I've learned that there are a lot of folks like me... who have come back to the hobby of reading after years of neglecting it... and we returning readers all seem to have the same problem - we don't "know" the new authors very well.

I thought perhaps everyone could list their favorite authors and the types of romances they write (historical - western or european type, contemporary, etc).......... Perhaps knowing which *good* authors (or bad for that matter - I'll take warnings about those too!) write which type of books will  help as we return to reading and get to know who we like & don't.

By the way - thanks for all the tips on Julia Quinn a few weeks back.  I read my first Julia Quinn book last week and loved it... hysterically funny.

Amy

Here's a link to the thread I was looking for a few nights ago   http://www.paperbackswap.com/forum/topic.php?t=139313  there's a link to a list in the first post but I think from book 8 on it was a single vote but still you might get some ideas.

I tend to like funny contemporary though I've read some light paranormal and a few historicals. I know I'll forget someone 'important' but I'll try!

Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick - mostly Krentz(contemporary) love her older stuff and faves are WIldest Hearts, Silver Linings, Uneasy Alliance, and  Midnight Jewels..little bit of suspense, strong men, spunky heroines without being totally obnoxiously stupid

Linda Howard - she's hit and miss for me but I e njoyed her MacKenzier series she did for silhouette, Open Season, All the Queen's Men - woul've liked Mr. Perfect a lot more if it weren't for having humor/sex when some psycho's killing everyone around them...but it was still good I'm just a wuss

Beth Ciotta - so far light and fun and has a few historicals too I enjoyed

Marianne Stillings - light, funny and a favorite - read hers back to back I think

Christie Craig - another light and funny contemp author

Elizabeth Lowell - older slihouettes Outlaw and Warrior plus a few others in this series but I re-read these 2, Tell Me No Lies was good too

Kerrelyn Sparks - light funny vampire romances

Kathy Love - Young Brothers vamp series is good, newer series a bit darker IMO

Lynsay Sands -Argeneau vampire are llight and funny/silly up to and including Accidental Vampire then get a tad darker IMO for the last 4

Jennifer Crusie - Getting Rid of Bradley, Bet Me - contemporary and funny LOL moments. haven't felt the same about all her stuff though

Pamela Morsi - Simple Jess - only one of hers I've read but just got several more for mt br -  historical and just 'sweet'

janet Chapman - she's just dependable for me..a bit of humor (some books more than others) sometimes a bit of suspense or paranormal or time travel but not a dud yet IMO though nothing has been super-raving great though a few came pretty close fo rme including moonlight warrior..)

robyn Carr - Virgin River series is a fave of mine. Grace Valley trilogy was good but not the same 'energy' as the VR series

Debbie Macomber - can't read more than one or so of hers back to back - she's basically low to no sex and drifts to women's fiction in some but I really loved Morning Comes Softly -sweet romance I guess you'd call it with a touch of suspense.

Curtiss Ann Matlock - another low to no sex author(in my limited experience of 5 of her books) but I was hooked on the ones est in Oklahoma - cold tea on a hot day starts a trilogy and there are 2 before that one though not sure of the order - driving lessons and open highways. I liked all 5 and the later 3 are in the same town and mention some of the characters from the other 2

Christina Dodd - Once a Knight and A Knight to Remember - prefererred the 2nd but good historical medieval romances a nd the hero in the 1st is a 'washed up knight' who's dirt poor(different type hero for a change!)-all I've read by this author so far

Jude Deveraux - A Knight in Shining Armor - sweet time travel romance-allI've read by this author so far

Linda Lael Miller - I've liked her Montana Creeds and McKetricks(so far) fairly light , rich as heck men, and HEA without awhole whole lot of drama though a bit.and they love animals - at least one horse or dog will be rescued/kept/adopted in these!

Jory Strong - erotic romance - liked her Crime Tells, esp the 3rd book, Calista's Men (yep 3 some)

Lora Leigh - erotic romance - dependable but predictable so these I space out but really liked Forbidden Pleasure (3some)

Lena Matthews - erotic romance-like her Joker's Wild trilogy -c haracters overlap a bit but each story is entirely different - 1st islight and playful, 2nd ismore 'serious', and 3rd is across of these 2 and has aheroinewho feelsshe's fat

Sarah McCarty-erotic romance- lovedPromisesLinger - 4 in this seriesplus another historical western erotic romanceseries but be warned all hint at violence towards the women though Linger has the least..the ot hers are pretty brutal though none is done by the hero.

Vicki Lewis Thompson - haven't read anything bad from her though out of the Nerd books Ilike The Nerd Who Loved Me and Nerd Gone Wild the best I think.

suzanne brockmann - SEAL books! I haven't kept up with the series nor do I like all I've read but Kenny and Savannah's story is a favorite followed by the one right after that (can't remembe rthe titles sorry) but they're like books 4 and 5 I think but too many stories overlap and go book to book and there's usually 2-3 stories going on at once - something from the past for instance along with the c urrent storyline and the side storylines... I like some from her s horter silhouette series - tall dark and dangerous

Mary Margret Daughtridge - she has 2 SEAL books but nothing like Brockmann's..no 'action' but dealing with personal problems. I know several didn't care for them but I liked them for a nice romance

Nora Roberts - she has so much out some is different - Montana Sky for suspense(and gets a little graphic with the killing going on), and loved the Born In trilogy..also enjoyed Tribute though had a lot of suspense but fixing up the old house was fun to read about.. like the stars of mithra trilogy and 4 about brothers - mackades I think it's called.

ok I know there are others but drawing some blanks and fingers are tired! I have tons more authors in mt tbr from reading 'bout them here so be careful!~ :-)

Thanks for all the info on different authors.  Wow........ that was a lot of information.  I am personally more interested in the historical romances - be they western era or European...  Anyone have any favorite authors who write those?  I am familiar with Catherine Coulter and Samantha Jeffries...   And, as you stated above, Linda Lael Miller (who I know wrote a lot of western historicals).  But, who else?

Thanks,
Amy

Some historical authors I've enjoyed are Jo Beverley,  Gaelen Foley, Loretta Chase, Julia Quinn,  Anne Gracie,  Elizabeth Rolls and Mary Balogh

Contemporary authors - Robyn Carr's Virgin River series,  Lora Leigh (erotic romance)

Paranormals -  Nalini Singh's psy/changling series - the first book is Slave to Sensation (highly recommended), Marjorie M. Liu's Dirk and Steele series, Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karen Marie Moning,  and Lora Leigh's Breeds.

Lynn Kurland is also good - her books are a mixture of historical/time travel/ghost etc.

I've just started reading historical romances in the past year or so. There are so many flavors out there! Some are lighter than others, some are spicier. Some of my favorite authors are Loretta Chase, Lisa Kleypas, and Elizabeth Hoyt. I also like Jo Goodman, Liz Carlyle and Karen Ranney. There was a one hit wonder by Edwina Columbia (Mistress in Training) that I adored. I wish she wrote other stuff but that's the only book she wrote.

Western Historicals - I've only read Sarah McCarty and almost every book she's written is on my keeper shelf.

Dagmar

Hi Amy, These are some of the Historical  Authors I like....

Stacey Kayne

Judith Stacy

Susan mallery

Cheryl  ST John

Linda Lael Miller

Contemporary ones I like are

Sandra Brown

Linda Howard

Do you like steamy ones ? I read alot of those

Robyn Carr - her Virgin River, just the first 3 books, were great

Maggie Osborne - writes western historical.  I have yet to read one I didn't love.

Cindy Gerard - some of her Black Ops books are great

Gena Showalter - writes paranormal

Dee Henderson - writes inspirational romantic suspense

Julie Garwood - The Wedding and Ransom are on my keeper shelf

Diana Gabaldon - for me, the Queen of romance!

Marliss Melton - writes great SEAL stories, like Brockmann

Julie Gardwood by far is my favorite favorite auther.  I definitely like her historical's better than her contemporary's.  Her website will list all her books and what order the series are in.

Her historicals cover both westerns (the rose books) and pirates (the gift, gaurdian angel, etc) and medieval (ransom, etc).

Judith McNaught's Whitney my Love is also a fabulous historical romance.  Its also part of a series but I think its the first book and can definitely be read alone.  This is my mom's favorite book.  She also has contemporary's in her repitoire (sp?).

I appreciate everyone's posts.  This really helps me to know more about who each author is... what they write.  In answer to the question posed to me, I read everything from Christian Romances to "steamy"... I don't know that I've read anything termed "erotica" before though....

Right now, my favorites are:
Western/Historical - Linda Lael Miller
European/Historical - Julia Quinn, Sabrina Jeffries
Love Inspired/Christian Romance - Lori Wick, **Brenda Minton

My "all time" favorite, who writes all styles is Elizabeth Lowell.  I haven't read her newest books, that are more mystery/thrillers... I stopped at the Donavon family series books (Midnight in Ruby Bayou, etc.).  I wanted to try new authors.

Thanks again everyone!
Amy

I recently ordered a Leigh Greenwood book... it's on the way in the mail from another PBS'er... So, I'm glad to hear that someone who likes EL likes her also... It will be my first Greenwood book.  Now, I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks,
Amy

My Favorites:

Curtiss Ann Matlock (contemporary)-fell in love with the first book i read of hers which was just a little harlequinn/silhoutte series book called "Heaven in Texas". She now writes stand alone books.

LaVyrle Spencer (historical & contemp)- Years/Morning Glory/ the Fullfillment/ The endearment are my top faves.

Dororthy Garlock (historical)- i  like her writting style and she tends to write little series of books for different era's in history like The Depression Era, WWII and the 1950's.

Jodi Thomas (historical &contemp) I love her westerns. although lately she is writting contemps with a little suspense to them.

Linda Lael Miller (historical & contemp) Fell in love with her westerns with the McKettrick Brides series, my all time fave contemporary of hers is "The Last Chance Cafe".

Carolyn Davidson(historical) -writes sweet romances and is a good story teller

Penelope Williamson (historical) is great for long involved romance stories with plenty of action/plot twists in them. I recommend "The Outsider"

Karen Harper (contemp) writes alot of suspensefull romances usually involving or in the middle of Amish/Shaker/Mennonite country.

 I have many more but most are of the Historical Western genre and most on this discussion board are more into other genres like Regency or Paranormal,etc.

My keepers are Madeline Hunter, Elizabeth Hoyt, Mary Jo Putney, Eloisa James and some of Samantha James (not related).  I have all of Madeline's books and Elizabeth Hoyt.  Just love them both.

Edit:   I forgot to mention Loretta Chase.  All keepers, too.

Tanya T

Who are your favorite western/historical authors....... those are some of my favorite types to read, so I'm anxious to know who the really good authors are.  I like Linda Lael Miller also, and right now, she is the only author I've found writing western/historical that I know when I buy the book it will be good....

Amy

Amy: These are the authors i look for when i want a good western romance,

Madeline Baker

Mary Lynn Baxter

Jodi Thomas

Mary Burton

Cheryl St.John

Maggie Osborne

Carolyn Davidson

Ruth Langan

Jill Marie Landis

Steph Ann Holm

Victoria Bylin

Jillian Hart

Jill Gregory

Lorraine Heath

Sara Orwig

Kathleen Eagle

Curtiss Ann Matlock

and occasionally Diana Palmer

I also really like Madeline Baker,  her books are the first Indian romance ones I've read