Historical romance author Madeline Hunter passed away earlier this week from cancer.
Her publisher, Kensington, made an official announcement on their Instagram.
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Readers and authors are sharing their favorite Hunter historicals across social media.
Our condolences go to her family and her friends, everyone else who had the fortune to know Hunter, and to those who have been affected by her writing. When an author passes, readers often reflect on what their work has meant to them. It’s a reminder how books attract a community of passionate people.
Is there a favorite Madeline Hunter book on your bookshelf? Do you have any fond memories of meeting her at events and conferences?
RIP; I enjoyed a lot of her work!
My favorite books were her medieval series. I loved them all. I own and read many of her books and she has been a favorite author for many years. My thoughts are with her family in this sad time. Thank you Madeline for providing me with so many wonderful reading hours.
I loved so many of her books and was saddened by her passing.
I just bought a few of her books last month at a library book sale. I’ve never read her before. I’m really looking forward to digging into her work.
Oh, no, this is so sad. She was one of the best. Her books were distinctly hers and yet always distinct from each other, and they were never, ever lazy. Characters were carefully constructed, their actions drove the plot, and she was the kind of author who could use tropes without relying on them. Her books had substance to them: you remember Hunter’s books. She was also always trying to subtly push the boundaries of what she could do in a historical while still respecting the setting; she was doing Unusual Heroines before it was a trend, and she did it so much better than the current authors. I didn’t like all of her books, and there were a few where I didn’t quite think she’d pulled it off, usually because it seemed like she couldn’t square the circle between the requirements of genre conventions and what she was trying to do, but I respected everything she wrote, and ultimately I think her risks worked out much more than they didn’t. She is a huge loss to the genre. All the sympathy to her family and those who loved her.
I couldn’t pick out a favorite but she was an autobuy author for me.
I loved her Seducer series, one of her early ones. She was very talented. I met her a time or two, and she was a whip smart lady with a dry sense of humor. She will be missed.
A truly gifted and remarkable writer. The detail. The dialogue. The sheer amount of work involved. And the audiobook versions of her novels truly bring the characters to life. She will be remembered as one of the greats. And she will be missed.
This is so sad to hear about, I’ve been a big fan since forever. I met Madeline Hunter once at a book signing, at the Historical Romance Retreat in Spokane. I don’t know why I get tongue-tied meeting authors, but my mind went completely blank when I tried to tell her which of her books was my favorite. So awkward!
Anyway, the medievals are great, but the Wicked Trilogy might be my favorite. She really excelled at depicting the way men friends talk and interact when they’re just hanging out, which is totally different from the way women friends interact. Also, I’m not usually one be interested in beefcake covers, but the Wicked books had some HOT cover art. To my taste anyway: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26166452-the-wicked-duke
The Duke’s Heiress trilogy I think may have been her last books. It has some great, strong, independent heroines. I got ARCs of a couple of them from her, for review purposes, which I was happy to do because I loved the books.
[…] and tributes: Kensington Publishing Co.; Smart Bitches Trashy Books. Several authors have also posted tributes on Ms. Hunter’s Facebook page. Bibliography and […]
Madeline was married to my late brother, who died in 2021. Beyond being a prolific writer, she was a remarkable, brilliant human being whose insights and incredible humor will indeed be sorely missed.