Monday, February 10, 2014

Valentine's Day Blog Hop: "Romance Readers and Love" + Giveaway!



Romance Readers and Love

Valentine's Day is coming up, as you may know. For some, it's a big day. For others, it's a big pain. Some are indifferent.




But for romance readers, in some ways, every day can be "Valentine's Day". Think about, we read stories about love and HEAs, marriage and dating, sex and commitments, and everything in between. Good and bad, up and down, romance novels have probably covered it!


Many of us know, either from fiction or real life, that it's not always the big HUGE gestures that matter. Sometimes it's the small things. It could be a simple text or message. Grabbing your hand, or kissing you just because. It could be your husband remembering to pick up your favorite toothpaste, because he saw you were running out. Love isn't measured by grand gestures or diamonds. Sure, when sincerely planned, these things are nice, too, but it's not necessary.


I'm not an expert on love. I'm not married, I've never been engaged. But I'd like to think that, between the wonderful romance novels that I've read and my own common sense, I have a good understanding of what real love is. It's not about someone who loves you only if you change, it's about someone who loves you for you, crazy randomness and all!


Now, if you'll excuse me, love calls. For now, I find it in a book. But someday . . . someday.


~TheBookQueen






As part of the hop, I'm giving away a great prize pack! Open to US readers only (sorry!)

See's Candy Little Pops! 





Open to US readers only. Giveaway ends 2/15. Winner will be announced on 2/16. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be picked. Winner will pick which retailer they would like the e-gift card from, as well as what "flavor" of See's Little Pops. The candy will be shipped from See's after the winner has picked. E-gift card will arrive via email. 







Grand Prize!











Share your thoughts on Valentine's Day -- perhaps the best (or worst!) one you've celebrated. Or, share your thoughts on love and romance novels; do you feel like, especially as a teen, you learned a lot about love and sex from romance novels? 





Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


Photobucket


  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

51 comments :

Janie said...

Those See's candy pops look so delicious. My rafflecopter name is Jane.

The_Book_Queen said...

Trust me, they are! I've yet to find anything from See's that disappoints. :)
Enjoy,
TBQ

trix23 said...

I read a lot of m/m, so I don't think it'll help with my love life!

vitajex(at)Aol(dot)com

Samantha Loving said...

valentines day is sweet but to close to my birthday lol.


indiansgirl9@aol.com

The_Book_Queen said...

;) Double the fun?

The_Book_Queen said...

LOL. Probably true! :)

I've only recently starting reviewing m/m on the blog, but you are more than welcome to check out the reviews I do have: http://tbqspersonalbookpalace.blogspot.com/search/label/M%2FM%20Romance

Enjoy!
TBQ

Erin F said...

eh... I haven't had any Valentine's day be that memorable... I still have hope that the next man in my life will fix that :) I love romance in fiction but I quickly realized that it doesn't really translate to real life.

Glenda said...

Credit for the best Valentines Day I've ever had goes to the Vday we had our wedding rehearsal simply because I got married the next day. :-D We've been married for 22 years on the 15th. My husband gets to 'celebrate' my birthday then Valentines and Anniversary a few days later.


And true love is about accepting your love silly weirdness and all and NOT trying to remake them. :-)

Lisa Walker said...

The worst was the year my husband brought me home a cookie he got from work.
liese1235 at gmail dot com

Janhvi @ The Readdicts said...

Happy Valentine's Day! Thanks for the giveaway!

justjanhvi at gmail dot com

Anita Yancey said...

Thanks for having this very generous giveaway. I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day.
ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com

The_Book_Queen said...

Thank you, and I hope you do as well!
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

Thanks! :)
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

True, Insta-Love is one thing that's much more fiction than reality. :)
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

Uh-oh! Was it at least chocolate?
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

Ah, congrats, and here's to many, many more happy years, Glenda! :)
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

*sigh* You and me both, girl!
Enjoy,
TBQ

Tiffany Drew said...

Valentine's Day isn't really a big deal in our house, it's just another day. We get small gifts for the kids, the husband usually gets me a hilarious card, and we just hang out at home. I do, however, like having the holiday as an excuse to buy books. You can never have too many of those :) Thank you!

Kalliope D. said...

Thank you for being a part of this great gift hop! Wishing you a lovely Valentine's Day! :)
kalliopedamala@gmail.com

The_Book_Queen said...

"I do, however, like having the holiday as an excuse to buy books. You can never have too many of those " <--- A girl after my own heart! :)
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

Thank you! :)

Renee M said...

I most definitely learned a lot about love and romance from books. My grandparents on my father's side were both avid readers. They would read anything they could put their hands on. They also did not feel the need to monitor or control what I read from their stash of books. My parents have no clue what I grew up reading. I learned to love reading from them and that is their legacy to me. Thanks. rameyer.nmb@gmail.com

Wanda Craighead said...

Valentine's day is a big deal for the hubby and I. We just try to spend it together if possible. Thanks for the giveaway. wcraig5432@yahoo.com

Natasha D said...

Thanks for the chance to win!
Happy Valentine's Day!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

The_Book_Queen said...

:D Nothing beats quality time together -- especially considering how hectic life can get!
Enjoy,
TBQ

The_Book_Queen said...

*claps* That's wonderful, and very close to how I developed my love of reading, too. :)
Enjoy!
TBQ

Stacey said...

Thanks for sharing & Happy Valentines Day :) It's about all love not just couples (in my opinion) - send your best friend flowers, she'll love it!


staceyprice(AT)gmail.com

melissa crisp said...

Thanks for participating.

The_Book_Queen said...

Very true! Or chocolates. Chocolate is always appreciated!
Enjoy,
TBQ

celina k said...

I feel like I learned a lot from romance novels as a teen, but also gained a few unrealistic expectations ;)

dreammie_angel at yahoo dot com

The_Book_Queen said...

Ooh, yes, they do tend to give us those in spades, don't they? I remember a great DearBitchesSmartAuthor podcast that mentioned all the unrealistic expectations. I couldn't stop laughing!
Enjoy,
TBQ

Mary said...

I love them, that's kinda how I learned what it feels like to be in love.


Mary
mary_reiss @ hotmail.com

Eva Millien said...

I find my love from a book as well to me it's better than the real thing that I have found anyway. Happy V Day Thanks for sharing the hop and your giveaway. evamillien at gmail dot com

Zoe Forward said...

Thanks for being on the hop and the chance to win. Happy Valentine's Days.
writeforward at yahoo dot com

amy bowens said...

The best valentines day was when my boyfriend showed up at my work and he was waiting outside by my car. He got down on his knee and asked me to marry him! Of course I said yes!
amybowens34@yahoo.com

The_Book_Queen said...

Ah, how sweet! Lucky girl! :D
Enjoy,
TBQ

Eg Kaufman said...

Thanks for the giveaway!

ncprincess96 at yahoo dot com

Daniel M said...

never had a good v day.. ever - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

Shadow said...

Hi! Happy Valentines! Nice post! Thank you for sharing and for ​the amazing giveaway!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

bn100 said...

don't have one

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

JanD said...

I only pay attention to V-day just for the chocolate.
bituin76 at hotmail dot com

harvester5905 said...

Thanks for the great giveaway.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

InsatiablyTaken said...

Sees are delicious. My raffle copter name is Phedre.

BookLady said...

My best Valentine's Day was the romantic holiday weekend shared with my husband in San Francisco. Love See's candy. Thanks for the great giveaway!
bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

Shannon Williams said...

We celebrate by staying home with our kids making dinner then cuddling while watching a movie!
shannonw1978@hotmail.com

Katie said...

My friends all it SIngle's Awareness Day or as one said," I prefer independently owned and operated."

The_Book_Queen said...

Hehe -- love that!

Jenn Oldaker said...

Never had Sees.... my rafflecopter name is the same :)

Janie McGaugh said...

Thanks for the great giveaway!
jmcgaugh (at) semo (dot) edu

Kristen @ Pretty Little Pages said...

Thanks for participating in this awesome hop! Happy Valentine's Day!

prettylittlepages@gmail.com

Alicia Lopez said...

Well, you definitely learned a lot about sex, lol. Love, on the other hand, is not well portrayed in books. The use of insta-love is overused (or maybe because I have never experience it, I don't believe in it). Thanks for the giveaway.