GIVEAWAY: Confessions of an Avon Addict!

Welcome to The Romance Reviews first post-Apocalyptic post!

I, for one, can’t say I’m complaining.  Because I was realizing today as I heard everyone cracking jokes about The End Times that there were still things to do!  People to meet!  And, honestly, I think we can all agree—more books to read!  Especially now.  Because a few months back, I had the insane good fortune to be named an Avon Addict. 

What, precisely, is an Avon Addict?  Well, the official line is:

A special program designed for die-hard romantics, who are treated to a monthly package of reading-related happiness: book swag, author goodies and most importantly, copies of some of Avon’s great books and upcoming releases.  There’s also an unspoken law that states that the packages always seem to appear on rainy, grumpy days, and immediately make everything right again. 

In truth, it also means that I have met some of the smartest, most supportive and most enthusiastic readers I could have hoped to encounter.  A group of ladies who refer to characters as if they were family, and whose energy and insight make this program so much more than about the books.  I’m having a blast during my tenure as an Addict, and part of this blog hop is to share that fun with you!

Thus, with these sensational new books arriving, I have a whole new list of reasons for the world to go on spinning.  I’d love to hear what is one everyone else’s Reading List for 2013, Post-Apocalypse Vacation, or otherwise.  Here’s mine!

One Good Earl Deserves Another, Sarah MacLean

Sarah MacLean has been a favorite author of mine for years (ever since I found out we are alumni of the same college, which I share at every occasion), and her first Rule of Scoundrels Book, A Rogue By Any Other Name was one of my very favorite reads of 2012.  Now, we have the treat of reading about Penelope’s younger sister, Philippa, a brilliant young woman who is about to settle into a quiet, complacent and thoroughly respectable marriage…but before that she is going to spend the next two weeks to experience all the life she will be missing, and with none other than the secretive and seductive Cross, creating a touching romance, and a chemistry that is utterly incendiary.

Wild About You, Kerrelyn Sparks

I have no good excuse for why I haven’t read Kerrelyn Sparks’ works until now.  On the one hand, I am realizing now that I’ve been deprived of a wonderfully funny, charming voice in the world of romance, but on the other, it’s such a treat to begin here, with the story of the shapeshifter Howard and his utterly adoration of Elsa, the star of a home-improvement show whose skill with a sledgehammer is unparalleled.  Sparks has a rare talent for making swoon-worthy romance and giggle-out-loud sarcasm go hand in hand, and this book has made me an eager, if somewhat belated, fan of the Love at Stake books—and with twelve other books in the series before this one, I’m rather pleased by the amount of catching-up I get to do.

Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman, J.B. Lynn

This is one of the terrific perks of being an Addict.  I don’t think I would ever have picked up J.B. Lynn’s series by myself, but when this book, and the second in the series, Further Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman arrived in my package, I realized I was missing out on an author with genuine talent and imagination.  Anyone who thinks their family is a little crazy needs to meet Maggie Lee and her more than memorable aunts; add to that her ability to hear her pets speak and her under-the-table job as a hitwoman to help her orphaned niece, and you have the perfect recipe for combating the winter doldrums.   

Hope you find some inspiration in these titles, and be sure to share yours, as well!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

There are books available to two lucky commenters:

A Holiday Package:

A Cowboy for Christmas by Lori Wilde &  A Season of Angels by Debbie Macomber.  

A Steampunk Package:

Tarnished and Gilded by Karina Cooper 

Mechanics:

1. You must be a follower at this blog.

2. Post a book (or books!) you are looking forward to reading in the coming year.

Contest Deadline: December 31, 2012

Winners Selected and Contacted: January 1, 2013

Two winners will be selected via Randomizer.org.

Happiest of New Years to every one!

AVON ADDICTS BLOG HOP:
Avon Addict Blog Hop Stops:
12/1 – Pure Textuality
12/2 – Toot's Book Reviews
12/3 – Deborah Brent
12/4 – Save Your Money for Books
12/5 – SOS Aloha
12/6 – Ramblings of Kristibug
12/7 – Alpha Heroes
12/8 – Tempting Reades
12/9 – Books Like Breathing
12/10 – The Book Cellar
12/11 – TBQ's Book Palace
12/12 – Romancebookworm's Reviews
12/13 – Romancing the Readers
12/14 – Welcome to My World
12/15 – Poisoned by Rationality
12/16 – Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More
12/17 – Unwrapping Romance
12/18 – Seduced by a Book
12/19 – Starry Skies Romance
12/20 – Mom on the Edge
12/21 – The Book Vixen
12/22 – The Romance Reviews (That's us!)
12/23 – Words of Wisdom from the Scarf Princess
12/24 – Blithely Bookish

Congrats to our winners, May and Donnas!  Hope you enjoy and Happy New Year!