These are the best Romance books for 2011 according to Publishers Weekly.  I have read none although I am waiting anxiously for Scandalous Desires!

ROMANCE

The Secret Mistress

Mary Balogh (Delacorte)

This delectable Regency reminds readers why Balogh is one of the foremost romance novelists of our time. An adorable pairing of a breathless, insecure debutante and a noble but nerdy earl is elevated by well-drawn secondary characters and abundant, colorful period details.

No Proper Lady

Isabel Cooper (Sourcebooks Casablanca)

A warrior from the future travels to Victorian England, where she falls in love with a magician who can help her destroy the demons that plague her dystopian time. Cooper’s synergy of science fiction and historical romance could—and, we hope, will—spawn an entire new subgenre.

Scandalous Desires:

A Maiden Lane Novel

Elizabeth Hoyt (Grand Central)

In Hoyt’s third novel of passion and drama in the 18th-century London slums, a widow who runs a foundling home helps a notorious pirate rediscover his ability to love. Historical accuracy, including an unflinching look at poverty and politics, sets this series well above its fellows.

Angel’s Rest:

An Eternity Springs Novel

Emily March (Ballantine)

March (a pseudonym for Geralyn Dawson) breathes new life into the contemporary cozy romance with this sweet but never cloying tale, set in a small town where romance is bolstered by true friendship and community.

Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star

Heather Lynn Rigaud (Sourcebooks Landmark)

Rigaud’s entertaining fan fiction for Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice deserves its promotion to paperback. Austen fans looking for something new will thrill to see familiar characters in a modern setting with a pounding backbeat and electrified vibe.

Yep, I have read the Hoyt only.

Thanks for posting this!  I've read one - Secret Mistress.  I've put some on hold at the library and some on my wish list.

Hmmm...ive not read any of those.

Seems very odd, with all the time I spend reading romance blogs and such, that I haven't even *heard* of some of those.

The Secret Mistress was Balogh's best book in awhile, but hardly one of the best of the year. I wonder what their criteria is.

Haven't read any either.

Read both the Balogh and the Hoyt.  Gotta admit it was my favorite Balogh in a while.  But, no, would I put it in my personal top 5?  Nope.  But then not alot of authors these days are "hittin' outta the park" for me. 

Read the 1st three Emily March books...not anything I would keep...but good when you just want to relax and read a "happy ending" sort of book. 

Haven't read or even heard of any of the books.

I read the Balogh book and the Emily March book. Neither books I would consider the best romance novel of the year - not even close. I'd love to know how they chose these books.

These were the books they chose in 2010 (at least these were some books I have actually heard of):

Romance

The Forbidden Rose
Joanna Bourne (Berkley Sensation)
In mid-revolution France, a noblewoman and a spy are torn between wartime practicality and headstrong passion. The gripping espionage story and wry voiceovers from the heroine will win hearts.

The Iron Duke
Meljean Brook (Berkley)
Brook's fabulous steampunk tale has an iron-boned war hero and a half-Asian detective inspector matching wits and wills on airships and battleships and in smoke-choked London as England recovers from 200 years of Mongol rule.

The Heir
Grace Burrowes (Sourcebooks Casablanca)
Burrowes pulls off an improbable Regency affair between a spoiled ducal heir and a housekeeper with a secret.

Barely a Lady
Eileen Dreyer (Grand Central/Forever)
The wartime amnesia romance is as old as the hills, but RWA Hall of Famer Dreyer (aka Kathleen Korbel) makes this one work.

Trial by Desire
Courtney Milan (HQN)
Modern readers will be as intrigued by the Victorian-era political issues as they are by the central story of a man trying to reconnect with the wife he abandoned.

I plan on reading the March books someday - checked them out of the library but had other stuff I read instead. I plan on reading them later on.

I just finished Angel's Rest and really liked it.  There a 3 books in the series and I am starting on the second so I hope it is a good as the first.  I also have the third.  So little time so many great books

i thought i was a huge romance reader but I haven't read any of these! One is on the way so let's see if the critics are right.

Ok, I've read four out of the 5 from 2010-and those I agree with. 

My library certain reads that list.  All the books from the 2010 list were available.  Nice to be able to put them on reserve.