Bitchery reader Amy asks for recommendations, oh well-read Bitchery:
[T]he reason for my bothering you is to ask you and all other sisters and brothers of SB for help. I am a great lover of Laura Kinsale, esp. Seize the Fire. Yes, I am a fangirl of the” angsty”, “gut-wrenching” intense romance school, and I would appreciate it very much if you could help me to find more treasures in this particular school of romance.
So – angsty romance – bring it on! What’s your pleasure?
Thank you for all your suggestions so far. Keep them coming if you have some more. (Although I have an impressive length of books to hunt down already, thank you all)
Katherine Sutcliffe was mentioned, in an ealier post: “My Only Love” would qualify as ‘angsty’.
“Once and Always” by Judith McNaught and “‘Til Dawn Tames the Night” by Megan McKinney also come to mind.
Agreeing with Sarah Franz regarding Suzanne Brockmann. She does a great angsty hero. OUT OF CONTROL is my favorite.
Starborn: there is death and unbearable grief. But there is also great humour. I adore all the characters but I do particularly adore Castleton.
Weirdly, Irene Handl, who was an actress, played the grandma in Metal Mickey, an early 80s British kids show. She looked like the least likely person in the world to write books like these.
Try The Bartered Bride by Putney. The heroine is pretty broken but still somehow strong. It’s a great story of her healing and how it is helped by the hero, who is patient and understanding (not to mention sexy).
Kyra,
Fake review posting? WTF are you talking about? Requiem is one of my top ten fav books IN THE WORLD. The book has been out for 6 1/2 years and has been getting excellent reviews for all this time. But reviews aside – it is a kick ass book please don’t hate on it. If you didn’t like it, okay, personal choice. My personal choice is I loved it. Nothing fake about that.
What’s a fake review? I’ve never heard of a fake review. All I know is that at least five years ago I read “Requiem for the Devil” and screamed to everyone I know that this book was killer and have been screaming ever since.
Some of Kat Martin’s books are mildly angsty and I usually cry at least once while reading them, but then I cry easily. Try the Bride Necklace Series, Sweet Vengeance, and Silk and Steel.
Burning Point by Mary Jo Putney is very emotional (and a fantastic book) and so is Uncommon Vows, if you can stand the heroine.
And Susan Squires. Everything she writes is so angsty and emotional. Unless you really love that kind of writing it’s something that needs to be taken only in exceptionally small doses.
One of the most deeeeeply intense romances I ever read is The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It kills me a little every time I read it, but it’s one of my favorite books.
You won’t find it in the Romance Section, since it’s kind of a genre-bender, but it is a fierce love story. And O, the Angst!!!
I also want to second the votes for JR Ward & Shannon McKenna, they are 2 favorites of mine, but I think are more super-steamy intense than angsty (whereas TTW is not so much with the steam.)
The Time Traveler’s Wife will leave marks, I swear.
I’m keeping close track of all these recommendations, although I have to admit that many an angsty read is due to the utter stupidity of the H&H. I really don’t like those books wherer they constantly argue with themselves and actively prevent their own HEA. Give me real external conflict every time. ;+)
I, too, was wondering what Kyra meant by a fake review. I’ve seen those ones where someone with an axe to grind gives a bad review for spite, but I’m thinking that’s not what she means.
Sorry if I was not clear about what I meant re: fake reviews. On Amazon.com the first 8 reviews for “Requiem for the Devil” are obviously posted by friends and/or family of the author.
Look at the similarity of the wording and length of the reviews. Click on the tag that says “see all my reviews” and you will see that this book is the only one reviewed by these no-name accounts.
I forgot: Heart of the West by Penelope Williamson. Oh the angst..!!! Basically its a love triangle, the heroine really does love her husband but her soulmate is obviously her brother in law. Very romantic and heart wrenching
SPOILERS
However after reading it every time and cause I’m a cynic, I can’t quite sorta “buy” the ending. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still incredibly moved by the heartbreak, Penelope Williamson is that good, but I was a bit sick of waiting for them to consumate their realtionship and get together. When they finally do, how many children has she had (all her husband’s)?? And if her husband, like i know he was this really great guy but if he hadn’t died, would they have never got together?! I just didn’t like the fact that her husband dying (naturally) was the only way they felt they could be together
As a venue, Amazon has evolved a lot since 2001. Less people had dedicated names they reviewed under and they were more likely to post shorter reviews along the lines of “liked it,”, or “didn’t care for it.” As the site changed to better fit the needs of the consumer, people began to post longer and more detailed reviews. The ranking system came into play.
Plus, speaking for myself, Kyra, I tend only to post reviews for books that rocked my world. You won’t find tons of reviews under my name, but that doesn’t mean mine are fake. I don’t understand your insistence on correlating quantity with quality.
I hope you’re not intending to impugn Shaunee’s integrity or that or P.C. Cast. They both adore the book, and in fact, I bought Requiem myself, after Shaunee posted a glowing comment on this very site. I can’t remember the thread, but her opinion motivated me to buy the ebook and I read it in one sitting. And I endorse every good thing ever said about it.
So I don’t see how any of those reviews can be “fake”, as you allege. If ten people all say the same thing about a book, they must be lying? Must’ve been put up to it by the author? It can’t simply be that the book was good? I call BS. Sounds as if you have an ax to grind or too much time on your hands.
The one caution I’d offer romance readers is that it is urban fantasy, not romance. I can’t say more without spoiling, but even so, I’d still put Requiem for the Devil on a list of must-read books.