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So someone emailed me for my top ten favorite romantic suspense books and I thought I'd share my list here. Of course, I don't know really whether it's really my top ten, but here are my favorites of favorites anyway:
10. Unforgettable by Meryl Sawyer
9. Naked In Death by J.D. Robb
8. Black Ice by Anne Stuart
7. Kill and Tell by Linda Howard
6. Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts
5. Diamond Bay by Linda Howard
4. Night Fall by Anne Stuart
3. Shades of Twilight by Linda Howard
2. Quinn Eisley's War by Patricia Gardner Evans
and my # 1 is A Man To Slay Dragons by Meagan McKinley.
The characters and scenes in these books resonate to me and I always reread certain scenes in them. If you have read any of the above on my list, which one appeals to you? And why?
As a writer, I ask myself that all the time. Why this scene? Is it for the character(s) or because of the emotional content? I find myself ignoring a lot of the mystery/whodunnit aspects, so I know that doesn't interest me at a deep level. I devour all the passages where the protagonists learn something about themselves as they deal with the element of danger, the edge of reason so to speak--the hidden truth that's the core inside them. Those are the moments of the story that captivate me.
That's why you'll find Anne Stuart and Linda Howard on my rereads every time. They deliver an emotional punch to me every time. And that's the reason why I reread them.
I have enjoyed many wonderful books, stories that are full of intrigue and surprises, with great characters and hot romance, and yet I don't reread them. I'll give you an example--Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard. I think that's a great book and many readers raved about it. It's a departure for La Linda too--totally funny, almost like a Sex In The City feel to it, and no male POV till 130-plus pages into it. I laughed out loud reading it and recommended it to friends.
But I have never reread it. It never got my gut and I have never gotten over the fact that there was no male POV till one third of the book is gone. That's not the main reason (I reread certain Harlequin Presents--guilty pleasure--and the lack of male POV in them doesn't bother me) but I couldn't seem to make the emotional connection with that book like some readers did. And that is what I'm after. It's almost like reading non-erotic erotic scenes--slot A goes into slot B and touch C...ooh ooh ahh ahh.
So is there a popular book that you've read and enjoyed but have never gotten that emotional payoff that other readers rah-rah about? You know you have it. It's on your shelf, part of your collection of your favorite author, and you actually feel guilty because you never pull it out like you do with the books on either side.
Hey, you can even use my books as an example! ;-) I definitely have a certain group of readers who abhor Facing Fear and love Into Danger and vice-versa. I wasn't even surprised by it, since I had deliberately written Facing Fear as a counterpoint to Into Danger. And perhaps that's why I can't get into certain books by favorite authors; they too were doing the same thing.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Spy Favors
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5 comments:
Hi Jenn,
First off, congratulations on the new contract with a new agency. That's definitely good news. Now I hope that we - the fans - will be able to read the stories we've been begging of you. LOL. ***I've been away so I'm playing ketchup with all the news. :-)***
I always find it hard to pick ONE favorite or a top 10 or top 20, whatever. I have a bunch that I love -- those that I re-read a number of times -- but don't ask me to rank them. Nuh-uh. However, several months ago, one messageboard that I'm a member of challenge its members to vote for the #1 Nora Roberts book. Pick ONE from ALL the books she's written, including the In Death series. So I said ok I'll try. MAN! That was hard. It took me weeks and lots of deliberation and meditation (LOLOL) before I settled with, get this, Hidden Riches. :-) Which brings me to your list. Some of them are my favorites too. I particularly like to read Shades of Twilight if want to have a good cry. ;-) And Naked In Death is always going to be one of my fave In Death novels.
-Leah-
This is why you're a writer--you're able to articulate what I've been unable to say.
Yeah! It's the relationship, the connection between h/h that resonates with me. The action/suspense is great if it adds to that connection but it's all about the relationship, the rest is backdrop.
Favorite reads that I go back to repeatedly: From L Howard's Kell Sabin series--Diamond Bay, White Lies, and Midnight Rainbow. Of course there's Mackenzie's Mountain and Pleasure. I remember Quinn Eisley's War and loved it!
I'll reread J Garwood's Honor's Splendor, Secret, and Prize over and over.
Favorite Nora is Times Change.
Brockmann's TDD series, for some reason I love Wes's story NIGHT WATCH and it was rated the lowest in reviews.
Then their's S Kenyon's Dark Hunters...
And I LOVE Facing Fear AND Into Danger but FF is the one that calls to me the loudest. Since you're so new to me I've only gotten in one re-read.
FF grabbed me from the beginning. Rick's pain was a living thing and as a hero he's second only to Jed. (Alex isn't in the running...yet.) Good grief, Rick really really loved his wife. He's loyal, honorable, unwavering, strong of heart and mind. Then there's the incredible intelligence and the drop-dead gorgeous aspect to add to the mix. Phew! Enough already! :o)
Dee
Hi Leah,
Yeah, it's tough to pick a top ten! That's why this was a TOP TEN ROMANTIC SUSPENSE ;-), which narrows it down a bit. I can do a Top Ten Paranormal and a Top Ten Non-Fiction, etc., LOL.
I love Hidden Riches. La Nora is wonderful with characters and the interaction between h/h in this book is just too yummy.
Welcome back! I've missed you!
Hi Rhonda,
The other books connected to Diamond Bay are Midnight Rainbow, White Lies and...and...ooops, I forgot that one ;-), which I seldom reread, anyway, LOL. I like Midnight Rainbow too--feisty, kick-ass heroine there! But Diamond Bay is the one that "gets my gut." Do you remember the scene when he opens his eyes while he was in a coma, grabbed her goodies, and said, "Mine," before drifting off again? Sigh. Classic La Linda.
Those old SIMs by the great authors were SO GOOOOOD, weren't they?
Oh Dee,
Thank you so much for those kinds words about my Rick ;-). He IS a teddy bear at heart, isn't he? LOL. I loved him too, loved him to bits while I wrote him, and still have a special place for him in my heart (shhh...don't tell).
It was very tough picking one book from Nora Roberts. But since I narrowed the list down to Romantic Suspense, I could ignore some really classic SIMs she wrote. Maybe I should make a Top Ten CATEGORICAL list too? LOL.
This was fun! I love remembering old books.
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