Yesterday, about suppertime (dinnertime if you're not Southern), our internet connection got restored after a full day's absence. In my ecstatic, gluttonous boogling around the internet after supper, I ran across The Romance Reader's list of the Top 100 Romance Novels. It makes for fascinating reading.
The list was composed from reader's nominations of over 1500 books by over 500 authors. The books with the most votes made the list, which actually contains 109 books because there were several ties. Although there appears to be a variety of books, the first thing that impressed me was further evidence of how loyal readers are to their favorite authors.
I noted that several writers appear over and over again. For example, the first book on the list is "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon. Four of her other books made the list. I've got to say, I disagree with "Outlander" being anywhere in the Top 100. I don't like the book. I picked it up a few months back as a free read and made it all the way through, certain that at the end there would be some kind of amazing happy ending to make all the misery between the lead couple worthwhile. It didn't happen. I hear that there is some sort of HEA for the lead couple in a later book, but that's not good enough. If there's no HEA, then in my book, it's not a romance.
Again, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Linda Howard appear several times and I heartily agree with both. Linda Howard's "Dream Man" has a permanent place on my keeper shelf as does Phillips "It Had to Be You" - and her whole Chicago Stars series. I love both of those books, but I don't think either one should be at the top. Other authors who appear a number of times are Julie Garwood (Love her stuff "The Secret" lives on my keeper shelf), Judith McNaught ("Whitney, My Love" also lives with me), Nora Roberts, Georgette Heyer, Amanda Quick, LaVyrle Spencer and Mary Jo Putney.
For me, the #1 Romance should be a tie between Kathleen Woodiwesses' "The Flame and The Flower" and Johanna Lindsey's "Gentle Rogue." That was one of my first thoughts when I saw this list. It led to the BIGGEST SHOCKER OF THE LIST - NONE OF LINDSEY'S MALLORY NOVELS MADE THE LIST AT ALL. Only 1 of Ms. Lindsey's books made it - a scifi romance called "Warrior's Woman" which I've never read and which only came in at #68, tied with a bunch of others.
Who were the readers voting for this list? In my book, James Mallory, from "A Gentle Rogue" is the perfect romance novel hero and the Mallory series taught me how series romance should be done. Ms. Lindsey was robbed, I tell you, robbed.
My second shocker dealt with another of my favorites series romance writers - Julia Quinn. NONE of her books made the list. None. Hello? What was in the Kool-Aid these people were drinking?
My final and happiest shock from the list? How very few of the books were "paranormal." There was no horde of vampires, zombies or werewolves - Hallelujah. The absence of large numbers of these books from the list gives me hope for the future of our genre.
Mind you, I do think that more contemporary romance should make the list. My WIP is a contemporary as are 2 of my others (Griffin's Law and The Billionaire's E-mail Seduction). The next time anyone puts together a Top 100 list I hope it contains few to no werewolves, zombies or vampires and features a lot more contemporaries.
Peruse the list and let's be grateful to the good folks at The Romance Reader for putting it together- even if none of my books made it either.