Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Winners-Birthday Bash Giveaway

Thank you all so much for all the birthday love! I will tell you that I was sang to twice but I survived without shedding any tears.

Also I want to thank Kati over at Romancing Rakes for making the awesome Birthday Bash graphic. And because she is awesome, she is holding a giveaway in honor of my birthday. She's giving away The Rake and The Recluse by Jenn LeBlanc since it is one of our favorite books. So if you didn't win any books here head over there and enter.

Now for the fun stuff! Presents and winners!

Winner of The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

Melanie A.

Winner of Good Girls Don't

Keylayne

Winner of Dark Lover

Heather F.

I used Random.org to pick the winners. I also added the names in the comments to the form to make sure everyone got a chance to win. I sent out emails to the winners and you have 2 days to claim your presents. If you won and didn't receive and email please contact me at fortheloveofromance AT gmail DOT com

Again, thank you so much for helping me celebrate my birthday. I hope that your next birthday is amazing and you get whatever you wish for.

Also, don't forget the other giveaway I'm doing. Right now I'm at 39 followers and once I reach 40 I'm giving away a copy of The Rake and The Recluse by Jenn Leblanc so stay tuned!

Monthly Mailbox: August Edition

Whoa! August was definitely my month for books. Between RomCon11, Danielle of Ramblings from this Chick (she went to AAD Philly) and Jamie Lynn (she finally send the RWA11 stash), my bookshelf is groaning from the weight.

So much awesome swag too. Bookmarks, samplers, pens (lots of them), and freaking RTCs!! I've started collecting romance trading cards. They're just absolutely gorgeous and sexy.

W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme MizB of Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So, here's my answers:

Jamie's Birthday Bash Giveaway

Woot! It's Jamie Lynn's birthday today. She's the blogger behind For the Love of Romance. So in her honor, I have compiled a bunch of pictures of very good looking men.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE LYNN!!

Margaritas on me the next time I see youuu!

Author Jade Lee being a semi-creeper behind us. lol

AND NOW ON TO THE GIVEAWAY:

Teaser Tuesday (13)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser:

Today there's an EXPLOSION of books being released. But there is something special about today. So before I get on with that list, I'd like to tell you a little bit about Avon's K.I.S.S & Teal program.

Contemporary eARC Review: Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl

Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl
Format: eBook through NetGalley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Harlequin- HQN (August 30, 2011)
ISBN: 9780373775958
With her long ponytail and sparkling green eyes, Tessa Donovan looks more like the girl next door than a businesswoman – or a heartbreaker. Which may explain why Detective Luke Asher barely notices her when he arrives to investigate a break-in at her family’s brewery. He’s got his own problems – starting with the fact that his partner Simone is pregnant and everyone thinks he's the father. The last thing he needs is a nice girl like Tessa getting under his skin.Tessa has her hands full, too. Her brother’s playboy ways may be threatening the business, and the tensions could tear her tight-knit family apart. In fact, the only thing that could unite the Donovan boys is seeing a man come after their “baby” sister. Especially a man like Luke Asher. But Tessa sees past the rumors to the man beneath. (source)

Go and buy it NOW!

Other Books in Series Coming Soon (Donovan Brothers Brewery):

REVIEW:

It's another Monday, another yucky start to the week. Well, not on Twitter. Join us tonight at 8pm CST (6,7,9 for the rest of us) and look for the #ManCandyMonday hashtag. Bring your pictures, your snark and your warnings. Oh, and a towel to mop up all that drool. Please give a warning if the pictures you share have half nekkid to fully nekkid men. Some of us are drinking wine, coke zeroes, pick your poison... Many keyboards have been known to take the brunt of said pictures.

We, the ladies of Man Candy Monday, are not responsible should you be caught by your boss, your husband, your boyfriend or significant other looking at hot man candy. View at your own risk.

Tonight's theme is: Television Hotties. Check out the post on the official Man Candy Monday blog. And pictures...

Winner for Impromptu Giveaway of The Rake and the Recluse

Congrats Laura Terhune!!!

You won an e-book copy of

Jenn LeBlanc's THE RAKE AND THE RELCUSE

Winner has already been contacted. Thanks to everyone who entered. Be on the lookout for future giveaways.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Dirty Little Secret (5)

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.

2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image and copy instructions.

3. Answer the question they propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.

4. Then add your link here.

Non-bloggers: I want to hear from you as well!!! Let me know your answer in the comments!

Q: Who is your secret celebrity girl crush?

Blog Tour: Guest Post & Giveaway with Ashley March, Author of Romancing the Countess

Welcome to the Blog Tour...

Ashley March is funny, witty and fabulous! I first heard of Ashley right before her First Annual March Madness Blog Party. To my surprise (after stalking her website) I had actually read her first book SEDUCING THE DUCHESS and didn't know it was her (sorry Ashley!). On September 6th, she'll be releasing her second book: ROMANCING THE COUNTESS. So without further ado, please give a great big Texas "HOWDY" to my fellow Texan (she lives in Colorado now):

HOWDY ASHLEY!!!!

Meet Ashley:

I was born and raised in East Texas, moved to Colorado after getting married eight years ago, and have been craving snow-free winters ever since. I have a husband who just keeps getting better and better over time and two beautiful daughters. I write contemporary and historical romances, I have two amazing critique partners, an awesome publisher (NAL), an absolutely fantastic agent (Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency) and, as can be seen above, a slight problem with using too many adjectives.

Life is simply…fantastic.

Find Ashley: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme MizB of Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So, here's my answers:

Birthday Bash Giveaway

It's my birthday!!!

Well, my birthday isn't until the 31st but It's never too early to celebrate. Now, the 31st will be the anniversary of my 21st birthday is next Wednesday... go ahead and do the math.

I'll be 26 and I'm kind of freaking out about it. When you're growing up all you think about is reaching those major milestones... 16 when I could get my driving permit, 18 when I would be an adult and 21 when I could go out and party. Then last year was my 25th birthday and all my cards wished me a "Happy Quarter Century". Then it hit me... I was in my mid-twenties.

So, now I'm on my way to thirty. Do you remember when you were younger and thinking 30 was so old? I don't feel old and I certainly don't think 30 is old. So I refuse to change my youthful ways and grow up.

Anyway, I'm going to tell you a secret... I don't like my birthday. Yes, I like presents but what I hate is people singing Happy Birthday to me. I have learned to deal with it from my family but if we go out to a restaurant I forbid any public singing because I cry. I've been known to run to bathroom and hide under tables when the singing starts. The one time I was trapped and I cried my eyes out. I was 20.

But the best thing about birthday is the cake and the presents. I would love to send everyone some cake but I don't think it will ship well. So, how about some presents?

I like presents, and not only do I like receiving presents but I like giving presents. So for my birthday I'm giving away three of my favorite romance novels to three luck people.

Historical: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Contemporary: Good Girl's Don't by Victoria Dahl

Paranormal: Dark Lover by JR Ward

To enter to win one of the books just fill out the form and tell me which book you would want as a present.

Birthday Bash Giveaway Form

Good Luck! The giveaway is open until Aug. 31st at midnight. All I ask is that along with filling out the form you make sure you follow For The Love of Romance, because let's not forget I'm having a follower giveaway.

So, do you hate your birthday? Do you run screaming from the room like me when someone starts singing? Did you have a mid-twenty's crisis like did?

Historical ARC Review: In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks

In Bed with a Highlander
Format: ARC
Genre: Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback: 351 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 30,2011)
ISBN: 9780345519474
Bestselling author Maya Bank's beguiling new trilogy features three unforgettable brothers risking everything to save their clan and their legacy ---and to surrender their hearts to love.

Ewan, the oldest of the McCabe brothers, is a ruggedly powerful warrior. With the time ripe for battle, Ewan is poised to take back what is his ---until a blue-eyed, raven-haired temptress is thrust into his life. The illegitimate daughter of the king, Mairin possesses prized property that has made her a pawn ---and wary of love. But her attraction to Ewan McCabe makes her crave his surprisingly tender touch. Mairin's strength, spirit, and passion challenge Ewan to conquer his demons ---and embrace a love that means more than revenge or land. (source: backcover)

I loved it.

OTHER BOOKS IN SERIES (COMING SOON):

REVIEW & BOOK TRAILER:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser:

Impromptu Giveaway: The Rake and the Recluse by Jenn LeBlanc

Ok. So this morning in my inbox, I get an email from Rafflecopter. This super awesome thingy that I've seen around the blogosphere to make giveaways easier. To celebrate this squee worth moment (at least for me. don't judge), I'm testing it out by giving away a copy of only one of my favorite books EVER.

If you haven't read it, you're missing out. Seriously. There's pictures inside the book. What? Yes, inside. Intrigued yet?

I am offering an e-book copy of Jenn LeBlanc's THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE. Read an excerpt here.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Francine Larrabee woke up on the wrong side of the century. She was fairly certain she went to sleep in her own comfy bed, but she doesn’t quite seem to be there now. Only adding to her problems is that she has no voice, is constantly being glowered at by a large, stunning man who is obsessed with propriety, and she is apparently betrothed to another horrid little man, determined to ruin her, and any other girls that get in his way.

How does she find herself in the past, when she couldn’t even find herself in her present? How does a self sufficient businesswoman survive in a time when women were still considered property for the whole of their lives and what is she going to do with this man who draws her to him so fiercely.

Ok. So now fill out that rafflecopter thingy below for a chance to win. Easy Peasy right? Giveaway ends 8/27 12:01am EST. And go...

I'm taking over the world... one follower at a time!

So I've been busy lately and have neglected you all dreadfully. For this I apologize... with Henry Cavill.

See ladies, he's sorry too. Forgive me?

So, August has been crazy. I went to RomCon in Denver and it was awesome. There are not enough exclamation points to tell you how excited I was to be going. I'm going to do a full RomCon recap but I will tell you it involved riding crops, handcuffs, red rope and tying a certain hot model up with said rope, kilts, margaritas and so much more. Oh, and if you missed the last episode of Romance Lately you can see our recap of RomCon. I'm the one wearing the mask.

August is also my birthday month. Of course I need to wait to the very last day of August to celebrate but that's fine because I'm not ready to age another year. But I am ready for presents, I'm always ready for presents. I also like giving presents and that's why I'm having a special Birthday Giveaway... more on that later this week!

I've also been planning new things for For The Love Of Romance. I'm going to start putting up my reviews. I have a lot to put up from my reviewing over at The Season (ps The Season is having a big giveaway for their 2nd Anniversary. Lots of book and a chance to win your choice of e-reader.) So along with my Season reviews I'm going to start doing some here.

Now that I have rambled a bit I'm going to tell you what my plan to take over the world is. Well, not the world but you know what I mean. I want For The Love Of Romance to be a place where we all can get together and talk about romance. You are the reason I wanted to start a blog. So, to take over my little area of the blogasphere I'm having a follower giveaway.

Yes, I am bribing you all to come listen to me ramble. What's in it for you? Well, let me tell you:

1. Jenn LeBlanc's illustrated romance novel The Rake and The Recluse (an e-copy) once I reach 40 followers.
2. A $10 gift card to Amazon.com once I reach 50 followers
3. An e-book of your choosing (up to $7.99) when ever I reach 60, 70, 80 and 90 followers.
4. The Grandprize! When I reach 100 follower one lucky person is going to receive a $25 gift card to Amazon.com, 2 of my favorite books of this year, and 2 books of your choosing. And when I saw books, I mean actual books unless you prefer the e-books.

Now, what kind of hoops am I going to make you jump through? Well... none. All I ask is that you follow using the Google Friend Connect. Once I reach the next milestone I'll put up a post and all you have to do is fill out the form with your name, address and email. Simple, yes?

I'm not against bribing either so I give you Richard Armiatge. And It's his birthday! See we were meant to be, same birthday month!

So there you have it. My plan to take over the world, one follower at a time.

As I try to make For The Love of Romance a fun place, what do you want to see on the blog?

Happy Birthday Richard!

How appropriate that Richard Armitage's birthday falls on Man Candy Monday. He is after all, one of the original man candy monday men (say that a couple hundred times real fast). So in celebration of Richard's birthday, I give you:

Happy Birthday Richard!!!
Love, The Armitage Nation

And here's more about Richard on Wikipedia. Show your love and birthday wishes today by tweeting Happy Birthday Richard! #armitaging

Man Candy Monday: Musician Edition

Are you ready to rock out tonight? Join us for the Musician edition of Man Candy Monday. Bring pictures, stories, snark, a bib (to catch the droolage), put on a panty liner (self explanatory) and get ready to ogle hot man candy provided by fellow Man Candy Monday babes. We'll be on Twitter at 8pm CST (6,7,9 for the rest of us) sharing our finds. Use the hashtag #mancandymonday so that everyone else can see what or more like who, you've got. Hope these pictures make your Monday a little better. Remember, viewing at work may get you in trouble. We, the Man Candy Monday babes will not be held responsible. View at your own risk. And remember, if you're going to share a full frontal or nekkid backside, please give a warning. Many of us have been known the spew, dribble or choke on what we're drinking, or fall out of our chairs.

Without further ado, I give you:

Five Friday Favorites

Oh sweet Pete! I haven't done my Five Friday Favorites in a while. Um, I've got quite a few. Perhaps I should just categorize it? Oh the agony! Decisions, decisions. RomCon11 was the bomb dot com. Seriously. It rocked. Hardcore. Red dildo included. I have a new appreciation for law men and highlanders. My love for certain authors have skyrocketed. I actually got some reading done the past few days. My bookshelf is groaning from all the new books I got from RomCon. I was famous for a hot minute and I apparently am a mauler of all things hot and in kilts. I'm slightly obsessed with my aviators and is it next June yet? I met Jamie Lynn and Rita in person. Neat-O! And what is up with this marine layer crap going on?! Drove up to Santa Monica Pier and cruised the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway)-- thanks Veronica Mars!

So after much deliberation, I give you my Five Friday Faves:

Dirty Little Secret (4)

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.

2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image and copy instructions.

3. Answer the question they propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.

4. Then add your link here.

Non-bloggers: I want to hear from you as well!!! Let me know your answer in the comments!

Q: "Tell us who is in your harem of deliciously sexy book heroes"

W...W...W... (10)

W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme MizB of Should Be Reading.

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So, here's my answers:

Tell Me You Want Me by Amelia James
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 261KB
Publisher: Amelia James (March 15, 2011)

"I can give you exactly what you're asking for, Janie, and I can give it to you all night long."

Their first kiss is impulsive, fun, a little wicked--everything Jane Elliot isn't looking for in a man--but desperately needs.  Their second kiss is slow, deliberate, an instant connection--everything Austin Sinclair never had with a woman--and doesn't want.
Jane isn't the easy conquest Austin's used to.  She's a stubborn-as-hell bookworm who's more interested in studying than dating.  She needs a little--no--a lot of fun in her life, and Austin's just the guy who can give it to her.  Too bad she thinks love should easy. Too bad Austin knows it isn't.
Everybody told her to stay away from the heartbreaker, but Jane knows there's more to Austin than full-body contact kisses and bad boy charm.  All he ever promised her was a good time and wow, does he ever deliver....

I really liked it.

REVIEW:

Teaser Tuesday (11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser:

Marked by Elisabeth Naughton
Format: Kindle Edition
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Dorchester (April 27, 2010)

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.

She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendent of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.

As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice. (source)

I loved it.

Review After the Jump:

Man Candy Monday: Sweaty Edition

Er, yes. You read that title correctly. Today's theme for Man Candy Monday on Twitter is sweaty man candy. Which is pretty much a free-for-all. Join us every Monday on Twitter at 8pm CDT (6,7,9 for the rest of us) and us the hashtag #ManCandyMonday. Bring your pictures, links and snark. The men can be dressed, half dressed or even nekkid (please add a warning to these, there may be other people around so we don't want any of the ladies to open the link and go--EEP!).

So here it goes:

RomCon11 Recap

Oh dear heavens, where do I begin? Back in May, Ashley March bribed us with the promise of Blue Bell Ice Cream and Jenn LeBlanc bribed Jamie (For the Love of Romance), Rita (Not Another Romance Blog) and I with this: