Watching: Firefly
Listening to: Michael Buble
Making me smile: My hubby fixed our Xbox
I decided to comb my keeper bookshelf for some of my favourite category books from when I first fell in love with category romance. Some of them are rather old and the books themselves are falling apart (probably because I’ve re-read them so much!)
Harlequin are now digitizing many books from their backlist, so these awesome books will always be available as ebooks—which don’t fall apart after multiple re-reads (-:
Here are some of my favs:
Nora Roberts – The MacKade Brothers
Return of Rafe MacKade, Pride of Jared MacKade, Heart of Devin MacKade and Fall of Shane Mackade. I LOVE these super sexy brothers! My fav is Rafe’s story.
Linda Howard – The Mackenzies
Mackenzie’s Mountain, Mackenzie’s Mission, Mackenzie’s Pleasure, Mackenzie’s Magic, A Game of Chance. Another family of super sexy males. My fav is the first story, Mackenzie’s Mountain.
Merline Lovelace – Code Name Danger
Night of the Jaguar, The Cowboy and the Cossack,
Undercover Man and Perfect Double.The suspense series continued on (which I didn’t know until about a year or so ago) but the original four are still my favs.
Raintree Trilogy by Linda Howard, Linda Winstead Jones and Beverly Barton
Raintree: Inferno, Raintree: Haunted and Raintree: Sanctuary. Okay, these Nocturnes are more recent but they are on my keeper shelf.
Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie
It wasn’t until I fished this fav book out a few years ago that I realized it was written by Jennifer Crusie!
The Winning Hand by Nora Roberts (Macgregors)
I love lots of the Macgregor books but this is one I pick up again and again. What is it with my fav category featuring families whose names start with Mac?
I know I have a stash of category keepers at my parents’ place with some of my fav standalone category books. I bet when I finally get that box back, it’ll feel like Christmas! I remember a sheikh book set in Morocco (heroine was a horse trainer) that I read a thousand times and plenty of great cowboy stories.
Big congrats to the R*byCats (Sharon and Tracey!) Your books will become keepers too.
So, what fav category keepers live on your bookshelf?
Lots of great suggestions there, Anna, because I haven't read all those books. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMy category keeper shelf has books by
Liz Fielding,
Robyn Grady,
Kelly Hunter,
Bronwyn Jameson,
Leanne Banks,
Elizabeth Beverly,
Marion Lennox.
I've got Strange Bedpersons by Jenny Crusie too, but I shelve it with her single title books because I bought them with the cool new covers and I like having everything by one author together. ;)
Believe it or not, this die-hard paranormal writer has read category romance - gasp! - back in her college days. In fact, they were my introduction to the addiction of reading romance books.
ReplyDeleteI still have some of the original books I started with oh, 20 something-years ago.
Fanta C - Sandra Brown
Adam's Fall - Sandra Brown
Zach's Law - Kay Hooper
Nowhere Man - Rebecca York (and most of her 43 Light St.series)
Tallchief's Bride - Cait London (and most of the Tallchief series)
Lonesome Cowboy - Debbie Macomber (Hearts of Texas series)
Most of Lindsay McKenna's up until the mid-'90's
Love Slave - Mallory Rush
They're all still feel-good reads! :-)
HI Anna,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the congrats! I'm still grinning like a lunatic! :D
Rummaging in my keeper shelf and I see...
YES, the MacKades by Nora R! My fav was Shane but closely followed by Rafe!
And I love her O'Hurley's series too - Abby's story in "The Last Honest Woman"!
And YES to Linda H's MacKenzies!
And I need to add to Rachel's list...
Annie West
Jessica Hart
Emma Darcy
and... and...
so many favourites and not enough time to re-read!
:)
Sharon
Ooh, you're watching Firefly! Great, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteCategory keepers ... all my books are in storage now, but I know I have everything Jenny Crusie has written! Oh, and some Susan Napiers! Love her books because they make me laugh.
Hi Rach --
ReplyDeleteOoh, you mentioned some good ones I have and some I don't. Strangely enough, I don't have many other Crusie books -- but SP stays on my shelf.
I also like my books all lined up by author (-:
Hi Kylie --
ReplyDeleteI'm a paranormal reader as well...but something still makes me pick up my fav category books.
Thanks for all the tips -- I'll check them out.
Hi Sharon --
ReplyDeleteNo wonder you're still smiling!! Two nominations!
I liked Shane's book too and I LOVED the O'Hurleys -- Maddie's was my fav. I also have some Annie West on my shelf.
Hi Emily --
ReplyDeleteI've seen Firefly a hundred times. I keep torturing myself hoping a second season will magically appear. It is just so good, I can't believe it got cancelled after Season 1.
I have lots of category books in storage too. I can't wait to break them out one day.
Okay, now both Anna and Sharon have raved about the MacKade brothers, I see I'm going to have to get them and read both Shayne and Rafe's stories...
ReplyDeleteAnd, Anna, you really have to get more Jenny Crusie books! If you were coming to the RWA conference, I'd bring some for you.
Hi Rach --
ReplyDeleteYou HAVE to read the MacKades -- Rafe, Devin, Shane and Jared. Devin's story is fab as well. Jared's is okay.
I'm already sad I can't make conference -- now I'm extra sad (-: I'll see about downloading some Jenny Crusie books to my Kindle. Thanks for the offer!!
Oh my -- how long have we got?
ReplyDeleteLiz Fielding: Eloping With Emmy
Marion Lennox: Princess of Convenience
Annie West: The Sheikh's Ransomed Bride
(and everything else they've ever written!)
I have some wonderful old gems:
Emma Darcy: The Unpredictable Man
Anne Gracie: Tallie's Knight
Emma Richmond: Take Away The Pride
Jeanne Allen: Rachel and the Tough Guy
Emma Goldrick: The Girl He Left Behind
Jennifer Crusie: Sizzle
You know, I haven't read a whole heap of Nora Roberts though. Looks as if I might have to add her to my tbr pile :-)
Thanks for the trip back to my keeper shelf, Anna!
Hi Michelle --
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the tips. Some I've read and some I'll add to my TBR! Nora's my first love, so I highly recommend.
The keeper shelf is always worth a visit!
Anna, I'm not one to hoard books, but there are definately some category books I can't let go of that are really getting old!
ReplyDeleteMy very favourite is Madeleine Ker's "The Wilder Shores of Love" - so old but love this story line that I'm sure wouldn't be allowed in a sexy/presents line these days. Another one is Margarett McKean's "This Wild Heart" and Helen Bianchin's "No Gentle Seduction", Lucy Gordon's "Eagle's Prey" is fantastic too.
I also many books by Robyn Grady and India Grey, and quite a few more =)
Hmm. maybe I am a hoarder... LOL!!
Sounds like you're a hoarder in denial, Mel (-:
ReplyDeleteI'll check out some of your favs. Curious to know why "The Wilder Shores of Love" wouldn't be allowed these days!
The Wilder shores of Love is about a heroine addicted to drugs. The hero basically kidnaps her and forces her to go cold turkey. It was a brilliant, gut-wrenching and eye opening story, loved it =)
ReplyDeleteOoh, I really like the sound of that! Now I'll really have to check it out.
ReplyDelete