I realized yesterday that though I am a romance writer, I
have shared little of what I like to read in the romance genre. I’ve been
reading romance for almost thirty years and up until 10 years ago those
romances were exclusively historicals, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that my
favorite romances are historicals. So behold, here are my top 10 favorite
romances. They are set mostly in England in the 1800’s with a few set in
America. I love me an alpha male, but I’ve got betas and some gammas too. All of these books rate more than a 10, so if
you want to read an amazing book, any of these will fit the bill. So in no
particular order (except #1, which is my favorite) here are my top 10 favorite books.
- Simply Love by Catherine Anderson—A contract, a determined man and a naïve girl lead to a wild ride.
- Dark Fires by Brenda Joyce—My absolute favorite guardian/ward story!
- Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas—This is the ultimate good girl/bad boy story. It also has one of my absolute favorite scenes in a book ever. Let me know if you find it.
- Upon a Moon Dark Moor by—If you love Wuthering Heights but it left you dissatisfied, this is the book for you. Finally a HEA!
- To Have and to Hold by Patricia Gaffney—A convict turned mistress and a lord, romances don’t get more unpc than this
- Waiting for the Moon by Kristin Hannah—Amnesia, a group of misfits and a touch of the paranormal make this a fantastic read
- Silk and Shadows by Mary Jo Putney—I simply love love love this book. If you like mysterious heroes, revenge and betrayal, you’ll love it too!
- The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley—I wanted to read a book about a hero with Asperger’s and like she was reading my mind, Ms. Ashley wrote this amazing book.
- Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas—I love nothing more than a villain turned hero and bonus points, it is tangentially related to Dreaming of You.
- Wild at Heart by Patricia Gaffney—A feral man and the woman who helps civilize him.
- The Wind Dancer by Iris Johansen--This is a bonus book, cause I just couldn’t help myself. It is set in Renaissance Italy and if you have a friend who looks their nose down at romance, give them this book and watch them change their mind.