Hey all! It’s been such a long time since we’ve done a grab bag giveaway and you all deserve some boxes of books.
That’s right! I said boxes!
Right now, we have six (6) boxes of relatively new releases to give out!
The books included are new, finished copies, unread, and printed on paper. We can also promise there will be at least five books, possibly more, in each box.
Each box will have a mix of subgenres. Genres include contemporary romance, historical fiction, and historical romance. While we hope the box you receive contains a subgenre or author you enjoy, we also have our fingers crossed that you’ll love trying something new. And as always, our mission statement is to share the love and share the romance.
To enter, tell us what book has brought you joy this year!
Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and ready to read read read. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Boxes will contain books. If you’re lucky, maybe a stray hair from one of our very helpful pets. Entries will end around noon on Sunday 26 September 2021, and winners will be announced and notified shortly afterward.
Good luck, everyone!
Winner update: Below is the list of winners for our boxes of books! Thank you all for entering and I hope you’ve found even more books to add to your TBR pile in the comments.
Winners, be sure to check your inboxes and spam folders for an email from me!
Thank you for the chance! Books that have brought me joy this year is Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev, Last Guard by Nalini Singh, and Beth and Amy by Virginia Kantra — the writing was superb, the heart in full force, and the characters were utterly fascinating and truly delightful. #professionalromancefan approved!
Stephanie
Battle Royal (I had from the library but will most likely buy a copy) or Boyfriend Material have both brought me joy this year. Talia Hibbert’s most recent books also were ones similar to Battle Royal where reading in paperback meant I’d skip ahead and go back to read and then go back again (more easily than in ebook).
There’re been a lot of books that have brought me joy. I have to go with my reread of Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers series including Cletus and Jenn’s Solving For Pie book.
Lots and lots of good books so far this year that sparked plenty of joy and happy book sighs, but I think my overall favorites have been the Stariel series by AJ Lancaster, the Glimmer Lake and Moonstone Cove paranormal women’s fiction series by Elizabeth Hunter, and finally, the wonderful, truly alien cinnamon roll heroes in I Married a Lizardman and I Married a Naga by Regine Abel.
There have been quite a few but the most recent is For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes
I’ve been wading back through my backlog of books (which is enormous), and I stumbled across the Dartmoor series by Lauren Gilley. I wouldn’t call these books exactly joyful, but they have been making me happy.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. It made me want to go to New York and eat an enormous stack of pancakes.
The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan, The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles, Kiss the Bride by Melissa Blue, Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher. And, honestly, a bunch of others, but those are the ones which come to mind first.
Love this question, will be back to read through everyone’s comments for recs. 🙂
Here are my Most Joyful Reads of this year:
without pictures: Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie.
with pictures: Help Us, Great Warrior! and the webcomic The Sea in You, available on Webtoons and Tapas, print edition coming soon. Both of these were well reviewed here on SBTB, thank you all!
The most recent book that brought me joy was Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
So many! Battle Royal (Parker), Just Folking Around (Reid), The Devil Comes Courting (Milan), How to Catch a Queen (Cole), Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Hibbert), Uncharted (Anders), Edge of Glory (Spangler)
Nalini Singh’s Alpha Night, because the psy-changeling series always brings me joy. And The Rogue Not Taken and A Scot in the Dark by Sarah Maclean, because she is so good at creating witty heroines.
KJ Charles. She’s a little bit spoiled me for everyone else, her books are so precisely what I want to read. I think the second Will Darling book might be my favorite read this year? Maybe I should read the whole series for the fifth time to be sure…
The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan was really a charmer, though with such a sad backstory for the heroine (& hero). I was glad to see both happy.
I thoroughly enjoyed Polaris Rising. It was the perfect mix of sci fi I was craving with romance mixed in! Really loved it.
Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce and Battle Royale by Lucy Parker. I manage a pharmacy and have worked pretty much non-stop during the pandemic. These two books have allowed me to escape the demands of day to day life and live in different worlds for a while, and I can’t express how grateful I am to the authors for writing books that let me do that.
Finally gave in to the recommendation to read Way of Kings by Sanderson. Since January I’ve read all 4 and the novellas. The romance reader in me was a little sad that there wasn’t much romance, but it can’t be in every book (or can it?).
Romance-wise i was a fan of Her Wicked Marquess by Stacy Reid.
Sing Anyway by Anita Kelly gave me so much life! An extraordinary novella set at a karaoke club.
I recently reread Checkmate, the 6th (and last) book in the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. historical fiction, not romance, but this book also talks (a lot) about the power of love – a lot to think about (even if it is not always “comforting”)!
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels was the most recent book that I found to be absolutely delightful. I adore Jane Eyre, so all of the quotes, references, and snark about the Brontes made me giggle so much. I just received the ARC for the sequel, and I’m saving that for a bad day.
Uncharted by Adriana Anders is bringing me so much joy. I loved the first book in the series (Whiteout) and this one is just as awesome. I like that both books are survival stories with unsexy injuries but plenty of sexytimes. And even though I know that the heroines and heroes will be okay (these are romances after all), I still get worried for them when they get hurt because they get seriously hurt and are in serious peril. Also, Uncharted made me literally gasp out loud when reading it last night. SO GOOD.
Wow – How wonderful seeing all the joy books have brought the bitchery this year! The world around us is scary, but we live in a time of literary abundance, and that is something to be grateful for. No romance has reached all the way into my soul so far this year, but The Rose Code, The Four Winds, and We Begin at the End all left me gasping in admiration for what the authors had done. I’ve found a curious joy in the odd series of books by Julia Spencer-Fleming, and I find great joy in opening my daily emails from Smart Bitches!
The Wall of Winnipeg and me by Mariana Zapata
I’ve been feeling kind of blah and dabbling in assorted nonfiction lately, but I got an ARC of Annabeth Albert’s newest – “Sailor Proof” – and it was the frothy, tropey queer category escape I needed. I read it in one sitting and thought both heroes were total cinnamon rolls.
I also devoured the whole Gamechangers series by Rachel Reid a couple of months back. Very much looking forward to Shane and Ilya’s story continuing next year!
Not a romance but rather an exploration of being human… and a bit p*ssed at life:
Murderbot Diaries (All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, Exit Strategy, Fugitive Telemetry, and Network Effect) – most are novellas but Network Effect is a novel. So far this year, I’ve read each of them at least once a month.
And The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary
And Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
I’ve read all the Murderbot books this year for the first time and they are just wonderful. I can understand why Sarah keeps re-reading them!
Also, make me like number 10 in the line of Murderbot fans. I’ve read the whole series this year and it’s such a delight.
Thank you for this amazing giveaway! And for opening it up to international readers. My favourites so far this year are Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code and Role Model by Rachel Reid.
I loved the All In series by Helena Hunting. I smiled so much reading those books and throughly recommend them to all!
Cursed Luck by Kelley Armstrong – it came out last year but for some reason I hadn’t read it until recently and it is full of everything I love from Kelley Armstrong books. I can’t wait until the next book in the series.
I have a few!
– The HIM series by Bowen and Kennedy — anything they co-write, really.
– TWICE SHY by Hogle — just a book you want to hug to your chest when you’re done.
– DOLLY PARTON, SONGTELLER — if you haven’t gotten to this yet and you’re a fan of Dolly at all, GET THIS. The physical book is gorgeous but the audio is one of the best I’ve ever listened to. It’s like having a convo with her and they play snippets of songs. Just phenomenal.
I’ve really enjoyed A.J. Lancaster’s Stariel series, and of course new releases from fave authors like Patricia Briggs, Darynda Jones, Sherry Thomas and Deanna Raybourn, but the two books that have probably brought me the most joy this year were Farah Heron’s Accidentally Engaged and Alisha Rai’s First Comes Like.
I’ve spent every monthly audible credit on Faith Hunter’s Jane yellowrock books over this past year. I read the next one she writes will be the last, not sure what I’ll do then.
KJ Charles’ Will Darling series made me so happy! I’ve read them all and listened to the audiobooks more than once. They are lovely!
I read both The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting and Band Sinister by KJ Charles in quick succession this spring, and they brought me absolute joy. And now I want to go reread them immediately!
Actually, I just finished Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz for the fourth or fifth time, and it absolutely brought me joy. Book makes me smile. Every. Time.
With You Forever from Chloe Leisl. Though it just came out last week, I’ve been so looking forward to reading it. Happily, it did not disappoint!
Sarah MacLean’s Bombshell brought so much joy! Hooray for badass girl gangs!
Strange Love by Ann Aguirre. I read it in January of this year and it gave me such a warm and fuzzy feeling, which I needed after 2020. It was funny and warm but also very positive and uplifting. I have re-read it a couple of times since.
I loved ‘Spoiler Alert’ by Oliva Dade.
It fed into my obsession with reading fanfiction; which got me through some very tough times and is still the place I need to go when I feel upset or depressed.