List-O-Rama: Authors I Heart, Romance Specialists Edition

For the next installment in the series about my favorite authors, I thought I’d write about some of my favorite Romance writers.

These three authors all have specialties, ranging from novels set in Australia to books about spies. They’re not unlike Ocean’s Eleven, each with an expertise in something unique. I picture them dressed in black with Batman-style utility belts, prepared for anything.

Karina Bliss

Karina Bliss

Her expression shut faster than a poked clam. “I’ll just get a cardigan.”

He might not be a hellraiser anymore but Devin valued his reputation. “Haven’t you got anything sexy?”

“Yes,” said Rachel, “my mind.”

I  own every single Karina Bliss book. I have shelled out for them all. As I’ve mentioned before, I  will continue to do so until one of us dies—this commitment is that serious. That pretty much sums it up.

Bliss specializes in contemporary category  romance set in her native New Zealand and Australia. Her books  are consistently engaging and- dare I say it- heartwarming. I’ve already  mentioned Bring Him Home and What the Librarian Did (here and here)  but next up would probably be Mr. Unforgettable. The plot centers around Liz, the mayor of a small beach community, and Luke, a retired Olympic swimmer. Liz is slowly recovering from the death of her late husband, trying to redefine her identity. She’s thrown into contact with Luke in his attempt to found a camp for underprivileged kids. Their journeys from difficult childhoods to happiness become inextricably intertwined.

Note: those of you who  understandably dislike Alpha Male Syndrome™ should probably avoid Like Father, Like Son.

{Karina Bliss on Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website}

Sherry Thomas

I had this daft idea to come and bury the past. Except the past is not quite dead.

Sherry Thomas is the Queen of Angst. She writes historical English romances with the explicit bits, all the more interesting because,

English  is Sherry’s second language—she has come a long way from the days when  she made her laborious way through Rosemary Roger’s SWEET SAVAGE LOVE with an English-Chinese dictionary.

That’s  got to be a great story, right? I just want to be her friend. Or to  steal her life in a crazed roommate-style plot. My favorites of her books are the previously mentionedNot Quite a Husband and His at Night. His at Night features a hero who isn’t what he seems and a heroine trapped in a well disguised hell. They learn to trust slowly, eventually sharing their real selves with each other. The results are transformative and widespread.

(Her books have the best covers! I tend to wince and hide most of my  romance covers, but hers are a perfect blend of truth-in-advertising and  great art. Sigh.)

{Sherry Thomas on Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website}

Joanna  Bourne

I want to climb on top and lace my fingers right down  into the marrow of your bones and cast off and fly. I want to sail you  like a kite in the sky. I want you holding on to me for dear life.

Another romance writer with a definite specialty, Bourne  writes historical novels about spies during the French Revolution. Her characters are usually multilingual and the writing  reflects it, shifting the sentence structure in a subtle indication of  what language is being spoken. This lady knows her stuff, concerning  both language and history. Try The Forbidden Rose and its companion  novel The Black Hawk.

The Forbidden Rose follows Marguerite, the daughter of a French aristocrat who smuggles imperilled french nobility into England. Her resistance network is being targeted, its members killed, and she’s in danger. Doyle, an English spy, has his own mysterious deaths to investigate. He believes Marguerite holds the answers and doggedly sets about trying to learn them.

{Joanna Bourne on Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website}

Do you have favorite authors with definite specialties? Do you by any chance picture them dressed in black, ready to kick ass?