Welcome all to the 2nd SRR Romance Blog Awards... Please allow David to show you to your seat. ;) Thank you all for your attendance and I hope you enjoy the evening.

Hey all my romance ravenous buds! I thought I would post a new poll here to see what you all would like to see more of here on SRR. So sound off...



Don't see what you want listed on the poll send me an email or leave a comment and tell me! I want to know what you all like and what I can improve on to make this a better blog. :)

And tomorrow there will be a special awards ceremony here so please come back there is no formal wear necessary! But there will be some very hot guys giving out the trophies so don't miss it! And just to wet your appetite here is one of the examples of the hottie's... :)

Or have any of you read a book recently that just blew you away? I would love to hear about it!

Upcoming here at SRR more reviews and more author interviews and an awards ceremony !!! :)

Click here to buy yours today!!!

Ok has everyone heard about the recent new Federal Trade Commission’s announcement about bloggers and disclosure, reviewing, and ARC's etc.?

Well J Kay's Book Blog had a wonderful post on this very thing and it's the first I had heard of it that actually explained it in detail. The Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising is 81 pages long!!! YEP can you believe that! J Kaye recommened...

"Donna at Bites posted a great article with helpful links. One really superb article was Interview with the FTC’s Richard Cleland.I really urge book bloggers to read the Interview in full."

And I have to agree with her this was very informative and I urge all bloggers to take a look. Now I don't do anything wrong I believe by blogging about what I love which is romance novels. I state very proudly on my sidebar at the top of the page that I do review for Night Owl Romance. However I guess according to their new statues I need to post more clearly where I get every single book I blog about. And I guess Amazon links are a no no unless you claim them on your taxes. Well I do that but honestly I've made a whole 11 dollars in the form of a gift card one time in the whole time I have had links on my regular website (note they have been on there since I had it for oh about 7 years now) and this blog lol. Some kind of money I'm making isn't it. Don't get me wrong I respect the government and I always claim everything on my taxes and do the right thing. But seriously folks what in the world! Of all the problems that this country is facing right now THIS is what they choose to take the time to regulate and write up a 81 page memorandum for??? I just don't get it. Seems kind of nit picky to me! And anything like this makes me a bit nervous even though I know I'm not doing anything wrong lol. But I will be sure to post from now on where I got each book! And I'm sure going to put my lil 11 dollar gift certificate on my taxes.

This is a hobby for me I read because I like to and I enjoy it. I got to be a reviewer because I did read a lot and I was lucky enough for NOR to take me and so I do get to try some books that I otherwise might not have heard about or tried (since I have had to cut down on some of my spending with the recession just like everyone else). I blog about romances and books because I like to talk about the books I love. Not because I'm trying to make money! The majority of the books I review are purchased by me and the remainder are books that I get usually come from Night Owl Romance that the publishers and or authors send because they would like for them to be reviewed, or a friend let me borrow something that they enjoyed! I don't ever get even 40 books per year from NOR however, more like 10 or 15 if that. The rest I purchased on my own and they are for my own private collection I would have bought them anyway. If I decide to get rid of them after I read them I give them to friends to read or donate to a local nursing home etc. I don't resell them. And I would never ever sell any ARC that I receive that is a gross miss use of the author's work in my opinion. So I will do my level best to state from now on if I purchased the book myself or got it to review from NOR.

Now addressing reviews just because the publisher or author sends me a book does NOT mean a good review!

I review and give each book an honest score on what I thought of it as a reader. I'm also notoriously choosy in what I choose to review that is why I give more 4's and 5's than some people. Not because they "purchased a good review" by giving me the book to review. I simply don't review books I don't think I will like or that have views I don't agree with. I don't think that would be fair to the author or anyone! I have given 3's several times and yes even a 2 but that is a very rare occasion as I am so choosy on what I review in the first place. Above all I try to be honest and fair in my reviews. And to me if an author has the determination and courage to write a book an entire book and go through the rigors of getting it published they deserve at least a 2 for their efforts but that is just my thoughts. I know what I like and I just don't accept books to review that I don't already have a pretty good idea that I'm going to enjoy or at least be able to finish. I do keep all the books I get or I give them to family and friends to read. Again I don't sell them!

Now for the Amazon and sponsor links... Yes I have Amazon links on my site mostly though for my reader's to have easy access to buy the book and support the wonderful authors! I want the authors to get credit for their hard work, and don't forget this is how we keep our favorite authors and their series going is by buying the books and the sales equal them being able to continue their wonderful work that we enjoy so much! The other reason I have them is the fact that they have cool little photo widgets that are easy to update and use, they look nice. It's certainly not that I'm making money off of it LOL.

So anyway these are just my thoughts on the matter I still have to finish reading the report but it is just amazing to me that they are this worried about people blogging when they have so many more important and serious issues they should be focusing on. Tis a crying shame. Now I want to know what you all think? Shout out about it! :)

New in award-winning author Claudia Dain's dazzling Courtesan series!


Click on the cover to order your copy today!

Book four in the Courtesan Series

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (09/1/09)
ISBN-10: 0425229688
ISBN-13: 978-0425229682

Summary: Miss Penelope Prestwick wants a duke for a husband, and clearly the dashing Duke of Edenham is the best choice. Just as Lady Dalby is clearly the best person to arrange the match. But how exactly should Penelope go about dazzling a duke? Surely a show of cleavage never hurt. Perhaps a kiss? And a bit of competition might do nicely. To that end, Penelope approaches the Marquis of Iveston requesting that he kindly appear interested in her so that the Duke will take note. When he does, the game begins as all of Society tries to determine who will actually marry Penelope.

Review: Sophia Dalby is back and turning the ton on its ear again in this fourth installment of Claudia Dain’s wonderful courtesan series. Miss Penelope Prestwick wants a husband but not just any husband she has set her sights on a Duke and she knows the best way to get one is by soliciting the help of Sophia Dalby! After all Sophia has managed to acquire three young women three very suitable and well placed husbands in a very short period indeed! She knows Sophia can manage the same results for her and her husband of choice is the Duke of Edenham. But as Penelope starts out on her quest for her Duke, she is quick to find out that cupid and indeed Sophia might just have other plans for her future that differ from her own.

As the plans that she and Sophia are set into motion Penelope soon finds herself being pursued by not the Duke of her choice but the mild and here to fore keeps mostly to himself Marquis of Iveston. And although Iveston is an heir apparent to the dukedom of Hyde, he and Penelope seem to be able to do nothing but continually goad each other when the other is near. They are like fire and ice together from the get go, but Penelope has instigated Iveston’s attentions in the hopes of making the very handsome Duke of Edenham jealous, at least that is how the whole thing starts out… but the more that Penelope and Iveston are together the more they seem to grow closer and the fire between them soon starts to go from mere sparks to a roaring flame that threatens to turn all of Penelope’s carefully laid plans flatly on their ear.

I have loved Claudia Dain’s courtesan series from the very first book and she does not disappoint this time either! I thoroughly enjoyed Penelope’s story and loved to see the carefully orchestrated and masterful hand of Sophia Dalby as she conducts all the characters to the perfect ending in this one as well! Sophia is such a vivacious and scandalously rich character that one would have to be simply mad to miss her adventures! Miss Dain is deucedly clever, witty and the fabulous cast of characters she has created are a delight to revisit and learn more about each time. Don’t miss this fun romp through the Ton and believe me whether or not you like regencies you are going to love this series! I can’t wait for the next one to see what Sophia comes up with next!

Now many of you remember from several weeks ago when Ms. Dain was here for an interview about the talk from the publisher about stopping the series. Ms. Dain had planned on the series being 10 books long she already has them planned out and all so please do support this wonderful series by purchasing a copy and letting the publisher know that we don't want this wonderful series to end prematurely!

Helloooo all my blogging buddies! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! :) Before I take down the poll that I just closed the other day, I wanted to talk a wee bit about the results! And it's very fitting being that Halloween is rapidly approaching! The question was What is your favorite type of paranormal romance?

When we arrived there was already a pretty good crowd there but not as many as I was afraid there would be. They had a group of Highland Dancers there from Nashville that did four highland dances before Diana came out to do her talk and the meet and greet. It was very cool seeing the men in kilts and the ladies in their plaids as well (tho I must confess I would have liked it a lot more if the men had been several years younger LOL the guys were all grey pretty much but very handsome still. I have to say that wearing a kilt makes any man look more fetching doesn’t it?) The little girl that was 6 or 7 that did one Highland jig by herself was absolutely adorable! And my son Stephen (who is ten) who went with me thought she was cute LOL! Sorry the pics look a little blurry the lighting in the bookstore was blah and I was a little ways back in the crowd the later ones will be better promise!

Then it was the time we had all been waiting for Diana Gabaldon was introduced and there she was smiling and waving and I was about to go into a fan girl fit lol! She started out talking about herself and her family. Her name - she goes by is her own maiden name not her husband’s name, she said that she decided to keep hers and that it is pronounced GAH-bull-dohn with a long O sound (rhymes with "stone"). I was so happy to hear how it was suppose to be pronounced as for years I have wondered if I was actually pronouncing it correctly and I wasn’t LOL, but now I know!

Then she spoke about her days as a professor and teaching at the university. And right from the start you could tell that she has a great sense of humor, it shows through in her books but she was nothing short of hilarious. She had a great line of where she was teaching a class on human reproduction and the big college football players were there rolling their eyes and looking like oh good grief here we go… she said she would recite a ribald little ditty to get their attention: "In days of old, when nights were cold and condoms not invented, they wrapped old socks around their cocks, and babies were prevented." It worked.


So she had her hero now how to find her heroine, so she said she was writing and she had this woman show up she said and she has her walk into this cottage full of Highland men sitting around drinking ale and hanging around the hearth fire talking on of them turned and said, "My name's Dougal Mackenzie, and who might you be?" and without even stopping to think, I just typed "Claire Beauchamp Randall, and who the hell are you?" Something very un “period” for a woman to say but I said ok so I’m just gonna go on and we will see if you will behave more now… well she didn’t she just kept opening her mouth and out would pop more unladylike modern smart ass phrases LOL. So she said she went along and this kept happening so she was like ok you’re from the future! And that’s how the time traveling came about in the novels because Claire wouldn’t conform to be from that time LOL.

I thought that was great I had heard it before but I got more of the story and to hear here tell it was just awesome she did the little Scottish accent with Dougal and everything!

She continued with many more aspects about the books and her career and how she got lucky and found a fabulous agent and then how things continued to boom from the first book and so on and the many awards she has been lucky enough to win with the series. She said that the series is indeed continuing with at least one more novel in the timeline as it is now and then she has a prequel planned that will tell the story of Jamie’s parents. Also she spoke about the upcoming I won’t tell you everything she said for one thing my mind couldn’t retain everything (although I wish it could) from that night and I’m afraid this is running a bit long, but I will share one last golden thing I think from the night Diana was talking about when she was doing interviews for one of the novels overseas and she said it had been a constant day of press interview after press interview and she was getting rather tired that day she said which might account for her lack of decorum with this answer… LOL she said a gentleman from Germany was asking her “why Scotland and what is the big draw to a hero in a kilt?” She said without thinking she said, “Well I guess it’s the thought that he could have you up against a wall in a minute.” ROFL well the room burst out in laughter again and we all started clapping. I thought that was the perfect answer!

So then came my turn after an hour or so of waiting and I got so excited and nervous that I didn’t know a thing to say accept that it was a pleasure to meet her and that I have loved her books from the very start. LOL In hindsight and before hand there were many things I wanted to say but when I actually got there and she was looking at me and smiling I simply forgot them in total fan mode lol. OH well the main thing is this I FINALLY got to meet one of my favorite authors of all time and got a pic to prove it LOL. Plus got two books autographed does it get any better than that?
Here is my son Stephen and I with Diana (hope this doesn’t break your monitor with my ugly mug lol) Yes I was beyond happy as you can probably tell.

And here is my BFF Nelda with Diana!

So I will close there but I hope you enjoy reading some of my favorite parts on the night! It was certainly a night I will never forget! :)

BIG CONGRATS TO........

Patricia Barraclough

*Note: the winner was randomly selected using the randomizer at http://www.random.org/lists/*

YAY!!! I know you will love the book Patricia! Please contact me with your snail mail addy and I will get it to Amanda so she can get your prize right out to you! :)

Thanks again everyone! There are many more great contests coming up soon here on SRR so if you didn't win this time take heart there are more chances coming your way shortly!!! And biggest thanks to Amanda for being here I hope you will come back and visit us again soon! :)

It's that time ladies time to name the 5 big winners of the Sue Ellen Welfonder Giveaway!!! Each one of you will receive a copy of Sue Ellen's latest A Highlander's Temptation! And the winners are .... drum roll please....................

Patti

Laura

jeanette8042

and Mitzi

*Note: the winners were randomly selected using the randomizer at http://www.random.org/lists/*

Big Congrats ladies I know you are going to love the book it's awesome! I also would like to thank everyone who commented and posted questions there were some great ones on there and it was such fun! If you didn't win this time take heart there are many more chances to win if you haven't done so already be sure to enter the Amanda McIntyre giveaway that will be running all week here and stay tuned for more book talk, interviews, and giveaways coming very soon! :)

In closing here is a very dreamy bit of eyecandy so everyone is a winner! ;) Plus a great new song from my favorite band Within Temptation this one has a beautiful message as many of their songs do (the video is amazing too). I hope you all enjoy...

Never Love a Lawman sees the return of Jo Goodman to western romance. And while I have loved all her regencies I have to say I was more than excited to see her return to the Wild West, and Jo as always didn’t disappoint! Rachel Bailey is a lady with a very mysterious and haunting past that she has tried desperately to put behind her. She has given up everything in her past to protect those that she loves and moved to small mining community of Reidsville, Colorado where she knows no one and better yet no one knows her. As the town seamstress she has eked out a very solitary and comfortable existence for herself. But unfortunately for Rachel as we all know the past seems to never want to stay hidden and once her demons resurface her quiet life is turned into anything but quiet or comfortable.

From the first time Sherriff Wyatt Cooper laid eyes on Rachel Bailey he thought watching her as a “pure pleasure”. Everything about the prim and proper and yes irritatingly secretive Rachel Bailey is enticing. However Rachel isn’t such a mystery woman to Wyatt as he knows way more about the seamstress than she could ever imagine. When circumstances forces them into a reluctant partnership ( and a marriage of convenience) that could save the town neither of them is quiet sure what the outcome will be. They each have their scars from the past. But as outside forces continue to push the two of them together, the most unlikely of things occurs… something that Wyatt and Rachel neither knew they wanted, but could be the thing that brings life back to both of their scarred existences…love.

Can the fragile bonds that they have begun to slowly build between them stand against the coming horrors of the past that resurface and threaten to tear them and the entire town apart? It will take cunning, courage, and a little luck for them to survive when the man that ruined Rachel’s life comes to town wanting to take over more than just Reidsville and it’s mine… he wants Rachel back for himself.

If you love a great rich read you need look no further than a Jo Goodman book. I have long been a fan of her writing, and every time I read a new book it reaffirms why I think that way. Jo has a way of creating such vivid and real characters and settings that you feel immersed in their lives and a part of their community. There are very few writers who can get under the skin of their readers, but Ms. Goodman is a master at it! Long after you read the last line you long for more and can’t wait to read the next book to revisit the new friends you feel you have meet in the pages of her books. I am most assuredly looking forward to seeing the good people of Reidsville Colorado again! If you love Jo’s books you certainly are going to love her return to the west but if you haven’t given her books a try yet you should pick this one up and give yourself a true treat indeed!