There is a small, but dedicated group of Harlequin/Silhouette category romance readers here on PBS.  I thought it would be nice if we had our own "what-are-you-reading-now"  thread, so here it is.    Let us in on what you are reading--likes as well as dislikes.  

I'll get us started:  I just finished the second installment in the Jennifer LaBrecque miniseries set in Good Riddance Alaska, Northern Encounter .  This one was just as good as the first one.  I had tears in my eyes at the end of the book.  I'll be starting the last book in the trilogy today:  Northern Escape.

Great idea, Kathy. I've been a category romance reader since my very first Harlequin Romance 40+ years ago. I try to read a cross section of genres but those little series books have been a top favorite.

Recently I've been reading non-romance books so I can pass them along to a temporary co-worker who loves to read - a TBR reduction project. Come 2011 I'll be participating in the Harlequin-Silhouette challenge sponsored on a Yahoo romance list I'm on; she just started a cozy mystery challenge which I'm signing up for.

The most recent romances I've read were some November Blazes. I love books set in Alaska so I know I'd love the LaBrecque series, been waiting for all the books to be out so I can start on them.

Thanks again for this group.

Gail

What a great idea!  The Harlequins were my first romances 40 years ago also and a large percentage of my  reading for a lot of years.  I've expanded into a lot of other genres especially since joining PBS a few years ago but I still order a few from Harlequin just about every month. They are all I've been able to read the last couple of months due to holidays and assorted health crises among the extended family. 

I've recently discovered Sarah Mayberry and have been catching up on her backlist.  I just finished The Best Laid Plans, a superromance by her.  It was one of the best books I've read in a while.  Really enjoyed it.  Also read The Shy bride by Lucy Monroe (Presents) and it was an extra good one.  I plan to read the sequel as soon as it gets here.  Also have been reading some of the vintage Harlequin Romances (oh, okay, the old, really old ones) Margaret Malcolm.  Sometimes I enjoy reading one where there is no sex so all the effort goes into the story.  Then I miss the sex and switch back.  Also to rest my eyes.  Boy the print was tiny then.

The LaBreque books do sound good.  I requested one to try.  I haven't read very many Blazes but these do sound good.

I started reading Harlequins about 25 years ago when I was barely a teenager.  I snuck some out of a yardsale box a friend of Mom's had brought over and devoured them.  Started buying them on my own after that.

I don't read many anymore but I have tried to keep up on some series I'd started.  I have all of the Redstone Inc books by Justine Davis, those were some of the last ones I read.  So sorry it's at an end but, dang, the last story was worth it.  Josh and Tess finally got their happy ending.

I'm always amazed by the emotional impact and drama that can get packed into one of those books, even the little short ones.

Well, ladies, it sounds like I've stirred up some good memories for you.  Sarah, I agree with you that these books can pack a punch in not a lot of pages.  I've only been reading them for about 5 years.  My favorite lines are Blaze,  Silhouette Romantic Suspense and the Harlequin Intrigue line.

I read that Alaskan Blaze series you mentioned, Kathy, and loved every one!  I passed the other two on to Hollie since I knew she'd read the first.  I hope LeBreque continues it.  Lots of good characters.  Since you haven't read the third yet, I won't tell you who(m?) I'm hoping she'll write about next. 

I'm currently reading one I "won" in the last Harlequin swap (before this one): Royal Holiday Baby (Silhouette Special Edition, No 2075)  by Leanne Banks.  It had been awhile since I'd read anything other than a Blaze, but the last 3 of these SSEs I've read, I've really enjoyed.   And I love how many "big name" authors still write for the Harlequin line!

Ani, I'm a third of the way through the last one, and I agree with you, this is a great series.  Thanks for not "spoiling" it for me.   I've never read any of the SSE books.  I tend to like my romances on the "spicy" side, so some of the other lines don't appeal to me.  

Just read some older Silhouette Desire books and now I have to find the others to the series!  I want to know what happens.  :)

The Virgin and the Vagabond (Blame it on BOB) by Elizabeth Bevarly  98'

Roxy and the rich man (The family McCormick) By Elizabeth Bevarly  97'

These both were really good books with witty dialogue and believable characters.  I mowed through one of them while trying to fix dinner...My husband told me not to read while we were eating and I was just at the last few pages...man was it tough to put down.

Renee, Those might be some hard books to hunt up.  LOL, but you never know what you can find here or in the old UBS.

I just finished the last installment of the Blaze Alaskan Heat miniseries:  Northern Escape by Jennifer LaBrecque.  Each one of these books was an excellent read.  They were ones for the keeper shelf if I had a keeper shelf.  I got my box from eHarlequin today--lots of December Intrigues and 4 of the January Blazes.  Good thing my husband wasn't around when the box arrived.  He just doesn't get it.  

Tried a different Silhouette Desire  Author  Joan Pickart writing  Plain Jane MacAllister.  Not good at all IMO.  Emily was way to insecure about her weight (why did this get repeated so many time!) and Mark never said anything much to alleviate her insecurities even though he thought her even more beautiful then in the past.  Must have been the opinion at the time (02').  and the misunderstanding about why she lied was blown way out of proportion.  Moving on to an even older one from 92' by Beverly Barton. Hope its better then the previous.

I posted a link in the "deals and freebies" thread here about a sale at eHarlequin if anyone is interested.  99 cents per book (20 books in all).

I just finished the last installment of the Blaze Alaskan Heat miniseries:  Northern Escape by Jennifer LaBrecque.  Each one of these books was an excellent read.   

I hope she gives us Nelson's story!  And I want to know what happened to Emily, the girl that Clint wasn't interested in.  I'd like to read more about Donna, too. 

Yes, Ani, you are right, there are lots of characters that could have their own story.  I took a look at her website and she hasn't updated in a while, so maybe we ought to let her know we want MORE!!!

WOW!!  I just finished a really good Harlequin Intrigue:  Colby Core by Debra Webb.  The subject matter was a  tad gruesome--human trafficking, but the suspense was great.  The Intrigues don't have much hot and heavy stuff going on under the sheets, but I do enjoy them every now and then.  This book is part of the Colby Agency long running series.

I've never been much interested in any of the Intrigues that I've read but I'm just not a big suspense reader, I want romance.  I did read a couple of longer Colby novels, Striking Distance and Colby Conspiracy which had the story of  Jim Colby.  They were keepers, loved them.  Do the later Colby books have much to do with Jim and Tasha or have the storylines moved on, does anyone know?

Bronwyn,  I've read a few of the Colby Agency books, although not  in order.  There is very little mention of Jim and Tasha in the books I have read.

Good to know, thank you.  I liked Colby Conspiracy so much because Jim and Tasha were secondary characters and a lot was happening with them.  Striking Distance reminded me in a lot of ways of  Cry No More by Linda Howard.  And the last scene in it reminded me so much of a historical fave, England's Perfect Hero.

edited to say I've been rereading some Christmas favorites.  I read A Carol Christmas by Muriel Jenson, a Harlequin American from 1989.  It's a tear jerker every time.  And A Baby By Christmas by Linda warren, a superromance from2003.  A newly married woman wants so badly to have a child but is  barely past the ceremony when they find that the new husband has fathered a child, now a special needs toddler, who has been abandoned by his mother.  Parenthood is more the theme here, than Christmas, but I always think of it this time of year.  I'm going to go read some new to me non series Christmas books now though. I seem to have a stack of them.

edited again to try to get rid of all the question marks, don't know what happened there. They won't go!!

Bronwyn,  Linda Warren lives in my town and does all her book signings at our local UBS owned by my good friend.  She is a super nice lady.  The "hearth and home" lines of the series romances are not my thing, so I've never been tempted to read any of her books, but she always has a great turn out for her signings.  

Here's a thread I started a LONG time ago about 'series romances'  http://www.paperbackswap.com/forum/topic.php?t=55461  if you're looking for some older recommendations. I stopped updating a while back I guess though not sure why and it just sorta disappeared until this thread reminded me of it.

I'm gonna have to look for that Blaze series set in Alaska! sounds like a good one!

I read a lot of the Love Inspired lines now - the inspirational line - and have found some really good ones if you don't mind no sex and varying degrees of 'preaching' LOL! not sure what to call it but I've read some good ones - Cheryl Wyatt's Wings of Refuge series was great overall(some better than others), Ruth Logan Herne's trilogy(winter's end is actually the last though it was published first), the AFter the Storm continuity series, Homecoming Heroes continuity (didn't care as much for the Alaska Bride Rush continuity). Winnie Griggs has some good LI historical titles too and her contemporary was decent as well.

Just read a Silhouette Desire by Diana Palmer titled Heartbreaker.  I really wasn't really into to the MUCH older man theme but from all reports a lot of her books are themed this way.  It wasn't bad but was getting a bit repetitious with the 'keep away' scenario and then Tellie was in a car accident.

The Synopsis was way off in this and threw me a bit but, it's not the first book to do this and I'm sure not the last.

It turned out sweet... 

Renee, a lot of Diana Palmer's books tend to be like that.  Older man/younger woman and they definitely follow a formula.  I am addicted to them though, I have nearly everything she's written.

Thank you Sarah for the heads up. Which ones do you NOT have?  :)

Just read a really good Silhouette Desire book by Bronwyn Jameson: Magnate's make-believe Mistress.I really enjoyed it and will be looking forward to any more of this authors titles. 

Man looking into an I'm-Pregnant-I-thought-you-should-know Phone call for his Friend (& Sisters Fiancée) Met 'the woman' and it turns out it wasn't her but HER sister and then It wasn't the Friend who did the deed...What a tangle!

It was really good and not a hop-into-bed-the-day-they-meet.    

Am reading a 2-in=1 called An Heir for the Millionaire. Just LOVED the first book by Julia James. I think I read a review of this and that's how it got on my WL, and it must have been spot on because it's exactly the sort of HP I go for.

I just finished reading Surprise Me...by Isabel Sharpe. The author writes in the cover that this is the first book she's written where the hero is a geek. Of course, all he needs is a good hair cut and voila! he's handsome. I liked the hero but I thought that the heroine was pretty unlikable - she likes to sleep around with losers and of course, doesn't recognize the hero for the great guy he is (and of course, the hero has been in love with her for years.) I usually love the hero secretly in love with the heroine story line, but I thought she was a jerk to him and treated him really badly.

Read 2 in the past few days...

Harlequin Blaze : My Wildest Ride, Isabel Sharpe

This was a good story about a woman getting herself out of the pit her life had become and making her way to success despite a few ugly bumps in the road and having a 'new' family to rely  on was not 'normal' for her as a loner not counting on any one but herself. 

Silhouette Romance: The Blacksheep Prince's Bride, Martha Shields

Other then wondering how the whole King Kidnapping ends this one just couldn't hold my interest and it took hopping between 2 other books and nearly a week to finally get it done.

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas!  We have 6 inches of new snow and other then missing some family our Christmas is going wonderful!

Best wishes to everyone