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! Â 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 2016Â
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!
Happy Anniversary!
My recommendation is Tessa Bailey – the queen of the dirty talker.
I will recommend Radiance by Grace Draven, it was my favorite book last year and it just made me happy to read.
Bet Me by Jenny Crusie was the romance that got me reading romances again after a decade+ break from them.
Happy Anniversary!!
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
I’m newly back to reading the genre. Two favs from the past few months are When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James and When a Scit Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare.
Happy Anniversary!
I will always love anything by Ilona Andrews and would recommend them to anybody!
Happy Anniversary! I am recommending that everyone read The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne!
Hi! Right now I am completely captivated by the romantic suspense novels of Suzanne Brockmann, I am lucky enough to be able to listen to the wonderful audio books while at work. I just wish our library system had all of them available for digital loan – CD’s are kind of fussy. Just start with the first in the series (The Unsung Hero) and keep going from there!
Robyn Carr’s Virgin River. The start of a great series.
Thank you so much for 11 years of fun, smart commentary on my favorite genre of books.
I recommend “After Hours” by Cara McKenna. Very smart, well-written, and hot.
Happy anniversary!
It seems I have a similar problem to several other visitors to the Hot Pink Palace, i that I have trouble recommedig a single book.
May I instead give a shout-out to Jean Johnson? I have just finished rereading her book _V’Dan_, which is the second book in her SF series _First Salik War_. And again, I almost screamed in frustration as I turned the last (virtual) page, because I want book 3 right NOW, dammit!!
She has also written some excellent books for those who like their Romances with a healthy dose of Fantasy: the _Sons of Destiny_ series, plus some other books in that same universe. Fun and lighthearted books.
In addition she has written sn excellent series (which I personally love) called _Theirs Not To Reason Why_. This series is more of a Military SF series, and so may be of less interest to Romance readers.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BITCHES!!!
I’m a big fan of all Grace Burrowes’ books for historicals (and some contemp) and Jill Shalvis for contemporary. However, my latest catnip – complete and total addiction – is Dianne Duvall’s Immortal Guardian’s series!!
I really like Kim Dare’s books, and my favorite is “Temporary Mark”. I love that the author can write a short scene or novella and yet make it a full story.
There are so many, but one I finished today in a series I love is Alexei by Roxie Rivera.
Courtney Milan is my favorite author.
Happy anniversary! I love seeing all these recommendations! I’m going to go with “A Duke of Her Own,” the last book in Eloisa James’ Desperate Duchesses series. I love everything she writes, but I really loved this series and was so happy to read Villiers get his HEA.
My first ever romance novel was Jane Eyre. Followed closely by some Georgette Heyer. Then a good 20 years before I read another. And now I’ve read hundreds.
I have to recommend the book that got me hooked on romance. I had dabbled before, but this was was so crazy that there was no going back. Thank you, Dark Guardian by Christine Feehan, for opening my eyes to 12 year old girls who can run SEAL obstacle courses.
What do I go back to and read again and again?
Robin Owens Heartmate series. Not sure I can chose a favorite. I want to go back to the world she is building. She brings characters back and you can see the growth of relationships.
Happy birthday, SBTB! I came for the Pregnesia review, and stayed for the smut. Thanks for all the memories 🙂
I LOVED “The Wrath and the Dawn”, which I first discovered here on the site. (Wish I could remember where, though!)
Happy 11th Anniversary! I have been with y’all for most of those years. (lurker for years). Smart Bitches is one of my go to sites everyday and you feels like family. Love what you have done with the site too!
I have SO many favorite romance books, but one of my favorites is One Night Stand by Julie Cohen. I am rereading it now and Eleanor is such a funny, really likable heroine. I always enjoy reading this book. It is one of favorite romances that cleanses my reading palate when I am in a book slump or I have read something that leaves that bad book feeling.
A romance I love is the Kate Daniel series by Ilona Andrews. I know the series is an Urban Fantasy, but two people fall in love, so there is your romance. 🙂
Happy birthday, SBTB!!!
I just finished Frigid, by J Lynn (a penname for Jennifer Armentrout), and it was EXCELLENT. Highly recommended friends-to-lovers, stranded-in-a-snowstorm (sounds like Sarah catnip!) story. I actually think I found it because the Los Angeles Public Library ebook algorithm is onto me, and suggested it.
I would love to recommend The Spinster’s Guide to Scandalous Behavior by Jennifer McQuiston. She’s such a talented writer!
happy 11th! have to go a little ways back but Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas is my comfort read & swoon worthy hero…
Happy anniversary!
I hope I’m not duplicating anything … but I’ve been on a huge Elizabeth Hunter kick and while her Elemental World novels are more of my general catnip, I really do like her standalone novel “The Genius and The Muse”and return to it again and again.
Also, “It’s in His Kiss,” which Hyacinth’s entry in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series.
Congratulations on another year.
For a recommendation, I have to go with Think of England by JK Charles. The early twentieth century is an underused historical period. It was only the second m/m I read, but it really showed me the possibilities of the genre.
Congrats on the anniversary!
I’m a contemporary fan. I started out with (and still adore) Victoria Dahl. Start Me Up has one of my favorite heroine/hero mix ever!
I just finished Connie Brockway’s My Dearest Enemy, which is definitely going on the favourites shelf.
Happy Anniversary! Thanks for all the laughs, the wisdom and the excellent recommendations! <3
I auto-buy Cherise Sinclair after getting into her Dark Haven Series, but I’ve just finished her third book in the Wild Hunt Legacy series, Eventide of the Bear, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s got all my tropes: shifters, a little dark, humor, a little alpha, and fae, too.
OMG swords! Happy Anniversary Smart Bitches! One of my many favorites is Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
11 years already?
I’m in the Blue Castle (LM Montgomery) fandom
One of the books I reread recently was Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer and it quiet amazed me by how much I loved it. I read most of Heyer’s works when I was a teen and I worried that they wouldn’t be as enjoyable now that I’m more up to speed on all the problematic aspects of historicals but I’m happy to say it held up wonderfully! It has a great regency chick lit style to it.
I recently dived into Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister series after hearing SO many people rave, and well, the kudos are well deserved. For contemporary, Erin Nicholas’s Sapphire Falls series has been making me smile 🙂 Happy 11 years, and wishing you countless more years of great reads and even better reviews!
I recommend Under the Lights by Shannon Stacey and Defending Hearts the sequel. Happy anniversary!
Happy Anniversary! I highly recommend Dragon Actually by G A Aiken. I love the entire series.
If anyone is sick and tired of cutesy historical romances full of friendship between women, than I recommend Warwick’s Woman by Rosalind Laker. Old school, but so well written. Hero is an asshole to the end. Why are recent romances no longer meaty????
I was captivated by Kristine Grayson’s mashups of the Fates and Fairy tales several years ago and I still reread them every time I want a good one! Totally Spellbound, Absolutely Captivated, Simply Irresistible, Completely Smitten, Throughly Kissed, and Utterly Charming. I know she has written others, but these are my favorites.
Happy Anniversary! My go to read, whenever I’m feeling grumpy is the Donovan Legacy collection (by Nora Roberts). The book that I most recently picked up that I love is Karen Chance’s Ride the Storm.
Happy Anniversary!! And many more to come!
My favorite romance is … Eloisa James. Anything she wrote, I love!