Duodecimal: Laura Lee Guhrke Lists 12 of the Necessaries
December 7, 2007
RITA-winning Laura Lee Guhrke shares with us 12 of life’s necessities…
12 Historical Romance Novels Every Lover of the Genre Should Read
1. The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale. Ok, yes, I admit I skip the Ninja stuff. But the interaction between Samuel and Leda is amazing.
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Dare I say it does have flaws? BUT the sparkling wit and the smoldering Darcy are irresistible.
3. Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer. Because it’s just so good.
4. Morning Glory by Lavyrle Spencer. One of the finest romance novels ever. Hell, one of the finest novels ever, period.
5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Yes, the ending sucks, but that’s so we can each write it our way. Dozens of romance writers I know (including me) say this was the book they threw across the room, shouting, “I can write a better book than that!” after devouring every luscious word.
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Because I love governess stories, and this one’s the best.
7. Son of the Morning by Linda Howard. Oh. My. God.
8. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas. Even though I always get distracted by the hero’s surname, he is so smokin’ hot I don’t care.
9. The Outsider by Penelope Williamson. A gunfighter who really is a gunfighter, but ends up a hero. Superb.
10. Sleeping Beauty by Judith Ivory. Because I don’t like courtesan heroines, but I love this book.
11. Flowers From The Storm by Laura Kinsale. Because she had the chops to write a hero who’s had a stroke and can’t talk, and because she pulled it off.
12. To Love and To Cherish by Patricia Gaffney. A vicar hero who is hot. Amazing. (I would have put To Have and To Hold on here, too, but my list is only 12 books. Sorry, Pat!)
Damn. My TBR Mountain is getting taller and taller with all these lists. I have enough recommendations to last me until I’m 80, I think.
I have read 9 of those books. Great list!
Wuthering Heights is my number one romance of all time
Son of the Morning has a permanent place on my all time favorites list. It was physically impossible to put down and I ended up staying up all night to read it.
Flowers from the Storm will forever linger in my memory.
But I am a heathen and have not read any of the others. ;-D
Son the Morning is one of my all-time favorites too. I’m hopefully going to be rereading it soon! And I loved Flowers From the Storm. OMG, talk about reeling with emotion! No one does it better than Kinsale. I have a lot of the others in my TBR pile. I’m really looking forward to the Gaffneys.
Thanks for the tips (although my TBB list is far to long already!) I can’t understand how I haven’t read any of Laura Kinsale’s books!! I have to do something about that right away…
I love The Shadow and The Star. I love it more than Flowers From the Storm. Samuel…poor baby…sigh. Would’ve liked more Leda POV during the love scenes, but you can’t have everything.
I’ve read 7 of these. Some good suggestions too. I know I have a couple in the TBR milk crate already.
I’m ten for twelve of her list. The only ones I haven’t read are Jane Eyre & Pride & Prejudice. As for the rest - all most excellent books!
I love, love, love Morning Glory!!! Everyone should read Morning Glory. Even if you end up hating it, just cuz it is that good you won’t hate it. Sez I.
# 1 I didn’t like but after hearing repeated raves about it I decided to ‘re’buy it. Haven’t gotten a chance to read it again yet. 2 so not an Austen fan. 3 may get me thrown out of romance land… never read Georgette Heyer. BUT I love #5, 8, 9 and 12! So I should get points for that *g*. Soooo need to make time to read Son of the Morning.
When I saw Outsider I knew KristieJ couldn’t be far behind
Heh Heh - and the movie is just as good.
Loved that smokin’ hot hero in Dreaming of You. I now have those Kinsales, the Gaffney and finally that Ivory book to read.
I read a lot of Georgette Heyer years ago liking regencies - Devil’s Cub I liked, Frederica was another favorite I recall. Austen and Bronte we read in English lit one year.
Where are For My Lady’s Heart and Shadow Heart? Where are BEAST and BLISS and BLACK SILK by Judith Ivory? Where is Mr. Impossible? Where are Shana Abe’s Thief books? And my eyes, my eyes, To Love and to Cherish over To have and to Hold?
::gets ready for historical romance fangirl slapfest::
I think Ms. Guhrke (I have to look it up every time and I’m a dang good speller) and I probably have similar enough tastes. So it’s fun to see that even people with similar tastes differ so wildly in their top selections.
P.S. Now I know why I kept thinking of The Shadow and the Star as I was reading And Then He Kissed Her.
The Outsider! yes, yes, yes! There’s even a movie, which is pretty good with Tim Daly, Naomi Watts, Keith Carradine, and David Carradine.