When I was in high school, I signed a somewhat-friend's yearbook, and I noticed that her best friend had signed the inside cover with a huge paragraph wherein she'd somehow included the title of every Judith McNaught novel (this was in 1993 so there were plenty of them) because they loved those books and read them over and over. That was my introduction to McNaught, and I started with Once and Always.It was all downhill from there.
I love Once and Always for the tortured hero, even if he's a big ol' jerkface in some scenes. Also, I think that's one of the very few times I've encountered a historical hero named “Jason.”
This picture shows my copy of A Kingdom of Dreams, and beneath it is my copy of Perfect. If you open Perfect, it will fall into two pieces, so I rarely touch it. Clearly, these two women in high school were on to something, because once I read those books, I had to read all of them.
And my reaction was the same with Perfect and Paradise: jerkish hero mends his ways, often with a grand gesture that left me in a puddle of sighs.
McNaught is one of the classic names in romance, and I know so many people who have an all-time favorite of hers on their shelves.
Which is your all-time favorite? If you were recommending a McNaught novel to someone who had never read her books, which would you recommend?
I read the edited 2nd edition and its equally as bad as the first. Not sure what the huge change was…. it was still rapey and the hero was an asshat.
Oh my goodness, I love this topic. Once and Always was the first historical romance I ever read. I recall being in high school and having to go over my aunt’s house the next day. I stayed up all night to finish the book in one sitting and was so exhausted, but felt it was totally worth it. During the last 20 years I have reread it so many times and loaned it out so many times that I have gone through multiple copies.
Elyssa, I have tried contacting her and the publishing house about ebooks, but never get a response. i would love it too!
you took the words right out of my mouth 🙂
Okay so i m a fan JM I have a dof paradise but I waiting for the unabridged version to come out in mp3 or cd ( great wishlist item) .
I loved perfect I was able to buy the unabriged version on tape ( and i mean Tapes!) but i loved even more Double standards. It ticks me off how he treated he but I liked the fact she never betrayed him. ( another i found on tape remember tape recorders?)
I also liked remember when I cant remember if he a complete a** and has to grovel.
Since more than half of the books i endup reading are mp3 files I really would like to try and find more JM treasures/ romance treasures on mp3 .( i m an audiobook junkie)
I have to go with the quintessential ‘A Kingdom of Dreams’ for the historicals (albeit I rather enjoyed ‘Something Wonderful’ and ‘Almost Heaven’ as well, arsehat heroes and all). I’ve re-read AKOD multiple times, and it still gets me every time.
On the contemporary front, ‘Paradise’ wins hands down; I’m pretty ambivalent on the others—maybe because I read them all consecutively (I’m a streaker!) and one can only take so much arsehattery from wanker heroes.
I must admit that I haven’t read ‘Whitney, My Love’; I’m always on the fence with regards to whether it sounds interesting or not, despite being one of the cornerstones of the romance genre. Maybe if there was a Kindle version…?
JM is (mostly) Old Skool and not for everyone, but when she’s good, she’s really good. It’ll be interesting to see if her latest release ‘Someone Like You/Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You’, originally scheduled for 2007, ever sees the light of day!
I actually read the new edition. I didn’t realize the rape scene had been edited. It still bothers me.
I haven’t read a JM for at least 15 years, maybe 20. The last one I read was a contemporary where she made a Big Deal out of the hero & heroine not sleeping together before the wedding (even though they already had.) I don’t remember the title, but somehow it just hit me wrong, so I quit reading her books.
Until You – I LOVE that book. It’s like Whitney My Love, but with more snappy, hysterical dialogue and none of the spanking.
Something Wonderful. 🙂
No one does a good grovel scene like McNaught.
I haven’t read the new edition – thought I heard the rape scene was toned down. Not certain – may be wrong about that. I do know that the new edition doesn’t have the spanking with the crop scene – where he punishes her for doing something bad (endangering her horse maybe?). I flipped through the new edition when it came out and noticed that change. Didn’t have the stomach to read the whole thing though.
I read all of Judith McNaught’s historicals (at least all she’d published) when I was about 13. Loved them, but I don’t know if I’d like them now. The sex borders on rape in more than just Whitney, My Love, imo.
My favourite McNaught is Once and Always. Like you say, Jason can certainly be a big ol’ jerkface and Tory can get on one’s nerves with her sunny innocence but there’s just something about this one that ‘gets’ me.
After reading all of these I’m feeling the need to re-read everything. I’m fairly certain I have all her books. I’m also thinking that I must have read the 2nd version of Whitney My Love. Either that or I blocked it out.
Hands down, Paradise is my first and favorite of hers.
JM was a gateway romance novelist for me. I read Whitney My Love and Something Wonderful almost obsessively. I was 13 the first time I read them, and a LOT of what was going on was over my head. Now, going back over them, I realize how rapey these books actually are. But, my gosh, I can’t through Something Wonderful without weeping buckets.
I’m sorry, I just can’t do Judith McNaught. I appreciate that others like her and she’s pretty popular, but…I can’t. Every books of hers I’ve tried to read has horrified/disgusted me. Not my cup of romance, for sure.
Once and Always is one of my all-time favorite books evah. Of McNaught’s it OandA, Kingdom of Dreams (the scene on the mock battlefield – I just – just – ohhhhhhhh), and Almost Heaven, which has one of the most perfect (heh) epilogues ever.
McNaught was one of my first keeper authors. I knew every book would break my heart in the middle (seriously, actual pain in my chest during AH courtroom scene) but that the resolution would be amazing and the characters would stay with me forever…and they have.
The Whitney thing – it was never a fave of mine & 1 of her early books. Westmorelands get redeemed in KofD.
I read Whitney My Love when I was very young several times and have always considered it my favorite romance ever…. And considered Judith Mcnaught my favorite author. But it has been years since I reread her books ( its on my bucket list to do someday) and I truly don’t remember a rape but perhaps I wasn’t sensitized back then??? I just remember angst and wit and true love. I always am hoping to feel about a new book/author the way I felt when I first read McNaught…and when it happens, it is so exciting and enjoyable! Maybe it is better I never reread her books after reading some of these posts and just remember the glow….
I can’t decide! Paradise or Almost Heaven …. All soooo good!
But then I love Something Wonderful too!!!
Yes!!! That is my choice!
I actually think the 2 books mentioned are the only w/ scenes like this. But yes, all the books have a hero that is jerk until love makes him the ultimate husband. A little sappy I know, but addictive!
It depends if the reader loves Historicals or Contemporaries—(although with McNaught, one should read both)—
For historicals, Almost Heaven and Something Wonderful.
For contemporary, Paradise and Remember When.
I picked up Something Wonderful on my first trip to London to read on my long flight back to the US. My first Judith McNaught, and probably my favorite of her historicals. My favorite McNaught contemporary is Perfect. But Someone to Watch Over Me comes in a close second. And now I’m thinking about all of Judith McNaught’s books, and will probably spend the next few weeks rereading all of them yet again.
P.S. I’ve always felt cheated by the fact that Nicky never got a full novel. Not cool. And WHEN is her new book coming out?!
According to Wikipedia:
“Someone Like You (formerly entitled: Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You)” is scheduled to be published May 27, 2014.
I obviously need to read more McNaught since I haven’t heard of some of these titles. But I really enjoyed Whitney My Love out of all the ones that I have read.
Oh, Judith McNaught!
It must be 10 years since I read my first one.
My friend borrowed A Kingdom of Dreams from an aunt.
She read it, loved it then told me I simply *had* to read it. We proceeded to devour all McNaught’s historical novels, rereading them twice or three times in a week because we knew they had to go back to her aunt.
McNaught was when I realised I was addicted to Regency novels.
I *think* Whitney, My Love was my favourite, but I really should reread them all just to be sure.
I do, however, remember questioning some of the love scenes, as McNaught’s heroes are rather ‘forceful’ to say the least. But prior to McNaught my favourite historical romances were Dragonwyck, which I read when I was 13, and Jane Eyre. Two sterling examples of ‘sane’ and ‘sympathetic’ heroes don’t you think?