Comfort Reads discussion

Suggestions for contemporary romance here please.

Jennifer Crusie writes funny contemporary romances. Three of hers I've read are

I've really enjoyed Victoria Clayton's books. Funny, warm, romantic, take-into-the-tub type of books.

I've read a few of Victoria Clayton's books too. They are quite good and I had completely forgotten about her. Great suggestions Gabriele!!!

Love the cover art on those Victoria Clayton books!

Yes, I find them very appealing as well.

I especially love British Chick-Lit by Hester Browne Sophie Kinsella and Katie Fforde They are all warm, fun, and wise!

I've never read a Victoria Clayton but they sound yummy!

Kathryn wrote: "I especially love British Chick-Lit by Hester Browne Sophie Kinsella and Katie Fforde "

Kathryn,

Any favorites by these three authors? If you list one or more for each, I can put them on the group's bookshelf. Or, feel free to add them yourself, to all the shelves that apply to each book.

Thanks!

So far, I've only read Hester Browne's "Little Lady Agency" books and they are all wonderful so I definitely recommend starting with the first The Little Lady Agency

For Katie Fforde, I loved Stately Pursuits best but Second Thyme Around and Life Skills are also very good--just depends which subject you like best.

And Sophie Kinsella is best known for her Confessions of a Shopaholic and I love that series though I think the heroine is a love her or hate her kind of gal, so if Becky Bloomwood is not your cup of tea, then check out Kinsella's latest, Twenties Girl: A Novel

Thanks, Kathryn! I'll add them, and check a couple of them out!

Kathryn wrote: "I've never read a Victoria Clayton but they sound yummy! "

Yup, they are, Kathryn. I'm waiting for Twenties Girl: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella to come out in paperback. (I have lots to read in the meantime.)

Like Kathryn I have a stack of Katie Fforde books for comfort reads. They sit next to the Trisha Ashleys :)

I hope this is the right thread to confess my absolute romance comfort reads are Harlequin Mills and Boons category romances. I have a double stacked shelf of favourites from the last thirty years (collected second hand--I'm 34). In an hour or two I can read a complete story, anything from sweet to sexy, with the happy ending guaranteed and a laugh and tear along the way.

Favourite authors include Emma Goldrick, Sophie Weston, Susan Napier, Penny Jordan, Leigh Michaels, Cait London, Susan Fox, Jessica Hart, the list goes on.

Hey Jennie, you are definitely in the right place! I've never heard of Mills and Boons category romances. How are they different from regular Harlequin romances?

It's just a naming thing. For ages Australia followed the UK and we read "Mills and Boon". Then Harlequin acquired the UK "Mills and Boon" and started to rebadge as "Harlequin". They're the same books.

I think they've abandoned this rebadging in Australia (everyone here recognises Mills and Boon, it's shorthand for "romance novel"), but in an effort (clearly doomed) to be clear, I call them Harlequin Mills and Boon.

Do you have a favorite Trisha Ashley, Jenny? I've been curious about her work.

Kathryn, I rave about "The Urge to Jump" as my favourite (which is a big call) ever novel with a writer as heroine. It's probably also the only novel where lapses into present tense don't drive me batty. But I'm not sure if it's one of those novels you either love or loathe. For general readability and the sense of making and keeping new (fictional) friends, I think Ashley's "Winter's Tale" is the best. Who can resist a main character who shamefaced admits she loves cleaning? and she certainly has enough cleaning to keep her occupied as she's restoring an English heritage house, coping with tricky relatives and arguing with a yummy gardener.

Thanks, Jenny! I already have "Winter's Tale" on my To-Read list, and will now add "The Urge to Jum" as well :-)

Happy reading, Kathryn :)

I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips. "This Heart of Mine," "Natural Born Charmer," and "Match Me If You Can" are favorites. For a real treat listen to them as audio books. The narrator Anna Fields does a great job injecting the humor of the characters into the story..Enjoy!

I just read Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas and I really enjoyed it! It was such an emotional book and this was my first contemporary romance book I have read from Lisa Kleypas. I would recommend this book!

I really enjoy Rachel Gibson's books - she has a series about an ice hockey team - which if you aren't a huge hockey fan you won't pick up on some of the sports inconsistencies which are cute

Victoria Dahl has a series I enjoy as well and the aforementioned Susan Elizabeth Phillips (her chicago stars series) and Lisa Klepya's contemps (although I do like her historicals more)

I have really enjoyed most of Julie James' contemporary reads. I'm currently reading and it's great so far!

I just finished the two books in the "Trouble" series by Erin Kern. I really enjoyed them

I would recommend Robyn Carr's Virgin River Series they're some of the few contemporary romances I read and they're amazing! I'm on book 9 I believe and I love them, reading them is like coming home they're such cozy reads.
The first one is :)

Thanks Kimberly. As a matter of fact I have her entire collection. Anxiously waiting for the new one. She is my all time favorite writer. I am hopelessly in love with Jack. He is my ideal "fantasy" man.

I love Jack too, Him and Mel are my favourites from the series.

They are so funny together. The things, profound and stupid that come out Jack's mouth.

Just finished in a day "Lonely Millionaire" by Carol Grace. An easy, sweet reading Romance book. Great for a rainy day book.

Ronyell wrote: "I just read Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas and I really enjoyed it! It was such an emotional book and this was my first contemporary romance book I have read from Lisa Kleypas. I wo..."

Thanks for this review. I added it to my to-read list