Okay, so I want to read some books from the library (If I like then I request on paperback swap).  I'm looking for contemporary and historical, even time travel romances.

So What authors and books can you recommend similar to these authors:

1. Linda Howard
2. Judith McNaught
3. Lisa Kleypas
4. Lori Foster
5. Diana Palmer
6. Catherine Coulter
7. Suzanne Brockmann
8. Johanna Lindsey

A few off the top of my head:

Elizabeth Lowell

Sandra Brown

Catherine Anderson

Karen Robards

Julie Garwood

Laura Kinsale

Try Dick Francis - like Suzanne Brockmann, his heroes are larger than life and he also includes romance.  Unlike Brockmann, the Francis books usually stand along and can be read in any order.

Julie Garwood and Jude Deveraux are similar to Johanna Lindsey.

One of my favorite series is by Diana Gabaldon...the first book is titled Outlander,....it has time travel, romance and historical information.  I have all of these books on my permanent bookshelf and have read them several times!!  Highly recommend!!

Good Luck!

Howard, Kleypas, Foster, Palmer, and Brockmann are some of my favorites!  Here are some others... (FYI  - I don't like time travel, historical, or very much paranormal.)

• Susan Elizabeth Phillips
• Katie McAlister - she has some that aren't vampires, she has started a new series set in NASCAR that I am digging
• make sure you have read all of the old Suzanne Brockmann - I like the old Navy SEAL books even more than the Troubleshooters
• Christina Dodd - she had two "series" that aren't historical that I loved
• Jill Gregory - western themed like Palmer but more contemporary
• Luann McLane - I'm a Southern girl - that might be why I love her, funny romance
• Susan Mallery - two new series out that are pretty good, she has millions of smaller Harlequins but I haven't read many of them
• Vicki Lewis Thompson - funny and steamy
• Susan Anderson
• Deirdre Martin - hockey themed, but REALLY good romance
• Rachel Gibson

I totally second all of the above - especially Katie McAlister (I love Blow Me Down ) and Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Iris Johansen has some great historicals, as well as contemporary romantic suspense/mystery - same with Catherine Coulter

Jayne Ann Krentz

Christina Dodd ( I think its hit or miss with some of hers)

Jo Beverley

Thank you.  I will start looking listing them as holds at the library.

I just re-read the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel.  I had read it when it first came out and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I never read the last book in the series because it came out 11 years after the others ... but I picked up the first one and had to read the rest.  It's definitely historical romance - based on the theory Neandrathals lived at the same time as man.  the research she did is phenomenal.  

I second the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  Those books are highly addictive.  In order, they are Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Drums of Autumn, Voyager, The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

I like most of those authors! There is one name missing from that list...Julie Garwood. The first book of hers that I read was The Bride and I was hooked. I have all her books right now. I prefer her historicals to her contemporary.