Hear, Hear Betty!!!!

Completely agree with you...nothing more annoying than to have a character bring the author's modern sesibilities into a period novel...

Unless it's speech patterns...you have to remember in centuries past people didn't much use contractions...it's a modern lazy speech pattern...

One book, and I don't remember who wrote it, the daughter of the house escorted the visiting knight upstairs to his chamber, and proceeded to give him the bath he was entitled to, that was in keeping with the period, but when she began speculating on 'how hot he was'...the book sailed across the room...

I've thrown many a book across the room when exasperated by things like this...because unlike you, my dear, I ain't a floozie....LOL!

She says that like being a floozie is a bad thing.

Ah, Betty can I butt in and say that The Duke and I isn't a Cynster novel?

I think it's by Julia Quinn.

The first Cynster novel was Devil's Bride

I just love that book!

Pamela

well, we floozies are mind dead, too. Actually, I did know that, and when I was typing it I was thinking it didn't sound quite right. The really sad thing is...I just finished a reread of it this morning. I don't actually think of books by their titles--it's more Honoria and Devils story. SO, I'm suitably chagrined and will toodle off to lurkdom again for a while...

This sounds real interesting. I think I'm going to add that to my pile.

Betty D., thanks for all those suggestions. I think the librarian is going to hate me for checking out all these books.

Rae

Rae,

I usued to really enjoy Susan Johnson and Heather Graham. Although Susan Johnson's characters are deffinitely not true to their time period and the way they talk is a little annoying from time to time...oh, and the excesive use of the F word...and lots of sex...

Connie Mason has also some good stories...

Brenda Joyce is also good, but I havn't read the "Deadly" series, I've heard they aren't very good :dunno:

I stopped reading historicals a couple of years ago, I don't know why, I just read predominantly paranormals right now...

Teo

Everyone I read or have read has been mentioned so, I'll just second that emotion on:

Eloisa James(she has a wonderful sense of humor and she's really nice, too!)
Julie Garwood
Johanna Lindsey
Catherine Coulter
Kathleen Woodiwiss(I prefer her older stuff)

I haven't read a historical in a long time so, I'm not really sure what's new out there. There are other authors that I've read but nothing has grabbed me like these.

orinally by Rae:
Nah....she'll love you just for reading...I know I was a part-time librarian, we were really excited by book lovers...

Some of my old favorites:

Jane Feather -- Particularly her V books. "Vice" and "Valentine" are two of my favorites.

Patricia Potter -- She's written a lot of historical westerns, and these were not my favorite. But I really loved some of her titles that were written for the Harlequin Historical line. "Dragonfire" is one of my all-time favorites. Also "Swampfire." They're not at all related, despite the titles. Dragonfire is set in China at the time of the Boxer Rebellion -- surely a unique setting!! -- and Swampfire is set during the American Revolution.

Jo Goodman -- She was an author I used to read tons of, but I don't anymore. Doesn't mean she's not good. I've noticed that her name often comes up over at the AAR boards as being a greatly underappreciated historical romance author.

Lisa Kleypas -- Used to be an autobuy for me. The first book of hers I ever read -- and one of the first romances that ever really stood out in my mind -- was "Only in Your Arms", which she later rewrote and re-released under the title "When Strangers Marry." I liked Lisa's older historicals MUCH more than her current stuff. I remember reading one of her books from the mid- to late-90s and thinking that it didn't read at all like her earlier stuff. I even thought that different authors had penned the books! I think the older stuff had more depth or something; nowadays, I think LK is the queen of the Wallpaper Romance, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. I like a good wallpaper romance every now and then. I just liked this author's older work better.

Mary Balogh -- I actually really like her old Regencies. They don't have a lot of sex in them, but the relationships and characters are surprisingly complex, especially compared to those in other Regencies. If you're reading for the relationship, and not so much an adventurous plot, then you may like these. The sentiments of the characters are very adult, despite the lack of sex scenes. I'm not sure what my favorite MB book is, but one of my favorite SCENES is the one in The Secret Pearl where they're riding in the carriage and he touches just the skin of her wrist. Wow.

Mary Jo Putney -- My favorite series of hers is always gonna be the Fallen Angels series. Thunder and Roses is my favorite of her books. Also try "The Rake" and "The Wild Child". Fabulous!

Amanda Quick -- I loved the first five or six that she wrote. Good stuff. This is the pen name of Jayne Ann Krentz who does contemporaries. I think Garwood and Quick were the first to come out with the quirky heroine, although I like Quick's better than Garwood's.

Diana Gabaldon -- Simply no one writes better historical fiction, period, but these are no light-and-fluffy reads. What Diana writes is the absolute antithesis of the Wallpaper Romance.

Linda Howard -- If you like Linda Howard, don't overlook her historicals. "Angel Creek" and "Lady of the West." They're both westerns, but hey...they're Linda Howard. Also, her book "Son of the Morning" is a time-travel with the heroine spending most of her time in the present-day, but she goes back in the past to 14th century Scotland. It's one of the best time-travel books I've ever read.

And my favorite (non-Diana Gabaldon) historical of all time is Stormfire by Christine Monson. It's got elements that would probably qualify it for instant wallbanger status by many of today's readers, but Sean and Kit will always be two of my favorite characters.

I've noticed that I really, really prefered the historicals of the mid- to late-80s and early 90s over what's being published nowadays.

One who is less known but when I loved set in England is Liz Carlyle. The Devil to Pay is really good.

Other American historicals I have enjoyed include:

LaVyrle Spencer:
Years
Hummingbird
Sweet Memories
Morning Glory
Fulfillment

Dorothy Garlock:
Love & Cherish
Lonesome River
Dream River
River of Tomorrow
Yesteryear

And so many more of both authors.

I've read some of Bertric Small, too and have liked some of hers and some I've been a little shocked by, like in The Kadin. I've never read a book before or since that has had quite that kind of plot. Did that make any sense? I'm having wording problems today!

I've read most of Betrice Small's books. If you really wanna be shocked pick up "The Love Slave" by her. OMG!!!

ETA: One of her books had this thing with grapes. Hmmmm I'll have to find the title.

Um, what is shocking in/about those books?

Those that miss the old Lavryle Spencer historicals might enjoy Ruth Langan's most recent historicals.

I can NEVER find Ruth Langan's books. I came across one at Walmart last year, haven't seen any since. My library doesn't have them either.

I need suggestions for how to talk to my library about how they choose books. My branch has very few Nora's.

My branch hardly has any Nora's either. Especially the new ones being released. Unless you get incredibly lucky right before it hits the shelves, you are on that waiting list for months. By the time they call you, the paperback version is out.

I told them point blank they need to have more of her books on hand because she is so popular. They know but I don't think that they are doing that though.

They have tons of James Patterson's on hand but not Nora's. Go figure.

Brenda Kay - is your library catalogue on the internet? At ours, you can put a hold on a book while it's on order, before it actually reaches the library. Of course, you still end up in a line, as others are doing the same, but you don't wait quite as long and they call you when it's your turn. If you're incredibly lucky and get your request in quickly enough, you sometimes land in 5 or 6 spot.

Chris

As far as historicals, I read:
Jude Devereaux
Johanna Lindsey
Stephanie Laurens (whose books are NOT all series, FYI. Single titles are in reprints now.)
Julia Quinn
Jane Feather
Eloisa James (Looooved her Pleasures series)
Kinley MacGregor
Karen Marie Moning (actually these are time travel, but have historical elements and are VERY good)
Susan Johnson (Can you have TOO MUCH SEX?!?!?)
Claire Delacroix
Teresa Medeiros (read Charming the Prince...it's one of my guilty pleasures!)

I have just gotten into Mary Balogh. I think she is most similar to Laurens in style. I really liked her Simply books and had to go back and read all the Slightly books which are mildly connected.

Balogh is great. Her books often pack quite the emotional punch. They may not always have a lot of passion/sex, but the emotional connection between the H/H can be staggering. I liked a lot of her old Signet regencies, but you can't find them anywhere these days (not even in UBS).

well, you can't find them easily. I just picked up The Temporary Wife at Ed McKay's for $.25 last week. Gotta love USB's that don't value roomance! Also, I have a friend at work, who collects Regencies--she's got them all! All the Kleypas oldies; all the Baloghs. So far, she's never not had one I asked to borrow.

I started out reading historicals in the 80's but I don't read them too much anymore. Of course my fellow Gabaldon fans know what a HUGE fan I am of the OUTLANDER series but those books are in their own category. These are the historical authors I have always enjoyed.

Diana Gabaldon
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss - not her recent stuff
Jude Deveraux - her Montgomery books
Amanda Quick
Julie Garwood
Bertrice Small - I read her in the 80's and early 90's. I loved SKYE O'MALLEY.

I used to read others- Johanna Lindsey, Rebecca Brandewyne, Shirlee Busbee, Laurie McBain- but I'm not sure how they would hold up today. Laurie McBain is out of print but last year I found all her books on eBay so I bought them up.

I know there are other authors I enjoyed but these are the ones off the top of my head.

So I finally got to read Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas, and I loved it!!! It was awesome, so I went out and bought It Happened One Autumn since Secrets of A Summer Night wasn't there. I think I'm going to add her to one my favorites!!


Rae

Someone just told me that Signet has cancelled their Regency line (or maybe all their romances).

Has anyone heard anything about this?