Here are my Top 10 choices that I truly enjoyed reading this year, both historical and contemporary. So here goes:
#1: Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. All I can say is . . . wow (hear that heavy sigh in the background? That would be me!). I've read others by Phillips but this was my first and the best. I'll probably go buy my own copy so I can re-read anytime I want!
#2: Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins. Delightful heroine and hero -- believable, too, which is sometimes difficult to pull off. And, if you're not familiar with Higgins, her secondary characters are a whole world unto themselves!
#3: Perfect Match by K. Higgins (yes, again!). This novel is set in her Blue Heron series in upstate New York and, as above, she digs in deep with these two lovers and the extended families in a tiny town of 700+.
#4: An Improper Arrangement by Kasey Michaels (Regency). If you love to laugh while you swoon at the sensuous setting and lovers, Michaels does a superb job in this romance. I've actually read it twice within one year, it was that good!
#5: Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (Late Regency). A quirky heroine and a hero who broods better than Rochester, this is another delightful take on the traditional historical romance, with an hysterical furry character who steals the scene, especially towards the end (no spoilers here, please)!
#6: Rake's Progress by Marion Chesney (Regency). Now this is a throwback to the late 1980s / early 1990s when M.C. Beaton was writing romance -- her books are swift, funny with a deft twist of satire on the genre itself. This is part of her "School for Manners" series -- all good reads, in addition to her other series. If you can find an old copy at your local library, grab it and enjoy!
#7: Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly (Regency). Carla Kelly writes a more "gentle" regency with very little sex, but still quite sensuous in her hints and such. Her writing is elegant and her characterizations real. If you've never read Kelly, try it.
#8: Hearts on Fire by Julia Gabriel. Set along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay area, Gabriel's writing is strong and sensuous (I think this is my favorite word of the day!), and the angst between heroine and hero is palpable. And if you like quilting, this will just add another layer of enjoyment.
#9: It Happened in Scotland by Patience Griffin. Griffin sets her series in the same little town on the shores of eastern Scotland and, once again, quilters from all over the world come to enjoy a retreat in this quaint village -- apparently populated by the most rugged, handsome men in Scotland -- and all up for grabs (pardon my pun)! Any one of her novels will delight.
#10: Sweet Talk Me by Kieran Kramer. Set in South Carolina's low country, Kramer's hero will take your breath away. Her story and secondary characters, like Higgins, help bring the reader along in this wonderful, fun-loving romance.
So there it is -- my preferred Top Ten Romances for 2017. Believe me, there are many more I could have added (including my own [blush]), but I find these authors stellar in their craft and in their storytelling abilities. Notice I did not put any links attached for purchasing as I am not promoting any particular bookseller in print or in digital. And, yes, some of these titles are not in the bestselling lists of 2017 -- I tend to like to bide my time and not scramble to buy the newest except every once in awhile.
Stay tuned for my next post in which I reveal my "new" reading list for 2018 -- I always have a list going somewhere in my head, which I'll be happy to share with you soon!
#1: Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. All I can say is . . . wow (hear that heavy sigh in the background? That would be me!). I've read others by Phillips but this was my first and the best. I'll probably go buy my own copy so I can re-read anytime I want!
#2: Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins. Delightful heroine and hero -- believable, too, which is sometimes difficult to pull off. And, if you're not familiar with Higgins, her secondary characters are a whole world unto themselves!
#3: Perfect Match by K. Higgins (yes, again!). This novel is set in her Blue Heron series in upstate New York and, as above, she digs in deep with these two lovers and the extended families in a tiny town of 700+.
#4: An Improper Arrangement by Kasey Michaels (Regency). If you love to laugh while you swoon at the sensuous setting and lovers, Michaels does a superb job in this romance. I've actually read it twice within one year, it was that good!
#5: Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (Late Regency). A quirky heroine and a hero who broods better than Rochester, this is another delightful take on the traditional historical romance, with an hysterical furry character who steals the scene, especially towards the end (no spoilers here, please)!
#6: Rake's Progress by Marion Chesney (Regency). Now this is a throwback to the late 1980s / early 1990s when M.C. Beaton was writing romance -- her books are swift, funny with a deft twist of satire on the genre itself. This is part of her "School for Manners" series -- all good reads, in addition to her other series. If you can find an old copy at your local library, grab it and enjoy!
#7: Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly (Regency). Carla Kelly writes a more "gentle" regency with very little sex, but still quite sensuous in her hints and such. Her writing is elegant and her characterizations real. If you've never read Kelly, try it.
#8: Hearts on Fire by Julia Gabriel. Set along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay area, Gabriel's writing is strong and sensuous (I think this is my favorite word of the day!), and the angst between heroine and hero is palpable. And if you like quilting, this will just add another layer of enjoyment.
#9: It Happened in Scotland by Patience Griffin. Griffin sets her series in the same little town on the shores of eastern Scotland and, once again, quilters from all over the world come to enjoy a retreat in this quaint village -- apparently populated by the most rugged, handsome men in Scotland -- and all up for grabs (pardon my pun)! Any one of her novels will delight.
#10: Sweet Talk Me by Kieran Kramer. Set in South Carolina's low country, Kramer's hero will take your breath away. Her story and secondary characters, like Higgins, help bring the reader along in this wonderful, fun-loving romance.
So there it is -- my preferred Top Ten Romances for 2017. Believe me, there are many more I could have added (including my own [blush]), but I find these authors stellar in their craft and in their storytelling abilities. Notice I did not put any links attached for purchasing as I am not promoting any particular bookseller in print or in digital. And, yes, some of these titles are not in the bestselling lists of 2017 -- I tend to like to bide my time and not scramble to buy the newest except every once in awhile.
Stay tuned for my next post in which I reveal my "new" reading list for 2018 -- I always have a list going somewhere in my head, which I'll be happy to share with you soon!
A book is
like a garden carried in the pocket.
Chinese Proverb