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!
This is honestly not sucking up. I might have found most of my favorite books elsewhere given enough time and energy, but the one that I would not have found if I weren’t a faithful member of the Bitchery is SB Sarah’s (Sarah Wendell’s) “Lighting the Flames: A Hanukkah Story.” A lovely, lovely book.
Oh. And @Bea’s entry (plus) was so close to my list not listed, it was astounding.
The Spindle Cove series by Tessa Dare, also Courtney Milan, Caroline Linden, Rachel Aaron/Bach to name a few!
I love how you point us to genre outliers like Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay and Diaries and Sidney Padua’s The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage … both of which I ADORED. Thank you!
Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels. Thank you. It’s one of my favorites.
So many authors, I don’t even know where to begin! Thanks to SBTB I’ve gotten hooked on a variety of scoundrels, wallflowers, Spindle Cove spinsters…but most recently I’ve fallen in love with Courtney Milan ‘ s books. If I have to pick just one, let’s say Milan ‘ s “Unraveled.”
I’ve found many books and authors here, but the one that first sprang to mind was Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase.
The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire
There are so many! I discovered Tessa Dare here.And how could I ever forget the prose of Hunter Fox in his The Billionare Dinosaur Turned Me Gay? Thanks, SBTB.
SBTB is part of my daily face-the-world ritual: 1) Coffee 2) Smart Bitches 3) Amazon. Knowing I have something special to read later gets me through the day. I tend to discover new contemporary authors to read thanks to your interviews, reviews and steady lists of books on sale. The best 2015 new-to-me authors have been Anne Calhoun (Liberating Lacey), Julianna Keyes (Time Served), Cara McKenna (Willing Victim) and Julie James (FBI/US Attorney series). All fabulous. Consequently, I’ve devoured most of their work. I didn’t realize how much I relished a little grit with my romance (Calhoun, Keyes and McKenna). Thank you and Happy Hanukkah!
Just last week you recommended “Act Like It”. That was a fantastic addition to my ereader. Read it through and am starting over – I adore Lainie and Richard as a couple of smart, snarky actors falling in love!
Thanks for that and all the other recommendations SBTB has made over the years. You guys rock!
Anne Bishop’s WRITTEN IN RED. I’d read most of her Black Jewels series but drifted away. When WIR showed up here, I checked it out. And fell totally in love. This book and series is now on my “chicken soup” shelf–the shelf of go-to books when nothing else appeals, when the world crowds in, when I need to hide.
Happy Hanukkah!
I discovered and fell in (disgruntled) love with the Brotherhood of the Black Dagger series thanks to the SBTB site. I loved the hilarious Doc Review and it led me to go read more even if it is batshit insane. I kept reading more and more to the point where I think I might be addicted to the series.
Too many titles to name. Most recently Sustained by Emma Chase which made my flight him from Thanksgiving with the cold from hell bearable.
Thanks to the DABWAHA tournament, I disovered Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren, and got absolutely hooked on their Wild Seasons series. I also finally tried Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy based on the review I read here.
I just read When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare and fell hopelessly in love with it.
I recently finished (devoured, really…) Back to the Good Fortune Diner by Vicki Essex which I really enjoyed. I didn’t know how much I wanted an interracial romance until I read it. All the relationships felt real and I think they way race is handled is much more nuanced than “Oh let me save you, Pretty Asian Lead, from these flat, two-dimensional racists.
I also really really loved the Carsington brothers series by Loretta Chase.
Now I am off to find some good recommendations in the comments!
I’m currently reading & enjoying Love Lessons by Heidi Cullinan, which I got off one of your many tempting sale posts!
Happy Hanukkah!
I learned about the publication history of The Windflower on this site. I bought the ebook to read over vacation last summer, and loved it.
I discovered the Brides of the Kindred series by Evangeline Anderson. It’s become my favorite crack series–silly for the most part, then it hits me in the feels and I cry. I love it. It’s also my first science fiction romance series that I’ve really enjoyed.
There are so many. What comes to my mind first is Sarina Bowen’s The Year We Fell Down which I loved. An author that comes to mind is Tessa Dare. I’m sure as soon as I hit submit a million more will come to me.
Undercover by Lauren Dane. It was on sale and you posted it. It has all my catnip – sci-fi, menage, and spies! Thank you!
My favourite was actually a re-discovery here: Carmilla. I had read it ages ago in high school, and quite recently there was a review up for it, and it trickled into my brain and I went out and bought a copy and read it all over again! Love! Also, quite a few HABOs
Sarah Maclean!! The pinkish red cover, the first in the last series with the gambling heroine. You know the one.
Too many books! Some of them I’ve seen around but gave a try bec of reviews or comments read here. That would be one of my all-time faves, Soulless. HaBo also account for a lot books discovered here. 🙂
It was probably Sherry Thomas & Julie James’ first books.
Erica Monroe & “regency noir”! I have to share my shameful story, however, of *not* discovering Courtney Milan…I started reading this blog just before UNRAVELED came out, and even though I read the glowing review I ignored it because…I don’t remember? It was “only” A-? Anyway, thankfully I discovered UNVEILED in my library’s small digital romance collection and was hooked from there, but every time I read another gleeful review review of her I remember how I almost missed out!
Cut and Run series by Abigail Roux. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I’m still a romance noob but the first real romance novel i ever read i heard about here on the Smart Bitches Trashy Books podcast: Untamed by Anna Cowen. I started reading it, COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN, and spawn an unexpectedly addiction to regency historical romances.
the chocolate kiss by laura florand! i won it in a giveaway here and absolutely loved it! thanks, bitches!
i’m sure there are multiple books but since I can’t recall I first heard of authors/books (there are just too many) I couldn’t say for sure what they are. but always enjoy checking out what’s being reviewed & the sale warnings.
I discovered Caroline Linden here and her books hit my historical spot!
Actually, Smart Butches turned me onto romance as a genre. A friend linked a review to me and I started reading the site and ended up reading The Spymaster’s Lady. I think the majority of my romance reading comes from books I find on this site, although I was turned into Alisha Rai by an interview with Sarah on NPR.
I can’t choose just one! Trade Me, by Courtney Milan was amazing, as was His Road Home, by Anna Richland. And the Ivy Years series. And the one about the pregnant mom of 4 and the marine. And all the erotica. 😉
I discovered Courtney Milan and I love all of her books. I tried not to because my auto-read-authors list is so long already but she drew me in! There have been others but she comes to mind first.
Happy Hanukkah to you and yours and thanks for this blog and the contest!
Lighting the Flames
Definitely A Week To Be Wicked by Tessa Dare. That remains one of my all time favorite books.
Love Jim and Joyce Lavene Peggy Lee series
There have been so many it’s hard to choose. But the one that stands out is the psi / changeling series by nalini signh
OH so very many, but among others the Outlander books. (but really, most of my reading list for the past ~7 years or so)
Cordelia’s Honor- Thank you for introducing me to Bujold!