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!
This is the perfect opportunity to thank you, from my book loving heart and empty wallet. You’re the friends I always wanted to meet in the library. My new favorite, thanks to you, is My American Duchess by Eloisa James. Even if I don’t win an anniversary gift, I have already won!
I LOVE the Anita Blake vampire slayer books by Laurell K. Hamilton. The romance between master vampire Jean-Claude and Anita Blake is so sweet at times. I like that it didn’t happen in a instant-lust moment but took six (6!) books to develop!
Happy anniversary! One of my favorites is One Good Earl Deserves A Lover by Sarah MacLean. One of the best intimacy scenes and the characters don’t even touch. Whew!
Happy 11th anniversary to everyone who enjoys this wonderful site. It’s my homepage for a reason. Thanks to the Bothery for making this community bitchin’.
I cannot recommend the Fever series enough. (Karen Marie Moning)
Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught and Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas. If you like contemporaries, then anything by Julie James.
I love everything by Sarah MacLean!
I adore Courtney Milan — The Heiress Effect is my favoritist.
The Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas.
Happy Anniversary!
Happy anniversary, SBTB! I’ve been here for eight of those years, and you have brightened my days and made me laugh too many times to count.
I don’t think anyone else has mentioned Georgette Heyer’s Frederica, which was one of my first romances and remains one of my favorites.
Sale or return bride by Sarah Morgan is one of my absolute favorites. Also love this website. Thanks!
Happy anniversary! Those are unique and terrific gifts! Thanks for the chance to win. I’ll recommend The Spinster’s Guide to Scandalous Behavior by Jennifer McQuiston.
Happy Anniversary!
I know lots of people love it, but Lord of Scoundrels is one I keep rereading.
I will always recommend my fav: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. Also Soulless by Gail Carriger. Omg I want that sword!
Congratulations on the anniversary, SBTB!
I’ve read thousands of books and some of my old school favorites (and would recommend to everyone) are Nora Roberts/JD Robb, Judith McNaught, Linda Howard, Johanna Lindsey, Elizabeth Lowell, Marian Keyes, and Freya North. New faves are Bella Andre, Jasmine Haynes, Lauren Dane, Jaci Burton, Shayla Black, Lora Leigh, Maya Banks, Lisa Kleypas, and Sarah MacLane.
If I only have one book to recommend, it would be The Rogue Not Taken, the last book I gave 5 stars on Goodreads.
Dangerous Passion by Lisa Marie Rice because it was my First
Congratulations!!
It’s hard to recommend just one romance but I’ll suggest The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley.
Happy Anniversary!
I hated reading until I read Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice. It has an alpha male and a woman that the alpha would do anything to protect her. But in all honestly any thing that Lisa writes is fantastic.
Happy Anniversary!
Agnes and the Hitman is probably my favorite romance. So funny, and Agnes is just a fantastic character.
Hopefully not too late!
My favorite romance is still a novella called Her Best Laid Plans by Cara McKenna.
Hmmm, romances I’ve loved. I’ve lived alot if them, I’m slightly promiscuous that way. But here’s two a little off the beaten track:
Syphon’s Song by Anise Rae
Dark Horse by Michelle Diener
To celebrate the Bitchery, I’d reccomend one of my favorites that the Bitchery reccomended to me, Suzanne Brockmann’s The Unsung Hero.
Sword! Sword is awesome! Totes whole body jewelry!
And argh, if I have to pick just one book, well. It’s gotta be Georgette Heyer, if only so I don’t have to pick between Courtney Milan and Tessa Dare. In particular Faro’s Daughter – I love the Georgian as opposed to Regency setting, just a wee bit racier and less twee (though I adore the Regency too) and I adore the unforced and unfaked fire and passion of both protagonists – and the grovel!scene is just perfect.
Congratulations!!
One of my all time favorites has to be WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
Happy anniversary to the smartest site on the web! You guys are amazing – thank you for all you do.
It’s hard to choose just one book to recommend, but I think I’d have to go with Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. It’s funny, unconventional, and body-positive. Love it!
Happy 11th! I hold so many special reads near and dear to my heart, far too many to list. But, my most recent favorites are Suanne Laqueur’s three Fish Tales – The Man I Love, Give Me Your Answer True and Here To Stay.
Happy anniversary!
A romance I love is Loretta Chase’ Mr Perfect
This is my go-to site for reading recommendations when my TBR pile is low. Happy anniversary 🙂 I loved Trial by Desire by Courtney Milan. I’d recommend her to anyone curious about the romance genre.
Recently read and loved Forever Your Earl
Congratulations on 11years!!! Happy Anniversary, Bitches!!!
One of my favorite romances of all time is Julia Quinn’s Just Like Heaven, which I discovered from a recommendation right here when it first came out in 2011, which then caused me to squee with all the joy and gave me such good book feels that I immediately bought and read everything else Ms. Quinn had ever written!! (CAN NOT wait to read Because of Miss Bridgerton!) JLH is my go-to comfy read. It makes me smile and sigh and laugh and fall in love with Marcus every time I read it. Just talking about it now makes me want to read it…again, for probably the 311th time. 😉
Thanks for everything you do, ladies!! Can’t wait for another fantastic 11 years!! ❤️❤️❤️
Congratulations on 11 years! I honestly had no idea you’ve been here that long- it sure doesn’t seem like it. Hope you have many more. I lurked for a few years before commenting like many others. Not entirely sure why I waited so long.
Favorites? Mary Balogh’s entire Survivor series, Jennifer Crusie’s Bet Me and Agnes and the Hit Man, Lisa Kleypas’ The Devil in Winter, Georgette Heyer’s These Old Shades, The Devil’s Cub and The Grand Sophy, and everything from Shelly Laurenston/G.A. Aiken. Also, here’s another everything from- this time it’s Ilona Andrews, just because I love her characters, world-building and relationships.
My favorite authors are Tessa Dare, Eloisa James,Elizabeth Hoyt, Sarah Maclean, Jennifer Ashley,and Mary Balogh, but I just picked up a book by a new to me author called Kathleen Bittner Roth that takes place in the 1800s in New Orleans called Josette. It’s a setting I never thought would interest me, but I am hooked.
I have several but my most recent read is Hooked Up 1 and its amazing, a definite read.
All time favorite: The Roselynde Chronicles. Favorite book in the series Gilliane, because reasons. I reread my old copies so many times I am on my third set.
I just read Rose Lerner’s Sweet Disorder and I was blown away by the beauty of her writing. It was a pleasure to read in every way.
Happy Anniversary! A romance I read recently, and really enjoyed, was You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning.
Happy anniversary, SB! I rec Her Hesitant Heart by Carla Kelly, a Western and a really refreshing read if you’re like me and tend to binge on Regencies! I liked the older and more down-to-earth hero and heroine.
Cassandra Gannon’s Elemental Phases series starts with “Warrior from the Shadowlands,” so that’s my recommendation. I love the whole series. Congratulations!
HA! Love the sword, my kiddos would love that and think I was the coolest mom eva.
I just discovered Colleen Hoover last week and really, really recommend the book Slammed. It combines my love of my favorite band along with an awesome romance. Can’t recommend it enough and I normally don’t really like contemporaries all that much.
Love you guys and love anything from J.R. Ward brotherhood series.
Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh is one of my favorites and anything by Meljean Brook! Congrats on year 11!!