romance novel recommendations!

I put that exclamation point to emphasize the level of excitement about this post. I didn't need further prodding from my friend to make a post similar to hers. As you may (or may not) know, I love romance novels. I guess at 26 years old I should've been on my way to graduating from this genre, but heck no (I would probably read them until I'm old and have poor eyesight). I tried to jack up my ante and read more serious fare, but yeah, you'll be amazed at how fast I finish a romance novel versus a lauded fiction book (I'm looking at you John-Steinbeck-book-stuck-at-chapter-two-since-3-yrs-ago). Who was I kidding when I thought I can stock up on Oprah's Book Club books? So yeah, I'm one of those escapist readers, and a good romance novel will be welcome with open arms anytime.

So here's a list of my favorite and recommended romance novels (dedicated to you Ris!), based on no objective criteria whatsoever. Some of these books were read years ago, so I'm not sure if it would make my list if I re-read them again.

Based on no particular order. Spoilers ahead.

1. Kingdom of Dreams (Judith McNaught) - I've read the latter Westmoreland books (Whitney, My Love and Until You) before reading this one, which is about the 1st Duke of Claymore, Royce. You get warring families, an adorable burly warrior lord (I cried buckets when Royce was letting himself get beaten up by Jennifer's family), and supporting characters that you love to love and love to hate. The extended version of Whitney, My Love paid homage to this couple and even though it was less than a paragraph, I found myself tearing up because it made me realize that by that time, Royce and Jennifer were already dead (Clayton was already the 13th Duke of Claymore). Yes, that's how much I love this couple.

Side note: I'm getting antsy because the release date of this book keeps getting pushed back. I'm still on the hunt on who will be the next Judith McNaught...other romance writers are good, but no one can beat her so far (in terms of historical romances).

2. Chesapeake Bay Saga (Nora Roberts) - this definitely takes the cake out of all the books (and there are a lot) of Nora Roberts (4 books, Quinn brothers). If there's one thing that Roberts is good at, it's portraying family relationships that makes you wish you were part of that family. This is the first time I cried in a romance novel not because of the love storyline. All the brothers are so engaging to read about, I can't pick a favorite among the four. The romance aspect of the four brothers is also nice, but it's the bond of the brothers (and their parents, in a sense) that carries this series.

3. The Prize (Julie Garwood) - my favorite Julie Garwood novel. An easy-read (with huge font, I think I finished this in a day) with a big and lovable hero and a larger-than-life heroine who spaces out during lectures (haha i love this girl!). Seriously, how can one not fall in love with a big hulking guy carving a lopsided queen chess piece in the middle of the night because some idiot threw his wife's favorite chess piece in the fire? I love the continuous banter between both characters, with Royce deluding himself that his wife can see sense through his lectures, hehe. And I just realized that this is another Royce...hmm....I sense a pattern...

4. Highland Velvet (Jude Deveraux) - it's mostly a hit or miss between me and Jude Deveraux but this is my favorite book of hers. This is the second of the Velvet series. The series itself is an interesting read but can be too depressing in the latter two books (too many unfortunate events!) I guess you have to read the first book (Velvet Promise) to understand the second one, which is still fine (it's just that Gavin is just stupid at times). Anyway, I like spunky heroines and Bronwyn is one of my favorites (although too stubborn, c'mon Stephen is doing his best to be "Scottish" for you!). The whole series is still a recommended read, if not only for the last part of the 4th book (Velvet Angel) when the four wives used their respective "abilities" to save their husbands (remembering how much I LOL-ed when Stephen almost had a heart attack when he saw his wife dangling upside down with her face smack into his prison window)!

5. Double Standards (Judith McNaught) - I know most people prefer Paradise or even Perfect as their favorite McNaught contemporary romance, but I remembered (this was in HS, so I guess a re-read is in order) reading this (after Paradise and Perfect) and told myself that this is my favorite contemporary novel of hers. I think it's about the being-doomed-right-from-the-start premise that made me intrigued to find out how they're going to get through it. I remembered reading the novel and being emotionally spent right after (but loving it). At the very least, whenever the name Nick Sinclair is mentioned, I still get this fluttery feeling (even though I can barely remember the details of the book). For that reason, I'm putting this book on my list.

Some short-reads (meaning less than 300pgs) that I also love:
1. My Hero (Debbie Macomber) - An easy-read, I remembered loving this book before and then re-reading it a few days ago. The re-read opened my eyes to some snicker-inducing moments, but I love the book nonetheless. The stalker-themed scenarios at the beginning did not even put me off from this book (I guess it's one of those things that is cute in fiction but creepy in reality). The heroine is relatable and talks about her journey to write romance novels, so I guess that's enough to make me like this book. The book made me venture to other Macomber works, which I kind of regretted (or maybe I just purchased the wrong set of books from her portfolio).

2. The MacGregor Brides - JuliaxCullum (Nora Roberts) - the entire MacGregors series is an entertaining read, but Julia and Cullum's story is my favorite based on the number of times I re-read them. Another effortless read (as with most of the MacGregor books), this book supports my love for hate-at-first-sight-with-matching-tension type of books.

I thought this list would be longer but I really wracked my brain to think of more books and came up short. Granted, I like a lot of other books (you can't go wrong with McNaught, and most of Garwood and Roberts) but this is my gut-list so to speak if you ask me what I would recommend. I have also tried other authors (Deveraux, Lindsey, Dodd, Quick, James, Kane, Phillips, Goodman, Barnett...too many to mention) which have some good works but did not make a loyal fan out of me.

Okay, time to look up for the backlist of some of these authors online.

*The cover art of the books in this post art the editions in which I've first read them (made me bit sentimental hehe), except for the Chesapeake Bay Saga (since I can't find a picture that has all 4 books in it)