My 100 Most Favorite Historical Romances

This is very difficult to narrow down. I had to cut some great books off the list to represent my overall most loved books. If I could do 200, there would be more books by each of my favorite authors. Alas, I am only allowed to list 100.

Criteria:
*Five star books only
*Keeper for ever and ever
*Made me laugh, cry, or both
*Completely memorable and touching
*Will reread more than once
*Loved the hero and heroine passionately


1. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
2. The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale
3. The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas
4. Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
5. Seize the Fire by Laura Kinsale
6. A Heart So Wild by Johanna Lindsey
7. My Lord Pirate by Laura Renken
8. Night Shadow by Laura Renken
9. Wicked Lies by Laura Renken
10. Two Texas Hearts by Jodi Thomas
11. When a Texan Gambles by Jodi Thomas
12. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
13. Born in Sin by Kinley MacGregor
14. Touched by Fire by Kathleen O'Reilly
15. Entwined by Emma Jensen
16. Tallie's Knight by Anne Gracie
17. My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth
18. Still in My Heart by Kathryn Smith
19. Only in My Dreams by Eve Byron
20. All Through the Night by Connie Brockway
21. A Dangerous Man by Connie Brockway
22. A Rose at Midnight by Anne Stuart
23. Ruthless by Anne Stuart
24. Lord of Danger by Anne Stuart
25. Shadow Play by Katherine Sutcliffe
26. Annie's Song by Catherine Anderson
27. Surrender by Pamela Clare
28. Untamed by Pamela Clare
29. Maverick Wild by Stacey Kayne
30. Mountain Wild by Stacey Kayne
31. The Arrangement by Lyn Stone
32. Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
33. The Prize by Julie Garwood
34. For the Roses by Julie Garwood
35. To Love a Dark Lord by Anne Stuart
36. Shadow Dance by Anne Stuart
37. This is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland
38. Saving Grace by Julie Garwood
39. Warlord by Elizabeth Elliot
40. Lady Gallant by Suzanne Robinson
41. Keegan's Lady by Catherine Anderson
42. Seek Only Passion by Deana James
43. Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas
44. Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
45. To Pleasure a Prince by Sabrina Jeffries
46. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
47. A Well-Pleasured Lady by Christina Dodd
48. Rules of Surrender by Christina Dodd
49. Rules of Engagement by Christina Dodd
50. Lost in Your Arms by Christina Dodd
51. One Kiss from You by Christina Dodd
52. Scandalous Again by Christina Dodd
53. Priceless by Christina Dodd
54. Gabriel's Bride by Samantha James
55. Bitterleaf by Lisa Gregory
56. Dark Torment by Karen Robards
57. Nobody's Angel by Karen Robards
58. Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell
59. Untouched by Anna Campbell
60. Fallen by Celeste Bradley
61. Sweetbriar by Jude Deveraux
62. Velvet Angel by Jude Deveraux
63. The Raider by Jude Deveraux
64. The Awakening by Jude Deveraux
65. The Princess by Jude Deveraux
66. Captive Bride by Johanna Lindsey
67. The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale
68. My Dearest Enemy by Connie Brockway
69. Perils of the Heart by Jennifer Ashley
70. The Pirate Hunter by Jennifer Ashley
71. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
72. My Forever Love by Marsha Canham
73. The Wicked One by Danelle Harmon
74. Forbidden by Jo Beverley
75. Taming the Scotsman by Kinley MacGregor
76. A Promise of Love by Karen Ranney
77. The Wedding by Julie Garwood
78. The Sun and the Moon by Patricia Ryan
79. If You Dare by Kresley Cole
80. If You Deceive by Kresley Cole
81. Bridal Favors by Connie Brockway
82. The De Burgh Bride by Deborah Simmons
83. Taming the Wolf by Deborah Simmons
84. My False Heart by Liz Carlyle
85. Savage Thunder by Johanna Lindsey
86. The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase
87. The Wedding Journey by Carla Kelly
88. The Lord Next Door by Gayle Callen
89. Princess by Gaelen Foley
90. Lions and Lace by Meagan McKinney
91. The Mercenary's Kiss by Pam Crooks
92. Hannah's Vow by Pam Crooks
93. His Secondhand Wife by Cheryl St. John
94. Never Love a Cowboy by Lorraine Heath
95. Be Mine by Cait Logan
96. Heartless by Mary Balogh
97. On a Long Ago Night by Susan Sizemore
98. The Price of Innocence by Susan Sizemore
99. The Proposition by Judith Ivory
100.The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe'

Man, that was hard work! *wiping brow*

I will revisit at the end of the year to see if I need to make changes.

Black Ice by Anne Stuart

Black Ice by Anne Stuart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There is something to be said for rereads. I read this one more slowly this time, savoring the language and the scenes. I love dessert. It's my favorite meal. And I always eat my dessert very slowly. Sadly, I read this so fast the first time, since Ms. Stuart hadn't put out a book a while before this one, too fast to truly take in and appreciate all the nuances. This time, I tried to treat Black Ice as if it was a dessert to be savored. And indeed, it was like the most seductive, decadent kind of desserts. And, I love it even more this time around.



Can you fall in love with a ruthless killer? A man who cares nothing for life and has absolutely no sense of right or wrong? A man who will use violence, sex, or lies, in whatever way is necessary to get the job done? In real life, I hope never to find that out. But, in this book, I could totally believe that Chloe would fall in love with the covert operative who goes by the name of Bastien, among many.



Can love change the bleakest, darkest heart? I do believe it can. As she often does, Ms. Stuart did a great job of showing me exactly that.



Black Ice won't be for everyone. Not every reader will fall in love with a hero who is as ruthless as Bastien. I couldn't help but fall for him. Ms. Stuart knows how to write this kind of hero--like no other author that I've read. There are so many layers to the man who goes by Bastien Toussaint. I love how each layer is peeled away to reveal the man that Chloe (and I could love). He's a physically beautiful man, one of sinuous grace. He's completely elegant, even when he's doing unspeakable things. He's absolute, complete seduction. And then there's the way he risks life and limb, and wreaks all sort of havoc to protect Chloe. Like the woman in his past, and Chloe, I could not resist him. Funny to think I felt he was a bit too hard the first time I read this. Silly me. Now I realize that he's just what this Doctor ordered. Maybe I've come to appreciate this kind of hero more as I've aged. I'm glad for that.



Dark romance it might be, but Anne Stuart writes luscious, sensual romance like no other author for me. The love scenes--fantastic. Worth rereading again and again. So much to savor here.



The suspense and action elements were awesome. Nothing like a little danger with my romance to get my heart pumping. I am a sucker for a sophisticated setting-something about European locales for spy/suspense stories for me. I felt as though I was there in Paris on a wintery night. Seeing the dark, twisted deeds that the Committee did to keep the world safe, even if they had to sacrifice a few innocents along the way, looking so stylish and elegant in their black designer wear all the while. Watching the shadowy games and the more shadowy players. I could see this as a movie, and a great one, in the right hands. Maybe Luc Besson?



At the beginning of this story, Bastien seemed like he could very well watch a defenseless woman like Chloe, in the wrong place at the wrong time, die, and not shed a tear. But, something changes in him after he meets Chloe. By the end of the story, it's clear that he'd do just about anything to keep her alive and safe, even if he can't be with her. How could I not see his love for her? I found I didn't need the words. He's not a man to wear his heart on his sleeve, and by his own words, he normally feels nothing for no one; so when he tells her he loves her, it is that much more poignant. I could feel the ice break, and my heart with it.



I could go on. I get like that about Anne Stuart. But I won't this time. I'll end by saying this:



I think this book is going to be like fine wine. It will get even better with age; it will go down so smooth and then hit you with the fiery reminder of its potency after the fact--better and better each time I read it.



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The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

The Flame And The Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It was nice to finally read this signature romance by a historical romance great. I quite enjoyed it. Initially, I was a bit worried, because Brandon came off as an arrogant, self-absorbed jerk. However, he really redeemed himself, showing a profound selflessness and dedication for his young wife. Yes, he did rape her. If you don't like rape in a romance, then you won't like this book, and I would not judge you. We all have our personal tastes and comfort zones. Rape is a plot device I can tolerate, depending on the execution. My issues with Brandon were due to his blase' reaction to raping a young woman. He was willing to gloss over his action, and to keep her as his mistress since the stallion had already gotten into the barn, so to speak. He didn't apologize to her. But, we come to see that over the course of this story, Brandon does acknowledge his wrongdoing to Heather, and takes measures to do better by her in the future. He's not perfect, but he was a good man and he really did show his love for Heather as this story progressed. In fact, some of his gentleness towards Heather reminded me of a Julie Garwood hero, particularly in the scene when Heather's water has broken and he's trying to get her changed. He was exasperated with her reasoning about him turning his back while she changed, and cleaning up the water from the floor, but he remained gentle and kind with her. So, yes he did redeem himself. He showed her a lot of patience and understanding about the 'big secret' she was hiding.

Brandon is in some ways a stalkerific hero. He's very possessive, obsessed with, and jealous about Heather. He doesn't want any man near her, and was about to go crazy when the men were fawning over her at the ball they held. I found it interesting that he didn't really get too angry at his brother Jeff, even though Jeff was flirting really heavily with Heather. But, I think his love for his brother made it clear to him that this was no real threat.

The things I loved about this story:
*The love bond that grows between Heather and Brandon becomes very profound and beautiful. They showed their love physically in many scenes, and most of them are non-sexual. With gentle touches and caresses, and how thoughtful they were to each other's wellbeing and needs. I loved that most of this book doesn't involve love scenes, because we get to see the relationship between Heather and Brandon develop in a good way, and to reset the tone of their first meeting in this story. I would recommend this book to a reader who wants a good romance book showing a couple who is married. When the love scenes occur later on in the book, they are the more vague, pretty language type, if that's not your thing.
*The beautifully descriptive and atmospheric writing. Ms. Woodiwiss was a very talented writer. Her writing is gorgeous and elegant. It invokes a period feel that I really immersed myself in. I felt like I was there during many of the scenes due to her vivid writing.
*The familial and friendly interactions between the characters. Jeff is quite the character. He is funny and insightful. I liked the humor in this story.
*Very good adventure moments and a decent mystery. The murders that occur in this book were surprisingly dark, although they all occur off-screen.
*Heather is a great character. She was such a sweet, kind, gentle, innocent heroine. But she isn't one of those heroines who made my eyes roll or got on my nerves. She is timid, but strong in some ways. Nowadays, it seems as though romance fans have made authors afraid to write heroines like her. But I quite enjoyed her. She reminds me of some of Julie Garwood's loveable heroines, although she doesn't show the sustained bizarre logic that they show ( which cracks me up). This girl was a real sweetie for me.
Things I wasn't Crazy About:
*Slavery is a huge issue for this reader. I respect that some readers aren't particularly bothered by romance novels set in slavery times, but I don't care for them. I hate the idea of slavery, even if it is true that some slave-owners were kind to, and often thought of their slaves as family-members. I think Ms. Woodiwiss wanted to have a story set in the American South, but wasn't too comfortable with the connotations of slavery. She seemed to shy away from showing the ugly aspects of slavery in the interactions of Brandon with his slaves. She never even called them slaves, referring to them as servants. I won't presume to tell an author how to write, but I didn't really care for the soft-shoeing here. I'd rather she called a spade a spade, and showed Brandon as a more kindly slaveowner. That would have been more realistic for me. The Disneyland depiction of the slave plantation is a bit insulting for me as a reader. As I said, this is my personal issue. I don't judge other readers who have no quarrel with it. Having said that, this was a book set in the slavery times that didn't bother me as much as some did (soft-shoeing may have served a role in this).
*I wasn't sure if I liked the almost caricature-like depiction of some of the Black characters. I almost felt as though Ms. Woodiwiss watched Gone With the Wind, and wrote Hatti based on Mammy from Gone With the Wind. The other Black characters had almost no personality. They were shadow-figures who fetched, cleaned, and carried. It made me wince, more than a few times.
*Physical beauty=good, External ugliness=bad. I didn't really like that underlying theme here. The villain was a very ugly man, and his heart was ugly. He could have easily been really gorgeous and evil. Louisa, Brandon's scheming ex-fiance was showed as a lacking contrast to Heather, not just in poor character, but because she was large-framed, and in her thirties, and not sexually innocent like Heather. Young and firm-fleshed isn't necessarily always better than mature and buxom. A woman's value isn't necessarily in her virginity or lack of sexual experience. Louisa was very promiscuous, and she wasn't a nice person, and I didn't like her, but I don't think she should have been rejected based on her getting older. Not that Woodiwiss was saying this, but there were contrasts drawn between the two that relied heavily on physical appearance. It made me uncomfortable.

I can honestly say that I really liked this story. It took forever to read (small print, and length), but it was very readable. I loved Brandon and Heather as a couple, despite their inauspicious start. If you would like to read classic, well-done, old-School romance, this is a good place to start. Recommended if you don't mind slavery in your romances.

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My Favorite Romance Supercouples

Supercouples are prevalent in today's media-driven society. There is even an article of supercouples in Wikipedia. Typically you may think of celebrity supercouples like Brangelina, but to be honest, my interest lies more with romance novel supercouples. These are the heroes and heroines that have earned their place in your heart as a couple. That you think about, time after time, and wonder what they are up to. You reminesce reading about their love story, and name their kids, if they haven't already been named.

So what is my criteria for selection?

• You can honestly see them staying together years down the road
• They worked hard for their happy ending
• They complete and heal each other
• Their chemistry was scorching, but underneath is a deep, true love
• They just "work" together. It's just a magic combination
• I like/love both the hero and the heroine and I think they deserve each other
• After reading thousands of romances, they are the couple that stays in your mind

So without further ado, I present my Romance Novel Supercouples!!! (drum roll...)

1. Wolf and Mary from Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard
2.Zsadist and Bella from Lover Awakened by JR Ward
3.Butch and Marissa from Lover Revealed by JR Ward
4.Dain and Jessica from Lord of Scoundrels
5.Samuel and Leda from The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale
6.Lochlain and Emmaline from A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
7.Nikolai and Myst from The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
8.Derek and Sara from Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
9.Carter and Bailee from The Texan's Wager by Jodi Thomas
10.St. Vincent and Evie from Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
11.Sam and Alyssa from Gone Too Far by Suzanne Brockmann
12.Chandos and Courtney from A Heart So Wild by Johanna Lindsey
13.Conrad and Neomi from Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole
14. Ben and Alayna from A Personal Matter by Karyn Langhorne
15.Scott and Vanessa from Fate by Pamela Leigh Starr
16.Sin and Callie from Born in Sin by Kinley MacGregor