New Year’s Blog Hop (Romance Blog Looking Back)

Posted by Marcia in Bookswagger on

Happy New Year - champagne and party decoration Looking Back

There is something about the start of a new year, it’s like having a clean slate to accomplish the things we were unable to during the ending year and reflect. The fact my birthday is in January makes the month extra reflective for me. I mean if I haven’t started my New Year’s resolution by the first there is always the 14th (ya, that’s how I procrastinate, lol). 2012 was a year of many firsts. This was my first year as a blogger and boy did I have my stressful moments. I strive to do the best I can at whatever I do but as a private person putting my thoughts about anything on the web was a huge deal. I have enjoyed getting to know romance readers from around the world (I think we are the most open minded of all readers, but I am partial) I hope you have enjoyed the journey with me and I have not stepped on your nerves to much as I have learned to do this romance blogging thing and continue to learn. Thanks for taking the time to get to know me and I hope we continue to get to know each other.

Giveaway: $15 Amazon GC, please leave a comment, what did you love or hate on romance blogs this year? I am hoping I can learn from the things you saw in the blogosphere!

Floral Background in Black and Gold ColorsBlog Hop Giveaway: Must leave your email address in case you win so you can be notified by the hop organizer.

To keep hopping: LINK

131 thoughts on “New Year’s Blog Hop (Romance Blog Looking Back)”

  2. Farrah

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    Hmm, let’s see…
    I didn’t like how some romance blogs overcrowded their blog with so many widgets that it would take forever for the page to load.
    I did like how the blogs that frequently host giveaways had a giveaways tab so that I could easily find them all.

    farrahsayyedATgmailDOTcom

    1. bookswagger

      Thanks, I might do that. I try to keep my hop posts as the top post while the hop is going on or top two if doing more than one but I could see how a tab would help especially since I do not post them in my side bar. Thanks Farrah!

  3. Krista

    I definitely got a little tired of all the memes. I would rather a blogger spend time on reading and reviewing than putting up a meme everyday. Happy New Year and thanks for the giveaway!
    ~Krista
    pinkbonanza{ AT }gmail{ DOT }com

  4. Rita Wray

    I love the hops, they are fun. It’s also a great way to meet new authors. Happy New Year.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

  5. FDW

    Happy New Year!! I love that I learned so much from the bloggers of Bookswagger in 2012!! I’m looking forward to all of the wealth and knowledge of book information I’m going gain in 2013!!

    1. bookswagger

      Yes, I learned a lot myself in 2012 and I found a lot of new authors I could have kicked myself for never reading before…The power of the internet I tell you.

  9. Beckey

    I enjoyed the blogs, finding more books for me (as well as new to me authors) as well as the giveaways was an added bonus 😉
    Happy New Years!

    BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom (email following)

  10. susan platt

    Happy New Year! I don’t like how some blogs only show one post per page and you have to go to “older post” every page. I want a list and choose which I want to read. I love to get ideas of new books to read.

    susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com

  11. Desirée Lee

    I don’t mind blogs posts that promote books. I’m an author, a reader and a complete book junkie, so I read book blogs to learn about new books that might interest me. However, I also like to see information about the author too. I love reading author interviews on blogs, or at least a few personal comments from the author about themselves, their writing process, their life in general, all things that lead toward what goes into their books. Flat out promo after promo after promo is tiring. I like to see promo mixed in with other aspects of the writing life.

    Carpe Noctem,
    Des

    Author Desirée Lee
    Putting the Romance back in Necromancy
    http://www.desireelee.com
    http://www.facebook.com/authordeslee
    http://www.twitter.com/authordeslee
    des@desireelee.com

    1. bookswagger

      Ok you want to see something you can relate to, I admit those are the posts that grab my eye to. Writing is such a personal and independent thing and everyone has their own process, it is nice to see how everyone do what they do. Thanks for stopping by.

  14. Mel Bourn (@MelCamino5)

    I like blogs that introduce me to new authors and books. I like author interviews as well as character interviews. A site that is easy to use and not bogged down with lots of widgets makes for easier loading. I tend to stay away from blogs that take a long time to load.
    Mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

    1. bookswagger

      Yes, one trick I do if it is something I really want to see is doing mobile view even on my desktop but that can still be irritating. I will make sure I stay away from that Mel!

  17. Nancy S

    I really like having found so many with similar interests. The blog post I particularly like are character interviews. I think they give new insight and an occasional ah ha moment.

    ocanana@gmail.com

    1. bookswagger

      You know I only saw a couple of those this year and most of them were from the heroine point of view…Think it would be different to see how the characters best friend, mother or enemy would describe them you know. But hey you gave me a great author interview question just by typing my response to you so THANKS NANCY!!!

  19. BookAttict

    I like the archives easy to access, I like the giveaways & hops, LOVE character interviews.

    Don’t like overcrowded pages and widgets bleeding across columns.

    Happy New Year & thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

    1. bookswagger

      Ya the bleeding across is a bit much esp since you are there to read. I keep seeing character interviews pop up but this year I only read one good one, I have to get some better reading material or something cause you are not the only one who mentioned them.

  22. Jbst

    I don’t like overcrowded pages where it hard to view what’s on the page and makes it very slow to upload. Also, I really dislike rafflecopter giveaways where it’s expected to FB, tweet, etc.

    I like to see book reviews, some giveaways, sometimes Hops, sometimes personal entries such as the one about tablet or e reader etc. Since I only have an e reader and not planning to get a tablet, I was interested in your posting but couldn’t comment on it.

    strive4bst(At) yahoo(Dot) com

    1. bookswagger

      Ya sometimes I just need help lol. You don’t have to worry about me doing rafflecopter because just setting them up is irritating to me I will stick to my basic random.org to pick winners.

  24. Elie

    Interesting question… predictable covers. I would be more inclined to pick up a book off the shelf if the cover wasn’t so old school looking. I enjoy reading romance, but the covers are sometimes a put off. I wouldn’t dare be caught holding one in public. But you don’t have much control over that do you? hmmmm…. when characters in the books aren’t real. I like when they are relate-able.
    zenfoxflowerATyahooDOTcom

    1. bookswagger

      The cover, I get that, I hate to admit it but covers turn me off and I have to force myself to read the back cover and when it turns out to be a great book I always wonder why do that to yourself, I would rather it be blank.

  25. Trix

    I didn’t like the old-school romance plots, but the rise of m/m and excellent reviews were a plus!

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

  26. vicky

    Happy New Year!
    thanks
    Mrsbrinius at comcast dot net
    I hate not getting followed back especially twitter

  28. Sandra

    Thanks so much for the chance to win. It’s a great way to start the year. No major resolutions beyond reading a lot (let’s go 50 books!) and staying active (jog, jog!), but I hope you have a great year 🙂

    As for what I love/hate, I had a lot of ugly covers to see. They were sloppily done or had strange poses/backgrounds that didn’t relate to the story. On the love side, there were some nice indie authors I learned about 🙂

    Thanks again!

    hisboywonder(at)gmail(dot)com

    1. bookswagger

      lol I know what you mean by covers I read multicultural romances, my friends and I joke about this girl who is on every cover no matter how the heroine is described, I mean I am glad she is working but dag those covers suck.

  29. Natasha

    I liked everything. Thanks for the chance to win!
    Happy New Year!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

  30. M.C.

    This goes for book blogs in general: too many memes and book tours. Where’s the original content?

    Happy new year,
    bedsidelight
    ATgmailDOTcom

  31. Shannon

    My favorite things are original reviews and exclusive interviews. I hate when it is just the same content that has been copied and pasted for the entire book tour.

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

    1. bookswagger

      True bc you have prob read it a few times already. Me I hate a tour that is supposed to last two to three months, by then I think readers are sick of the content blast esp if it is not original. I have been trying to pay better attention to things like that.

    1. bookswagger

      I feel you, your eyes are trying to go everywhere. I personally hate blogs with funky print that I cannot see or the color blends into the page making it a struggle to read it makes me give up, on one blog I had to copy the words and paste it into a word doc so I could read the article and I have to say that was just to much. Told myself never again.

  35. Dawna Newman

    I don’t like music attached , not that I don’t love music it just makes the blog load slow.

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

  36. Céline G.

    Well, what I mostly like about blogs is the way they make me discover great books and avoid bad ones with their review.
    Thank you very much for the giveaway!

    1. bookswagger

      Thats what it is all about. The conversation about the books we love, hated or thought were just so,so. I think my family sighed in relief when I started a blog and stopped driving them crazy talking about my fav books!

  37. Diane

    I enjoy finding new authors and books through some of the regular blogs I visit! I don’t like the widgets and recaps some of them use weekly.

    diane dot sadler at gmail dot com

  38. Ronda Tutt

    Blogging can be so much fun and it can be stressful depending on how much a person is in to it. I just closed mine down and already miss it but I just started a new adventure with hubby with RVing and my time is limited online now but I still find time to read – LOL

    One thing about blogging is being organized. I enjoy reading the reviews on blogs but what I enjoy better is the fun interviews or character interviews and of course the giveaways. I love the hops but wish they wouldn’t have over 100 stops because it takes so long to see everyone’s blog, a person can literally spend all day completing each task required for entry into the giveaway.

    For instance, I spent half a day just stopping at 50 blogs for this hop. I think that when you have a hop the widget to use for it should be the Rafflecopter. Also there shouldn’t be more than 2 or 3 task to complete because it is time consuming.

    Also if a blogger is doing a hop, they need to keep the list updated and make sure everyone has their post up in time and if they don’t then they need to delete those from the list immediately. Also they could get everyones direct link and go in and edit the hop list by adding the direct links so the blogger doesn’t spend a lot of time hunting for the post if the hop button is not on the front of the home page.

    There are so many things I have learned over the 6 years I owned a blog but it would take a lot of space to explain.

    Happy New year
    mrsqueentutt@gmail.com

    1. bookswagger

      Thank you Rhonda, I learning through fire so to speak. I like the hop links that let me edit my link as well but I notice no one really do those anymore and I feel like a right pain emailing the host asking for a update so I just try to let the post ride on my home page as the main post. Good luck with your new venture it sounds exciting, you are prob gong to get to see everything now.

  39. Drea

    Happy New Year!

    What I love so much about romance is the escape while sitting safetly at home. I’ve traveled to places I’ll never be able to afford all thanks to romance.

    ~*Drea*~
    dreabecraft(@)aol.com

  40. jeannie platt

    i love all the different blog hops… However i don’t like how some people respond to a blog and are negitive to the author/blogger about the gift being given… you don’t have to respond to a blog so don’t if you don’t like the gift let someone who would appricate it get it…

    what i love is how friendly bloggers/authors are with each other and like to promote other blogs and seem to have one anothers back. Kinda nice seeing that.

    j.m.platt83@gmail.com

    1. bookswagger

      Ya, I like the friendly blogger and authors to, I always say it does not hurt to be nice. I know in print some things can come off wrong bc we don’t have the verbal tone to help us but I am sad to see someone looking a gift horse in the mouth, that is manners 101. Thanks for stopping by.

  43. Tin

    Stopping in from the hop!

    What I love about romance blogs is being able to discover new authors (and new books) —

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

    – Tin (khriscc at yahoo dot com)

  44. Toni Cosgrove

    Thank you so much for asking this. I love when a blogger shares some of their daily lives and things about themselves, and not act like the blog is one long list of pushing a book. I love reading about diffrent authors, like in interviews. I love finding out where they got the idea for the book and things like that. I like excerpts from a new book, just a small bit though to get me interested and see the authors style.I don’t care for music as I am concentrating on what I am reading ..it is too distracting.love a blog with easy to use comment sections and not those yucky captchas…the ones that ask a math question are great though.
    I totally love blog hops as I find many new books and authors I might never have even tried. What i totally hate is supposed fans who join them and put the same comment on each blog and you can tell they didn’t even bother to read what the various authors wrote, It is shameful to those of us who care and the authors who also put work into them.Why bother to do a hop…just for the prize..shame..shame….. I think those people should be eliminated. I like when blog hops are about 5 days so I can easily read each one and answer it better. I don’t like ones where you have to have a twitter account…it is not practical for many of us who are home a lot…not much to tweet about.lol. i appreciate all the effort and time it takes and wish other readers would be more in keeping with the blog hop purpose. I have read some wonderful comments from people who did comment with the spirit of the blog. Thank you for this and hope your new year is full of warm memories, laughter and wisdom.
    peach_hugs@yahoo.com

    1. bookswagger

      First off, I love your email address it is too cute! You can tell when someone is just hopping for the hop prize of it and a lot of authors and bloggers are getting hip to the game. I have seen some chats about this in FB groups regarding this ,a lot of them believe only the comments were the poster commented based on the question asked she be counted in the giveaway and that is what they are doing. So believe me they are seeing what is going on and attention is being brought to it. I will remember you and never do a twitter only hop! lol. Thanks for stopping by.

  46. April Holgate

    This last year I discovered blog hops and have tripled my to be read list! I have also won several ebooks and that helps my budget!

    grapeapril75(AT)gmail(DOT)com

  49. Diane Sallans

    I like to find out what new books are coming out and what the blogger/reviewer honestly thought of them. I take note when a reviewer doesn’t like something and explains why in a nice way. That way I know that they are being honest and not just promoting.

  50. Jo

    I read a lot of blogs, and it is a little disappointing when there are days when a large portion of them have the exact same thing (whether a book release, author interview, etc.) on the same day.

    jochibi AT yahoo DOT com

    1. bookswagger

      Usually I see that on a tour when we are giving promo to paste, now I have just got into that a few months ago so I did not know how it really worked, now I know I am a lot more cautious about what I pick. Not trying to drive anyone crazy.

  51. Readsalot81

    I like blogs that promote & foster discussion about romance, its trends, and the tropes that come with romance. Hearing other peoples opinions and discussing what works and doesn’t work for you is very interesting to me. I also dig blogs that will give both positive & negative reviews.. so I can see if my style/tastes aligns with theirs.

    readsalot81(@)hotmail(dot)com

    1. bookswagger

      I like that too, I love blogs that do specific genres too bc I know I like a lot of stuff and sometimes I want a good scifi romance but missed what was out, it is good to have a blog you know is going to keep it real.

  52. Alice

    I like blogs because I can find out new authors and discussing novels. If I feel I’m not welcome I stop reading it
    Happy New Year!
    movie1997 at live dot it

    1. bookswagger

      Jeez, I hope that is the minority and not the majority. But I have been there sad even with online stuff you can tell when you are not welcomed. There is so much more I can say but to be safe I am going to stop here. Know you are def welcomed here and if you feel you are not please tell my mother she says I will never be to old for her to check me!

  53. donna ann

    can’t think of anything I hated on the blogs I follow, but did get tired of the 50 shades discussions after a while.
    pagalatheart – at-yahoo-dot-com

  54. Mary Doherty

    The only thing I can think of is when I get repeat email of the same thing. I just one one email telling what is going on, not get it 2 or 3 times. Other then that I love all of the blogs I go to.
    gatormaryd(at)yahoo(dot)com

  57. Missie Jones

    I hate when u cant find what your looking for on their blog. No tabs or postings of where to find it. On this Blog Hop alone I didnt find the posting for this on 2 sites so far. not a word anywhere. VERY agravating I like easy. I hate a easter egg hunt at my age. Lifes to short….blah blah blah Get R’ Done 😀

  58. Dita

    The only thing I can think of is that sometimes when you`re looking for the blog hop post you scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN (sometimes it feels like newerending story, lol) to find the post and sometimes it`s not even there which means you go even deeper trying to dig up the older posts. It can get pretty annoying since readers need a lot of time to go through 200+ hop participants.
    But generally I enjoy the romance blogosphere 🙂

    Happy New Year!

    dita(dot)skarste(at)gmail(dot)com

  59. Heather Thurmeier

    I love pics of man candy, reviews, and interviews. Not too much I don’t love about romance blogs! hthurmeier @ gmail . com

  60. mabledsoe

    I have loved all the new authors that I have found because of romance blogs. The only thing that frustrated me about some of the blogs is that they did not post winners of contests. It’s just a personal thing with me. I like to know the answers….LOL
    Happy New Year
    koonie2888 at yahoo dot com
    Michelle Bledsoe

    1. bookswagger

      I am guilty of that I post my winners on twitter and FB but I never come back to the post but that is something I can do, it is such a simple thing to do and although I like to think it not everyone is on FB lol.

  62. Lacey T

    I love finding new books to read or which books to stay away from. Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂
    laceyblossom1(at)gmail(dot)com

    1. bookswagger

      That is so true, I have taken some books off my TBR because of too many bad reviews… I am not megabucks, I just cannot waste my money like that!

  64. tanna4abak

    I don’t like having to LOOK for the post I want. Especially with blog hops. There are way too many stops to have to play hide & seek. If I can’t find it within a few scrolls, I move on.

    I DO like it when there is a Character interview. I love hearing their point of view. It gives me some insight to the book and can whet my appetite for more.

    Wishing good things and much success for you in 2013. Happy New Year and thanks for the chance to win.
    reneebennett35 (at) yahoo (dot) com

  65. Penumbra

    I like the blog hop giveaways, but like the person above, I don’t like having to search for the post.

    penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com

  67. latishajean

    I love book blogs and blog hops I have found so many new books and authors!
    Thank you very much for the great giveaway and fun blog hop!
    I wish you a very Happy New Year!
    Latisha D
    tishajean@ charter.net

  69. valeshka

    I follow certain genres of romance, so I tend to follow those blogs most closely (mostly paranormal and fantasy), and I have found lots of new books to go on my TBR list that way and I love it! (I also read YA and urban fantasy, so there are those blogs, too, of course.) And blog hops, well, I participate to find new books and authors, but also so I can recommend stuff to my friends who don’t always have the same tastes as me.

    tp DOT quixotic AT gmail DOT com

  70. Dovile

    I hated blogs that had many Flash widgets, as they take a lot of time to load.

    spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

  71. Veronika

    I discovered a lot of new authors this year and read a bunch of romance books! Loved every minute of it!
    Happy New Year to you!
    verusbognar (at) gmail (dot) com

  72. rhireading

    Loved more tattooed heroes and HATED that the alpha hero continues to be the choice of most writers. So sick of hearing ‘MINE!’ from heroes.

    Happy new year and thanks for the giveaway!

    always.and.never AT gmail DOT com

  73. Adila Mammadova

    I love blogs participating in wonderful Hops like this one & giving gift cards or eBooks as a prize, so I can participate (I’m a foreigner).

    Thanks,
    Adila (from Azerbaijan)

  74. Miranda

    I like when there are updates about book releases and what the authors are currently working on.
    bones_mcp(at)yahoo(dot)com

  75. Daniel M

    don’t like blogs that are MASSIVELY overloaded and bogs my entire computer down (and my system is above average) – regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

  78. Stacy O

    I like the author interviews and excerpts–you can get a feel for a new series. I also like the giveaways!

  79. deethomas291

    I just started on the blogs so it isn’t fair to complain; it would help to be able to locate certain items easier.
    Thank you for the hops & happy 2013!
    deethomas291 at gmail dot com

  80. Shadow

    Hi! Happy New Years! All the excerpts and the new releases! Thanks for the awesome hop and all the giveaways! This is so fun! I love these hops! I always meet new authors, reconnect with old ones and my TBR list grows by leaps and bounds! Thank you!! Have a great day! Best wishes and many blessings to you!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

  81. Maureen

    I enjoy finding stories that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. I also enjoy when there are good deals highlighted.
    Happy New Year!
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

  82. chickie434

    I like when blogs include different types and genres of romance, particularly BDSM and/or m/m romances.

    tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com

  85. Michelle Tucker

    The only thing I don’t like is when the excerpts go into a post. I’d prefer it if the excerpt was in a link. I just think it takes away from the review.
    Thanks so much for participating in the blog hop. Hope you have an awesome 2013!
    michelletucker at baconnation dot net

  89. Stacy O

    I also like it when they have a good index at the top of the page, easier to get around. Thanks for the giveaway.

    amnell(dot)khalan(at)gmail(dot)com

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