Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

As a teacher and an Australian, I would recommend two books by Melina Marchetta - Looking for Allibrandi has been around for a while and deals with a girl growing up in a high school in Sydney. It has lots of themes that teenagers love - bad boys, family secrets and reconciliation and some romance. The other is Jellicoe Road, her most recent - check out the review (A) on Dear Author.

Holly Black’s Faerie trilogy for those who like their fantasy a bit dark.

Sarah Dessen’s everything, especially The Truth about Forever, Just Listen and Dreamland( which isn’t romance but deals with domestic abuse).

Mette Ivie Harrison’s The Princess and the Hound and the Princess and the Bear - again fantasy.

That’s about it. And please get rid of them SMeyer books!

-anin

I’m so glad you didn’t even try to mention Twilight. It’s a terrible, terrible piece of fiction yet I hear about it everywhere I turn.

Eva Ibbotson’s romances aren’t new, but they’re being sold in the YA section of bookshops near me and have just been re-released with new covers.

A Song for Summer
Magic Flutes reissued as The Reluctant Heiress
The Morning Gift
The Secret Countess and Dear Author reviewed it under its previous title of A Countess Below Stairs (excerpt here)
A Company of Swans

Have you got any romances by Georgette Heyer? Again, they’re not new, but they’re still very popular. The Grand Sophy‘s one that a lot of people seem to recommend although personally I have some problems with the way in which a minor character (a Jewish moneylender) is depicted. Frederica is another very lively and readable novel by Heyer.

I’m not sure what would scandalize the mothers of your students, but neither of these authors’ romances contain sex scenes.

How about “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.  It’s the first in a trilogy. The next one comes out in Sept.

Okay, second try ‘cause the first seems to be eaten by spam-bots:

Sarah, I don’t think she’s asking for YA romances. I read it as asking for adult romances that are on the sweeter/tamer side. Things that bridge the gap.

I’d suggest Practice Makes Perfect & Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James. The heroes and heroines have sexual tension that’s off the charts, but the actual action is kind of oblique.

My comment got sent off to the spam filter too, because I’d added lots of links to reviews.  I had suggested some older novels which are still in print in very new editions and are being marketed at the YA audience, namely Eva Ibbotson’s romances.

I recently had a teen girl at the public library ask me for recommendations on paranormal romance. She said she had read everything in the YA section and wanted to move on to the adult section. I remember recommending Sherrilyn Kenyon, Charlaine Harris and P.C. Cast. I also asked her if she had ever read Anne Rice and she said she had read all of those over and over. I also recommended the first Anita Blake novel, but told her she may not want to go much past that one. I kind of felt guilty afterwards, but I thought “well hell, if she’s read Anne Rice…” (She was about 16). I was just so happy to have a patron actually ask for book recommendations instead of ” Can I get a computer?”.

Mans65 - my man’s 51 today

I just read The Wallflower by Steven Chbosky published by MTV (didn’t know they published books BTW) An EXCELLENT cross between The Catcher in the Rye and Almost Famous.  P.s. Sarah—author is a late 80’s grad of Upper Saint Clair High School, set in the Burgh

I’d also recommend Beverly Jenkins’s Belle and its sequel, Josephine. They were first published by Avon and have just been reprinted with these shorter titles in Harlequin’s Kimani Tru line.

There are reviews of Belle here and here and there’s an excerpt available at Beverly Jenkins’s website. As it says in the first review:

The “Belle” of the novel is Belle Palmer, a sixteen-year-old girl who was making her way out of Kentucky with her father and a band of runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad.

There’s a review of Josephine here.

I really enjoyed them and the historical details were fascinating.

I’d recommend anything by Kristan Higgins—great characters, really specific locales, and the sex is not so graphicly detailed.

I recommend THE HELLO GIRLS by Merlene Lovelace.  It not only has the contemporary romance element (between an airforce colonel divorcing her husband), but a significant piece of history about the Hello Girls, the young women telegraph operators who went to Europe to help with the first World War.  While some of the elements in the historical romance between one of the Hello Girls and a young pilot serving in the emerging air force was a bit fantastical, the history aspect of it was fascinating.

On a general note, looking for newer titles, you might look at a Romantic Times Book Review.  They rate by sexual content (Sweet, Mild, Steamy, etc.), as well as how enjoyable they were (one to five stars), and give you some idea about the plotline, including whether it’s suspense, paranormal, or historical.  Frankly, when looking for new authors, that magazine is indispensible.

Finally, you might look into the religious fiction section of your local bookstore.  Not all religious fiction is filled with overwhelmingly religious or preachy topics.  Ted Dekker has a really good fantasy series plus some suspense (not the ones with Frank Perretti—avoid those like the plague!!), and Stephen Lawhead got his start from a religious publisher.  Hannah Alexander is a really good writer, and I say that as someone who can’t tolerate preachy religiousness, so I can safely recommend her Steeple Hill Harlquins as well as her old series, which may be hard to find.

Hope that helps.

For the sf loving rom reader, Ms. YA Librarian could try C.E. Murphy (partly sf, partly rom) and Ilona Andrews.

Stephanie Laurens has some PG Regencies in a Harlequin line and which are better written than her Avon books (“Four in Hand” is one, can’t recall other titles).

Julie Garwood’s The Secret and Saving Grace are all really sweet. I love those leading ladies and I read them in high school.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger…I know I’ve recommended it on this site before, but I’m not going to shut up about it.  It’s an adult novel but I often see it featured in YA sections of bigger bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
I first read it when I was eighteen and I adored it—still do.
Also, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is not strictly a romance novel but definiely needs to be included in EVERY YA library.

On the legitimately YA front: A brand new selection would be The Secret Life of Prince Charming/Deb Caletti. Most of the book is about the main character seeking the wisdom of women to find out why her father is such a charming dirtbag—following the trail of broken hearts he’d left. When Quinn enters into a relationship, you know that she’s now a smart cookie and won’t let herself be used.

Some language, but that’s all I can imagine would be an issue.

***

Kristan Higgins, I agree, sounds like a good choice. Not too graphic, unconventional heroines…

Anything and everything by Sarah Dessen.

And I hope it’s OK if I humbly suggest my forthcoming YA, Crazy Beautiful.

I looooved Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody series when I was a teenager (and still do).  It starts with Crocodile on the Sandbank and goes from there.  You might also want to consider her Vicki Bliss series, also amazing.  Both of these series are throb and curse-free (unless you consider “damnation” a curse).

I have found YA a great source of romance.
There used to be a blog that was dedicated to reviewing YA romances but unfortunately it has been taken down.
A few titles I have discovered:

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
The Attolia Series by Megan Whalen Turner (has some romance but is not a full romance series)

There is a blog post here (http://yzocaet.blogspot.com/2007/07/ya-romance.html) with further suggestions.

For lighter YA with paranormal and romance, I hope it’s all right to mention my own DEAD GIRL WALKING, DEAD GIRL DANCING and (Aug 2009) DEAD GIRL IN LOVE trilogy, about a teen with a poor sense of direction and entertainment aspirations that makes a wrong turn after a near-death experience and lands into the wrong body. YALSA has kindly recommended DEAD GIRL WALKING for a Quick Pick, as well as selecting it as a Popular Paperback 2008.

I’m with Lorelie - both with how I interpreted the request, and with the suggestion on the Julie James books.  Going based on my 13 year-old daughter’s taste, I would also add Rachel Gibson to the list.

That is such a difficult age group to buy for. 

When I was 16, I’d read “The Happy Hooker” and “Coffee, Tea or Me” (just dated myself badly).  Turns out several of my friends read copies found at “their aunt’s house” around the same time as well.

While I realize that these aren’t titles for a HS library, it just illustrates that many teenaged girls will read anything.  I read “Gone with the Wind” when I was 12.

Victoria Holt is/was good.  But she might be a bit “dated” now.

Neville Shute while not a “romance” writer wrote some lovely love stories, “A Town Like Alice” and “Requiem for a Wren” spring to mind.

I can highly recommend Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series. I don’t think its over the top for a YA audience - lots of fun to be had in them - and its a fairly numerou series for those who like to follow a favourite heroine.

‘Impressive as she may be, Phryne Fisher, her activities and her world are never cloying thanks to Greenwood’s witty, slightly tongue-in-cheek prose. As usual, it’s a delightfully frothy, indulgent escape with an underlying bite.’—Otago Daily Times

‘Greenwood’s strength lies in her ability to create characters that are wholly satisfying: the bad guys are bad, and the good guys are great.’—Vogue

I loved the Time Travellers Wife too!

Not sure how “adult” the collection is…

I know they aren’t straight romance - but I would think that Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, Stephanie Bond’s Body Mover series, and Lori Avocato’s Pauline Sokol series would make great additions to a high school library.

I also just finished The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi and it was a great read.

When I was a teen, I read everything I could get by Barbara Michaels (Barbara Mertz who also writes as Elizabeth Peters).  Her historicals and contemporaries are in the gothic tradition.  Loved them all.

I second the recommendation of Ibbotson and A Countess Below Stairs.

I’d highly recommend Sharon Shinn’s YA fantasy novels, all of which have a strong romance theme.  There’s a trilogy of The Safe-Keeper’s Secret, The Truth-Teller’s Tale and The Dream-Maker’s Magic and the fabulous stand alone YA fantasies Summers at Castle Auburn and General Winston’s Daughter.  The last one in particular is a timely read as it discusses colonialism and attitudes toward people who are different from you.

Shanna Swendson’s delightful fantasy novels set in NYC read like Harry Potter meets Chick-Lit and are appropriate for teens.  Start with Enchanted, Inc.

Finally, I always like to put in a plug for my favorite historical romance suitable for middle school and older elementary readers, Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.  There’s a reason why it’s still in print after 50 years.

Jo Beverley, An Unwilling Bride

Lois McMaster Bujold, Young Miles

Loretta Chase, Lord of Scoundrels

Jennifer Crusie, Getting Rid of Bradley and Faking It

Tom and Sharon Curtis, The Windflower

Diana Gabaldon, Outlander

Roberta Gellis’, Alinor

Madeline Hunter, By Arrangement

Laura Kinsale, The Dream HUnter

Jayne Ann Krentz, Trust Me

Melissa Marr,  Wicked Lovely  This was last year’s RITA winner in the YA catagory.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Ain’t She Sweet

Mary Jo Putney, Angel Rogue

Julia Quinn, To Catch an Heiress

Garth Nix, Sabriel (The Abhorsen Trilogy)
Marlys Millheiser, The Mirror
Mary Stewart, The Ivy Tree

Also, C. E. Murphy’s Heart of Stone trilogy is hugely romantic and very appropriate for a high school library. Gargoyles!

Thirding Elizabeth Peters. Loved her as a high-schooler, particularly the Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody books. I also enjoyed Regency romances by Marion Chesney…a bit formulaic, but she wrote heroines in their late teens/early twenties who behaved like teenagers, which I found appealing.

I’d also recommend the wallflower series by Lisa Kleypass, maybe Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. Also, just thinking, Laura Kinsale’s The Shadow and the Star is very dramatic and heartfelt, but not tremendously sensual. That might be a good choice too.

I read tons of adult romances as a teenager, and the main way my tastes were different is that I preferred younger, more innocent heroines, whom I felt I could relate to better, and I had a higher tolerance for overwritten description.

Mandy Hubbard—Prada and Prejudice—just ordered it for my dd. There’s another Prejudice hommage book that just got a great review on AAR: something about P&P and Zombies: I bought her that too. I personally think Heyer is great for teens ... I know I loved it. But I’m probably not the best judge :)

I loved Barbara Michaels when I was a kid/teen, but wonder if those are too dated. I think of Jo inThe Crying Child with her love of modern music—The Beatles and Three Dog Night.

Except69: People will be asking me all day why I’m giggling. Nice.

Ooo, I second the Sookie Stackhouse books. I would have loved those as a teen. And Patricia Briggs, both the Mercy books, and the Alpha and Omega ones.

Also, for quality, medium-tame romances, I’d say Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jo Beverley. Maybe a few of the Quinn Bridgerton books, but they get a little much after a while (or maybe that’s because I read most of them at a go a few years ago). Eloisa James might be a bit racy for a high school library, but I don’t know what your bar is. They’re certainly fun and well-written.

I read some craptastic romances as a teen because I was too embarrassed to actually browse the shelves and mostly bought what was available for .25 or .50 on the friends of the library shelf.

Seconding the recommendation of Enchanted, Inc.—I read it a few years ago and it’s charming.  I’d also suggest The Boy Next Door and Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot, written for adults but will likely appeal to teens.  Lauren Willig’s series starting with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation might also be a good choice… there’s nothing [that I recall] that parents might find scandalous.

Oh yes, I also meant to second the Eva Ibbotson romances. I particularly like A Company of Swans. She has a real knack for taking over-the-top elements and writing them well enough that I’ll put aside the contempt I generally have for said elements (for example, the eugenics loving villain in A Countess Below Stairs, heroines who are distinguished for the goodness and love of small animals and children, etc).

And since you asked for specific titles, for SEP, I’d say It Had to be You, Natural Born Charmer, and Match Me if You Can. For Jo Beverly, My Lady Notorious and A Lady’s Secret.

MichelleR, The Crying Child was one of my favorites as a teen and the “modern” music being from fifteen years before I was born didn’t even register with me :)  I loved gothic romance when I was a teenager… that was sort of my gateway from mysteries to romance.  Phyllis Whitney was another favorite but I don’t know if her books are still in print.

Also, I wanted to echo Betsy’s suggestion of I Capture the Castle... I desperately wish I had known about it when I was 15 or so.

I’m 28, but YA romance is probably my favorite genre.

I would love to recommend Poison Study, Magic Study, and Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder.  Below is the review for Poison Study, which is admittedly my favorite:
“Shivers, obsession, sleepless nights—these are the results not of one of the milder poisons that novice food-taster Yelena must learn during her harrowing job training but of newcomer Snyder’s riveting fantasy that unites the intelligent political focus of George R.R. Martin with a subtle yet potent romance. Through a stroke of luck, Yelena escapes execution in exchange for tasting the food of the Commander, ruler of Ixia. Though confined to a dank prison cell and doomed to a painful death, Yelena slowly blooms again, caught up in castle politics. But some people are too impatient to wait for poison to finish off Yelena. With the help of Valek, her steely-nerved, cool-eyed boss and the Commander’s head of security, she soon discovers that she has a starring role to play in Ixia’s future—a role that could lead to her being put to death as a budding magician even if she hits each cue perfectly. The first in a series, this is one of those rare books that will keep readers dreaming long after they’ve read it.” Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly.

I would also recommend Marissa Doyle’s “Bewitching Season”
From Booklist:
*Starred Review* Twins Persephone and Penelope are of two minds about their coming-out season. Pen is excited about the social whirl. Persephone would rather be home studying magic with their beloved governess, Ally. But when Ally disappears somewhere in Kensington Palace, the girls must harness their magical skills amidst the swirl of balls and presentations to find her. This wonderfully crafted debut novel braids several very different story lines into an utterly satisfying whole. The mystery of Ally’s whereabouts mingles with a plot to control the throne of the soon-to-be Queen Victoria. Persephone’s strong attraction to her handsome neighbor, Lochinver, provides a romantic element that makes for twists and turns, some of which are obvious ploys, but fun nonetheless. All of this is spread with a patina of magic, which somehow never overwhelms, leaving the story in the world of reality rather than in the realm of fantasy. In the midst of all this plotting, characters might have been lost, but Doyle takes as much care with characters (even minor ones) as with story details. This delightful mélange of genres makes for a great alternative to the depressing overload of chick lit. Grades 7-10.—Ilene Cooper

I saw someone else recommended Eva Ibbotson.  Her books are wonderful, as are Lauren Willig’s.

Another great series that combines romance and mystery are Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy series and also “Her Royal Spyness”:
If you liked Bridget Jones…
If you adore royal scandals…
If you loved Charade and a touch of danger…
A sexy hero who is not quite trustworthy…
And you love to laugh…
Then you’ll want to read Rhys’s new venture:

Her Royal Spyness

Georgie, aka Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin of King George V of England, is penniless and trying to survive on her own as an ordinary person in London in 1932.

So far she has managed to light a fire and boil an egg…
She’s gate-crashed a wedding…
She’s making money by secretly cleaning houses…
And she’s been asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen.

Everything seems to be going swimmingly until she finds a body in her bathtub and someone is definitely trying to kill her.

For “adult” romance that is ok for teens, Kristan Higgins “Just One of the Guys” is great, as are her other three books.
“Just One of the Guys is a true masterpiece.”  —  Dee’s Book Dish

Just One Of The Guys is hilarious. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much while reading a romance…I connected with Chas. I liked her…I wished she were my friend. Yes, I lost touch with reality… In Just One Of The Guys a damned good story got told. —All About Romance

“Plenty of slapstick humor…Higgins provides an amiable romp that ends with a satisfying lump in the throat.” — Publishers Weekly

“Kristan Higgins has a writing voice that is very genuine, robust, and amusing. She keeps the heart in romance without losing focus of her characters or the stories they have to tell. JUST ONE OF THE GUYS abounds with charm and the true joys and pratfalls of falling in love.” — www.RomanceJunkies.com

I highly recommend Diana Peterfreund’s Secret Society Girl Series—I cannot say enough good things about this series.  I stumbled upon the first book at the library two years ago, and salivated until the final book, book four, was released last month.

Although technically the series is adult (college years), it has a very YA feel.  Also, it’s not technically a romance, but it has, in my opinion, one of the best romances I’ve read.  Please check them out!

  * Book One: Secret Society Girl
  * Book Two: Under The Rose
  * Book Three: Rites of Spring (Break)
  * Book Four: Tap & Gown

I would totally recommend anything and everything by Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott. Granted, Scott’s LIVING DEAD GIRL isn’t a romance, and it’s a bit dark and disturbing (kidnapping, sexual abuse that’s hinted at but not graphic at all) but one of those books that just stays with you. I second the Melissa Marr recommendations. I haven’t read FRAGILE ETERNITY yet, but WICKED LOVELY and INK EXCHANGE were both excellent. I also second the Maria Snyder and Holly Black recommendations.

Other YA romances I’ve enjoyed (I’m 28, and yet I sometimes enjoy YA more than adult romance): GO FIGURE by Jo Edwards, PRETTY FACE by Mary Hogan, and PERFECT CHEMISTRY by Simone Elkeles (there’s some language, and some violence, but nothing more than what any teenager sees on television these days, IMO).

If she’s looking for books more on the inspirational side of things, Shelley Adina’s ALL ABOUT US series would probably fit the bill.

I’m in the Kristan Higgins camp.  Her books are fun, light, totally appropriate—and I can add anecdotal evidence: my 14 year old loves them.

I also read that letter as asking for “adult” romances without too graphic sex, not YA romance. Lots of great suggestions above, but I’d like to add two authors I enjoy:

Mary Balogh writes tamer romances with a greater emphasis on dialog than sexual themes. My favorites are Slightly Married, Slightly Dangerous and Simply Perfect but there are many of her books that I’ve never read that could be fabulous.

Mary Jo Putney also wrote some tamer romances, but two of my favorites, Thunder and Roses and One Perfect Rose are currently OOP, though Putney mentions that her current publisher plans to re-release them next year. The Wild Child is currently in print and is a good read as well.

Robin McKinley - (The newest, Chalice, is great but I am a long time “Blue Sword” fan.)
Tanith Lee (some of the time)
Andre Norton (again - some of the time) - and the people who co-author her books.
Charlotte MacLeod/Alisa Craig
Anne McCaffrey - and the people who co-author her books.

The books above are usually not focused on the Romance, but also there is not much that will raise a parent’s eyebrows.

The Thorn Birds (read that when I was in junior high)

For another big, sweeping romantic story (also read in junior high or high school) North and South by John Jakes.

Bridget Jones’s Diary

Any of Anna McPartlin’s books.

Hot Tamara by Mary Castillo

P.S. Thank you, Sarah, for mentioning Adiós.  It also gives me such a case of the Warm Fuzzies. :-)

Oh, hell, I’ll suggest my own CASA DRACULA series because I have many teen readers and libraries and school libraries often stock my books.  Teens have plagiarized my copy for their MySpace descriptions.  My series is not romance, but romantic comedy.

One teen reviewer for a midwest library wrote:  “OMFG this one was- is too amazing and indescribable to make words. I am totally and completely in love with Marta Acosta! I love love love her writing, characters, plot, ect.”

As you know,  “OMFG” is the highest rating possible.

Let’s see:  for paranormal YA romance, Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series;
PN Elrod’s Vampire Files paranormal mysteries aren’t YA, but the sensuality is minimal in keeping with the 1930’s time period, so I don’t foresee much parental objection to the books;
For sheer lunacy, anything by PG Wodehouse or Donald Westlake, especially the latter’s Dortmunder series;
R.A. McAvoy wrote some excellent fantasy with a strong romantic element back in the 1980’s (no idea if any of the books are still in print);
And fourth (or is it fifth?) Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels/Barbara Mertz.

Bewitching by Jill Barnett.  It was my first!

i highly recommend the liaden novels by sharon lee and steve miller.

Let me second everyone who mentioned Sharon Shinn, P.C. Cast, and Robin McKinley.  Shinn and McKinley write books that are not romances, but romantic, and to a teenager, that is a big plus.  Heck, it’s still a big plus to me.

Let me also recommend Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle series, starting with the book A Great and Terrible Beauty.  Not really a romance, but certainly a female-empowering YA.  Jude Devereaux’s probably tame enough, and I remember enjoying her books in high school.  Lynn Kurland writes clean romances, but a lot of her books are very repetitive, and there are way to many character reoccurances.  Of her titles, I would recommend A Dance Through Time, Stardust of Yesterday, This is All I Ask, The More I See You, and From This Moment On.  Those are probably the only books of hers that can truly stand alone.

I would also recommend Mercedes Lackey, especially her 500 Kingdoms and Wizards of London series.  Both of these series have strong romantic elements.  Her Heralds of Valdemar series is excellent for fantasy lovers (and also have romatic elements), but there are some homosexual romances as well that high school librarians might want to avoid.  I’ll leave that up to them, since I’m not the one fielding calls from angry parents. 

PS - The last high school I worked for had quite a few Anita Blake books in the stacks.  I always wondered if the librarian had actually read them.

I am loving this thread! My to read pile is growing like a teenager!

I agree with Robin McKinley—a lot of libraries carry her Newbery titles and not the rest of her stuff, which may or may not be marketed as YA.

I recommend Kristan Higgins, for sure, for contemporary romance, and some Jennifer Crusie.  I agree about Maria V. Snyder and Sharon Shinn, for fantasy with strong romantic elements. I think Julia Quinn’s stuff would work for high school girls, but each school library has different standards for sex, so preview carefully there.  Same with Mary Jo Putney and Mary Balogh—they aren’t erotic by any means, but I know some high school mums who would be displeased by the sexual content, and ditto on Sookie Stackhouse.

I have to admit that if I were in Anonymous Librarian’s shoes, I’d be very careful on this issue.  It’s been 23 years since a parent tried to get me fired because her son checked out a book from the school library for my class which contained the word “orgasm.”  Times have changed, but there are still protective parents whom it may not be worth clashing with over adult romance titles.

And in actual YA titles, if by any chance you don’t have Melissa Marr, Libba Bray or PC & Kristin Cast already in your collection, my just-graduated daughter wants to know “why not?”—those authors got her through her senior year.

Don’t get Graceling - the cover says it is for a fairly young age group but the evil guy mutilates young children for sexual kicks. No thanks.

I would say get Robin Palmer’s Cindy Ella and new/upcoming release Geek Charming.

In my wishlist the YAs are Kaleb Nation’s Brian Hambric: Farfield curse, Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, and Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs.

I agree with Robin McKinley and Georgette Heyer. 

I would like to add a new one that is just divine:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780786838189

I don’t have time to read the comments, so maybe I’m reinforcing somebody’s opinion, maybe these are new:

The Season by Sarah McLean was great and I adored it. It’s a YA Romance.
I adored the Protector of the Small Quartest (First Test, Page, Squire, Lady Knight) by Tamora Pierce. Although all her work is YA and good, it’s not quite Romance. More Fantasy with a lot of girl power. But it has a taste of Romance.
Ella Enchanted is a great YA Romance and still possibly my favorite book ever.

I loved Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters as a teen—-and still do!
The library in question probably already has them, but what about classics like the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Phantom of the Opera?  They’re both romantic, and I loved them as a teen.
I second the recommendation of the Study books by Maria V. Snyder, which have been reissued in YA versions, and add two more romantic fantasy series: The Truth books and the Decoy Princess/Princess at Sea duology by Dawn Cook.  She also happens to be Kim Harrison, but this series has less sex than the Rachel Morgan series; however, Harrison actually has a YA novel out now: Once Dead, Twice Shy.

Robin McKinley’s Sunshine (vampires done right w/ a side of romance)
Sharon Shinn’s The Shape-Changer’s Wife
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Sharing Knife Series

My high shool age daughter and her girl friends who are all very good at Math and Science love Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. They also like historical mysteris with romance such as, And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander, and What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris.

When I was a teenager, my friend and I went to the public library and looked for the steamiest romances we could find to check out, but I suppose a school library can’t get away with that (especially since they seem to have gotten steamier since I was 16).

I second Enchanted Inc. by Shanna Swendson and Boy Next door by Meg Cabot.  A Civil Campaign by Bujold would be good.  I think a teen could easily relate to the dinner party from hell with friends and parents just getting in the way.

Also, the Emma manga series by Kaoru Mori.  They are very sweet and the main characters are quite young, plus it’s in a teen-friendly format.

have36—have 36what?  Chocolate chip cookies?  Puppies? Men in regency garb with their shirts unbuttoned but tucked in?

I second Tamora Peirce!  I absolutely loved her Song of the Lioness series when I was about twelve.  It definitely has a strong romance element, especially the sequels (the herioine is only about twelve herself in the first book).
I also love Robin McKinley and Gail Carson Levine.  Rhys from “The Two Princesses of Bamarre” is one of my all-time favorite YA Romance heroes—and Levine does a fab job with her heroes in general, including Char from “Ella Enchanted.”
I work at Teen Ink Magazine, and we’ve been hearing way too much about Twilight lately…great to hear about some other YA titles!

Hmmm you’re kind of describing my transitional books. The books I read in late high school/early college. They’re relatively new and very interesting. Most are historical based but that’s what I’m interested.

The Tory Widow by Christine Blevins: It just started it’s going to be a trilogy and if you have anyone reading Ann Rinaldi’s books that take place during the American Revolution this is an excellent transitional book that will be more mature. The main character is very similair to the heroines in Rinaldi’s books who manage to take charge of their life during the middle of a war.

The Food of Love by Anthony Capella: It’s an italian version of Cerno De Burgerac. Very cute, I still remember this one. Instead of poetry though the main character makes really good food and is a chef in his friend’s restaurant.

The Rose Trilogy by Jennifer Donnelly: This is a really good trilogy so far and doesn’t have any seriously x rated love scenes. What makes this trilogy work is the detail and historical accuracy. With a wide spread cast of characters that intertwin in interesting ways.

The Dark Queen Series by Susan Carroll: I love this series and I’m really wondering what’s up with the Twilight Queen because it keeps getting pushed back, but it’s a great series that’s both romantic and high action at the same time.

A Vision of Light, In Pursuit of the Green, and The Water Devil by Judith Merkle Riley: Ok not going to lie in high school I read In Pursuit of the Green Lion at least five times without even knowing it was the middle of a trilogy. Margrete is probably one of my favorite characters I love that she’s this healer with a direct connection to God. Her conversations wiith him are very witty. From surviving the Black Plague to saving her crusader husband and her infant son this is one of my favorites. Just talking about it makes me want to read it!

Hope this help…a lot of these you might not find in the Romance section The Riley series was just to good not to recommend.

Simone Elkeles is a recent YA author who writes great romances.  I also second the rec for Sharon Shinn—her books are really great.

To be honest, I read some really racy books when I was teen. :D I was in love with L. J. Smith’s books, though, which are paranormal teen romance.

There’s also Tanith Lee, who writes sci-fi books with a bit of romance in them.  The Wolf Chronicles and Silver Metal Lover come to mind right away.

Julie James’ The Sexiest Man Alive is a great contemporary adult romance that doesn’t have any explicit sex scenes in it.  That would be a good choice as well.

Lynn Kurland’s de Piaget/MacLeod books starting with Stardust of Yesterday. Mostly paranormal elements with ghosts and time travel, but there are a couple of straight historical and contemporaries in there, mainly in the short stories of the series, though.

Harlequin has launched a new teen line, called, oddly enough, HarlequinTEEN.  While they only are promoting two books right now, it’s brand new, they do offer free ARCs, while supplies last.  Just click on the book, then up at the top of the book detail page you can “request an ARC.”  www.harlequinteen.com

I have to suggest several that I have read recently and loved. Michael Grant’s “Gone” series, PC Cast’s “House of Night”,James Patterson’s
“Maximum” series, and Melissa Marr’s “Wicked Lovely. Oh, and Lynne Ewing’s “Daughters of the Moon”

E. Lockhart’s books, especially the Ruby Oliver series (3 so far).

Beautiful Creatures by Garcia & Stohl comes out in the fall; a Twilight type romance told from the POV of the boy.

Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series is terrific.

Here’s a good list of boy POV romance: http://lu.com/ranews/jun2008/webber.cfm

Audrey Wait by Benway.

Louise Rennison’s books about Georgia Nicolson are very young Bridget Jones-ish.

Laini Taylor has a great short story collection coming out, Lips Touch, all supernatural romances.

YALSA’s popular paperbacks list, esp Sex Is http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/annotations/08ppya.cfm#sex  Romance http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/annotations/2000popularpaperbacks.cfm#romance  and Books that Don’t Make You Blush http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/annotations/ppya06.cfm#blush

I am partial to my own YA books

Braced2Bite, Fangs4Freaks, Dating4Demons and Fendi Ferragamo and Fangs.

Then my June release, which is a contemporary “Giving Up the V” which got a great review from Publisher’s Weekly, who said, “this novel stands out for its thorough, no-holds-barred discussion of sex in its many forms-from the ugly to the beautiful”

www.serenarobar.com

I am partial to my own YA books

Braced2Bite, Fangs4Freaks, Dating4Demons and Fendi Ferragamo and Fangs.

Then my June release, which is a contemporary Giving Up the V which got a great review from Publisher’s Weekly, who said, “this novel stands out for its thorough, no-holds-barred discussion of sex in its many forms-from the ugly to the beautiful”.

Have to cheer for the Maria Snyder recs. Both the Poison series and the new Storm Glass series. LOVE her books and I think high school kiddos would, too.

LOVE Susan Carroll’s Dark Queen trilogy and second that rec.

If you don’t have it, The Tree of Red Stars by Tessa Bridal is a great adult for YA novel. The love-interest is completely secondary to the revolution going on in Uraguay.

Does the Bitchery think that Jennifer Blake’s Maitres des Armes series is too hot? B/c I think some readers would enjoy the atmosphere of Creole New Orleans.

What about Betina Krahn’s The Husband Test, The Wife Test, and The Marriage Test. That old bat of an Abbess was very crafty…

While I agree with the general enthusiasm for a lot of these books, the librarian should check/read them herself first, to discover if the school board has a tolerance for gore/violence and rape as well.

The Mercy Thompson series for example contains rape and murder/violence as well. There’s a lot of vampire violence in McKinley’s Sunshine.

The Emma manga is beautiful but has some very tasteful nude scenes of female characters (it was published in a mangazine for men = seinen manga).

Maria V. Snyder’s Study series has a lot of violence, rape (real and threatened) and murder, especially of female characters, although not all of it is “on screen” so to say.

In conclusion, read the recommendations first - except for the known ya authors, maybe.

The whole Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn. Definitely some Kristan Higgins.

She said she already has a Cabot collection, but to double check, the Mediator series and the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series are still old favorites of mine that I’ll pull out, even though I’ve read them all a million times.

I had an 8th grade student last year that would read anything.  She was reading Christina Dodd’s lost princess series that she picked up at the public library.  She has also read the Vampire Academy and House of Night series which previous posters recommended.  I generally don’t recommend to my students since they are middle school, but to my friends that are just getting into romance I recommend Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Christina Dodd, Judith McNaught’s Remember When, and Lynsay Sands’ Argeneau series for paranormal.

When I was 15 (I’m 21 now) I started reading Jennifer Crusie and feel in love with the romance genre. I also absolutely loved The Full Series by Janet Evanovich and Charlotte Hughes. Oh and the Chesapeake Bay Series by Nora Roberts. So those would be my recommendations.

Of course our school library only stocked a collection of awful Mills and Boon books with titles like Finn’s Twins, or a personal favourite of mine Raoul’s Revenge (which was read aloud to a captive audience each morning during roll call and is still remembered in horrific detail by many to this day).

An Abundance of Katherines is, hands down, the best YA romance I’ve ever read. I like that it’s taken from the guy’s point of view.

Oh, the author is John Green, btw.

Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci is awesome contemporary title. I know someone has already recommended Holly Black’s Valiant, but it is truly worth a second nod.

Definitely Kristan Higgins and Jenny Crusie - their backlists are quite small but for a specific suggestion - Higgins’ Too Good to Be True and Crusie’s Bet Me are faves.

Also, I’d recommend the in Death series by JD Robb/Nora Roberts. 

Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels and the Carsington series (Miss Wonderful, Mr. Impossible etc) would be great.

The Gallagher series in Ireland by Nora Roberts.  Or the Cheasapeake Bay quartet.  All really good.

Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series are excellent and not too scandalous.

I’d also add Rachel Gibson to the contemporay list.  The Trouble with Valentine’s Day, Daisy’s Back in Town, Lola Carlyle Reveals All are just a few of hers I’d recommend.

This is fun!

Robin McKinley’s BEAUTY is the best retelling of Beauty and the Beast in the Known Universe.  I taught it to high school students for more than a decade and hooked them every time.

Tanith Lee’s SLIVER METAL LOVER is pure magic, but it’ll make you snot cry at the end.

Deborah Smith’s A GENTLE RAIN is a sweet, wonderful book.

I read THE FAR PAVILIONS by MM Kaye and SHOGUN by James Clavell when I was about 18 and they made me swoon.  I mean in a good way…

‘Claiming the Courtesan’!

Um… joking.

I agree with the Mary Balogh recommendation - beautifully written, romantic and not too racey. My favourites are the Slightly series, especially ‘Dangerous’, ‘Married’, ‘Wicked’ and ‘Scandalous’. ‘Simply Unforgettable’ is good too.

I also agree with the Julia Quinn suggestions. The first four Bridgerton books are the best if you don’t want to order in all eight!

Robin McKinley’s ‘Sunshine’ = yay! Vampire fiction with NO HIGH SCHOOL!

I imagine teenagers would enjoy Marian Keyes as well. ‘The Last Chance Saloon’ isn’t bad.

If you like fantasy romance, Juliet Marillier’s Severwaters trilogy is gorgeous and very romantic - ‘Daughter of the Forest’, ‘Son of the Shadows’ and ‘Child of the Prophecy’. She has a few others - ‘Wildwood Dancing’ and ‘Cybele’s Secret’ written specifically for teenagers.

Another good one is’Sorcery and Cecilia’ by Wrede and Stevermer - a variation of the letter game set in Regency era England with magic. Sort of Georgette Heyer meets Suzanne Clarke. Two girls, two intriguing and infuriating men, two villains and a complicated plot linking them all.

So Many good recs in this thread! Again it’s hard to judge which ones are great romances which won’t get parental hackles up-
-Heyer is a classic and few people object to her,
-Sharon Shinn, Tamora Pierce, Bujold, Whelan Turner, are all great and hide themselves as fantasy.
-Judith Merkle Riley’s Margaret trilogy -mentioned upstream- is one of the great romances and looks historical and worthy.

Anything by Sherwood Smith is worth checking out.

As far as romance-romances go- the ones I can think of that haven’t been mentioned- Mary Balogh, Laura Kinsale.

But then when I was a teen I was running wild in the library, and grateful my parents just thought of me as A Reader without checking out most of what I was reading…a courtesy I’d extend to my kids.

I know I’m gonna get the beat down for this, but Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series (Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse/Breaking Dawn) have been favorites of almost all the HS girls I know, and her new book Host is great according to my neice.

I highly recommend all of Simone Elkeles books, “Perfect Chemistry” is her latest. She also has “How to ruin my summer vacation”, “How to ruin my teenage life”, and “Leaving Paradise”.

I have written “Ordinary Me” and my newest is a short story in the Anthology “Summer Lovin’”, so of course I recommend those too!

Thanks
June

YA fiction dates *extremely* rapidly, so I’m not going to recommend any of my favourites as a teen, and I’d be wary of adding any older authors (Holt, Michaels, etc) unless they’ve been recently re-published with attractive new covers like the Ibbotson titles mentioned upthread.

I disgaree with Keira—I just read Cashore’s Graceling and LOVED it. Unconventional heroine, yummy hero, and while it deals with some dark themes it’s not explicit. Plus the copy I saw says 14+ on the cover, which seems about right to me.

I work in a public library, not a school one, so our concerns about content are different & I’m going to assume that HS Librarian here knows her business. Still, I’d be extremely careful about what titles you add and make sure you can back up your choices with rave reviews, awards, etc whenever possible.

Along those lines, if you haven’t already checked out the Alex Awards for books “written for adults that have special appeal to young adults,” keep them in mind. While genre romance rarely makes the list, lots of the books have romantic elements.

Thank you all for your great recommendations.  Georgette Heyer and Barbara Mertz in all her incarnations have long been favorites of mine and major comfort re-reads, but I wasn’t sure if they would still resonate with kids.  Although I was asking for adult romance titles and authors suitable for teens, I appreciate the many YA recs as well.  While we have many of these authors, a number of them are new to me and I’ll have to seek them out—Scott, Ibbotson and Snyder in particular.  We have Evanovich, but I was debating the appropriateness of Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels—which I love.

These days any novel written for an adult audience is a potential problem in a school library, yet, ironically, young adult literature is getting more graphic in violence and sexual content.  Our whole school is reading City of Thieves this summer; it’s a good read, but I’m glad my tush won’t be on the line for that choice.  Times have changed since my mom (God rest her soul) hid Wuthering Heights, Gone with the Wind, and Forever Amber under her bed.  If we stick to standard review sources and YA award lists, we have a little insulation from angry parents, but such lists don’t guarantee either “appropriateness” or a great read.  I think that the input from all of you passionate readers is far more helpful, because libraries—school or public—need to have a commitment to passionate readers.  Scanning your comments, I alternated between Yes! We got that one right! and Wow! We’ll have to check that out!  Thank you again for all your wonderful suggestions and reflections.  This blog is the bomb!

Colleen Gleason’s Gardella Vampire Chronicles.

Carla Kelly’s two latest; The Surgeon’s Lady and Marrying the Captain. Any of her’s really.

Megan Whelan Turner; The Thief, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. There’s a fourth one coming out next March The Conspiracy of Kings

If you wish to attract teenage boys to the library, I have to recommend Jim Butcher and his “Codex Alera” series.
The series will appeal both to girls and boys as there is a romantic element growing in each installment as the main character, Tavi, grows older.

I would also recommend Butcher’s more contemporary “Dresden Files” but to older audiences as it is more violent in context.

I know parents are leery of TMI but I when I was a teen I was reading spicy authors like Jennifer Blake and loving them. In fact, I probably read them precisely *because* they were so… ahem… informative :)  With that in mind, my recommendations are based on what I think are the really great books, with a nod towards stories and themes teens might identify with.

Carrie Lofty, “What A Scoundrel Wants”  An awesome take on the Robin Hood legend, focusing on Will Scarlett and a blind heroine. It’s a load of fun and the heroine and hero are wonderfully flawed – the story starts with Will trying to decide whether or not to sneak away from a fight :D

Meredith Duran, “The Duke of Shadows”  The writer’s first book but still one of my favorites. Both the heroine and hero struggle with issues of social acceptance and finding their own path. Plus, the hero is *to die for* wonderful!

Laura Kinsale, “The Shadow and the Star”  Naïve miss goes from struggling seamstress to wife of mysterious shipping magnate. Excitement and international hijinks ensue! With ninjas?

Laura Kinsale, “Midsummer Moon”  What happens when a starchy duke meets a brilliant but scatterbrained inventor? Romance… And more international hijinks, of course!

Basically, anything by Kinsale is gold, but these two are both exciting (with all those hijinks and ninjas and such) but they’re also stories of the heroines growth as adults, something I’d imagine kids are thinking about. Also, I love, love, *love* anything by Elizabeth Hoyt, Sherry Thomas and Julie Anne Long, three brilliant, relatively new authors in Romance. I don’t think any of them have written a bad book but here are some specific recommendations:

“Private Arrangements” and “Not Quite a Husband” by Sherry Thomas are both passionate, emotional and loads of fun. NQAH in particular is an exciting road romance (with international hijinks set in the Swat Valley – how’s that for educational? You get romance *and* current events!)

Julie Anne Long’s Holt Sister trilogy (“Beauty and the Spy”, “Ways To Be Wicked” and “The Secret to Seduction”) is a lot of fun and her “Like No Other Lover” is a laugh-out-loud funny Becky Sharp type story. I didn’t like the gold-digging heroine at first but you come to understand and even love her.

It’s really hard to find any paranormals that don’t straddle the romantica line (“paranormal” seems to be a synonym for “lots and lots of raunchy vampire/ demon/ werewolf/ weredolphin/whatever sex) but Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series (“Magic Bites”, “Magic Burns”, “Magic Strikes”) and Meljean Brook’s Guardian series (“Demon Angel”, “Demon Moon”, “Demon Night” and “Demon Bound”) are two of the better written ones.

Shannon Hale writes YA fantasy, but she has a couple of adult romances that should appeal to both adults and teens and be appropriate for a school library. Austenland and The Actor & the Housewife

also check out:
The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas - a fun and different YA book with very rewarding romance and strong heroine.

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr is not technically a romance, but it’s a YA book with some great romantic tension.

I graduated high school a few years ago and I remember reading Once a Scoundrel by Candice Hern and Worth any Price by Lisa Kleypas during study hall.  Once a Scoundrel is one of the books that got me hooked on Romances.  Also, Mercedes Lacky’s books have romantic undertones to them, especially the Valdemar series; fantasy lovers will enjoy her books.  Arrow’s of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, and Arrow’s Fall are the first and are overall light books.  For a darker romance readers could go for Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Price, and Magic’s Price.  These six are the first six Valdemar books published.

Several authors I often recommend to those seeking YA romance have already been mentioned, so these are new names to add to the list.  These authors write books that are specifically marketed to teens:

Carolyn Mackler (The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things)
Catherine Clark (Icing on the Lake, Truth or Dairy)
Rachel Hawthorne (Thrill Ride, Snowed In)
Lauren Myracle (TTFN series and many other books)
Aimee Friedman (Sea Change)
Alyson Noel (Evermore, Art Geeks & Prom Queens)
Lynda Sandoval (Chicks Ahoy, Who’s Your Daddy)
Terri Clark (Sleepless)
Jaclyn Moriarty (Feeling Sorry for Celia)

I think McKinley’s ‘Sunshine’ is less violent than the Twilight lot, to be honest.  I told my mother - a librarian - about teenage Bella’s vampire baby having to be eaten out, and she nearly passed out.

Pamela Dean’s ‘Tam Lin’?  It starts at the beginning of college, so might appeal to high schoolers - no graphic sex scenes to upset the parents, but a good description of the ways you muddle through relationships with roommates AND boys!  With any luck, it’ll set some of them off on BAs…

Sarah, thanks so much for the shout out! Glad to see Adios and Nick & Norah recommended. Loved both of those.

Rosemary Clement-Moore’s Prom Dates from Hell, a hilarious paranormal, won the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and finaled in the RITA last year. The sequel also won the GWAoE and has finaled in the RITA this year. Rosemary is taking a darker path with Splendor Falls, coming in September. I can’t wait for that one.

Marley Gibson’s Ghosthuntress series is lots of fun and is appropriate for younger teens. The first one is out, with more coming.

R. A. Nelson’s Breathe My Name is wonderful. It looks like he’s doing something really different with Days of Little Texas, out in July.

Seconding Hannah’s rec of Sara Zarr, I haven’t read Sweethearts, but Story of a Girl is quite something. Again, romance involved but not a HEA.

My absolute favorite teen books are Violet Eyes and its sequel, Silver Eyes by Nicole Luiken.  They are romance/adventure and very captivating!
I also loved Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness and Immortals quartets, and Sharonn Shinn has some great books too (Heart of Gold, Summers at Castle Auburn)

Some great suggestions so far, but two that made me swoon at that age were The Lark and the Laurel (historical romance, don’t remember the author) and Patricial McKillip’s Forgotten Beasts of Eld. There’s also the Flambards series by Peyton. Nothing wrong with getting a little history at the same time! :)

Speaking as a high school teacher librarian, I’d say there is an important distinction between what one can stock in a high school library and what one might mention in passing or indeed discuss with the kids.  I’ve had Sherrilyn Kenyon/Sookie Stackhouse discussions, for example, but couldn’t justify stocking either series in the library - too much adult content.  Ditto the Time Traveler’s Wife, much as I love it myself.  Ditto Lord of Scoundrels. 

So what you may recommend, as an adult, to a kid you know, isn’t necessarily a match for what a TL can add to a school library collection.  The latter depends on your community, and its sensitivities, and your library’s collection development policy and guidelines.  There is, however, always the local library to which you can point the kids for books outside your own scope…

Also speaking from experience, while I know lots of people may be sick to death of Twilight, by golly by gum it’s been HUGELY influential in getting kids into reading: kids who read anyway, but also very much kids who didn’t.  And they come back and want something else, because they’ve discovered the ‘hit’ that reading can be.  Not all of them, but enough of them.  I’m therefore a big fan of the Twilight effect (mind you, it’s a tad offputting/challenging when they have to borrow a nonfiction book for a class reading assignment, and ask for one ‘just like Twilight’.  Had to think about that one!).

It’s great to read this thread, though, and see some familiar titles and some less familiar ones to follow up.  Thank you!

A few suggestions, some echoing earlier ones:
Gemma Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty series
Robin McKinley, esp. Sunshine, The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, Beauty
Melina Marchetta: Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca (a particular favourite of mine)
Popular series include Maximum Ride, House of Night, Vampire Academy, Evernight etc, Wicked Lovely etc, City of Bones etc (some of the gels get quite flustered at the manly chests on the cover of that series).

I’d second the recommendation of Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series.

As regards Sharon Shinn, I think I’d be selective for a high school collection.  The “Twelve Houses” books are mostly safe enough, as are any of her YAs, but the “Samaria” novels could cause problems.  Sexuality isn’t the issue, though—I’m thinking of the explicitly religious themes combined with the political power dynamics, which are more or less guaranteed to cause the wrong kind of conservative Christian to rise up in self-righteous book-burning wrath.

Anything of Judith Tarr’s that you can find in print would be a good bet; her most current series is a fantasy/romance trilogy under the byline “Kathleen Bryan”, but her historicals and fantasies under her own name are uniformly well characterized and impeccably researched.

Pretty much anything by Lynn Kurland would fit the bill for a y/a Romance section. Her Romances are all PG (closed bedroom door).

If the sex isn’t an issue , I’d try them on Bertrice Small’s Early Historicals. I read the Skye O’Malley books while I was in my teens and loved them!

I came across this website that reviews “clean reads”.  Some of her recommendations are Meyer (not sure if that’s a plus or minus), Scott Westerfield, and Jessica Day George.

Oo, I missed this thread first time around!

Just wanted to add: I spent middle school and high school reading and re-reading all of L.M. Montgomery’s books and stories (author of the Anne of Green Gables series). A Tangled Web and The Blue Castle are good as stand-alone romances (the former follows many couples), and the Emily of New Moon series gets romantic by the third book, when the characters are grown.

I recently gave a copy of The Blue Castle to a middle school girl I know whose favorite book is Twilight—I wanted her to read a romance with entirely different power dynamics, and one that I had loved as a teen. It’s just lovely: an unmarried “spinster” (she’s 30 - horrors!) is diagnosed with a heart defect that gives her a year to live, at most. She decides she’s going to do exactly as she pleases for the rest of her life and begins speaking her mind and scandalizing her family—it’s also a get-married-and-then-fall-in-love romance. I actually re-read it again after buying it. Still good. :)

As a historical romance lover, I started off with Jean Ferris’ trilogy; Into the Wind, Song of the Sea and Weather the Storm. I read this series over and over and recently got my fifteen year old cousin hooked on it. A bold heroine, a dashing hero and some light canoodling (haha).

I love Lynn Kurland and would recommend all her books.  They are heavy on the story, sweet, and no sex.  Specifically a couple of good ones If I Had You and This is All I ask.

Someone above mentioned Elizabeth Peters… I’ve read and loved all her books.  Most combine history (or archaeology!) with mystery and light/innocent romance.  Personally, I enjoyed the non-series here more than her series.  My favorites: Summer of the Dragon and the Dead Sea Cipher.