You’ve probably heard me complain before about the lack of romance in London. Of course, I’m not talking about the nooks and crannies where lovers can tuck themselves away for a bit of kissing (yeah, I’ve never really done it either), but the dearth of romance novels available to buy.
If you go into most bookstores – even big chain stores – you’ll find loads of chick lit, plus Nora Roberts and Julia Quinn. Most stores don’t even have a romance section. Amazon.co.uk has quite a few romance novels, but I often have to order from the US and pay extra for shipping.
That’s why I love the City of London libraries. For those of you unfamiliar with London, the City is the financial district. It’s not that big an area, but it’s got several fantastic libraries. The problem is that I’ve nearly exhausted their supply of romance novels, and, if I’m honest, I’d have to say that lots of what they call romance is actually chick lit or just rubbish.
So a few weeks ago I emailed them to suggest a long list of books I thought they should own. The assistant director got back to me today to say most of my list was either out of print (the real classics of the genre) or didn’t have a UK distributor (and here I was hoping libraries had a way around the problems I’ve faced!).
But they were able to order about a third of the novels on my list. So I thought I’d post them here, in case you’re reading this in London and want to read a terrific romance novel. Granted, some of these I haven’t read, and at least one is yet to be published, but they’re by authors who rock my socks off and have gotten great reviews.
In no particular order:
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
Three of Eloisa James’ Desperate Duchesses series (the library already has the other three)
See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson
This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
It Had to be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson
Ravishing in Red by Madeline Hunter
Provocative in Pearls by Madeline Hunter
Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran
Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas
What I Did for Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
