Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

Lovelysalome asked for several different romance recommendations, and while I can’t launch them all at once, I am going to go bit-by-bit to ask for more Bitchery Booklists.

I’d be curious about recommendations for books about non-American / non-English subjects.  Mexico, Australia, the Orient, harems, WWI, Russia, Caribbean, Klondike, other European locales - ANYTHING outside of the regular old settings!

So, what are your recommendations? Bring it on! 

Kate R’s comment that Edith Layton writes some good stories, though she is plagued by bad cover art, gave me an idea - what books and/or authors do you recommend as great stories, despite being afflicted with horrible cover art?  Good books, with bad covers, please! List ‘em up!

(Note: I edited this post at 2.25pm EDT for clarity, as my original wording was not clear, largely due to absence of caffeine in my bloodstream -SBS)

SB Reader Lindsey wrote:

my name is lindsey and i have come to seek your knowledge. i am interested in learning more about 1930’s and 40’s romance novels. The ones my grandma used to read. When she died some short-sighted relative through out her extensive collection of old adventure romance books, and now i want to know about them. she was also a big communist, so i wonder about the connection there. do you know anything about this? any tips on where i might begin to look? im also interested in secondary sources about adventure-romance (since i am a geeky academic). can you smart bitches help me out?

Far be it from me to draw the line connecting adventure romance of the 40’s to Communism, but hey, my father in law works for the Jewish socialists so I’ll ask him tonight. Either way - anyone got any titles or authors for Lindsey to look up?

I have to say, going back to look up the popular literature that your grandparents might have read is a fine idea. I’m seeing my grandmother on Sunday (OH, the joys of having two, no, THREE faiths in one marriage) and I know she loves Wodehouse and Trollope but I wonder if she indulged in the Catherine Coulters of her day.

Leave your answers in the comments, and if you are celebrating Pesach this evening, Chag Sameach! 

Bitchery reader Anon asks, “Please don’t let the Good Shit section languish in obscurity!  It’s been wonderfully helpful.  Could I entreat the Bitchery to solicit Sage Advice on the subject of fantasy and sci-fi with interesting relationships between hero and heroine? 

Here’s my shelf to get things started:

Lois McMaster Bujold, starting with Cordelia’s Honor and all the way
through the Miles Naismith series, also the Chalion series

Doris Egan, Ivory trilogy

R.A. MacAvoy, The Grey Horse and Book of the Kells

Sharon Miller and Steve Lee, Liaden books

Sharon Shinn, Archangel series

Megan Whalen Turner, Queen of Attolia

Caroline Stevermer, A College of Magics

Martha Wells, Wheel of the Infinite

The only problem with all of these books is that I’ve read them so very
many times, and I’d love new suggestions!”

So, you request, we respond! I’m going to open this up to SciFi & Fantasy romance - bring on your recommendations, and if that’s too broad a category, we can narrow it down when we post the final tally. 

Behold! More recommendations from our lovely and immensely well-read readers. Also of possible interest: I’ve also updated the Vampire Romance recommendation list.

recommends the first few books in Catherine Coulter’s FBI series.

recommends pretty much everything Suzanne Brockmann has written, especially her Navy SEAL books, but in she likes these in particular:

• Get Lucky
• The Admiral’s Bride
• Harvard’s Education
• Out of Control
• Over the Edge

AngieW recommends:

• Catherine Coulter’s FBI series, except for the last book. The Maze is her favorite.
• Decoy by Jasmine Creswell
• The “In Death” series by J.D. Robb
• The early Navy SEAL books by Suzanne Brockmann
• Susan Andersen, especially Be My Baby
• Getting Rid of Bradley and What The Lady Wants by Jennifer Crusie
• Dream Man, Kill and Tell and All The Queen’s Men by Linda Howard
• Elizabeth Lowell, especially Tell Me No Lies
• Brenda Joyce’s Deadly series
• Loaded by Shari Shattuck

Shannon recommends:

• Suzanne Brockmann’s SEAL books, and she prefers the ”Tall, Dark and Dangerous” series over the ”Troubleshooter” series.
• Catherine Mann’s Wingmen Warriors series, and Grayson’s Surrender in particular

Amanda recommends Suzanne Brockmann and Cathie Linz’s Men of Honor series.

Candy recommends Getting Rid of Bradley and What The Lady Wants by Jennifer Crusie.

Nicole recommends:

• Christina Skye’s SEALs series: Code Name: Nanny, Code Name: Princess, and Hot Pursuit
• Alison Kent’s SG-5 series: The Bane Affair, The Shaughnessy Accord, The Samms Agenda, The Beach Alibi, The McKenzie Artifact
• Gennita Low: The Protector
• Joanne Rock (Harlequin Blazes): His Wicked Ways and Silk Confessions
• Dana Marton (Harlequin Intrigues): Shadow Soldier and Secret Soldier

recommends

Catherine Mann’s Wingmen Warriors series.

Gail recommends:

• Catherine Mann
• Suzanne Brockmann
• Merline Lovelace in general, and Duty and Dishonor in particular
• Vicki Hinze, especially Acts of Honor
• Susan Andersen, especially Be My Baby
• Michele Jerott/Michele Albert, especially Getting Her Man and Off Limits
• Still Mr. & Mrs. by Mary McBride

Mary recommends the following books by Merline Lovelace:

• Single Titles about the Military:  Call of Duty, Duty and Dishonor, Line of Duty
• Code Name Danger, a series about spies: Night of the Jaguar, The Cowboy and the Cossack, Undercover Man, Perfect Double, Hot as Ice
  Texas Hero, To Love a Thief

And also:
• Olga Bicos: Perfect Timing
• Suzanne Forster: Blush and Innocence (spies)
• Tami Hoag: Night Sins (FBI)

recommends Exposure by Susan Andersen and Loaded by Shari Shattuck.

Maili recommends:

• Theresa Weir’s Bad Karma
• Marilyn Pappano’s Murphy’s Law
• Debra Dixon’s Bad to the Bone
• Michele Jerott’s Absolute Trouble
• Sandra Canfield/Karen Keast’s Conquer the Night
• Nikki Camden’s The Nekkid Truth

cw recommends:

• Doranna Durgin’s novella in Femme Fatale
• Nora Robert’s NIGHTSHADE
• Sandra Brown’s Fat Tuesday
• Stephanie Doyle’s Calculated Risk (HEA implied)
• Linda Howard’s Midnight Rainbow, Diamond Bay, and “Blue Moon”

recommends an anthology called In Love and War, especially Merline Lovelace’s “A Military Affair.”

recommends Kathryn Shay’s Hidden Cove series: After the Fire, On the Line, and Nothing More to Lose, as well as Promises to Keep. 

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