Tag Archives: 10th Blogiversary

10TH BLOGIVERSARY WINNERS!!

Hi friends! I am very sorry for not posting this sooner. There has been… well it’s a lot. And then the site ~broke. I’m literally communicating with tech support as I write this so … fingers crossed. I also checked spam to make sure no comments/entries were accidentally caught there.

ANYWAY! I know what you’re here for! The WINNERS!!! And here we go! (Shout out to randomizer too for picking the winners.)

We’ve Hit Double Digits! AKA ALBTALBS Turns 10! Winner(s): Ainsley! … and Shannon because she actually emailed me to tell me she’d like to enter too. So WHY NOT DO BOTH ENTRIES?!

Blogiversary Guest Jody Wallace: Cats Are As Perfect As Books Winner: M!

Blogiversary Guest Ainsley Wynter: Sliding Into 2021 and Leaving the Ghosts of 2020 Behind Winner(s): EVERYONE! Seriously! The very kind and generous Ainsley is willing to gift this book to everyone who commented so congratulations to dholcomb1, Aliquis, bn100, and Sandra! The four of you are to email [x] about claiming your prize!

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Christie Kelley Winner: flchen1

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Shannon McKenna Winner: dholcomb1 & bn100

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Nicole Flockton Winner: bn100

Blogiversary Guest Renee Dahlia on 10 Years and Reflection Winner: Sandra

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Jennifer Bernard Winner: Aliquis

Release Day Blogiversary Edition Exclusive Excerpt: The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince by Jeffe Kennedy Winner: Elizabeth KW

A Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Amanda McCabe Winner: dholcomb1

Blogiversary Guest: Kali Anthony On the Little Things – *this giveaway of a signed book is open through February 28th so go comment to win! <3

Blockbuster Blogiversary Giveaways from Sabrina Jeffries! Winners: Prize Pack I: Ashley Mason Prize Pack II: flchen1  Bonus Audiobook: Beth

Blogiversary Guest: Janice Maynard! Winner:  Elizabeth KW

To everyone else, how do you get your delightful prize?! Well, contact me via the form on this site, or leave a comment right here on this post telling me you’d like me to email you/figure things out. Your deadline is February 28th. So you have until the end of the month – email me in March and you’re cut off. 😜

Thanks again all for celebrating ten years with us. And especially to all the very generous authors who furnished these prizes and their time. Congratulations to the winners too!

10th Blogiversary Wrap Up: Last Call to Enter ALL THE GIVEAWAYS

Hi friends! All the giveaways close today unless otherwise stated. What’s up for grabs you might ask? Well let me tell you!

Unless otherwise noted, all giveaways are open internationally! We want you to win, so please comment! Join in the fun!

Blogiversary Guest: Janice Maynard!

Hi friends! I’m so thrilled to welcome back Janice Maynard on the last day of January! We’re just doing things all over the place and offering giveaways galore here at ALBTALBS! 😀 It’s been ten years! We do what we want! 😜 Anyway Janice was kind enough to write a post and offer a prize, so read on!  <3

Happy Blogiversary to Limecello! I’m honored to be here today celebrating such a fun milestone!

As I was debating what to share with you, it occurred to me that Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. It will look different this year, of course. (My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in a restaurant parking lot eating carry-out.)

Whether you’ll be observing Gal-entine’s Day, or maybe you and your significant other are lifting a glass, because you’ve managed not to strangle each other during quarantine, this year’s events will be unlike any others.

Instead of reporting on a new release, I’d like to tell you about an older book that takes place in exactly this time of year. As you probably know, publishers “buy” the rights to publish books for a certain period of time. Eventually, those rights revert to the authors who can then re-publish the books. Continue reading

Blockbuster Blogiversary Giveaways from Sabrina Jeffries!

Hi friends! I’m really excited to tell you about the wonderful prizes you can win from Sabrina Jeffries!

But first! Some “house keeping.” I kept saying all the giveaways would run through the end of the month. Then realized/remembered … “self, some of these giveaways won’t be posted until the end of the month.” So … let’s say everything is open through February 6th unless the author states otherwise in their post comments. (I’d always defer to the person actually furnishing the prize!) I expect – other than again for the authors picking their own winners, I’ll be using randomizer a lot and posting winners the second week of February. Let’s be honest here and all admit/realize there’s no chance in hell I’ll be organized enough to contact each person. So that’s that.

So! What is the wonderful and fantabulous Sabrina giving away?  TWO PRIZE PACKS!

Prize Pack One: the Royal Brotherhood Series and the candle in a teacup

Bound together by the royal father who denied them, they’ve formed a pact to help each other achieve their every desire…including the women of their dreams.
Miss Katherine Merivale is desperate to make a respectable match — if only her childhood sweetheart would propose! Until he does, she can’t touch the fortune she’s inherited. So the last thing she needs is notorious rogue Alec Black putting her proposed marriage at risk with his distracting, smoldering gaze and moonlit kisses.
Alec, the Earl of Iversley — and one of three bastard sons of the Prince of Wales — is secretly searching for an heiress bride to pay his debts. Fiery Katherine seems the answer to his prayers, and her passionate response to his practiced seduction soon assures him that she is his. But Alec knows Katherine is looking for a love-match, and he wonders…what will happen when she discovers his deception?

Beautiful Lady Regina Tremaine has turned down so many suitors that she’s called La Belle Dame Sans Merci. The truth: she won’t marry because she carries a dark secret. She sees no good reason, however, why her brother shouldn’t court the lovely Louisa North — even if the girl’s brother, the notorious “Dragon Viscount,” objects.
Marcus North, Viscount Draker — bastard son of the Prince of Wales — is rumored to be a monster who holds women captive in his dark castle to have his way with them. He has been exiled from polite society for years. But when Lady Regina makes a plea on her brother’s behalf, Marcus proposes an outrageous deal: her brother can court Louisa so long as Marcus can court Regina. Can the beauty and the beast survive a proper courtship when the devastatingly improper passion between them threatens to cause the scandal of the century?

Proper Lady Christabel, the Marchioness of Haversham, is desperate to regain some letters that could destroy her—so desperate that she pretends to be the mistress of notorious gaming-club owner Gavin Byrne to accompany him to a scandalous house party where she can reclaim them. But when she agreed to let Byrne coach her on how a true mistress behaves, she never suspected how very . . . persuasive his wicked lessons would be.

Gavin is secretly determined to find the letters himself and use them for revenge against the noble sire who abandoned him to grow up in London’s worst slums. He’s also delighted at how very successful his “mistress lessons” are: it won’t be long before the luscious young widow is in his bed. But when Christabel catches Gavin in his own seductive net, he faces a difficult choice: to wreak the vengeance he’s planned all his life, or to protect the woman he may—to his own astonishment—need more than revenge.

*and don’t forget the candle in the teacup!

Prize Pack Two: trade paperback editions of the first three books of the new Duke Dynasty series and a Bachelor shot glass

From New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries comes a sparkling new series about an oft-widowed mother’s grown children, who blaze through society in their quest for the truth about their fathers . . . and in the process find that love just might conquer all . . .

A series of stepfathers and a difficult childhood have left Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt, with a guarded heart, enviable wealth, and the undeserved reputation of a rogue. Grey’s focus on expanding his dukedom allows him little time to find a wife. But when his mother is widowed yet again and he meets the charmingly unconventional woman managing his stepfather’s funeral, he’s shocked to discover how much they have in common. Still, Grey isn’t interested in love, no matter how pretty, or delightfully outspoken, the lady . . .

Beatrice Wolfe gave up on romance long ago, and the arrogant Duke of Greycourt with his rakish reputation isn’t exactly changing her mind. Then Grey agrees to assist his grief-stricken mother with her latest “project”: schooling spirited, unfashionable Beatrice for her debut. Now that Beatrice is seeing through Grey’s charms to his wounded heart, she’s having trouble keeping him at arm’s length. But once Grey starts digging into her family’s secrets, she must decide whether her loyalties lie with her family . . . or with the man whose lessons capture her heart . . .

Lady Gwyn Drake has long protected her family’s reputation by hiding an imprudent affair from her youth. But when her former suitor appears at Armitage Hall, manhandling the heiress and threatening to go public with her secrets, it’s Gwyn who needs protecting. Her twin brother, Thorn, hires Joshua Wolfe, the estate’s gamekeeper, to keep her safe in London during her debut. As a war hero, Joshua feels obligated to fulfill the assignment he has accepted. But as a man, it’s torment to be so very close to the beauty he’s fought to ignore . . .

With handsome Joshua monitoring her every move, Gwyn would prefer to forget both the past and the parade of money-seeking bachelors at her coming out. But Joshua is unmoved by her attempts at flirtation, and the threat of blackmail still hangs over her. With danger closing in, Gwyn must decide which is the greater risk: deflecting a scoundrel’s attempts to sabotage her—or revealing her whole heart to the rugged bodyguard she can’t resist . . .

A past kiss with adorably bookish Miss Olivia Norley should be barely a memory for Marlowe Drake, the Duke of Thornstock. After all, there are countless debutantes for a handsome rakehell to charm beyond a young lady whose singular passion is chemistry—of the laboratory type. But Thorn has not forgotten—or forgiven—the shocking blackmail scheme sparked by that single kiss, or the damage caused to both their names. Now Thorn’s half-brother, Grey, has hired the brilliant Miss Norley for her scientific expertise in solving a troubling family mystery. And the once-burned Thorn, suspicious of her true motives, vows to follow her every move . . .

For Olivia, determining whether arsenic poisoning killed Grey’s father is the pioneering experiment that could make her career—and Thorn’s constant presence is merely a distraction. But someone has explosive plans to derail her search. Soon the most unexpected discovery is the caring nature of the reputed scoundrel beside her—and the electricity it ignites between them . . .

Annnnnd this book is not part of the prize pack, but we did want to highlight it because it’s Sabrina’s upcoming book, and next in the series! (Release date is May 25, 2021.)

Along with his stepsiblings, Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Armitage, is determined to finally solve the mysteries behind the suspicious deaths of their mother’s three husbands. Tasked with investigating a possible suspect, Sheridan finds himself in dangerous proximity to her captivating daughter, Vanessa Pryde. But still haunted by a tragically lost love, the duke is resolved to resist the attraction—and avoid any “scheming” husband-hunters. Besides, lovely Miss Pryde seems utterly smitten with a roguish London playwright . . .

Vanessa thinks a little scheming may be in order—for it’s Sheridan she truly has her sights, and her heart, set on. Her theatrical flirtation is intended only to break through his business-like demeanor and guarded emotions. And as Sheridan’s jealousy becomes aroused, the two soon find themselves propelled into a scheme of an altogether different kind, involving a pretend engagement, a secret inquiry—and a perhaps not-so-secret leap into true love . . .

How do you enter to win? Tell me  – what do you think of audiobooks? Do you love them? Hate them? Avoid them? Are you mad for them? If you listen to them, who are your favorite audiobook narrators? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW. [You can also say which prize pack you have a strong preference for – we’ll take it into consideration but it won’t be determinative unless I’m really on top of things that day.]

*whispers* I’m also asking because … if we get an overwhelming response, there might be a bonus prize: Beware A Scot’s Revenge in audio.

Lady Venetia Campbell’s visit to her childhood home in Scotland takes a dramatic turn when she’s kidnapped at pistol point by her father’s sworn enemy. Sir Lachlan Ross is widely feared in his guise as The Scottish Scourge, but Venetia remembers her former neighbor as a handsome youth whose attentions she craved. Now a wickedly sexy man, Lachlan’s appeal is even more intoxicating…and much more dangerous. Though Lachlan tries to treat her as his foe, his scorching kisses tell another story. And despite his plan to use her as a weapon against her father, Venetia is determined that Lachlan’s lust for revenge will be trumped by an even more powerful desire….

Blogiversary Guest: Kali Anthony On the Little Things

Hi friends! I can’t believe January is coming to a close! It’s gone by so quickly but also has felt like 10,000 years. I’d like you all to welcome one of our last 10th Blogiversary Guests, Kali Anthony! She’s a first timer at A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet, and has been very kind, patient, and generous. We’re grateful to have her as a guest, and all the other authors who were happy to help celebrate. I hope you all give a warm welcome to Kali!

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS

It all started whilst I was watering the grass. To be fair, the grass had just been freshly laid, and I was trying to keep it alive in our bakingly hot Australian summer during a brief lockdown. But watering said grass took over an hour of my time, twice a day, so I had lots of that time to contemplate…things.

My thoughts centered on how life had become somehow small over the last twelve months. No travel, no grand adventures. Ignoring the fact that the world was going to hell in a handbasket, life out of necessity seemed to be about hearth and home. It got me thinking that the media fetes the life lived large. It’s always about how much you can pack in rather than what happens if that’s whittled away to almost nothing. And what I realised during my grass watering musings, was that I wasn’t unhappy about my smaller life.  Continue reading

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Amanda McCabe

Hello my dear friends! We are back! And I am delighted to welcome back first time guest Amanda McCabe! She is another generous soul who offered to help us celebrate ten years of blogging. Whew – ten years! We’re trying … Anyway! Amanda chose to answer my silly questions, so I hope you enjoy!

What was your favorite book as a child? (Why?) And what is your favorite book now?
The first book I remember reading for myself was a picture book about a princess who grew REALLY long hair, and it became a total mess!  I don’t remember the title, but I do remember the illustrations, very 1960s.  I also loved the Eloise books, a girl who got to make mischief in a fancy hotel was, I thought, living one’s best kid life.  It’s so hard to narrow down favorite books now!  But I’ve found myself doing lots of re-reading in this weird year, so Austen, Jane Eyre*, old-school romances, English mysteries set in country houses.  If I could only read one book forever, this might sound weird, but it could be War and Peace.  An old teacher of mine said it has “all genres of book in one” (which it does!), so it would keep me busy for a long time

If you could create any movie mash up – which films would you combine?
Jane Eyre and a Christie novel!  She’d make a great detective

What inanimate object would you eat if it was safe to do?
Interesting question!!  When I was a kid, there was a beautiful old Victorian house down the street from my grandmother that looked like it was made of whipped cream icing.  It seemed like it would be very yummy Continue reading

Release Day Blogiversary Edition Exclusive Excerpt: The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince by Jeffe Kennedy

Hi friends! It’s release day for the fabulous Jeffe Kennedy! She’s written in a number of [sub]genres, and high fantasy romance is one where she shines. She very generously offered to be part of the blogiversary and have a giveaway, so I figured her release day was the perfect timing! (Timing being 😅 something that I struggle with when it comes to blog posts.) ANYWAY! The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince is out today, and we’ve got an exclusive excerpt of it to share with our A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet readers! <3 I hope you enjoy!

The Golden Gryphon and the Bear Prince by Jeffe Kennedy book coverA Legacy of Honor

Crown Prince Astar has only ever wanted to do the right thing: be a credit to his late father’s legacy, live up to his duties as heir to the high throne of the Thirteen Kingdoms, and cleave to the principles of honor and integrity that give his life structure—and that contain the ferocious grizzly bear inside. Nowhere in those guiding principles is there room for the fierce-hearted, wildly free-spirited, and dizzyingly beautiful shapeshifter, Zephyr. Still, even though they’ve been friends most of their lives, Astar is able to keep Zephyr safely at arm’s length. He’s already received a list of potential princess brides who will make a suitable queen, and Zephyr is not on it.

A Longtime Obsession

Zeph has wanted the gorgeous, charming, and too-good-for-his-own-good Astar for as long as she can remember. Not that her longing for him—and his perfectly sculpted and muscular body—has stopped her from enjoying any number of lovers. Astar might be honorably (and foolishly) intent on remaining chaste until marriage, but Zeph is Tala and they have no such rules. Still, she loves Astar—as a friend—and she wants him to at least taste life before he chains himself to a wife he didn’t choose. There’s no harm in him having a bit of fun with her. But the man remains stubbornly elusive, staving off all of her advances with infuriatingly noble refusals.

A Quest to Save the World

But things change when a new terror threatens the Thirteen Kingdoms. Following prophecy, Astar and Zeph—along with a mismatched group of shapeshifter, warrior, and sorceress friends—go on a quest to stop a magic rift before it grows beyond anyone’s ability to stop. Thrust together with Zephyr, Astar finds himself increasingly unable to resist her seductive invitations. And in the face of life-and-death battles with lethal monsters, he begins to lose sight of why having her, just once, is such a terrible idea…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zeph beelined to the fire, standing as close as she could without igniting her fancy skirts. “I like Castle Elderhorst. Suddenly I’m a lady!” Continue reading

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Jennifer Bernard

Hi friends! I’m very excited to welcome back Jennifer Bernard as a guest to A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet! When I put out a call for people to participate she responded immediately <3 As a[nother] personal thing, I realized when copying and pasting I did an oops in the questions I sent authors and none of them have called me out on it. 😅 So a general shout out for not embarrassing me I guess. 😜 (Thanks!) Anyway, Jennifer chose to do an “interview” so I hope you enjoy!

Mine Until Moonrise by Jennifer Bernard book coverWhat was your favorite book as a child? (Why?) And what is your favorite book now?
I’ve been an obsessive bookworm practically since birth, so it’s honestly really hard to pick out one favorite. Maybe A Wrinkle in Time. Little Women was up there, and the Narnia series. The Witch of Blackbird Pond was one of my all-time favorites. Lisa, Bright and Dark had a huge impact on me. Obviously I love the books that I grew up with, but I also think I would have devoured the young adult books coming out today. Right now I’m reading Legendborn, which I would have just inhaled back then – okay, I admit I’m doing that now as an adult.

If you could create any movie mash up – which films would you combine?
This isn’t a movie, but I’m currently binging on Insecure (so so good!) so I’d mash that up with… hm, maybe Crazy Rich Asians, so Issa Dee could have a happy ending?

What inanimate object would you eat if it was safe to do?
The moon, so I could glow on demand.

What is the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you have a go-to dish? And/or a signature dish? (What makes it so?)
Popcorn! With lots of butter and salt. And we didn’t have a popcorn maker so I learned with a frying pan (and a few burns.) My signature dish is something we eat all the time because I live in Alaska with a freezer full of salmon. You chop up pine nuts and herbs and salt and pepper, clump it onto the salmon and saute it in olive oil. Continue reading

Blogiversary Guest Renee Dahlia on 10 Years and Reflection

Hi friends! I’d like you to welcome back Renee Dahlia, who very generously offered to help us celebrate 10 years of blogging – and offer a giveaway! She took the time to write us this post, so I hope you enjoy!

Happy 10 years to A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet
Renee Dahlia

Sometime in the middle of 2020, I was driving my car and people were calling in with stories of their worst cars. Someone rang up and talked about how they had a car where the CD got stuck in the player and they were forced to listen to the same CD over and over.

When I offered to write something for the tenth anniversary of this blog, it made complete sense to talk about Craving His Spotlight. This story is about having another go at life, about looking back at the past, and thinking about how to use those old experiences for good. The thing about anniversaries is they tend to make people think about the past and how far they’ve come in that time.

Craving His Spotlight opens with a voice and a memory.

Vince would know that voice anywhere. The rich dulcet smoky voice with sultry notes. Truly, it was the only good thing about the bloody pop beat of those songs. For two long years, he’d listened to it on endless repeat, because there was no other option. Hearing that voice meant only one thing—the lead singer of So You Think was here in the office of Vince’s advertising company, Kapow. It must be over a decade since the boy band was huge. He shuddered. That fucking car with the So You Think CD stuck in the dash represented some of the worst years of his life. Nah, not the absolute worst. They were the end of the worst and the beginning of now. Continue reading

Blogiversary Version Guest Author & A Giveaway: Nicole Flockton

Hi friends! So we’ve had a lot going on in the world, but we’re trying to truck along! Therefore, I’ve got another post for you to celebrate Blogiversary, and would everyone to welcome back Nicole Flockton! It’s also release day for her! Shelter for Cerise is out today so everyone also wish Nicole a very happy release day! 

What was your favorite book as a child? 
Hmm my favourite book. I’m not sure I had one but I had a favourite author. I read a ton of Enid Blyton books. I love the concept of toys coming to life and living independently. And what is your favorite book now? Hmm that’s a toughie. There was one book I used to read every year it’s a book called Fortunes by Vera Cowie. I need to get it out and read it again. It’s been a while since I’ve read it. It’s about an auction house and an ugly duckling heroine getting it all in the end.

If you could create any movie mash up – which films would you combine? (Why?)
Oh you ask the tough questions! Okay let me see. Let’s go with National Treasure and The Mummy. I’d love to see Nic Cage take on some mummies while hunting down the mother lode of treasures.

What inanimate object would you eat if it was safe to do? Why?
Ohh I know a football. I mean it was made out of pigskin so it could taste like bacon. 😉

What is the first thing you learned how to cook? Do you have a go-to dish? And/or a signature dish? (What makes it so?)
My first memories of cooking were helping my mum make a cake so I guess that was the first think I learned. My go to dish is what I call Sausage Pasta. Basically it’s smoked sausage, pasta, broccoli and parmesan cheese. It’s simple and quick and my kids really like it. I guess this is my signature dish. Continue reading