The topic about Favorite Sandra Brown book got me thinking about Romantic Suspense genre.

I really HATE when one of my fave romance authors trys to write a romantic suspense. I find that it just doesn't work. Usually so much time is spent on the suspense part that the falling-in-love part (which I think is the best part!!) gets forgotten about.  Sometimes when the characters say "I love you" it just isn't believable!!  I mean, I LOVE Julie Garwood.  Her last few romantic suspenses: Shadow Dance, Mercy, Kill Joy haven't really been wonderful. They can not compare with her earlier books. 

Same thing with Sandra Brown, everyone in the post seemed to love her straight romances but every few liked her suspense books.

Perhaps the authors are trying to reach more readers but I want them to spend more time on the love part!! Am I the only one who thinks this???

ETA:  Elizabeth Lowell does romantic suspense too.

I don't know if authors get bored or not challenged creatively and want to try something new or if they want to take a step "up" to a genre that gets a little more r-e-s-p-e-c-t and, perhaps, $$$ (probably a mixture of all the aforementioned), but when they move to romantic suspense they lose me.  I'm a romance reader and I don't much care for suspense and only tolerate it when it's accompanied by a big juicy romance.  I quit reading Garwood and Brown and Lowell as soon as they left romance.  Iris Johansen as well.  Ugly Duckling was my last book by her.  I would have left Catherine Coulter if I had read her in the first place.  What really hurts are the signs that romance powerhouse (and author of my #1romance of all time) Linda Howard is headed that way never to return. 

I have no problem at all with historical writers switching to contemporary or vice versa as long as it is still a romance.  A good romance is a good romance. 

But the bright side is that as some big names leave romance there is a lot of new talent waiting to move in. 

I guess it is all on what you like.  I loved Julie Garwood's early romance.  The Lyons Lady and Saving Grace, BUT  I have read and posted them with no looking back. The Bucannan Series that ended with Shadow Dance is one of my favorite series and is a keeper.  I have read the whole series at least 3 times.  She has just enough romace to keep me happy and I love a good shoot um up and save the world story. 

Same goes fro Sandra Brown, I like her suspence better than her stright romance.  I guess that I like to have some mystery in my romance. 

Lori, I like the Bucannan series as well.... but I think it was becuase of the secondary character Noah Claybourne becuase of his tie to the Claybourne family. I happened to LOVE the For the Roses series. I'm not sure which branch he "descented" from but in my heart I know Cole Claybourne must be in his tree!!!  But I'm sorry to say that I think I was reading them for glimpses of Noah!! lol. 

thanks to Bronwyn for your thoughts too!!  I definately agree!!  The romance authors tend to lose me.  I haven't picked up a Sandra Brown or Elizabeth Lowell book in years!!

I know Noah was the best.  Did you read Ramsom?  Brodrick was a Bucannan and so I pictured they were his line.  In Noah's book they even talk about the fude with the McKenna's  That was all in Ramsom. 

I supose that if you do not really like R-Suspence than it would be a pain if one of your favorite writers started them.  I really enjoy them.  Take Suzanna Brockman. I love the TroubleShooters.  But there are many others who did not like them as much as her older more romance type.  That is was is so great about romance books to me.  You can get the best of all worlds if you want.  YOu can travel to any time or planet if you want.   You can save the day or just fall in love at sunset.  Face it!  If it has a happy ending than how can you go worong. :)

I'm pretty sure I've read all Julie Garwood's books.  I loved all her historicals.  you know, in her historicals she has a small amount of suspense buts its just enough for me. 

Usually, her characters meet... marry b/c of need... fall in love b/c they can't help it... and together face a bad guy.   Usually the bad guy is someone known throughout the book.  Its a evil brother (Gentle Warrior) another clan or even an uncle. Usually the hero has to save the heroine! And during the saving, its when the hero is literally hit on the head about his love for his wife!! I really love her hero's when their in their "I can't believe I love my wife" scenes..  so funny and touching sometimes!!

I think that with suspense romance, a lot of time goes into developing the bad guy. 

I will have to check out a romantic suspense author who've I haven't read as a straight romance author.  I'll check out Suzanna Brockman.

I never would have though I liked it, until I started reading Brockmann... I skipped over a lot of the action at first, but she's hooked me.  I'm still not especially inclined to try anybody else, but perhaps I will someday.

It is hard to try new ones.  I never liked the whole Chick Lit.  Than I had a friend that made me read Janet Evanovich and now I have all of the Plum series in hardback and have read every book that she has written.  I am still waiting for my happy ending though.  :)

Another author that I love is Joann Ross.  She can write a great suspence with just the right amount of Romance.

I agree!  I love my old Loveswepts by Kay Hooper and Iris Johansen but I'm just not interested in their mystery/suspense novels.  Same with Sandra Brown and Tami Hoag and Carla Neggers.

I find when one of my favorite category authors steps outside of that, I generally don't like their stuff as well anymore.  A couple of exceptions for me are Diana Palmer and Fiona Brand.  I do like just about everything they've written.

I haven't really given the sub-genre due consideration until more recently, but some of my favorite romantic films are actually written as romantic suspense, so it should stand to reason I'd like it.  I was thinking I'd start with some Brockmann, since so many people like her books.

I like romantic suspense but not all the time. So far the only authors that have disappointed me are the ones that started writing a lot of paranorman/witchcraft type stuff instead of their 'regular' romance though I've startd reading someof it now(referring mainly to nora roberts and jayne ann krentz whom I read all the time then both startd writing that other type stuff). IT also dependds on how much suspense there is..I like more of hte 'light' suspense than the heavy duty stalking stuff with lots of graphic stuff like some of catherine coulter's FBI books got..I lilked the 2 of those I read but 'the maze'still creeps me out(yes I have a low creep factor LOL!)

i LOVE romantic suspense! when i'm not reading my historicals then i'm reading them. i love reading tami hoag, dinah mccall, nora roberts, jayne ann krentz and love hearing about new authors. i read the garwood books but prefer her historicals. haven't tried lowell or coulter or a few others mentioned yet

Can't say I've ever read one, but I do hate that some of the good historical writers are doing contemporary now. 

Claudia, I'm bummed Merline Lovelace is doing historicals LOL! :-) I love her books but have never been much into historicals since my bodice ripper phase back in the late 80's / 90's...I wish they'd pick something and stick with it!

I did read 'Hot' by Julia Harper and enjoyed it thinking she was a brand new author then found out she writes historicals under another name..elizabeth  hoyt I think...

Amy J. Fetzer and Lucy Monroe have a few good ones.  So does Marliss Melton.

Sherri

I love romantic suspense (and the more suspense, the better. If it has cops/FBI/Scotland Yard, etc, chasing a serial killer in it, I'm reading it! Yeah, I know, I'm a bit weird but see my profile. LOL) It used to be the bulk of what I read but now I'm trying to mix it up so I don't get bored with a genre. Most of the authors you all have written about are ones that I've read but only in the RS category--like Linda Howard, Elizabeth Lowell, Kay Hooper, Carla Neggers and Merline Lovelace. I haven't read any of their other books yet. I do find that it is difficult to read a book written in one genre by an author I've already read in a different genre.

I'm a fan of  romantic suspense also.  I really the Silhouette Romantic Suspense line--not too long +/- 250 pages and the stories are great.  I also read some Harlequin Intrigue.  Someone on another board told me the difference between the 2 lines is this:  In the SRS line, the relationship between the H/H is the focus of the book with the suspense taking a back seat.  With the Harlequin Intrigue, it is the other way around--more suspense, less romance.

I forgot that I'm also enjoying Anne Stuart, much to my own surprise. :-)

thanks Kathy! I was wondering but I've noticed in the harlequinintrigues I've read lately that the romance was secondary.one book the couple had maybe 1 kiss! I read a romantic suspense the other day and noticed the suspense was secondary to the romance so that description makes sense.

If you'd asked me before I joined PBS if I was  a fan of romantic suspense, I'd have laughed at you--and then I came on here and discovered this particular forum and found Suzanne Brockmann and um, yeah, I'm totally hooked. Totally. Once I finish the books of hers I have so far, I'm going to branch out into some other authors.

I love romantic suspense.  I loved mysteries and thrillers before I got into romance. So I love when I can combine both into one book.  If I'm in the mood for striclty romance than I read an historical or a book I know is going to be pretty much just about the romance.

Ladies,  I have a great new romantic suspense author you all might not know about:  Shannon K. Butcher.  Her first book No Regrets   camd out last year and it was fantastic.  Her second one  has just come out No Control.  This one is next up in the pile.  Her husband is Jim Butcher that writes, I think, sci-fi which I don't read). 

I met Shannon at the Romantic Times Book Convention in Houston last year, and made an absolute fool of myself gushing over her book, and she was very gracious.  She is an autobuy for me.  Check her out if you want a great read.

NO..i don't like to dilute my ROMANCE with ANYTHING out of the norm..

With that said I've read 2 outstanding ones and they are on my KEEPER SHELF.

1--MISSING BY SHARON SALA

2- CONVICTIONS BY MAUREEN McKADE

I love romantic/suspence novels... however like the original poster has said, I can't say I actually I liked anything JG has written lately.  I truly ADORE her older books, I prbobably have read most of her books 5 times each, auto-buy (yup), well used to anyways....

There are some authors I believe did do the right thing by going romantic-susp, like Linda Howard and Sandra Brown to name a few... but sadly, not JG. 

Oh I'll have to check out Shannon Butcher!  I love her husband's stuff (I've read the first 3 of his Dresden Files books - Sci-Fi Mysteries).  I go back and forth on the romantic suspense - I enjoyed some of Catherine Coulter's FBI stuff early on as well as Kay Hooper's Psychic FBI stuff (I love it!).  I'm still open to it but I do need that romance element to make it perfect for me.