So if you're like me, there's not enough time in your schedule to read every single book you'd like to. It's also impossible to keep up with new to new to me authors while also getting my "Oh my god I love her" author's books in. That normally means that for some books that earned so many reader's love, I'm behind on getting them worked into my reading schedule.
For those of you looking for a great read, the following book officially won the RITA award for best romance books published in 2011. I hope you find a few you haven't read and can enjoy!
Do you agree with the winners below? Which one didn't you read the 1st time around and can't wait to read now?
Winner for Paranormal Romance:
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
Winner for Romance Novella:
I Love The Earl by Caroline Linden
Winner for Best Novel With Strong Romantic Elements:
How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal
Winner for Best First Book:
First Grave on The Right by Darynda Jones
Winner for Best Historical Romance
The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne
Winner for Inspirational Romance:
The Measure of Katie Calloway by Serena Miller
Winner for Contemporary Series Romance Suspense/Adventure:
Solider's Last Stand by Cindy Dees
Contemporary Single Title Romance:
Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe
Winner for Regency Historical Romance
A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
Winner for Young Adult Romance:
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Winner for Contemporary Series Romance:
Doukakis' Apprentice by Sarah Morgan
Winner for Romantic Suspense:
New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
Monday Morning Cuteness!
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Win an e-Reader! Pimp My Read Contest Details
The Pimp My Read Contest:
Pimp
My Read is your chance to win one of four
fantastic e-readers, as well as best-selling,
super-sexy, fun contemporary romances by authors Ruthie Knox, Sarah Mayberry, Shannon Stacey, and Molly O’Keefe. This week, we four
authors bedeck ourselves in (virtual) feathers and gold chains, climb on top of
our Pimp Caddies, and sing the praises of e-readers and digital books at four
fantastic romance review sites: Smart
Bitches, Trashy Books, Smexybooks, Dear Author, and The Season for Romance.
At every site, one of us is giving away an e-reader, as well as prizes for runners-up. If you’ve been on the fence about which e-reader to get, or even why you would get one—or if you love your e-reader to bits and are dying to convert a friend or family member to the digital side—this is the contest you’ve been waiting for!
At every site, one of us is giving away an e-reader, as well as prizes for runners-up. If you’ve been on the fence about which e-reader to get, or even why you would get one—or if you love your e-reader to bits and are dying to convert a friend or family member to the digital side—this is the contest you’ve been waiting for!
The Prizes
- Sarah Mayberry is giving away a Kindle Touch 3G at Smexybooks
- Shannon Stacey is giving away a Nook SimpleTouch with Glowlight at Dear Author
- Ruthie Knox is giving away a Kindle Keyboard 3G at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
- Molly O’Keefe is giving away a Kobo Touch at The Season for Romance
The winner of each e-reader and two runners-up at each
site will also receive Exclusively Yours, Undeniably Yours, and Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey, Her Best Worst Mistake and Within
Reach by Sarah Mayberry, About Last
Night and Ride With Me by Ruthie
Knox, and Can’t Buy Me Love by Molly
O’Keefe.
How To Enter
To enter, visit one or all of the four host sites and
leave a comment explaining either (a)
why you want to win this e-reader for yourself or (b) why you want to win it
for someone else. Please include your e-mail
address in the appropriate comment field so we have a way of contacting you if
you win. Your e-mail address will not be visible to the general commenting
public.
The Fine Print
1. Feel free to
increase your chances of winning by entering once at each of the four sites!
But please, only one entry per site. Deliberate multiple comments on any
individual e-reader giveaway post will get you disqualified.
2. The contest
opens on each site when the post goes live and closes at 11:59 p.m. EST on
Friday, July 20.
3. Ruthie,
Sarah, Shannon, and Molly will choose the winners from among the comments on
the site where each posts. Feel free to entertain us or tug at our heartstrings
— we’ll pick the winners whose comments most effectively sway us!
4. No purchase
necessary. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
5. This contest
is open internationally. The e-readers on offer will work in many, but not all,
countries. Please be aware that geographical restrictions may affect your
ability to use/enjoy your prize.
Monday Morning Cuteness!
This cute little guy was too cute to pass up this morning. Hope this is the start of a great week for you!
see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!
see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!
Labels:
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Meg Cabot's Size 12 And Ready To Rock Book Trailer
This book trailer totally cracked me up. Enjoy!
Are you a Meg Cabot fan? Read the other books in the Heather Wells mystery Series? This new one is in stores July 10th. Happy Reading!
Are you a Meg Cabot fan? Read the other books in the Heather Wells mystery Series? This new one is in stores July 10th. Happy Reading!
Labels:
Book Trailer,
Meg Cabot,
Mystery
Summer Sale on Cheeky Reads Ads!
Cheeky Reads is having a Summer Sale on site ads!
Ads start as low as $8 and include additional promo extras like sponsor spotlights and featured tweets.
Email cheekyreads@gmail.com for details on what's available, pricing and additional promo ideas.
Review: Tempest in the Tea Leaves By Kari Lee Townsend
Tempest in the Tea Leaves (A Fortune Teller Mystery)
By Kari Lee Townsend
Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
3 Heart Review
Leaving the Big Apple for the quaint town of Divinity, New York, Sunny is determined to make it on her own as a psychic. With an ancient Victorian house as her place of business, Sunny uses various psychic methods to aid the town's residents. But when she uses tea leaves to give a reading for a frazzled librarian, what she finds at the bottom of the cup is anything but helpful.
Sunny informs the police of her deadly vision, but her warning is too late. And with hard-nosed, ruggedly handsome Detective Mitch Stone denying her abilities and name her prime suspect, the situation is dire. Now Sunny has to use her visions to clear her name, before the killer can put an end to the psychic's future...
I picked this book up at the library because I'm always up for a cozy mystery - especially one that hints at a romance - and this one plainly stated on it's cover that it was the first book in a new series. Win! I wish more publishers would play that up on covers since I like trying out a new series before there are 5 books more to read...
I really enjoyed the author's voice and that this was a cozy with a slightly younger - 29 years old - heroine. As much as I want to shout that there should be older characters in romance, cozies can sometimes take the age thing in the other direction too much. Beyond the age, the heroine Sunny Meadows is also unique and refreshing for a cozy. She still has that "outsider who never really fit in" thing going for her that most cozy heroines do, but she feels fresher. My issues with the book didn't have anything to do with Sunny.
I did have slight problems with the hero Mitch Stone because I found him to be a little wooden and not necessarily because his character is supposed to be guarded and stoic. He just doesn't feel entirely fleshed out and his dialog seems slightly off. He has potential though and I hope that Mrs. Townsend will develop him further in the next book.
The biggest issue I had was with a plot point in the book. From the back cover blurb you know that Sunny has to work to clear her name and I can't go into too many details or I'll be spoiling part of the plot, but how she gets involved in the investigation was really not believe. It took a giant leap of faith for a reader to believe and unfortunately I didn't think it was done in a way that allowed me to take that leap.
Tempest in the Tea Leaves is a solid and fun cozy mystery and I liked the premise and the characters enough that I'll be picking up the next in the series to see if some of my issues get worked out. I do think Kari Lee Townsend has a fresh, sweet voice I really found pleasing to read. I'll be looking for more books by her in the future.
By Kari Lee Townsend
Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
3 Heart Review
Leaving the Big Apple for the quaint town of Divinity, New York, Sunny is determined to make it on her own as a psychic. With an ancient Victorian house as her place of business, Sunny uses various psychic methods to aid the town's residents. But when she uses tea leaves to give a reading for a frazzled librarian, what she finds at the bottom of the cup is anything but helpful.
Sunny informs the police of her deadly vision, but her warning is too late. And with hard-nosed, ruggedly handsome Detective Mitch Stone denying her abilities and name her prime suspect, the situation is dire. Now Sunny has to use her visions to clear her name, before the killer can put an end to the psychic's future...
I picked this book up at the library because I'm always up for a cozy mystery - especially one that hints at a romance - and this one plainly stated on it's cover that it was the first book in a new series. Win! I wish more publishers would play that up on covers since I like trying out a new series before there are 5 books more to read...
I really enjoyed the author's voice and that this was a cozy with a slightly younger - 29 years old - heroine. As much as I want to shout that there should be older characters in romance, cozies can sometimes take the age thing in the other direction too much. Beyond the age, the heroine Sunny Meadows is also unique and refreshing for a cozy. She still has that "outsider who never really fit in" thing going for her that most cozy heroines do, but she feels fresher. My issues with the book didn't have anything to do with Sunny.
I did have slight problems with the hero Mitch Stone because I found him to be a little wooden and not necessarily because his character is supposed to be guarded and stoic. He just doesn't feel entirely fleshed out and his dialog seems slightly off. He has potential though and I hope that Mrs. Townsend will develop him further in the next book.
The biggest issue I had was with a plot point in the book. From the back cover blurb you know that Sunny has to work to clear her name and I can't go into too many details or I'll be spoiling part of the plot, but how she gets involved in the investigation was really not believe. It took a giant leap of faith for a reader to believe and unfortunately I didn't think it was done in a way that allowed me to take that leap.
Tempest in the Tea Leaves is a solid and fun cozy mystery and I liked the premise and the characters enough that I'll be picking up the next in the series to see if some of my issues get worked out. I do think Kari Lee Townsend has a fresh, sweet voice I really found pleasing to read. I'll be looking for more books by her in the future.
Monday Morning Cuteness!
Labels:
Audiobook Awareness Month,
Cute Pics,
Funny Images
Monday Morning Cuteness - Tuesday Edition
see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!
Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!
Labels:
Cat Photos,
Cute Pics,
Funny Images
My Fair Concubine Winner!
As selected by Random.org, the winner of an autorgraphed copy of My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin is...
bn100!
I'll email you for your mailing address and get the book out to you soon.
Happy Reading!
bn100!
I'll email you for your mailing address and get the book out to you soon.
Happy Reading!
Labels:
Giveaway,
Harlequin Historicals,
Winners
Book Review: My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin & Autographed Copy Giveaway
Book Review: My Fair Concubine
By: Jeannie Lin
Harlequin Historicals June 2012
Genre: Historical Romance
4 Heart Review
Excerpt
My Fair Concubine Blurb:
The Nobleman Who Turned A Tea Girl Into A Princess...
Yan Ling tries hard to be servile - it's what's expected of a girl of her class. Being intelligent and strong-minded, she finds it a constant battle.
Proud Fei Long is unimpressed by her spirit - until he realizes she's the answer to his problems. He has to deliver the emperor a "princess." In two months can he train a tea girl to pass as a noblewoman?
Yet it's hard to teach good etiquette when all Fei Ling wants to do is break it, by taking this tea girl for his own...
This book is a historical set during the Chinese Tang Dynasty and that alone was enough to tempt me to read it. The fact that it was written by Jeannie Lin made me want to put it at the top of my TBR pile. Oh, and it didn't hurt that the cover is stunning!
I absolutely ADORE that Harlequin has published historicals not just set in England or about the Ton. I mean there's a world full of history and I'm fascinated by Chinese history. I hope readers will support these books to show Harlequin that we want more unique settings in our historical romances!
I loved that this story takes place over a few months time. In category, very often the romance is fast and furious and with few additional characters. My Fair Concubine not only lets the characters develop, but the were a handful of very well developed and interesting side characters that added a richness to the story and I'm hoping that we will see a few of them in future books.
In addition to the longer romantic timeline, I felt that Lin did an outstanding job of letting the feelings between the hero and heroine build internally before letting them show their feelings externally. In fact, the hero Fei Long stays so true to his sense of honor that once he finally reveals his feelings to himself and Yan Ling, the reader will be swept along in the emotion.
As much as I appreciated that level of layered writing, I somehow was left wishing for a little more interaction between Yan Ling and Fei Long. a few more scenes of them spending time together, and not just quietly being in a room together, would have taken the story to the next level for me. That's not to say that I didn't appreciate how the tension built in those quiet moments.
If you are a fan of historical romances I highly recommend not only this book, but also Jeannie's previous Tang Dynasty books. I'd love to see more readers helping to support more diversity in settings and heroes and heroines.
Enter to win an autographed copy of My Fair Concubine!
Leave a comment below answering one of these questions: Have you ever read a unique setting in a historical romance? Do you want to see more diversity in characters? Have you read one of Jeannie's other books and what did you think about it?
1 extra entry if you Tweet the contest & link in comments.
1 extra entry if you share the contest on Facebook & link in comments.
I'll randomly pick a winner Friday May 25th. Make sure to include your address so I can contact you. Contest open to US and Canada only.
By: Jeannie Lin
Harlequin Historicals June 2012
Genre: Historical Romance
4 Heart Review
Excerpt
My Fair Concubine Blurb:
The Nobleman Who Turned A Tea Girl Into A Princess...
Yan Ling tries hard to be servile - it's what's expected of a girl of her class. Being intelligent and strong-minded, she finds it a constant battle.
Proud Fei Long is unimpressed by her spirit - until he realizes she's the answer to his problems. He has to deliver the emperor a "princess." In two months can he train a tea girl to pass as a noblewoman?
Yet it's hard to teach good etiquette when all Fei Ling wants to do is break it, by taking this tea girl for his own...
This book is a historical set during the Chinese Tang Dynasty and that alone was enough to tempt me to read it. The fact that it was written by Jeannie Lin made me want to put it at the top of my TBR pile. Oh, and it didn't hurt that the cover is stunning!
I absolutely ADORE that Harlequin has published historicals not just set in England or about the Ton. I mean there's a world full of history and I'm fascinated by Chinese history. I hope readers will support these books to show Harlequin that we want more unique settings in our historical romances!
I loved that this story takes place over a few months time. In category, very often the romance is fast and furious and with few additional characters. My Fair Concubine not only lets the characters develop, but the were a handful of very well developed and interesting side characters that added a richness to the story and I'm hoping that we will see a few of them in future books.
In addition to the longer romantic timeline, I felt that Lin did an outstanding job of letting the feelings between the hero and heroine build internally before letting them show their feelings externally. In fact, the hero Fei Long stays so true to his sense of honor that once he finally reveals his feelings to himself and Yan Ling, the reader will be swept along in the emotion.
As much as I appreciated that level of layered writing, I somehow was left wishing for a little more interaction between Yan Ling and Fei Long. a few more scenes of them spending time together, and not just quietly being in a room together, would have taken the story to the next level for me. That's not to say that I didn't appreciate how the tension built in those quiet moments.
If you are a fan of historical romances I highly recommend not only this book, but also Jeannie's previous Tang Dynasty books. I'd love to see more readers helping to support more diversity in settings and heroes and heroines.
Enter to win an autographed copy of My Fair Concubine!
Leave a comment below answering one of these questions: Have you ever read a unique setting in a historical romance? Do you want to see more diversity in characters? Have you read one of Jeannie's other books and what did you think about it?
1 extra entry if you Tweet the contest & link in comments.
1 extra entry if you share the contest on Facebook & link in comments.
I'll randomly pick a winner Friday May 25th. Make sure to include your address so I can contact you. Contest open to US and Canada only.
Looking for the next 50 Shades of Grey?
Everyone, and really I mean everyone, has talked or heard about 50 Shades of Grey. Personally, I haven't read it and don't think I plan to. That's more so because it's not a genre I would typically pick up myself than for any other reason.
It seems that every other book that comes out is being called the next 50 Shades of Grey. I can't speak to that, but I can share some of those books so that if you did read and enjoy 50 Shades, you can try some other books out.
The latest entry in this is Eden Bradley's The Dark Garden. Check out the free excerpt below to try it out!
It seems that every other book that comes out is being called the next 50 Shades of Grey. I can't speak to that, but I can share some of those books so that if you did read and enjoy 50 Shades, you can try some other books out.
The latest entry in this is Eden Bradley's The Dark Garden. Check out the free excerpt below to try it out!
Monday Morning Cuteness
see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz! This guy was just too cute to pass up posting today! Hope your week if off to a great start.
Labels:
Cute Pics,
Funny Images
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