Kathy Hamilton When it comes to romance fiction, my loyalty to writers is stronger than any other genre. My favourite romance authors are a group I know I can rely on to write uplifting, heart-warming books. I thought I’d share them with you today.
What do you look for in a favourite book or author? The funny thing about writing posts like this is that it always makes me realise a lot about my own reading habits. Whereas before I sat down to write this post, I would have said I had a pretty diverse attitude to reading romance, I’ve discovered the opposite is the case! As you’ll see, what I class as my favourite romance authors definitely lean more towards historical than anything else.
Georgette Heyer
The woman who started it all. For anyone unfamiliar with Georgette Heyer, this is the author affectionately known as “The Mother of Regency Romance“. Her vast collection of novels have been providing readers with fun, well written and researched, period romances since 1921.
My love of Georgette Heyer is well catalogued here at The Female Scriblerian! There are manifold reasons she is one of my favourite romance authors. But if I had to pick just one, it would be the fact that even after finishing all of her Regency novels, I can still pick any one of them up at random and have a wonderful time reading it. For me, if you can re-read a novel…then it has to be good.
Julia Quinn
Julia Quinn is one of my favourite romance novelists because I know her books are going to be a treat to read. If Georgette Heyer is the mother of regency romance then Julia Quinn is her daughter. She has happily picked up the passing baton of writing funny, romantic regency novels. And like Georgette, she’s been prolific.
In fact, her books are so addictive, with their delightful characters, romantic plots and genuine comedy that sometimes I read them back to back! In July, for example, I couldn’t get enough of her. The best thing is that she tends to write in series format, so a secondary character in one book gets a chance to shine in another. If you’re a fan of authors who create entire worlds, Julia Quinn will be perfect.
Sarah Morgan
Sarah Morgan is the only person in this list of my favourite romance authors to write contemporary novels. I think that’s saying something! For a romance author to tempt me away from my favourite historical fiction, she has to be really good. And Sarah Morgan is! I first discovered her books when she was writing standard Mills and Boons. Her style jumped off the page and separated her from the bunch.
Before long, I was actively looking forward to her new releases. Since those days, she has graduated to writing full-length novels which focus as much on the friendships between her female protagonists as they do their love interests. Her books are a delight to read, and are always a welcome escape from a bad day!
Virginia Heath
Virginia Heath is another romance author I have discovered through Mills & Boon. I now actively look-out for her new books. She separates herself from the bunch by writing books which feature characters that actually talk to each other! So often in romance fiction, the main conflict revolves around a misunderstanding between the two protagonists. This is usually driven by some kind of misunderstanding that could easily be resolved if they’d just have a conversation!
Instead, Virginia Heath’s characters actually spend time getting to know and understand each other. They fit into a believable romance arc because, usually, the conflict is external to their blossoming relationship. She writes heroes who have flaws and heroines that aren’t perfect and I really appreciate that about her style. Plus…her books are super romantic, so no complaints here!
Mills & Boon
Honestly, I think the biggest elephant in the room when it comes to my reading habits is Mills & Boon. I frequently read these happy and romantic books as they are a welcome respite from the world. But I rarely mention them on The Female Scriblerian. But, three out of four of the authors featured here are connected to Mills & Boon in some way.
So realistically, I couldn’t write this list without encouraging you to give one of their many ranges a try. I especially enjoy the Historical range. As you might have guessed from my favourite Romance Authors, I definitely prefer romances set in the past! However, they really do have a series that will appeal to most tastes: fantasy, medical, mystery, modern…you name it.
A Short Memo About Romance Fiction
I appreciate Romance fiction is a divisive genre. People either love it or hate it. There are probably more words on the internet dedicated to dissecting its worth than for any other genre. Sometimes it feels like any post about romance fiction needs to begin with an obligatory defence of it. It was not my aim to do that here. But I hope everyone who reads The Female Scriblerian knows that I’m an advocate for reading whatever you love.
For me, that’s romance fiction. After a bad day, or even on a great day, where I just want to curl up with something that’s guaranteed to make me feel happy I always reach for a good romance. Reading should be fun, and these are my favourite romance authors that always guarantee it will be.
Now all that remains to be said is,
