raisintorte | Romance Novels

cbackson and I have been chatting about books and romance novels popped up. She listed some of her favorites, so I am listing mine (I'm not so good at putting into words why I like books, so sorry!):

(1) Georgette Heyer - I love all things Heyer, but if i had to pick a favorite it would have to be a three way tie between Frederica, The Grand Sophy, and These Old Shades. I also love Devil's Cub like a mad mad thing but the amazingly wonderful and complex story in These Old Shades edges it out. With Frederica and The Grand Sophy, Heyer just created two amazing women. I love Charles and Sophy. I think I got most of my Heyer rec's from

tesserae_ and

cbackson.

(2) Loretta Chase - I have never heard of her until

rigel_7 recommend Miss Wonderful and I read that and was hooked. Today

cbackson recommended Lord of Scoundrels and it may edge out Lord Perfect as my favorite. The thing I love about Loretta Chase is her heroines are smart and sexy and not afraid of being sexual. :-) Also, the hero in the Lord of Scoundrels is the perfect combination of idiot, grumpy, brooding, and awesome.

(3) Julia Quinn - Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever - hands down. Everything else she writes is fun, but I love that book.

(4) Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Breathing Room is my comfort book. It's the book I recommend to everyone. Once again it has a smart heroine (who has a few hang ups, but she's awesome) and a dark and brooding hero (I think I have a thing for those?) and they just work. I also love all of her newer books. The Chicago Stars and related series are just fun.

(5) Liz Carlyle - a few years ago

reccea suggested

smittywing get me The Devil You Know for my birthday and it was really good, but I didn't read anything else until I was stuck in an airport in Indianapolis and ended up desperate for a book and grabbing Tempted All Night. I *love* Phaedra and Trent. She's a little dark and twisty with her past and he's kinda a tool, but it just works. And that opened the floodgates and I have now read them all. :-)

(6) Stephanie Laurens - this one, I don't think I can pick a favorite book. I enjoy every book she has written (except The Ideal Bride which was utter crap) but I don't have one that stands out as the one I re read the most. I love Tony and Alicia from the Bastion Club (A Gentleman's Honor) or Honoria and Devil in Devil's Bride. I'm pretty sure I picked up my first Laurens book when I was a B&N in Florida with

triciabyrne1978,

catku, and

vflick.

(7) Eloisa James - She can be hit or miss but I love Your Wicked Ways because Helene is awesome and Rees is kinda a tool but not in a totally unforgivable way. :-)

(8) Mary Balogh - Slightly Sinful or Slightly Scandalous Freya and Alleyne totally got the best stories of the whole Bedwyn series. Without spoiling, the end of Alleyne's book always makes me cry a little. :-)

(9) Jo Beverly - Elf and Fort's story (Something Wicked) is a go to re read. They are just so angsty and FUN. I've finished the Malloren's and I'm saving a bunch of the Company of Rogue books for my beach vacation in August. This was another excellent rec of

rigel_7

(10) Others -

(a) Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle, but those all tend to go together and I don't really a favorite. I read them all as they come out and I really like the Arcane stuff, but there is nothing that stands out.

(b) I swore off Nora Roberts forever ago, but her recent bride quartet was pretty great and reminded me why I used to devour her books.

(c) I also used to read everything by Catherine Coulter until I realized I had standards and most of her historical heroes were awful and her contemporary ones were all the same guy.

(d) I will always have a place in my heart for Julie Garwood (who has some sketchy books from her early days but I like her more recent ones). The first romance novel I ever read was The Wedding and the writing just hooked me. Brenna was plucky and awesome. And Gillian from Ransom would totally make a top 10 heroine list (which I really need to write at some point)

(e) Johanna Lindsay - the Mallorys! I loved them! Georgina's and James! Amy and Warren! I read those two books OVER AND OVER again.

(f) Elizabeth Lowell - who I actually still really like. The Donovan books are always fun and I really like where she is going with St. Kilda.

(g) Judith McNaught - Diana and Cole in Remember When - that was a constant re read in college.

(h) Jude Deveraux (but iirc she had a lot of weirdness and consent issues and I just stopped liking her writing.

And wow, this post turned into something MUCH longer than I intended. Is there anyone out there that I am missing that I should read? I'm sure I'm missing people from the list - I'm such an author completest. If I like one thing they write, I will read them all, the good, the bad, and the horrible. :-)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Great timing! My sister dragged me to Half Priced Books today, then asked for Romance recs, and I was like, "Um, the only author I really read is Loretta Chase, and I get her stuff at the library." I almost ruled her out altogether, because I read Mr. Impossible first, and that one has some pretty annoying flaws, but I saw her recced enough on Smart Bitches* that I gave her a second try.

*Speaking of Smart Bitches, if you don't watch that blog, you should. It's a good place to get recs. I don't read every post, just the ones that catch my eye. http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/

I've heard of the blog but never read. I added it to my reader, so we shall see!!

Loretta Chase is great. She is really one of my favorites.

Amen on Jude Deveraux.

And oh my god, now I have SO MUCH TO READ.

YOU NEED TO WRITE IT ALL. After you write things for me.

Thanks for that! I've never been a big romance reader partly because I don't know where to find 'the good stuff' so I'm bookmarking this.

Cool! Feel free to ask me for any recs of specific types. :-) I read a lot of crap, and there is a lot of crap out there, but there is also a lot of really good stuff out there.

Yes! On 3,6,8 10a, 10d, 10e

Had I known at the time I'd have suggested the books about the twins. I enjoy those, but Sebastian and Helena's story keeps me coming back.

Yes. Sebastian and Helena's story is fantastic! I always forget about that one for some reason when I'm doing a re read.

Catherine Coulter wrote the first romances I ever read, and I was pretty horrified by them on a recent re-read. Like, there's some seriously not-okay full-on rape in some of those books. I guess a lot of old school romance was rape-y, from what I've heard from other romance readers.

The Jayne Ann Krentz/etcs. are reliable enjoyable, but really run together. I do like that the heroines after have glasses, and they are (like Loretta Chase and Julia Quinn) sex-positive.

I read one Mary Balogh that I didn't like, and I think it was because the hero was...not intelligent. As in, a feature of his character was that he wasn't super-smart. I get trying to have a greater diversity of types of people in romance, but a dude who's described as not very smart isn't going to be of interest to me.

I'm so glad you have so many contemporaries, because I often don't read them!

YES. I think that was in Rosewood or something. It was insane. I read a lot of that in high school. So bad! There really is a lot of rape in the older stuff like Jude Deveraux (she was fond of the wedding night non con and then having the hero throw the bride on the floor and let her sleep in front of the fire and awesome things like that.) I don't recall who did it, but one of the authors I used to read at one point had the hero put a DOG COLLAR on the heroine and made her eat out of a bowl with the dogs because she upset him it was set in viking times (Johanna Lindsay's older stuff I think).

Mary Balogh has some AWFUL older ones, but her newer stuff is pretty great. I really like the whole Slighty series.

You should really read Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She is fantastic.

Nothing really to add, but I have to say, I adore Stephanie Laurens. :D

I like her too!! She generally has great stuff.

Romance Novels - A long post!

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