The (Shameful) Tally 2013

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.

 

Recommended books are in bold, but here is a streamlined recommendations list:                         So You Want to Read a Historical Romance… and these are
Things That Occur to Me While Reading Historical Romance Novels

Shamefree

1. 100 Dresses from The Costume Institute The Metropolitan Museum of Art
2. Summer – Edith Wharton
3. Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper’s Bazar 1867-1898 edited by Stella Blum
4. Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from “La Mode Illustree” edited by JoAnne Ollan
5. Victorian Fashions: A Pictorial Archive selected and arranged by Carol Belanger Grafton
6. Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style DK Smithsonian
7. Savage Beauty: Alexander McQueen – edited by Andrew Bolton
8. Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation Of Romance Novels Explained – Maya Rodale (review coming in 2014)

Shameful

1. Love with the Proper Husband – Victoria Alexander (Marcus/Gwen)
2. Lady Amelia’s Secret Lover – Victoria Alexander novella (Robert/Amelia)
3. The Prince’s Bride – Victoria Alexander (Rand/Jocelyn)
4. Bodyguard (Shifters Unbound) – Jennifer Ashley novella (Ronan/Elizabeth)
5. The Untamed Mackenzie – Jennifer Ashley novella (Lloyd/Louisa)
6. The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie – Jennifer Ashley (Daniel/Violet)
7. A Handful of Gold – Mary Balogh (Julian/Verity)
8. Once a Duchess – Elizabeth Boyce (Marshall/Isabelle)
9. Along Came a Duke – Elizabeth Boyle (Preston/Tabitha)
10. And the Miss Ran Away with the Rake – Elizabeth Boyle (Henry/Daphne)
11. When She Said I Do – Celeste Bradley (Lawrence, called Ren/Calliope)
12. The Other Guy’s Bride – Connie Brockway (Jim/Ginesse)
13. Highland Surrender – Tracy Brogan (Myles/Fiona)
14. To Love a Thief – Darcy Burke (Daniel/Jocelyn)
15. Return of the Viscount – Gayle Callen (Michael/Cecilia)
16. Not My Wolf – Eden Cole novella (Corey/Devin)
17. The Warlord Wants Forever – Kresley Cole (Nikolai/Myst the Coveted) THUNDER SEX™!
18. A Hunger Like No Other – Kresley Cole (Lachlain/Emma)
19. No Rest for the Wicked – Kresley Cole (Sebastian/Kaderin the Coldhearted) THUNDER SEX™!
20. Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night – Kresley Cole (Bowen/Mariketa the Awaited) THUNDER SEX™!
21. Dark Deed’s at Night’s Edge – Kresley Cole (Conrad/Neomi) THUNDER SEX™!
22. Dark Desires After Dusk – Kresley Cole (Cadeon/Holly) – THUNDER SEX™!
23. Kiss of a Demon King – Kresley Cole (Rydstrom/Sabine) – 80%
24. Deep Kiss of Winter – Kresley Cole (Murdoch/Daniela the Ice Maiden) THUNDER SEX™!
25. Lothaire – Kresley Cole (Lothaire/Ellie)
26. Macrieve – Kresley Cole (Uilliam/Chloe) – 50% VILE
27. Shadow’s Claim – Kresley Cole (Trehan/Bettina)
28. Welcome to Temptation – Jennifer Crusie (Phin/Sophie)
29. Bet Me – Jennifer Crusie (Calvin/Minerva)
30. Beauty and the Blacksmith – Tessa Dare (Aaron/Diana)
31. Any Duchess Will Do – Tessa Dare (Griffin/Pauline)
32. Undone – Lila DiPasqua (Simon/Angelica) *Worst of the Year*
33. That Scandalous Summer – Meredith Duran (Michael/Elizabeth)
34. Reforming a Rake – Suzanne Enoch (Lucien/Alexandra)
35. Meet Me at Midnight – Suzanne Enoch (Sinclair “Sin”/Victoria “Vixen”)
36. A Matter of Scandal – Suzanne Enoch (Grey/Emma)
37. The Rake – Suzanne Enoch (Tristan/Georgiana)
38. England’s Perfect Hero – Suzanne Enoch (Robert/Lucinda)
39. Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke – Suzanne Enoch (Adam/Sophia)
40. The Chocolate Thief – Laura Florand (Sylvain/Cade)
41. The Chocolate Kiss – Laura Florand (Philippe/Magalie)
42. The Chocolate Rose – Laura Florand (Gabriel/Jolie)
43. The Chocolate Touch – Laura Florand (Dominique/Jaime)
44. The Scottish Prisoner – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie, but no Claire)
45. When You Give a Duke a Diamond – Shana Galen (Will/Juliette)
46. The Lion’s Lady – Julie Garwood (Lyon/Christina)
47. A Woman Entangled – Cecilia Grant (Nick/Kate)
48. More Than Friends – Aria Grace (Ryan/Zach)
49. A Duke of Her Own – Lorraine Heath (“Hawk”, Duke of Hawkhurst/Louisa)
50. Lord of Wicked Intentions – Lorraine Heath (Rafe/Evelyn)
51. Sweet Surrender – Cheryl Holt (Jackson/Grace)
52. The Ice Princess – Elizabeth Hoyt novella (Isaac/Coral)
53. Scandalous Desires – Elizabeth Hoyt (Michael/Silence)
54. The Proposition – Judith Ivory (Mick/Winnie)
55. Winning the Wallflower – Eloisa James novella (Cyrus/Lucy)
56. With This Kiss – Eloisa James novella (Colin/Grace)
57. Something About You – Julie James (Jack/Cameron)
58. About That Night – Julie James (Kyle/Rylann)
59. Love Irresistibly – Julie James (Cade/Brooke)
60. Indigo – Beverly Jenkins (Galen/Hester)
61. Always and Forever – Beverly Jenkins (Jackson/Grace)
62. Night Hawk – Beverly Jenkins (Ian/Maggie)
63. Attracting Anthony – Amber Kell (Silver/Anthony)
64. Miss Whittier Makes a List – Carla Kelly (Daniel/Hannah)
65. Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand – Carla Kelly (Fletcher/Roxanna)
66. Reforming Lord Ragsdale – Carla Kelly (John/Emma)
67. The Lady’s Companion – Carla Kelly (David/Emma)
68. Flowers from the Storm – Laura Kinsale (Christian/Maddy)
69. Lazy Sundays – K-Lee Klein novella (Devon/Scott) <– NOTE AUTHOR’S FIRST NAME
70. Sugar Daddy – Lisa Kleypas (Gage/Liberty)
71. Blue-Eyed Devil – Lisa Kleypas (Hardy/Haven)
72. Smooth Talking Stranger – Lisa Kleypas (Jack/Ella)
73. Wedded in Scandal – Jade Lee (Robert/Helaine)
74. The Truth About Love – Caroline Linden short story (Damien/Miranda)
75. Love and Other Scandals – Caroline Linden (Tristan/Joan)
76. The Revenge of Lord Eberlin – Julia London (Tobin/Lily)
77. The Runaway Duke – Julie Anne Long (Connor/Rebecca)
78. It Happened One Midnight – Julie Anne Long (Jonathon/”Tommy” Thomasina)
79. Married by Midnight – Julianne MacLean novella (Garrett/Anne)
80. One Good Earl Deserves a Lover – Sarah MacLean (Cross/Pippa)
81. No Good Duke Goes Unpunished – Sarah MacLean (Temple/Mara)
82. An Introduction to Pleasure: Mistress Matchmaker – Jess Michaels (Andrew/Lysandra!)
83. This Wicked Gift – Courtney Milan (William/Lavinia)
84. The Heiress Effect – Courtney Milan (Oliver/Jane, bonus Anjan/Emily)
85. The Countess Conspiracy – Courtney Milan (Sebastian/Violet)
86. If I Fall – Kate Noble (Jackson/Sarah)
87. Passion and Pride – Amelia Nolan (Evan/Marian)
88. A Man Above Reproach – Evelyn Pryce (Elias/Josephine)
89. How to Marry a Marquis – Julia Quinn (James/Elizabeth)
90. On the Way to the Wedding – Julia Quinn (Gregory/Lucy)
91. The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After – Julia Quinn (Everyone, even Violet)
92. Seducing Miss Dunaway – Kate Rothwell novella (Fell, Lord Fellington/Mary)
93. The Lady’s Tutor – Robin Schone (Ramiel, The Bastard Sheikh/Elizabeth)
94. The Luckiest Lady in London – Sherry Thomas (Felix/Louisa)
95. Penelope – Anya Wylde (Charles/Penelope) *Most Inept of the Year*

MALIN has excellent reviews on her site, and a broader range of books.

Name tally as of December 13, 2013: Simon (7); Michael (7); Sebastian (6); Robert/William (5) Alec/Alex, Colin, Gabriel, Harry, James (4); Benedict, Charles, Edward, Gareth, Henry, Jackson, Julian, Lucien, Marcus, Tristan (3); and only one David.

The Autobuy List
Tessa Dare
Lisa Kleypas (historicals only)
Julie Anne Long
Sarah MacLean
Courtney Milan

The Auto-Library/Cheap on Kindle List
Jennifer Ashley –  I love/hate her. I don’t recommend her.
Mary Balogh – predictable, but safe, well-written
Loretta Chase –  reliable
Suzanne Enoch – B list
Lorraine Heath – B- list, so if there’s absolutely nothing else, maybe
Carla Kelly – sweet Regency romances, large 1990s back catalogue, newer work has Mormon themes
Caroline Linden – off to a good start, great potential, almostalmost an autobuy
Julia Quinn – An excellent place to launch your reading. Start with The Bridgertons

My Favourite Characters

Reject Pile (see also the “Attempted” list from 2012)

Gayle Callen – Too serious for my taste, nicely enough written, reasonably romantic.
Kresley Cole – Failed paranormal romance experiment
Lila DiPasqua – Undone (Fiery Tales) – Some words should NEVER be seen in a romance novel! Ew.
Gaelen Foley – She used the word “orifice” in a love scene.
Shana Galen – Perfectly pleasant, occasionally quite good, but nothing special
Karen Hawkins – Too slow getting going.
Cheryl Holt – Fantastic banter but wildly, distractingly uneven tone, also sexist.
Lorelei James – God, no! Contemporary. Cowboys.
Sophie Jordan – consummation on the floor of a rat infested cellar they were not locked in
Kieran Kramer – Bland. If You Give a Girl a Viscount.
Stephanie Laurens – Read in 2012. 30 page love scenes. Don’t do it.
Jade Lee – Wedded in Scandal Muddled story, uneven tone, vacillating and inconsistent leads.
Julianne MacLean – Nothing special.
Dorothy McFalls – The Nude – Abused widow gets obsessive new husband. How wonderfully unhealthy!
Suzanna Medeiros – Pedestrian, and I hate it when they’re both insanely beautiful.
Kate Noble – Very good, just not my style: Regency spies, mostly chaste.
Amelia Nolan – Although I absolutely APPLAUD the feminist sexuality of the heroine.
Anya Wylde – Oh, honey, no.

The Shameful Tally 2012

1. In the Arms of a Marquess – Katharine Ashe (Ben)
2. The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie – Jennifer Ashley (Ian, not surprisingly/Beth)
3. Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage – Jennifer Ashley (Mac/Isabella)
4. Many Sins of Lord Cameron – Jennifer Ashley (Cameron/Ainsley)
5. The Duke’s Perfect Wife – Jennifer Ashley (Hart/Eleanor)
6. Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift – Jennifer Ashley (Ian, Mac, Cam, Hart)
7. The Seduction of Elliott McBride – Jennifer Ashley (Elliott/Juliana) – CBRV Review
8. Slightly Scandalous – Mary Balogh (Joshua/Freya)
9. Slightly Dangerous – Mary Balogh (Wulfric, no, seriously, WULFRIC/Christine) CLASSIC
10. Simply Perfect – Mary Balogh (Joseph/Claudia)
11. Simply Love – Mary Balogh (Sydnam/Anne)
12. The Soldier – Grace Burrowes (Devlin)
13. Lady Sophia’s Christmas Wish – Grace Burrowes (Vim/Wilhelm)
14. Miss Wonderful – Loretta Chase (Alistair/Mirabel)
15. Mr. Impossible – Loretta Chase (Rupert/Daphne)
16. Lord Perfect – Loretta Chase (Benedict/Bathsheba)
17. Not Quite a Lady – Loretta Chase (Darius/Charlotte)
18. Last Night’s Scandal – Loretta Chase (Lord Lisle/Olivia)
19. Captives of the Night – Loretta Chase (Ismal/Leila)
20. Lord of Scoundrels – Loretta Chase (Sebastian, Marquess of Dain/Jessica) CLASSIC
21. The Last Hellion – Loretta Chase (Vere/Lydia)
22. Silk Is for Seduction – Loretta Chase (Gervase, Lord Clevedon/)
23. Scandal Wears Satin – Loretta Chase (Harry, Lord Longmore/Sophy)
24. One Dance with a Duke – Tessa Dare (Spencer/Amelia)
25. Twice Tempted by a Rogue – Tessa Dare (Rhys/Merry)
26. Three Nights with a Scoundrel – Tessa Dare (Julian/Lily)
27. The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright – Tessa Dare novella (Harry/Eliza)
28. A Night to Surrender – Tessa Dare (Bram/Susanna)
29. Once Upon a Winter’s Eve – Tessa Dare novella (Christian/Violet)
30. A Week to Be Wicked – Tessa Dare (Colin/Minerva)
31. A Lady by Midnight – Tessa Dare (Thorne/Kate)
32. The Duke’s Tattoo – Miranda Davis (Ainsworth)
33. The Duchess – Jude Deveraux (Trevelyan)
34. Almost Perfect – Denise Domning (Lucien)
35. A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal – Meredith Duran (Simon/Nell)
36. Wicked Becomes You – Meredith Duran (Alex/Gwen)
37. Always a Scoundrel – Suzanne Enoch (Bram/Rosamund)
38. A Beginner’s Guide to Rakes – Suzanne Enoch (Oliver/Diane)
39. Taming an Impossible Rogue – Suzanne Enoch (Keating/Camille)
40. Rules of an Engagement – Suzanne Enoch (Shaw/Zephyr, I’m not making that up)
41. A Lady’s Guide to Improper Behaviour – Suzanne Enoch (Tolly, Bartholomew/Tess)
42. To Challenge the Earl of Cravenswood – Bronwen Evans novella (Henry) (God awful)
43. Outlander – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie/Claire) CLASSIC
44. Dragonfly in Amber – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie/Claire)
45. Voyager – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie/Claire)
46. Drums of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie/Claire)
47. The Fiery Cross – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie/Claire)
48. A Breath of Snow and Ashes – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie/Claire)
49. An Echo in the Bone – Diana Gabaldon (Jamie/Claire)
50. Saving Grace – Julie Garwood (Gabriel/Joanna, I think)
51. The Gift – Julie Garwood (Nathan/Sara)
52. Ransom – Julie Garwood (Brodick/Gillian)
53. Honour’s Splendour – Julie Garwood (Duncan/Madelyne)
54. Prince Charming – Julie Garwood (Lucas)
55. The Bride – Julie Garwood (Alec/Jamie)
56. A Gentleman Undone – Cecilia Grant (Will/Lydia)
57. Scandal of the Year – Linda Lee Guhrke (Aidan/Julia)
58. The Wild One – Danelle Harmon (Gareth)
59. The Wicked One – Danelle Harmon (Lucien, I know)
60. She Tempts the Duke – Lorraine Heath (Sebastian/Mary)
61. Lord of Temptation – Lorraine Heath (Tristan/Anne)
62. The Raven Prince – Elizabeth Hoyt (Edward)
63. How to Woo a Reluctant Lady – Sabrina Jeffries (Giles)
64. One Starlit Night – Carolyn Jewel novella (Crispin)
65. Surrender – Lisa Kleypas novella (Jason)
66. Stranger in My Arms – Lisa Kleypas (Hunter)
67. Suddenly You – Lisa Kleypas (Jack/Amanda)
68. Then Came You – Lisa Kleypas (Alex/Lily)
69. Dreaming of You – Lisa Kleypas (Derek/Sarah) CLASSIC
70. Where’s My Hero – Lisa Kleypas Novella (Jake/Lydia, but actually read for Derek)
71. Somewhere I’ll Find You – Lisa Kleypas (Damon, Lord Savage [!]/Julia)
72. Because You’re Mine – Lisa Kleypas (Logan/Madeline)
73. Where Dreams Begin – Lisa Kleypas (Zachary/Holland Taylor [!]) FAVE
74. Someone to Watch Over Me – Lisa Kleypas (Grant/Victoria)
75. Lady Sophia’s Lover – Lisa Kleypas (Ross/Sophia)
76. Worth Any Price – Lisa Kleypas (Nick/Charlotte)
77. Again the Magic – Lisa Kleypas (McKenna/Aline plus the spectacular Gideon/Livia)
78. Secrets of a Summer Night – Lisa Kleypas Wallflowers Book 1 (Simon/Annabelle) FAVE
79. It Happened One Autumn – Lisa Kleypas Wallflowers Book 2 (Marcus/Lillian)
80. The Devil in Winter Lisa Kleypas Wallflowers Book 3 (Sebastian/Evie) CLASSIC
81. Scandal in the Spring – Lisa Kleypas Wallflowers Book 4 (Matthew/Daisy)
82. A Wallflower Christmas – Lisa Kleypas (Rafe/Hannah, but really Sebastian & Simon)
83. Mine till Midnight – Lisa Kleypas Hathaways Book 1 (Cam/Amelia)
84. Seduce Me at Sunrise – Lisa Kleypas Hathaways Book 2 (Kev/Win)
85. Tempt Me at Twilight – Lisa Kleypas Hathaways Book 3 (Harry/Poppy) – FAVE
86. Married by Morning – Lisa Kleypas Hathaways Book 4 (Leo/Catherine)
87. Love in the Afternoon – Lisa Kleypas Hathaways Book 5 (Christopher/Beatrix)
88. Temptation and Surrender – Stephanie Laurens (Jonas)
89. An Ideal Bride – Stephanie Laurens (Michael)
90. One Night in London – Caroline Linden (Edward/Francesca)
91. Blame It on Bath – Caroline Linden (Gerard/Kate)
92. The Way to a Duke’s Heart – Caroline Linden (Charlie/Tessa)
93. The Heir – Johanna Lindsey (Duncan)
94. To Love a Thief – Julie Anne Long (Gideon/Lily)
95. The Perils of Pleasure – Julie Anne Long (Colin/Madeline)
96. Like No Other Lover – Julie Anne Long (Miles/Cynthia)
97. Since the Surrender – Julie Anne Long (Chase/Rosalind)
98. I Kissed an Earl – Julie Anne Long (Asher/Violet)
99. What I Did for a Duke – Julie Anne Long (Alex/Genevieve) CLASSIC
100. How the Marquess Was Won – Julie Anne Long (Julian/Phoebe)
101. A Notorious Countess Confesses – Julie Anne Long (Adam/Evie, I know)
102. Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake – Sarah MacLean (Gabriel/Calpurnia)
103. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart – Sarah MacLean (Simon/Isabella)
104. A Rogue by Any Other Name – Sarah MacLean (Michael, Bourne/Penelope)
105. Proof by Seduction – Courtney Milan (Gareth/Jenny)
106. Trial By Desire – Courtney Milan (Ned)
107. The Lady Always Wins – Courtney Milan novella (Simon/Virginia)
108. Unveiled – Courtney Milan (Ash/Margaret)
109. Unclaimed – Courtney Milan (Mark/Jessica)
110. Unraveled – Courtney Milan (Smite/Miranda) CLASSIC
111. Unlocked – Courtney Milan Novella (Evan/Elaine)
112. The Governess Affair – Courtney Milan Novella (Hugo/Serena)
113. What Happened at Midnight – Courtney Milan novella (John/Mary)
114. The Duchess War – Courtney Milan (Robert/Minerva)
115. A Kiss for Midwinter – Courtney Milan novella (Jonas/Lydia) CLASSIC
116. Almost Heaven – Judith McNaught (Ian/Elizabeth) OLD SCHOOL
117. Once and Always – Judith McNaught (Jason/Victoria)
118. The Rake – Mary Jo Putney (Reggie)
119. Everything and the Moon – Julia Quinn (Robert/Victoria)
120. Brighter Than the Sun – Julia Quinn (Charles/Ellie)
121. The Duke and I – Julia Quinn Bridgerton Book 1 (Simon/Daphne)
122. The Viscount Who Loved – Julia Quinn Bridgerton Book 2 (Anthony/Kate)
123. An Offer from a Gentleman – Julia Quinn Bridgerton Book 3 (Benedict/Sophy)
124. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton – Julia Quinn Bridgerton Book 4 (Colin/Penelope)
125. To Sir Phillip, With Love – Julia Quinn Bridgerton Book 5 (Phillip/Eloise)
126. When He Was Wicked – Julia Quinn Bridgerton Book 6 (Michael/Francesca)
127. It’s In His Kiss – Julia Quinn Bridgerton Book 7 (Gareth/Hyacinth)
128. What Happens In London – Julia Quinn (Harry/Olivia)
129. Ten Things I Love About You – Julia Quinn (Sebastian/Annabel)
130. Just Like Heaven – Julia Quinn (Marcus/Honoria)
131. A Night Like This – Julia Quinn (Daniel/Anne)
132. Whisky Dreams – Ranae Rose novella (Brom/John)
133. Vows – LaVyrle Spencer (Tom/Emily)
134. The Wallflower – Who Cares (Noah)
135. A Rose in Winter – Kathleen Woodiwiss (Christopher/Erienne)

134 books/40+ authors

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.

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