It’s been 11 years since the first reviews from the hot pink palace of Bitchery went live, and every year, we like to celebrate with merriment, traditional and modern anniversary gifts, mayhem, and possibly also shenanigans.
Lucky for us, the traditional gift for the 11th anniversary is steel, and the modern gift is jewelry. I thought, hey, this is awesome! STEEL JEWELRY ahoy!
Then RedHeadedGirl said, “Wait. SWORDS.”
Swords?
And everyone else said, “YES. SWORDS.” So this year, we’re giving away jewelry and swords! Happy anniversary to everyone!
Here are the prizes:
Yup, it’s a sword! The Timber Wolf sword is perfect for this giveaway since we’ve got plenty of shifters in romance, plus men and women wielding swords, and who doesn’t need a deep blood groove in their sword, right? And if you’re thinking, “Well, that’s not jewelry…” SURE it is! It’s Jewelry for ALL OF YOUR SELF!
More steel! And more jewelry!
And of course, some steel jewelry for your pocket or purse:
Want to enter? Easy! Just leave a comment below and recommend a romance you loved. You’ll be entered to win one of the prizes. Comments will close around noon eastern, and I’ll select the winners at random on Friday, 5 February 2016. If the item pictured above is not available at time of announcement, a similar alternative will be provided.
Standard disclaimers apply: Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and full of steely determination to read. I’m not being compensated for this giveaway except for the opportunity to go sword shopping, which is compensation a-plenty! Crumb coats make the icing look very smooth, but icing is just as good straight from the bowl. Icing is also a legitimately delicious food group. Blanket forts may be constructed for purposes of reading; no prior warning is required.
Thank you for spending time with us. Smart Bitches wouldn’t be as much fun without you, so thank you for being part of our celebration!
ETA: 5 February 2016
Thank you so much for all the anniversary wishes! I am honored that you all come hang out with us each day, and I’m so happy to celebrate our anniversary with you. It’s winner announcement time!
The winner of the sword: L
The winner of the typewriter bracelet: Giddypony
The winner of the reading & tea bracelet: Cerulean
The winner of the reader pendant: Jill B
The winner of the flask: Alaina Keener
Thank you to everyone who entered, and thank you for celebrating with us!
First one I searched the bookstore was The Kadin by Bertrice Small.
Oh man! Just one recommendation??? Fine! I’ll go with Laura Kinsale’s books – all of ’em! (My favorite is ‘Shadow and the Star’)
p.s. I’m glad someone else recognizes the fact the icing is a food group so thanks for that.
I will raise my sword to defend “For My Lady’s Heart” against any challengers.
Well, against most challengers. I’ve read through the comments and been reminded that I need to do some re-reading of some good books.
Thanks Sarah & co!
My all time favorite romance novel is Morning Comes Softly by Debbie Macomber. I reread it every year.
Congrats on 11 Fantastic Years! Wishing you many, many more!
Let’s see I’ll recommend DB Reynolds Vampires In America series. Hot alpha heroes, kickass heroines with great storylines and steamy chemistry that keep me coming back again and again!
Oh, it has to be a Mary Stewart – maybe “Madam, Will You Talk?” Romantic suspense and who-is-the-villain. Lovely!
I’m a sucker for the beauty and the beast trope, and vampires, so I’d have to go with Lover Awakened by JR Ward. Also because crazysauce, because reasons.
Happy Anniversary, I have to pick my gateway books, Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase and More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh. I still reread both of them.
It was first published in 1984, and is probably filled with all sorts of horrible tropes that I have glossed over, but You and No Other by Cynthia Wright maintains a place on my bookshelves even after multiple purgings. It’s held together by duct tape at this point, and I still have fond memories of the endearments whispered by our Hero. It’s a favorite alright.
I read Act Like It recently, and smiled my whole way through.
‘Wintercombe’ by Pamela Belle. Subtle, detailed and gorgeous.
My absolute favourite romance is “Bet Me” by Jennifer Crusie. Min and Cal are the *best* together. I’ve been re-reading Crusie’s older works (Welcome to Temptation, Charlie All Night, Getting Rid of Bradley) and falling in love with her books all over again. She writes strong, savvy heroines and charming, sweet men – I love to watch the characters fall in love!
Outlander. End of story.
Happy Anniversary! I just love the October Day series by Seanan McGuire. October and Tybalt are such an interesting and endearing couple. It takes a while for them to get together, but then, they are just wonderful!
My favorite traditional historical romance is, and always will be, Devil in Winter. No idea why, but that is always a go-to good-feels read.
Oooooo … just one book? Hmmm … OK. I’ll have to go with “Stay: A Novel,” by Allie Larkin. Trust me, just read it and cherish it.
Going back – Julie Garwood’s The Secret.
Unveiled by Courtney Milan. One of my favorite romances ever, though it’s hard to pick just one.
One I recommend to everyone is Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie
Happy Anniversary! I’ve been an Eloisa James fan for ages and her newest one, “My American Duchess”, is definitely one of my favorites to recommend.
How did I miss this opportunity til it was almost to late? Oh, yeah – on vacation and (re-)reading Loretta Chase’s “Dukes Prefer Blondes” (the title does NOT do the leads justice). Can I just say that Raven Radford is quickly finding himself up there with Tessa Dare’s Colin (see below), Eloisa James’ Villiers, and Lisa Kleypas’ Leo Hathaway in my “oh, please come to (my) life” fantasy category? Well, yes I did…
So – for my rec, it has to be Tessa’s “A Week to be Wicked”. I’ve previously expressed how much I love Min & Colin and I’ll just leave it at that. Except that, as a bonus, whenever I think about the book, the Lone Justice song, “Ways to be Wicked” starts playing in my head, I sing off-key (but imagine I am Maria McKee), and maybe even dance around a bit. Win-win.
Happy Anniversary! May we be picking out something silver for your 25th!
The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews is my best comfort read – love the story, the characters, the bad guys, the action, the magic and the swords. Yay the swords!!
I’ve found so many new additional comfort reads and just plain enjoyable stories since I started reading your pink pages. One thing I really enjoy is how much stronger the heroines are than when I started reading romance back in the 70s. The evolution of heroines matches our evolution as women. woot!
Since her latest comes out this week I have to recommend Lois McMaster Bujold. I’m not sure you should start with “Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen” but if you have read her other books (and if you haven’t I am so jealous that you get to discover her now) this new one is especially sweet.
Fool me Twice by Meredith Duran!
Anything by Lisa Kleypas. But I think Mine Til Midnight is by far my favorite though!
The Shepard and the Solicitor by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon. I loved the book and the characters within it.
Radiance by Grace Graven.
Outlander…the whole series. I hope that Diana Gabaldon becomes one of the undead so that it never ends…
Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare
One I recently liked was Rose Lerner’s Listen to the Moon.
The SBTB website is one of my happy places on the internet. I am so thrilled y’all are here! I have SO many books that I love, some thanks to the snarkiest, funniest, crew on the web. I’ll say that Tessa Dare is definitely a favorite and I loooooved WHEN A SCOT TIES THE KNOT. The humor warmed my heart and I connected to the heroine in so many ways.
I actually get most of my recs from you guys, so thanks!! My recent love is the Steampunk London series by Bec McMaster. The all of it bits. I was so sad it ended, and I need her to write more books stat.
Happy Anniversary, bitches! I’m so glad you exist. You make my life bright and full of romance.
I am devouring Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series this week. Who needs sleep?
Huge congrats to you ladies on the fine fine bitchery here. So happy I found you!
The first romance that I ever read that made me feel funny in my bathing suit area was “A Caress of Twilight” by Laurel K. Hamilton (later books in the series not so good, just FY’all’sI). Meh book altogether, but DANG those sex scenes! Whew!
I’m always up for stuff of awesome, and this is some pretty awesome stuff:).
Happy Anniversary! I’m going to recommend what I just finished reading, the Bachelor Auctions series! I really enjoyed them:
Bound to the Bachelor by Sarah Mayberry
Bachelor at there Bidding by Kate Hardy
The Bachelor’s Baby by Dani Collins
What a Bachelor Needs by Kelly Hunter
In Bed with the Bachelor by Megan Crane
One Night with her Bachelor by Kat Latham
not sure if this contest is still open ornot, but if so i recommend… anything by susanna kearsley!
The only set of hardcover romances I keep in a glass case, and retread once a year, are by Judith McNaught. Opening one of these books for the first time, would mean near sleepless nights and finished in under 48 hours. I am still in love with Ian Thornton, Almost Heaven.
I have read a lot, for a while I had read everything Nora had written, and Stephanie Laurens, and Johanna Lindsay, and Jude Deveraux, and so on.
I can’t find another author to match her intelligence and ability to emotionally pull a reader in. Sometimes the plots go a little over the top, but in each book, there are moments of absolute brilliance. Moments that pull you right in and take you to another place. Moments that stick with you.
A Rake’s Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden is now on my pile of comfort reads. And that’s saying something, because I had pretty much sworn off romances lately on account of crankiness.
Just today I recommended Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise again because it is the best. I also recommend The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook because airships and zombies.
My current favorite is The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan.