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Who are your favorite romance authors??

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Michy
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Post by Michy » Fri September 24th, 2010, 8:06 pm

[quote=""annis""]

i remember reading several of her gothic regencies at one stage.[/quote]

"Gothic Regency" sounds like an interesting combination, one I've never tried before. Any titles you could recommend?

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Mon December 27th, 2010, 8:56 pm

[quote=""Grace Elliot""]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[/quote]

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.
At home with a good book and the cat...
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Ludmilla
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Post by Ludmilla » Tue December 28th, 2010, 2:22 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.

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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Tue December 28th, 2010, 4:28 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.

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Favorite authors

Post by Gretchen Craig » Thu March 10th, 2011, 12:41 am

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.

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Ludmilla
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Post by Ludmilla » Thu March 10th, 2011, 1:49 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.

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Post by Gretchen Craig » Thu March 10th, 2011, 5:10 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.

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Post by Gretchen Craig » Thu March 10th, 2011, 5:38 pm

Judith Ivory -- also known as Judy Cuevas.

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Alisha Marie Klapheke
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Post by Alisha Marie Klapheke » Fri April 8th, 2011, 3:19 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.

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Post by jessicajames » Thu September 15th, 2011, 12:06 am

Kathleen Woodiwiss. There was no one better.
Jessica James
http://www.jessicajamesbooks.com
Winner of the 2011 John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction
Winner of the 2011 Next Generation Indie Award for Regional Fiction
2011 Next Generation Finalist in Romance and Historical Fiction

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