Which books do you adore, recommend, and try to entice people to read romance? Which books have made someone reconsider their opinion of the genre, or created a new romance fan who book shops with you? Which books Hold The Power of Awesome? That’s my topic at Kirkus today: Romance Must-Reads.
These are the books that set the bar for the genre, or one of its subgenres, the novels that are so amazing you go back and re-read, unless your copy is lent out to someone who hasn’t returned it yet because they are busy re-reading it for the eleventieth time.
Regardless of which book it is, every now and again, the very best romances can turn heads and force people to reconsider “those books,” and perhaps reform their opinion about romances. Often, those books that do the converting are the ones in continual reprint, have an audience that is everlastingly positive about the book and that are, frankly, really freaking good.
Which books are your must-reads? Which are the ones you want people to read, even if it means lending your only copy and living in fear that you might not get it back?
Has anyone here ever read Patricia Veryan? her Golden Chronicles were the first historical novels I’d ever read and the pencil sketches on the covers of the hardbacks seemed sooo romantic. Something made me think of her recently and I went to the library and checked out the series again. SO good! And I no longer read historical for the most part, but her writing is phenomenal, great character development, excellent dialoge, historically accurate and interesting and OMFG there’s humor!!! I recall one novel where one of the characters had lost his foot (at Culloden I believe) and had a wooden one that kept falling off or getting misplaced. It was terribly funny and he later had his own book which I found completely endearing.
Contemporary
Welcome to Temptation (Crusie)
Hot Target and Over the Edge (Brockmann)
Match Me If You Can (Phillips)
Historical
Mr. Impossible (Chase)
The Spymaster’s Lady (Bourne)
Written on Your Skin (Duran)
Not Quite a Husband (Thomas)
Outlander (Gabaldon)
The Viscount Who Loved Me (Quinn)
Paranormal-Fantasy
A Hunger Like No Other (Cole)
The Compass Rose (Dayton)
Kushiel’s Dart (Carey)
I got started on romance through Nora Roberts. One of her MacGregor books.
Oh, GOD, I agree on Prince of Cups. That historical detail and atmosphere in that book was amazing; it definitely holds a place on my keeper shelf.
I’m always pretty vigilant for anyone who even looks like they *might* be asking me for a romance rec. 😉 I’ve recommended all these books:
Devil’s Cub, Georgette Heyer
Mr. Impossible, Loretta Chase
Bound by Your Touch, Meredith Duran
Seize the Fire, Laura Kinsale
Untie My Heart, Judith Ivory
Here Be Dragons, Sharon Kay Penman
The Thief’s Mistress, Gayle Feyrers
well I really like sci fi so I’d start with books with strong romantic elements like the Liaden books by Miller and Lee and Juliet Marillier’s Seven Waters Trilogy. And then if they enjoyed those I might push Linnea Sinclair’s books.
If they like the Jim Butcher books then I’d recommend the Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson books.
Some of my faves are Girls Night by Stef Ann Holm, Match Me if you Can by Susan Elizabeth Philips and Faking It by Jennifer Crusie. For historicals I’d say Charm School by Susan Wiggs, Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas, and A Lady of the West by Linda Howard (are westerns considered historical?) 🙂
SInce converting to a Nook, I’ve totally purged my paperback shelves. But there are some books that I will ALWAYS have around…in paperbook AND ebook format:
1. Spell of the Highlander and the whole Highlander Series…but this one is my fav (Karen Marie Moning)
2. Match Me if You Can and Natural Born Charmer by Suzanne Elizabeth Phillips (and her Chicago Stars series too).
3. Lynn Kurland…not outright sexy all the time, but heartbreakingly romantic.
3. Anything by these guys:
Tara Janzen
Lisa Kleypas
Jill Shalvis
Lori Foster (NOT My Man Michael)
Nalini Singh
Kristin Higgins
Christine Feehan
4. Just reading 9 Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and am LMAO (Sarah Maclean).
All of the titles/authors above have been jumped on by a friend who I turned on to Romance—she is going through my shelves like a bitch during a hot flash looking for a fan.
#1 of all time is still Spell of the Highlander….the angst-y yearning, humor and OMG Hotter than Hell-ness of the H&H in that one just sends me over the edge.
sorry, that’s SUSAN Elizabeth Phillips. No authors were intentially hurt during this error (hopefully).
Speaking from the other side of the fence – I was one of those readers who turn their noses up at historcal romances (mainly because I judged them by those idiotic clinch covers, I admit). The book that converted me was Mary Jo Putney’s “One perfect rose”. I borrowed it from my sister on holiday because I’d run out of reading material. I read my way through her other books, moved on to other authors (Lisa Kleypas was next, I think) and several years later I’m still reading romances.
For my m/m conversion kit:
FALSE COLORS by Alex Beecroft
NO SOUVENIRS by K.A. Mitchell
OFF THE RECORD by Matthew Haldeman-Time
For my het romance conversion kit:
BET ME by Jennifer Crusie
LORD OF SCOUNDRELS by Loretta Chase
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE or PERSUASION by Jane Austen
THE UNSUNG HERO by Suzanne Brockmann
IT HAD TO BE YOU by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
The Chesapeake Bay series by Nora Roberts
For BDSM romance conversion kit:
NATURAL LAW and ROUGH CANVAS by Joey Hill
ELEGANT CORPSE by A.M. Riley
THE WICKED WEST by Victoria Dahl
AN AFFAIR IN PARADISE by Matthew Haldeman-Time
SPECIAL DELIVERY by Heidi Cullinan
I really like to read series so I have all of Cherry Adair’s T-Flac, Tara Janzen’s Steele Street, Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons, Celeste Bradley’s Liar’s Club and Royal Four,and Stephanie Laurens’ Bastion Club that I re-read when ever I have the time. My single re-reads are Lady Be Good and Nobody’s Baby but Mine by SEP, This is All I Ask and From This Moment On from Lynn Kurland, The Wicked One by Danelle Harmon (?) and some more I’m sure I’m forgetting because I’m too lazy to go upstairs to look.
I loaned out my Fav re-read Fallen by Celeste Bradley and have not gotten it back. I’m sure I’ll work up the nerve to ask for it back soon.
Must reads – & NO lending EVER ! are
One Perfect Rose – Mary Jo Putney
No True Gentleman – Liz Carlyle
Gaudy Night – Dorothy L Sayers (yes, I know, slight stretch !)
Silken Threads & The Sun & The Moon – Patricia Ryan
Every single one of Lynn Kurland’s books !
My Timeswept Heart & Timeswept Rogue – Amy J Fetzer
Every single one of Elizabeth Hoyt’s books !!
The Perfect Stranger – Anne Gracie
The Perfect Princess & Whisper His Name- Elizabeth Thornton
A Splendid Defiance – Stella Riley
OH God ! I can’t believe I forgot to put
Getting Rid of Bradley – Jennifer Crusie
& All of Nalini Singh’s Psy books ( But not the Archangel ones !)
…..Put it down top the pre – Christmas travel prep !!!!
Diana Gabaldon The Outlander series. I found these books by accident and I love them. I’ve told a lot of people about them and now they love them too! There’s usually a long wait in between books so I often re-read. Jamie and Claire are like part of the family. Not only are they a wonderful romance but some pretty interesting history also.
The earlier 20thC masters of historical romantic comedy and romantic suspense are essential reading, to my mind: Georgette Heyer and Mary Stewart, especially
Heyer: These Old Shades, Devil’s Cub, Cotillion, The Grand Sophy, The Nonesuch, Black Sheep, Venetia, Frederica, oh, heavens, all of them;
and Stewart: Nine Coaches Waiting (contemporary Gothic romantic suspense!) and This Rough Magic.
I don’t think Sayers’ Gaudy Night is too much of a stretch; it is definitely a romance. However, I think one needs to read the previous books and Busman’s Honeymoon to understand Peter and Harriet’s characters and complex relationship, and therefore get the full impact.
Jayne Ann Krentz: far too many titles to mention. Contemporaries, historicals and paranormals, spanning publication dates from 1979 to the present day.
Jennifer Crusie: my favourites of hers are not the ‘usual’ ones (Bet Me and Welcome to Temptation), but a couple of her early category romances, Manhunting and Charlie All Night, and also the very dark, yet paradoxically funny and witty Crazy For You.
Linda Howard: when she is good, she is very, very good, and when she is bad… Again, some classic novels, both amongst the early categories and her later books. Diamond Bay, Mackenzie’s Mountain, Kill and Tell, Dream Man come first to mind. And although cosmic evil, the Knights Templar, arcane powers, ancient treasure, medieval knights, the Scottish Highlands and above all, time-travel are each and every one of them on my list of major fiction turn-offs, I still think Son of the Morning is a brilliant book.
Barbara Delinsky: some of her earlier books, including categories, are classics of their kind. I have in mind examples like Having Faith, Through My Eyes, Twilight Whispers, and also her rare foray into the paranormal, The Outsider. All probably seem dated to today’s younger readers, but they are, like all the others I am citing, good stories, well-written, and with rounded and believable characters.
Elizabeth Lowell: I haven’t read her most recent books, but many of her older ones, most with strong suspense elements, work well to draw in those who dismiss ‘romance’, because they are great stories, well told.
Loretta Chase: Mr. Impossible. A great story, memorable, quirky characters, with really impressive background research on a difficult subject — the accuracy of the ‘early European travellers in Egypt’ theme is not made much of at all: it is just there, giving a sound and reliable backdrop, and proving that meticulous research always makes for a better historical novel. I actually like it much more than Lord of Scoundrels, but Chase is a reliably good author generally.
What all of these authors have in common is that they are good novelists, by all the usual standards. This has nothing to do with genre labels (and of course, Heyer and Stewart were not labelled with any ‘genre’ tag anyway; they were just ‘novels’). One of the major assumptions of those who despise ‘romance’, based largely on the usually ghastly cover art, is that they are slight, derivative and poorly written — and of course, some of them are. But if the critics are inveigled into reading a very well-written, exciting novel with great characters and a sophisticated and original story, and only learn later that it is classified as a romance, one of the main props of their pseudo-argument collapses.
Elsie Lee’s The Nabob’s Widow is hands down the best Regency Romance I’ve ever read…including my own A Very Merry Chase!
I loaned my original copy of The Nabob’s Widow to a sweet, little old lady—who never returned it—approximately 30 some years ago and spent the next twenty years haunting used book stores desperately searching for another copy of this out-of-print treasure until finally the Internet came along and I was able to replace it. Now I have two, my treasured hardcover, and a ragged, well used and well loved paperback that I will continue to loan out…until it dies and is replaced.
Written from the man’s point of view, the book is a total delight from start to finish. With The Nabob’s Widow, you don’t watch from the sidelines…. You fall madly and instantly in love with The Widow…and her entire exotic entourage, and watch—along with his hilarious friends, family and servants—as the proud and haughty Marquis struggles helplessly against doing so himself.
I read it at least once a year, and love it just as much every time.
Smiles,
Teresa
As always, lots of good suggestions here. I’ve never heard of The Nabob’s Widow but Teresa has convinced me to try it. I don’t usually try to convert people but I have suggested “Outlander” and Dorothy Sayers to friends. Way back before I became a regular romance reader, I really enjoyed M.M Kaye, The Far Pavilions and especially Trade Wind, so I think they would make good romance gateway drugs.
I recently re-arranged my home office and got to pull all the books off my shelves so I could move the shelves and rediscovered a lot of gems I had forgotten about. And I would say that 99.99% of what’s on those shelves I wouldn’t loan out unless I had a signed written agreement to return. But the following I would never loan out because these are some of my all-time favorites:
– Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts:
– My 2-in-1 volumes of Linda Howard containing Midnight Rainbow/Diamond Bay, Heartbreaker/White Lies
– All my Marsha Canham historicals
– Just a Kiss Away by Jill Barnett: I have the original Fabio cover.
And to introduce people to romance I would recommend Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb, Linda Howard, Roxanne St. Claire, Nalini Singh, Jill Shalvis.
In addition to the ones you listed at Kirkus:
A Precious Jewel—Mary Balogh
The Duke’s Wager—Edith Layton
Flowers from the Storm—Laura Kinsale
Shards of Honor—Lois McMaster Bujold
The Grand Sophy—Georgette Heyer
Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand—Carla Kelly
I would recommend Roberta Gellis Roselynde Chronicles. If you like your romance with a heavy dose of accurate history this is a series for you. The first book I every read by Ms. Gellis was Bond of Blood – definitely would recommend. Also Carla Kelly – read anything she is a wonderful detailed writer – My favorite is Mrs McVinnie’s London Season. If you like science fiction – Linnea Sinclair’s Games of Command is really wonderful. Try the Stardoc series by S.L. Viehl. For paranormals – Nalini Singh and Lynn Viehl – I was hooked on the first Darklyn book because of the title – If Angels Burn. If you are having trouble finding some of the older books – check out Paperbackswap – great place to exchange books with other readers.
The Blue Castle or The Ladies of Missalonghi (LM Montgomery and Colleen McCullough respectively—basically the exact same story)
Soulless by Gail Carriger
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (my copy has been lent to and read by nine women ages 16 to 88)
Eve S. – You list is my list! I can’t see anyone not loving Mr. Perfect – it’s funny, hot, and not too “romancy” for the newby. Perfect intro to romance. Pamela Clare’s contemps would also be a great intro to contemp rom.
Naked in Death is a great book for those who think Romances can’t have action or a good mystery (and it’s got Eve and Rourke – nothing else needed!)
Kiss of the Highlander – I’ve given this book to so many people who are not romance readers and they’ve loved it. Ditto for Undead and Unwed, Fantasy Lover, and Outlander.
Historicals – Devil’s Bride, The Viscount Who Loved Me, Suddenly You, Noble Intentions (K. MacAlister), anything by Pamela Clare
If someone wanted to try m/m, I’d insist that they grab a copy of Zero at the Bone. BDSM – Joey W. Hill, Cherise Sinclair. Erotic – Shannon McKenna, Megan Hart, Lora Leigh
While I agree w/so many of the recommendations above, it’s amazing to me how many books people would use to “convert” that I hated – if someone started me w/Alpha/Omega books or anything by M. Duran I’d never read romance – but obviously I’m in the minority!!
Georgette Heyer, particularly The Grand Sophy (The Heyer I think should be made into a movie…I think a great topic would be to pick actors who would play in the theoretical movie!), Frederica (my first Heyer), and Devil’s Cub (my favorite Heyer).
Jennifer Crusie, particularly Welcome to Temptation and Faking It (I love the Dempseys!)
Julia Quinn, The Duke and I
Maria V. Snyder’s Study series (more Sci-Fi than romance, but I think it straddles the line nicely)
And though it is nothing resembling a romance, I have gone through SEVEN copies of The Idiot Girl’s Action-Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro. Her memoirs are the funniest damn things I have ever read. No. Lie.
My all-time favorite classic-type romance though, and the first to break me into the genre was The Rake by Mary Jo Putney (formerly The Rake and the Reformer).
Oooh lots of good suggestions to try out and almost all of my favourites mentioned. I also love
My Last Duchess – Daisy Goodwin
Deceived – Nicola Cornick
My conversion list includes Loretta Chase but I wanted to add Lord Perfect as a great introduction to all that’s grand about romance; its got a ton of LOL moments along with a great road romance. That Chase title converted a close friend of mine and she’s become more zealous than me.
Other authors include anything by Deanna Raybourne or Carla Kelly for historical; Cruisie, Kleypas and Lisa Gardner for Contemp or suspense.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Just 1-click purchased The Iron Duke for my kindle. Happy reading Holidays!
I can’t speak more highly of Gwyn Cready’s “Seducing Mr. Darcy.” I am always telling people to read it.
Part “Pride & Prejudice,” part contemporary, part time-travelish.. Fantastic and fun!
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas (my all time favorite)
It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (a close second for all time favorite)
Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase
The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
Heartless by Mary Balogh
More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Thunder and Roses by Mary Jo Putney
Ruthless by Anne Stuart
Almost Heaven by Judith McNaught
Although almost anything by any of these authors could be placed on this list.
I have to admit that I had turned my back on the genre years ago. Lord of Scoundrels was recommended to me and got me reading romance again. For me, it is THE book to recommend.
Bet Me was one of the first romance novels I ever read (at age 45) and remains my favorite. I reread it a couple of times a year. And Jennifer Crusie is my very romance author – her heroines are so real and the sex is so good!
Lisa Kleypas is one of my favorite romance authors, but Smooth Talking Stranger, while nice, is not IMHO the best and most romantic of her novels. Blue-Eyed Devil is my very favorite!
J – I agree about Joey W. Hill for BDSM. Natural Law is one of my absolutely favourites! I really enjoy Lora Leigh’s books and Pamela Clare’s historicals.
Georgette Heyer, esp Frederica, The Grand Sophy, A Civil Contract, These Old Shades, Devil’s Cub, Sylvester…lots of them. The audiobook of Sophy read by an older English chap whose name escapes me but who relishes her prose is an utter treat – an excllent ‘performance’ of the book, super on, for example, the descriptions of Sir Horace, and dialogue between Sophy and Charles, and he does a spiffing rendition of Augustus.
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series (first book is called Cross Stitch, if you’re in Australia/UK, and is short at least one bonking scene that the publishers decided to excise to save our more tender selves… so if you want the whole story, buy an Outlander version rather than Cross Stitch). Read and re read them all (including the latest short story in the anthology Songs of Love and Death).
Patricia Briggs – Mercy series and Alpha/Omega series
Loretta Chase – Lord of Scoundrels is brilliant (although I always have to convince non-romance readers to ignore the cliched and daft cover), and I enjoyed the Mr Impossible etc series
Joanna Bourne – Spymaster’s Lady etc series
Gail Carriger – Soulless etc series
Meljean Brook: liking the Iron Seas books, the story in Burning Up and also The Iron Duke (in response to the many recommendations here)
Laura Kinsale – Flowers from the Storm
The first Conard County series by Rachel Lee, Dream series by Barbara Delinsky and Trinity West series by Justine Davis, all Silhouette/Harlequin from some years ago, remain faves; worth searching out if you haven’t read them.
A couple of left-field, less recent ones from my keeper shelf that I reread with great pleasure:
Perfect Strangers by Louann Gaeddert.
Matthew Ratton by Anne Knowles
Both are written with great lightness of touch, quiet stories with great integrity and really well drawn characters; the authors don’t beat you over the head with their writing, but leave you room to infer, to consider, to engage.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley: still my favourite vampire story with some romance, another writer of subtlety and skill
Read a slew of Jennifer Crusie books recently, but Bet Me definitely stood head and shoulders above the rest imho.
It’s so helpful when people offer lists in comments on blog posts like this; when I see similar tastes/common ground (snap!) it helps me decide what to try next. Thanks to all!
I’d be very interested to read a blog entry (+ comments) sometime focusing on romance for teenagers – no doubt done before, but worth revisiting to see what still gets kudos and which new books are mentioned.
With stockings stuffed, reindeer fed and Santa’s refreshment duly attended to, it’s time for zzzzz’s; it’s Christmas Day here now, so happy Christmas!
(code: entire 46 – I’m sure I’ve got close to recommending that number!)
Anything by SEP
Anything by Crusie, but I think my fave is Charlie All Night
Anything by Austen, fave is P & P
Just started reading Kristan Higgins
I love romances within mysteries:
Anything (mystery or romance) by Heyer, but “Behold Here’s Poison” gets the most re-reads. You have to re-read it to get the line of the romance, but I love it.
Gaudy Night & Busman’s Honeymoon by Sayers
Agatha Christie – The Moving Finger
Ngaio Marsh – Death of A Peer
Charlaine Harris – Sweet & Deadly (I have never seen such divided reviews about a book on Amazon. People either love or hate this one, which is her first.)
I read something, somewhere, in which someone borrows a book and doesn’t return it, and someone tries to intercede on behalf of the borrower, saying to the owner, ‘surely you don’t think it’s worth losing a friendship over a book’ and the owner replies ‘of course not, but apparently they do.’ i am (obviously) not good with specifics, and I don’t tend to reread romances. The only real exception is Heyer. I have often picked up a romance and realized somewhere in the first few pages that I’ve already read it. The only times I’ve kept reading have been for Roberts, JAK (in whatever incarnation), SEP, and Chase. Which is not to say that there aren’t other authors I like as well, that’s just how it’s turned out thus far. I can’t wait to check out the favorites mentioned here. I don’t tend to try to convert people to romance anymore, but when I have, it’s Heyer. And because I know a lot of vampire fans, I have recommended Ward and Hamilton, and…totally blanking on the name here, the one who’s mixed general hospital with demons? It’s something implausible, Larissa Ione maybe?
Honour Splendor & Saving Grace by Julie Garwood
Romancind Mr. Bridgeton, Ten Things I Love About You & What Happens in London, by Julia Quinn
Blue Smoke, and lots more by Nora Roberts,
Joyce-if you like romances within mysteries, esp. that British between the wars genre, run right to Amazon and pick up some out-of-print Patricia Wentworth books. “Nothing Venture” is my favorite, if I’ve read it once, I’ve read it a dozen times.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips- All of the football series, Aint She Sweet?
Jennifer Crusie- All of them! But “Welcome to Temptation” is definitely my favorite.
Flowers from the Storm, of course
Mary Balogh- The Bedwyn Saga
And of course, the most successful romance converter book, in my experience, has been Outlander. I get so involved in these characters, it is sometimes hard for me to read about them.
I love the Karen Marie Moning Highlander series. I have turned more than 1 friend on to those. The men in those books are just the epitome of hot.
Otherwise I have to agree with a lot of people on here and say Lisa Kleypas, especially Sugar Daddy and her Wallflower books.
I also really love Kathleen Woodiwiss’s novels.
Lots of great suggestions here—my TBR pile is growing! I just came across this site and I am so glad to have found it. Just to throw my two cents into the mix:
I have read EVERYTHING by Stephanie Laurens, Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsay, Tessa Dare, Julia Quinn (including the 2nd Epilogues of her Bridgerton books) and mostly everything by Eloisa James, Amanda Quick and Lisa Kleypas—I cannot recommend any of them enough! I think Julia Quinn is my favorite for her creative chapter openings and fantastic, funny dialogue. I love La Roberts of course but cannot say I’ve even made a dent in her monolithic catalogue—the MacGregors were very enjoyable. I have tried and liked Loretta Chase, Mary Balogh, Teresa Mederios & Jennifer Ashley although, interestingly, I haven’t read any of the titles in this thread. TBR!
I liked Outlander but find Gabaldon’s continual protestations that she doesn’t write “romance” she writes “historical fiction” (as if romance is dirty & beneath her) irritating. OWN IT GIRL!
Someone asked about teen romance- you can’t go wrong with Libba Bray, Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, Meg Cabot & Sarah Dessen.
Lastly, Jane Austen forever and ever.