You know those sets of soaps that people give as hostess gifts? I need a host gift – specifically, a web host gift. Seems the fine folks at Esosoft who work in the tech support department and answer all my crazy email have never read a romance. They helped us out big time like damn and mon dieu back in January, and for some of the folks who were working with me, this site was their first exposure to the romance genre. So I figure, it’s time for them to experience the best of the genre.
Robert, who works tech support with other awesome folks, says that he, and many of his coworkers, are fans of mystery/detective and some sci-fi. So, what romance novel would you recommend? What’s new and rocking your socks? (Note: house rule – you are welcome to pimp your own books, but please also suggest at least one other book that is not written by yourself or any of your known aliases. Thanks!)
Back when I sent Paul Tolme a romance novel, the most frequently mentioned book was Northern Lights by whats-her-name. Nora Roberts. That’s right. Anyway. What would you recommend for tech support at our hosting service? I aim to send them an awesome romance.
Isn’t Sharon Shinn great? The Angel books were so incredibly lyric, rich, and unique!
I’m actually enjoying the 13th house, too. Different, but really good.
Jacqulyn Carey is awesome, and so is Anne Bishop—but I consider both fantasy with romance elements. Melanie Rawn, too.
No More Lies by Susan Squires
Finders Keeper by Linnea Sinclair
Catch the Lightning by Catherine Asaro
Some good sci fi romance and my verification word is usually 69!
Birthright is one of my favorite Nora Roberts’ novels that isn’t only a romance.
Seems we all leap at the chance to foist our reading tastes upon others. What’s up with that? (No, I’m not going to mention . . . )
Carla Kelly’s, Beau Crusoe – Her Majesty’s Navy, shipwreck, lifeboat ethics … I think you know where this is going.
Y’all have already mentioned a ton of the ones I immediately thought of, but there’s one I haven’t seen: Die for Me by Karen Rose. It is an absolutely faboo romantic suspense with serial killers, a cop, and an archaeologist. There’s a sequel, Scream for Me, coming out in May and I’ve got the ARC and have just started it. Highly, highly recommended.
Oopsie. This is Regency. Give the fellows this one. They’ll love it. I didn’t want it to end!
I’m thinking of ones that my husband also reads, so I’d suggest some sf/f/horror with strong romantic themes and vice versa:
Undead and Unwed by Davidson
Dead until Dark, by Harris
Dead Witch Walking, by Harrison
Now I’m straying out on to less sure ground, because those are the main series I think of as having crossover elements that J. reads. But others that I think have been mentioned and I would imagine would be fun –
Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, by Acosta
Kitty and the Midnight Hour, by Vaughn
What about the electricity angle in the Retrievers series, starting with
Staying Dead, by Gilman
(the magic constantly frying electronics element might by fun for tech types)
the Weather Warden books, because lots of geeky guys like to watch the Weather Channel for some reason I can’t figure out?
Thin Air, by Rachel Caine
umm, all of these are sorta paranormal, aren’t they?
for contemporary I’d probably go with one of the already mentioned trifecta of Crusie, Roberts, Holly.
Hubby will read Laurell K Hamilton (either series), Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse), MaryJanice Davidson (Undead series), Iris Johansens thrillers, Keri Arthur (werewolves and stuff). Personally I reckon anyone who loves SF/F could try Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels books.
I would like to second Laurell K. Hamilton. Her Merry Gentry series is designed to be a mystery/detective/fantasy story (with a number of additional scenes that are essentially porn). This series is shorter and gets to the point faster than her Anita Blake series (though I personally like that one better). They’re both good, but it depends on what you’re looking for.
Also: Ill Wind from Rachel Caine
I’ve been meaning to get my husband to read those. I mean a hot chick with a hot car! What’s not to love?
Being a help desk monkey, err, it support perfessional myself (and working with said, it geeks), I would recommend Linnea Sinclair, or other really superb futuristic/sci fi fantasy romances. I also wouldn’t hesitate to throw a little erotic romance in there, and anything Kate Douglas does is golden! Good tech support is super hard to find. Treat your guys like the keepers they sound like they are.
(and a laugh, my verification is days66 when I work third shift)
Lois McMaster Bujold
Rob Thurman
or Linnea Sinclair
My man is a Sys. Admin. and he’s all over Catherine Asaro’s Skolian Empire series. He really liked Laurell K Hamilton’s Anita Blake series before she shifted focus. He enjoyed the Crusie/Mayer pairing for Agnes & The Hitman and Don’t Look Down, even though I had to badger him into reading them.
I would highly recommend C.J. Barry’s UNForgetable series, Anne Bishop’s Ephemera duology, the Crimson City series by Liz Maverick, et al., the 2176 series by Susan Grant, et al., Catherine Asaro’s Lost Continent series, Robin D. Owen’s The Summoning series, maybe Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series and P.C. Cast’s Partholon books.
I second (third? fifteenth?) the Patricia Briggs suggestions. Also, Sharon Shinn’s Thirteenth House series. But most of all, Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Underworld. My husband (very into scifi/fantasy, not at all into romance) read the first one, Bitten, on his own before we ever met and loved it. (That was actually why he contacted me online – I mentioned that I had read the book and really liked it!)
Adding my voice for:
Diana Gabaldon Outlander/Cross Stitch etc
Patricia Briggs – Blood Bound etc
Which should work for women or men. Both writers have energetic, engaging voices telling stories in compelling detail.
And The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is still my favourite novel (if you haven’t listened to the unabridged audiobook with William Hope and Laurel Lefkow, you’ve missed out). Sci fi, fantasy, romance, I don’t know which genre you’d pigeonhole it in, but it’s so good.
And none of these, in the editions I’ve seen, have uber-romance-cliche-girly-pinky-gilty-mantitty covers as what might be offputting to them as is trying summat new.
Maybe that’s a way to get them in, a well-read audiobook? If you have a longer commute, or other iPod time, it’s a possibility.
How about the Freedom series by Anne McCaffrey? The first one (Freedom’s Landing) is practically a romance novel, for all it masquerades as sci-fi. Anything that contains the sentences, “Never in her albeit brief experience at this sort of dalliance had she been so eager to accept all a man could give her. Not even Brace Tenneman, and she’d thought he was the best-looking man on the football team in her sophomore year,” can not owe something to romance novels. Despite the really handsome alien with a huge schlong, the book does present an interesting take on ethnocentrism and the building of a society.
I second the Sharon Shinn novels. I’ve only read the first three in the Samaria series and The Shape-Changer’s Wife, and they were all very enjoyable. They are, however, fantasy and not hard sci-fi. The Samaria series is fantasy/light sci-fi.
Also seconding The Time-Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It’s really long, but it’s all good.
Thirding the Liaden series, by Lee and Miller! The 2 prequels, Local Custom and Scout’s Progress, especially, though almost every book has at least a little romance in it.
Ilona Andrews “Magic Burns” and “Magic Bites” are great new urban fantasy novels that should work for men or women. Or Jim Butcher maybe?
I second the mentions of “The Time Traveler’s Wife”, Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander”, or Jennie Crusie’s “Agnes and the Hitman”. Also Suzanne Brockmann!
Off the wall ideas: “Sunshine” by Robin McKinley”, or “Her Majesty’s Dragon” by Naomi Novik. Also Donna Andrews has a mystery series featuring cyber/computer sleuth Turing Hopper.
Hard to find but definitely worth the effort and will engage the sci-fi and romance fan:
Louise Copper’s Initiate, Master and Outcast.
Incredible trilogy. Freakin’ awesome.
As a matter of fact, I recommend these books to everyone. Go forth and read these. You will be amazed.