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!
Erin Nicholas’s FLIPPING LOVE YOU, the most recent in her Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild series! And Serena Bell’s WALK ON THE WILDER SIDE, the about to release title in her Wilder Adventures series. These are exactly why I read romance.
One of my favorite reads this year was The Heiress by Molly Greeley, which gave one of the most overlooked side characters in Pride & Prejudice-Anne De Burgh-a fully fleshed out story that was both a wonderful modern touch and a tribute to the original book.
Also discovered Susan Wiggs and her lovely books such as The Lost and Found Bookshop and The Oysteeville Sewing Circle with plans to read more!
I really enjoyed Battle Royale. It was so emotional but also gave the fluff. A well balanced romance with a couple you could root for!
I’ve been reading Patricia Wentworth for the past few months, but I’ve gone through my local library’s stock of them. Now I’m eagerly awaiting the new TJ Klune book!
Horse person her! I love “The Dressage Chronicles” series and pretty much anything by Natalie Reinhart.
Both are awesome horse girl p0rn.
Check, Please! Book 1 (Hockey!) and Book 2 (Sticks and Scones) were warm, cozy hugs during the last couple (awful) weeks. They have been my favorite reads this year.
The Brown sisters books by Talia Hibbert.
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (yes, I’m aware it didn’t release this year).
This year and last were tough. I used to love getting into a book but now DNF is a huge problem. So, joy has come from tv (the Expanse is amazing) and laughing at ordinary things with my husband.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston has been my comfort read this year. I end up crying every single time but they’re good tears, so I keep rereading it!
I discovered the Honey Badger series. I’d read the good reviews and had tried a sample but wasn’t into it, but someone mentioned in a comment about it being a comfort reread series so I gave it another shot and this time made it past the first few chapters and then made a series of bad book/sleep decisions to finish it and the next two in less than a week. I just read the new one that came out and I just want to say that I hope Dutch gets a book because he’s so stupid but also my favorite.
Echoes by LA Ashton.
A vampire romance that takes advantage of the Norse settling the east coast of North America before anyone else white? Yes please
So right now (as in it’s still going), Sarina Bowen has been releasing a novella called Must Love Hockey, at the rate of one chapter per week, centered on the cutie equipment manager of her Brooklyn Bruisers hockey team. It’s SO CUTE and I love it so much.
I would have to say that the book that had brought me the most joy this year because I had been hooked on the premise and just felt it was worth the wait was Neon Gods by Katee Robert.
I enjoyed The Last Watch by J. S. Dewes. Nice tension, people growing, even a little romance element.
I’ve been faithfully charting my reading with the google drive spreadsheet made by SBTB, and looking back on the last year, I’ve managed to read 121 books (WOW!) and nothing received more thunderous applause than THE LAST HOUR OF GANN by R. Lee Smith. An oldie but a goodie if you will. Dark, monstrous and tormenty goodness, despite the terrible things that befell Amber and the group of survivors, it firmly made me believe in love again (and in the attractiveness of grumpy lizard men, but that’s another topic for discussion).
Other strong contenders and honorable mentions include THE STAND-IN by Lily Chu, a feel-good Asian lit audiobook about celebrity romance and of course, SAINT by Sierra Simone, who never fails to deliver tortured forbidden romance through the story of Aiden Bell, the last of the Bell brothers who readers have been eagerly awaiting the story for.
I finally got on board the Casey McQuinston train and read Red, White, and Royal Blue. It was such a satisfying read!
I’ve gotten a lot of joy out of reading new-to-me authors, taking lots of long walks with my spouse, and baking bread again!
OK – I need to read the instructions more closely.
The book that brought me joy – I’ve read it at least three times – Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
I recently read the Worth Saga books by Courtney Milan. Each of the books is a joy, and I love that they are linked to a broader story. My only complaint is that the series is unfinished but that’s on me for not having the discipline to wait until it was all the way done before starting.
Discovering Sarah J. Maas this year and all her books brought me pure joy and opened up a whole new genre to love!
The first book is Ronan Hession’s Leonard & Hungry Paul. This is such a gently joyful book. It has satisfying romances though it’s not a romance. Without being preachy it says powerful things about quietness, and silence and just trying to live your life in a way that rings true to you.
Then there’s Becky Chambers. If ever there was an author whose books give joy, it is her. I still have the newest series on hold but I loved the The Galaxy And The Ground Within.
Pastiche by Celia Lake. Oh what a lovely, beautiful magic-full romance. Celia Lake is one of my favorite discoveries of this year.
Miss Read’s Thrush Green series: the village of Thrush Green and its inhabitants always puts a smile in my heart and on my face. I try to pace my reading so that I pick up the book that’s set in the season we’re currently in. It makes the whole experience even more satisfying.
The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas brought me a lot of joy! I can’t believe I waited so long to read her books, and I’m looking forward to reading all of them.
This website has brought me joy! Thank you for introducing me to so many books and authors that have provided days of levity in a stressful time.
Books: thanks to Sarah from SBTB’s recommendation I loved Shelly Laurenston’s Honey Badger series. Also devoured everything my library has by Jackie Lau. Beverly Jenkins’ historicals especially Rebel and Indigo. The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan was delightful and I loved reading a European historical with Asian hero/heroines. An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole was a definite favorite for gripping plot and lovable characters. And I devoured the Verity Kent series by Anna Lee Huber thanks to hearing her on the podcast!
In March, I read The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare. Before that, I hadn’t read a romance novel in more than 20 years, since I was a teenager. When I lived at home, my mother used to shame me for reading them, calling me intellectually lazy, and since then I’ve barely had time to read for pleasure for the past several years due to work and so many other things. When I did, I read solely mysteries (still love). But this past spring, I was just so exhausted from everything, work, the pandemic, all the “so many other things”, and I just needed a simple, escapist pleasure, with nothing too terrible happening to anybody and a really happy ending. So after seeking out some recommendations from romancelandia friends, I landed somewhat whimsically on The Duchess Deal. It was like injecting joy into my veins. I felt lighter—less stressed, giggly, rested.
Later in the year, I used my vacation time to take a week off. By that time, I’d found recommendations here and other places. I stocked up on See’s candies. And I took to my couch for a week of romance novels, chocolate boxes, tea and wine, with my dog at my feet. Best vacation ever. Books are the best medicine.
I commented two days ago, saying no romance had touched me deeply this year, and then I realized I was wrong and felt very guilty. I really loved The People You Meet On Vacation. I listened to it on audio, but I liked it so much I bought a print copy to keep. I know it wasn’t universally loved, but it did it for me. And Sue C. above is right: the story Sarina Bowen has been realizing in her newsletters is great!
how did releasing become realizing???!
The Murderbot series just delighted me – I know I was late to the party on All Systems Red, but have zipped through the rest and bought Fugitive Telemetry a couple weeks back, and immediately joined the Bad Decisions Book Club. I also loved discovering A Curious Beginning and the whole Veronica Speedwell series.
Kathryn Moon books
She is my bookish discovery of 2021
Such a fantastic writing style, plus now I love Reverse Harem ☺️
Thank you for your generosity ☺️
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik was amazing and made me desire the next book immediately.
The Heiress – so happy to see Anne de Bourgh get a real story. Also One Last Stop was delightful.
So many great new books this year, and so many that made me happy! The one that made me happy though I hadn’t known I needed to read it? A Suitable Consort by R. Cooper. Fantasy is not usually my thing, but this just drew me in and made me so happy. Excellent world-building too for a relatively short book.
And at the end, I had read it right again, because obviously the signs to what is actually going on beyond the surface are all there. And it just gave me ALLLLL the feels!
Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher
Dirty Secret by Mira Lyn Kelly. I’ve read it three times this year already! Sexy and sweet forbidden love hockey romance.
The NYPD Red series by James Patterson has brought me joy this year. The series is engrossing enough to take my mind off of things.
The Murderbot Diaries brought me such joy and helped me out of my pandemic induced reading slump. As a bonus, I enthused about them to my not-really-much-of-a-reader teen…who is also really enjoying them! Double joy to read them myself and share them with someone else.
I love the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire and I just finished the just released book in which Toby is to marry. Great series, very satisfying entry
This year has been tougher than last year. I’ve taken the time to read a lot more fictional books now that I am no longer studying part time while working full time. And I really appreciate the recommendations from SBTB and its readers.
So the list of comfort reads, to which I come back, is fortunately growing.
My current comfort reads include Julie James’ Something About You and L Setterby’s Whisper. I’ve just downloaded Laura Griffin’s Flight, T Kingfisher’s Swordheart and KJ Charles’ Any Old Diamonds and looking forward to relaxing with each of them
Talia Hibbert’s Get a LIfe, Eve Brown. Gave me all the feelings and sort of reminded me of me and my husband, which is a very nice bonus.
The Seanan McGuire InCryptid series have brought me joy. Snark and ass kicking and family, and poignancy and lovely prose. I’ve reread a lot of her stuff recently.