Life has certainly taken a series of unexpected twists and turns this year, as I welcome the 3rd anniversary of MBR’s Realm of Romance. I would have never ever thought this to be possible, but let me tell you, yes, life sure can throw you curve balls when you least expect it to.
The title itself for this blog post would raise a multitude of questions for those who are not aware of what I am talking about. Well, I will explain the reason why such an eyebrow raising term as ‘coup d’état’ has been used in a context such as this one. For one thing, I wouldn’t want anyone to forget for a minute that the democracy that we all talk about, that the whole world supports and wishes it were part of their own country and culture has been hijacked from my beloved country, the Maldives. Democracy is no more, it has been torn to shreds, stepped and trodden upon by money hungry politicians, who couldn’t digest the fact that power indeed begins from the common man. Yes, it is the coup d’état that took place on the 7th of February 2012 here at the sunny side of life that I am talking about.
That was the day that forever changed my outlook of life. I never thought it would be possible to fall into such a deep depression, the mere thought of how the Police and the Military raped our votes, cast our say aside and made a decision for the 300,000+ people of this country by toppling the FIRST democratically elected President from power sending my thoughts in so many directions that it nearly drove me nuts. It was a sad day for the majority of the people who said no to the ousted dictator who ruled for 30 long years with an iron fist, the atrocities committed under his power one that would always remain a part of Maldivian history – if the people have the perseverance to stay on the course of what is right and not stray onto the other side at the mere whiff of a wad of cash.
So all in all, this year has not been a good year on the home front. I wish things were different, I wish for it with my whole heart. I wish for so many things right now that it would be impossible to list them down in a blog post of this nature. I wish peace and prosperity for the beautiful country of ours that has been seized and paralyzed by the very people that should protect and love her like there is no tomorrow. I wish for the ‘President’ who is supposedly in the driving seat to step down and make way for elections, to work towards undoing the damage that he has done by stabbing his partner, the President in the back that fateful day. I wish for the international community to pressure the Maldives and its ‘government’ to do the right thing by its people, to give the people their voice back, to give back the people what is rightfully theirs to begin with. At this point, my undying gratitude goes out to everyone who contributes towards the call for elections, to restore democracy, who fight day in and day out to give people back the power that belongs rightfully to them alone.
And on that note, I would like to do a little bit of squeeing over here because I have managed to take care of my baby for this long without fumbling it all up, and sniffle a bit because my baby is all but grown up! She is able to stand on her own two feet I would say and I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you who visits, reads and finds something worthy of adding to their TBR mountain from the list of reviews here. And a huge shout out to the authors as well, who give me the opportunity to review their books before they hit the shelves, and for trusting me enough to do right by them. A huge smooch to all of you for the unwavering support through this trying and difficult time of my life!
And that brings me to the giveaway potion of the post! Of course, I wouldn’t even dream of holding a blogoversary celebration without a giveaway now would I?
So, to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of my baby, I’m giving away a Kindle Touch to one lucky commenter on this blog post! All you have to do is wish my baby a happy anniversary and then tell me the best book that you have read so far this year. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a romance. And yes, this giveaway is open internationally! So comment away!
GIVEAWAY RULES:
- Giveaway is open internationally.
- Giveaway will be open from July 30, 2012 till 00:00 hours of August 07, 2012 Maldivian time. (GMT +5)
- To be eligible for entry, wish my baby a happy anniversary and then tell me the best book you have read so far this year!
- Don’t forget to leave a VALID e-mail address behind as a way to contact you.
- Help spread the word either via Twitter or Facebook or both and earn 5 extra entries each. And 5 extra entries for those who like my FB page!
Best of luck everyone!
And happy anniversary smooches to my baby from her momma! xx
A Maldivian's Passion for Romance 
Happy 3rd anniversary to your wonderful baby, who has certainly given me many hours of pleasure, LOL. I’m so happy to have met you through your blog and treasure your friendship as well as love reading your reviews! Alpha men for the win! :D
I’m so very sorry for the difficult year you and your country have had. You’re in my thoughts and best wishes. <3
Oh, and no need to enter me in the contest as I already have a Kindle and a Nook, but I wanted to play along. My favorite book this year was Easy by Tammara Webber. It's a young adult book and the first I've read since I was a young adult, LOL, but it completely blew me away!
Enjoy your fabulous contest and I'm wishing you many, many more successful years with the blog! :)
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Thank you so much everyone for the kind words. Much appreciated. :)
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Happy Anniversary. Time flies. I’m sad to say, that although I’ve had my share of family problems, I’ve only visited the site a few times. Must rectify that. I wish all the luck in the world with the situatation of your country. It must be hard to see such a drastic change come to a country.
I have read so many good books this year so far, that choosing is hard. I would have to say it’s between the Wicked Ties series by Shayla Black, Lover Reborn by JR Ward, and The Dom Who Loved Me by Lexi Blake. All were great.
Thanks for the contest.
And here’s to many more years for the blog to come,
Elizabeth Gray
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Happy 3rd anniversary to you and your blog. I’ve enjoy our conversations and the great reviews you’ve done for me. I pray for your safety in the midst of chaos and for the people to win over tyranny! Keep the faith.
Tori
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Happy happy blog anniversary!!!! My blogaversary is coming up too!
I’d have to say my favorite book(s) this year have been Pamela Clare’s MacKinnon series. So good!
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Happy Birthday MaldivianBookReviewer! This year my favorite book was Bared to you by Sylvia Day.
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Happy 3rd anniversary to your baby. I love your reviews, here and on goodreads (which is where I first saw a link to your blog).
I come once a week, and I’m nearly always adding books you’ve reviewed to my TBR list.
My favourite book I’ve read this year would probably be Nora Roberts’ “The Witness”. I always love her books, but I still haven’t got to Catherine Coulter’s new release “Backfire”… so that may change.
Thanks for holding this contest, and I wish you and your awesome blog, many more years of reviewing. :)
Nell
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Kindle Touch!!! *gleeful shriek*
Oh sorry sorry! Totally got distracted by that :P
Here’s wishing your baby a splashing fantastic anniversary and may she have many many more! :D It was a happy day indeed when I stumbled upon your blog and made a wonderful book-friend :D
Urgh.. tell me about the cesspool that has become our country! I ranted about the coup on my blog too, that was in February, but now I’ve sort of fallen into a dispassionate funk. It’s just so ridiculous the way both sides keep slinging mud at each other like little toddlers.
Anyhoo… let’s talk about more wonderful things :)
The best book I’ve read so far this year is a tie between ‘Oracle’s Moon’ by Thea Harrison and ‘The Darkest Seduction’ by Gena Showalter. I honestly cannot decide. The former had a totally luscious hero and scored major points for the romance, while the latter was more thrilling in terms of the overall story arc of the series :)
Yep, this year’s been paranormal all the way! :) You really should dive more into that pool MBR, the alpha heroes are so much more upgraded over there, lol! :P
Once again, Happy Happy Anniversareeeee! *pops balloons and throws confetti* :D
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Well happy blog birthday! 3 years is quite the accomplishment! I’ve read so many good books this year but my most recent favorite was North of Need by Laura Kaye. Just loved the hero :)
Here’s to many more blog birthdays to come!
I do hope this next year brings better things to your country. I can’t imagine what that would be like. Definitely have yall in my prayers.
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CONGRATULATIONS on your third anniversary, Maldivian Book Reviewer! Time passes so quickly, doesn’t it? So many of us have enjoyed your blog, and so many authors have come to appreciate your reviews, myself included.
No need to enter me in the drawing. I just wanted to thank you.
As for the other events of this year, I am so sorry. I hope you get elections and that the results of those elections are honored. The freedom of a democratically elected government belongs to the Maldivian people — and all people — by right.
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I’m so sorry you and your country are going through such tough times. We take freedom for granted and it’s hard to process not having it, not having democracy. I hope you guys get your rights back soon, but in the meantime try to think of the positive side of life.
Congratulations to you and your blog! I’m so happy I met you!! One of the best parts of blogging is all the wonderful people you get to meet and you’re on my top 10.
Keep up the good work!
PS: Did you read The Witness by Nora Roberts? You must read it! It was fantastic, one of the few 5-stars books I’ve read this year ;-)
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Happy Third Birthday! I’ve never commented. I’m more of a lurker, but you’ve introduced me to so many new authors.
I’m an English major, so I’m stuck reading literary heavy, classics a lot of the time, but romances and paranormals are a guilty pleasure, so thank you for keeping this blog. It’s a great escape from academia.
The best book I’ve read this year… On the lit side is probably The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides and on the romance side definitely Julia Quinn’s A Night Like This.
Thanks for the contest. Yaayyyy, Kindle! And thanks for this blog.
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Happy anniversary! I hope there are many more to come for this wonderful blog!
One of my favorite books this year has been Catch Me by Lisa Gardner. Love that book. Terrific read.
P.S. Don’t include me in the drawing. :)
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Happy 3rd Anniversary and congratulations! I have read so many wonderful books this year that trying to pick just one seems impossible…. The 1st book that came to mind that I really enjoyed this year was “Brody” by Emma Lang.
Keep your head up :)
Cindi Mitchell
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Congratulations on your anniversary!
Best book of the year? Hands down, Defiant by Pamela Clare. Best research of the period, best plot and best characters. A true masterpiece.
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Hi, congratulations! This is my first time on your blog, I will definitely be back. My fevorite book this year is probably Pamela Clare’s “Defiant”. Loved the whole MacKinnon series! Also really liked “Seducing Cinderella” by Gina Maxwell. Very likable characters and very hot love scenes!
Happy Anniversary, and thanks for the contest! :-)
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Happy birthday to your blog! I am glad that I found it recently.
I guess my favorite book that I have read so far this year is LETHAL RIDER, the 3rd book of the Lords of Deliverance series by Larissa Ione. This series is a spin off from the Demonica series, set in the same world, with characters who make guest appearences.
I am following you on FB: June Manning
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/juneannm/status/230082482874220544
Shared on FB: https://www.facebook.com/june.manning74/posts/390130011040828
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
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Not sure how you’re following Twitter, but I RT’d your initial post yesterday and one today on top of posting here. Thanks so much for your site and doing this contest.
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I’m sorry that your country is going through so much upheaval. That’s just awful to hear. We take our freedom for granted sometimes here in the US.
But in sweet and lovely news, Happy Anniversary babes!
I’ve read a lot of amazing books this year. So far the most memorable book for me was EASY from Tammara Webber.
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Once again, thank you everyone for the overwhelming support you have shown. It sure means a lot. And I sure have got a load of good recs from you all! Thanks muchly! :D
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Happy birthday to your blog. Thanks for keeping up with it and bringing us great books.
I’m sorry to hear about what is going on in your country. I’ll keep you in my thoughts.
The best book I read this year was A Lady By Midnight by Tessa Dare, my current romance obsession.
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I do wish you a happy anniversary. I think it is awesome when people succeed and being a blog for 3 years qualifies for a successful endeavor. As for a book.. well it was a trilogy: In Her Name by Michael R. Hicks and though it was a science fiction series it did have a strong love story.
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Happy Birthday to your blog! I hope there will be many more reviews in the coming years! :)
I’m sorry about the political state of your country! Being born myself in a country where democracy was being spurned I can totally understand your feelings. I hope everything will be better soon!
My favourite books so far this year were the Lucky Harbor novels by Jill Shalvis. I love her writing generally but this series is awesome!
Thank you for the giveaway!
I retweeted and tweeted here https://twitter.com/_ClaudiaGC/status/232440435010830336
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Happy 3rd anniversary! I’ve only recently found your blog and have slowly been making my way thru past reviews. Best book I’v read so far this year….I would have to say Hunger Games. I rarely venture into YA, but I couldn’t put it down once I started. It’s closely followed by anything I-Team or MacKinnon’s Rangers by Pamela Clare. Read both those series twice this year too!
Thanks for the giveaway!
retweeted via @jennypenny1204
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Happy Anniversary!! I hope to see your blog succeed for many years to come. I hope things get better soon in your country. My favorite recently was Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec. The humor in the book is just what we need sometimes to let go of any stress and problems.
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Just realized I hadn’t done either, so I shared and liked your Facebook page today. Thanks again for this amazing contest!
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