(from usatoday.com
by Jessie Potts)
Here's the third part for your Throwback Thursday delight! Enjoy these favorite books of the '80s, '90s and, of course, the best romance covers! This time we checked in with Chloe Neil (Wild Thing), Eve Langlais (Seth), Lauren Dane (Marked), Thea Harrison (Falling Light) and Marie Harte (Making the Grade).
Favorite romance book of the '80s?
Chloe Neil: Whitney My Love by Judith McNaught because I LOVE angst, and this one is absolutely full of it. Delicious, stomach-knotting angst. :)
Eve Langlais: Lord Harry by Catherine Coulter. If I remember correctly, Catherine Coulter was the author who opened my eyes to the fact humor and romance could go hand in hand. I really enjoyed snickering at the antics of some of her heroines and heroes.
Lauren Dane: Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Lady Be Good.
Thea Harrison: In the 1980s, I chomped through bodice rippers. I'd never read anything like that before, and I was fascinated. One standout for me, partly because it was one of the first I read, was Jude Deveraux's The Black Lyon.
Marie Harte: A Gentle Feuding by Johanna Lindsey.
Favorite romance book of the '90s?
Chloe: It's a tie: Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey and Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens.
Gentle Rogue is one of the first romance novels that I remember reading (although I'm sure it wasn't the first I actually read). I loved the couple, the premise, the ships, and the wonderful Mallory family. I suspect it was the first time I'd read an adult book series that involved a family of characters, with each new book featuring a new couple in the family.
Devil's Bride is the first of the Cynster novels, another series I came to absolutely adore. Strong hero, stronger heroine with much class, and plenty of chemistry and tension to keep the heat ticked up. But there's another reason I love this book: Stephanie Laurens is an absolute master of including small details that make the world feel very, very real. (I'm thinking of the St. Ives rhyme, if that rings any bells.)
Eve: Tied between Warrior's Woman and Prisoner of My Desire by Johanna Lindsey. These two books featured strong heroines and utterly alpha males who just couldn't figure out why the women wouldn't obey. Watching these alpha warriors succumb to love was delicious. I don't know how many times I re-read these two books.
Lauren: Linda Howard's After the Night.
Thea: For the 1990s, I discovered and absolutely love Loretta Chase's work. Lord of Scoundrels comes to mind.
Marie: Mine to Take by Dara Joy.
Favorite romance book of the early 2000s?
Chloe: Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. Oh, the beautiful, beautiful angst. One again, this is an entry in a wonderful series about a clever family — the Bridgertons — and this is my absolute favorite entry in the book. There's one scene — one angsty, horribly wonderful scene — that gets me every time. :)
Eve: A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole.
After years of devouring historical romance, I came across paranormal romance. And I was hooked. Forget vikings and pirates, once I discovered Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter, vampires, shapeshifters and yes, even demons, became my new reading obsession. Years later, when I began to run out of decent ones to read, I started writing my own, lol.
Lauren: Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie.
Thea: For the early 2000s, I utterly adored Jennifer Crusie's Welcome to Temptation. That book was pure delight from beginning to end, and I remember laughing out loud several times.
Marie: Dark Challenge by Christine Feehan.
Favorite Throwback Thursday romance cover?
Chloe: Blaze by Susan Johnson. I really love Susan Johnson's historicals, but the cover for Blaze is just so very bodice-ripper. What kind of fur is she wearing, exactly?
Eve: Who didn't love Fabio back in the '80s and '90s!! That man graced so many covers and epitomized the ultimate alpha male back when I started reading romance. I think it was with him that my obsession with naked-chest covers started lol. Or at least influenced it judging by the artwork I request for my own stories lol. I wonder how he would have looked in blue or purple ...
Lauren: I've always found Librarian's Secret Wish by Carol Grace to be really creepy with that kid under the table!
Thea: Favorite romance cover??? Anything at all with Fabio in it. I always got a big grin on my face whenever I saw one. They were so ridiculously over the top!!
Marie: A Gentle Feuding by Johanna Lindsey.
Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She also does reviews for Bitten by Books and RT Book Reviews and is an intern at Entangled Publishing. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).
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