Maya Banks’ idea of romance is “action speaks louder than words” and every day is the adventure. Don’t miss Maya’s 4 Mar 08 Berkley release – Sweet Surrender. And don’t miss the AMAZING prizes at the end.
My idea of romance
I’m of the opinion that actions speak a lot louder than words. So it’s not a surprise that my husband and I aren’t big talkers when it comes to love and romance. We don’t celebrate Valentines Day much to the horror of his secretary. It’s not that I frown on V-day. I just feel a little silly buying overwrought greeting cards and even sillier planning a “romantic” evening on a specific day of the year. What if I wake up in a bad mood on the 14th?
But this year I was thinking about romance and as a result, I drifted back over what I perceive to be the most romantic moments (or things) my husband has done or said over the years. And since I love lists, I made one. So here you have my list of top things romantic according to Maya Banks.
1. The day we got married, we went hunting afterward and enjoyed a spectacular sunset sitting together in a tree stand. It was a great day, and I think about it often.
2. He brushes my hair because he knows I love it.
3. I have a girlfriend in Washington D.C. that I only get to see once a year, often times less frequently than that, and he knew I was really missing her, so on the sly, he contacted her, set up a long weekend for me to visit and then surprised me with a plane ticket and cash to enjoy a girls get away.
4. He pledged himself to be my personal bitch for a weekend when I was running behind on promo stuff. He organized the kids into an assembly line and helped me put together 900 booklets.
5. I keep odd hours and am often up until the wee hours of the morning, but no matter when I go to bed or how sound asleep he is, he always rolls over, puts an arm over me and pulls me into his chest.
6. He’s blunt, non passive aggressive and doesn’t suffer a martyr complex (God I love that in a man).
7. He does the little stuff that he knows I’m more than capable of doing, but he knows how much they annoy me, and so he does it for me.
8. He splits kitchen duty, kid duty, house duty, laundry duty, etc., 50/50 with me. (God I love that in a man) And he doesn’t whine about it. (See number 6)
9. He reads my writing and doesn’t hesitate to tell me when it’s a piece of shit. (see 6.1)
10. When our daughter and last child was born (that was an ordeal), he put one hand on my knee and took my hand with the other and told me “Thank you” I’ll never forget the look on his face or the emotion in his eyes.
I won’t ask you to list ten, or even two, but search your memory and tell me what one romantic thing your husband, boyfriend, significant other has done that encompasses “romance” to you, even if it’s not the more traditional heart, roses and profuse “I love yous.” I mean, heck, I think the thing my husband said that brought the biggest smile to my face was the time he told me that he couldn’t imagine having anyone else to argue with 😉
Comment here and win a chance at one of the following two prizes:
Prize #1 – A print bundle of a little of everything in Maya’s backlist. Some Samhain stuff, some Sharon Long stuff and some Berkley stuff:
- Her Majesty, My Love (Sharon Long) historical
- Seducing Simon (Maya Banks) Contemporary Romance
- Colters’ Woman (Maya Banks) Contemporary Erotic Romance
- For Her Pleasure (Maya Banks) Berkley HEAT
Prize #2 – An ebook bundle (winner’s choice of format). It’s a hodge podge, as well:
- Beyond the Night (Sharon Long) Historical
- Long Road Home (Sharon Long) romantic suspense
- Brazen (Maya Banks) contemporary erotic romance
- Into the Mist (Maya Banks) paranormal erotic romance
What a great guy! Can you clone him? Good luck with your March release…I cant wait!
My husband made a video for our 20th anniversary that included pics from our wedding and our kids and our life together up to that point with a music mix of songs that were played at our wedding. Made me cry buckets, but very romantic!
Wow, I wish I had a guy like that! I just broke up with my boyfriend and this V-day was very lonely for me 🙁 Now if I could jusy find a sweet and sexy man . . . lol.
xoxo
That’s a great list, Maya! I agree with you that romance speaks louder with actions than with words. Although, I do have a personal anecdote where the words just steal the show…
My husband immigrated to the United States from another country when he was eleven years old. We had been dating seriously for a few months and out of curiosity I asked him why he and his parents immigrated to the United States. He looked at me with what I thought was unnecessary seriousness to an innocuous question and said, “Because I had to come find you, of course.” What a great line! lol But I think he meant it. We’ll be married 15 years this year. 😉
When either myself or one of the kids asks him to do something, even if he had other plans and he absolutely doesn’t want to do it, he might complain but he always does it.
There are many things my s.o. does that show me just how deeply he loves me, but here’s one of the first indications I had of how thoughtful and considerate he is.
Back when we first got together, my stepfather was diagnosed with very advanced cancer. I remember P. asking me, every time we talked, how my stepfather was doing, how my mother was coping, how I was handling it. He would end every conversation with, “your family is in my prayers.” And he didn’t know any of them!
Aww! What a sweetie. Such a wonderful list. Sounds like a keeper like my own hubby. My husband is wonderful as well. He does so much to help with caring for the kids and he suprises me with flowers just because. One thing he did that was recent that really stands out in my mind was for my 40th birthday this past October. When I was a little girl, about 8 or 9, we had a fire in our house and pretty much lost everything. One of the few things my mom saved because they were in the basement were some home movie reels of my twin sister and me as toddlers. They suffered alot of smoke damage and could no longer viewed. My hubby tracked down someone who could restore them and paid the earth I am sure to have them copied twice on DVD. He gave one copy to me and the other to my identical twin sister. I cried when I saw them because one of the moments captured on black and white film was of my grandmother with us. I was devastated by her death 10 years ago because she had been like a second mother to me. He could not have picked a gift that could have meant more. It was truly priceless.
My husband writes notes and draws pictures and sticks them in my purse for me to find. He also cleans for me when I am swamped or ill. He will get me flowers just because he was thinking of me.
No one ever did something romantic for me. The big disadvantage of being single
Hi Maya!!
You have a wonderful hubby!!
I’m pretty lucky too! We have been married almost 23 years and he still calls me atleast 2 times a day just to say hi and I Love You! We are the best of friends and I just couldn’t imagine not having him for a husband!
I read your list and thought…that’s love.
We were going through some upheaval facing moving far from all of our friends and the packing had really begun to get to me. Sorting all of your belongings into piles of throw away, give away, box to keep is much when you have to do a whole house. Hubby saw my expression and gave me a hug and left the room…not having said a word. A few minutes later, he reappeared with a slice of pie, a cup of tea and the book that was on my bedside table. He handed me the tray, nudged me into a chair and took over the room. It was just what I needed at the time.
just still being there for me day in and day out after almost 24 yrs together. Still fighting with me and for me.
Hi Maya,
This is cliched, but a guy once served me breakfast in bed and I thought it was such a sweet gesture.
Reading all these makes me think it sucks to be single lol
Hi Maya,
Your husband sounds terrific – and very romantic. I’m with the singletons on the comments, and am blanking on the super sweet gestures. Ah well. Have a great weekend!
Hi Maya,
I’ve only been to various places in the US and Asia – but none of them struck me as being particularly romantic- whenever I think about romantic places, I think of the Mediterranean. So, the romantic place I’d pick would be Florence, Italy. I know I’ll love it if/whenever I get there. 😀 Have a great weekend!
He bought me an Ipod video nano for my birthday. Backstory is that we have TONS of CD’s in the car that kept rolling around all over the place (yes, we do have cases for them but you know how it goes). Anyhow, my sister walks in on Thanksgiving Day (my birthday was a few days later) with a bag. Well, I opened it and started hugging my sister. She said, nope, not from me…from your hubby. I just couldn’t beleive he was that thoughtful!
I had one boyfriend that wrote me love notes and he drew me pictures of hearts and flowers. This Valentine’s I am single.
No kidding, Maya, I want to clone your husband, too! What a great team the two of you make. I love your writing, hope I win one of the bundles, but if I don’t I’m still going to buy your books anyway. Congrats on your TRS awards from yesterday and please keep writing those books we all love to read!
Some of my most romantic moments were when he proves that he is listening and paying attention! lol When he washes my car, brings me my morning coffee, turns the heat on when he gets up, feeds the kid’s breakfast so I can sleep in, brings me home that cd I just talked about, or that book that I just noticed was up for sale. It’s taking the kids out for pizza and a movie, when I’ve maxed out on mommy mode, rubbing my shoulders (without being asked), and snuggling together on the couch. After 30 years together, I am a firm believer that it’s the little things that keep us strong as a couple and still in love after all these years.
The things that my hubby did for me (he passed in October) were the little things. Walking through the store holding hands (yes we were one of those couples), out of the blue telling me how beautiful he thought I was, or when he would go to the store or gas station and would come back with something for me just because. Those are the things that really count for me.
(((( Glenna )))) I am very sorry for your loss. It’s good that you hold on to the sweet memories.
I never had anyone, but I think that one romantic thing is when the guy cooks you breakfast in the morning.
Oh my, that’s lovely, Maya.
Besides the obvious romantic gestures I had a bf who did a lot of dishwashing because he knew I absolutely hated it. I am also a klutz when it comes to using a driller, but I forever had new shelves to be put together and (new) pictures to be (re-)placed which he arranged for me, all the time looking very manly *g*. And in some ways he was in an endearingly old-fashioned, like going behind or before me depending if I was going upstairs or downstairs. Openening (car) doors for me and insisting on paying in restaurants (now that was nice 🙂
Right after our son was born & we were still in the hospital, my husband brought me a huge box of candy & a pretty arrangement of red silk roses in a cute little white wooden box. The candy was because I had developed gestational diabetes & had to eliminate sweets and do insulin injections for the last few months of my pregnancy and it was finally OK to binge a little, and he picked silk flowers because he knew I’d want something that would last longer than real flowers. He’s a keeper!
~Lindy
I got lucky when I found my husband. He think he has a romantic soul. One of the things he has done would be when I was pregnant with out first child. We we both stationed in Ft Wainwright Alaska. He would always try to get off duty before me so that when I arrived home there would be a snack and a hot bath waiting for me. He would help me take off the darn combat boots, and then after my bath he would rub my feet.
Romance shouldn’t be a struggle and it is definately the little things that mean a lot.
Last Valentine’s Day my bf didn’t have the extra money and we had had a huge argument. When I got home I found a note with a rose on top. He had wrote a letter telling me how sorry he was and how much he loved me. That was the best Valentine’s gift ever.
When I came home from work my dh had fixed a rack of lamb dinner for me with chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate mousse cake for dessert and we have been married for 37 years.
What a gem of a husband, Maya! I agree, it’s those little, simple everyday gestures that are important. I was with one guy for several years and working long hours at a demanding job, never taking a break for lunch, or even dinner, lol. Every so often, he’d come in and whisk me away out the door for lunch, completely ignoring the frown on the boss’s face even when we were on deadline overload. I’d come home late at night with home-cooked meals waiting for me. I’d sleep late Saturday mornings while he vacuumed and cleaned, bringing me coffee when I awoke and then fixing me breakfast. So many other things, gee, maybe I should have kept him, lol. We’re still friends though it didn’t work out in the long ru.
Maya, thanks for your post. It was beautiful. And it sounds like you know what a good thing you’ve got there. Lucky both of you! One thing that really makes my day is when my guy calls me “sexy” even when I feel the messiest, most cranky, unattractive at that moment.