Where are my romance readers?

[AJL]

Hi. I’m AJL and I love romance novels. lol!

No but seriously, I need some recommendations. I recently discovered Kristan Higgins and have read all her books.

Authors I’ve read already:
Debbi Macomber
JR Ward
Rachelle Mead
Jill Shalvis
Diana Gabaldon (it may be more historical than romance but I’m a die hard Outlander)
Ilona Andrews
Patricia Briggs
Julie Garwood
some Nora Roberts, but if you can recommend any of her specific series/trilogies, I’m game

I enjoy all sub-genres of the romance category so don’t worry if it’s too sweet or too steamy.

[ufcasey]

I read a ridiculous number of books in this category and it's various sub categories. You can check out my various shelves on GR here, but here's my pretty comprehensive list of super favorites (excluding the ones you already listed!), broken down by sub-category:

Contemporary
Rainbow Rowell (Landline, Attachments)
Mia Sheridan (Kyland, Archer's Voice, Most of All You)
Kylie Scott (Stage Dive series)
Kristen Callihan (Idol)
Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Dream a Little Dream)
Elle Kennedy (The Deal)
Elizabeth Finn (Kane's Hell)

Historical (novel-ish)
Jessica Brockmole (Letters from Skye)
Paullina Simons (The Bronze Horseman)

Historical (more romance-ish)
Tessa Dare (Romancing the Duke, Any Duchess Will Do)
Lisa Kleypas (Wallflowers series, Hathaways series)
Eloisa James (Three Weeks With Lady X, When Beauty Tamed the Beast)

Paranormal
Keri Arthur (Riley Jenson series, super smutty warning but they get more plot as they go along)
Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress series)
Karen Marie Moning (Fever series, only the first 5 books LOL!)
Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter series)

Fantasy
C.L. Wilson (Tairen Soul series, The Winter King)

[ufcasey]

Do you have any particular books to recommend by Debbie Macomber and Jill Shalvis? I haven't read any from either of them and they both have a LOT of books to choose from.

[smock]

This is probably the place to recommend my sister, who writes historical romance! She writes medieval, mostly Scottish, under the name Emma Prince. Her current series, Highland Bodyguards, releases book six on Nov. 16th, and her Sinclair Brothers Trilogy is really popular!

[litskispeciality]

Probably stretching here but I'm a sucker for Nicholas Sparks, although you notice a pattern real quick. Again a bit of a stretch depending on how you define romance Gayle Forman can write a heartwrenching YA romance tale. I haven't read the Outlander series but I hear that's good historical related fiction.

[AJL]

Nov 7, 2017 9:59:48 GMT -5 ufcasey said:

Do you have any particular books to recommend by Debbie Macomber and Jill Shalvis? I haven't read any from either of them and they both have a LOT of books to choose from.

I like Macomber's Blossom Street series and Shalvis' Lucky Harbor series.

[bex]

I'm a big Nora Roberts fan too. Her books are definitely formulaic but meh, at least you know what you're getting.

I love her Chesapeake Bay series, her Colorado series (older - Night Shift, Nightshade, etc), Homeport, the Villa, and its one of her more formulaic ones but I really liked the Liar.

[bex]

I'm also glad for this post bc sometimes I just want a good romance novel but there are so many out there that I just stick to Nora Roberts, so hopefully this helps me branch out a bit.

[ssmjlm]

If you have amazon prime I've enjoyed 2 of LA Fiore's books via kindle lending, one is Beautifully Damaged and the other was A Glimpse of the Dream.

Another good prime author is Jamie Beck. I read a trilogy of hers and then In the Cards as well.

[Wallflower]

OK, this was not a path I should have started down during the work day! LOL.

Historical
    • Stephanie Laurens – She has a huge series (Cynster), which starts with my favorite of hers, “Devil’s Bride.” She also has spin-off series, including a new series on the second generation of Cynsters.
    • Mary Balogh – Very prolific and I haven’t read everything, but her Survivors’ Club series is wonderful. It centers on a group of individuals damaged in various ways following Waterloo. My favorite is the first in the series, “The Proposal,” followed closely by the last in the series “Only Beloved.”
    • Hannah Howell – Has a couple of series set in Scotland that I enjoy – The Murrays (20+ books) and the Highland Brides.
    • Julia Quinn – I really love the Bridgerton series (10+ books?) and its spin-off, the Smythe-Smith series.

Contemporary
    • Lori Foster – Amazingly, because it is so totally NOT my style, I really enjoyed her MMA series.
    • Maya Banks – I love her KGI series. A couple of books in the series have a paranormal element, but that doesn’t flow through them all.
    • Jill Shalvis – I love her Animal Magnetism series. Each book has some element with animals, mostly dogs. I also follow her Heartbreaker By and Cedar Ridge series.
    • Jennifer Ryan – I follow her Montana Men series, which spun off her Hunted series. (One or two books throws in a little paranormal, but mostly straight romance.)
    • Jayne Ann Krentz – River Road, Eclipse Bay.
    • Bella Andre – The Sullivans series.

    • Kathleen Brooks – Bluegrass series (and its spin-off, Forever Bluegrass).

Paranormal
    • Christine Feehan – The Drake Sisters series and its spin-off, the Sea Haven/Sisters of the Heart series. Plus the Ghostwalker series, though I enjoyed the early books far more than the later ones.
        o She has some other series that are not my style, dealing with shapeshifters and vampires. I’m sure they’re good, as she’s a good writer, but they’re just not my taste. Don’t take that I’m not recommending them as any comment on their quality.
    • Mary Jo Putney – She’s mostly historical, but she did one paranormal that I adored, “The Marriage Spell.” This is a paranormal/historical mix. I’ve always wished she would do another book in this world.
    • Hannah Howell – Also mostly historical (see above), she has the Whelocke series that is a paranormal/historical, and I really enjoy that.

[Wallflower]

Some additional suggestions, because I’m tired of dealing with fixed assets.
Contemporary
    • Nora Roberts – She is prolific, but there are a couple that really stand out for me for having serious “competence porn.”
        o Blue Smoke
        o High Noon
    • Lauren Dane – Her Petal, Georgia series (though others are good).
    • Marie Force – Gansett Island series.
    • Janet Chapman – I really enjoyed her Sinclair Brothers series, especially The Seduction of His Wife.

Paranormal
    • Janet Chapman – Highlanders and Spellbound Falls series. (I’ve also listed her under Contemporary, but she does mostly time-travel/paranormal.)

Finally, one of my favorites – Susanna Kearsley. She is categorized as “fiction” rather than romance, but her books generally have a dose of paranormal and a lot of romance. My favorite is “The Winter Sea.”

[CheeringCharm]

If you like Julie Garwood, you might like Judith McNaught (especially her older stuff - A Kingdom of Dreams, Whitney My Love, Perfect, Paradise, Double Standards) 

I also liked Julia Quinn (The Duke and I) and Susan Elizabeth Philips (Nobody’s Baby But Mine is my particular fav)

ETA: oh my gosh and how could I forget - Mary Balogh!

I haven’t read her in ages but A Summer to Remember is still one of my favorite books! It’s very sweet.