Potpourri
Fave Fiction
Here are some of my favorite books and why I like them. I'll try to add to them as I have time.
And if you'd like suggestions for authors who write like your own favorites, check out All About Romance's If You Like list.
| Author | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rexanne Becnel | Dangerous to Love | The heroine is delightfully spinsterish and there's something about gypsy Regency rakes that I can't resist. Ivan is so determined not to fall in love and Lucy is just so determined to make him! |
| Rexanne Becnel | The Matchmaker, The Troublemaker, and The Bridemaker | If you enjoyed Rexanne's other Regency-set book (see above), you'll love these, too. They're not your average family series. The heroines of the first and second books are half-sisters. The hero of the third book is the illegitimate nephew of the hero of the first book. And the upcoming fourth book features the two half-sisters' half-brother. It's less complicated than it sounds, and oh, are these books delicious! |
| Rebecca Brandewyne | Upon a Moon-Dark Moor and Across a Starlit Sea | These Cornwall Gothics are old books (don't let the September 1999 re-release date on Amazon fool you), very un-PC, and written in first person, but the heroes are just yummy. If you like your heroes gentle and you're looking for humor, these books are not for you, but whenever I want a bit of sturm and drang, I reread both, since one follows the other. |
| Sandra Brown | Best-Kept Secrets | My favorite contemporary romantic suspense novel. I like a lot of Brown's books (Exclusive, Mirror Image), but this is my favorite, the one I think is most romantic. The heroine is trying to find out who killed her mother shortly after the heroine was born, and one of her prime suspects (yes, the hero is a good bit older than the heroine--at least 17 years or so) happens to be the sexiest man she's ever met. |
| Liz Carlyle | A Woman Scorned, My False Heart, A Woman of Virtue, No True Gentleman, and The Devil You Know | You won't find more well-developed characters anywhere. Liz's lush style captivated me from the beginning, and I adore her characters, especially the intelligent and strong-willed women. |
| Fiona Carr | The Mad Marquis | This debut author's book sizzles like nobody's business. If you enjoy marriage-of-convenience plots and steamy sex and especially if you have an interest in horses and horseback riding, you'll love this tale of a marquis who marries a horse-loving woman to get her prize-winning horses but instead gets much more than he bargained for. |
| Loretta Chase | Lord of Scoundrels | This is absolutely the funniest, most heart-warming romance I've ever read, bar none. The characters will surprise you every page, and the wit is delightful. I haven't yet read her other books, but if they're all as wonderful as this one, I'll be in heaven. |
| Jennifer Crusie | Welcome to Temptation | A bawdy, hilarious contemporary romance about a filmmaker who butts heads with the local mayor when she comes to film in Temptation. Run, don't walk, to get this one! |
| Lisa Gardner | The Perfect Husband | Great writing and masterful thrills make this one a keeper. You won't find a more chilling villain than the serial killer of this book. The hero and the heroine both have enough tortured secrets to fill a battleship, yet they come together in one of the most satisfying unions I've ever read. I've always liked Lisa Gardner's series books as Alicia Scott, but now I intend to buy all her books as Lisa Gardner. |
| Amanda Glass (Jayne Ann Krentz (in the rerelease) | Shield's Lady | If you're into futuristics (and a fan of Amanda Quick—this is one of her pen names), then you'll love this one. The hero is sexy and there's a mystical subplot that really touched me. |
| Danelle Harmon | The One series (Wild One, Beloved One, etc.) | I scarfed these down like candy. Harmon's de Montforte brothers are each delicious, and every book is better than the last. Unfortunately, most are out of print, but if you see them in the used bookstore, definitely grab a copy. Also, the last book, The Wicked One, is still available and stands alone very well. |
| Teresa Hill | Twelve Days | Wow, what a Christmas book! Emotional and romantic, this story affected me so deeply, I had to read it with a box of kleenex at my side. |
| Linda Howard | Mackenzie's Mountain | Yes, I know that everybody in the world loves this one, but I have to join the pack anyway. The hero is so heart-wrenchingly proud and tortured, and the heroine is such a sweetie that I find myself rereading this one at least once a year. |
| Linda Howard | Midnight Rainbow and Diamond Bay | Often packaged together, these two books about two rough and tumble spies and the women they fall in love with are what got me hooked on Linda Howard. Kell Sabin is the sexiest hero I've ever come across, and that's saying a lot. |
| Judith Ivory | The Proposition | This book is truly a tour-de-force and an example of some of the best writing in the genre. Both characters are fully realized, the plot is cute beyond belief (it's My Fair Lady in reverse—with the heroine turning a ratcatcher into a lord), and it has sizzling romance. |
| Michelle Jerott | Her Bodyguard | I love bodyguard stories anyway, but Matt is one fine, sexy hero. Jerrott hasn't written a bad book yet, but this one really sizzles. I couldn't put it down! |
| Nicole Jordan | The Seduction | If you like your rakes jaded and your romance hot, this book is for you. The heroine agrees to be the hero's mistress to save her family, but soon learns that being a mistress has certain…er…attractions. Unfortunately, she's fallen in love with the hero, and he isn't sure he can ever love. It takes all her will to bring him around. |
| Virginia Kantra | The MacNeill brother series | Kantra has a lush writing style that I really admire and characters who are well-rounded and believable. Not to mention that her MacNeill heroes are luscious enough to eat. Her fourth book connected to the MacNeills just came out, Mad Dog and Annie, and I assure you it's fabulous. |
| Virginia Kantra | Trouble in Eden series | More lush heroes from Kantra. Eden is a small town outside of Chicago. The heroes of the first two books are Polish brothers who are cops. One has just become the police chief of Eden, and the second is bound and determined not to marry…until he meets the right girl, of course. You meet the third hero in the first book when he's suspected of murder by the police chief who falls for his sister. Of course, he isn't guilty--except of being criminally sexy! If you want more of a blurb about them, just go to Virginia Kantra's site. The books were so good that I read them at Disneyworld while waiting for rides. I couldn't bear to stop! |
| Johanna Lindsey | Mallory books | Okay, I'm cheating here, and I don't like them all equally, but I do love the Mallory's. They're all funny. I especially liked Love Only Once (the first book), Gentle Rogue (my favorite), and The Magic of You (where the heroine chases the hero shamelessly). |
| Johanna Lindsey | Silver Angel | One of my Guilty Pleasure books, this one won't appeal to everyone. It just so happens that I have a fondness for sheik books, and this is my favorite, even if the hero is just pretending to be a sheik. |
| Meagan McKinney | When Angels Fall | Set in Victorian England, this book has a gypsy hero whose need to be loved will break your heart. If you like stories where the hero and heroine have a convoluted past together, you'll enjoy this one. |
| Meagan McKinney | Till Dawn Tames the Night | My favorite pirate book of all time. Although it does have one hilarious scene in it, it's not really humorous. But if you want a pirate book that portrays pirates realistically and goes right to the edge of making the hero unlikable, this is it. His redemption is the most moving thing I've ever read. |
| Judith McNaught | Almost Heaven | The scene in the courtroom is a classic. McNaught is one of my favorite historical authors because she combines heart-wrenching emotion and subtle humor in all her books. This also contains one of my long-time favorite themes: the misunderstood heroine before whom the hero has to grovel when he realizes how badly he misjudged her. |
| Kathleen Nance | Wishes Come True and More than Magic | I like a good paranormal romance from time to time and these djinni books have just the right amount of otherworldliness without overdoing it and without shirking on the romance. I read the second book recently and fell totally in love with Darius, the hero. Nance's djinni world is believable and intriguing. I heartily recommend them. |
| Mary Jo Putney | Silk and Shadows | Actually, ALL of MJP's books are on my keeper shelf, but this is my favorite. I'll take Peregrine as a hero any day! He's a tortured hero who's lost his way, and Sara is the perfect foil for him—principled, kind, and warm. |
| Mary Jo Putney | The Wild Child | A very original tale about a seemingly mad young woman whose sheltered world is opened up when the hero shows her how not to fear. It was a heart-wrenching and beautiful tour-de-force. Putney never disappoints. |
| Amanda Quick | Surrender | I love lots of Amanda Quick's books, but this is my favorite. The hero is a fortune-hunter, yet she manages to make him sympathetic. Since I'm writing my own fortune-hunter hero right now, I understand just how difficult that is. But she pulls it off. Lucas is just scrumptious. |
| Julia Quinn | Minx | Not only is JQ enormously funny, but her heroines are always tremendously likeable and this one is no exception. This book made me laugh a lot, but also made me cry and that's no small feat, believe me. |
| Julia Quinn | The Duke and I | If you don't fall instantly in love with this duke who doesn't know his own heart, I don't know why. Simon is a hurting soul, and the heroine knows exactly how to heal him. |
| Kathryn Smith | An Elusive Passion | A delightful Regency historical with a delicious marquess who's accused of murder by a Russian beauty. But the beauty has her own secrets, and he has great fun uncovering them! |