Now that a great many of us are Smart Bitches, thanks to the membership feature of this here site, I have a question to the general Bitchery: What is your A book?
I don’t necessarily mean your all-time favorite, since sometimes the book you call your most lovely favorite is a book wherein you must acknowledge the flaws in the structure or plotting or character, and love the book despite its imperfections.
I mean the book that made you go, “Well, beat me with a donkey’s ass, that was a fucking awesome romance novel!”
For me, there are desperately few of these books: Bitten by Kelley Armstrong is one of my A books, because it just knocked me over and I still think about it. It was also the book that created my utter fascination with paranormal romance.
Also, Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm, because this book beat down the weeds in the side yard of the estate of romance and created a whole new field of readng for me: The Holy-Shit Good Romance. Can you imagine the editor’s meeting for that one? “No, really, he’s a immoral, licentious duke, but he had a stroke, and she’s a Quaker, so he’s locked in an institution unable to communicate clearly, and she’s locked in to a different institution that she loves but feels she is betraying – hey, where are you going? This is too a romance!”
I’m still working on my “All About Sarah” entry (I have twice as many cats plus a dog so I have to take a lot more pictures) but since one of the questions is about my A book, I want to know- what’s yours?
Hmmm… ‘A’ books are so few and far between, but I would have to concur with Flowers from the Storm and add a few extra, with the caveat that some of these are books with romantic elements and not necessarily in the romance section.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Tinker by Wen Spencer
Special Gifts by Ann Stuart
Now You See Her by Linda Howard
The Duke by Gaelen Foley (nyah nyah Beth!)
Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale
Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale (this is my personal ‘whoaaa, romance can be THIS good?!?’ book)
If I’m only doing romance novels:
Lord of Scoundrels—Loretta Chase
Windflower—Laura London
Flowers from the Storm—Kinsale
For My Lady’s Heart—Kinsale
Midsummer Moon—Kinsale
The Outsider—Williams
The Temporary Wife—Balogh
A Precious Jewel—Balogh
The Grand Sophy, and most other Heyers—GH
Miss Whittier Makes a List—Carla Kelly
Playing the Jack—Mary Brown
And their authors don’t consider them romance, but I’d have to add to the list:
Shards of Honor—Lois McMaster Bujold
Outlander—Diana Gabaldon
I’d say my best “fucking awesome romance novel” is Almost a Gentleman, by Pam Rosenthal. Smart, emotionally engaging, and beautifully written.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Hmmm….I’m not so sure I can remember. And dang it. I think I’m going to have to read a Kinsale by the end of the month.
Brighter than the Sun by Julia Quinn. It makes me go “awwww”.
You know..I can’t think of another right now.
Oooh, good catch Darlene! I completely left out Carla Kelly. The majority of her books are A’s for me, but I am especially fond of:
With this Ring (the first Kelly I read)
and Miss Whittier Makes a List (can’t say enough about this FAN-tastic book)
I’ll confine mine to Romance, and echo what so many others have said (and will continue to say, I’m sure) : Flowers From the Storm by Kinsale. It’s flawless. Seriously. Flawless. That’s the only word for it.
Y’all are gonna hate me for this.
The Secret, by Julie Garwood.
Why? Because I’d abandoned romance for a very long time. I was sick of the constant diet of prickish heroes, who routinely raped, smacked around, and basically acted in the foulest possible manner toward the heroine and yet still she managed to love him… please!
I was tired of sagas that encompassed a heroine’s sexual journey as she found her first love, went through three husbands, got shipwrecked, the obligatory rape scene, wound up in captivity story.
And then a friend talked me into reading The Secret, and to my delight I rediscovered my love of romance. The genre had changed so much in the twelve years or so since I’d stopped reading it.
That’s why it’s on my A list.
X
OK, my A list is pretty long and tiresome. I’ll break it down by author to make it easier. Get ready!
Every Laura Kinsale book except The Dream Hunter. Yes, I think she’s THAT good.
Loretta Chase:
Knaves’ Wager
Devil’s Delilah
The Lion’s Daughter
Lord of Scoundrels
Jennifer Crusie:
Manhunting
Anyone But You
Bet Me
Lisa Kleypas:
Give Me Tonight
Only With Your Love
Dreaming of You
Laura London/Sharon and Tom Curtis/Robin James:
The Windflower
Lightning That Lingers
The Golden Touch
Patricia Gaffney:
Sweet Everlasting
To Love and To Cherish
Wild At Heart
Barbara Samuel:
Lucien’s Fall
Bed of Spices
I think there may be a few I’m leaving out, but these cover the big ones.
Mmm…Bed of Spices…how could I forget that one? That was one freakin’ awesome book. Man, now I want to reread a ton o’ stuff!
*must dig through storage boxes o’ books*
EDTrix: If you like Carla Kelly, be sure to look for HERE’S TO THE LADIES—STORIES OF THE FRONTIER ARMY. It’s a TP published by Texas Christian University Press, and while all the stories are in the American West rather than Regency England, they’re classic Kelly.
I re-read MISS WHITTIER MAKES A LIST at least once a year. I just reviewed a Regency that used the American-girl-rescued-by-British-Naval-Captain
plot and it did not benefit by comparison to MISS WHITTIER. I almost felt bad for the author of the second novel, since I’ve been so spoiled by the quality of Kelly and others.
Bed of Spices is quite possibly THE best example of a “soulmates who immediately fall in love” story. I don’t normally like this sort of romantic device, but Barbara Samuel makes it sing. After something like the 3rd or 4th re-read, I suddenly realized that Rica and Solomon hadn’t known each other all that long or interacted all that much before they fell in love, but it didn’t even matter, because Samuel did such a stellar job of sucking me into the story. And there’s no doubt that these two DO love each other, and man, do they pay a price for it.
Just thinking about the ending is making me all snuffly here at work.
anything by Laurell K. Hamilton, b/c it makes the mind race and wonder about saucy things one wouldn’t have thought of before…or admit that they would love!
Darlene—I am way ahead of you there. Bought Here’s to the Ladies the instant it came out and then ordered a dozen into the B&N I was working at at the time and had it as a staff recommendation. I am a hard core Kelly fan, LOL. Now I need to dig out my Kelly backlist and reread… Too many recommendations, I will never get to any new booksat this rate!
Beast, The Proposition, Sleeping Beauty, Untie My Heart – Judith Ivory
Duchess In Love (I was in love with Sebastian, Marquess of Bonnington), Much Ado About You – Eloisa James
Guilty Pleasures, Circus of the Damned, The Laughing Corpse, – Laurell K. Hamilton (pretty much any of the Vampire Hunter books before Anita turned into a psycho slut)
An Offer from a Gentleman, When He Was Wicked – Julia Quinn
Romance:
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (I love almost all of her books, but this one is my favorite)
Simple Jess and The Love Charm by Pamela Morsi
Shattered Rainbows and One Perfect Rose by Mary Jo Putney
Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath
Heart of the West by Penelope Williamson
I haven’t read Kinsale yet, but I’m sure I will love her books, so I’m collecting them. (If I didn’t have so many book discussion books to read and if I weren’t in the middle of the newest Bujold, I’d be reading Kinsale right now).
Romantic SF and fantasy:
Shards of Honor, A Civil Campaign, and Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro
The Summer Queen by Joan D. Vinge
Beauty by Robin McKinley
Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
The Last Herald Mage Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey
The Dance of the Rings Trilogy by Jane S. Fancher
Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
and I loved the Eowyn and Faramir romance in The Return of the King
I forgot “Tempted” and “Seduced” by Pam Britton
Oh, Jeneca, word on “Almost a Gentleman” by Rosenthal. I love that book!
The Windflower—Tom and Sharon Curtis
Love’s A Stage—id
Sunshine and Shadow—id
For My Lady’s Heart—Kinsale
Midsummer Moon—id
Flowers from the Storm—id
Mr. Impossible—Loretta Chase
Black Silk—Judith Ivory
Dance—id
To Love and To Cherish—Gaffney
To Have and to Hold—id
My Reckless Heart—Jo Goodman
Charlaine Harris—Dead Until Dark
I have Bed of Spices and it just moved to the top of my TBR pile.
It’s interesting how tastes differ, since Rosenthal’s Almost a Gentleman is on my list of least favorite books. I’ve had a hard time getting into Carla Kelly, too.
My A – books – romance –
Bliss/Dance by Judy Cuevas
Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
Remember the Time by Annette Reynolds
Heart of the West by Pen Williamson
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
The Bronze Horseman by P. Simons
Ok, must mention one sci-fi author’s books:
The Radiant Seas/Primary Inversion/Catch the Lighting by Catherine Asaro. Love, love this woman’s books. Ok. Thanks.
Keishon
My A Books—have read all of these more than 3 times!
Lord of Scoundrels – Loretta Chase
The Devils Cub – Georgette Heyer
These Old Shades – Georgett Heyer
Flowers from the Storm – Laura Kinsale
The Windflower – Tom & Sharon Curtis
Dreaming of You – Lisa Kleypas
One Summer – Karen Robards (I remember getting this in the mail, opening it to check it out and then getting sucked in so bad, that I didn’t move for the next 3 hours!
Also:
Midnight Rainbow – Linda Howard
To Touch the Sun – Barbara Leigh
The Rake & the Reformer – Mary Jo Putney
Catspaw – Anne Stuart
A London Season – Joan Wolf
These are the titles that immediately jump to my mind:
BREATHLESS by Laura Lee Guhrke
THE NIGHTINGALE’S SONG by Kathleen Eschenburg
THE FIREBRAND by Susan Wiggs
All American historicals….hmmmm
Oh wait – here’s a contemporary series!
THE LONG WAY HOME by Cheryl Reavis (SSE 1245)
More or less straight romance:
Vows, Lavyrle Spencer
Welcome to Temptation, Jennifer Crusie
Anyone But You, Jennifer Crusie
Beauty, Robin McKinley
With this Ring, Carla Kelly
One Good Turn, Carla Kelly
The Viscount Who Loved Me, Julia Quinn
Thunder & Roses, Mary Jo Putney
When Venus Fell, Deborah Smith
Not really romance:
Shards of Honor & The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
Sunshine, Robin McKinley
Bitten & Stolen, Kelley Armstrong
I noticed all of the lists that include Kelly and Bujold—hooray! I have to request these through Interlibrary Loan, and I push them on my friends like a book pimp 🙂 I’m glad to hear that others have their work on their A lists 🙂
jmc
Morning Glory, LaVryle Spencer. Perfect in every way.
Also, Carla Kelly totally rocks. With This Ring, Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand, Miss Grimsley’s Oxford Career, Lady’s Companion, Miss Libby’s London Merchant—all well-worn keepers. I’m bummed though, that I haven’t read Miss Whittier Makes a List. It is so hard to find her books. Then, when I do, I can’t afford them!
Oh, the list of A romances… Each of these books to me qualifies as a romance and set me back on my heels going “Wow!”.
Sunshine and Beauty by Robin McKinley. One of the few authors I will always buy because I know it’s going to be good. The Beast and Constantine are two compelling, ambiguous heroes.
Children of the Night by Mercedes Lackey; the whole Diana Tragarde series is good but this one stars Andre the vampire, who is one of the hottest heroes I’ve ever encountered.
Now You See Her, Linda Howard. Another hot, hot, HOT hero and a heroine named after Paris, and a rollicking good read.
Making Babies, Wendy Warren. It’s a Silhouette, but it’s one of the funniest frocking romance novels I’ve ever read.
Sleeping With The Enemy, Nancy Price. One of my all-time favorite books, and to me does qualify as a romance. (Note: The movie SUCKED. Do NOT compare to the movie or risk my wrath.)
Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austin. You better believe it.
Personal Darkness, Tanith Lee (who just happens to be my favorite author.) Yes, part of the book is the love story between Racheala and Althene. One of my fave books.
Jumper, by Steven Gould. The hero’s younger than the heroine, and it’s told from the hero’s point of view, and the love story is what ultimately kept me reading.
Runner-up to #1? The Princess Bride, William Goldman. “As you wish.” My heart flutters every time I hear that phrase.
The number one romance novel of all time according to moi
Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte. Mr. Rochester. Plain Jane. The mad wife, the creepy St. John, the ludicrous twists of fate, the supernatural phenomena… There you go. It just don’t get no better than that in a romance, in my humble opinion.
Flowers from the Storm-Laura Kinsale
(I love all of hers but that is my favorite)
The Passions of Emma-Penelope Williamson
The Outsider-Williamson
Heart of the West-Williamson
Cry No More-Linda Howard
I have collected all of Williamson’s, Kinsale’s, and Garwood’s, and Moresi’s historials, but those are my A’s.
I read new authors all of the time, but for some reason none of them bump my A’s out of their places.
Ya’ll have a lot more A’s than I do, but mine are on your lists.
The Windflower by Laura London. Man, I wish they’d start writing again. Does anyone have any news about them?
Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale. Like everyone else, I like all of hers, but Prince of Midnight is one of my A’s.
Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
That’s about all I’ve got right now. I read all Laurel K. Hamilton’s and Janet Evanovich’s, but I’m not sure they’re A’s.
I almost forgot, but I’m adding Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips to my A list.
When I was 12, I read a book called “Vows” by LaVryle Spencer. I don’t remember much about it except it had a tomboy heroine whose father owned a horse ranch/stable and she falls in love with a guy who was building a rival horse ranch/stable across town. I think the guy’s name was Tom. The heroine’s friend falls in love with Tom also and sets his house on fire when Tom falls in love with the heroine. I think.
Jeez… was it even this book? I can’t remember. Huh.
I’ve got four that really stand out for me.
Dance, Judy Cuevas. This woman’s prose is poetry, absolutely the most beautiful, lush writing I have ever read. It’s predecessor, Bliss, is wonderful, too, and as beautifully written, but this pair is much harder to write as passionate lovers, much less the romantic cliche, so, for me, more memorable. Her books as Judity Ivory are also good, but, for me, it’s the Judy Cuevas oeuvre that rises above anything else I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a lot, from classics to category).
The Silver Metal Lover, Tanith Lee. A Sci-Fi/Fantasy read, it absolutely grabbed me by the heart and made me weep. I liked some of her other books, but this one was the most blatantly romantic and a major keeper.
Winter Rose, Patricia A. McKillip. This is Fantasy at its best, IMNSHO. Her writing, too, is lyrical and evocative. This story broke my heart and gave me hope, a not very usual combination. Her writing is always beautiful, but this was a book of my heart.
In the Midnight Rain, Ruth Wind (Barbara Samuel). One of her early category books, it transcends its confines with a quietly passionate story, wonderfully evocative writing, and characters that will break your heart before they finally find their HEA. An all-round amazing writer.
Not that I’m adding anything new but:
Flowers From the Storm (even though The Shadow and the Star is my best-loved Kinsale, I think it’s flawed).
Welcome to Temptation Jennifer Crusie does so many things right with this book: humor, sex, mystery, romance, family, and it all comes together.
The Grand Sophy Georgette Heyer—if you don’t like this one, perhaps you should skip the entire Regency romance subgenre.
I usually find that authors that write A books consistently write them. So my list of A authors would be many of the ones already mentioned:
In romance:
Judith Ivory
Laura Kinsale
Loretta Chase
Patricia Gaffney
Susan Grant
Stef Ann Holm
Tracy Grant
Connie Brockway
Susan Carroll
In SF:
Lois McMaster Bujold
Robin McKinley
S. L. Viehl
Robin Hobb
George R. R. Martin
Lyda Morehouse
Catherine Asaro
Elizabeth Moon
Stephen King
Jacqueline Carey
Anne Bishop
Phyllis Eisenstein
Whaaaa? No Woodiwiss?
A Rose In Winter – Kathleen Woodiwiss – this to me is definitive romantic and sexual tension. Yeah, it’s old, and maybe I’d change my opinion if I read it now – but I don’t think so. It totally rocked my world.
Stef, who just this instant decided to go get it and read it again….Wonder if I still have my copy? Thatw as back when they had trade paperback romances.
Tryst, by Elswyth Thane
The first Julia Quinn book I read was enthralling. I think it was The Viscount Who Loved Me, but I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember. I also felt in awe of Outlander (like many on the list).
Love love love Susan Elisabeth Phillips, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Kim Harrison (Harrison is questionably romance; she did attend the RT conference this year, however). I’ve always liked McNaught, as well.
The first romance novel I ever read (at the tender age of 14) was by Victoria Holt. Not an awesome book, but enough to hook me forever.
Well, you’ve already covered most of my A List – especially Kinsale and Bujold.
A couple that haven’t been mentioned in the sci-fi/fantasy line:
Wind-Witch, Susan Dexter
Tehanu (and the Earthsea books prior to that, but the most romance is in this one), Ursula LeGuin
Pilot’s Choice (actually ALL their Liaden books), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Heart Thief, Robin D. Owens
Freedom & Necessity, Steven Brust & Emma Bull
The Silent Tower & The Silicon Mage, Barbara Hambly
perhaps more in the mystery line? Laurie R. King’s Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell series
and I can’t help myself, I am loving Suzanne Brockmann’s latest series – Hot Target, etc.
also contemporary and I think underappreciated: Theresa Weir – loved Bad Karma which I found on the free paperback shelf at my library
Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie will always be at the top of my A-list simply because it is the book that got me back into reading for pleasure. I would also put her book Bet Me on the list as well.
Kim Harrison, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and some of the older Jude Deveraux (yikes, I know) would also make my A-list.
Here’s hoping I didn’t somehow doublepost (although I think my first one got lost in the ether):
Gayle Feyrer’s “The Thief’s Mistress”, which opens with Marian assassinating the man who ordered the murder of her parents and little brother 10 years before. I loved that she is so dark and kickass, and that the men in this book love her for it. She is drawn to Robin (yes, that Robin) because he represents the light, but she is also drawn to Guy of Guisborne because he is as dark as she is—one of the few believable triangles I’ve read. I adored this book.
Robin McKinley’s “Deerskin”, which turns the fairy tale upside down and inside out. The first half is almost unbearably powerful, and the second contains quite a sweet romance.
Connie Brockway’s “All Through the Night”, where both H/H are tortured souls, and her “Bridal Season” just for fun.
Mary Balogh’s “Irresistible” because Nathaniel is both irresistibly handsome and the kindest hero in romance, definitely a winning combination to me, and her “The Temporary Wife” for the characterization, where not a word or action is wasted.
Patricia Gaffney’s Wyckerley trilogy, which has both almost-too-good-to-be-true and almost-too-bad-to-be-redeemed men that she manages to make believable heroes.
Sandy—did you know Teresa Weir is now writing suspense as Anne Frasier? I still love her romance the best, but i was happy to see her writing again after a (semi) long absence.
You know, I would love to see what people have to say if you ask a different question:
What books do you love, though you know you should not? Books that really are flawed, but somehow have a place in your heart? Guilty pleasures, to use the phrase.
But my A books (and assuming I can’t name my own
):
All of Jenny Crusie, with Temptation and Faking It at the top of the list;
All of Judith Ivory, with Dance and then Bliss at the top of the list;
Kinsale: Flowers from the Storm, For My Lady’s Heart
Loretta Chase: Lord of Scoundrels
SE Phillips: Ain’t She Sweet
LaVerle Spencer: Morning Glory
And these ROMANCES are A books for me too:
Pride & Prejudice
Persuasion
Possession (Byatt)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (Niffenegger)
The Bride of the Wilderness (Charles McCarry)
I forgot to mention Connie Willis! Bellwether
is one of my favorites, although it’s very light. But it’s laugh yourself sick funny in places. Then there’s The Doomsday Book. The mentions of Bed of Spices made me think of that one, the plague connection. Connie is a master of intense and intensely funny writing. She deserves every award she’s ever gotten, and then some.
Two A authors I haven’t seen, Kathleen Gilles Siedel and Roberta Gellis. I haven’t read a book by either that disappointed.
Even if you don’t like Regencies:
Mary Balogh’s A Masked Deception
Carla Kelly’s The Lady’s Companion
Donna Simpson’s Lord St. Claire’s Angel
senetra