TV Buff

This is my guilty pleasure. I started reading romances when I was about to enter high school. I started with my aunt’s collection of Barbara Cartland stories which was simply to entertain myself after I finished all the Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys in the collection. In high school, a friend introduced me to the thick paperbacks and soon we were passing it all around the classroom. As my friend mentioned just recently, we used it as a release for our inquisitive young minds on such a taboo topic such as sex. (It was an exclusive all-girls Catholic school.) Yet I still read and thrive on it up until now. It’s my escape from the harsh realities of my world.

1. Nora Roberts – If you take a look at my collection, you’ll find out that she occupies much of the space that I have on my bookshelf. I like the fact that she writes about families and proceeds to do stories about them. She’s a very prolific writer and I can always find a new book on the shelf from her. Her characters are always well-rounded with engaging stories. I don’t mind that she dabbles in mysticism at times especially in her Irish stories. The ones that I like best are the ones that deal with real situations. Titles that I recommend are The McGregors (Brides, Grooms and the others) and The Quinns (Rising Tides, Sea Swept, Inner Harbor, Chesapeake Bay).

2. Jayne Ann Krentz – She’s quirky with a lot of new age stuff going on. What I like the most about her is that she writes about unlikely heroes. The men are not the gorgeous knight-in-shining-armor of other autors. They are almost always ordinary men put in extraordinary situations. Her men are also not afraid to say “I love you” first. Dialogue in her books also take witty turns that make me envy such crafty use of words. I recommend Perfect Partners and Trust Me. I have read and re-read these books and they never fail to pick me up!

3. Julia Quinn – I have recently discovered this author and got hooked. Her setting is London in the 1800’s, the time when the ton reigned and there was nothing to do but get married. Her heroines are ahead of the time. They are strong and opinionated. The characters are fleshed out nicely in each book. What delights me the most is that the books regardless of their connection always has something familiar. I just love her Lady Danbury and Lady Whistledown characters. She writes mostly about the Bridgertons and the book that I love them most is Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.

I have a lot more authors on my shelves. The likes of Judith McNaught and Julie Garwood probably round out the top 5.