the ask@AAR: What books would you add to our Top 100 Romances list? Take away?
It’s been almost two years since we published our last Top 100 Romances list. This list, which AAR has done every five years or so, is a reader generated list–the last list was picked by readers who cast over 5000 votes. We left the Top 100 list unranked although we did rank the top ten. I’m curious what you think now, in 2020, about the top ten and the top 100 lists. Is there a book you are appalled isn’t on the the top ten list? Is there one you’re sure should be? How about the Top 100 list? Any books you think are clearly missing? Any books you think shouldn’t be there?
For reference, here is the most recent top ten list:
- Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas (review here)
- Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase (review here)
- Beard Science by Penny Reid (review here)
- Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale (review here)
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (review here)
- The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
- The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (review here)
- A Seditious Affair by K.J. Charles (review here)
- Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas (review here)
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (review here)
As always, we’re interested in your choices and why you feel that way. So let us know!
I hope AAR will continue to poll readers every so often to create a Top 100 list. It is fascinating to compare them, and see how tastes have changed (or not). It’s also very obvious to see what authors are “hot” in a moment in time (because they show up fairly high on a given list), but don’t have staying power over time). It was a great place to look for new-to-me authors when I was first getting started reading romances. Today, it is a place to look for something a little different when current titles start to run together a bit.
And I’ll keep pitching for a Top 100 list of authors (/series) . . . the discussion a few days ago about Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series is a good example. My favorite book in that series is not everyone else’s favorite but there are enough of those titles on the last Top 100 that the SERIES by that author is generally considered worthy. Also, it is hard to put a single title from something like Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English series in the Top 100 because the SERIES is very much greater than its parts.
A ranked list of authors would be interesting, and would leave room for more author representation e.g. Chase, Roberts, Heyer would only appear once.
I forgot: also, there are some titles in the Top 10/100 lists that might not be in the list (or ranked as highly?) if only that title had been written e.g. Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh and Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. Would our reactions to those books be/have been as swoony without at least one or two of the preceding titles? Having read all of the Slightly titles at one time, Slightly Dangerous is my favorite fo the bunch, it is the one I reread when I’m in the mood to revisit the series, and the one I “vote for” during polling. (FWIIW – I have reread Married, but have only read the in-between titles in the series once. Not sure how many times I’ve read Dangerous.) It just fills in all the blanks. So, it is the one that I vote for. But would it be as strong a title on its own? Doubtful.
For some reason, probably because there haven’t been any new books for a while, Jennifer Crusie is off people’s radar. Yes, she is a little bit dated, but my all-time favorite romance is “Bet Me” about a woman who has a weight issue. Crusie explores this theme, without the usual condescension of showing Min eating six packs of cookies, 7 candy bars, three tubs of ice cream, etc. that often passes as “comedy” and a not-so-subtle criticism of a big heroine. Yes, she does adore Krispy Kream donuts, but then again, who doesn’t? Like most women who are overweight, she knows it and tries to fight it. This is a hilarious book and a great romance. I especially liked/loved the scene with each H&h countering the other’s families who are controlling and dismissive.
I feel like this book would struggle if it were released now. It seems to be frowned upon to have a heroine unhappy with her weight or trying to lose weight now even though I would guess the majority of us have struggled with this at one time or another. Even if society says your weight is “acceptable” we all have an idea of what we want to look like or what weight we are happiest at. Sometimes now, despite a lot of good intentions by people and “body positive” reinforcement, there is a disconnect between how we are “supposed” to feel and behave and how we often actually do. I think an author having a heroine who wasn’t completely accepting of whatever weight she is would face a lot of criticism.
Actually, I read Min as ok with her weight. It’s her mother who has the issue. The fact that Calvin loves Min just as she is, while having a completely different issue of his own, makes the book work for me. Crusie is definitely in my own Top 100 list.
Yes, I also interpreted Min’s weight issue as one that pitted her and Calvin against Min’s mother, who represents almost a generational divide on body positivity. Interestingly, I just read Sarah Hogle’s wonderful debut novel, You Deserve Each Other, and it’s the mother-in-law from hell who wants the daughter-in-law to be a size zero. And it’s the son who stands up for his fiance as perfect just the way she is.
Agree Connie, love Stella Riley books especially the Rockliffe series. Nobody has mentioned Jennifer Crusie, I reread her books every year or so, Welcome to Temptation still makes me laugh out loud.
I am a huge Stella Riley fan and love her Rockliffe series. I have recently listen to them on audio and the reader Alex Wyndem is wonderful. I am surprised they have not been mentioned.
I’d like to see Balogh’s Slightly Dangerous crack the top ten. It stands the test of time. Several of the top 10 titles reflect their recent publication dates and I suspect they won’t be among the top ten when AAR next polls readers.
I would definitely more Meredith Duran especially A Lady’s Code of Misconduct and Fool Me Twice. Stella Riley’s The Marigold Chain and The Black Madonna for great historical background and an unusual setting. Circe is beautifully written and deserves a spot for sure.
I too love Meredith Duran’s books and would include them in my personal favorites list. I have been wanting to reread the two you mentioned. At Your Pleasure, Wicked Becomes You, and Written on Your Skin are probably still my favorites of hers, but she has so many good ones.
Meredith Duran’s book hold up for me. I reread several of them at least once a year.
Me too! Where is Meredith Duran, why isn’t she writing?
So many of us sadly ask that question on a regular basis!
@Usha – Nearly two years ago I read a post from her on social media that she was taking a writing hiatus for a year. What’s worrying though is that another year has gone by and there is still no sign of her anywhere. At this point, I would be surprised if she returned to writing, but I still hope for that to happen.
I’m in the minority that loves Lady Be Good, it’s my absolute favorite of Duran’s and it would definitely make my top 100.
Oh, I liked that one a lot too. Is it not popular? It had a great heroine. It’s another one I need to reread. I’m starting to feel that I just need to binge read nearly all of Meredith Duran’s books after reading this blog.
I never see Lady Be Good listed as anyone’s favorite, and the one right after it Luck Be A Lady seems to be more popular. (Although I think that may be due more to the hero who is one of those Derek Craven types that I also happen to like).
I loved Lily/Lilah the heroine in Lady Be Good-she was such an amazing self made heroine who really had everyone working against her but always managed to be generous and kind hearted. I didn’t think she was well served by either her family or her boss.
I didn’t care as much for the heroine of Luck Be A Lady as I found her quite selfish and privileged, not the nicest person (and for someone who was supposed to be a genius) did a lot of foolish things. I also thought Duran had to retcon some things from the first book to the second to make it all work. But I did enjoy them both.
I don’t feel the need to argue with lists. I do enjoy looking at them, though, because that is how I found the Zapata books, and although she did not become an autobuy, and I agree with many of the criticisms of her work, I did find Kulti, which is a DIK for me.
One author who I hope stays on the lists is Jo Beverley. I love her medievals and many of her older Regencies/Georgians. The later books are more variable.
One author that appears a lot on the top one 100 that I don’t remember reading and I was surprised to see listed several times is Ilona Andrews. She appears more than even some really “big name” authors. Which isn’t to say anything against her just that when you say “romance” names like Nora Roberts etc are ones that come up first and Ilona Andrews has more representation on the charts than Nora and some others.
Am I missing out? I haven’t seen her listed here in the comments. Is she still as big a deal or more like Julie Garwood where it’s her older stuff that makes the charts?
Ilona Andrews is a husband-wife writing team. They mostly write urban fantasy and science fiction, but they did one tetralogy that does count as genre romance. Most of their works include romances that develop over the course of multiple books. They are very good. I’ve read everything I know of that they have had published (26 books & 7 shorter works).
Thanks, I will have to give them a try. I am 99% sure I have at least one book of theirs on my kindle unread. What’s a good book to start with?
Clean Sweep is the first book in the Innkeeper Chronicles series, which is a lot of fun (with things that are usually fantasy done as science fiction). If you get ebooks, The Innkeeper Chronicles Volume One (Clean Sweep + Sweep in Peace + One Fell Sweep) is currently available for just 99 cents in epub format from Kobo or Kindle format from Amazon.
On the Edge is the first in the romance series.
Burn for Me is the first book in the Hidden Legacy series (about 5 books out & still being written), though there is a short story “Of Swine and Roses” that I think is set earlier in that world.
Magic Bites is the first Kate Daniels book.
Their first Avon book, Burn For Me. The start of 3 books about the same couple.
Ilona Andrews is a husband and wife. It is their current series, Hidden Legacy, that has most of their positions on the list, so still popular.
They don’t seem to get the same “buzz” as some more trendy authors now seem to. I’m adding them to my TBR pile. Thanks
Kind of going where Mel Burns above went, from my angle: From the top 10, only Lord of Scoundrels and Outlander have made a lasting impact on me, and would make my own personal top 10. For me, top 10 would need to be a reread, a book that touches me so much, in fun or in tears, or in lovely details of plotting or character, that I want to have it again. Or that makes its way into my life, as in – I see the world different, or I recognize emotions or situations better, now that I have read this. I do not mind that obviously, this means that 80% of that list are not my catnip. And I hated a couple, as in DNF or “why do they love that????” or “this is ok, but forgettable to me”. I love the debate and the reviews that explain why anyone hates or loves what. Over time, I recognize who aligns with me, and that helps even more to motivate my next book – I dare more because AAR and you all here help – thank you!! Comments on still loving stuff because I loved it when I was there, in the 80-ies, or 90-ies – yes, true. I do not expect people to like or recommend these books to people not grown up in those times, but I love them. Some of them. Some I cannot read anymore, like Woodiwiss, Catherine Coulter, and a number of others. I want so sad when Paradise by McNaught, on my umpteenth reread, suddenly became a book about a doormat who sacrifices much too much for her hard and cold father and does not stand up for her man – a real loss, that! If we went by impact, as in “changed my tastes, or my views, or just made me like a new genre or kind of hero/heroine” then my most recent newbies are: – KJ Charles, convinced me that m/m romance is fun for me, but she is not a reread for me. Just a lovely read. – Lily Morton’s Rulebreaker series – after Charles, I delved in and loved those – both authors told me things about men that I hope are true – I kind of wonder if they are writing them from a feminine point of view and might infer an emotional landscape that is not completely real – I am trying to find some male m/m author as a corrective or confirmation (that was a small digression, here) – Alyssa Cole’s strong contemporary heroines, who are super feminine – love them, not a reread – I feel like I can learn from these girls, who do not have 80-ies femininity in their head and actions – could I be like that ??? – Alisha Rai – I did not love her newest one, but all the other ones – truly blew my mind with her wonderful persons – strong and interesting – not a reread, just a one time joy. Same: women I can learn from. New kind of feminine. Models of behavior? What stands my test of time, books I read for and reread: Loretta Chase has other books, that I like to reread, but no book has the reread value of Lord of Scoundrels for me. Georgette Heyer – I go back every ten years on a major reread – and love that it is other books every time that I love most. Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhous, her Shakespeare, her necromantic series – she has such a strong voice. Roberta Gellis – utterly rooted in history, wonderful romance of really old times Edith Layton Some Katherine Kingsley Early Balogh My guilty pleasures -Lynne Graham, Dani Collins, Caitlin Crews and a few erotica authors Judith Krantz – that is nearly “historical romance” by now, but I was there, these women fought my fights, and had my strange notions on what men were allowed, and her stories are good, so yes, I still read her. And some like the Liaden Universe, Lois McMaster Bujold, that may have romance but are not romances.) What did not stand the test of time: SEP – Oh how I loved Susan Elizabeth Philipps – I can still reread some of her books, though some make me cringe by now. I loved, a long time ago, early Laurell K. Hamilton, and still miss her, cannot get into the regrettable stuff she writes now. She made me willing to go for vampires… Read more »
Sorry, missed a few “(” or “)” and such, small grammar & punctuation stuff – hope it is comprehensible…
– really sorry, I am a bit scattered – these times are not made for concentrated thoughtful editing – at least not for me.
Best wishes to all, again!
There are still SEPs that I love. There is an acceptance on how people ARE in her books that just resonates with me. Not all of them, but a handful I read again and again.
I find SEP just unbelievably cringey. Nobody’s Baby But Mine is one of those books I still shake my head at. I just don’t get the love for it but her humor obviously works for a lot of people as she is well represented on the top 100.
I so love the secondary romance in that book that I forgive its flaws. I adore This Heart of Mine, Natural Born Charmer, Kiss an Angel, and I like Call Me Irresistible
I remember Dazzling Brightness still being amazing when I reread it recently; I hope it holds up for you.
Thanks Lisa, good to know!
Did you reread the others in the series? Do they hold up well?
I had no idea it was a full-out series, but I’ve always had Dazzling Brightness in my keeper pile.
it is not really a series, but Shimmering Splendour, Enchanted Fire and Bull God, as well as Thrice Bound all play in the same universe. I loved Dazzling Brightness best, and they are all stand alone books, so not a series in the strict sense.
I think it’s unrealistic to rate a top 100 without a separate 21st century list. Societal values have changed dramatically in the last 20 to 30 years. Someone above mentioned she could never support #1 rated The Last Scoundrel because of her stance on gun violence, which frankly I find laughable considering the abundant gun violence in 21st century media. The book is historical fiction FFS so to me this stance is baffling, but I think makes my point.
And then there are the contemporary romances from the nineties which are dated and cringe worthy, but at the time seemed excitingly romantic. I’ve been reading older Nora Roberts and WOW! The Chesapeake Bay Saga “courting” was a little cringe worthy in regards to today’s “values”, but it’s still one of my all time favourites, because of how well it’s written. Epic story and still worth reading. Then I read her Dare to Dream, Finding the Dream and Holding the Dream because it took place in Big Sur and Monterey and I could barely get through them because they were so badly dated. Smoking heroines and blatant sexiest and misogynistic stereotypes….no way acceptable to me in 2020.
There is a reason most of the best list is historical, it’s because things that are socially and culturally acceptable in an 1815 romance would be outrageous in a 2020 romance. We can justify some of the antiquated behaviour in a Georgette Heyer and enjoy it without feeling conflicted and that’s okay.
Then there is the 21st century mentalities that leak into “new” historical romances, they are very different from their sisters of the late nineties and early 2k’s. Like this example: Lisa Kleypas wrote some excellent period appropriate romances 20 years ago but the new Ravenal series I thought was unbearable, too modern and very out of step with the era. That’s just me and it probably has to with my age, someone younger might have enjoyed that one about the female doctor not even noticing it was too modern, but I did notice because I have been reading romance for 40 years and demand authenticity. I know it’s all subjective, which is good, but these lists just don’t matter/work any longer unless for reference purposes, we are too divided IMO and in this sense it’s not a bad thing.
Maybe if different guest reviewers chose an author and reviewed their work and how it has evolved or devolved. Or pick ten books and talk about the impact that they made on the reviewer’s reading life. Something different than lists.
My genre is definitely Recency and in the past I stayed in that lane, but then I read the Kate Daniels series, just because everyone at DA was so excited and on high alert for Andrea’s book Gun Metal Magic which in every way was out of my wheel house. KD made such an impact on me and changed my reading life. That is the kind of stuff I would like to hear about from AAR and it’s readers instead of lists, which always seems end up in a fight. Though there have been some epic fights over books here at AAR and DA and SBTB that were phenomenal. Good times.
This library and pool closure is killing me, thankful that I have a comfortable home and garden to rusticate. I’ve never been so grateful for my e-reader and Overdrive as I am now. Be well my friends!
Mel Burns, Gun violence is a very real issue, and perhaps that person has lost a loved one due to it. I understand your pov, but we can be kinder in the way we phrase things.
Thank you KesterGayle it must have slipped by me that gun violence is a real issue in the USA.
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I get what you’re saying on the “gun violence” in Lord of Scoundrels. I’ve always thought it needs to be read through Chase’s construction of Dain’s tormented world as a violent one. He’s a violent man – shooting, fist fighting, dueling with swords. To meet him where he’s at and to show him she’s not a doormat, Jessica shoots him in the arm. Lo and behold, Dain finds new found respect for her because she stood up him and met him on his terms. The novel though in the end reforms the rake and Dain is a loving husband and father. To me Lord of Scoundrels isn’t a book that endorses violence, much less “gun violence,” if you follow the trajectory of what Chase is doing. Does it glamorize Jessica’s early use of a gun to get the hero’s attention? Maybe, but if she had taken a sword to him or used martial arts to injure him, would that be much different? Maybe by today’s standards we overreact to the appearance of guns.
It wasn’t the gun that bothered me in Lord of Scoundrels. I read all kinds of action romances with Navy SEAL heroes, commandos etc. so the idea of a gun itself doesn’t bother me. It did bother me that it was the heroine shooting the hero. On purpose. At a time when scratching a mosquito bite could mean you could die of sepsis or something. I know she’s supposed to be an expert shot and everything and I know he was ruining her reputation, but I just can’t get past it. I think there’s a point in a lot of romances that have an adversarial nature where the hero or the heroine just go past the point of what I can accept and still believe these people can have a happy ending. Shooting each other on purpose, regardless of gender is the tipping point for me.
It’s a little bit of an OTT scene, but I kind of read it as so over the top that it wasn’t realistic or meant to be. Chase is one of those handful of authors who can wield comedy in such artful ways. And the way it’s handled afterward really worked for me. Dain is unharmed physically, but mentally, he’s completely undone by her actions. I’m not personally crazy about the use of a gun but I do like what this moment in the book does for them as a couple going forward. It is the turning point for them.
I read that scene as OTT, too. In fact, the first time I read the paperback of LOS, I only gave it three stars, admiring some things but not others, and it felt very tropey with exaggerated character types. I can understand why the shooting went too far for some readers. It’s not my favorite Chase, but I understand why so many like it and why it has endured on the top 100 list. Years later I listened to the Kate Reading audio, and I would rate it highly as an audio performance. It was for me a much better story as it is performed by Reading. Chase has written some wonderful romances, so she deserves an entry on the top 10, whether it be this or another of hers.
As for Kleypas and Thomas on this list, I’d probably choose a different favorite by them as well, but the books by them in that top list are undoubtedly fan favorites and have been influential so I’m fine with them being represented by those choices even though my choices would be different.
I’ve always regarded these top lists as jumping off points to get acquainted with what’s popular or influential. It will always be very subjective. There’s no way to winnow down a genre as broad as romance to a top 10 without leaving out some very deserving books and authors. I think a top 25 of the main subgenres would be very interesting and perhaps less limiting (e.g., separate top lists for historical, contemporary, fantasy, etc.).
My personal tastes align with the majority of AAR readers, so I think the Top 100 is quite right for me, although it can never be a perfect match to my tastes. Which, of course, it’s totally acceptable considering is done with thousands of votes.
Of course, there are many books that I love that I think are going to stand the test of time and should be included. For instance, Morning glory by LaVyrle Spencer should be back or After the night by Linda Howard, As you desire by Connie Brockway…. And recent books like some from the Ravenel series by Lisa Kleypas or The ones who got away by Roni Loren or some Talia Hibbert’s novels, would be in my Top 100.
I miss more suspense novels. Any of the best Sandra Brown or Nora Roberts could be included.
I make a difference between what I dislike and what I think is not good enough to be there. For instance, I don’t like Outlander, but I think it’s OK that is on the list, because it is an importan book in the genre and I see its merit, although I don’t enjoy it. But Zapata’s books? Everybody whose opinion I respect considers them very long and boring books, therefore I don’t think they should be there, not in the top 10 not even in the top 100.
To gain some level of consensus to revise this list seems like an impossible task. I am happy to see some of my favourites make the list and at the same time I am totally confounded by the other choices. I agree about Vincy and C. S. Harris being added to the list. But I am not as widely read as I should be in all the romance generas, therefore how can I say with any confidence or fairness as to what should or shouldn’t be added or ousted.
Liora Blake is a fantastic author. Her characters are reasonable adults, the H/h relationships are well developed over time, and the plots engaging. My favorites are True North https://www.liorablake.com/true-north/ First Step Forward https://www.liorablake.com/first-step-forward/ but I like all her books. I tell all my friends about her books…and now I’m telling you. READ LIORA BLAKE.
While I really like Penny Reid’s body of work, Beard Science is not my fav. I’m surprised it made top 10. I like Love Hacked and others better. Outlander, Lord of Scoundrels – classic. Certainly worthy of being top 10. One of my top 10 is The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne. Nicole Archer’s Road Tripped https://amzn.to/3bOGRug and Kristen Callihan’s The Hot Shot https://amzn.to/2XaIq1w are also excellent.
Happily, we can all like different things.
I prefer Love Hacked as well. I think it’s my favorite of all the Reid books. The beard/brothers ones are entertaining but to get the full effect you really do have to have read them all. She also went full on drama in some of the later Beard ones and the first one with the sister I found just really depressing. I had to keep putting it down and coming back to it. I found it just a really heavy read.
Love Hacked had its drama but it felt like it had more joy in it as well.
I did quite enjoy the wacky brilliance of Cletus as a romance hero and was pleasantly surprised that Reid pulled it off.
My favorite of Reid’s books though is Dating-ish, which I truly love. Reid is an author I go back and forth on. More recently I find her narrative voice grating and lecturing. I don’t mind her politics and generally agree with her on issues, but instead of allowing stories to unfold and readers to read, she inserts mini lectures into them to tell us what to think every step of the way. Even with scenes that are easy to interpret, there is now often a paragraph or two letting us what we were meant to understand from the scene. Her style is coming close to ruining some of her more recent books for me. I fear she is an author with whom I’m rapidly becoming disenchanted. I’m still hopeful things will improve and I’m looking forward to the Ideal Man series coming out this year.
I think you’ve captured why I have conflated Brockmann and Reid in my mind. An element of “lecturing” to the audience has happened in both of their books. And as you also say, it’s often like “preaching to the choir” as many of her readers already share her views anyway,
As the famous writing advice goes “show don’t tell.”
I would substitute Kleypas and Gabaldon from the top 10 and insert Judith Ivory’s Untie My Heart and Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering. I’m sad that Ivory has dropped so much from reader awareness, as she is still for me among the very best in the genre.
Just from the past two years, I would add Lucy Parker’s The Austen Playbook (a book I love more every time I reread it), Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare, and Mariana Zapata’s Luna and the Lie.
I would add a Joanna Bourne book and one from Bec McMaster as they are probably my favorite authors (or in the top 4 anyway) and I think the quality of their work is first rate.
I’ve never read Zapata or Charles (I own the Sally Thomas and keep meaning to break it out) so I don’t have an educated opinion on those.
I thought Lord Of Scoundrels was fun enough but it’s not something I would go back to reread over again as I do a number of other books. Even non-fatal shooting is a turn off for me.
I enjoyed Beard Science a lot when I read it, but I don’t see that one standing the test of time. For some reason contemporary ones don’t and I feel it may go the way Suzanne Brockmann’s books did with a huge high and then dropping off over time.
I would never argue against P&P although I do wonder what Jane Austen would think of being labeled a “romance”. We all know Gabaldon hates it but I think Outlander is right where it belongs on that list.
I love Devil In Winter but you could swap in a few other Kleypas books instead and I would be equally as happy. Just glad she’s on the short list.
I would add a Krentz/Quick book, probably Ravished, to the list.
I know it’s not a popular opinion now, but I absolutely love Open Season by Linda Howard. I find it genuinely entertaining and fun every time I reread it. It’s one that has really stood up over time for me.
I too don’t think the Reids hold up to perpetuity. But that’s just me!
Many of the Reid books feel very “of the moment” to me. And that they try so hard to be politically correct in every way it sometimes overshadows the story.
A couple of instances that jumped out for me were in Marriage of Inconvenience. I don’t remember the exact wording because I borrowed the book from the library but the heroine was talking about a time in her life she lived by stealing and took drugs so she could lower her inhibitions and have sex with people. When talking about her former friends who still lived that way she says something like she can’t say what other people do is “wrong”. To me if you can’t even say things like stealing from other people and excessive drug use is “wrong” that’s just ridiculous. I can understand even not warning to call people “bad” for doing things but if you can’t say “theft is bad” that’s just absurd.
I also thought it was ridiculous that the hero’s mother supported him going to jail and going to jail for something that was his brother’s fault. Anyone who thinks jail is a great reforming tool for a young man has no freaking idea what goes on behind bars for a lot of people. Sadly it can turn a young person who did stupid things into a career criminal not to mention the horrible abuse and things that happen there. I thought that was possibly one of the most stupid things I had ever read.
Austen would be happy to be counted among women writers but she would most likely have rejected the notion that her books could be classified within one single genre, especially given her focus on class issues. She also wrote disparagingly about “romance” and worried at times that Pride and Prejudice was too lightweight in the end for her liking.
Chrisreader, I was not aware Gabaldon hated P&P. Do you know why? Can you direct me to an article about her opinion? It’s not a favorite for me either, although I do like the TV version with Colin Firth.
Sorry for the confusion- I meant that Gabaldon hates that Outlander is listed as a romance (even though when it was published it was absolutely marketed as romance). I don’t know how Gabaldon feels about P&P at all (but who wouldn’t love it!?)
I’m sorry if I confused anyone! I just meant Gabaldon hates Outlander being called romance!
No problem! As I said, I don’t love P&P, but I don’t hate it either. I just find it overly wordy and full of archaic mannerisms. Because, if course, it is 200 something years old! I just don’t enjoy slogging through all of that, but luckily we live in an age where there are one or two really good screen adaptations which makes the material more accessible to a modern audience.
I knew Gabaldon hated being slotted as a romance writer, and I don’t blame her. I love genre romance, but her books are not romances. They are romantic, they have a central love story, but they also have many other elements like brutality, rape, time-travel, and various plots and adventures that prevent them from fitting into the romance category. Or any category, really. I just think of them as adventures, and that’s how I describe them to others as well.
Gun violence is my issue so I cannot and never will accept Lord of Scoundrels.
I would add a Courtney Milan, Unclaimed or The Countess Conspiracy.
And my longtime GOAT romance novel, Again by Kathleen Gilles Seidel.
I agree with the suggestions of A Wicked Kind of Husband, A Study in Scarlet Women, The Kiss Quotient, A Girl Like Her, and Act Like It, but may I also suggest Love Lettering, by Kate Claybourn? I would also go for Beginners Luck. Another suggestion: A Princess in Theory or A Duke by Default, by Alyssa Cole. I prefer Duke by Default because I think Portia is more interesting, to be honest. But I’m easy. :D
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn was so amazing it left me searching for quite a while on how to review it. It would definitely make my list.
Off the top, I’d drop the Reid, the Zapata, and the Kleypas. I think Enlightened by Joanna Chambers deserves a place on this list, along with Circe and Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I have a lot of series that I think are uniformly strong – think Sebastian St. Cyr by C.S. Harris, but I’m not sure I would nominate any one title. I might add the Hoops trilogy by Kennedy Ryan to that same category; uniformly strong, but perhaps not all time favorite.
CIRCE!!!! I so agree. And if Outlander qualifies, Circe certainly does.
I tried and DNF’d those books by Zapata and Thorne, so for me personally, I’d take those two out and sub something by Judith Ivory and Georgette Heyer. Everyone has a different favorite for those authors, but for me personally it would be Untie My Heart and Venetia. That would make it heavy on the historical side, so if I could only chose one historical and one contemporary to replace those with, I’d chose Ivory and something by Karina Bliss.
I haven’t tried Penny Reid yet, but I have a couple of her books in my TBR. For m/m romance I’d probably chose something by Josh Lanyon over KJ Charles simply because Lanyon was my entree to m/m romance and I have an unabashed soft spot for the Adrien English mysteries.
The Adrien English series is not only wonderful, it’s a seminal work in m/m fiction and I’d definitely want to see it on the list!
@seantheaussie – I don’t think the Vincy is a controversial pick. It’s one of the best HRs of recent years, and I think it deserves a place on the list, too!
I’m still thinking on this one…
Chose should be choose and maybe there are more errors. Not enough coffee yet.
For me, A Study in Scarlet Women definitely belongs in the top ten–I’m not a Zapata fan so that’s what I’d trade it out for. I’ll have to think more about the Top 100, but I’d certainly put Talia Hibbert’s A Girl Like Her on that list.
In other words, what books from the past 2 years are in the top hundred of all time?
TKQ and RWaRB would obviously join the other standout book of our time, THG on the list. (Even though I really prefer The Bride Test).
The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker is better than Act Like It, so it would certainly make it.
Devil’s Daughter is both exceptional, and a Kleypas, so it would make it.
For my controversial pick, I will go with Mia Vincy’s exceptional debut, A Wicked Kind of Husband.
RWaRB?
I got it! Red White and Royal Blue!
Well, I’m sure not all of our readers think that list is actually “right.” So I don’t think it’s limited to books that have been published in the past two years.
I am uncomfortable calling previous voters misguided fools ;-)
I am certainly not saying that!
I’m just saying not everyone agrees with the results. This is a chance for individuals to say what they love.
<3
I disliked Devil’s Daughter and I liked Act Like It, much more than the Austen Play Book. The Vincy is good, but not great. These lists are very subjective and that is why they are only good for reference.
I commented below with mostly older stuff that for me has stood the test of time. I’ll have to give more thought to recently published romances. I think I fall on the side of wanting books to stand the test of time and two years isn’t quite enough distance for me. Plus, it’s the rare book that catapults itself to instant all-time favorite for its type in my head canon.
Please put the titles in full – I get lost – thank you!!!
Could not get into the Hating Game, sopped after 40 pages, equally disliking both h and H – not a defining read for me.