Wednesday, 17 July 2013

My thoughts on Love and Romance and a blog hop!


Love and Romance.

Writing lots of romance has caused me to spend a lot of time thinking about love and romance. What it means to each of my characters. How it changes from book to book, and all the different reactions that can be had?

So it’s brought me to this point. I want to talk to you about what I feel love and romance is. What it means to me. I know it means something different to everyone. Some see love and romance as romantic dinners, gifts, sex. And yeah, they can be the icing on the cake.

But for me, love and romance is something a little different. It’s the acceptance by my partner of who I am. That he loves me, still wants to hold me even after I’ve ranted and raved about something pointless, for an hour.

Love and romance for me is knowing that he sees me as his equal in everything. That in everything he does, chooses, decides, that my feelings and personality are taken into consideration.

The knowing that he would rather hurt, than for something to hurt me. The knowing that if he could take my burdens in life and carry them himself that he would.

It’s the little things. He listens to the music that I like, even if sometimes it includes a sappy Taylor Swift song on repeat. He listens to me. Through the wacky, and the weird, to the down right bonkers ideas and schemes, he listens… And more importantly he hears me…

When I’m feeling insecure, unattractive, or stupid, he doesn’t dismiss my thoughts. He doesn’t tell me I’m being silly, or over the top. He shows me all the ways he loves me, shows me that I’m not stupid or any other negative I can think to throw at myself in that moment. He lets me see how special I am through his eyes.

For me love and romance is the moment he takes my hand. The moment his fingers close around mine and his eyes can’t seem to leave my face. It’s that split second before his lips meet mine, when his breath tickles across my cheeks and my eyes drift closed.

It’s when I wake up in the morning and he smiles at me, looks at me like I’m the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.

All these things spell love and romance for me and they tell me something very important too… They tell me I’m so lucky to have found a man that can give me all of these things and so much more. He is everything I ever wanted, and everything I never knew I wanted until I met him.

I think Sam from Sacrifice said it best with, “There is no life without love. No life without her.” And to that I say, “There is no life without love. No life without him.”

To the man of my dreams, thank you for being real.

So to help spread the love, I’m giving away two signed copies of my newest book Sacrifice. To enter, all you need to do is comment with an answer to my question and your email so I can contact you if you win. And it's international!

What does love and romance mean to you?

To whet your appetite, here is the blurb and cover for Sacrifice.




************ 99c for a limited time only! **************


"The moment Sam looked at me, I knew he saw me. The real me, not the one I pretended to be. He saw beyond my pretense to the girl beneath. The girl who cried herself to sleep at night. The girl who pushed people away, when all she really wanted was for someone to look her in the eye and tell her everything would be alright. That life wasn't always pain. That living wasn't always this difficult. That the ones you loved didn't always leave you behind. In that moment, Sam saw me, and I saw him. And I knew without a doubt that I would love him and he would betray me."




Natasha Masterton, a young college student on the verge of graduation, has the world at her feet. But all is not at it seems. Her mother is dead and she hasn't seen her father in over three years. The only dealing she has with him is when he deposits her allowance into a bank account every month. Her father's lack of interest has hardened Natasha to the rest of the world, leaving her cold and more than a little broken.


When Sam Harker crashes into Natasha's life, asking questions about her father and dragging up the past, Natasha's interest in piqued. The more time she spends with him, the more she falls for his easy charm and quick smile.



But Sam has secrets of his own - secrets that threaten their blossoming relationship. And when the real reason for Natasha's fathers disinterest becomes apparent, a sacrifice must be made. 



Love, honor and duty collide... risking more than just a broken heart. Sometimes love is worth the ultimate price.



Recommended for 17+ due to mature themes and scenes of an adult nature.


When the hop ends I will randomly pick two winners from the commenters here. Not only that, but as this is the insatiable reads hop, you have the chance to win other fabulous prizes, by following the link to the other blogs participating.

For the blog hop the first place grand prize is a Kindle Fire. And second place is a $50 gift card! So get entering!

The blog hop is now closed and the winners have been chosen. Thanks to everyone who took part!

For my own giveaway of two signed paperbacks, the winners are: Cassandra dixiedukegurl2 AT yahoo DOT com

And: Cara Lumanesce lumanesce AT gmail DOT com

Congratulations! The emails have been sent.






49 comments:

  1. Love and romance is the quiet times when you just are....together.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

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  2. Gotta love a great Romance.. ;)) Thank you!

    vals_hemi at yahoo dot com

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  3. Love romance! Sacrifice looks good :)

    Janhvi
    justjanhvi at gmail dot com

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  4. Love and romance is the time when you are one with your soulmate. thanks for the contest.
    wandad1961@yahoo.com

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  5. Thanks for a great post. itlnbrt @ att dot net

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  6. Love is what you feel - romance - that's tougher for me. I want to say it's like going out of your way to - pardon my old fashioned term here, but it's the first that came to mind - court someone. Even if you're married, candles, music, dinner, it's all done for the courting. I can't think of a better word. :) Color me weird. heather1974 at gmail dot com

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  7. What an amazing giveaway! You guys rock! kamclauc AT gmail DOT com

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  8. Thanks so much for the post.

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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  9. Love and romance, how sweet it is.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  10. The best part of romance is growing with your partner. We've been together 32 years and have are good days and bad, but we still make one another laugh. No matter what, we know we can rely on each other.

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  11. Thanks for being a part of the hop

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

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  12. Love for me at least is being there for that special person and caring for them even if there are bad times.

    Romance is little things, picking a flower from the garden, breakfast in bed or in my case my DH(when we were just dating) bought himself and I bus tickets to visit my Grandma. That was so special to me.

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

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  13. Romance can be anything that says the other person is thinking of you. Love is the reason you do it.
    Thanks for the hop.

    jess820[at]gmail[dot]com

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  14. Love & Romance means everything to me, Its the spark to a relationship that for me can never go out.

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  15. Love is the feeling of completeness when you meet your soul mate. Romance is the special things you do for the person you love without expecting anything in return.

    Jmesparza821 at gmail dot com

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  16. For me love is the overwhelming yet comforting feeling you have for someone. It can be intense, especially in the beginning, but it can also be warming and secure. Love is a need to have that person with you and in your life and knowing you can't be without them. Romance is finding things in everyday life to bring a smile to the one you love's face. It's anything you do that you know will bring joy to the person intended :)
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    dixiedukegurl2 AT yahoo DOT com

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  17. With love comes romance, I don't need big romantic gestures I just need to know that you are there for me at the worse even when I'm not my best and I will be there for you. This book sounds awesome by the way I can't wait to read it and thanks for participating in the hop! :)
    huntress023(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  18. Romance for me is cuddling! I am all about the snuggle.

    Thanks for being in the hop!
    grapeapril75(AT)gmail.com

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  19. Love is unconditional, love is just seeing the person & knowing that he would do anything and everything to make you happy. Love is intimacy and touching, not just sex (which is great), but emotional and physical touching! Love can be great!
    pSharonShareBear@aol.com

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  20. Romance is the things you do for someone to show how much you love them
    Thanks for the giveaway
    virgilio324@gmail.com

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  21. I believe romance is an all day thing...and doesn't just start when your getting ready for bed!!

    viajeradelmar@aol.com

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  22. Being in love means having a best friend, a lover, a protector, a companion, someone that makes you smile when you think about them, someone that understands you and completes you. Thanks for sharing your wonderful post and the giveaways. evamillien at gmail dot com

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  23. Wonderful blurb, and you nailed everything I would have said on love. He's my best friend and he always has my back. He could never be my alibi, because if I'm ass deep in alligators, I know he's right there with me. ;)

    ~Xakara

    My Bromance to Romance Hop Contribution

    Xakara at Xakara dot com

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  24. Romance is cuddling and a nice back rub.
    sharoncummin@gmail.com

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  25. I have not been lucky to be on the recieving end of romance yet. Love I have experinced but didn't get the happy ending yet. I have not given up and will not but ever hopeful.

    strawberryrose@earthlink.net

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  26. romance to me is when someone goes out of there way to show you how much you mean to them
    meandi09@yahoo.com

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  27. Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to read Sacrifice!
    staceyprice(AT)gmail.com

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  28. Thanks for being part of the hop! theresafischer@bellsouth.net

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  29. Awesome :) Thanks so much :)
    bobbyehopebooth@yahoo.com kindle :)

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  30. Sounds good.

    susanmplatt AT Hotmail DOT com

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  31. Love and romance are two separate things. Love is knowing in your heart you want to be with the person you're with, fully accept them for who they are...flaws and all, want them to be happy and will do anything to ensure they are and keep them safe and secure in the knowledge they will always come first. Romance on the other hand is that feeling you get low in your gut sometimes when you catch a glimpse of your man...crazy butterfly wings, your mind blanks out and words fail when you need them the most. It's the brush of a rough hand across your cheek, long slow deep wet kisses and the look in his eyes that promises there's gonna be more...
    barbbattaglia @ yahoo.com

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  32. Sounds like a great read!!
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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  33. Terrific excerpt.. can't wait!

    vals_hemi at yahoo dot com

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  34. It's not easy after marriage, but I try to put a little romance on our everyday lives - taking time for each other, dinner together every night (with a little charm), and long kisses every single day!
    Renata
    alifeamongbooks[at]gmail[dot]com

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  35. I don't know if real love 'til the end exists..romance it is much easier to maintain, I think
    swordlily_girl(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  36. Love and romance to me is devotion, understanding and praise. Now I know this may sound odd to some, but it's my feelings lol. My hubby gone at 300 days out of every year for work. So when he is home, I love that he will give me praise after praise about how wonderful I'm doing while he is away. I think some people take for granted all the little things our spouses say and do for us when we see them on a daily basis. But since I don't have that, when he is home I soak it up like a sponge. :) Understanding because I am not perfect and I make mistakes. Devotion because I when feel 100 percent loved I have no desire to go find anyone else.

    Thank you so much for being a part of this hop!!
    usmcwifey1@live.com

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  37. thanks!!!
    jrryba(at)gmail(dot)com

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  38. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  39. Love and romance are important in any relationship. Showing that you love someone and being thoughtful is important.

    barbistull@yahoo.com

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  40. In my experience, love and romance aren't always the same. My husband doesn't have a romantic bone in his body but he does love me and tries, fails most of the time, but its the thought that counts.

    dragon5174 (at) gmail .com

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  41. Thanks for the giveaway!
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  42. Thanks for the international giveaway!!

    sweety225(at)rocketmail(dot)com

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  43. My husband tries (and normally fails) to be romantic, but in his attempts, he's being adorably romantic to me. <3

    Thanks for the hop! deathangyl@gmail.com

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  44. I'm not into the romantic mushy stuff. I just want my husband to be there for me and he always is. I am very lucky.

    pjmillion(at)comcast(dot)net

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  45. My husband likes to do fun little surprises for me. Because our schedules differ so much right now, he's often wide awake while I'm asleep. And having him wake me up a half hour earlier because he made breakfast, or to find that he's rearranged the apartment in preparation for the baby we're expecting makes me fall in love with him all over again.

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    Lumanesce (at) gmail (dot) com

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  46. Love is important and romance is nice, but not always necessary. I love the small things. Thank you for the fun hop and giveaway! :)
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  47. Love and romance is being with one that overlooks my fault. Thanks for being on the hop. My summer reading is going to be full of some great reads.

    Mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

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  48. I love the way you described the difference between love and romance and what they mean to you. It was incredibly sweet to read and I enjoyed it a lot. I think, for myself, (and much of it is repeated from the above) love is when things are just "right". When you can be yourself and not have to worry that you won't be impressing the other because you are who you are and they are who they are, and that's enough!
    Romance, on the other hand, is the little things. The flower with a sweet note, the chocolates "just because" (perhaps leading to a beautiful date night) etc. I love thinking about what it all means!
    Sacrifice sounds amazing. I had to add it to my Must Read list as it just sounds so good (and I love the cover!). After reading the excerpt, I am so curious to find out how things will work out between Sam and Natasha. Thank you for the excerpt and saying what love and romance mean to you. It was great reading both.

    Thank you so much for the chance to enter the giveaway and happy summer one and all!

    Shelly H
    booski24@hotmail.com

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  49. Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

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