Everything Romance: A Celebration of Love for Couples by Todd Hafer

Everything Romance: A Celebration of Love for Couples Reviews

• 
  Jillyn

  I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.
  
  Everything Romance is a cute, fun, and inspirational book aimed to help couples, both new and old, keep the love they share present in everyday life. It reads like a scrapbook, successfully breaking up the context with a various assortment of romantic goodies and advice. This guide includes trivia and fun facts about love, a variety of recipes to make and share with your special someone, inspirational quotes, tips of the trade, and so much more.
  
  One section that I personally found enjoyable, was the section entitled "Here's What I Love About You." It contains a list of conversational prompts such as "Without you in my life, I never would have...." Ever the cynic, I was doubtful that these prompts would warrant any honest dialog between my honey and I. But, we exchanged and discussed answers and learned new things about each other, our relationship, and even how we came to be.
  
  I recommend this book to any couple, new or veteran, young or old, who could simply use a little boost from Cupid in their lives.
• 
  Coyle

  [Sigh] Yes. I read a book called Everything Romance. You know what? Shut up. It was free. Which reminds me: I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah on the condition that I review it publicly. I was not paid to give a good review, obviously.
  
  This book is, well, it's hard to classify. It's a reference book? I guess? The inside flap says that this book "abounds with all you need to show your adoration, revel in your relationship, and create a legacy of romance to last a lifetime." What it actually provides is a shotgun blast of random quotes (many of which are loosely about love, some of which are definitely not); short, sappy stories; recipes; suggestions for dates; terms of endearment (everything from "All Mine" to "Yummy Bear"); useless trivia; lists of various things; and, well, you get the point.
  I think, though I cannot confirm, that the idea is that anyone could pick up this book, flip to a random page, and be encouraged in everything romantic in their life.
  
  Okay, so much for the summary. Now for the review:
  This is a sort-of reference book on love. And that, I think, is where we can see the problem with this book. Romance isn't really something that first can be reduced to blurbs, and then have all of the blurbs about it gathered into one place. So really this book was fighting an uphill battle from the very beginning. And it's a battle which I do not think it has won. In a world full of books, blogs, and advice on romance, a book that follows "Ten Things a Couple Can Make, Besides Money" (everything from "time" to "believe", pg 21) with "Couples Look Good In Green" (how to live in an environmentally friendly way, pg 22) is probably not the place to start.
  So, topic by topic, here are my thoughts on the book:
  
  -"Blessings and Prayers" This is actually probably the most interesting and useful part of the book. It also is a grand total of 15 pages out of 281. Most of these prayers are either 1) from the Bible or 2) public domain, so there's really nothing new here.
  
  -"Dating: It's Not Just for Singles" Frankly, the activities here are either so common that they hardly need to be mentioned ("take your sweetie to a play or musical production", 125) or so vague that they really aren't helpful at all ("plan a walk or bike ride", throughout, but especially on 211).
  
  -"Did You Know?" useless trivia, most of which is about love, some of which is just bewildering. My favorite of the latter category: "For more than twenty years 'Morganna the Kissing Bandit' snuck onto Major League Baseball fields to plant kisses on unsuspecting players." (148) Which frankly, I think is more "creepy" and "stalkerish" than "romantic", but hey, who am I to judge? Oh yeah, a book reviewer... Also, apparently a million monkeys with a million typewriters will create Hamlet, but 12 monkeys with a computer will use "their computer as a toilet or beat it with rocks." (123) This fact may be the one part of the book that has actively enhanced my romantic side...
  
  -"Features" Odds and ends that wouldn't fit anywhere else, including a list of traditions about Valentine's Day, Traditional Wedding Anniversary Gifts by year, and the aforementioned "Couples Look Good in Green". Some of these were interesting, but some were just pointless.
  
  -"Lists" Exactly what it sounds like, these are the places in the book where we are told about "How to Love for a Lifetime" or "Four Ways God Answers a Couple's Prayer" ("No, not yet; No, I love you both too much; Yes, I thought you'd never ask; Yes, and here's more!", 36). Same as the "Features" section, some were interesting, some were, well, much less so.
  
  -"Love Boosters" and "Love Busters" These sections include advice on how to "boost" your romance (dance together, for one) or "bust" it (hold on to grudges). Frankly, if you're the kind of person who actually needs to be told anything in either of these sections, you're pretty unlikely to be reading a book like this in the first place.
  
  -"Love Letters" includes a selection of highly edited love letters from great people in history, including Jack London, Mark Twain, and... uh... Napoleon Bonaparte. Seriously, Napoleon? What, they couldn't find Stalin's or Mao's? (Note how I avoided Godwin's Law there...)
  
  -"Perfect Pairs" are brief biographies of well-made matches of famous people, such as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. This section was kind of interesting, but it was also only seven pages out of the book.
  
  -"Poetry" is, well, poetry. Mostly sappy "How Do I Love Thee" stuff, and not a limerick to be seen. If you're into the "Your eyes make flowers grow in the winter" kind of lines, this section is for you.
  
  -"Quotations" another that is what it sounds like it is. See "Poetry" for my thoughts on this section.
  
  -"Recipes" are recipes. I have no way to judge if these are good or not, as I'm not much at cooking anything that doesn't require an open flame...
  
  -"Scriptures" From the copyright page: "All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson." QED.
  
  -"Special Occasion Gift Ideas" Here we have a mix of obvious (antique jewelry, because people in love never think of jewelry as a gift option), impractical (plant a shrub, which works as long as you don't rent or live in an apartment...), and dangerous (putting your picture on inanimate objects like mugs or t-shirts will eventually just be a reminder of how young and in shape you once were, and only works if you don't grimace in photos anyway).
  
  -"Stories." We will not speak of these, EVER! We certainly will not speak of the story where "Sharon" felt all alone when her mother died. Fortunately "God saw to it that I was not alone" by providing James ONE FREAKING HOUR LATER, while Sharon was still at the hospital with her mothers corpse quietly decomposing in the next room. (Okay, so that last detail wasn't in the story, but we all know how it works.) Nor will we speak of the single mom whose daughter, if she had a hundred dollars, would use it to buy a "real daddy," and who just happened to meet her recently-home-from-Iraq-high-school-sweetheart (who still has the hots for her and likes kids). And, well, the vomit is rising. Let's move on.
  
  -"Trivia" This section was fine, and even occasionally fun, like the couple who may have the longest-lasting marriage at 86 years (248). Though again, these tidbits don't take up much of the book, and mostly are used as filler.
  
  So, overall I'd say there are enough good books on romance out there that this one likely isn't worth your time.
• 
  Kate

  This book is advertised as a guide for couples to keeping romance alive with fun ideas. I don't think that is an accurate description at all. A prior review referred to it as a scrapbook, and I think that is more accurate.
  
  The VAST majority of this book is romantic quotes and love letters, and lists (i.e. top 100 romantic songs). While in a way that is a celebration of love it's hard to say why the authors thought it might specifically apply to COUPLES. I can't imagine this book being helpful to my relationship really.
  
  The 'real life tips' consisted of half page, rare blurbs that advised you to do such things as celebrate Valentine's Day on a different day to make it unique- kind of cute tips but far from ground shattering- recipes, and similar.
  
  The book was CUTE but not really helpful to me and more cheesy than it was worth. I will say that this book was really not what I expected and it's possible that my rating is lower than it would have been because of that. If I had known what it was going to be going in my rating would have been at least one star higher.
  
  I received this book as part of the Goodreads Firstreads program. I was not obligated to write a review.
• 
  Christian Fiction Addiction

  I hate to admit it, but sometimes us guys can be a little bit clueless when it comes to the art of wooing and romancing our wives (and I'm guessing that sometimes even wives can use help in that department too!). I was completely impressed by the latest offering from David Bordon and Tom Winters, a book filled with practical wisdom, entertaining stories, delicious recipes, and sure-to-be-a-hit date night ideas. I plan on consulting this book over and over during the years for inspiration. I especially liked the quotes sprinkled throughout the book, which gave me much food for thought, such as one from Eva Burrows that states "in family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony". How true that is indeed!
  
  I encourage you to buy this book for Valentines Day, whether as a gift for your spouse, a source of ideas for yourself, or something that you can work through together as a couple. You won't be disappointed. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
  
  Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher and FIRST Wild card for the purposes of this unbiased review.
  
  
  Jeremy
• 
  Joy

  I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
  
  What a fun book. Receipts, conversation starters and lots of tidbits about kissing. Marriage blessings, prayers and converation starts. This might not be a guide for marriages, not that deep, but none of these suggestions would hurt and it's fun. There are stories but they are short and it might be a good things to put in that little room so many men do their only reading.
  
  Would make a great gift esp if you are trying to add to another gift that is not quite enough.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Maureen Timerman

  What a fun book...chocked full of all kinds of Romantic examples. Includes recipes, Trivia, Love Stories, poetry, quotes...and much more.
  Once you pick the book up you will be captured. After you have lingered through the pages, and you want to find something to share with your "Loved" one, there is a wonderful index in the back! There are so many delicious facts in here...wish I could share them all with you.
  I "Love" this and have shared with a special Someone!
  
  I received this book from Waterbrook Press, and was not required to give a positive review.
• 
  Holly (2 Kids and Tired)

  This is a fun book about romance. I don't know that it's one I would sit down with my husband and read together, but it was entertaining to read on my own. I wouldn't call it a relationship book either, but more a place to get some cute ideas for dates or anniversaries, to read stories and anecdotes about love and romance and to find some potential recipes.
  
  This would make a cute gift book for a newlywed couple or a new bride-to-be. A bit sappy, but sweet.
• 
  Farrah

  A truly enjoyable book to go through with or even without your significant other. You’ll read interesting feeds, poems, scripture of love from the BIBLE, get recipes to try out for various occasions of celebration, and tips of course of ways to bring back more romance into your relationship. I recommend this all couples looking to reconnect or even to bring in more ideas to love each other. Keeper for my shelves!
• 
  Mrs.

  A cute book filled with little nuggets and interesting facts, stories, poetry and quotes about romance. I appreciated the excerpts from correspondence from renown authors to their wives as well as those from classic literature.
• 
  Margaret Chind

  scheduled to post:
  http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2...
• 
  Hannah Victoria Katherine

  I recieved this book from goodreads giveaways and I thought it was a very cute and sweet book with lots of interesting facts, recipes, and advice.
• 
  Deanna

  This is the best book of its kind I have seen. It was funny, entertaining & educational. Great for romantics and brides. I truly enjoyed it.
• 
  Shellye

  Received this book as a gift from our Couples' Ministry. Will write a review on my blog soon @
  http://iamruthproverbs31.blogspot.com
• 
  Selina Li

  very cute and fun :)