Weekend Wondering and Giveaway - Romance is in the air

First up the winner of last week's weekend wondering is:

Between The Lines and More 

please contact me with your address and your book choice (see the choices here.) 

She will get her choice of one of six books. The rest of the books will go back into the pot for the next weekend wondering.


Thanks so much to all who participated. I really enjoyed reading your responses. So many of you mentioned books and authors I had forgot about, so it was really great. Please know I read each and every response.

So onto this weekend. We all know it the magical/hated (depends on your view) Valentine's Day. For me it really isn't a big deal. I'm married and I tend to celebrate our anniversary more, but DH and I will be childless for the evening and I look forward to going out to eat with him. But cards and flowers aren't expected. And I will freely admit I am looking more forward to Daytona on Valentine's Day anyway. I'm a huge racing fan and look forward to the start of the new season. Anyone else a fan?

Okay on to the bookish things - Romance.

I started reading romance as a teenager. Silhouette use to have a line of romance for teenagers in the late 80s - something like Silhouette first romance. I read every one of those I could get my hands on. I don't remember anything about them now, but I did read them.

I think I got away from the romance genre in college and headed more towards thrillers/suspense/horror. Then I came back to my first love after I got married and my sister-in-law introduced me to Nora Roberts. Yes I had heard of her, but I had not read her yet. My SIL gave me Carolina Moon to read and I was in total love. Here was an author who mixed romance and suspense - it couldn't get any better than that.

Then I found the internet and found out how many other great authors are out there. Linda Howard, Sandra Brown, Susan Mallery, Robin Carr, Sheryl Woods and so many more. I read all I could get my hands on. I even found I loved Harlequin Blaze books and had a subscription for awhile.

I loved romance in any form I could get it and I still do. I don't read as much of it as I use to but I fit it in from time-to-time and every time I come back to it I remember how much I love it. I have very rarely been disappointed with a romance book, but then again I freely admit I am not horribly picky with my books.

Themes - this is my question for the week - what themes/plots do you like best in your romances? Do you like friends to lovers, hidden pregnancy, tortured heroes, paranormal, romantic suspense, take this one anywhere you want. Just tell me what kind of romance book you like to read if you like to read them and one of your all-time favorites. If you don't read them, tell me why, I'm interested.

As for me, I think I have learned I really like the friends into lovers books. One of my favorites that comes to mind was Kristin Higgins' Just One of the Guys - an excellent romance in my opinion.

So for Valentine's Day this year try to fit in a romance - you may love it, it may make you happy, just try it out. :)

***** Giveaway  *****

Comment and answer my question from above on what kind of romance you like and your all-time favorite romance read and you can have a shot at winning any two of the books shown below. Open to US/Canada only. Giveaway runs through 2/19/10 and I will post the winner in the next weekend wondering post.  Additional entries for tweeting and getting the word out about this giveaway (blog posts/sidebar work too). Also note if you are a follower and how you follow and there will be extra entries for that as well - I'm still trying to work my way to 200 blogger followers.

Please note books have been read - they are in good shape, but they are not brand new.