Aloha, new readers and returning friends! Today I host the Avon Addict Blog Hop ... and I share my love affair with Avon Romance. Some of you already know this story ... but it's one worth repeating! I discovered Avon Romance back in 2004 while living in the Netherlands. My husband was working for NATO, giving me the opportunity to hobnob with the UK Delegation. Oh, they were lovely ladies! We also lived near Kasteel Limbricht - an inspiring sight on my daily walk.
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| Kasteel Limbricht Image by Tibor Permission to post per GNU Free Documentation License |
I frequently volunteered at the Thrift Shop on the Army base in Schinnen. We received a request from the NATO personnel deployed in Kabul, Afghanistan. They adopted an orphanage and asked for donations. The Thrift Shop had long been neglected so we packed most of its contents for Afghanistan. Left behind were the English language books, including a large stack of Avon romances. I was not an avid reader of anything, let alone "those books". But one called to me with its red tartan sash - Cathy Maxwell's A MARRIAGE CONTRACT.
Thus began my love affair with Avon Romance, Cathy Maxwell, and Scotland.
Sigh.
Scotland.
Three years later, while living on Fort Meade, I coordinated an Old Fashioned Tea Party for military spouses (that is another story at this link). I invited authors from the DC area, including Cathy Maxwell. She came the farthest, driving from Richmond to Baltimore in winter weather. The rest is history. And it is history that draws me Avon Romances.
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| Mary Cassatt's FIVE O'CLOCK TEA (1880) |
I was curious about Avon's history. From Wikipedia (at this link),
I was fortunate then to find Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers in the Army's library. I am fortunate today to be an Avon Addict. I'd like to share my fortune with you. I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash - stocked with a wide variety of Avon Romances - to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about the first romance you read.
2. This giveaway is open to all readers.
3. Comments are open through Saturday, December 8, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 9.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
I try to blog about Avon Romance each Wednesday. Come back on December 12 for a discussion of Avon contemporary authors and December 19 for Avon paranormal authors.
If you love Scotland as much as I do, check out my travel blog, ALOHA ON MY MIND, at this link, link, link, link, link, link, link, link, and link.
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| Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness |
My very first romance was a Judith McNaught historical - Kingdom of Dreams. I never thought I'd read romance, but that book sucked me right in, and I've been addicted ever since.
ReplyDeleteConnie mason book
ReplyDeleteKimh
Well...Princess Bride got me started... But my first REAL romance was by Rachel Gibson.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad...that was so long ago that I don't really remember...although I do remember a fondness for Patricia Veryan, Georgette Heyer, Sylvia Thorpe and Katherine Woodiwiss and then I discovered people like Iris Johansen, Jayne Castle, Sandra Brown and Elaine Raco Chase...and...my poor bookshelves have never been the same, lol.
ReplyDeleteMy first Romance novel was "Twilight Whisper" by Barbara Delinsky. It was great but I really got into romance novels when I got my hands on Stephanie Laurens' "What Price Love?" a Cynster Series novel!!! I fell in love deeply...That's where my romance-aholic reading started happily. I really do need a new book shelf now.
ReplyDeletekp_kazamei(at)yahoo(dot)
I can't even remember the title, but I know it was a Georgette Heyer romance I found at the library. I loved it so much I went back and read every other Heyer book they had.
ReplyDeletethink it was a Johanna Lindsey book
ReplyDeleteI started reading romances in my teens -- then picked it up again about seven years ago after I had my son.
ReplyDeleteThe first romance I picked up when I started reading romances again was my very old copy of Julie Garwood's The Bride -- and it was still as good! I went on the re-read all of Julie Garwood's books. ^_^
My first romance was Julie Garwood's "The Bride." It was loaned to me by my older cousin's friend who had crates of romances in her room.
ReplyDeleteI think the first romance book I reads ware Avon for teens books called NOW OR LATER and WAITING GAMES.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what my first Avon romance was.. but my very first romance book was The Dragon and the Jewel by Virginia Henley. I was hooked after that.
ReplyDeleteRaonaid at gmail dot com
Mine was a Barbara Cartland. I don't remember the title; the cvr was very pink! I still remember that the heroine's name was Melissa & that the hero was a Duke; the uncle of her best friend. Being a B. Cartland the heat level was negligible which was about right for me at that age. I was less than 12 then.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all it has been way too many years since I read my first romance novel, probably Georgette Heyer or Barbara Cartland.
ReplyDeleteSecond, you got to meet Cathy Maxwell? I am so jealous! Since I've been an AA I have moved her into my top 10 fav authors. LOVE all of her books!
And lastly, Scotland.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I don't remember the name of my first romance, but it would have been a medical romance. I was reading my older sister's books & she loved those.
ReplyDeleteI can so remember my first romance, because it's my favorite. It would be A GARDEN FOLLY by Candice Hern. I think that book has set me on track for picking books with Dukes too.
ReplyDeleteNot entering but totally showing the Addict sister love. Awesome blog!
ReplyDeleteThe first romance book I ever read was The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E Woodiwiss.
ReplyDeleteGeorgette Heyer's books were my first.
ReplyDeleteA couple of my first romance novels to read were "Whitney My Love" by Judith McNaught, and "Forever Amber" by Kathleen Winsor.
ReplyDeleteA romance book that I secretly read when I was 10, was "Lady Chatterley's Lover". I didn't know what it was, but saw it on my Mum's bedside table. I took it and read it in the shed with one of my neighbor's, his name was Ernie Hutt, and he was the same age as me.
I didn't start to like to read until I was 30. Growing up, I always hated reading but then someone suggested that I read the Twilight books...and that's all she wrote. I loved them, then read another YA series and loved them too, then I realized I needed something with a little more..."heat" to it. So, my first romance book was Dark Lover by J.R. Ward. I loved, loved, LOVED it! And I've been reading romance ever since!
ReplyDeleteMy first romance book actually from local author in my country then I tried book from international and from harlequin's book but i'm forget what author is.
ReplyDeleteI love Sandra Brown's book
I have always read, but never romance. Then in high school I read Pride and Prejudice and I was hooked on romance. I went to the grocery store and bought a Harlequin Superromance. I don't remember the name of it, but I read those for years. I now read all genres of romance.
ReplyDeleteMy first romance book was Gone With the Wind. After that I read lots of the Gothics and lots of books by Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers.
ReplyDeleteMy first romance was a book by Georgette Heyer although I can't remember which one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an interesting post, Kim. The first romance I read was Gone With the Wind, when I was in sixth grade.
ReplyDeleteI know that I read some "teen romances" when I was young. But as for an adult romance, I don't what the first book was, but I'm sure the author was Danielle Steel.
ReplyDeleteMine was the Promise by Danielle Steele when I was 15. I read her entire back list at the time and have been addicted to romance ever since.
ReplyDeleteFor the Roses by Julie Garwood :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Kim! :) I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with a deep love (*cough, obsession, cough*) with Scotland. That, and Ireland, is the one place I am dying to see! One of these days...
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
Your fellow Addict,
TBQ
The first romance that I read was by Danielle Steele. The book was called Full Circle. I stopped reading and got back into Romance about 10 years ago and started with Johanna Lindsey's The Malory series Love Only Once. I fell in love with the whole family. I especially like the relationship with James & Anthony, but I love Derek and Jeremy. I also love Georgina's brothers. They are great. I have since branched out and am completely addicted to anything romance-historical, comtemporary, & paranormal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway.
christinebails at yahoo dot com
My first romance book that I read was Pride and Prejudice. I also read Gone With the Wind, and then Barbara Cartland books. M first Avon book I read was The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwess in 1972. I think I have read all of her books as well as Rosemary Rogers.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure The Flame and the Flower was my first romance novel. If not, it was Sweeter Savage Love! (And I read them when they first came out, so that's been a long time ago). Thanks for the awesome giveaway.
ReplyDeletemlawson17 at hotmail dot com
I enjoyed reading about how you discovered Avon romance.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could remember the name of the first romance I read. It was also Scottish, and the heroine bedded the heir before making a love match with his bastard brother. There was also a threesome with French twins. It was very hot and very educational for teenage me.
ReplyDeleteashleaharvey @ yahoo.com
The first romance to get me hooked was The Flame and the Flower! I had read gothics before but Kathleen Woodiwiss really kept me going back!
ReplyDeleteThe Flame and the Flower was one of my first books. I fell in love with romance then
ReplyDeleteMy first romance read was Jennifer Crusie's "Anyone But You". It had a dog on the cover.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what my first romance book was and I stand in awe of all of you who can remember that first book! You are just amazing!!
ReplyDeleteI can't recall what my first romance was. I think it may have been set in Kentucky when it was still the American frontier and there was some scalping, etc. I was pretty young.
ReplyDeleteI too can't remember what the title was of the first romance novel I read. I think it was a historical and maybe also about Scotland... But I was a bit young and though I liked it, I have little memories of it.
ReplyDeleteI guess I count Jane Austen's P&P as my firs romance, though I'm not sure it would classify as that officially.
Many years later I read one by Julia Quinn and I clearly recall THAT story :D The book started a love affair of all tales involving Dukes and such.
My first is Diana Palmer, and all bout Harlequin such as Penny Jordan..
ReplyDeleteI was still in grade school when I read "Gone With The Wind" for the first time. I was so surprised to realize that the book version was a bit different from the movie that my grandmother had taken me to see. However, I loved the book and stayed up all night to read the conclusion.... and I was hooked on romance!
ReplyDeleteI honestly cannot remember what was the first romance book that I read, but I do believe it was about a cowboy :) possibly a Harlequin novel.
ReplyDeleteThe first romance I read was a novel by SEP. I remember flipping through it thinking, 'I am not going to like this. I am really not going to like this. I don't like this at all. Hey, wait, what happened now...' page flip. Page flip. Page flip.
ReplyDeleteHaha ;-)
The first romance I read was Georgette Heyer's The Grand Sophy. I loved Sophy's managaging character.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place to live Kim! And nice to see some new commenters here for you =)
ReplyDeleteFirst romances, hook line and sinker...and we all got sucked in. I remember being borrowed a bodice ripper from one of my aunts. How that got ok'd I will never know. So glad I was able to read it though!
Fun stories!
My first romance was The Wolf and The Dove. I will always regret not contacting Woodiwiss (although I don't think I could ever find an email for her) and letting her know how much her story changed my life. That one book brought such a love for reading into my life right along with a deep love for history, especially medieval history. I'm my happiest reading anything from William the Conqueror through the Plantagenets. Anything from romance to historical fiction to flat out history of the people and places. My soul aches, physically aches, for that era.
ReplyDeleteI adore Cathy Maxwell! I was lucky enough to live a year in Scotland (Glasgow). I did a master's degree at Glasgow Uni and I miss living there.
ReplyDeleteMy first romance book was Danielle Steel's "No Greater Love." I remember picking it up at the school library and highly enjoyed it.
I started with YA romances actually, but then eventually bridged into adult romance with Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series :)
ReplyDeleteIt's been a very long time but I'm sure it was either a Georgette Heyer or a Barbara Cartland - I've been wanting to go back & read some of them again since I found an old boxful in the attic.
ReplyDeleteThe first romance I read was Mine till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas.
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