View Full Version : Who are your favorite romance authors??
I haven't really read enough to have firm favorites but so far Penelope Williamson is high up there as is Lisa Kleypas and Loretta Chase. What about you all?
Misfit
08-26-2008, 06:05 PM
You know if you'd asked me this five years ago I would have said Garwood and McNaught but I've found my tastes have changed and I'm having trouble finding romances that fit for me. I do like Roberta Gellis, even though some get a bit silly (god, one recent read she used "nether lips" :eek:), but she's got a good enough sense of the medieval period and custom that you're not cringing like I end up doing with some.
A recent discovery for me is Celeste de Blasis, and I recomment checking her out for those who love big bold meaty historical sagas. She wrote in the 80's and although classified as HR they are a definite step up from that towards HF. I've already read Wild Swan (review posted) the first of three books on a family that leaves England and emigrates to Maryland and starts up raising/racing horses. It was quite good.
Another of hers is The Proud Breed which a multi-generational story set in Old California and the last I started yesterday is called The Tiger's Woman. 1870's with a girl on the run from a very mysterious past and takes place in Washington Territory, Seattle and the San Juan Islands. I'm 100 pages into it and loving it.
The Tiger's Woman sounds really good!
Misfit
08-26-2008, 06:25 PM
I'm just dying to get home from work so I can read so more. There is just so little HF/HR set in the Pacific Northwest. I really recommend you give this author a whirl. Thriftbooks (http://www.thriftbooks.com/SearchResult.aspx?searchby=title&value=the+tiger's+woman&type=0) has it listed cheaper than the Amazon sellers.
diamondlil
08-26-2008, 08:30 PM
My favourites are Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Liz Carlyle (particularly her older books), Elizabeth Hoyt and a few others.
Ariadne
08-26-2008, 09:42 PM
I enjoyed Janice Kay Johnson's Winter of the Raven when I read it a while back - it's set on the Queen Charlotte Islands in the Pacific Northwest and has a strong romantic thread. I'd call it a romantic historical.
Favorite romance authors include Roberta Gellis, Madeline Hunter, Mary Lide though she's not writing anymore... also thought Meredith Duran's The Duke of Shadows was excellent.
Lately, I haven't been reading any romance writers very consistently - I tend to pick and choose.
Misfit, so glad you are enjoying The Tiger's Woman. I really, really loved that one. I wouldn't quite call it it a historical romance. I'd say it straddled the line between romance and historical fiction. Another line straddler I enjoyed some time ago was Paint The Wind by Cathy Cash Spellman. It's what's called an 'epic' novel about the Old West. I love a lot of Gellis' material. I can even forgive her the 'nether lips'. It's one of those phrases like SKP's 'certes' that is kind of an author brand phrase :) Patricia Ryan's Silken Threads is excellent, but some of her other medievals are a bit OTT. Grace Ingram's Red Adam's Lady is wonderful. No sex (or only one discreet scene) and a lovely mystery. It's one of my all time favourite romance/mystery/story medievals. Mary Balogh is good re the Regency period, but I've not been reading much recently in the romance genre.
Norma H
08-27-2008, 12:31 AM
My Personal favorite historical fiction writer is Bertrice Small. I love all of her books, there basicly set around the 15th and 16th century England/Scotland area and are asscociate with Royalty there.
Misfit
08-27-2008, 12:39 AM
EC, there you go again screwing up my TBR pile and just before the most important month of October :):o:p I love tales of the old west, and this is one book the library has :) (I am so fortunate to have a county with a well funded library system).
I agree about The Tiger's Woman and the other books by this author, she really seems to take her historical research seriously -- even this Washington State native hasn't spotted any major gaffes so far. I hate it when something is classified in a particular genre when there's so much more than just a plain old romance.
I really enjoyed Red Adam's Lady but it was a bit too fast paced and I lost the story a couple of times (really could have used a who's who list) - I knocked it down to four stars for that, but I suspect the second read will improve. Spendy little bugger, glad I got a copy at the library
Leyland
08-27-2008, 02:44 AM
One of my favorite romance authors who has been published since the 60's is Jane Aiken Hodge. My top picks are The Winding Stair, Watch the Wall My Darling, Greek Wedding, The Adventurers, Wide is the Water, Marry in Haste, and Escapade.
Hodge has also written nonfiction about Georgette Heyer, considered a classic biography, and Jane Austen. She is a daughter of Conrad Aiken and read English at Oxford then becoming a journalist, reviewer and publisher's reader. She is particularly talented at blending historical detail with adventure, often set against the backdrop of military or civil conflict.
If you've never read her, please give her a try sometime!
annis
08-27-2008, 06:18 AM
Penelope Williamson's "Keeper of the Dream" is an old favorite, also Amanda Quick's historical romances, like "Scandal" and "Mystique"; sexy and fun. Unfortunately over the years her novels have become fairly perfunctory, with little character development and no sign of her earlier sparkling repartee.
In recent times I've been quite taken with Helen Kirkman' (http://www.helenkirkman.com/)s novels set in Dark Age England- good stuff!
CarolASpradling
08-27-2008, 10:23 AM
It is great to see such a varied list. I'm curious. What is it about these authors that make them a favorite?
Carol
diamondlil
08-27-2008, 10:47 AM
For me it the ability to be drawn into the story, but it is also a lot about the consistently good quality of the writing from book to book!
One of my favorite romance authors who has been published since the 60's is Jane Aiken Hodge. My top picks are The Winding Stair, Watch the Wall My Darling, Greek Wedding, The Adventurers, Wide is the Water, Marry in Haste, and Escapade.
Leyland, Jane Aiken Hodge was one of the first 'adult' historical authors I bought and Watch the Wall My Darling was the first book. I still have it somewhere among my keepers in the loft I think. I actually prefer her to Georgette Heyer -she's much less twittery to my reader's ear.
Misfit - sorry about messing up your TBR - Not!:p:p:p:D
Leyland
08-27-2008, 11:54 AM
Leyland, Jane Aiken Hodge was one of the first 'adult' historical authors I bought and Watch the Wall My Darling was the first book. I still have it somewhere among my keepers in the loft I think.
There are a handful of 70's paperbacks that are forever keepers (the kind you'd race back into your burning house to rescue) and Watch the Wall is definitely one for me! My Mary Stewart collection would be worth risking fire for as well. I love the hero in Watch the Wall the way I love Red Adam and also Nick Sabine in Brent's Moonraker's Bride. I just love all those 70's romantic suspense novels.
On the Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt is another. OK, I'll stop now!
Misfit
08-27-2008, 01:42 PM
For me it the ability to be drawn into the story, but it is also a lot about the consistently good quality of the writing from book to book!
Ditto. I do like to luxuriate in a romance but if the writing and story stinks it's just not worth it.
Penelope Williamson's "Keeper of the Dream" is an old favorite
I thought it was a good book but I couldn't stand the hero. He was just too mean. The rest of it was great, esp. his magical (??) squire. He needs his own book!!
Misfit
08-27-2008, 03:55 PM
I thought it was a good book but I couldn't stand the hero. He was just too mean. The rest of it was great, esp. his magical (??) squire. He needs his own book!!
I agree, the squire was the character who really elevated the book for me. It got an extra star just for him.
I agree. And the epilogue with the squire in the future was my favorite part of the whole book!
annis
08-27-2008, 06:13 PM
I really enjoyed Penelope Williamson's Old West novel "The Outsider" too - the unlikely romance between a gunslinger and a woman of the Plain religion. It did work, though, and there were a lot of well drawn secondary characters like the people in the Plain community, and also the conflict between the sheep farmers and the cattle ranchers added interest and tension. I've never found a copy of her "Heart of the West", but I know a lot of people loved that one as well.
I guess that the hero of "Keeper of the Dream" was a hard man because he'd had such a hard and lonely childhood, and we did see him grow in emotional warmth as the story went on.
I'd sort of forgotten about Cathy Cash Spellman until EC mentioned her, but yes, "Paint the Wind" was very good, and I also remember a family saga she wrote which started and ended in Ireland, but was set largely in America. The period was late C19th and early C20th -"So Many Partings" was the title.
"I guess that the hero of "Keeper of the Dream" was a hard man because he'd had such a hard and lonely childhood, and we did see him grow in emotional warmth as the story went on."
True! I just get annoyed that it's always the heroine having to understand and put up with bad behavior from the poor tortured hero. Give me a break! Women have it rough too! Let's see a female behaving badly and have the hero be the longsuffering soul who has to put up with her and still love her in the end!!
Telynor
08-28-2008, 11:43 PM
A recent discovery for me is Celeste de Blasis, and I recomment checking her out for those who love big bold meaty historical sagas. She wrote in the 80's and although classified as HR they are a definite step up from that towards HF. I've already read Wild Swan (review posted) the first of three books on a family that leaves England and emigrates to Maryland and starts up raising/racing horses. It was quite good.
I loved reading Celeste de Blasis' books, they were so involved. Hmm, I wonder if I still have them squirreled away somewhere.
Mary Balogh and Mary Jo Putney are still cranking out Regencies, but they tend to be good, especially the earlier novels. Putney (I think) had one of her earliest rereleased and retitled The Rake, which was very very good -- it had a hero who was having to deal with a real problem, and she didn't get wishy washy at all about it.
Jane Feather doesn't do too badly sometimes, she had one trilogy set in Edwardian London that was decent on the details.
Roberta Gellis' Roselynde novels are still favourites of mine.
I'm sure there must be more, but I can't think of anyone right at the moment. A lot of the authors that I used to like when I was younger have either stopped writing, or they've really decreased in quality.
lindymc
08-30-2008, 11:14 PM
On Wednesday both Leyland and EC2 gave favorable mention to Watch the Wall, My Darling. I ordered it from paperback swap; it arrived this morning and I'm halfway through it. What a fun romance. Thanks.
On Wednesday both Leyland and EC2 gave favorable mention to Watch the Wall, My Darling. I ordered it from paperback swap; it arrived this morning and I'm halfway through it. What a fun romance. Thanks.
Glad you're enjoying it Lindymc. I must go up into the loft and rediscover my well loved dog-eared copy.
Misfit
09-01-2008, 01:09 PM
I've got a trilogy from the 70's and 80's I discovered recently that I really enjoyed. Starting at the end of the civil war the heroine leaves Virginia to start life as a reporter (her father ran a newspaper in Virginia) and meets up with unhappily married wall street banker. The series winds up in the 1890's. While a bit soap opera-ish/TV mini feel at times, but the author puts in tons of detail of the period and gets a lot of the politics and famous people of the era into her story. I learned way more about US Gran'ts presidency than I ever picked up in the history books. Series in order (reviews posted on Amazon),
Castles in the Air
No Greater Love
On Wings of Dreams
Vanessa
09-01-2008, 04:21 PM
My favourite historical romance writer as a teenager was Victoria Holt, I think because they were a little bit 'gothic'. Some of her books have recently been republished (within the last few years), which I have on my TBR pile, to see if they retain the same old magic for me. I've read one of them - the Mistress of Mellyn - and I enjoyed it.
Diana Gabaldon has to be a favourite at the moment!
Spitfire
09-03-2008, 08:58 PM
Is there any Laura Kinsale fans out there. I loved Flowers from the Storm and The Shadow and the Star. The characters have such a depth to them that they really get under your skin. She really deviates from the typical romance formula that seems to get pumped out profusely these days. Lisa Kleypas is right up there as well as Julia Quinn for a fun easy read. Garwood is good too!
Leyland
09-03-2008, 09:13 PM
My favourite historical romance writer as a teenager was Victoria Holt, I think because they were a little bit 'gothic'.
I read all the Holts, too. I read the first six of the Philippa Carr 'Daughters of England' series she (Eleanor Hibbert) also wrote. Jake Pennlyon of The Lion Triumphant is one of my favorite heroes and the book is my favorite one of the series I read.
Madeleine Brent's novels are among my all time favorites and I have all of them in permanent library.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_Brent
My first in Historical Romance was Devils Desire by Laurie McBain if I'm correct, I bought it for five cents at a garage sale read three or four times, lost it and about a year or so ago I found another copy on amazon and bought it againand since have read it twice. Also someone on the old forum recommended Wolf and the Dove(forgot the author) which I loved. Kathleen Woodwiss is another favoreite, and J. Lindsay.
Lisa Kleypas is right up there as well as Julia Quinn for a fun easy read.
I have three Quinn books and enjoyed each one, your right they are light and fun to read.
True! I just get annoyed that it's always the heroine having to understand and put up with bad behavior from the poor tortured hero. Give me a break! Women have it rough too! Let's see a female behaving badly and have the hero be the longsuffering soul who has to put up with her and still love her in the end!!
This puts in mind a romance I read about some society catch goes wild when she thinks 'he' doens't love her she throughs caution to the wind, I believe it is The Society Catch or something like that and 'he' recuses her from a total catasrophe her life was fast becoming and somehow they both end up confessing their true feelings in an not so easy setting.
Spitfire
09-05-2008, 10:12 PM
True! I just get annoyed that it's always the heroine having to understand and put up with bad behavior from the poor tortured hero. Give me a break! Women have it rough too! Let's see a female behaving badly and have the hero be the longsuffering soul who has to put up with her and still love her in the end!!
Have you read It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas in the Wallflower series? This book definitely is the opposite of the pattern you just described. Lillian Bowman is a strong-willed American heiress who gets under the skin of straitlaced earl Marcus Westcliff. He ends up catching her in outrageous behaviors - one of them is playing rounders (aka baseball) in her and her friends bloomers! Funny! Despite Lillian's over the top behavior and her mouthyness, Marcus falls in love with her. I liked this story as I have a tendency to be mouthy myself, but my husband said he married me for my lip...so there you go!;)
diamondlil
09-05-2008, 10:22 PM
There's an earlier Kleypas that might fit the bill as well - Then Came You.
Spitfire
09-05-2008, 10:50 PM
Oh yeah! I wanted to read this book. It is one of her earlier ones! Here is a blurb off of her site "Lily Lawson, a thirty-year-old unwed mother who is a professional gambler and engages in all sorts of wild activity, all because she is trying to find the little daughter who has been stolen from her." Sounds unorthodox. Can't stand the stories of the damsel in distress who needs to be rescued by the overmuscled overarrogant alfa male!
diamondlil
09-05-2008, 11:02 PM
My review of that book is here (http://readingadventures.blogspot.com/2006/05/then-came-you-by-lisa-kleypas.html).
Thanks for the rec's! I love Lisa Kleypas so will definitely be reading them. I think I actually have It Happened One Autumn and Then Came You at home.
for westerns, Linda Lael Miller is a favorite.
Bobbi
11-05-2008, 01:41 AM
Where do I start... Diana Gabaldon, Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood, Sara Donai, Jennifer Donnelly, Gaelen Foley, Stephanie Laurens, Nora Roberts. I love romance novels.:D
diamondlil
11-05-2008, 07:55 AM
Have you tried Elizabeth Hoyt?
Bobbi
11-05-2008, 08:44 AM
No Marg, is she good? Looks like she's only got a couple of books, I'll try her out.
diamondlil
11-05-2008, 08:57 AM
I have really enjoyed all her books!
Roberta Gellis's creation Alinor is a woman almost too hot to handle for her husbands Simon le Magne and Ian de Vipont. She's smart and uppity and runs rings round all the men. That Simon and Ian can handle her is down to her permitting them to do so. Even while they still manage to be men's men, Alinor's in charge. What's more, Alinor firmly remains a woman of her time, and not some anachronistic modern woman in a long frock.
Spitfire
11-05-2008, 02:42 PM
I have to agree with EC, Gellis's Roselynde Chronicles are excellent! I have read the first three in the series so far...Roselynde (the story of Alinore and Simon) Alinore (the story of Ian and Alinore...my favorite ) and Joanna (the story of Alinore's daughter and Geoffrey) What I appreciated in this series is that Gellis did her research and kept true to the period that she was writing in. If you enjoy the medieval period during the riegn of King Richard, Prince John and their mother Elanore of Aquitaine, and you enjoy a well written romance...then these are the books for you!
MrsMorland
11-05-2008, 08:40 PM
Victoria Holt, Mary Balogh, Jane Feather...I know I'm forgetting someone that I really like, I'll get back to ya!
ellenjane
11-25-2008, 09:18 PM
What would be a good Kleypas to start with? They sound like something I'd like for a bit of fun reading, but I hate reading books in a series out of order. :p
Misfit
11-25-2008, 09:40 PM
As long as we've revived this thread, as much as I enjoyed Susan Carroll's Bridefinder books I do not recommend Winterbourne. I finally had to bail, it was so silly and so many little things that didn't fit the period that kept pulling me out of the story.
Bridefinder is on my next order list. How would you rate it?
It's funny how my tbr pile grows and yet I still order a few every two weeks and I make a list as to what I order when...lol.
Misfit
11-26-2008, 12:38 AM
Nona, it's been a couple of years since I've read them, but I gave them 4/5 stars -- and I rate according to genre, not say comparing a romance book to War and Peace (does that make sense?). They are fun, but they're not high fiction.
The last of the three was the most fun, when she let the ever so serious Val cut lose. Lots of funny moments.
diamondlil
11-26-2008, 10:04 AM
I rated the Susan Carroll St Ledger books about the same.
As to the question about Lisa Kleypas books, I would probably suggest starting with the Wallflower books
Secrets of a Summer Night
It Happened One Autumn
Devil in Winter
Scandal in Spring.
The current series then spins off from that one. And then there is a really good backlist to work your way through once you are hooked!
Jen Black
12-23-2008, 07:11 PM
This thread may have dried up some time ago but since I'm new I thought I'd add my thoughts. I think of historicals and romances set in historical times as not such different things so I list authors like Mary Ballogh and Dorothy Dunnett in the same sentence. If I want something light and witty I might try a category romance by Louise Allen and I can be certain there will be a happy ending. If I choose Suzannah Dunn I'm not certain at all - in fact the end of Queen of Sorrows was horrifying. Ms Ballogh's usually wraps thing up attractively at the end though there mihght be some horrors along the way.
Ms Dunnett throws in everything but the kitchen sink and I say that in a Good Way - wit, style, drama, tension, sadness - they are all there.
Jen
Jen Black
lol, everything but the kitchen sink. I agree but they are well worth the read.
Ludmilla
01-16-2009, 01:42 PM
Victoria Holt, Mary Balogh, Jane Feather...I know I'm forgetting someone that I really like, I'll get back to ya!
Are they starting to re-release some of the Victoria Holt novels (similar to what they've been doing with the books she wrote as Jean Plaidy)? I noticed Mistress of Mellyn on the new paperbacks table at the bookstore and wondered if more of these old ones of hers would be released. I'm tempted to start collecting them.
Vanessa
01-16-2009, 03:04 PM
I think about four (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/SearchHome/Pages/default.aspx?searchkey=victoria%20holt) of them have been republished (all of which I have!) with lovely new covers.
The Time of the Hunters Moon sounds delightful. I wonder if B&N carries that one, I still have a bit on a hift card.
Madeleine
01-16-2009, 07:29 PM
Yes, 4 Victoria Holt novels were re-issued in the UK about 18 months ago.
Ludmilla
01-16-2009, 10:09 PM
I'm in the US where so far only Mistress of Mellyn has been reissued. I did find this article (http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/dec/14/holt_novels_be_reissued64944/)that says there are plans for more reissues from St. Martin's Press. Bride of Pendorric will be next.
I've stumbled into a pot of gold or should a say shelf of gold, I'm reading Victoria Holt and just finished my first Georgette Heyer a few weeks back, now these two women can write a good romance, tasteful yet witty. I'm so glad I listened to those of you who suggested it.
SarahWoodbury
03-31-2009, 02:33 AM
Amanda Quick and Mary Balogh have been mentioned, but Catherine Coulter's early stuff set in the 13th century can be quite wonderful, along with Stephanie Lauren's 'Bastion Club' series.
I've been reading/buying every Holt book I can get my hands on. So far my fav is Devil on Horseback, French Revolution Era.
Ludmilla
04-03-2009, 05:36 PM
Nona, have you tried anything by Phyllis Whitney (http://www.phyllisawhitney.com/)? If you like romantic mysteries with gothic elements, you might like hers. I remember liking quite a few of hers back when I was gobbling up books by Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt.
Spitfire
04-09-2009, 09:42 PM
I've been inhaling Susan Elizabeth Phillips lately, I started with Nobody's Baby But mine, and now I'm hooked. They are such a good blend of humour and romance...I love her! I just finished Match me if you can. Anybody read Nora Roberts? I've just started Born in Fire...pretty good so far.
Oops, sorry guys, I guess this was the Historical Romance thread...OK Balogh is probably one of my fav. Historical Romance writers. You can't be Gellis's Roseylnd series either!
Even though I said after reading Twilight I'd be ready for something more serious, I went on a romance binge. I read three books by Marsha Canham and she is now one of my new favorite HR authors. She is excellent! Very smartly written, lots of good history included, and just all around great stories. I read Swept Away and the first two in a Scottish trilogy, Pride of Lions and Blood of Roses. Pride of Lions was excellent and gets very close to five stars as far as HRs go. BoR was good too but the history in this one bogged the story down in places. Plus the heroine slept alot, lol! You all should check this author out! I know I plan to buy a few more of her books now.
Misfit
04-28-2009, 08:15 PM
I read those about 4-5 years ago and loved them then, but I've been afraid to go back so that's good to hear. I really liked Canham's "robin hood" trilogy its very tongue in cheek at times.
Carine
04-29-2009, 05:55 AM
Thanks for the tip, I'll certainly have a closer look to her books, sounds very interesting. I love HF/HR set in Scotland.
Still have Lady of the Glen by Jennifer Roberson on my TBR pile aswell.
I tend to like more of the older romances like Victoria Holt, Laurie McBain and a new favorite of mine Katherine Deauxville. I bought three of her books a year or so ago and am finally reading them at a devouring speed, they're medieval and very well written and depth they have a great story. True to medieval times too.
princess garnet
05-19-2009, 12:19 AM
I'm signed up to go to Librarian's Day at the annual Romance Writers of America (RWA) Conference. It's here in DC this year.
I'm slated to be handling the romance genre in our collection so this will be quite an intro for me.
MedievalBookworm
05-20-2009, 09:51 AM
Julia Quinn is hands down my favorite, with only one exception. I think she writes funny, believable romance. I'm pretty sure the first few books in the Bridgerton series would convert non-romance readers!
I've only just started reading romance again after a several year hiatus, so I'm getting back into the groove of who's great and who's not. Quinn led the way, and so far I've discovered that I really enjoy Lisa Kleypas as well. Georgette Heyer is also a favorite although I know she's written more than romances.
diamondlil
05-20-2009, 08:45 PM
Have you tried Elizabeth Hoyt or Madeline Hunter?
MedievalBookworm
05-20-2009, 10:50 PM
I haven't tried Hoyt, but she's on my list! I'm going to be reviewing To Beguile a Beast on my blog within the next couple of months, so I will be reading her. I think I read at least one by Madeline Hunter a few years ago, but I don't remember what I thought. I'll have to check her books out again. Thanks!
Aneca
05-21-2009, 01:25 PM
Since I really like medievals my favourite historical romance authors are Roberta Gellis and Madeline Hunter (medievals only) along with Anita Mills, Denise Domning and Denee Cody. They have all written medievals full of historical detail (at least it seemed so to me) but I don't think I've seen them mentioned here.
And then there's regency authors like Mary Balogh, Georgette Heyer, Liz Carlyle... and contemporaries like Susan Elizabeth Phillips and some of Rachel Gibson's stories.
LoveHistory
09-21-2009, 05:19 PM
How, oh how did I miss this thread before???
I will read anything by Nora Roberts, Ruth Langan, Julia Quinn, Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Jillian Hart, Deborah Hale, Gayle Wilson, Millie Criswell, Deborah Simmons. And a few others.
Leena
10-03-2009, 03:55 PM
My favorite novel with a romance theme, is The Course of Honor, by Lindsey Davis. The main characters are Vespasian, who became emperor of Rome, and Caenis, a slave and later freed woman. These two people are so likable. Apparently, they loved each other their entire adult lives, yet had to separate when he married. They were reunited later however. Caenis is one of my favorite characters. She's depicted as being very intelligent, quite good at her line of work, stubborn, and honorable. The historical accuracy of the time seems well maintained. I love this book. It gave me such a nice feeling reading it, and I could tell that Ms Davis put a lot of love into it. It was her first book.
Davis is also the author of the Falco mystery series, also one of my favorites. The Course of Honor is thought to be her best book, so far. She's also just released a novel on the English Civil War.
Ludmilla
04-16-2010, 01:19 PM
Is there any Laura Kinsale fans out there. I loved Flowers from the Storm and The Shadow and the Star. The characters have such a depth to them that they really get under your skin. She really deviates from the typical romance formula that seems to get pumped out profusely these days.
I don't read Romance that often anymore, but have been feeling drained lately so have been treating myself to a few, and testing the waters of some of the authors out there in this genre. I've just discovered Kinsale, and have thoroughly enjoyed what I've read of hers. Agree about her creating really interesting characters and deviating from the typical romance formula, and even when she doesn't deviate from it, the books are witty enough (or have some kind of interesting hook to the story) to make you not care.
I also tried Judith James' Highland Rebel (don't be put off by the shirtless male on the cover) and really enjoyed it... When I pick up romance, I'm usually looking for equal measure adventure and some exploration into the historical backdrop (or some kind of mystery... something more than just sexual tension and relationship to propel the story), and this one has a nice balance of those things. Takes place in Stuart England during the reign of James II. After the initial setup, the characters actually take some time to know one another, which I really appreciated, and the author did a good job with the banter, making them feel like individuals rather than romantic cliches.
I am glad to hear good things about Highland Rebel because I have just got hold of it and it is nearly my next read.
I read all Georgette Heyer's when I was in my teens (but that was so long ago she was still publishing one a year"). I recently re-read Venetia and was surprised how much I enjoyed it and also Friday's Child which I obviously didn't appreciate enough the first time.
Nowadays, I tend to find that I really need a decent plot that works and having recently re-read Red Adam's Lady, I found that fit the bill. So much happens in only 240 pages.
But I mostly enjoy the ones that are also funny -- most of the Julia Quinn Bridgerton novels worked for me for that reason although The Lost Duke of Wyndham was a disappointment. Most (but not all) of SEP work for me too because of the humour.
Which was the Jane Aiken-Hodge historical set in Greece?
annis
04-17-2010, 01:32 AM
Originally Posted by Spitfire
Is there any Laura Kinsale fans out there. I loved Flowers from the Storm and The Shadow and the Star. The characters have such a depth to them that they really get under your skin. She really deviates from the typical romance formula that seems to get pumped out profusely these days.
I read her Medieval Hearts series. I found For My Lady's Heart quite bizarre. Kinsale tried an experiment with that one- she wrote the whole novel in a quasi-Middle English language which wasn't a good idea, and happily she ditched it for plain modern English for the sequel, Shadowheart (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/laura-kinsale/shadowheart.htm), which I did enjoy.
I liked Madeline Hunter's medieval novels, and I'm currently re-reading Catherine Coulter's Season of the Sun after a mention on the cheesy covers thread! I'm finding I still think it's good, though why the author had to give her heroine the name Zarabeth I don't know- hardly likely for an Irish girl of the 9th century. Inappropriate names for period are a pet peeve of mine when it comes to historical romance :(
annis
04-17-2010, 01:39 AM
Posted by SGM
Which was the Jane Aiken-Hodge historical set in Greece?
Could be Greek Wedding (http://www.fictiondb.com/author/jane-aiken-hodge~greek-wedding~18921~b.htm)?
i remember reading several of her gothic regencies at one stage.
Ludmilla
04-17-2010, 04:33 PM
I read all Georgette Heyer's when I was in my teens (but that was so long ago she was still publishing one a year"). I recently re-read Venetia and was surprised how much I enjoyed it and also Friday's Child which I obviously didn't appreciate enough the first time.
Not all of Heyer's novels work for me, and I didn't discover Heyer until her books started being reissued in recent years, but I adored Venetia. Out of the 5 or 6 that I've read so far, I think that and The Grand Sophy are her best.
Grand Sophy was a good one too. It's the later ones that don't work for me -- from Cousin Kate onwards. Joan Aiken-Hodge is good on what went wrong with Cousin Kate. Although I now have different views about some of the early ones, it is interesting to see her how her plots changed over time. What amazes me is that I can still read and enjoy them which isn't the case with others such as Victoria Holt.
Ludmilla
04-20-2010, 12:55 PM
I've just discovered another Romance writer I like... Has anyone read Judith Ivory (originally wrote some under the name Judy Cuevas)? I just finished Black Silk, which is not your usual kind of romance at all with a rather clever but perverse twist on the Pygmalion theme, some of which is evident some of which is not. It struck me as the kind of book that might fall through the cracks because romance readers might not fully appreciate the complexity of it and literary types would probably snobbishly dismiss it because of the romance label. I dunno... I thought it was unusual and quite liked it.
Ashley
09-22-2010, 07:58 PM
My favorite is good old Jude Deveraux's A Knight In Shining Armor, even though it's hideously dated and the heroine is annoying to the extreme. I love this idea and being a fan of time travel stuff anyway (Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon) I gave this one a try as someone gave it to me.
Love it, love it. Hated the ending. :( But I kept my copy and will reread it again someday.
Michy
09-24-2010, 08:06 PM
i remember reading several of her gothic regencies at one stage.
"Gothic Regency" sounds like an interesting combination, one I've never tried before. Any titles you could recommend?
Misfit
12-27-2010, 07:56 PM
Here I am - late to the party once again but just loving this thread.
My fave historicla romance authors are Lisa Kleypas, Eloisa James (although I dont like 'Desperate Duchesses' which everyone else raves about), Mary Balogh (masterly) Gaelen Foley, Nicola Cornick and Stephanie Laurens.
It occurrs to me from the activity on this forum that its not a particularly popular genre at the moment - I suppose vampires have taken over.
What do you think, is HR still alive and well?
Grace x
I actually enjoy a good HR on occasion, but haven't had much luck finding anything in the newer releases. I prefer them more centered on storyline and history and not page upon page of sex. I've had some good finds among the older books and despite the covers some of them are actually quite good.
Ludmilla
12-28-2010, 01:22 PM
Grace asks: It occurs to me from the activity on this forum that its not a particularly popular genre at the moment - I suppose vampires have taken over.
What do you think, is HR still alive and well?
From my own personal perspective:
I'm in my forties now and had stopped reading romance by my 20-something years. I read a lot of Gothic/Romantic Suspense and Historical Romance when I was young but after a while they suffered from the formula and I moved on. I thought I was done, but then I picked up one of those epic romances looking for a good adventure novel this year and became curious how much the genre had changed (or stayed the same) since I last really paid attention to it. I began sampling more and more, and discovered it's like most other genres with its share of good, mediocre and completely forgettable books. You have to do your due diligence to find what you like, which is true of all the other genres. Is there any other genre that has to cater to such a wide range of tastes? Relationship-focused novels can strike us so personally. Finding a good one can be like finding a good friend or the perfect mate... it's a highly selective process and a lot will depend on your personal chemistry with the characters or interest and knowledge of the time and place. That said, there are some commonly used romantic tropes I just can't stand, such as lust--mistaken for love--at first sight and plots that exist for no other reason than to throw characters together for the purpose of foreplay before getting down to the penultimate act. I don't want to feel like I'm reading a how to guide for the sexually uninitiated or like I'm watching the cast of American Pie in period costume. I also hate the fast-track to love where the characters have not been given enough time to really know one another. I do often enjoy character-driven novels, and there are some romances that accomplish it quite well.
But to answer your question, is it still alive and well?
Yes, I think so. I don't, however, think that people who read outside the genre are comfortable admitting they read romances when the genre itself is treated so derisively by those who don't read much of it... Quite frankly, I've read some excellent love stories in romance that could equal anything in literature, but admit they are few and far between. I also think, though I am by no means an expert and others here know far more about the business, that Romance publishers have been quite savvy about jumping on the ebook bandwagon and romance readers have really embraced that medium. The books are easy to come by and usually quite cheap. If you read one you don't like, you haven't invested a lot of money in it, esp if you are just looking for some popcorn to read between the heavy meals.
Re favorite authors within the genre: I've really enjoyed several of the books I've read by Jo Goodman, Judith Ivory, Laura Kinsale and Mary Balogh. I've only read two by Kleypas and they were a little too melodramatic for my tastes but I understand her appeal. Julia Quinn can be very funny and charming, for all that they probably typify the common complaint of history as mere wallpaper in genre romance. I can accept that if the author completely charms me with her characters and the plot itself is well thought out rather than just a tool to throw the characters together.
So, after that long-winded explanation, what books would you recommend by Eloisa James? I've only tried one by her and wondered what others would be good to start with.
LoveHistory
12-28-2010, 03:28 PM
I've become a fan of Tessa Dare's writing. There's always great humor mixed into her stories, and sometimes there are twists I don't see coming (I'm usually way ahead of those things).
Just got some books from my sister who reads romance almost exclusively. I'll have to see if there are any good ones in there.
Gretchen Craig
03-09-2011, 11:41 PM
What a fun question. My favorite romance author is Judith Ivory. Wonderful writing, fun, and sexy. She's tops. Regencies, I guess.
I also love Sherry Thomas, whom I have only recently discovered. Her Victorian era romances are laugh out loud funny, but not trivial. Sexy. Extremely well written with interesting motifs running through them. Super writer.
I'm just sticking to those for historical romance favorites.
Ludmilla
03-10-2011, 12:49 PM
Nice to meet another Ivory fan. I only discovered her last year but immediately hunted down all of her books and am sadly all caught up now. She hasn't been terribly prolific and I think she stopped writing due to health issues. I've also enjoyed a few of Sherry Thomas's books.
Gretchen Craig
03-10-2011, 04:10 PM
I believe Ivory also wrote under another name, but I can't think of it right now. When I do, I'll post it. Haven't read any of hers under the other name, either.
Gretchen Craig
03-10-2011, 04:38 PM
Judith Ivory -- also known as Judy Cuevas.
Alisha Marie Klapheke
04-08-2011, 03:19 AM
Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I don't read much HR but I probably should. It sounds like fun. And the genre contains so many different styles...light and fun, heavier on the history with some great relationship stuff...all good for the entertainment.
jessicajames
09-15-2011, 12:06 AM
Kathleen Woodiwiss. There was no one better.
Kathleen Woodiwiss. There was no one better.
She's probably one of my least favorite authors. I find her writing too flowery and too many historical inaccuracies.
I loved Woodiwiss when I was 15. She's not for me now, but I still have a couple of her novels on my keeper shelf in memory of the time when I enjoyed her writing. It was like extreme glam rock - totally over the top, but so gloriously naff it was brilliant! She knew how to keep the pages turning even if the books were overblown and the historical veracity more than suspect. There's something very joyful about Woodiwiss at the top of her game.
I loved Woodiwiss when I was 15. She's not for me now, but I still have a couple of her novels on my keeper shelf in memory of the time when I enjoyed her writing. It was like extreme glam rock - totally over the top, but so gloriously naff it was brilliant! She knew how to keep the pages turning even if the books were overblown and the historical veracity more than suspect. There's something very joyful about Woodiwiss at the top of her game.
I guess she was a bit of trend-setter and a lot of people followed on copying her -- unless I have got it wrong and there was someone before her of that style. Like many people she arrived during my teens and I devoured her but -- alas, no more.
annis
09-15-2011, 08:38 PM
I'm with EC on this one. I found Woodiwiss' Wolf and the Dove (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Dove-Kathleen-Woodiwiss/dp/0380007789) absolutely riveting when I was a teenager and keep a copy for old times' sake, but she definitely wouldn't be my choice of authors these days. In my case anyway, tastes have become more astringent the older and more cynical I get!
Misfit
09-15-2011, 10:05 PM
I'm with EC on this one. I found Woodiwiss' Wolf and the Dove (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Dove-Kathleen-Woodiwiss/dp/0380007789) absolutely riveting when I was a teenager and keep a copy for old times' sake, but she definitely wouldn't be my choice of authors these days. In my case anyway, tastes have become more astringent the older and more cynical I get!
Wolf and the Dove *shudders*
I don't know if Jennifer Blake has been mentioned. I discovered her last year through a friend at Goodreads and have enjoyed the books I've read so far. They might not all be steallar 4-5 stars, but she's got a good blend of sensual romance, but she really seems to have a good feel for Creole society, clothes etc. and brings it out well without overdoing it. Just be warned, some of them might have that dreaded non-PC forced seduction trope (or at least I've heard that, haven't come across it myself).
[QUOTE=Misfit;91727]Wolf and the Dove *shudders*
I don't know if Jennifer Blake has been mentioned.QUOTE]
Yeah, add her to my teenage pile. I know I read her but can't actually remember anything about her books. I keep trying to remember all those authors I did back then but my memory is obviously going because I can't compile a list. But when someone mentions one, it comes back to my mind. Mostly I find I can't get along with them anymore. Mind you I can't often read the modern ones of that ilk nowadays either.
Strangely, I can still read Heyer when I am in need of something undemanding.
Margaret
09-16-2011, 06:31 PM
Heyer is a delight. Her "romances" are really romantic comedy, I think, and/or comedy of manners, and not usually romance of the type that aims to recreate the feeling of falling in love (at least, they don't have that effect on me).
Heyer is a delight. Her "romances" are really romantic comedy, I think, and/or comedy of manners, and not usually romance of the type that aims to recreate the feeling of falling in love (at least, they don't have that effect on me).
I think you are right -- the humour is what makes it possible for me to keep on reading, ie I still haven't grown out of her -- and most importantly, her regency hero does not go off to the pub and order a pint! That is the ultimate wall-banger for me.
I started reading Heyer when I had run out of all the Scarlet Pimpernels I could get my hands on (not so easy to get hold of any book you wanted then) -- about the age of 11 or so. I can't read the Scarlet Pimpernel any more either and I grew up with them.
Nickie
09-18-2011, 07:20 AM
I like to read romances by Sabrina Jeffries, Mary Jo Putney, Kathryn Caskie and Teresa Medeiros. The last three ladies are wonderful persons, who are friendly towards someone they don't know, and when my mother died Teresa even send her condolences.
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