Thanks to a small town librarian with very good taste, I was introduced to the incredible novels of Georgette Heyer and to the wonderful world of romance the summer I turned 13. Like a lot of fellow romance lovers, I've never looked back.

Spending way too long in the terminally hip advertising trenches as a copywriter and creative director, romance was always my escape from the world of deadlines and backbiting. These days I¹m on my own as a freelance ad writer and incredibly delighted to review for All About Romance.

As a professional writer, albeit one with the 30-second attention span of a true Gemini, I am in awe of those incredibly disciplined and talented individuals who actually create the novels we love so much. My personal favorites are many and varied (as evidenced here) but I'll admit to a special fondness for Judith Ivory, Connie Brockway, and Nora Roberts.

Although I spend most of my time living in Washington, D.C. tending to the many needs of a very spoiled Ragdoll cat, my passion for Regency-set romance, Jane Austen, and Shakespeare has also led to an equal passion for London. I try to spend at least one week there every year catching up on the theatre and the very cool shopping.

Absolute Favorite

All Through the Night by Connie Brockway
Until You by Judith McNaught
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Bliss by Judy Cuevas

Favorite Classic

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

What I'm a sucker for in a book: Men who are a rock in an emergency (think Max Bhagat in Over the Edge); men with a strong protective streak; mature, self-reliant heroines; heroes who cheerfully accept themselves for what they are; younger man heroes; and, of course, the classic good-girl, bad-boy combo.

What I don't particularly care for in a book: Any heroine the writer describes as a (saucy, feisty,etc.)"miss;" sexually inexperienced heroes (with rare exceptions); first-person stories; and religious themes or overtones.

What drives me absolutely nuts in a book: Overly contrived plot devices (the heroine vowing to make the hero pay for a small insult her by making him fall in love with her, at which point she will jilt him and leave him forever desolate); sheltered, inexperienced, baby girl heroines; alpha-jerk heroes who don't learn their lesson in the course of the book; and heroes who vow to make all women pay for the treacherous behavior of their ex-wife/girlfriend.

Medieval:

A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
Katherine by Anya Seton

Traditional Regency:

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer
Frederica by Georgette Heyer

European Historical:

All Through The Night by Connie Brockway
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Untie My Heart by Judith Ivory
Bliss by Judy Cuevas

American Historical:

Silver Flame by Susan Johnson

Contemporary:

Genuine Lies by Nora Roberts
In the Midnight Rain by Ruth Wind

Category:

The Playboy Prince by Nora Roberts
The Danver's Touch by Elizabeth Lowell

Alternate Reality:

Contact by Susan Grant

Favorite Hero

Favorite Heroine

Most Tortured Hero

Derek Craven, Dreaming of You
Brandon Carlyle, Darkling I Listen

Strongest Heroine

Claire Fraser, Outlander

Favorite Couple

Claire and Jamie Fraser, Outlander

Best Villain

Sebastien de Saint Vallier, Bliss

Romantic Suspense:

Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann

Cabin or Road:

Out of Control by Suzanne Brockmann

Funny:

Bridal Favors by Connie Brockway
Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie

Sexy:

Untie My Heart by Judith Ivory
In the Midnight Rain by Ruth Wind
Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
Forbidden by Susan Johnson

Least-Favorites

Most Disappointing Book

The Indiscretion by Judith Ivory

Worst Book

Daniel's Gift by Barbara Freethy

Purple Prose-iest Book

The Spitfire by Bertrice Small

Authors I Have Given Up On

Susan Johnson
Amanda Quick

Authors Others Love That I Don't

Carla Kelly
Christine Feehan

Most Annoying Lead Character

Mary, The Wedding Wager
Francesca Cahill, Deadly series

Non-Romance Favorites

Favorite Author

Jane Austen
William Shakespeare

Favorite Book

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Favorite Classic Novel

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Favorite Mystery

Innocent Blood by P.D. James

Favorite Women's Fiction

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Favorite YA Book

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Favorite SF/Horror/Fantasy

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

Book Most Often Reread

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice