I stole this from ReneeW. This list is from AAR’s top 100 romances, in 2004. I’ve emboldened the ones I’ve read, and the ones in red are on my TBR pile.
1. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
2. Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
3. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie
4. As You Desire by Connie Brockway
5. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie This has been on the TBR forever
6. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
8. Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann
9. All Through the Night by Connie Brockway
10. Sea Swept by Nora Roberts
11. It Had to be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
12. A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh
13. Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer
14. The Proposition by Judith Ivory
15. A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
16. Ravished by Amanda Quick
17. Frederica by Georgette Heyer
18. Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly
19. MacKenzie’s Mountain by Linda Howard
20. Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
21. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
22. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
23. The Bride by Julie Garwood
24. Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens
25. To Have and to Hold by Patricia Gaffney
26. Born in Fire by Nora Roberts
27. Winter Garden by Adele Ashworth
28. Gone Too Far by Suzanne Brockmann
29. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
30. Saving Grace by Julie Garwood
31. My Dearest Enemy by Connie Brockway
32. In the Midnight Rain by Barbara Samuel
33. The Windflower by Laura London
34. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
35. Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
36. Nobody’s Baby but Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
37. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
38. Paradise by Judith McNaught
39. The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale
40. Dream Man by Linda Howard
41. Out of Control by Suzanne Brockmann
42. Silk and Shadows by Mary Jo Putney
43. See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson
44. Shattered Rainbows by Mary Jo Putney
45. Thunder and Roses by Mary Jo Putney
46. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
47. Heart Throb by Suzanne Brockmann
48. For My Lady’s Heart by Laura Kinsale
49. Honor’s Splendor by Julie Garwood
50. Lord Carew’s Bride by Mary Balogh
51. Untie my Heart by Judith Ivory
52. Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
53. The Secret by Julie Garwood
54. This is All I Ask by Lynn Kurland
55. Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
56. One Perfect Rose by Mary Jo Putney
57. To Love and to Cherish by Patricia Gaffney
58. Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
59. Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
60. Venetia by Georgette Heyer
61. Daughter of the Game by Tracy Grant
62. The Prize by Julie Garwood
63. Reforming Lord Ragsdale by Carla Kelly
64. Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann
65. The Notorious Rake by Mary Balogh
66. Heartless by Mary Balogh
67. Son of the Morning by Linda Howard
68. Sleeping Beauty by Judith Ivory
69. Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas
70. The Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer
71. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
72. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegar
73. With This Ring by Carla Kelly
74. The Lion’s Lady by Julie Garwood
75. The Rake by Mary Jo Putney
76. Fallen from Grace by Laura Leone
77. Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath
78. Castles by Julie Garwood
79. One Good Turn by Carla Kelly
80. Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts
81. By Arrangement by Madeline Hunter
82. Perfect by Judith McNaught
83. My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth
84. The Defiant Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
85. The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
86. Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke
87. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
88. Kill and Tell by Linda Howard
89. After the Night by Linda Howard
90. More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh
91. Born in Ice by Nora Roberts
92. Miss Wonderful by Loretta Chase
93. The Charm School by Susan Wiggs
94. Scoundrel by Elizabeth Elliott
95. How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn
96. Angel Rogue by Mary Jo Putney
97. Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz (Never read Krentz)
98. Dancing on the Wind by Mary Jo Putney
99. Once and Always by Judith McNaught
100. This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
So, I’ve read 25 of the books, and have a further 11 on my TBR pile. Not bad to say that a lot of these books seem to be hystericals.
So how many of these have you guys read?
Barbara B.
August 18
4:49 pm
I’ve read 7 out of the top ten and about 30 altogether. I own over half of them. If only I could get #68, Judith Ivory’s Sleeping Beauty, I’d be a happier woman, at least for a while. It’s out of print and rarely to be found in a UBS. Ivory is my all-time favorite romance wrtiter, but prolific she is not. There are some really wonderful books on this list.
shayera
August 18
5:47 pm
I’ve read 57 of them. Which is not too surprising becuase I’m a glommer and if I find I’ve enjoyed one book by an author, I will run out and buy everything I can find.
Marg
August 18
9:55 pm
I think I ahve read just over 20
Lynne Simpson
August 18
11:36 pm
Wow, I’ve read 24 of them. I agree with putting LoS at the top of the list. I picked it up after reading Mrs. Giggles’ review, and it’s one of the few books where I wouldn’t change one stinkin’ word. I love that book. It’s interesting that there are so few F/F/P books on the list. A number of my keepers are in that category.
I highly recommend Brockway’s As You Desire, Karen. Not that you need another book in your TBR pile, though! 🙂
Rosie
August 19
6:43 am
I saw this list on Rosario’s site and have been meaning to go back and copy it to check out what I’ve read. I just did the count. I’ve read 60 of them and have 2 in my TBR. There’s a couple I’m not sure of because it’s been so long and I wasn’t keeping a list like I’ve started now.
Pretty unbelievable…I was surprised.
Dawn
August 19
8:22 am
I started down the list, getting further and further – sh*t I haven’t read any of those! Then Prince Joe thank God! 1 that I’ve read. I’ve read 3 in total, including Jane Eyre and After the Night. PJ and AtN great stories. I read Jane Eyre when I was at school and thought it was OK, maybe I ought to revisit it now I’m older.
Monica
August 19
7:13 pm
I have read one, maybe two. I read Time Traveler’s Wife.
And if one of those by Sue Elizabeth Phillips is that frickin’ ridiculous one about a genius chick who went and slutted a one night stand by a football player without a rubber because she didn’t want a smart kid? I read that one. Sheesh.
An epiphany. I guess I’m not much of a romance reader.
Katieb
August 20
5:14 am
I have actually read 80 of the 100, the rest does not interest me!
Here are the ones I haven’t read:
Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann
Frederica by Georgette Heyer
Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
Gone Too Far by Suzanne Brockmann
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Out of Control by Suzanne Brockmann
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Heart Throb by Suzanne Brockmann
Untie my Heart by Judith Ivory
Venetia by Georgette Heyer
Reforming Lord Ragsdale by Carla Kelly
Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann
The Notorious Rake by Mary Balogh
The Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer
With This Ring by Carla Kelly
One Good Turn by Carla Kelly
The Defiant Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
How to Marry a Marquis by Julia Quinn
Kat O+
September 5
9:38 am
My score was pretty dismal, all things considered. Unfortunately, I haven’t read some of the more popular authors on this list!
Barbara, I have a copy of Sleeping Beauty that I’ve been trying to offload for AGES. It’s going back to Borders if I can’t sell it to the secondhand store or swap it. So…wanna swap? I’m not a big Judith Ivory fan. I like her premises, I like her characterisation but she just doesn’t touch my heart, for some reason. E-mail me if you’re interested in a swap. 🙂