Back in 2006, I fielded a question for Lovely Salome, better known as Carrie Lofty, asking which Nora Roberts novel she should read first. A sort of precursor to the “Which One First?” feature, done six years ago.
Now that Nora Roberts has written approximately 14,576,469,354.7 books since then, I think it's time to update that list. Another reader is asking for help. Meet Jordan:
I've really loved all the the “What Should I Read Next” of old school romance posts you have done! As a recent convert to the romance genre (Hi, my name is Jordan and I've been a Romance reader for 5 years now. *Hi Jordan*), those have been really helpful since digging through authors who've been publishing for a while is pretty intimidating.
I would love to see more of those, and personally I'd love one for Nora Roberts. I'm a hardcore J.D. Robb fangirl, probably because I slowly migrated from scifi/fantasy and mystery over to romance, but Roberts' more mainstream stuff (contemporary and historical) is just so plentiful – I don't know where to start!
That thread from 2006 still contains some of my favorite Nora Roberts' novels, but there are so many more (SO MANY MORE).
So, which is your favorite? I'm going to make this really hard. REALLY.
You can only name two at the most. TWO. That's it.
Which are your two favorite Nora Roberts novels that you'd recommend to Jordan?
The Quinn series (in order):
Seaswept
Rising Tides
Inner Harbour
My first Nora Roberts, the one that made me an instant convert, was BLUE DAHLIA. I devoured that whole trilogy within a few days and became a massive fan from that moment onward!
I don’t care what anyone says, it’s MONTANA SKY.
Also, the whole Quinn series. Cheating. I does it.
Born in Fire and Sea Swept. Rogan Sweeny and Cam Quinn best NR heroes ever.
The first book I read by Nora Roberts is Irish Thoroughbred, so I would always start there. Also, I LOVED The Right Path. See just two.
Oh wait, don’t miss out on the MacGregor’s or Cordina series. And, then there’s the….(this is where my head is exploding like in Scanners).
Born in Series…
I like her older novels better, and “Reflections & Dreams” is one of my favorites.
So many to choose from: Born in Shame is a favorite. I also love True Betrayals.
Three Fates – it’s got all the usual trilogy elements in one novel 🙂
Blue Dahlia is my #2… 😀
I really enjoyed the “Irish Jewels” trilogy. I love the sibling relationships and I love the wee bit of magical realism.
I am so obsessed with her In Death series that it is not even funny (even though she uses a pseudonym, it counts)!
Also, even though for the most part I love her older stuff, I also really love the newer Bride Quartet. Awesome stuff.
(That is technically two recommendations even though it equals over 40 books…)
Easy peasy. Three Fates and The Witness.
I have a stack of Nora in my closet and my favorite is the Irish Jewels trilogy, too. The second is Tears of the Moon is my favorite of the three.
Irish Jewels trilogy!! Also, I work in publishing and have read an advanced copy of her new standalone, WHISKEY BEACH. It’s phenomenal, so when that comes out, I’d add that one to the list.
“Birthright” and “Heaven and Earth.”
I actually remember that my 1st Nora was Honest Illusions when I was about 15. It hooked me on Nora forever. I also like Three Fates…if I MUST stick to just 2… so unfair! 🙁 🙂
I love all the ones that featured ballet. I still have a time-worn copy of Reflections and Dreams somewhere.
Quinn series or Montana Sky!
When an author writes such lavishly intertwined trilogies how can you pick two books? For someone migrating to romance from Sf/Fantasy the Three sisters Trilogy, ancient magic and witchcraft; lovely modern setting, and the kinds of heroines and heroes that Nora does so well.
Ugh, just two!? How to pick…I’m going to choose the Three Sisters island books, and the Dream trilogy. Kind of cheating but with all the trilogies choosing just two is very difficult.
I just turned off the wifi on my phone so I could answer this question. La Nora is worth posting about on my phone since my work thinks this site is too full of “adult content” to be accessible anywhere in the hospital.
Anyway…
Montana Sky and Three Fates. It’s like 6 stories in 2 books and a perfect intro into NR’s head hopping.
I’m having a mini Monday meltdown trying to pick just two favorites. A visual scan of my bookshelf shows that my most frayed Nora paperbacks are Honest Illusions and Holding the Dream…so those would definitely be amongst my top picks.
Nora Robert’s books were my first introduction to Romance (when I was 13) and I have read them all since then. I love Born in Fire and Dance Upon the Air they are so fantastic.
How can one pick JUST TWO Nora books? I shall limit it to two series: Irish Jewels (which I am currently reading) and the Born In series. The close third is the Stanislanskis, but as they are so short (they were originally Harlequin books if that gives you an idea) that you don’t get the character growth you do in her newer series.
AAAAHHHHHH! Goodreads is down!!! How can I look at my ratings if Goodreads is down???!!!! I have no brain, so I rely on external memory to survive.
Okay, I’ll try, but if Goodreads comes back online and I see I’ve forgotten one, I get to post more!! (so there 😛 Ptthhh!)
On audio:
Carnal Innocence (Tom Stecheshulte as Tucker Longstreet curls my toes! le sigh)
The Witness (Great narrator (Whelan?) gets the main character just right.)
In print:
The Witness
Northern Lights…wait! No, High Noon! …wait, maybe I mean The Search! Yeah, that’s it!…or….Honest Illusions!…well damn! Too many good ones.
I will say that I rarely read Roberts’ contemporary romances, but I thoroughly enjoy most of her romantic suspense.
Northern Lights. It’s not as obviously romance-formula as some, because it follows a male protagonist (a cop with the requisite ansty background) and has a less than usual setting (rural Alaska, done with a real sense of presence). Then add in a strong heroine (bush pilot) and a decent mystery in the plot. It is and always will be my favourite Nora Roberts.
The Quinn series, hands down. Tortured souls healed by The Power of Luuuurve=swoon. I also enjoy her romantic suspense titles, but the rules for this game preclude me from listing them 🙁
My conversion started with “The Witness” but I have a real soft spot for “Carnal Innocence”.
Thanks for all the recommendations everyone! I can’t wait to see what will be compiled!
Another one here for “Carnal Innocence” and I love “Carolina Moon”—but in all honesty I re-read so many of hers that I could post ten times and name two different books in each post.
I love her trilogies and quartets, but her stand alone romantic suspense title are my favorites.
I forgot Carnal Innocence. How could I have forgotten Carnal Innocence? Tucker Longstreet and all that southern heat.
I’m allowed two books, so now it’s Northern Lights and Carnal Innocence. No more, I promise.
No question…Three Fates and Montana Sky. I have worn out several copies and even checked them out of the library.
It’s so cruel to limit us to two Nora’s!!
So I recommend all of them 🙂 but especially recommend Three Fates and Valley of Silence (the third in The Circle Trilogy- but of course, you have to read the other two first!!) The Circle Trilogy is especially good for anyone who likes sci fi/fantasy stuff 🙂
Stand alone: Public Secrets. Best use of modern history, music, and romance.
Historical/series: Rebellion, which doesn’t actually start the MacGregor (sp?) series but is the story of the MacGregor family origins in Scotland.
Just two? Really?
Well I love her trilogies the best—the Quinn series I reread most often—but my favorite NR book, for some reason, remains Honest Illusions.
I forgot to add that my recommendations have big trigger events. Public Secrets involves the kidnapping and death of a very young child that is pivotal to the heroine’s psyche (and growth), and her relationships with her folks and the hero. Rebellion has a rape scene in the prologue that is pivotal to the heroine’s relationship with her family and the hero. Please take all precautions when reading these scenes.
True Betrayals and The Winning Hand (from the MacGregor series)
There’s a fourth book in that series: Chesapeake Blue. It was written a few years later than the other three, I think.
I can do this. Honest Illusions…. led me to my love affair with Nora Roberts… and Sea Swept (pretty sure that’s the first Chesapeake book) because after you read the first, you’ll want to read the other two. I did it without cheating. 🙂
Hidden Riches, which I own in print, audio, and e-book versions! My all time favorite. I’d also recommend any of the McGregors because it will send her looking for all the rest!