This morning, I was doing my usual early morning blog roll and came across Bonnie Ferguson discussing books that have left an impact.
Bonnie Ferguson’s Blog I listed a couple in the comments section and then kept thinking about it.
I’m trying not to.
You see, I’m supposed to be working. My office door is shut. My daughter is as comfortable as I can make her in the living room where I can hear if she calls out and for some reason, I keep getting sleepy. (Possibly from dealing with a child with chicken pox?)
So every time my eyes pop open, I’m facing my keeper shelf. It’s a beautiful piece of woodwork my husband made for paperbacks. It hangs high on my office wall and all those books that have touched me in some way are on it. I can look up and see:
Taking a villain from a former book and making her a heroine? Justine Davis did it. Did it so well, she got the highest rank in Romantic Times Magazine. Ranking aside, I love this book.
Such a romantic book. Remember that whole guardian phase romances went through? This is that kind of story with a twist. The Wizard of Seattle takes on a young woman to train and well, I wouldn’t want to give anything away but it was also a new twist on the Atlantis myth. Fun and romantic.
Oh boy, fantastic high tech science fiction adventure, a female lead who can seriously kick butt and forbidden love. I’m not sure I breathed while reading this one.
In the opening scene, this hero is walking out of prison. This book is the ultimate bad boy romance and it’s just lovely.
This will forever be a favorite. Gritty and dark — yet still a romance. There are gory murder scenes, an intriguing futuristic setting and the two most well written characters ever. Eve and Roarke don’t just breathe, they step out of the book and punch your face. I’m convinced that Nora/J.D. is channeling these people.
And now for something completely different. A virgin priest wannabe hero and the snottiest, irritating heroine. Seriously, I could barely stand her in the beginning of the book. But I didn’t give up and oh, I did not regret it. This forced marriage, hateful in the beginning, turned into something so beautiful, there were times I was brought to tears. No Sweeter Heaven indeed.
I loved this book so much, I wanted to share. Loaned it out twice and didn’t get it back both times. I’ve bought it three times. Dream Man alternately made me smile and scared me to death. Creepy, creepy villain and a hero cop with a dominating personality that somehow worked for me. I think it was because he was blown over by what was happening to him, too. Poor man was completely enslaved by his reaction to the psychic heroine. That’s what originally drew me in. I’m a sucker for psychics.
This first book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series blew me completely away. I didn’t find it until she was about five books into the series so I got to read them all together. More than once. I won’t say I’m still completely in love with the series — I still read them and will continue to do so. But nothing can ever take away from the rush of that first book.
This is fantasy at its best. These are such dark, intriguing tales of the ultimate battle of good and evil. Three men who know the truth about one innocent young girl. These weren’t released as romances, but by the time you reach the third book, Queen of Darkness, the love story is fantastic. It’s been years since I read these, but I can still remember the writing–lush and mesmerizing. Anne Bishop is a genius.
Oh, this man can write. Yes, the movie was excellent, but this book kept me up all night. The descriptions were so fluid, you could feel everything Starling felt. You know, if I remember correctly, this book kept me up many nights after reading it. Scary.
There are so many more, but this could take forever. I have just about every Koontz book alone and don’t even get me started on Stephen King. I’m one of those people who read the Stand more than once. Both versions.
I’m also getting into some new horror writers. Just bought books by Tim Lebbon and though I’m not usually a fan of zombie fiction, I enjoyed City of the Dead by Briane Keene. Talk about a fascinating premise! I also have more fantasy, like Wizard’s First Rule — a book I had a hard time getting into but ended up loving. And oh, the Last Herald Mage series by Mercedes Lackey. Bitten by Kelly Armstrong…
Okay. Must. Stop.