Anna Hackett, Soul Stealer and Giveaways!

We have Anna Hackett with multiple giveaways! Over to Anna now...

Romance in Real Life

A recent survey showed that 40% of women say their husbands and boyfriends are not very romantic. However, 75% of men say they are always romantic.

I thought since I was stopping by the Romance Book Haven, that we should talk about real-life romance! So what’s going on with those statistics? I think the problem is that we all have a different idea of romance. I think some guys believe picking up their dirty laundry or hanging up their wet towels is romantic.

Us ladies, however, I think we let our minds wander and dream a little more. Especially the romance readers among us! We get to immerse ourselves in fabulous stories with the most romantic of heroes – millionaires, sheiks, vampires, hunky Navy SEALs, sexy doctors. And whatever the subgenre, the hero always makes some great sacrifice, some grand gesture to show his love. Maybe we set our expectations a little high for the guys in our lives.

Now, I’m not saying we lower our standards. No way will I ever believe picking up laundry is romantic! But we need work out what works for our real-life romance—for both sides in the relationship. The grand idea of a candle-lit dinner, flowers, chocolates and a luxurious bubble-bath sounds great but let’s be honest…it’s a little bit clichéd and not always attainable. I have a toddler, so most of that is not happening!

We all need to work out what we like to do together. For me and my man, the most romantic night ever is takeaway (often pizza from our fav pizza place), a nice bottle of red wine and the latest action movie! We talk, we laugh and we hang out together. The connection is the important thing, not the actual event. And every now and then, he does take me out for that dinner by candlelight!

I like to write fast-paced romance packed with action and adventure. My characters don’t always have time for a dinner with candles and music (they are usually on the run from a bad guy), but I think they still get LOADS of romance. The small gestures, the important gestures, the ones packed with feeling. Anyone who reads SOUL STEALER will see the hero Gage (despite being a scientist absorbed by his work) loves to take Cate little gifts to make her feel better. To me, that’s true romance. 

So, RBH readers, anyone want to share your real-life romance? What do you and your other half consider a romantic night out (or in)?

Anna Hackett loves action movies, sci-fi shows, short stories, writing her own romantic adventures, her wonderful husband and her little man. You can find her at the usual places: Anna Hackett – Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads. Her latest novella, SOUL STEALER, is out now.

Enter the SOUL STEALER Giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and 3 Carina Press ebooks of the winner’s choice:

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Soul Stealer Blurb

She just wants her life back. After being kidnapped and forced to kill by a vicious crime lord, Cate Hartmann is now a killer with an addiction to stealing souls. On the island sanctuary of Haven, surrounded by other anomalies with secret abilities, she fights to recover. But only one man calms the dark storm inside and makes her believe she can be whole again…Dr. Gage Walker.

Scientist Gage Walker has spent a decade helping anomalies. But every day, he’s haunted by his previous job for the CIA—where he crossed far too many boundaries and hurt so many anomalies. Including his brother. He vows he won’t fail again and will do everything he can to heal Cate—including fighting his attraction to her.

But when the crime lord comes after Cate again, it’s a race against time to find out why he wants her. Amidst the danger, Gage and Cate drawn to each other, even as they fear that one wrong step will send her hurtling back into the depths of her soul stealing addiction.