With Valentine’s Day almost upon us, it’s time to think about getting your beloved a little somethin’ somethin’, if you haven’t already. And, for the love of Cupid, please don’t even think about chocolates or candles—they’re so “been there, done that.”

Don’t worry if your creative juices aren’t flowing as freely as your love for one another. Or if you don’t have the money to splurge on anything too big (like the Christian Louboutin heart shoes and bag, above, you’ve been dying to receive.) We have you covered with some touching (but not too cheesy) presents in every price range. Some are suitable for your partner or lover, and others are perfect for close family and friends. … //READ MORE

Next week is Valentine’s Day and, like it or not, you’ll probably be hearing lots of love songs on the radio. Even if you’re in broken-heart mode and purposely avoiding heart-shaped boxes and mushy greeting cards, you can’t deny the power of a good torch tune on this or any other day of the year.

In light of the pending holiday, we were sweet enough to cull, just for you, our picks for the Top Valentine’s Day Love Songs. Is this list official in any way? Nope. Did we distribute a massive survey or examine Billboard chart stats? You’ve got to be joking! Did we test the songs on headphone-clad lab monkeys and then monitor their reactions by charting brain serotonin levels? Ha, no way in hell! (But how cool would that be if we had.) … //READ MORE

Recently, I needed to say goodbye to someone special and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. This person wasn’t making me as much of a priority as I was making them. Their actions were not as loving as the words coming from their mouth. I gave this person several chances to treat me better, but they didn’t. So it was becoming more painful to have them in my life than to release them.

So I let go. … //READ MORE

Some of us have had a romance we’ll remember until the day we die. Most of us have had a life-changing family or career moment, or a poignant life experience we’ll never forget. Ask a guy what he was wearing when that moment transpired, he’ll likely come up short. Ask a woman, well, that’s often a different story.

Writer Ilene Beckerman was onto something when she wrote her now-classic book Love, Loss & What I Wore. She understood that many females are detail oriented when it comes to remembering important events, especially those concerning matters of the heart. The fashion obsessed among us can even recall, down to the last button or bit of lace trim, what we were wearing when these moments transpired. Combining whimsical illustrations with a lifetime of memories both good and bad, Beckerman recalled the outfits she was wearing when these pivotal events took place. Of course, the clothes do not make the woman—or the moment. However, the image of outfit we wore during a particularly emotional time may very well be etched on our brain forever. … //READ MORE

Warning: This article contains spoilers. Lots of them.

Tell me. Would you stay with a lying, cheating husband? Would you live with a man who uproots you from the big city to a small Midwestern town, uses your inheritance to fund his business, then considers trading you in for a younger, sexier woman? Would you manipulate a pregnancy with this guy, then pretend to the world that the two of you have the perfect life, the perfect romance, the perfect relationship?

You would if you were Amy Dunne, the twisted wife who goes missing in the new David Fincher movie Gone Girl, based on the bestseller by Gillian Flynn. But wait, you wouldn’t let him off the hook so easy. Not right away. First, you’d plan an elaborate revenge that involves faking your own death and turning your husband into the most hated man in America. But in the end, because you are so twisted, you’d have a change of heart and find a way to keep him by your side, on your terms, for better or worse. … //READ MORE

I write erotic romance.

I used hide that. I’d never say those four little words out loud. Admitting it to my family and friends was a struggle. Even now, I’m hyperventilating a little bit to see those words written down, knowing they’re going to be printed and read. But I don’t hide it anymore, because the world is a different place than it was a few years ago. It’s a world where women are no longer afraid to be upfront about what they’re reading, the dog-eared pages of a steamy novel no longer hidden under their beds. Instead, these books are on their Nooks and Kindles, read in the light of day. And as a writer, I think that’s pretty damn awesome. So I’m not hiding anymore. … //READ MORE