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?

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?

Winners: How To Seduce A Scoundrel

Drum roll please.... The winner for Vicky Dreiling's How To Seduce A Scoundrel are:

Johanna Jochum

Laurielu

Diane P. Diamond

I used random.org to pick the winners. I emailed all the winners so please respond back by Saturday morning so I can get your books on their way. If I don't hear from you I will pick a new winner on Sunday.

Thank you so much for stopping by For The Love Of Romance. And a big THANK YOU to Vicky Dreiling and Brianne from Grand Central Publishing for providing the book.!

My first... Vampire

I haven't done a My First post since the very first one so I thought I would give you all another taste of my first time. I'm talking about reading people! Get your minds out of the gutter.

Vampires. They are dangerous and dark. They are strong and sexual. What's not like right? Well, for me, they terrify me. I held off reading paranormals for the longest time because I am scared of my own shadow and the thought of some vampire coming to sex me up was just a bit much. I was never big into Buffy or Angel when I was younger so I never understood the appeal of fangs. That is until someone opened my eyes.

Ok, so let me say this and don't judge. My first vampire was Edward Cullen but this post is not about him or the Twilight books because: 1. Vampires don't sparkle. 2. Bella is an idiot. 3. Jasper was obviously the hottest one. 4. Renesme? What kind of name is that?

Ok, so that list could be endless on why Twilight annoys me but it was a nice way to get my feet wet. But now, the real reason I am in love vampires... JR Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Hi, my name is Jamie and I am a BDB addict.

I fought this for a very long time. A friend of mine at work (a man *gasp*) knew I read the Twilight books and laughed at me. He told me if I wanted some real vampires, with some real smexing then I had to look into JR Ward. I promptly looked up her series and her first book Dark Lover. I also very promptly went out and bought Dark Lover. I then allowed myself about 4 months to actually work myself up to reading it.

I know! I know! Dark Lover sat on my nightstand FOREVER! Hell, I even took it on vacation with me when I went to England for the third time. I just didn't want to read it. There were so many other books to read! But when I finally ran out of historicals (I'm pretty sure I just got tired of them and I didn't have a Kindle yet) I decided to give it a try. I then promptly kicked myself for letting Wrath sit unread for months.

As I soon discover, BDB is like crack. Or should I say crhack? Either way I was sucked right into a world where shitkickers and leather were the norm. Where they listened to ganster rap and waged a war with their enemies. I found myself responding 'True' whenever I could and drinking some Goose. My addiction was a hard one because I had six BDB books available to me. The tough park came when I finished Phury's book and I had to wait for book 7. Not to mention that Lover Avenged, Rhev's book, was coming out in hardcover first. Hardcover!

I wasn't buying the hardcover. I could wait another couple of months for the paperback. (I still didn't have a Kindle) Soon the withdrawls set in. I was itching for a fix that only the Brothers could give me. Thank the Scribe Virgin for the BDB Insider Guide!

When Lover Avenged ws finally released in paperback I rejoiced, praised the Scribe Virgin and devoured it. I also knew that as soon as Lover Mine ws released in Hardcover I was getting it. No more waiting for the paperback. It was worth it!

So now my craving are setting in again, especially with the WARDen posting little snippets of the next book. I'm not telling you who's book it is because I refuse to spoil it for those who are just starting reading the series. BUT, I will tell you that I am excited and scared for it at the same time. I think it's going to be a real hard one for all the BDB addicts to read.

So that was my first vampire story. I love those Brother's and I pimp them out anytime I get the chance. I've been telling Kati over at Romancing Rakes to read them for months now and I can tell you that she has read Dark Lover and Lover Enternal in like 3 days. The addiction continues.

SO tell me... What was your first vampire? Have you read the Black Dagger Brotherhood series yet?

Guest Post and Giveaway with Vicky Dreiling

I am so happy to have Vicky Dreiling here on For the Love of Romance. I am a HUGE fan of Vicky's and her books. I could stay here all day and ramble on about the awesomeness of Vicky, but I won't. Though she is very awesome! And fabulous.


A little bit about Vicky Dreiling:

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.”

When she’s not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and most of all, long lunches with friends. She holds degrees in English literature and marketing. A native Texan, she shares her home with her daughter and a spoiled mini-lop rabbit that lives in a slightly gnawed cardboard cottage.

You can find Vicky here: 

Author Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

Vicky is here to give us a quick peek behind the scenes of her books plots and characters. Her newest, How To Seduce A Scoundrel, is amazing! Vicky was nice enough to send me an advance copy and I devoured it. I am thoroughly in love Hawk and I would love to be friends with Julianne. Plus, isn't the cover to die for? I love it. 

Genre: Historical Romance

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever (July 1, 2011)

ISBN: 9780446565387

SCOUNDRELS, RAKES, AND ROGUES BEWARE . . .
Lady Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother’s best friend—for whom she’s long nursed a secret tendre—agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz.
But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for the Earl of Hawkfield to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear. Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any recently discarded, wickedly witty young miss would do. She secretly pens a lady’s guide to enticing unrepentant rakes . . . and it becomes the hottest scandal in London.
Every honorable rake knows that friends’ sisters are forbidden. But suddenly Julianne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can’t resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter and his nights dreaming of her kisses. He’s always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match?
ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

So now I'll hand things over to Vicky. Take it away!

In my debut novel HOW TO MARRY A DUKE, I included an unusual high concept premise: The Bachelor in Regency England, minus the hot tub and camera crew. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started writing the book. I just watched the TV show, and after the idea popped into my head, I thought it would be fun to write.  In truth, it was very difficult to write the book, but I didn’t understand why until after I’d revised and polished the manuscript for my editor.

HOW TO MARRY A DUKE was only my second manuscript, so that contributed to my struggles while writing the story. I had a fairly steep learning curve, but I was very determined. It wasn’t until after I’d finished the book and started writing HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL that I realized the complexity that I’d introduced into the novels.

Traditionally, most books have familiar plots such as marriages of convenience or secret babies. Often the books contain a subplot, such as a secondary romance. But, both Duke and Scoundrel had multi-layered premises. HOW TO MARRY A DUKE contained a matchmaker plot and forbidden love in addition to the overarching bachelor premise. There were also several subplots involved. Similarly, HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL is spoof on The Rules--in Regency England. Like my first novel, Scoundrel also contains two traditional plots: the guardian and forbidden love. Again, subplots were involved. 

The biggest difference between the two books is that I had actually analyzed the elements in the first book, and that understanding helped make the writing of my second novel a bit easier. I’m currently writing a third book, HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE, and it too has a similar structure to the first two novels.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look into my writing process. May the Magic Romance Fairies be with you!

Thank you so much Vicky! I am so excited for How To Ravish A Rake. I already have a crush on Will, Hawk's younger brother, and I keep telling Vicky to write faster. 

Giveaway!

Thanks to the fabulous Brianne from Grand Central Publishing I'm giving away three (3) copies of How To Seduce A Scoundrel. All you have to do is leave a comment below. Also, make sure you follow For the Love of Romance and get an extra entry. 

The giveaway will be open until Tuesday, July 19th (midnight) and I will post the winners on Wednesday. 

RomCon Giveaway Winners!

CONGRATULATIONS:

Aislinn Macnamara

@aislinn_mac won the #RomCon11 ticket giveaway and meetup with the Pervy Trinity and Naughty Authors #1 and #2 AND DEREK!! YAY!! 

 

The two runner up swag baskets full of awesome goodies go to:

Jen Martin aka @RedHotBooks and Isalys aka @IsaBookSoulmate

Thank you for all the entries and the fun over the past couple weeks! I hope you all can make it to RomCon this year! I'm so excited to meet you all! August is only about a month away!

Romance Lately Episode 2

YAY! We had so much fun with Tiffany Reisz talking about Seven Day Loan and Siren so thanks for watching everyone! And now onto episode 2!

Topic of the Day: Romance Visuals- What does Romance LOOK like? And we have the perfect guest, Jenn LeBlanc who illustrated her on romance novel The Rake and The Recluse!

SO please come and hang with us! Plus, I know for a fact that there are going to be some HOT visuals!

Go to the Romance Lately blog to watch the show and to find the details on how to join in on the fun!