Mine is Lord of Danger by Anne Stuart.  I ADORE the main characters.  In typical Anne Stuart fashion, Simon is a tortured hero who is really a wonderful guy deep down.  The heroine isn't gorgeous and skinny with huge boobs and a bitchy attitude; she's actually plump and "plain" looking and totally selfless.  The hero falls in love with her as he gets to know her better and sees how truly sweet and intelligent she is.  I've read LoD like 8 times and it never ever fails to make me sigh.

Which book is your favorite?

Too many to name but I have to say "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie always gets me - great dialogue and I love how the characters take care of each other when dealing with their families.  And the heroine isn't gorgeous and skinny either.

Great question.  I can't wait to see what others pick.

Outlander! I love Jamie and Claire's romance. Although I'm not sure the book itself qualifies as strictly "romance". It's still my favorite of all time. Jamie is my kind of hero!

Pam

Hummingbird by LaVyrle Spencer -- It has every aspect that I want in a romance novel.

Years-LaVyrle Spencer. Just something about the way the hero/heroine slowly fall in love, despite the hero's best efforts to avoid doing so. I loved all the secondary characters in the book too. Morning Glory by the same author would be my 2nd choice.

I can't narrow it down but right now 'shelter mountain' by robyn carr sticks in my mind..I LOVE Preacher..sigh..it's the 2nd in a series but this is the big strong gentle giant kinda hero and I just love him!

ETA: Some of Linda Howard's Mackenzie series are close too...

Claudia, that's what I liked about Lord of Danger, actually, that there wasn't steamy sex every 4 or so pages.  I'm not a huge fan of sex in books; it's all the same to me (he starts with the "distended" nipples, then sticks his fingers in her vagina, then she comes, then he slips inside her and she's so tight and wet, then even though it's her first time, she manages to come AGAIN, etc).  So yeah, I'm picky about which books I read.

I can't wait to check out some of the ones you guys have mentioned though!

I recently put down Lord of Danger myself, but I was going to try to go back to it eventually.  I got a third of the way in, and it wasn't bad, it just wasn't grabbing me, so I thought I'd pick it back up later.  My all time favorite romance ever is so hard to pick.  To be really honest about it, I have more than one, and it's usually a matter of what's my favorite book by which favorite author.  Probably The Last Arrow by Marsha Canham, who I usually list as my favorite author.  But I equally love Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale, Untie My Heart by Judith Ivory, The Bridal Season by Connie Brockway, And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke, Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran, Delicious by Sherry Thomas, My Beloved by Karen Ranney, Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne, A Night in Eden by Candice Proctor, Bewitching by Jill Barnett, and some others I just can't think of right at the moment.  I just can't be pinned down to one, this is it <cue angels singing>, the end-all, be-all of romance:P

Pride & Prejudice, hands down - I love it, love it, love it.

Why? I'm in love with Mr. Darcy, of course. I dig the resposible, quietly passionate, dutiful type (we first born take our duty seriously!) And then there's everything to love about the novel - great language, amazing characters and a smart heroine (although I hated her guts when she rejected him - she was so mean!!)

At the moment, I'm getting a fix of Mr. Darcy reading the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy (this is P&P told from Darcy's perspective.) Now I'm reading the third book and I'm at the point where he's going to propose - I think I'll cry when she turns him down. He's even making plans for their marriage life, poor thing!

When I'm done with the book, I'll rewatch the BBC miniseries with Colin Firth.

Another Outlander fan here.  Loved.that.book!  I have yet to read Fiery Cross and Breath of Snow and Ashes.  I wanted to re-read books 1-4 first.

My top favorite #1 romance is now To Die For by Linda Howard - I laughed and giggled my way through it, and loved every minute of reading it, and was thoroughly satisfied when it was over. I am nothing like Blair, but I totally "got" her voice, and I just love LH's writing.

Before I read it, my favorite was A Season To Be Sinful by Jo Goodman - love her writing, her layered, complex characters, and really loved the Scoundrels - especially their choices for new names in the epilogue! The hero's marriage proposal was sooo romantic, very sigh-worthy.

Another Top Top Fave of mine now is A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught - it's such a wonderful fairytale-like romance, sigh!

Ok, I'm an Outlander addict but it isn't a romance, although it's very romantic in many many places, so I don't consider it my favorite romance. Maybe my favorite... historical/time-travel/fiction - well, it's practically unclassifiable!!

pride and prejudice doesn't have a HEA?? not sure I wanna read it now..though I do plan on reading gone with the wind eventually and I know how that one ends...

Pride & Prejudice does have a HEA.

My all time favourite romance is Book 2, Rising Tides, in Nora Roberts' Chesapeake Series.  I can't really tell you why.  The hero would bore/bother me in real life. 

He's a crab fisherman and I'm Jewish and don't eat shellfish. 

He smokes cigars--I hate all forms of smoking. 

He's very quiet and non demonstrative.  I want someone to SHOW me that he loves me.

And yet...there is something about Ethan Quinn's character that has touched my heart and won't let it go. I compare all other heroes with him.  Even if another hero, is more my "type", he never quite measures up to Ethan for me.

whew good 'cause I was planning on reading P&P one of these days!

you know I kinda took a fancy to Ethan too in that series..need to re-read it since it wasn't my favorite at the time and I ended up skimming to figure out the big mystery!

well I thought I had lord of danger but I have 3 other 'older' titles of hers - looking for trouble, shadow dance, rose at midnight..any idea how these are?? maybe lord of danger's somewhre else..entirely possible with m y  unorganized mess...

ETA: I'm surprised my tastes in romance books varies..I used to go straight for sex sex and more sex if there's no sex not worth reading but I've found several that aren't heavy in the sex; at least not in the description, that I rank right up there with some of my favorites - curtiss ann matlock and debbie macomber are 2 authors I enjoy and I dont' recall any sex in theirs; at least  not descriptive. I've also enjoyed a few love inspired and love inspired suspense that have had decent stories. robyn carr's grace valley series wasn't heavy on sex though the virgin river ones do have some but not filled to the brim as some are. they have a good love story/romancealong with the sex...

I have 3: 

Outlaw's Embrace by Francine Rivers.  This is just a beautiful love story.  Hero tormented about his past and the man he has become-trying not to love the heroine because he's really not a good man.  Heroine torn between pleasing her father and pleasing herself-not understanding how she can love the "bad guy" and not the good guy town Dr who loves her. 

The Damsel in This Dress by Marianne Stillings-witty dialogue, great plot.  She's just a great writer. I wish she wrote faster.

The Maide of Lorne by Terri Brisbin-no reason other than this is the first romance book I ever read and the book that started my addiction.

It's hard to pin it down to one favorite.  I know I keep going back to Linda Howard's McKenzies series.  McKenzie's Mountain, McKenzie's Mission, and McKenzie's Pleasure most of all.  I can't count how many times I've read them.

I liked all the Mackenzie books...sigh...but Zane's my fave in Mackenzie's Pleasure..I also liked Maris' guy in Mackenzie's Magic.

For contemporary Glenna McReynolds has a book set in the amazon called River of Eden that I thought was really good. Of course, I read this book a while ago and haven't re-read it so it may not be as good as I remember. It is on my keeper shelf though. Theresa Weir also has a book called Amazon Lily that is really good as well, also a keeper. If a romance books takes me to the jungle (or any other wilderness) then I'll probably like it.

For historical I like Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath. It had all the elements I love in a romance, less than perfect hero, smart an likeable heroine, adventure (road romances are my fav), great secondary characters, and it's just a touching love story. I'd pick Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase if I had to pick a european historical. Good romance, witty dialgue, smart heroine, and love the hero, Dain! It was a fun book to read.

As for paranormal romance I really liked A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. I think my eyes were bugging out of my head at the first chapter and I was fanning myself by the third chapter or so - that book is steamy and the hero is so yummy. Bewitching by Jill Barnett was really cute too. I thought the end of the story was kinda cheesy, but the rest was really, really good.

For time travel I have to say Outlander (suprised?). Of course, we cannot forget about Karen Marie Moning's Highlander books! The Dark Highlander is probably my favorite of the time-travel ones, but they are all good and I'd suggest reading them all (and in order). You will not regret it and your dreams will be filled with dark, tall, muscley men with sexy accents. You'll wake up with a smile!  :)

You have to go back to the early 90's for these..but I LOVED Iris Johansen's Wind Dancer Triology, on my keeper shelf always. I also loved her Midnight Warrior,  The Magnificent Rogue,  and Lion's Bride.   

More contemporary I really enjoyed Lori Foster's Buckhorn brothers series. (Sawyer, Gabe, and Jordan).

Yet ANOTHER Outlander fan here!  But I also have to throw in Virgin River by Robyn Carr as my fave contemporary and darn it = its a tie for historical...either Ransom by Julie Garwood or Maiden of Inverness by Arnette Lamb.

Sherri

Pride and Prejudice doesn't have a HEA?? not sure I wanna read it now..

OMG! Didn't mean to give spoilers!!! (for some reason, I assumed that everybody was familiar with the plot.) Sorry about that! P&P has a HEA - there are just some bumps in the road as with any romance. :)

Hard to pick just one for me, too:  some off the top of my head:

Loretta Chase - Lord of Scoundrels, Mr. Impossible

Connie Brockway - All Through the Night, As You Desire, Bridal Favors (haven't found Bridal season in my boxes, need to read that asap)

Lisa Kleypas  - Dreaming of You, Worth Any Price

Jo Goodman - The Price of Desire, If His Kiss is Wicked

Judith Ivory - Untie My Heart

Adele Ashworth - Winter Garden

Nalini Singh - Psy series, all of them are great, my two favorites of those, Caressed by Ice and Slave to Sensation

Dawn - I adore that Wind Dancer Trilogy!  Good choice.

Guardian Angel and Lyon's Lady by Julie Garwood.  I just love the heroines in those 2 and can read them over and over again.

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned my favorite FLOWERS FROM THE STORM by Laura Kinsale.