Thursday 17 September 2015

Love Reading Romance Second Blogiversary!

Guess what?! It's official! We've been blogging about our love of romance books for TWO YEARS!

Thank you to everyone who has visited Love Reading Romance, shared our posts and read our rambling opinions!

To celebrate two years of reviewing and gossiping about our favorite genre, we're holding a giveaway. You can enter via the Rafflecopter at the end of this post! The giveaway is open internationally.

So what's up for grabs? 

The winner will receive an awesome ebook (Amazon/Kindle) bundle of romance titles from some of our favorite authors!! Check it out:


Thank you SO MUCH to all the authors who have donated copies of their books for the giveaway. You are amazing!

Here's a little more information about all the fabulous books included in the prize pack:

THE PRIZE BUNDLE:

Crave by Jennifer Dawson

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WGXL21K/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00WGXL21K&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=UUQHJBXREA4ETZXX
I vow. I crave. I give in.

I used to be a nice, normal girl. I had dreams. Good, happy dreams of a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and a fairytale love that lasts forever. Nobody ever warned me that sometimes, the prince dies three weeks before the wedding.

Like any addict, I swear this time is the last….

Now, I go through my days, a shadow of my former self. I pretend I’m okay, and the people in my life pretend to believe me. But, sometimes, when I can no longer stand the craving, I roam an underground sex club looking for my next hit. It’s dirty and wrong, but I can’t stop, and my only line of defense between them and me, are the rules I’ve designed to keep me safe. Men always abide by my rules. Until I meet him.

And, like any addict, I’m wrong.

I don’t question the instincts that tell me to run. One look at him, standing there, power radiating off him in waves, tells me all I need to know. He will make me crave those happy dreams I’ve left behind. And that is not an option.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Author Site | Goodreads

More from Jennifer Dawson on Love Reading Romance:
Crave by Jennifer Dawson - Book Review
The Winner Takes It All by Jennifer Dawson - Book Review
Take a Chance on Me by Jennifer Dawson - Book Review

Fairway To Heaven by Lily Malone

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TQIML4A/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00TQIML4A&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=IYWAGGYN2SUVBIGG
It’s going to take more than summer loving to heal old wounds, but a remote beach, old friendships and a bit of sunshine might just spark a second chance at love.

When Jennifer Gates drives to Sea Breeze Golf Club to kick off date-night with her boyfriend, the last thing she expects is to find Golf Pro Jack giving one of his lady students a private—and very personal—lesson in bunker-play.

Lucky for Jenn, her best friend gives her the keys to the Culhane family’s beach shack on the white-pepper shores of Western Australia’s Geographe Bay. Jenn hopes a weekend on the coast with her young son will give her the space she needs to rebuild her confidence after Jack’s betrayal.

But she’s not the only person seeking sanctuary by the sea. Brayden Culhane is there too, and Jenn can’t look at Brayden without remembering the tequila-flavoured kiss they shared on the shack steps years ago.

As long-buried feelings are rekindled, and a friendship is renewed, Jenn knows it is more than lazy summer days bringing her mojo back. Romantic sunsets, ice-cold beers and the odd round of golf can only go so far, because this time trusting Brayden with her heart won’t be enough. Jenn has to learn to trust her body, too.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Publisher Website | Goodreads

More from Lily Malone on Love Reading Romance:
Fairway To Heaven by Lily Malone - Book Review
What’s in a name? by Lily Malone - Guest Post

A Debt Paid In Marriage by Georgie Lee

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T5CIZL0
‘What am I to him? A contract? A convenient solution?’

Laura Townsend’s plan to reclaim her family’s merchandise backfires when she creeps into moneylender Philip Rathbone’s house and threatens him with a pistol – only to find him reclining naked in his bath!

The last thing she expects to see is this guarded widower on her doorstep a couple of days later, armed with a very surprising proposal! A marriage of convenience might be Laura’s chance to reclaim her future, but she won’t settle for anything less than true passion. Can she hope to find it in Philip’s arms… ?

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | The Publisher | Goodreads

More from Georgie Lee on Love Reading Romance:
Hero's Redemption by Georgie Lee - Book Review
The Courtesan's Book of Secrets by Georgie Lee - Book Review
The Challenges of Research by Georgie Lee - Guest Post

Heat Exchange by Shannon Stacey

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SVP885K/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00SVP885K&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=7VSX6TO4Q4ZTZYWZ
Lydia Kincaid's shipping back to Boston, but she's not happy about it. She left to get away from the firefighting community—her father was a firefighter, her brother's a firefighter and, more importantly, her ex is a firefighter. But family is number one and her father needs her help running the pub he bought when he retired. Soon, Lydia finds it hard to resist the familiar comfort and routine, and even harder to resist her brother's handsome friend Aidan.

Aidan Hunt is a firefighter because of the Kincaid family. He's had the hots for Lydia for years, but if ever a woman was off-limits to him it's her. Aside from being his mentor's daughter, she's his best friend's sister. The ex-wife of a fellow firefighter. But his plan to play it cool until she leaves town again fails, and soon he and Lydia have crossed a line they can't un-cross.

As Aidan and Lydia's flirtation turns into something more serious, Lydia knows she should be planning her escape. Being a firefighter's wife was the hardest thing she's ever done and she doesn't know if she has the strength to do it again. Aidan can't imagine walking away from Boston Fire—even for Lydia. The job and the brotherhood are his life; but if he wants Lydia in it, he'll have to decide who's first in his heart.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | The Publisher | Goodreads

More from Shannon Stacey on Love Reading Romance:
Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey - Book Review
Taken with You by Shannon Stacey - Book Review
Her Holiday Man by Shannon Stacey - Book Review

The Bookshop on the Corner by Rebecca Raisin

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JBGZKJK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00JBGZKJK&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=FI25WVBQURML5UTP
Who said that only real heroes could be found in fiction?

Sarah Smith had an addiction – she was addicted to romance novels. The meet-cute, the passion, the drama and the gorgeous men! Now this wouldn’t have been such an issue if she hadn’t been the owner of the only bookshop in Ashford, Connecticut.

Ever since her close friend Lil, from The Gingerbread Café, had become engaged she had been yearning for a little love to turn up in her life. Except Sarah knew a good man was hard to find – especially in a tiny town like Ashford. That was until New York journalist, Ridge Warner stepped into her bookshop…

Love could be just around the corner for Sarah, but will she be able to truly believe that happy-ever-after can happen in real-life too!

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | The Publisher | Goodreads

More from Rebecca Raisin on Love Reading Romance:
The Bookshop on the Corner by Rebecca Raisin - Book Review
Christmas at the Gingerbread Café by Rebecca Raisin - Book Review
Chocolate Dreams at the Gingerbread Cafe by Rebecca Raisin - Book Review

Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012A2W0OO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B012A2W0OO&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=SX6PVRGCYIUTLILC
When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as smooth sailing.

Rafael Castro is so far out of his element he can’t even see it anymore. Carlisle College in Massachusetts is a long way from his Chicago home, even farther from his Dominican Republic roots.

The only thing keeping him attached to his last nerve is the prospect of seeing Denny Winslow again. The first time they met, Denny taught Rafi to fly across the water, rowing hard in a knife-like boat. Now, two years later, on the wings of a rowing scholarship, Rafi is attending Denny’s elite college.

Even before the excitement wears off, Rafi is struggling with classes and fending off rumors that Denny’s family, not Rafi’s talent, won him his spot. To quash the gossip, Rafi tries to steer clear of the man he wants. A plan that evaporates in the fire of renewed attraction.

But Carlisle’s academic pressure cooker has Rafi barely treading water. And when a family crisis hits, both Rafi and Denny must pull hard to keep their relationship from capsizing in rough waters.

Warning: Contains a surly Dominican-American guy determined to show no weakness, a golden boy who knows his soft spots, some seriously dirty bachata dancing, and an excellent excuse for voyeurism in the locker room.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | The Publisher | Goodreads

More from Amy Jo Cousins on Love Reading Romance:
Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins - Book Excerpt
Callie, Unwrapped by Amy Jo Cousins - Book Review
Dance Hall Days by Amy Jo Cousins - Book Excerpt from All in a Day's Work 

A Kiss for a Highlander by Jane Godman

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SKPXX7Y/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00SKPXX7Y&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=CUWTKKDVWJLEW72J
A passion that burns away centuries of hate…

Stranded in the heart of England after Bonnie Prince Charlie’s hasty retreat, highlander Fraser Lachlan has sworn to stay by his injured friend’s side. But when a kindly English family takes Jack in to be cared for by the governess and healer at their Derbyshire estate, Fraser can only watch helplessly.

It’s just a matter of time before Jack is turned over to the Crown as a traitor, but Fraser’s attempt to rescue his friend is met with the blunt end of a candlestick.

Martha Wantage wears every reason she hates the Scots on her body—in the scars from a violent, fiery attack that killed her family. Now she has not only one unconscious Jacobite rebel at her mercy, but two. And she can’t resist cursing her enemy with the “kiss of hate”.

That kiss unleashes a storm of passion that rages quickly out of control. But with the legacy of Martha’s scars weighing heavy on her mind, and Fraser’s duty calling him to battle at Culloden, it may be too late to explore whether theirs is a desire born of hate…or love.

Warning: Contains a very sexy, masterful highlander and a demure, but defiant, governess who discovers the hard—very hard—way exactly what a Scotsman keeps under his kilt.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | The Publisher | Goodreads

More from Jane Godman on Love Reading Romance:
Legacy of Darkness by Jane Godman - Book Review
Legacy of Darkness by Jane Godman - Book Excerpt
Writing Love Stories with a Dash of Horror by Jane Godman - Guest Post

The House At The Bottom Of The Hill by Jennie Jones

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PA4O4VM/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00PA4O4VM&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=JOIZF5ROWCSABAWX
From the best-selling author of The House on Burra Burra Lane, comes a brand-new story about opposites, attraction, an outback pub, and a pink house...

The mysterious death of her mother has left Charlotte Simmons on edge and off-balance for too long. The only way to move forward is to get answers, and those answers can only be found in one place. So Charlotte buys a Bed & Breakfast establishment in Swallow’s Falls, a small town in Australia’s Snowy Mountains, as a ploy to get close to the man who might have the answers. She’ll jazz up the old place, flip it, get her answers, and be gone in two-months – max.

What she doesn’t count on is opposition from the dogmatic and slightly eccentric members of the town council, and the hotshot owner of Kookaburra’s Bar & Grill and his two-hundred-squats-a-day physique whose mouth offers to act as mediator, but his eyes promise something so much more.

Easy-going Daniel Bradford knows progress is slow in Swallow’s Fall. He’s finally about to put his plans into place to upgrade the hotel when a prim-and-proper, citified redhead blows into town, putting everyone on edge. The only way to contain the trouble she’s about to cause is to contain her – but he knows trouble when he sees it, and soon it becomes very clear that there’s absolutely nothing containable about Charlotte, or the way he feels about her.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | The Publisher | Goodreads

More from Jennie Jones on Love Reading Romance:
The House At The Bottom Of The Hill by Jennie Jones - Book Review
Rural Romance, Small Town Romance by Jennie Jones - Guest Post

Unrestrained by Rhyll Biest

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O41FVV4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00O41FVV4&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=73DXMOX5I6ZZHNCD
A guarded recluse, some dirty pictures and a spark of curiosity that leads to a dangerous attraction.

When the reclusive Holly accidentally finds some very naughty photos, both the star – all inked muscle and attitude – and the way he’s tied his lady friend to his four-poster bed make her more than a little curious.

But to get to know the big, built stonemason better, she’ll have to overcome his vengeful ex and her own inhibitions – and pray that the walls she’s built around her guarded heart and dark secret remain safe from a man who has a way with stone.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Author Site | Goodreads

More from Rhyll Biest on Love Reading Romance:
Unrestrained by Rhyll Biest - Book Review
Dark and Light by Rhyll Biest - Guest Post

Wind Chime Wedding by Sophie Moss

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XX8G7ZS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00XX8G7ZS&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=QN376257LUNTHBPC
Second grade teacher, Becca Haddaway, is weeks away from walking down the aisle with her high school sweetheart when she learns that the Heron Island Elementary School is about to be shut down. In the midst of a whirlwind of wedding planning, she launches into a last-ditch effort to save it. But the one man who can help her is determined to make her question every decision she has ever made—including the man she’s about to marry.

Former Navy SEAL and son of the current Maryland governor, Colin Foley, is finally starting to feel whole again after losing his leg on a career-ending deployment in Afghanistan. After struggling for months to figure out what to do with his post-military life, he’s found a new mission—opening a rehab center for wounded veterans on the peaceful Chesapeake Bay island. All he needs now is a woman to share his new life with…and he knows exactly who he wants. With a little help from the island’s magical wind chimes, can Colin convince Becca to change her mind before it’s too late?

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Author Site | Goodreads

More from Sophie Moss on Love Reading Romance:
Wind Chime Café by Sophie Moss - Book Review
Wind Chime Café by Sophie Moss - Book Excerpt
The Selkie Spell by Sophie Moss - Book Review

Snowy River Man by Lizzy Chandler

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S493CSQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00S493CSQ&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=EEZOXKINOGR4IUX2
Their chance at love was lost in the harsh light of day. Is the romance of the majestic Snowy Mountains enough to heal the wounds of the past so that they get a second chance at a future?

The last time Katrina Delaney saw Jack Fairley was the morning after a one-night stand, when she discovered he was engaged to be married. Seven years later, she dreams of a missing boy – Jack’s son. Katrina has worked with police to find missing children before, and she knows she must help. But seeing Jack again comes with its own set of dangers, and Katrina fears the risks she is taking with her heart.

Jack Fairley’s standing in the community can’t keep his son from wandering off during a country rodeo. Frantic with worry, Jack is willing to do anything to find him, even put aside his scepticism and accept the help of a woman who sees his son in a dream. But when that woman turns out to be Katrina Delaney, he’s immediately suspicious. Neither Katrina nor Jack have any reason to trust each other, or the attraction that flares between them again. But trust they will have to, if they want any chance at love.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | The Publisher | Goodreads

More from Lizzy Chandler on Love Reading Romance:
Snowy River Man by Lizzy Chandler - Book Review
Why write romance? by Lizzy Chandler - Guest Post

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J50YNE0/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00J50YNE0&linkCode=as2&tag=lovereadroma-20&linkId=WORD6VHTK5G2DQHI
The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else. What now?

She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.

Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league.
Also, he’s taken.

Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.

They’re just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she’s falling. Hard.

But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won’t, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness — one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who’s afraid to love her back.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Author Site | Goodreads

More from Sarina Bowen on Love Reading Romance:
Coming in from the Cold by Sarina Bowen - Book Review
The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen - Book Excerpt

The Bliss King Series by AA Paton

Sex, Drugs and Moral Ambiguity

"The irony of my scarred, tattooed, gun toting, global drug empire running kidnapper, who goes by the nickname Lord Ruin, the Bliss King, telling me I'm safe is not lost on me."

When ghostwriter Greer Gibson woke wearing silk pyjamas, in a room she didn't recognise, she figured she'd done it again. Picked up a stranger in a local bar and gone to a city hotel with him.

Except she had no memory of doing that, the room was an expansive suite on a tropical island, she didn't own silk pyjamas, and she was locked in.

Lek Hetherington needs a talented writer. But the best in the business, Greer Gibson, is booked out for years. That's just a shoulder shrug for an underworld figure who rules over a global drug empire from his island hideaway.

Lek gets what he wants, even if he has to take it by force.

Find this book: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AUS | Author Site | Goodreads

More from Ainslie Paton on Love Reading Romance:
Hooked On A Feeling by Ainslie Paton - Book Review
Groovy, baby: Writing Nostalgia by Ainslie Paton - Guest Post
Inconsolable by Ainslie Paton - Book Excerpt

THE GIVEAWAY:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Thank you for visiting our blog and entering the giveaway! This blog would be nothing without our fellow romance readers.
 
xxx
Stephanie and Helena

Ps. Tomorrow (September 18) is the blogiversary of our lovely friend Jo at Comet Babe's Book Blog! We're almost blog-twins! We'd love if you visit her blog too, and send her some romance-reader-love!