... that the people whose opinions you respect think are terrible?  This is a corrolary thread to the "hated authors allstars," since every author in that list has a huge fan base.

I've really liked several books by Julianne Maclean, whom others here think pretty mediocre.  The Smart Bitches are always sneering at Lisa Kleypas - I love lots of her older books.  There's some Catherine Coulter on my keeper shelf.

You know, Willa, I really don't know! I rarely go to websites unless it's to check out an author's backlist (mainly to see which books are tie-ins) so I don't know who's dissing who - for me it's mainly authors everyone raves about that I can't figure out what the draw is.

I hope there are some replies on this thread - they might trigger something in my head.

I do know that Diana Palmer is a major gujilty pleasure for me - and I must be one of the few people on the planet who really, really like Linda Howard's first (category) romances but some online peers think they are dreadful. Let me think on this a bit, maybe I'll come up with something.

Gail (not much help)

The one book that springs to mind is The SHerbrook Bride by Cathrine Coulter.  It gets bashed a lot, but it kind of reminds me of The Quite Man type of relationship.  I like it. 

Now everyone can tell me what terrible taste I have.

I'm still a big fan of Nora Roberts (not her J.D. Robb series though).  I keep telling myself I'm over her but then I read something and fall for her characters all over again. 

I absolutley love everything Diana Palmer writes.  I adore Linda Howard's early category romances.  Nora Roberts' too.  In fact, I don't really read an author much when they go from categories to mainstream.  Kay Hooper, Iris Johansen.  LOVE their Loveswepts, not the stuff they do now.

I've read a few Catherine Coulters.  Again, pretty old stuff.  I didn't find them bad at all.

Hmm, it's usually just specific books, not authors in general.

I've already been on record that I think Bertrice Small is okay in all her purple manroot-loving glory but only SKYE OMALLEY is on my keeper shelf and I usually dont care about the rest of her bks one way or the other.

MJP's UNCOMMON VOWS is in my Top 10 all-time romances and Kim really disliked it but I already knew that that one was a loveit ot hateit novel. In fact, for the longest time, the only review I ever bothered to write on Amazon was for this book because I felt that it had way too many negative reviews at the time. (this was about 10 yrs ago). Since then, I think the tide has turned.

Another of my long time favorites to this day is Lucia Grahame's THE PAINTED LADY. Mrs Giggles and AAR Rachel (by far, my favorite reviewer on that site) wrote irritated reviews of it but I'm fine with it because I know it's a very hard book to love (but I lurve it anyway).

The SBs dont like Kleypas? I gotta check it out. If true, I think I lurve them even more than I do now.

eta: I just checked the SB's "sneering" at Kleypas and I'm a bit disappointed. Candy calls herself a Kleypas "groupie" and that her books are "crack". I've seen a lot worse on that site.

I think I am still alone on the internet in my utter indifference to Kleypas.

OK - this may not be the thread - but it has been burning me since it happened.   I emailed Lori Foster -which I never email any authors I just go on to another, but I liked her books.  Anyway I was upset that My Man Michael is a time travel book.  I don't like time travel, fantasy, scifi or paranormal.  So I emailed her and explained that I normally don't take the time to let an author know how I felt about the book....I just walk away but I really like her books.  I explained I loved Simon and Havoc stories and was so upset about My Man Michael because nowhere on the book does it reference time travel.   That I felt sort of ripped off. She emailed back - sorry you felt ripped off -not my intention to any of my readers - you can return the book if you don't like it and I hope you enjoy your next author.  I have to follow my muse.  I responded -the point is that the book was such a switch from the other books in the series (time travel came from the sky) that some reference that it was  at time travel book would have been appreciated.  Her response was I never really thought about it as a problem...I was following my muse.  Maybe if I had known or thought about it I could speak with the publisher to add it to the description.  Even though reviews weren't great I had a lot of positive feed back and support for the book.  I hope you enjoy your next author.  My muse said take her books off your WL and move on.

I love some of the lesser known old Signet Regency authors- Joan Wolf (love her stuff!), Patricia Oliver( she has a great Seven Corinthians series), Andrea Pickens, Laura Matthews, Emma Lange, Emma Jensen, and Diane Brown.

I am a fan of Bertrice Small. She's the first author I read when I was 15 and am still loyal to her.

Rose ~ I find Diana Brown very interesting. If u have a bunch of her books on ur bookshelf, LMK. I think Laura Matthew is okay. Wolf is a good writer but I dont like the stories she tells.

jubead ~ yours wasnt the only reaction like that to MAN MICHAEL. While I think she finally got a cloo from all the negative reviews on amazon and very blogs written about it, she also opened up a long thread on the Romantic Times Forum (where she usually hangs out) to whine about it as well as visited the Goddess Blog to get more commiseration over it. She doesnt not take criticism well; that's just how she is.

Johanna Lindsey, Julie Garwood, Jude Deveraux... a lot of people don't like them, I do!  Well, I did......but I wont read their more recent efforts.  Lisa Klepyas is starting to go that way as well..... I can't really say I "liked" anything from her in years.  Oh and I hated Sugar Daddy.

Uncommon Vows is  on my keeper shelf, and  I liked Skye O'Malley but didn't make my keeper.  This is the only book by BS that I liked. 

I have some books from Catherine Coulter on my keeper, most notablely, Devil's Embrace and The Rebel Bride, which are both bodice rippers/ not PC romance books.  

I LOVED The Conquer by Brenda Joyce...another not PC romance book that most hated. 

Other not so popular authors I like:

Jane Feather

Mary Lynn Baxter

...and..... I must think about this some more, I am sure there are lots.

seton- thanks for the info - yeah I figured out she doesn't take criticism very well - but she also lost a reader.  Her attitude has ruined it for me.  I have to decide if I want to unload all her books that I was keeping.  I will just think of her response every time I pick up her book and won't be able to escape into the book.  It is shame.   I don't dispute her right to write the story but at least clue your fans and supporters that you are straying from the other books in the series.  I could understand if it was a new series or story.  She wasn't even interested that fans didn't like her book....because she has to follow her muse!  Ok I vented -thanks need to find a replacement author...any suggestions?

jubead - I'm sorry that Foster's attitude has ruined her books for you. Have you tried Erin McCarthy, specifically her racecar series? She is my favorite contemp author right now and just as hot as Foster. I'm sure you have tried Shannon McKenna's bks since she was in a few anthologies with Foster.

Authors who get my thumbs up /\

Contemporary category titles:

/\ Diana Palmer
/\ Jennifer LaBrecque

Romantic suspense titles

/\ Cherry Adair
/\ Cindy Gerard
/\ Suzanne Brockmann (exception: the m/m stories don't work for me)
/\ Lora Leigh (erotic romantic suspense)

Contemporary erotic romance titles:

/\ Shayla Black (aka Shelley Bradley, but completely different style writing as Shayla)
/\ Lora Leigh
/\ Megan Hart
/\ Maya Banks (plot lite, but mostly fun romps)
/\ Sasha White (plot lite, but mostly fun romps)

Historical titles:

/\ Lisa Kleypas
/\ Cheryl Holt (yeah, her stuff is formula, but I like it anyway)
/\ Mary Balogh
/\ Stephanie Laurens
/\ Julia Quinn
/\ Linda Lael Miller
/\ Sophie Jordan

Historical erotic romance titles:

/\ Sarah McCarty
/\ Diane Whiteside
/\ Robin Schone

Paranormal titles:

/\ Lora Leigh
/\ Diane Whiteside
/\ Shiloh Walker

The SBs may have come around to Kleypas more recently, but when I first started reading them, they put her down a fair bit. Or maybe just one of them did.  I think the crack reference may be praising with faint damn.

Gail, I really enjoy the old Linda Howards too. They're quite different from her more recent stuff, but I like those kind of sentimental, over-the-top stories anyway and she wrote them better than many did. I'm always rereading the heartbreak section of The Cutting Edge. 

Nora Roberts... I didn't include her in my list, because I've never come across one of her books (other than the "In Deaths") that I wanted as a keeper.  I'm kind of ambivalent about her... often enjoy the stories, but they rarely have the big emotional ooomph that I most want from romance. 

not really a romance author, but for me it's Laurell K. Hamilton.  i know perfectly well everything after book 9 in the Anita Blake series is totally different than the first 9, and it's not like i was thrilled about that either, but i still love them.  (and Richard.)  i still re-read (at least) the last book just before the new one is due, and make sure i have the rest of the day free when i sit down with the new one so i can read it straight through.

and sorry, but i like Kinley MacGregor.  (well, at least most of the time, though i still have a chunk of her backlist in TBR i'll get to at some point.)  she and Lynsay Sands do the kind of lightweight historical romance that i'm more likely to read if i'm going to read it at all.

Nora Roberts isn't liked by a lot but I do like her. Not everything of course and I sorta quit reading her stuff when it all seemed ot go to witches and magic and stuff but her Born in trilogy and Montana Sky and several of the shorter ones I really like. (and at least 2 people on here whose opinions I respect since we often overlap on faves don't like her LOL!)

Linda Howard's Mackenzie series has gotten both positve and negative reviews and a negative by someone who's opinion I respect and I love the series. I know the men are alpha and even an arrogant macho jerk in one(Joe's story) but I love Zane and even Chance and the daughter's story..I can read them over and over and over, esp Zane and Mara.I skim through Chance's because I like the end best and not the part where he was tricking her.

I noticed in that other thread that some I like were mentioned LOL! all have different tastes!

eta " just remembered - lora  leigh's been reviewed negatively a few times for being 'repetitive' but that's one of the  main reasons Ilike her - I know pretty much what to expect!

Love Patricia Oliver and she took the time years ago to email back and forth several times when I contacted her.  Very nice.  Have already admitted my membership in the DPGPC (Diana Palmer Guilty Pleasures Club).

Some of my faves/auto buys (though I don't always love everything they've done) include:  Erin McCarthy, Cherry Adair, Cindy Holbrook, Carla Kelly, Cindy Gerard, Alyssa Day, Linda Lael Miller, Carol Finch, Lara Adrian, Sandra Hill and Katie MacAlister.

The newest "discovered" author that I really love is Toni McGee Causey.  Her Bobbie Faye series is a hoot. 

For me it's Stephanie Laurens.  I really enjoy her.  I have all the Cynster and Bastion Club books.  Some people get tired of her series because they see stories repeating - but for me, she's a comfort read.  I know what to expect and it will make me happy. :)

LaVyrle Spencer

Carolyn Davidson

Dorothy Garlock

Linda Lael Miller

Jodi Thomas

Cheryl St. John

Curtiss Ann Matlock

Jill Marie Landis

Jillian Hart

Pamela Morsi

Steph Ann Holm

Maggie Osborne

Jill Gregory

Count me in as another fan of the earlier Linda Howard books, for example An Independent Wife, Sarah's Child, Almost Forever, and Loving Evangeline are among my favorites and are all on my keeper shelf (along with most of her other books). I also love her Blair books and Cover of Night. I understand why so many people hated Cover of Night but I found the plot so ridiculoulsly improbable it was funny, one of those so bad it's good type things.

For me its Julie Garwood - although I am not a huge fan of the contemporary stuff she is writing now - Jude Deveraux and Nora Roberts.  I love all three of them even though they don't seem so loved.  They are all must reads for me.  I own everyone one of Ms. Garwood's books and buy them the day the newest one comes out.

I have always liked Julie Garwood.  Some of Diana Palmer's. Cherry Adair, Carla Kelly, Cindy Gerard, Alyssa Day, Lara Adrian, Lucy Monroe, Gena Showalter, Maggie Osborne, Diana Gabaldon - I like most but  not all of their stuff. 

Lets see, Linda Howards earlier stuff.  (love Zane)  I also loved Duncan's Bride.  My first historical romance book ever was Ransom by Julie Garwood.  So, I went out and got everyone and read them right after another.  Ransom is the only one on my keeper shelf.  It's been awhile since I read her so I don't know if I would still like them.  Kinley MacGregor and Lynsay Sands were the next things I read and I remember really liking them.  Don't know if I still would.  A lot of people hated Outlander by Gabaldon and she is definitely a keeper for me.  Windflower by Laura London is on my keeper shelf.