jennifer Estep, caught my comic book loving attention in a sale post. That book was a lot of fun to read.
Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate!
I’ve discovered a heap of books through this site, Amazon should be sending you a very lovely Thank You letter for my spending alone. But my standout book that is due to this site is:
Enemy Within by Marcella Burnard
Carrie S (I think) reviewed this book a LONG time ago and her review was enough to tempt me to spend the, over my “same as a starbucks chai” limit, I think it was $10, on an unknown author and buy the book. I’ve never regretted the buy and regularly re-read this book. It is now a “go to” favourite.
I was rummaging through my ebook files for something new to read or at least something I had not read for a while. I really needed a fun, new, fresh read at the time.
So I came upon a folder whose contents I had not read. The folder’s (and the author’s) name was Jean Johnson.
I hove to and cracked open the bookfiles. It was the five or so first books in the “Sons of Destiny” book series that I had bought once upon a time and just hadn’t gotten around to reading yet, and juuuuust what I needed! Immensely fun books! When I had read the books in the folder I went straight to Amazon and bought everyting else she had written1
Courtney Milan The Suffergette Scandal. Which led me to the whole Brothers Sinister series…
I discovered Eloisa James’s Fairy Tales on Smart Bitches.
I’m going to say Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove series. I’d tried her earlier series and bounced off them. But I kept reading such great things about the books here that I decided to try at least the first one in the series, A Night to Surrender. I’ve read everything she’s written since.
Just read When a Scot Ties the Knott and am now reading everything Tessa Dare. How did I miss her as an author?
Back when you were doing “save the contemporaries” I saw the review for Julie James “Something About You” and at first, despite the squee, I avoided it. I can’t even remember what seemed unappealing to me now…maybe the misunderstanding about being sold out? But there was so much squee that I finally read it and LOVED it. And now I have and have read all of Julie James’s books. 🙂
I discovered Tessa Dare’s novels from the site. I don’t remember which Spindle Cove novel I started with (I know it wasn’t the first one, because I have a superpower of never reading the first novel in a series first, but instead as the second or third book), but I fell in love with her writing thanks to you guys!
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. I had to check out the book frequently recommended as one of the best romances out there, and was hooked by Jessica and Dain.
This is the 3rd time I’m trying to comment. Strange night. Anyway, I’ve followed you guys since Cassie-gate back in 2008, so you’ve introduced many authors to me. The first I tried after reading reviews and comments full of squeeing fans was Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels. I loved that book and soon after began glomming historicals. I’ve also come to love Tessa Dare, Courtney Milan, and Sarah MacLean because of you guys. As for contemporaries, you’ve introduced me to Julie James, Jill Shalvis, and Victoria Dahl.
Fingers crossed that this one goes through. LOL.
I’m fairly new to SBTB. A review led me to The Countess Conspiracy, and I have since read everything that Courtney Milan has written! Thank you!
Collision Course by K.A. Mitchell with your description of “Free Cheesy Bread” (it was a freebie). That led me to a then unknown author & genre.
And like others, I found my way to Lord of Scoundrels, Bet Me, Tessa Dare’s books & many others. Now I have seriously out of control ebook & print libraries due to all the other authors & books I’ve found through this site.
Long time lurker, random commenter. 🙂 I’ve added many an author or title to my wish list from posts here. An author I ‘found’, though not from here is Kendra Elliot, romantic suspense author.
Happy Hanukkah!
Kate Noble! 😀 Make that all her books
I loved “Act Like It”!
Courtney Milan– Trade Me! But honestly almost all my best romance reads lately, I’ve discovered here.
The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan. I discovered the author through here, her writing is so *good*, and The Countess Conspiracy is my favorite.
Laura Kinsale’s The Shadow and the Star, Loretta Chase, Courtney Milan, and basically everything by Sherry Thomas! 😀
Well I took a chance of on reading Fever Pitch by Heidi Cullinan because it was reviewed here and that led me to her book Carry the Ocean and that was definitely the best book of the year!
I discovered When a Scot Ties the Knot here, which led me to all of Tessa Dare’s books. Thank you!!! It was my first historical and opened up a whole new reading world 🙂
I discovered Jill Shalvis’ Lucky Harbor series through the review of “One in a Million.” I had been looking for some contemporary romances, having become temporarily worn out on historicals, and came across SBTB. The review of “One in a Million” was written clearly, honestly, and described a book and series that sounded right up my alley at that point. I read the book, and then read the whole series, and loved how spot-on the review was!
Oh wow – so many good books and authors discovered here. I think mostly in the realm of historical romance – Tessa Dare, and Courtney Milan are two authors I never heard of before this site, as well as a bunch of others. Definitely my go-to site for new books whenever I have some extra cash in my book budget 🙂
My love affair with romance novels started here, with my discovery of Lisa Kleypas’s “Secrets of a Summer Night” via reccommendation!
I think the first recommendation I got from this site is Jeannie Lin. I believe Sarah wrote a post saying if we want to see more diverse books, we need to support them when they are published. I bought Butterfly Swords and have put Lin’s book on my auto-buy list ever since. Since then, have gotten many more good recs from site and podcast.