I've arrived at the conclusion that Loretta Chase is overrated. I've read quite a bit of hers because I've been trying to get the big deal and apart from her latest with Olivia and Peregrine I wouldn't keep any of them. The Zoe Lexham book is a close runner up but I would have enjoyed it more if the heroine had come back from growing up in a harem with more than a "free spirited" way of talking and attitude towards sex.

Anybody else know of an author they don't get the fuss about?

Mine are Shannon McKenna and Shelly Laurensten, but I do get the Chase and have all of hers. I don't feel that they are overrated, as much as I just don't have their appreciation gene.

wow I love Shelly Laurenston LOL! I guess for everyone who thinks an author is overrated there are just as many in that author's fan club!

Well, if the author wasn't massively loved, they would never get a chance for someone to consider them overrated. :-)

Stephanie Laurens, Linda Howard, Iris Johansen, Stuart Woods, Janet Evanovich, Catherine Coulter (current stuff)- authors that started out good but didn't know when to write an ending and move on.

Kristin Hannah, Lucy Monroe, Kate Angell, Shannon Mckenna, Irene Hannon, Amy Fetzer, Jo Davis, Tara Janzen- authors everybody else likes but I absolutely hated

Lora Leigh- a class by herself. Truly awful writing, but every book has at least one scene so explosive I sift and skim through the crap and read it anyway.

nancy I think the crap's in there for a cooldown...wow I love about half your hate list LOL! I do agree about Evanovich though but I sure loved her stuff when I was into it..I think I just burned out on it though.

I don't get the Stephanie Laurens love either. I think she dithers and hems and haws way too much and I end up losing interest about a third of the way in.

"Well, if the author wasn't massively loved, they would never get a chance for someone to consider them overrated. :-)"

lol, that sums it up perfectly. I adore Jayne Ann Krentz in all of her incarnations but I always see people upset at how similar her books are and they don't get the big fuss and I'm going O _ O NOT MY GIRL JAYNE!

Stephanie Laurens definitely for me. Her early Cynster novels were good, the twins' were probably my favorite. So many of her love scenes are just BORING!!

Bertrice Small---tried a few by her and was bored to tears. 

Wow, some that are really disliked here are favorites with me. I think Sherry Thomas is overrated but she's almost universally loved which shows that there is a market for every author. I still haven't read many of the authors mentioned so I don't know if I like them or not.

Not liking Loretta Chase - wow, that makes me want to sit down on the curb and cry my heart out.  I reread LORD OF SCOUNRELS religiously every May and love it more each time. And I read all of Tara Janzen's books literally back to back last year I was so blown-away..

And Kristin Hannah - wow, she rips my heart out and makes me want more. She's awesome.

I'm stopping for ice cream on the way home from work........I need some comforting.

Gail

MaryJo Putney - I find her writing just so incredibly averaqe I don't get the raves.

Julie Garwood - haven't been able to finish 1 of the 3 I tried.

Teresa Medeiros - now granted I have only tried one of her books  - Yours Until Dawn - and it was enjoyable but not earthshattering - it was just okay for me.

I also love Loretta Chase and Shelley Laurenston.  I also like Sherry Thomas' books.

Then again, as I've said before, I don't get the almost universal Laura Kinsale love.  I try to love the books like everyone else seems to, and I can barely finish them.  I also feel like I'd add Gina Showalter to the list.  I liked the first few of her Lords of The Underworld books, but I burned out on the series, and all of her other books have been DNF for me. 

See? Isn't that funny? Like I said, everybody else loves the ones I didn't. I was smart and only got the first of a series on each so at least I didn't blow $2.38 x however many to find out I didn't care for an author. And someone else mentioned not likingJulie Garwood. I LOVE Julie Garwood! Love Sandra Hill, Jude Devereaux, Lisa Kleypas, Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman, Carly Phillips, Susan Elizabeth Phillips... but I'm sure someone else will be on here to say how much they think some of those are overrated.

But you know what the best part about these types of threads are? We get exposed to authors we wouldn't otherwise. And I wish I could remember who turned me on to Linda Lael Miller. LOVE HER!!!! And that was sometime just in the last 3 months. I also have a Diana Palmer and a Laura Kinsale in the TBR so we'll see how I like them.

For me, in addition to Stephanie Laurens, Julia Quinn.  Someone on PBS summed my peeve up with her perfectly it went something like this "if you care about historical accuracy, be aware...she doesn't".  I expect better from an Ivy league grad.....

It's interesting seeing other people say they can barely finish a Laura Kinsale or Julie Garwood novel when they are two of my all time FAVORITES! I read Kinsale in absolute awe at how awesome she is.

*Edited to marvel at my unintentional alliteration in the second sentence.

I ditto Gena Showalter. Ihave never been able to finish one of her books.

Ditto on Laurens (although I did enjoy her at first), definitely Julia Quinn, and Mary Jo Putney, and Lisa Kleypas too, although she does occasionally get it really right.  I love Loretta Chase when she's good, but she can be mediocre on occasion, like with Miss Wonderful - blah.  I adore Sherry Thomas though & can't say that she's ever bored me.  About the only Kinsale books that I thought were not up to snuff were The Hidden Heart, The Dream Hunter (which wasn't awful), and Midsummer Moon.  That's probably a well loved Kinsale that I just don't get.  I totally detested the heroine, and had almost no interest at all in the HEA.  Julie Garwood doesn't do anything for me either.  She kinda makes my teeth hurt, in fact.  And I only tried her out because her books had so many rave reviews at Amazon, so she's one I can relate to as far as feeling like they were overrated.

I adore Lisa Kleypas, Sherry Thomas, SEP, Kristan Higgins, Amy Fetzer and most all of Kinsale. I still read Garwood and have all of her books, she is just not an autobuy for me, but neither is Linda Howard, Karen Robards or Judith McNaught.  I read one Laurens and was happy to let her go. Lately I have been on a Liz Carlyle glom, but she can be a hit or miss for me, but mostly hits. Patricia Briggs is a new author to me, thanks to Sherri and I can't get enough of her Mercy Thompson and Charles/Anna books.

OMG  Lisa Kleypas!!  And Laura Kinsale!!  Especially Kinsale!!  I almost feel like the Emporer's new clothes when I read her reviews.  I just stand there and go "huh"???????????  "wth"??????

I don't like  Meredith Duran or Sherry Thomas.  

I am currently on a Showalter kick--late to the party.  I have ALL of the Lords of the Underworld and Atlantis books, and up until last week, had not read a single one of them.  i figure if I read them all, at least I can clear a space on the shelf.  So far, I think they are good--but not great.

Viva la diference!

Shannon Mckenna, NORA ROBERTS, SEP ( she makes me want to go blind), Mary Janice Davidson and Lauren Dane. 

I keep starting Lora Leigh books, stopping and posting them.  Don't even make it to the sex.  Folks rave about her.  And I just keep thinking that I am really not interested in these follks doing anything.   Should probably try her shifter books rather than sailors.

But I know you all are really happy that I keep buying erotica at the library sale and posting it here. 

The one author I can think of where I don't understand the hype is Joanna Bourne. I've tried Spymaster's Lady and My Lord and Spymaster and I have been unable to get into either. I probably read about 30 pages at the beginning of each and posted them. I do understand the hype of Meredith Duran, Sherry Thomas, and Laura Kinsale, however. I haven't kept every book of theirs I've read, but I appreciate their writing styles.

SEP ( she makes me want to go blind),

Nearly flooded the keyboard with iced tea when I read this.

The only book I have like by Loretta Chase was Lord of Scoundrels.  I mean that book is just awesome. Okay, Last Hellion I really like it too. I just couldn't get into any of the other books. I think Lorraine Heath is overrated. The Texas Destiny trilogy was a yawn for me. I mean I read everything and anything I get my hands on so I still read stuff by these authors. Even if I know I am going to hate a book (Duke of Shadows) I still read it because I have to know what the hype is all about. I have a sickness y'all.  It's called Compulsive Reading. lol