I just finished reading Man with a Past by Kay Stockham today--and spent a lot of that time teary-eyed with the story line.

Obviously I want happy endings--sad endings are just so not my thing. But, I'd love to hear some recommendations for tear-jerker stories. Those books with angst for the hero especially and then finally everything working out--even though it's been hard to get there. I love a hero with lots of obstacles to overcome.

I read a lot of historical romance but I'm willing to give good contemporary stuff a whirl too.

I'm not much of an authority on contemporaries, so this might be right up my alley..:P

Night in Eden by Candice Proctor.  Big tearjerker.  Get Kleenex in bulk from Costco prior to opening this one.

Whispers of Heaven by Candice Proctor again.  Not as teary as Night in Eden, but very emotional.

I loaned this one to Sherron & we were just talking about it in inboxes earlier today: Tapestry by Karen Ranney.  It's a 3 hanky read.  My attention wandered a little in the second half due to this silly little hero-heroine separation thingy I won't spoil the book by going into, but overall it's a very well written, emotional book.

Babs, does Man with a Past have a happy ending?  I won't even try it if not.

Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale is a angsty one. The hero has LOTS to overcome.

I haven't read all that many historicals, but I like books where the guy just got out of prison and has all the usual stuff to overcome.  Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer and Rainbow Season by Lisa Gregory (aka Candace Camp, Kristin James)  come to mind.  So does One Summer by Karen Robards and Home For Christmas by Patricia Potter but they are contemporary.  And then there's To Have And To Hold by Patricia Gaffney where it's the heroine (sp?) who just got out of prison and couldn't possibly have had a more miserable life even in the days when women had pretty  miserable lives anyway (that's why I'm not more into historicals, I hate the whole women as property thing) and then ends up in the hands of one of the biggest jerks ever born and yet. . . the author achieves a completely believable HEA.  Another wonderful historical (though I think it is very hard to find) is Lady Jane by Norma Lee Clark.  I get emotional every time I reread it.  It does have an HEA though.

In contemporaries my books that require a box of tissue are Cry No More by Linda Howard (my #1 tearjerker)and Striking Distance by Debra Webb.  (oddly enough, both heroes are assassins)  But the #2 tearjerker in my collection is Night Magic by Charlotte Vale Allen.  It's about a man in his 30's who was so mutilated in an accident when he was seven, that the cruelty and stupidity of people had driven him into a life of seclusion.  He meets a 16 year old girl, which sounds really dirty, but she is not a typical teenager, and though he's older he's never even touched a woman, or really even talked to one.  They are married on her 18th birthday and the book covers about 20 years of their marriage.  Love, love, love that book.    I think it is loosely based on the Phantom of the Opera story only it's contemporary and has an HEA so it's very loose.

I also love a book called Heartwood by Kristin James (again, aka Candace Camp, Lisa Gregory).  It is about a Viet Nam Vet who was badly wounded and still suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  The heroine has just been divorced from her surgeon husband who dumped her for a newer model of wife.  She takes her children to meet her grandmother whom she has never met herself.  The hero is an artist and a handyman for the grandmother. I reread this one pretty regularly. 

Outlaw's Embrace by Francine Rivers if you can find it since it's OOP. I happened to get it in an ebay bundle.  This is one of the best books I've ever read.  I almost kept it but decided to share it with someone who had it on WL.  I'm almost tempted to add it back to my WL and see if it makes it's way to me again. 

Karen: Yes Man with a past does have a happy ending. I of course blubbered through it like a baby---I cry when I'm sad and when I'm happy. It was a great book in my opinion. One that really hit my heartstrings.

Oh I am so going to have a lot of books to read. I've taken to keeping a notebook here at my computer to write down recommendations!

I just finished The Defiant Hero by Suzanne Brockmann today and that had me crying too. I guess I was in a crying mood today. It wasn't the contemporary part that made me cry though it was the secondary story about Eve and Ralph during WW II that had me in tears.

Patricia, thanks for the suggestion. It does sound good.  There was one copy in the system so I ordered it.  Hopefully it will be accepted.

And here I was talking about Karen Ranney, and I totally forgot My Beloved.  A historical - well, a medieval actually, and really, one of those examples of something that seems really tragic & hopeless and gets turned around, yet (I thought anyway) in a very believable way.  I'd elaborate more than to say the big obstacle is the hero's dark secret, but she doesn't give it away immediately in the book, so I consider that a spoiler.  I've seen it given away in reviews, but I'll keep mum.  It doesn't happen often, but I did do some boo-hooing when I read this book.  It really is very good.

Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm is a big tearjerker and Karen Ranney's Tapestry is a Three Hanky read, IMHO and excellent BTW (one of the biggest tearjerkers I ever read). 

I don't know about you but most Judith McNaught books always bring a tear or two!!!   Paradise or Whitney, My Love.  Those are on my keeper shelf.  I love her and hate her common themes in the books.  Two people find love, have serious misunderstandings... but reconcil... thats the teary part!!

Barbara - I read Man with a past too - sad but good ending.

As far as tearjerkers go - definitely Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (its book 2 in her series) - its a historical and a 3 hanky ending.  Lynn Kurland has one, darn I can't remember the name, but the hero is blind - GREAT book.

I can't think of any contemporaries right off hand that I've read.

Sherri

Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah is a definite tear jerker, with a great ending. My heart broke whe whole way through, but it has a very happy ending, I cried over that, too!

Sherri - I think the Lynn Kurland is This is all I ask.

I have this one but it's TBR - like most everything else...  I read some really good reviews on it, and I think I had it wishlisted when I got it here.  I obviously need to read it!

Kim - that's it!  Oh man that's a good book.  I won't give it away but there's one scene where the hero does something to be with the heroine and when you think about what he does - well, wow!  He's a great hero Kim, you have to read that one soon!

Eileen, I looked at Angel Falls - that does sound good!

Sherri

If you want to cry -- read The Passions of Emma by Penelope Williamson.  Heartbreaking but satisfyingly happy ending.

Others are, The Bride of Willow Creek by Maggie Osborne, Twice Loved by LaVyrle Spencer, Parting Gifts by Lorraine Heath and Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath.

I have a whole set of Maggie Osborne books that I haven't started on yet.   Been collecting her here & there for a couple of years based on some good reviews, but still haven't read them yet.  This was my initial method for collecting used books, btw.  Until I discovered the joy of collectibles - ugh...

Sherri - I have three books from Sherron that I need to read and get back to her, but I think I'm gonna squeeze the Lynn Kurland in there 1st.  I could use some angst...  And it'd be nice to actually read something I got from a WL offer for a change:P

Maggie Osborne is incredible.  If you're holding on to her stuff, Kim, break it out and enjoy.  Her best books, imo, are Bride of Willow Creek, The Best Man, Brides of Prairie Gold, and A stranger's Wife.

Bronwyn, I LOVED Night Magic.  And Outlaw's Embrace was WOW!  ohhhhh -- such good books!

Mary, I wonder if you sent Outlaw's Embrace to me?!  I loved it!

I have to correct myself, I've had the Maggie Osborne books for almost a year.  I went through this period before I joined here where I had her on my list when I went book hunting - I always took lists with me that I pulled from online book reviews.  Anyway, I didn't find anything for the longest time, then I got Silver Lining, and then I Do, I Do, I Do, and Prairie Moon, and something else of hers (I forget what) at my last library sale.  I just picked up A Stranger's Wife a couple of months ago from here & I'm going to get Bowie Stone and Brides of Prairie Gold soon - they're next up on my reminder list. 

Oh, and completely unrelated, I just got The Secret to Seduction by Julie Anne Long today from half.com, so I have all of that series to read now too.