Four Romance Novels Worth Reading (and Re-reading)

Happy Valentine's Day! 

I am an insufferable lover of love stories -- real, fictional, tragic, classic, bound with Fabio on the cover, you name it. Like most, I've swooned over the Darcys and Knightlys of the Austen 'verse more times than I can count, but I've always found myself equally enamored with many of the products of the megalithic "Romance Novel Industry" as we know it today...much to the disappointment of my more prideful and prejudiced peers. I can honestly say that I have been more criticized for my enjoyment of bodice rippers than for any other hobby or interest I have (including, but not limited to, my affinity for re-enacting Tolkien-esque battle scenes with or without supporting players). But the good news is, not even the eye-rolls or scoffs or attempts at re-direction make romance novels any less enjoyable for me. 

So in honor of Valentine's Day, I give you the four pretty fantastic romance novels, which are not to be confused with capital-R Romantic novels, tragic love stories, or porn. (No matter what my great Aunt Jeanie may say about that last one.)

1. Ravished, by Amanda Quick

Amanda Quick (a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, Jayne Castle, et al) has been my be-all, end-all favorite in the genre for a while now. I once spent an entire summer driving around to all my local libraries so I could track down and devour each one of her historical romances, one right after the other. I liked Ravished the best, and I just keep re-reading it over and over again (like earlier this week). It's a regency-era tale about a quirky, demanding female fossil hunter named Harriet and the dark, dangerous Gideon, known to the ton as the Beast of Blackthorn Hall, who join forces to defend seaside coves from marauders. The stakes rise, as they always do, and Gideon and Harriet take on the ton, fighting damning gossip, broken reputations, and a killer who's been on the loose for years. 

Personally, I like Ravished so much because the romance aspect develops naturally; it is not simply a case of two people being thrown together in a dangerous situation, and therefore we must believe they love each other (which is painfully common in many other stories). The reader can see why Gideon connects so strongly to Harriet, why there could not be anyone better for either of them, and we can watch them fall in love. As a hero, Gideon is big and broken -- my favorite kind! -- and it's nice to see him heal with Harriet's help, especially since Harriet as a character is so interesting.

2. Hidden Riches, by Nora Roberts

I'd venture to say that Nora is the reigning queen of romance writing; she's written so many novels at an impossibly fast rate, and somehow manages to make each one good. I generally prefer her earlier stories, because I find they have more grit and realism than her more recent best-sellers. Hidden Riches stars one of my favorite romance heroines, Isadora Conroy, a Philadelphia curio shop owner with a sharp wit and an inherited flair for dramatics. When she rents the apartment over her shop to the hot-tempered ex-cop Jed Skimmerhorn, his past springs up to haunt them both as thoroughly as Banquo's ghost haunts the Conroy family's theater production of Macbeth. Though the mystery relies on a smuggling ring, it's actually Jed's internal conflicts that power the story and pave the way for romance between him and Dora. This book features stolen antiques, evil-to-the-bone villains, and Roberts's signature skill at crafted leading men you just can't help but fall for.

3. Faking It, by Jennifer Crusie

I call novels like those of Jenny Crusie "Potato Chip Books" because, like the snack food, they are fun, satisfying, and completely impossible to put down until I've wrung every last calorie out of the bag (uh, I mean page). Her books are always funny, often odd-ball, comedy-of-errors-type stories with well-crafted characters that come without too much sentimentality or sap. Faking It centers on Matilda Goodnight, her family's failing art gallery, and the secrets the Goodnight clan have been keeping for centuries. Then enters Davy Dempsey (of Crusie's oft-visited Dempsey family, a la Welcome to Temptation), a reformed crook who somehow manages to get himself roped into helping the Goodnights solve their many wacky problems. The secondary characters in Faking It are hilarious and wholly developed, and add depth to an already compelling story. Crusie also has a knack for interesting wordplay, and often I find myself re-reading this for the laughs only to come out with a new appreciation for her craftsmanship. If you like this one, I'd also recommend Bet Me, though the heroine of that story isn't nearly so enjoyable as Matilda Goodnight.

4. Ain't She Sweet, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Gosh, this book is just so damn dramatic. Sugar Beth Carey is a former Southern belle who has fallen very, very far from grace -- a fall, even Sugar Beth notes, which is entirely her own fault. On the outside, she's mean, thoughtless, and cares little for the feelings of others, but draws you in with her sharp-as-nails wit. She returns, tarnished, to the small Mississippi town of her youth without money, friends, or options, and finds that Colin Byrne, a man whose life she nearly ruined, as taken up residence in the house where Sugar Beth grew up. So begins the story of Sugar Beth's redemption, and romance, as she makes amends for what she's done and learns about her own personal motives.

I would definitely not call myself a Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan; for the most part, I find her novels less about the dynamics between the "leading couple" (for lack of a better word), and more an exploration of many different relationships between characters -- be they friends, sisters, parents, et al -- that I often feel leaves less room for the full development of the love story. All that can be great, but it's not really what I look for in a romance novel. In Ain't She Sweet, however, she kind of gives the best of both worlds: the romance between Sugar Beth and Colin is at the forefront, but the surrounding conflicts and characters add a level of drama so poignant that I don't mind. Like, for instance, the story arc of Winnie Davis, the girl that Sugar Beth tormented all her life, and the former football hero that Sugar Beth once thought she loved. This book is, at times, entirely heartbreaking, but the biggest credit I can give the author, I think, is that while Sugar Beth was once an awful person, she goes through such a realistic, understandable change. It's like watching the warming-over of a bitter heart right there on the page.

What are some of your favorite romance novels?