The final draft of AN INCONVENIENT MARRIAGE is done, so it's time for me to take a break, look at my piles and piles of unread books, and make progress through them (seeing my friends, cleaning my apartment, and vegging out with some movies would also be nice). Tonight, I happened to stumble across this: the top 100 romances of all time, judged in 2007 by a poll at AAR ("All About Romance"). The poll results change every time they have one, but these are the most recent results.
I've listed the top 100 below with my thoughts -- what do you think?
1. Lord of Scoundrels - Loretta Chase
I haven't read this, but it was tops in the previous poll too, so perhaps I should check it out!
2. Dreaming of You - Lisa Kleypas
3. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Adore, of course, particularly now that I can picture Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy!
4. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
This has been recommended to me before, but I've never read it
5. Flowers From The Storm - Laura Kinsale
I am leery of this -- Ms. Kinsale also wrote PRINCE OF MIDNIGHT, which my best friend and I mocked relentlessly for a) the hero named S.T. who had vertigo, b) the wolfhound sidekick named Nemo, and c) just about everything else. But maybe I should give her another try?
6. Slightly Dangerous - Mary Balogh
7. Devil In Winter - Lisa Kleypas
8. Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie
9. Welcome to Temptation - Jennifer Crusie
10. The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn
YES. I loved this book, even if the beesting-related forced marriage was a bit much.
11. Lover Awakened - J.R. Ward
12. Mr. Impossible - Loretta Chase
13. The Duke and I - Julia Quinn
Half-yes -- loved the characters, although Simon and Daphne's approaches to childmaking (or not-childmaking) were, on third or fourth read, completely insane.
14. It Had To Be You - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
I remember liking it, although it didn't become a "keeper" for me like some of SEP's other books
15. Lord Perfect - Loretta Chase
16. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton - Julia Quinn
YES. I love love love Penelope Featherington.
17. The Bride - Julie Garwood
DOUBLE YES. One of my favorite medievals of all time!
18. Mr. Perfect - Linda Howard
19. Naked In Death - J.D. Robb
I haven't tried J.D. Robb's books, but NAKED IN DEATH is on my to-be-read shelf
20. A Summer To Remember - Mary Balogh
21. Nobody's Baby But Mine - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
This may be my top contemporary book -- perhaps because I'm such a nerd, so the idea of a physicist marrying a smart, sexy NFL quarterback is my dream come true
22. Dream Man - Linda Howard
23. The Raven Prince - Elizabeth Hoyt
24. Paradise - Judith McNaught
25. As You Desire - Connie Brockway
26. MacKenzie's Mountain - Linda Howard
27. Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
28. The Secret - Julie Garwood
I've read this, but can't remember it
29. Son Of The Morning - Linda Howard
30. Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward
31. Devil's Bride - Stephanie Laurens
YES. Ms. Laurens' Cynster series got a little repetitive, but when I read this one it was all fresh and lovely, and Devil Cynster is a great hero.
32. A Knight in Shining Armor - Jude Deveraux
33. Heaven, Texas - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Good, but not my favorite SEP
34. To Have and To Hold - Patricia Gaffney
35. Almost Heaven - Judith McNaught
36. Match Me If You Can - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Eh, not so much
37. The Shadow and The Star - Laura Kinsale
38. Cry No More - Linda Howard
39. A Kingdom of Dreams - Judith McNaught
40. Over the Edge - Suzanne Brockmann
41. Sea Swept - Nora Roberts
42. Ravished - Amanda Quick
I'm sure I read it, but can't remember it
43. Then Came You - Lisa Kleypas
44. To Die For - Linda Howard
45. Something Wonderful - Judith McNaught
46. This Heart of Mine - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
YES. I loved this book; again, the idea of a children's book writer falling in love with a smart, sexy NFL quarterback (sense a theme?) was lovely. But in this book, the emotions were a bit more heartrending, which I enjoyed tremendously.
47. The Serpent Prince - Elizabeth Hoyt
48. Suddenly You - Lisa Kleypas
49. The Proposition - Judith Ivory
50. Honors Splendor - Julie Garwood
I read this and remember liking it.
51. Saving Grace - Julie Garwood
52. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Yes, although not as much of a "yes" as PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.
53. When He Was Wicked - Julia Quinn
Yes, although it didn't encourage me to read it again and again like ROMANCING MR. BRIDGERTON
54. Persuasion - Jane Austen
55. All Through The Night - Connie Brockway
56. It Happened One Autumn - Lisa Kleypas
57. Born In Fire - Nora Roberts
I think I liked this one, but preferred BORN IN ICE
58. Thunder and Roses - Mary Jo Putney
59. Kiss An Angel - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Eh - I wasn't a big fan of this one
60. Out Of Control - Suzanne Brockmann
61. After The Night - Linda Howard
62. Lady Sophia's Lover - Lisa Kleypas
63. The Secret Pearl - Mary Balogh
64. Once and Always - Judith McNaught
65. More Than A Mistress - Mary Balogh
66. Untie My Heart - Judith Ivory
67. See Jane Score - Rachel Gibson
68. The Rake - Mary Jo Putney
69. Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon
70. Perfect - Judith McNaught
71. Whitney, My Love - Judith McNaught
Read this summer on the recommendation of a friend -- they sure don't write them like they used to. The super-alpha older hero and the young girl has gone out of fashion, which is probably a good thing, but I like reading throwbacks sometimes.
72. The Duke - Gaelen Foley
73. One Perfect Rose - Mary Jo Putney
74. Shattered Rainbows - Mary Jo Putney
75. The Windflower - Laura London
76. Dream A Little Dream - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
I liked this one, but it was almost too heartrending -- a widow and a widower (who also lost his child) are just a bit too heavy for your average contemporary romance.
77. Frederica - Georgette Heyer
I love Georgette Heyer, and this was a good one
78. Passion - Lisa Valdez
79. Voyager - Diana Gabaldon
80. The Lady's Tutor - Robin Schone
81. Morning Glory - Lavryle Spencer
82. Worth Any Price - Lisa Kleypas
83. Winter Garden - Adele Ashworth
84. My Dearest Enemy - Connie Brockway
85. Where Dreams Begin - Lisa Kleypas
86. Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer
DOUBLE YES. Love the hero, love the heroine, love the setting (England + pre-Revolution France), love the hero's family (particularly his father, the duke of Avon, and his mother Leonie, who both starred in THESE OLD SHADES). If only Heyer had written sex scenes :)
87. Gone Too Far - Suzanne Brockmann
88. Anyone But You - Jennifer Crusie
89. For My Lady's Heart - Laura Kinsale
90. Rising Tides - Nora Roberts
91. Lover Revealed - J. R. Ward
92. Open Season - Linda Howard
93. Born In Ice - Nora Roberts
I loved this one - innkeeper of a small Irish bed and breakfast falls in love with the brooding writer who stays with her for the winter. Great stuff.
94. Ransom - Julie Garwood
Yes!
95. Venetia - Georgette Heyer
Yes!
96. Miss Wonderful - Loretta Chase
97. Ain't She Sweet - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
YES. I adored this book, and think this might be SEP at her peak. Some of the scenes are visceral and difficult to read, since they are flashbacks to rather awful high school experiences, but she does a great job with making the hero and heroine both flawed and incredibly lovable. Must read.
98. The Notorious Rake - Mary Balogh
99. The Prize - Julie Garwood
100. Slave To Sensation - Nalini Singh
Clearly the top 100 doesn't have everyone's favorites. For me, the biggest miss is Johanna Lindsay -- where is GENTLE ROGUE? Where are the other Mallory books, the Viking books, and the only Westerns that I ever liked? The other big miss for me is Catherine Coulter -- perhaps not because the books had real quality, but the Sherbrooke books and her absolutely hilariously ridiculous medievals will always have a fond place in my heart.
What are your favorites? Who do you think is missing? Do any of these surprise you?
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