Special Feature: What Does Romance Mean to Me? by Dating Connections

Hi, readers! I am beyond pleased to announce a very special post today on ILRB. Recently, I asked both authors and romance readers to come to me with their responses to this big question: “What Does Romance Mean to Me?” I was genuinely interested in what made us all tick, what continued to draw us to the genre. Why do we love “love” so much? I wanted to dig deep into the heart of each person. And I’ve gotten some incredible feedback. Today is the next post in this series.

So, without further ado, let’s turn the mic over to the company Dating Connections, and see what they have to say about the question at hand.

What Does Romance Mean to Me? You’ve probably asked yourself this once or twice, at least, but the answer is not that simple, is it? It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for a long-term relationship, a hot fling or even some kind of gothic romance, it always comes to this question – what does romance actually mean to you? In order to help you answer this bewildering and everlasting question, I decided to share some of the crucial things that I believe make romance so unique and wonderful. If you want to know what being romantic really means, stick around and check out my personal “romance guide.”

The Littlest Things Are The Most Important

Those littlest things truly are crucial and that’s exactly why Lily Allen devoted the whole song to them. All joking aside, being spontaneous, charming, and generous without any special cause is how you keep the fire burning in the relationship. Small, warm gestures and displays of affection are the two quickest ways to romance town! A spontaneous massage for your significant other or a cooked meal after a long day will get you far in this romance game.

Created by Freepik

These things don’t require much effort, but I bet your partner will know how to appreciate them.

Giving Thoughtful Gifts

What is romance without gift-giving, right? However, simply buying something for your lover won’t actually do the trick. Anyone can save up some money and purchase a shiny piece of jewelry at the local shop, but if you really want to surprise and swoon your “partner in crime”, you should definitely consider giving them those so-called thoughtful gifts. Instead of just buying something fancy from the store, try creating something with your own hands, or at least buy a gift with a special theme. Pay attention to the things your partner loves and surprise him/her with an awesome and thoughtful gift.

Created by Freepik

An old school vinyl of their favorite band or a book from their beloved writer are always good choices.

Write Letters

This form of communication is, unfortunately, completely forgotten, at least when it comes to younger generations. However, you can use that to your advantage and revive this lovely tradition of sending love letters to your significant other. Sharing feelings with your partner is extremely important, and writing down your thoughts and sending them to your loved one makes it more romantic. Letters are intimate and more honest than text messages; therefore use that fact to melt your partner’s heart.

Created by Valeria_aksakova – Freepik.com

Short, Thoughtful Notes And Messages

Don’t get me wrong, letters are more romantic than text messages, for sure, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have to write letters every day. We live in a busy fast-paced world where no one has time for that. However, anyone can find time for a quick and thoughtful text message or a lovely note. These seemingly little and “less important” things can sometimes mean more to your partner than some grand romantic gesture. Little shows of affection like these on a daily basis are more effective and definitely more romantic.

Always Try To Impress And Seduce Your Loved One

People often think that once they get into a relationship with someone all the playfulness, seducing and flirting has to stop. This is a big mistake. Yes, hooking up with someone is your first and primary goal, but once that goal is completed, you need to keep the fire going or else you risk losing the essential chemistry and passion. Without those two, a relationship simply can’t last very long. Try learning new stuff like playing a guitar, dancing, singing, or cooking and use those new skills to surprise your significant other.

Created by Teksomolika – Freepik.com

This kind of effort and hard work is extremely romantic. Of course, you don’t have to be the next Jimmy Page on the guitar or Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen, but you’ll still get an A for effort. Your partner will know how much you care!

Created by Teksomolika – Freepik.com

There you go, folks. Romance isn’t always about big gestures and epic improvements; it’s about those little, everyday things. Use this guide to master the art of romance and show your loved ones how much you actually care about them.

 

Lovely! I couldn’t have said it better myself… 😉

Thanks for stopping by with your fascinating guest post, Dating Connections! Awesome to have you here! ♥

Guest Bio

Dating Connections is a site that offers the opportunity for you to explore a variety of dating tips, previous relationship experiences and interact with other people!

Links

Website:  http://datingconnections.org/

Blog:  http://datingconnections.org/category/blog/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/datingconnections/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DatingConnect

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/101423157749445118069

 

Wait, we’re not quite finished!

So, I put the question to you as a reader today as well. What does the word ‘romance’ really mean for you? Is ‘romance’ a driving force in your life? How have your beliefs about romantic relationships informed your own relationships? Perhaps seeing other couples (parents or friends) were some kind of influence. By reading romance novels, does that help to reaffirm things for you?

If you’d like to participate in this special feature, please contact me at marieannlavender@gmail.com and I’ll schedule a spot for you. As you can tell from the schedule on the right hand side of the page, we’re getting booked fast, but don’t hesitate to join in! You do not need to be a writer or author, or even from a romantic themed organization. We want to hear from anyone. We’d love to get your take on how you feel about romance, and why you keep reading our books! ♥♥♥ 

Thanks again, Dating Connections, for giving us your take on what romance has come to mean to you, plus, of course, a few tips we can all use in our romantic lives. Perfect! 😀

Readers, stay tuned for our next special feature on this topic when author Devika Fernando visits us on June 6th! Yay! 🙂

We may have other posts before then, though.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Top 5 Ways to Spice Up Your Relationship: a guest post by Dating Connections

Top 5 Ways to Spice Up Your Relationship

 

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a significant other from your own town, someone from your society, or if you’re dreaming of an interracial romance, we’re all actually looking for that special someone who will share a lifetime with us. Being in a serious, long-term relationship is amazing because it comes with many different perks. Regular sex, comfort, loyalty, and support. However, when two people are together for a long time, sometimes things can get a little predictable. There’s nothing wrong about that; serious relationships are drama-free, most of the time, but that predictability can damage a relationship. Especially if the couple doesn’t do anything to mix things up a bit. So, in order to help all the serious couples out there, here are the top five ways to spice up your relationship and keep the fire burning.

1. Find New, Exciting Activities You Can Do Together

Laying around the house, watching countless TV shows and movies together is a perfectly good plan, but sometimes you need to change things up a bit. You don’t want to fall into the same routine every day because if this happens, your relationship may end pretty soon. So, instead of Netflix and chill, you should throw in a few different activities in the mix. It doesn’t have to be anything special and extraordinary; any kind of outdoor activity would be nice. You could travel together, take hikes and explore nature. These lovely activities will definitely make you feel more alive and that’s always good for a long-term relationship.

2. Bring Back The Romance

It may sound cheesy, but romance is actually an extremely important part of every long relationship. People usually don’t get that, so they simply stop being romantic after a first few months of the relationship. Remember, you need to stay romantic even after the honeymoon phase is over. However, if you haven’t been romantic for years, there’s no need to panic because romantic gestures are not that complicated. You can take your significant other to a romantic dinner, wine tasting, or a lovely romantic getaway. If this is too much for you, there are always those “small”, everyday gestures like presents, flowers and sentimental cards.  Make romance your daily routine and your relationship will flourish in no time.

Created by Teksomolika – Freepik.com

3. Don’t Plan Everything, Be More Spontaneous

When two people spend two or three years together, it’s only natural for them to stop being spontaneous at some point, but that’s not a good sign. Of course, planning your dates and everyday activities is important, but sometimes you need to cut loose, footloose, kick off your Sunday shoes! In order to spice things up in your relationship, you simply need to be adventurous and spontaneous. This is the only way you’ll be able to surprise each other. So, don’t wait for the weekend. Take your partner dancing in the middle of the week. Go crazy!

4. Role Playing In The Bedroom

Although it’s not the most important part of a relationship, sex is definitely one of the crucial aspects of a couple’s life. At the beginning of every relationship, sex is rather hot and steamy. You’re exploring one another and that is extremely exciting. However, after a few years, sex life usually becomes a routine. In order to prevent this from happening to your relationship, you need to spice things up in bed. Role playing is definitely the best way to do so since both of you will be able to pretend to be someone else. A break from reality is always a good thing.

Hannamariah, Big Stock Photo.

5. Get Naughty In New Places

The bedroom is not the only place for sex; always remember that. Surroundings play a rather important role when it comes to making love with your partner. Having sex in your own bed or on a sofa in the living room is hot, but making love in a different place will definitely get your blood flowing. You can try out the kitchen floor, a hotel room, backseat of your car, or you can go on a very hot camping trip, just the two of you. Having sex in nature is an amazing feeling.

 

True! I think sometimes we all need tips on sparking more romance in our lives.

Thank you, Dating Connections, for this great advice about romantic relationships.

Guest Blogger Bio

Dating Connections is a site that offers the opportunity for you to explore a variety of dating tips, previous relationship experiences and interact with other people!

Links

Website:  http://datingconnections.org/

Blog:  http://datingconnections.org/category/blog/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/datingconnections/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DatingConnect

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/101423157749445118069

 

Thanks again! We hope to see you back on ILRB sometime. 

As always, happy reading, everyone!  😉

Top 5 Relationship Myths You Should Stop Believing Immediately: a guest post by Dating Connections

Top 5 Relationship Myths You Should Stop Believing Immediately

We live in a modern society where people love to stick their noses into other people’s business. This is one of the biggest reasons why we have so many horrible misconceptions regarding dating and relationships. For example, cheating housewives are always the main target of these horrible stereotypes. People believe that most housewives are cheating on their husbands every chance they get. Unfortunately, this is just one of the many misconceptions about modern day relationships. In order to fight this reoccurring problem in our society, we decided to pick out the five most popular relationship myths people should stop believing immediately. Stick around and see if you’ve ever been fooled by any of these stories.

1. Happy Couples Never Fight

Whoever told you this probably never had a serious relationship. Yes, happy couples seem so perfect on the outside, but you don’t know what happens behind closed doors. We assume that it’s all hearts, unicorns, and butterflies, but that’s not true at all. All couples fight at some point and that’s perfectly normal and healthy. Arguments are good for solving bigger problems in the relationship and without them, every couple would fall apart after a few months. So, to bust this old myth, happy couples do fight, but that doesn’t prevent them from being happy. It actually helps them to move on and improve their relationship.

2. Good Relationships Don’t Require Effort And Hard Work

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions out there! When people see a long-lasting happy couple they automatically assume that it’s always been easy for them. This is a huge mistake because people work hard in order to create something that will last long. Most people out there think that finding their soulmate is all it takes for a happy relationship and that it’s smooth sailing from there. This is a delusion!

Created by Freepik

3. Having A Baby Solves All The Problems

Many couples worldwide are trying to solve their problems by adding a baby to the equation and it backfires horribly most of the time. This is a common misconception simply because people think that baby will bring the parents closer together. Yes, that usually happens, but in a healthy relationship or marriage. Having a baby just to save your relationship is a bad idea. It will only create more problems for you and the innocent baby.

4. Sex Is Great Only At The Beginning Of The Relationship

This is incredibly wrong, actually. If anything, sex is better as the relationship matures. For sex to be great, the two people need to have a good chemistry, but they also need practice, a lot of practice in order to get in sync. Every couple is a little bit clumsy and nervous at the beginning, but as the relationship moves forward, they start to get better and better in the bedroom.

Unsplash, Alejandra Quiroz, Creative Commons license.

5. Opposites Attract

You probably heard this one a thousand times, right? Well, it’s true when magnets are concerned, but with people, the situation is completely different. Opposite people have nothing in common, and while it can be interesting in the beginning, it will turn into a nightmare when differences become unbearable. So, always try to find someone similar who has the same interests and passions as you. Don’t listen to this myth because you’ll only wind up in a dysfunctional relationship.

There you go, people, the five most common misconceptions about modern dating and relationships. If you want a normal, stable, and long-lasting relationship, the first thing you need to do is disregard every single one of them. Once you do that, you’ll be able to find your significant other. Good luck out there. ♥♥♥

Too right! As both romance writer and someone who has been in the dating scene before, then found my soul mate, I totally agree.

Thank you, Dating Connections, for this great advice about romantic relationships.

Guest Blogger Bio

Dating Connections is a site that offers the opportunity for you to explore a variety of dating tips, previous relationship experiences and interact with other people!

Links

Website:  http://datingconnections.org/

Blog:  http://datingconnections.org/category/blog/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/datingconnections/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DatingConnect

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/101423157749445118069

 

Thanks again! We hope to see you back on ILRB sometime. 

As always, happy reading, everyone!  😉