February 2015: Links to my other reviews can be found on my complete reading list of books sorted by author or Author Commentary & The Tallies Shameful which includes all of the books I have read to date.
This list was incorporated into The (Shameful) Tally 2013.
Cannonball Read Reviewed Books Are in Bold
- In the Arms of a Marquess – Katharine Ashe (Ben)
- The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie – Jennifer Ashley (Ian, not surprisingly)
- Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage – Jennifer Ashley (Mac)
- Many Sins of Lord Cameron – Jennifer Ashley (Cameron)
- The Duke’s Perfect Wife – Jennifer Ashley (Hart)
- Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift – Jennifer Ashley (Ian, Mac, Cam, Hart)
- The Seduction of Elliott McBride – Jennifer Ashley (Elliott) – CBRV Review
- Simply Perfect – Mary Balogh (Joseph)
- Simply Love – Mary Balogh (Sydnam)
- Slightly Scandalous – Mary Balogh (Joshua)
- Slightly Dangerous – Mary Balogh (Wulfric, no, seriously, WULFRIC)
- The Soldier – Grace Burrowes (Devlin)
- Lady Sophia’s Christmas Wish – Grace Burrowes (Vim/Wilhelm)
- Miss Wonderful – Loretta Chase (Alistair)
- Mr. Impossible – Loretta Chase (Rupert)
- Lord Perfect – Loretta Chase (Benedict)
- Not Quite a Lady – Loretta Chase (Darius)
- Last Night’s Scandal – Loretta Chase (Lord Lisle)
- Captives of the Night – Loretta Chase (Ismal)
- Lord of Scoundrels – Loretta Chase (Sebastian, Marquess of Dain)
- The Last Hellion – Loretta Chase (Vere)
- Silk Is for Seduction – Loretta Chase (Lord Clevedon/Gervase)
- Scandal Wears Satin – Loretta Chase (Lord Longmore/Harry)
- One Dance with a Duke – Tessa Dare (Spencer)
- Twice Tempted by a Rogue – Tessa Dare (Rhys)
- Three Nights with a Scoundrel – Tessa Dare (Julian)
- The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright – Tessa Dare novella (Harry)
- A Night to Surrender – Tessa Dare (Bram)
- Once Upon a Winter’s Eve – Tessa Dare novella (Christian)
- A Week to Be Wicked – Tessa Dare (Colin)
- A Lady by Midnight – Tessa Dare (Samuel)
- The Duke’s Tattoo – Miranda Davis (Ainsworth)
- The Duchess – Jude Deveraux (Trevelyan)
- Almost Perfect – Denise Domning (Lucien)
- A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal – Meredith Duran (Simon)
- Wicked Becomes You – Meredith Duran (Alex)
- Always a Scoundrel: The Notorious Gentlemen – Suzanne Enoch (Bramwell)
- A Beginner’s Guide to Rakes – Suzanne Enoch (Oliver)
- Taming an Impossible Rogue – Suzanne Enoch (Keating)
- Rules of an Engagement – Suzanne Enoch (Shaw)
- A Lady’s Guide to Improper Behaviour – Suzanne Enoch (Tolly/Bartholomew)
- To Challenge the Earl of Cravenswood – Bronwen Evans novella (Henry) (God awful)
- Outlander – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie)
- Dragonfly in Amber – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie)
- Voyager – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie)
- Drums of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie)
- The Fiery Cross – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie)
- A Breath of Snow and Ashes – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie)
- An Echo in the Bone – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie)
- Saving Grace – Julie Garwood (Gabriel)
- The Gift – Julie Garwood (Nathan)
- Ransom – Julie Garwood (Brodick)
- Honour’s Splendour – Julie Garwood (Duncan)
- Prince Charming – Julie Garwood (Lucas)
- The Bride – Julie Garwood (Alec)
- A Gentleman Undone – Cecilia Grant (Will)
- Scandal of the Year – Linda Lee Guhrke (Aidan)
- The Wild One – Danelle Harmon (Gareth)
- The Wicked One – Danelle Harmon (Lucien, I know)
- She Tempts the Duke – Lorraine Heath (Sebastian)
- Lord of Temptation – Lorraine Heath (Tristan)
- The Raven Prince – Elizabeth Hoyt (Edward)
- How to Woo a Reluctant Lady – Sabrina Jeffries (Giles)
- One Starlit Night – Carolyn Jewel novella (Crispin)
- Surrender – Lisa Kleypas novella (Jason)
- Stranger in My Arms – Lisa Kleypas (Hunter)
- Suddenly You – Lisa Kleypas (Jack)
- Then Came You – – Lisa Kleypas (Alex)
- Dreaming of You – Lisa Kleypas (Derek)
- Where’s My Hero – Lisa Kleypas Novella (Jake, but actually read for Derek)
- Somewhere I’ll Find You – Lisa Kleypas (Damon, Lord Savage [!])
- Because You’re Mine – Lisa Kleypas (Logan)
- Where Dreams Begin – Lisa Kleypas (Zachary)
- Someone to Watch Over Me – Lisa Kleypas (Grant)
- Lady Sophia’s Lover – Lisa Kleypas (Ross)
- Worth Any Price – Lisa Kleypas (Nick)
- Again the Magic – Lisa Kleypas (McKenna with a bonus Gideon)
- Secrets of a Summer Night – Lisa Kleypas (Simon)
- It Happened One Autumn – Lisa Kleypas (Marcus)
- The Devil in Winter – Lisa Kleypas (Sebastian)
- Scandal in the Spring – Lisa Kleypas (Matthew)
- A Wallflower Christmas – Lisa Kleypas (Rafe, but really Sebastian & Simon)
- Mine till Midnight – Lisa Kleypas (Cam)
- Seduce Me at Sunrise – Lisa Kleypas (Merripen)
- Tempt Me at Twilight – Lisa Kleypas (Harry)
- Married by Morning – Lisa Kleypas (Leo)
- Love in the Afternoon – Lisa Kleypas (Christopher)
- Temptation and Surrender – Stephanie Laurens (Jonas)
- An Ideal Bride – Stephanie Laurens (Michael)
- One Night in London – Caroline Linden (Edward)
- Blame It on Bath – Caroline Linden (Gerard)
- The Way to a Duke’s Heart – Caroline Linden (Charlie)
- The Heir – Johanna Lindsey (Duncan)
- To Love a Thief – Julie Anne Long (Gideon)
- The Perils of Pleasure – Julie Anne Long (Colin)
- Like No Other Lover – Julie Anne Long (Miles)
- Since the Surrender – Julie Anne Long (Chase)
- I Kissed an Earl – Julie Anne Long (Asher)
- What I Did for a Duke – Julie Anne Long (Alex)
- How the Marquess Was Won – Julie Anne Long (Julian/Jules)
- A Notorious Countess Confesses – Julie Anne Long (Adam)
- Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake – Sarah MacLean (Gabriel)
- Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart – Sarah MacLean (Simon)
- A Rogue by Any Other Name – Sarah MacLean (Michael)
- Proof by Seduction – Courtney Milan (Gareth)
- Trial By Desire – Courtney Milan (Ned)
- The Lady Always Wins – Courtney Milan novella (Simon)
- Unveiled – Courtney Milan (Ash)
- Unclaimed – Courtney Milan (Mark)
- Unraveled – Courtney Milan (Smite)
- Unlocked – Courtney Milan Novella (Evan)
- The Governess Affair – Courtney Milan Novella (Hugo)
- What Happened at Midnight – Courtney Milan novella (John)
- The Duchess War – Courtney Milan (Robert)
- A Kiss for Midwinter – Courtney Milan novella (Jonas)
- Almost Heaven – Judith McNaught (Ian)
- Something Wonderful – Judith McNaught (Jason)
- The Rake – Mary Jo Putney (Reggie)
- Everything and the Moon – Julia Quinn (Robert)
- Brighter Than the Sun – Julia Quinn (Charles)
- The Duke and I – Julia Quinn (Simon)
- The Viscount Who Loved Me – Julia Quinn (Anthony)
- An Offer from a Gentleman – Julia Quinn (Benedict)
- Romancing Mr. Bridgerton – Julia Quinn (Colin)
- When He Was Wicked – Julia Quinn (Michael)
- It’s In His Kiss – Julia Quinn (Gareth)
- What Happens In London – Julia Quinn (Harry)
- Ten Things I Love About You – Julia Quinn (Sebastian)
- Just Like Heaven – Julia Quinn (Marcus)
- A Night Like This – Julia Quinn (Daniel)
- Whisky Dreams – Ranae Rose novella (Brom and John)
- Vows – LaVyrle Spencer (Tom)
- The Wallflower – Who Cares (Noah)
- A Rose in Winter – Kathleen Woodiwiss (Christopher)
134 books/40+ authors since February
Popular Hero Names: 6 Simon, 4 Alex/Alec, 4 Harry, 4 Sebastian
In the Pipe
Knaves Wager – Loretta Chase (Julian) – It’s stuck in the pipe, really.
The Auto-Buy List
Tessa Dare
Lisa Kleypas (if she ever writes another historical)
Julie Anne Long
Sarah MacLean
Courtney Milan
The Auto-Library/Cheap on Kindle List
Jennifer Ashley (I love/hate her. I’m not sure I recommend her.)
Loretta Chase (reliable)
Suzanne Enoch (in a pinch)
Lorraine Heath (if there’s nothing else)
Caroline Linden (she’s a comer)
Julia Quinn (An excellent place to launch your reading. Start with The Bridgertons)
Actually, I have more elaborate rules than this, but it’s a good start.
Attempted –
Lord of Vengeance – Lara Adrian (Gunnar – Medieval. Nope.)
More Than a Mistress – Mary Balogh (the hero shares my real life first name, couldn’t do it)
Swept Away – Marsha Canham (Emory)
Other Repetitive Titles – Grace Burrowes
Something Awful – Liz Carlyle (Stefan)
A Gentleman Never Tells – Amelia Gray (The first Benjamin – how is that possible?)
Notorious Pleasures – Elizabeth Hoyt (Griffin)
Wicked Intentions – Elizabeth Hoyt (Lord Caire)
Seriously Awful – Eloisa James (I can’t even remember the name)
2 Hellion of Halstead Books – Sabrina Jeffries (Gabriel and Jarret)
Sex and the Single Earl – Vanessa Kelly (Simon – I couldn’t resist the cheesy title. I should have.)
All’s Fair in Love and Seduction – Beverly Kendall (Derek)
Midnight Angel – Lisa Kleypas (Lucas)
His at Night – Sherry Thomas (Vere)
Ravishing the Duchess – Sherry Thomas (Fitzhugh) – I just can’t with Sherry Thomas
Mrs. Julien Presents 
This is NOT a shameful tally, it’s an absolutely awesome list. Did you read Unveiled or Unraveled by Courtney Milan? Because the hero is Unveiled is Ash, which is what you posted – the hero in Unraveled is Smite (SO not your run of the mill romance hero name).
What I’m trying to say is that whichever one you didn’t read – you should! Unclaimed, which is the youngest brother Mark’s book is also good, but not as awesome as the other two. And Smite’s book is by far the best, in my opinion. You should also read “The Last Hellion” by Loretta Chase (Dain’s friend and long lost cousin, so much cooler than “Lord of Scoundrels”) and “Captives of the Night” (by FAR my favourite Loretta Chase ever, and underrated by many. It has two really quite damaged protagonists, so the HEA feels so much more rewarding at the end).
Don’t be ashamed of your romance reading! As far as I can see, you’ve mainly been reading really good ones. They’re incredibly comforting.
Also, if you do keep wanting GOOD romance – check out Meredith Duran and Sherry Thomas. All their books are great, and some are breathtakingly awesome.
I’ve been looking for Smite’s book (I read an excerpt) , but it was too expensive on Amazon, I can’t find it at Barnes and Noble, and it’s not at my library either. I may dip into my Am Ex points to get a copy.
I loved almost every moment of Lord of Scoundrels (well, I always skip the non-romantic pairing parts, I care not for subplots) and have been building up to a review complete with a spoiler about Dain’s useless arm flapping about but somehow never getting in the way. I’ve read all of Chase’s Carsington books as you can see from the list. I expect it’s inevitable that I’ll get the ones you recommend as well. I thought I was done, but the phase is ongoing.
Most writers seem to have a certain number of good books in them before they lose steam. I love Julia Quinn but she seemed to run out of steam somewhere in the later Bridgerton children. Lisa Kleypas is my favourite so far, in particular the Wallflowers books. If you saw my diatribe on Pajiba, you’ll understand what I mean when I say my favourite Sebastian was indeed a Sebastian. I LOVED The Devil in Winter. LOVED IT!
I read How the Marquess Was Won today. It was so good and then so totally lost steam at some point.
Do you have an e-reader? Because I read a huge amount of books on my Sony Reader, and I have all three Courtney Milan books as e-book files. I’ll happily send you a copy, if you have any way of reading it.
I don’t have an e-reader, but our tax return is coming soon and I expect we’ll have one soon. I got a Meredith Duran (Wicked Becomes You), a Sherry Thomas (His at Night) and another Loretta Chase at the library tonight. I CAN’T STOP!
Your (both of you guys) cannonball reviews have gotten me back into romance reading and I don’t know if I should be sending you thoughtful gifts or cursing your damn names! Haven’t really embraced Lisa Kleypas (which clearly dominates your list). I read Someone to Watch Over Me and was so bored by the mary sue protagonist that I gave up. Am finishing the ever-present FiftyShades trilogy which is like eating a can of Pringles. They’re sort of tasty at first but you know they aren’t good for you, but once you stop you just have to keep going until you’re finished.
You need later Kleypas – The Wallflowers or The Hathaways. Malin and I both loved The Devil in Winter (Wallflowers) and Dreaming of You (her first really good book). And Courtney Milan (the ones I reviewed) is the bomb-diggity.
I peeked at 50 Shades in a Target over the weekend. Enh.
Picked up Hathaway #1 at the library and enjoyed it FAR more than Someone to Watch Over Me. Will definitely check out some of the others too. Because it’s summer and frankly I can’t get my brain to focus on anything other than the plight of a young girl navigating the rakes among the Ton these days 😉 So thanks for the suggestions!
Tempt Me at Twilight is my favourite of those. I found some of the so-called gypsy stuff a bit much. Then again, you get to see Sebastian and Evie in Mine Until Midnight and Sebastian is my favourite EVER.
Oooooh Outlander. Good stuff.
Could you write some best/worst lists of romance? I have to say I LOVE an excellent historically-detailed regency romance. But for every one good one, there are at least 5+ that are horrendous (just finished Pride of Lions, dull protagonists, contrived plot, just….ugh…no). Given that you are clearly the grand master, I would definitely appreciate your take on must reads and must avoids 🙂
There is a lot of horrendous stuff out there and I could recommend things, but the challenge lies in your tastes, both in terms of the “action” and the historical accuracy. I don’t worry much about the historical part unless it’s egregious. I do worry about the clothes; I actually hate the potato sack over a barrel Regency look and I end up trying to ignore the clothing descriptions in those books.
For a start, I would recommend anyone on the Autobuy list above, plus Julia Quinn if you haven’t gotten to her yet. Maybe I should highlight the really good ones above somehow. I can’t let all this useless knowledge go to waste. The main reason I’ve posted a bunch of new reviews this week is to give people their due and so I have the so-called classics mostly covered.
If you want amazing research and historical detail, have you tried Outlander?
Oh my, I LOVE the name tally. That is fantastic.