*points* BOOKWORM!
I can't remember who exactly asked me to provide an extended list of my favourite authors, but I just remembered and I thought "why not?". So here goes, and brace yourselves because you're in for some major deets to help you decide whether you're interested or not :)
JR Ward, The Black Dagger Brotherhood
Dark Lover (Wrath)
Lover Eternal (Rhage)
Lover Awakened (Zsadist)
Lover Revealed (Butch)
Lover Unbound (Vishous)
Lover Enshrined (Phury)
Lover Avenged (Rhevenge)
and the upcoming Lover Mine (John).
From the glossary of the Warden herself, Black Dagger Brotherhood: Highly-trained vampire warriors who protect their species against the Lessening Society. As a result of selective breeding within the race, Brothers possess immense physical and mental strength as well as rapid healing capabilities. They are not siblings for the most part and are inducted into the Brotherhood upon nomination by the Brothers. Aggressive, self-reliant and secretive by nature, they exist apart from civilians, having little contact with members of the other classes except when they need to feed. They are the subject of legend and the object of reverence within the vampire world.
In other words, these aren't the usual vampires. They can't turn people (er, except for one tiny exception to the rule called the Dhestroyer), drinking human blood doesn't sustain them, and Ward created a refreshingly complex religious, historical and societal backstory that can't help but amaze.
I'll have to be honest: I started with the third book because I have a terrible weakness for the emotionally wounded alpha male type, and Z seemed to fit the bill. And did he. To this day, he's still my favourite character, and he seems to be the author's favourite as well since she wrote a short story in her BDB Guide. I recced this book quite frequently in the past, and I'm doing it again, but a word of caution: Wrath and Rhage's books don't do justice to the beauty of the series, imo, and oh, another word of caution? There's gangsta talk in here, and I admit it's bothersome at first, but I got over that shit quickly, true ;)
Ward has also just started an offshoot series called Fallen Angels. Haven't read Covet yet *sigh*
Suzanne Brockmann, Troubleshooters (Navy SEALs, FBI, CIA, TS, PI)
The Unsung Hero (Tom Paoletti)
The Defiant Hero (John "Nils" Nilsson)
Over the Edge (Stan Wolchonok)
Out of Control (Ken "Wildcard" Karmody)
Into the Night (Mike Muldoon)
Gone Too Far (Sam Starrett)
Flashpoint (Jimmy Nash)
Hot Target (Cosmo Richter)
Breaking Point (Max Bhagat)
Into the Storm (Mark "Jenk" Jenkins)
Force of Nature (Ric Alvarado)
All Through the Night (Jules Cassidy)
Into the Fire (Vinh Murphy)
Dark of Night (Lawrence Decker)
Hot Pursuit (Alyssa Locke)
This author is a freaking powerhouse of hot suspense and action. I'm pretty sure I mentioned this at some point, but in her BDB Guide, JR Ward confessed to breaking down into tears when she met SBrockmann in her not-published-yet days and blubbering her way through her thanks for inspiring the heck out of her. I can definitely see how Suz inspired Ward, because the writing style (the multiple character storylines weaving in and out together) is very similar. These books are action-packed features, and though they're quite long, sometimes I wish they'd never end. They're that good :)
So this series starts off following some Navy SEALs at work. A few of them are set abroad in war-torn countries, others take place in the US where things aren't always peachy. Where a lot of authors stay in one area of the uniformed-man romance genre, Brockmann actually branches out, bringing in characters from the FBI, the CIA, a private investigator, etc. She actually makes me like characters I didn't really care about, and her men are tough-guy sweethearts :) Though some are hardheaded idiots *shakes head at Jimmy*
It's pretty obvious who Brockmann's favourite pairing is. Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke are introduced in The Defiant Hero and they have their own short story about Alyssa out on an op that goes terribly wrong and Sam freaking the fuck out and getting comfort from SEAL wives... er, not in that way, but he actually finally understands how hard it is for military wives to wait for their hubbies to return home. One down, a million more to go ;)
I haven't read them all, but I'm making it my mission to collect them all. I actually lent Out of Control to my military-wife sister (back then I hadn't read my copy of Defiant yet. I'm still missing Unsung and Edge in that top pile, and a few others at the end)
Marliss Melton, SEAL Team Twelve
Forget Me Not (Gabe Renault)
In the Dark (Luther Lindstrom)
Time to Run (Chase McCaffrey)
Next to Die (Joe Montgommery)
Don't Let Go (Solomon McGuire)
Too Far Gone (Sean Harlan)
Show No Fear (Gus Atwater)
Another great SEAL romantic suspense author. These books are actually different from Brockmann's in that (imo) they're more about internal turmoil than international action. Don't get me wrong, there is action, in spades, but unlike Brockmann, I think these books are focused a little more on the personal side of things: Gabe struggles with memory loss, Chase helps a woman escape her abusive husband, Joe is the sole survivor of a goatfuck op abroad, Solomon had to tear a woman away from a boy she was going to adopt when he knows firsthand exactly how it is to lose a son, etc. So, yeah, these books are a little more about the characters themselves than saving the day and finding love at the same time.
I've just finished Too Far Gone... Gonna start Show No Fear sometime soon-ish. Premise looks great.
Lara Adrian, Midnight Breed
Kiss of Midnight (Lucan)
Kiss of Crimson (Dante)
Midnight Awakening (Tegan)
Midnight Rising (Rio)
Veil of Midnight (Niko)
Ashes of Midnight (Andreas)
Shades of Midnight (Kade)
At first... I wasn't too into this series. The premise was... weird, to say the least. Savage aliens came to this earth, impregnated some women who would later be known as Breedmates. The vampires can yet again not turn people, but drinking too much blood turns you Rogue and thus in come the Midnight Breed, warriors fighting to keep the evil out of the breed. Breedmates have a distinctive birthmark that distinguishes them from other mere mortals (because, whaddayaknow, and feminists will growl along with me here, women can't be vampires for some weird reason that's explained in the books but that I still can't wrap my mind around) and... you get my drift. It was a little too out-there for me, I'll be very honest. But I'd bought the first two books together, so I thought, meh, why not, and read Dante's book. And let me tell you, this book started changing my mind. A case of don't judge too quickly, because honestly if I were to judge the books by their covers they'd have stellar reviews because omg, look at the stylish designs. I mean yeah, they're hot, but for a designer, book covers need to be yummy in way other ways, and this is a nice example okay.
Anyway, the point is, you grow into these books. I'm still not a 100% into it because of the alien thing mostly (and also the non-vampiry women *grumbles*) but they're worth a read. Also, Veil takes place in Montreal and the Laurentides, so it gets definite thumbs up from me :D I've only read that and the first two, though, but I have it on good authority (from a friend) that they're all great.
Karen Marie Moning, Highlander and Fever
Beyond the Highland Mist (Hawk)
To Tame a Highland Warrior (Grimm)
The Highlander's Touch (Circenn)
Kiss of the Highlander (Drustan)
The Dark Highlander (Dageus)
The Immortal Highlander (Adam)
Spell of the Highlander (Cian)
Into the Dreaming (Aedan)
Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever
These two series are loosely connected, though the Highlanders are set in Scotland and Fever in Ireland. Yet the Fae and Druid lores remain the same. I have to admit, I literally surfed when it comes to this author: started with Darkfever, then went on to Kiss, then... I forget the order, but it was all pell-mell and it's a wonder I can keep the storylines mostly straight. Let's see... it doesn't get truly interesting until Touch, because that's when the Druid and Fae stuff takes front and center, and the MacKeltars are introduced. Before that, yes there's faes, but they're basically just pesky creatures. Or rather, Adam is. And 'lo, he gets his own book, and LOL, it's a masterpiece, because he's still pesky, but he's invisible-pesky, and he drives his sidhe-seer quite maaaaad. And it's just hilarious. And, oh, hot, too :) They're all hot, really, though I think most of the fandom roots for either Dageus or Adam. I really liked Grimm, which is ironic because apparently Moning hates that book, lol. But I did truly like it, because of the berserker mythology and all. I really hope the berserker theme comes back in Fever.
Fever, on the other hand, is... the walls of Faery are down, and the Dark Fae (their official name escapes me right now) are invading Ireland and the world, and it's up to MacKayla, whose sister just died of unknown (Fae-related) causes, to save it, since she's pretty much the strongest sidhe-seer in the world thanks to her powerful (and previously unknown) lineage. Quite a ride, and hello Dreamfever, that was really hot with Barrons. Sad it had to end so soon, though. Looking forward to Shadowfever :)
(NB. Book mentions after this point will probably not have the characters in brackets. I just can't be arsed, and I'm not quite as invested)
Brenda Novak, The Last Stand
Trust Me
Stop Me
Watch Me
The Perfect Couple
The Perfect Liar
The Perfect Murder
I've only read the first two, and I liked. Can you tell I like suspense? ;) The Last Stand is a non-profit organisation for survivors to band together and create awareness and to offer help in terms of self-defense classes and that sort of thing. It was created by three women (the ... Me titles) who survived atrocious situations like murder attempts and so on. Umm, pretty much the usual suspense stuff like trying to find the killer with a policeman or otherwise well-trained guy. Your usual suspense. Not great great but great. I rec :)
Karen Robards
This woman does standalones, so I won't go on to list them all since it's quite an extensive list.
I was drawn to Robards... two summers ago I believe, and I fell right in love. It's your usual suspense formula, but with some well-timed humour. Mrs Robards likes her pets, and sometimes those furry friends save our friends in the nick of time. The one book that will probably stay right up there in my Robards list is probably To Trust a Stranger. Dude, you can't get better than your hero dressed in drag and totally giving the wrong idea to your heroine :D Josephine the poodle also sits on a pedestal in my book *not-so-serious nod*
Linda Howard
Also a standalone author. Also an extensive list. I will spare you.
I think my first Howard novel was Cover of Night two summers ago as well - I can't remember the entire thing but there was rock climbing at one point and if there's one thing I like about an author (any author) it's that they've done their research and know their stuff. I think my favourite, however, would be Up Close and Dangerous because, wow, it's dangerous as fuck! Like, plane crash high in the mountains in the winter in the middle of nowhere dangerous. Not to mention that our hero is wounded, I believe, and the trek down is long and tedious and everyone thinks they're dead though that theory was instigated by a not-so-very-nice person who put a balloon in the fuel tank to make believe they had enough and omg I can't believe I'm giving you the punch. I don't remember who did it, though! Anyway, great author.
I tried the Blair Mallory series and it's... I mean I stuck by because the humour was good, but the girl's fucking highest maintenance ever and she's blonde and ergh. I also tried some of the other series and OMG stay as far away as possible from Almost Forever, it is retch-worthy and how the fuck did I stick by till almost the very end. God, stupid.
Elizabeth Lowell
I've dabbled here and there in her series and don't be afraid to try anything of hers, it's all excellent :)
Okay, I mentioned research earlier, yeah? Well this woman goes elbow-deep into hers, because she writes the best damn descriptions without boring you to tears. You'll learn everything from illuminated manuscripts to gem trade to gem carving to... yeah, everything she gets her hands on. But it's not just the research that turns me on, it's the writing itself, too. This woman weaves adventure, suspense, research, romance and everything in between in a seamless manner that makes you feel like a hot out-of-breath geek ;)
Sabrina Jeffries, School for Heiresses
Never Seduce a Scoundrel
Only a Duke Will Do
Beware a Scot's Revenge
Let Sleeping Rogues Lie
Don't Bargain With the Devil
Wed Him Before You Bed Him
These titles seem awfully... prissy, yeah? Sure. These books are set in... Victorian or Regency England? I'm not sure. But there's the ton, and the expectations, and these girls are heiresses and they're quite spunky actually, which is why I like them. I haven't read a lot of this genre because I find most of it bores me and the stories are all about I love you, but I can't, for my dowry is so much greater than what you can offer, but *swoons* and... yeah, it just mildly disgusts me. So I went in reading the first book not really expecting anything more than that swooning and that gentle bitchiness and oh, must I forget that all the heroes are rakes in these types of things? So, okay, the hero in the first book is allegedly a rake, but for the sake of getting his niece in this school for heiresses, he acts nicer than ever and, wait for this, gives lessons to the girls on rakes and how to rebuff them ahaha! Oh, but there's more: he gives these lessons by courting the teacher in front of the entire class. It's so refreshingly charming, and spunky, as I said. I can't remember what Duke is about, but Beware is awesome because it's set in Scotland, obviously, and ahaha the hero kidnaps the heroine yet, get this, they used to be somewhat-friends as kids but his tenants have been driven away by her father's accountant or some such, and so he's using her as leverage to fix things. Anyway, the stories are much better than I've described and, like I said, yay for some fun change from the stiff and blah genre.
Diana Gabaldon, Outlander
Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
An Echo in the Bone
My my, how could I go on without mentioning Outlander? See, it's pretty much the series that got me infatuated with Scotland in the first place - I'm kidding, I was already in love with the culture, but holy cripes it got me into Scottish historicals. Time travel, suspense, romance, action, adventure, etc. Diana says it herself: it's not any one genre - rather, it's a big mix of everything. Everyone seems to be hung up on Jamie and Claire, but honestly I started reading the series in the middle when Roger and Brianna were introduced in Drums, and I've been a goner ever since, especially since Fiery Cross and Roger's unfortunate incident with the throat thing (can you tell I'm being evasive? ;) I truly, desperately want to "hear" him sing again. Yeah, yeah, Bree's a bitch sometimes but Claire's a pushover so really, whatever, you know? Everyone's got their bad sides, and she happens to have the Fraser temper. Anyone remember the spanking? Yeah. Sure it was "normal" per 1700 standards, but it's "normal" for a 1970's (?) woman to get out of her gentle impassive shell.
Anyway. Great love for these mammoths, though I haven't grabbed a copy of Echo yet. Soon...
There may be more, but I've got to end it somewhere, don't I? ;)
JR Ward, The Black Dagger Brotherhood
Dark Lover (Wrath)
Lover Eternal (Rhage)
Lover Awakened (Zsadist)
Lover Revealed (Butch)
Lover Unbound (Vishous)
Lover Enshrined (Phury)
Lover Avenged (Rhevenge)
and the upcoming Lover Mine (John).
From the glossary of the Warden herself, Black Dagger Brotherhood: Highly-trained vampire warriors who protect their species against the Lessening Society. As a result of selective breeding within the race, Brothers possess immense physical and mental strength as well as rapid healing capabilities. They are not siblings for the most part and are inducted into the Brotherhood upon nomination by the Brothers. Aggressive, self-reliant and secretive by nature, they exist apart from civilians, having little contact with members of the other classes except when they need to feed. They are the subject of legend and the object of reverence within the vampire world.
In other words, these aren't the usual vampires. They can't turn people (er, except for one tiny exception to the rule called the Dhestroyer), drinking human blood doesn't sustain them, and Ward created a refreshingly complex religious, historical and societal backstory that can't help but amaze.
I'll have to be honest: I started with the third book because I have a terrible weakness for the emotionally wounded alpha male type, and Z seemed to fit the bill. And did he. To this day, he's still my favourite character, and he seems to be the author's favourite as well since she wrote a short story in her BDB Guide. I recced this book quite frequently in the past, and I'm doing it again, but a word of caution: Wrath and Rhage's books don't do justice to the beauty of the series, imo, and oh, another word of caution? There's gangsta talk in here, and I admit it's bothersome at first, but I got over that shit quickly, true ;)
Ward has also just started an offshoot series called Fallen Angels. Haven't read Covet yet *sigh*
Suzanne Brockmann, Troubleshooters (Navy SEALs, FBI, CIA, TS, PI)
The Unsung Hero (Tom Paoletti)
The Defiant Hero (John "Nils" Nilsson)
Over the Edge (Stan Wolchonok)
Out of Control (Ken "Wildcard" Karmody)
Into the Night (Mike Muldoon)
Gone Too Far (Sam Starrett)
Flashpoint (Jimmy Nash)
Hot Target (Cosmo Richter)
Breaking Point (Max Bhagat)
Into the Storm (Mark "Jenk" Jenkins)
Force of Nature (Ric Alvarado)
All Through the Night (Jules Cassidy)
Into the Fire (Vinh Murphy)
Dark of Night (Lawrence Decker)
Hot Pursuit (Alyssa Locke)
This author is a freaking powerhouse of hot suspense and action. I'm pretty sure I mentioned this at some point, but in her BDB Guide, JR Ward confessed to breaking down into tears when she met SBrockmann in her not-published-yet days and blubbering her way through her thanks for inspiring the heck out of her. I can definitely see how Suz inspired Ward, because the writing style (the multiple character storylines weaving in and out together) is very similar. These books are action-packed features, and though they're quite long, sometimes I wish they'd never end. They're that good :)
So this series starts off following some Navy SEALs at work. A few of them are set abroad in war-torn countries, others take place in the US where things aren't always peachy. Where a lot of authors stay in one area of the uniformed-man romance genre, Brockmann actually branches out, bringing in characters from the FBI, the CIA, a private investigator, etc. She actually makes me like characters I didn't really care about, and her men are tough-guy sweethearts :) Though some are hardheaded idiots *shakes head at Jimmy*
It's pretty obvious who Brockmann's favourite pairing is. Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke are introduced in The Defiant Hero and they have their own short story about Alyssa out on an op that goes terribly wrong and Sam freaking the fuck out and getting comfort from SEAL wives... er, not in that way, but he actually finally understands how hard it is for military wives to wait for their hubbies to return home. One down, a million more to go ;)
I haven't read them all, but I'm making it my mission to collect them all. I actually lent Out of Control to my military-wife sister (back then I hadn't read my copy of Defiant yet. I'm still missing Unsung and Edge in that top pile, and a few others at the end)
Marliss Melton, SEAL Team Twelve
Forget Me Not (Gabe Renault)
In the Dark (Luther Lindstrom)
Time to Run (Chase McCaffrey)
Next to Die (Joe Montgommery)
Don't Let Go (Solomon McGuire)
Too Far Gone (Sean Harlan)
Show No Fear (Gus Atwater)
Another great SEAL romantic suspense author. These books are actually different from Brockmann's in that (imo) they're more about internal turmoil than international action. Don't get me wrong, there is action, in spades, but unlike Brockmann, I think these books are focused a little more on the personal side of things: Gabe struggles with memory loss, Chase helps a woman escape her abusive husband, Joe is the sole survivor of a goatfuck op abroad, Solomon had to tear a woman away from a boy she was going to adopt when he knows firsthand exactly how it is to lose a son, etc. So, yeah, these books are a little more about the characters themselves than saving the day and finding love at the same time.
I've just finished Too Far Gone... Gonna start Show No Fear sometime soon-ish. Premise looks great.
Lara Adrian, Midnight Breed
Kiss of Midnight (Lucan)
Kiss of Crimson (Dante)
Midnight Awakening (Tegan)
Midnight Rising (Rio)
Veil of Midnight (Niko)
Ashes of Midnight (Andreas)
Shades of Midnight (Kade)
At first... I wasn't too into this series. The premise was... weird, to say the least. Savage aliens came to this earth, impregnated some women who would later be known as Breedmates. The vampires can yet again not turn people, but drinking too much blood turns you Rogue and thus in come the Midnight Breed, warriors fighting to keep the evil out of the breed. Breedmates have a distinctive birthmark that distinguishes them from other mere mortals (because, whaddayaknow, and feminists will growl along with me here, women can't be vampires for some weird reason that's explained in the books but that I still can't wrap my mind around) and... you get my drift. It was a little too out-there for me, I'll be very honest. But I'd bought the first two books together, so I thought, meh, why not, and read Dante's book. And let me tell you, this book started changing my mind. A case of don't judge too quickly, because honestly if I were to judge the books by their covers they'd have stellar reviews because omg, look at the stylish designs. I mean yeah, they're hot, but for a designer, book covers need to be yummy in way other ways, and this is a nice example okay.
Anyway, the point is, you grow into these books. I'm still not a 100% into it because of the alien thing mostly (and also the non-vampiry women *grumbles*) but they're worth a read. Also, Veil takes place in Montreal and the Laurentides, so it gets definite thumbs up from me :D I've only read that and the first two, though, but I have it on good authority (from a friend) that they're all great.
Karen Marie Moning, Highlander and Fever
Beyond the Highland Mist (Hawk)
To Tame a Highland Warrior (Grimm)
The Highlander's Touch (Circenn)
Kiss of the Highlander (Drustan)
The Dark Highlander (Dageus)
The Immortal Highlander (Adam)
Spell of the Highlander (Cian)
Into the Dreaming (Aedan)
Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever
These two series are loosely connected, though the Highlanders are set in Scotland and Fever in Ireland. Yet the Fae and Druid lores remain the same. I have to admit, I literally surfed when it comes to this author: started with Darkfever, then went on to Kiss, then... I forget the order, but it was all pell-mell and it's a wonder I can keep the storylines mostly straight. Let's see... it doesn't get truly interesting until Touch, because that's when the Druid and Fae stuff takes front and center, and the MacKeltars are introduced. Before that, yes there's faes, but they're basically just pesky creatures. Or rather, Adam is. And 'lo, he gets his own book, and LOL, it's a masterpiece, because he's still pesky, but he's invisible-pesky, and he drives his sidhe-seer quite maaaaad. And it's just hilarious. And, oh, hot, too :) They're all hot, really, though I think most of the fandom roots for either Dageus or Adam. I really liked Grimm, which is ironic because apparently Moning hates that book, lol. But I did truly like it, because of the berserker mythology and all. I really hope the berserker theme comes back in Fever.
Fever, on the other hand, is... the walls of Faery are down, and the Dark Fae (their official name escapes me right now) are invading Ireland and the world, and it's up to MacKayla, whose sister just died of unknown (Fae-related) causes, to save it, since she's pretty much the strongest sidhe-seer in the world thanks to her powerful (and previously unknown) lineage. Quite a ride, and hello Dreamfever, that was really hot with Barrons. Sad it had to end so soon, though. Looking forward to Shadowfever :)
(NB. Book mentions after this point will probably not have the characters in brackets. I just can't be arsed, and I'm not quite as invested)
Brenda Novak, The Last Stand
Trust Me
Stop Me
Watch Me
The Perfect Couple
The Perfect Liar
The Perfect Murder
I've only read the first two, and I liked. Can you tell I like suspense? ;) The Last Stand is a non-profit organisation for survivors to band together and create awareness and to offer help in terms of self-defense classes and that sort of thing. It was created by three women (the ... Me titles) who survived atrocious situations like murder attempts and so on. Umm, pretty much the usual suspense stuff like trying to find the killer with a policeman or otherwise well-trained guy. Your usual suspense. Not great great but great. I rec :)
Karen Robards
This woman does standalones, so I won't go on to list them all since it's quite an extensive list.
I was drawn to Robards... two summers ago I believe, and I fell right in love. It's your usual suspense formula, but with some well-timed humour. Mrs Robards likes her pets, and sometimes those furry friends save our friends in the nick of time. The one book that will probably stay right up there in my Robards list is probably To Trust a Stranger. Dude, you can't get better than your hero dressed in drag and totally giving the wrong idea to your heroine :D Josephine the poodle also sits on a pedestal in my book *not-so-serious nod*
Linda Howard
Also a standalone author. Also an extensive list. I will spare you.
I think my first Howard novel was Cover of Night two summers ago as well - I can't remember the entire thing but there was rock climbing at one point and if there's one thing I like about an author (any author) it's that they've done their research and know their stuff. I think my favourite, however, would be Up Close and Dangerous because, wow, it's dangerous as fuck! Like, plane crash high in the mountains in the winter in the middle of nowhere dangerous. Not to mention that our hero is wounded, I believe, and the trek down is long and tedious and everyone thinks they're dead though that theory was instigated by a not-so-very-nice person who put a balloon in the fuel tank to make believe they had enough and omg I can't believe I'm giving you the punch. I don't remember who did it, though! Anyway, great author.
I tried the Blair Mallory series and it's... I mean I stuck by because the humour was good, but the girl's fucking highest maintenance ever and she's blonde and ergh. I also tried some of the other series and OMG stay as far away as possible from Almost Forever, it is retch-worthy and how the fuck did I stick by till almost the very end. God, stupid.
Elizabeth Lowell
I've dabbled here and there in her series and don't be afraid to try anything of hers, it's all excellent :)
Okay, I mentioned research earlier, yeah? Well this woman goes elbow-deep into hers, because she writes the best damn descriptions without boring you to tears. You'll learn everything from illuminated manuscripts to gem trade to gem carving to... yeah, everything she gets her hands on. But it's not just the research that turns me on, it's the writing itself, too. This woman weaves adventure, suspense, research, romance and everything in between in a seamless manner that makes you feel like a hot out-of-breath geek ;)
Sabrina Jeffries, School for Heiresses
Never Seduce a Scoundrel
Only a Duke Will Do
Beware a Scot's Revenge
Let Sleeping Rogues Lie
Don't Bargain With the Devil
Wed Him Before You Bed Him
These titles seem awfully... prissy, yeah? Sure. These books are set in... Victorian or Regency England? I'm not sure. But there's the ton, and the expectations, and these girls are heiresses and they're quite spunky actually, which is why I like them. I haven't read a lot of this genre because I find most of it bores me and the stories are all about I love you, but I can't, for my dowry is so much greater than what you can offer, but *swoons* and... yeah, it just mildly disgusts me. So I went in reading the first book not really expecting anything more than that swooning and that gentle bitchiness and oh, must I forget that all the heroes are rakes in these types of things? So, okay, the hero in the first book is allegedly a rake, but for the sake of getting his niece in this school for heiresses, he acts nicer than ever and, wait for this, gives lessons to the girls on rakes and how to rebuff them ahaha! Oh, but there's more: he gives these lessons by courting the teacher in front of the entire class. It's so refreshingly charming, and spunky, as I said. I can't remember what Duke is about, but Beware is awesome because it's set in Scotland, obviously, and ahaha the hero kidnaps the heroine yet, get this, they used to be somewhat-friends as kids but his tenants have been driven away by her father's accountant or some such, and so he's using her as leverage to fix things. Anyway, the stories are much better than I've described and, like I said, yay for some fun change from the stiff and blah genre.
Diana Gabaldon, Outlander
Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
An Echo in the Bone
My my, how could I go on without mentioning Outlander? See, it's pretty much the series that got me infatuated with Scotland in the first place - I'm kidding, I was already in love with the culture, but holy cripes it got me into Scottish historicals. Time travel, suspense, romance, action, adventure, etc. Diana says it herself: it's not any one genre - rather, it's a big mix of everything. Everyone seems to be hung up on Jamie and Claire, but honestly I started reading the series in the middle when Roger and Brianna were introduced in Drums, and I've been a goner ever since, especially since Fiery Cross and Roger's unfortunate incident with the throat thing (can you tell I'm being evasive? ;) I truly, desperately want to "hear" him sing again. Yeah, yeah, Bree's a bitch sometimes but Claire's a pushover so really, whatever, you know? Everyone's got their bad sides, and she happens to have the Fraser temper. Anyone remember the spanking? Yeah. Sure it was "normal" per 1700 standards, but it's "normal" for a 1970's (?) woman to get out of her gentle impassive shell.
Anyway. Great love for these mammoths, though I haven't grabbed a copy of Echo yet. Soon...
There may be more, but I've got to end it somewhere, don't I? ;)