As I’ve been working on The Book, I’ve realized that there are woefully large holes in my romance reading education. Never mind that every day is “Help a Bitch Out” day in my brain as I try to remember which plot goes with which title and author name. I am one of those people who remembers the cover image and color scheme more than the names. It’s truly a flaw, but it’s not as bad as my inability to remember numbers. I am a complete mess when trying to remember an address in Manhattan, where there’s building numbers, street numbers, floor numbers, and suite numbers. Forget it. Everyone needs to live on a named avenue.
Anyway, as I’ve confronted these giant gaping embarrassing holes in my romance knowledge, I have decided to do what I usually do when I realize I don’t know about something. I fire up the OCD and start reading and learning as much as I can as fast as I can until my brain says, “ENOUGH. GO WATCH QVC while I percolate!”
So! Here’s my plan: January 2008: I’m going to read category novels. HQ: Presents, SilDesire, Blaze – as many as I can. I’m skipping the Steeple Hill as inspirational romance is another gaping hole to be leaped over at a later date.
(February 2008: Black Romance. Any and all romance featuring African-American protagonists. But I’m not ready to plan that one yet.)
My plan is to read and review as many category novels as I can, though the reviews may be smaller than my normal nattering of many, many words, so that I can not only familiarize myself with as many of these books as possible, but understand how they work and why they comprise such a popular and enduring niche in the romance publishing world. Fortunately for me, my wallet, and my bag (and my back!) I am starting to build an eBook library bit by bit so if I can find some titles online, that makes me a happy Sarah.
If you have any recommendations – series romance past, present, or way, way back in the day – please pass it along. I’m a-hunting a wide sample.
House Rule: You may, of course, recommend your own book, BUT for every one of your own books you mention, you must recommend one by another author.
I wish I could recommend current category authors, but I keep very few these days. Been that way for the last 5 years or so. 🙁 Justine Davis’ Redstone, Inc. books under the Silhouette lines are good, and Merlene Lovelace is writing for…Sil. Romantic Suspense. (I think) I’ve kept a few Blazes, and two or three Harlequin American Romances, but that’s it.
As for the classics, nearly all of my favorite authors have already been recommended. But let me add Iris Johansen’s early Loveswepts, BJ James’ Silhouette Desires (esp. the Men of the Black Watch books), Elizabeth Lowell, Dallas Schulze and Maggie Shayne from the Silhouette Intimate Moments line. I kept nearly all of their 80’s books. 🙂 Plus one of my all-time favorites from the Harlequin Temptation line—the Sheriff of Devil’s Fork by Regan Forest from the early 90’s. Humor, sex and ghosts all mixed together in a wonderful story.
You’ll have to hit the USB or your library to find these books, so good luck!
i am serious-and am sorry to butt in on Sarah’s thing here…but i need help in the RomanceRead Dept…where do i start that isn’t Stupid…i mean we’re supposed to be SMART Bitches here’‘’‘contact me at
<jaloue@1st.net>
and i will appreciate everything——but skankiness….luvyajude
Completely forgot Kelly Hunter! Her Sleeping Partner was the best category I read all year. Excellent writing!
I know you’re not ready to plan February yet but I have a couple of advance recommendations.
Anything by Ann Christopher. Trouble is my ultimate favorite.
Anything by Karyn Langhorne (I loved A Personal Matter)
Anything by Francis Ray (I LOVE her Graysons novels)
Anything by Deanna Lee (I definitely reccommend Barenaked Jane)
Make Me Remember by Emma Petersen (Yes, that’s me. :D)
I want to second the nomination of Mr. Family (Harlequin Super Romance #711)
and author Lucy Gordon (Harlequin Romance)
Here’s a couple of suggestions from my keeper shelf.
1. Anyone but You by Jennifer Cruise. I know that it’s been reprinted, but I picked up a copy in thrift store and it was originally a Harlequin or other category romance. Anyway it’s very funny and breaks a lot of the category romance “traditions”
2. Baby Business by Brenda Novak (Harlequin Super Romance #955 2000) One, if not my favorite super romance.
3. Beguiled by Susan Spencer Paul (Harlequin Historical from 1998)
4. The Baby Bargain by Dallas Schulze (Silhouette Intimate Moments 1991)
5. Hurt So Good by Olivia Rupprecht
(Loveswept #580 from the “Bad Boy” series.1992) I suppose that this is really a guilty pleasure
Other guilty pleasures
Lynne Graham (Harlequin Presents) I can’t explain why, but I have several of her books on my keeper shelf.
Stephanie James aka Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick, etc. She wrote a whole bunch of “ultra alpha male hero” books in the 1980’s under the Stephanie James name. The Golden Godess is the one I had on my shelf for a while and Gambler’s woman. I wouldn’t actually enjoy most of the heroes in real life, but the fantasy is ok for a couple of hours.
Some of my All Time Favorite Books Ever are categories. In fact, now that I think about it, MOST of them are categories. They include:
NIGHT OF THE HUNTER Jennifer Greene
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN Rachel Lee (Sue Civil Brown)
DRAGONSLAYER Emilie Richards
MANHUNTING Jennifer Crusie
ANYONE BUT YOU Jennifer Crusie
A ROSE FOR MAGGIE Kathleen Korbel (Eileen Dreyer)
Really, you can’t go wrong with anything by Nora, but I would suggest the MACKADES if you want a short series, the MACGREGORS for a long one, or for a couple of singles, I’d go for DUAL IMAGE, GABRIEL’S ANGEL or LOCAL HERO. Well, today, anyway. Tomorrow I might choose differently. LOL
And for the Linda Howards, the MACKENZIE series is great, but if you just want a bit of flavor, go for DUNCAN’S BRIDE or WHITE LIES.
Some others to sample might be:
BETTER THAN BEFORE Judith Duncan
THE CARPENTER’S LADY Billie Douglass (Barbara Delinsky)
DANIEL AND THE LION Margot Dalton
FEVER Elizabeth Lowell
TALK OF THE TOWN Mary Kay McComas
A CRIME OF THE HEART Cheryl Reavis
WHERE THERE’S SMOKE Margaret St George (Maggie Osborne)
A HUSBAND BY ANY OTHER NAME Cheryl St John
THE AUSTRALIAN Diana Palmer
A VERY SPECIAL FAVOR Kristin James
Those are the ones that come to mind w/o climbing the stairs to sift through the shelves. No doubt I left out boatloads of good ones. Sigh. Now I’ll end up going through books and won’t get anything else accomplished this weekend. Damn you, Sarah!!
Diane
easily distracted from chores I don’t wanna do anyway to look through books
Don’t miss:
Special Gifts by Anne Stuart
Good Time Girl by Candace Schuler
Mackenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard
Wordworm – hard to know what to suggest – people’s tastes are so different. Have you looked at the AAR boards? (likesbooks.com). They’ve a list of their readers 100 top romances – or if you ask on the reader to reader message board, with a bit more information as to what you’re looking for (one person’s skanky is another’s must read) – you’ll get lots of suggestions.
I also would recommend Maggie Shayne—her Wings In the Night series is great.
Some fairly recent Blaze’s I’ve enjoyed:
Private Confessions by Lori Borrill (Feb. 07, hot boss, a “sexy” dating website and horoscopes)
The Naked Truth by Shannon Hollis (Sept. 07, part of a series but works well as a standalone)
It’s A Wonderfully Sexy Life by Hope Tarr (Dec. 06, slight paranormal twist with a full-figured heroine, pretty hot at times and a decent mystery)
Anything for You by Sarah Mayberry (Sept. 06, erotic comedy set in Australia that’s also a best friend story…what’s not to love?)
I also love Nora’s MacGregor and Stanislaski series from Silhouette if you’re going for some “classics.”
I went through a long period of collecting Harlequin Intrigues. Sadly, I sold almost all of them to a half-price bookstore. But I really got a huge kick out of Caroline Burnes’ FEAR FAMILIAR series. While most Intrigues follow your basic formula, a cheeky cat narrating a romance title was a nice change.
Personal favorite Intrigues that I couldn’t bear to give up: Only a Whisper, by Gayle Wilson (June 1996) and Puppets, by Jenna Ryan (December 1992).
Tess Gerritsen and Rebecca York wrote a lot of good standalone Intrigues, too.
Most of Lynne Graham and Michelle Reid HP titles.
Annie Gracie Gallant Waif and Tallies Knight, Harlequin historical.
After thinking about it I realize that I forgot one of my favorite catagory romances The Sheik and the Virgin Secretary by Susan Mallory for Silhouette Special Edition. Despite the somewhat tacky title, and a sheik as a main character this book has one of the funniest opening chapters of a catagory romance. The rest of the book is pretty good too, although not flawless. Completely Smitten by Mallory was also very good and funny. The millionaire series she did for Silhouette Desire was very good as well.
Sorry I’m late to the game, but I can’t recommend Maggie Price’s Line of Duty series…they’re freakin’ awesome. And anything by Merline Lovelace. Those are usually SiM. Along the Blaze line, I totally enjoyed Jeanie London’s series (Between the Sheets), and pretty much anything she writes…
I know I’m late to the party with my rec, but I just reviewed The Harlot’s Daughter, a M&B historical. GREAT READ.
Sandra Schwab,
I just read the unusual Romance by Lucy Gordon (“Italian’s Wife by Sunset”) that you recommended, and I loved it! It’s become an instant favorite with me. I loved the writer’s understanding of the h/h’s psychology, and how believably their conflicts came about, and the resolution! Beautiful. It felt very … genuine in the way that the present joy was balanced against the prospect of future loss.
And the image of the lovers in Pompeii, how the theme of a love that strong wove its way throughout the story? Gah.
((huggles book close))
Thank you so much for recommending this story!
I just discovered this site, so forgive me for adding to the mix a year after the fact, but I have to bring up a few of my all time faves.
I’m sad to say that Diana Palmer’s THE TENDER STRANGER is my all time fave romance, because Diana’s work in general is so, so, so, soooooo bad now.
Another fave is MIRACLE MAN by Sharon Sala, whose later stuff I don’t enjoy nearly as much.
And CHAIN LIGHTNING by Elizabeth Lowell still has a soft spot in my heart as does LOVE SONG FOR A RAVEN. But her jewel stuff leaves me cold. I should also say that I liked the original versions of these books. Who knows what havoc reprinting has wrought on them.
My fave Jennifer Crusie from her series days in CHARLIE ALL NIGHT. Especially the sex scene where they fall into bed too soon and the heroine kinda freaks out.
I’m also going to second Stepanie Doyle above and pimp MISS EMMALINE AND THE ARCHANGEL by Rachel Lee.
There was a Ruth Wind I loved too – I know there was. I just can’t remember what it’s called right now.
I know these are all older catagory books, but I took a break from reading them about 8 years ago and when I came back to romance I wound up reading single titles instead.
I wanna get into the Blaze line and see how it’s developed, but now enough to actually spend money on it…. and the library is hit or miss.
word verification: single87 story of my life