Katharina, blogger and frequent commenter here, shares with us her list of 12 Nora Roberts books everyone should glom (I’m told “glom” means “go buy all the backlist” in book circles)…
Katharina’s 12 Nora Roberts a’Glomming
After having seen Rosario’s Top 12 Nora Roberts picks, I discovered that my favorites by this author are totally different. And because blog goddess Sybil asked me to, I will do my own Duodecimal of lovely Roberts titles.
1. Hidden Riches (’94 & ’04). I discovered this book years ago when I still read romance novels in German. It was my first Nora Roberts and instantly hooked me on her writing.
2. The Dream Trilogy: Daring to Dream (’96 & ’06), Holding the Dream (’97 & ’06), Finding the Dream (’97 & ’06). A totally straight, no “dash of paranormal” series and my most favorite and treasured comfort-read series by this author.
3. The Irish Trilogy: Jewels of the Sun (’99 & ’04), Tears of the Moon (’00), and Heart of the Sea (’00). This one was my very first Nora Roberts trilogy and I devoured the books twice in a row before I could read them like a “normal” person. 🙂
4. Dance Upon the Air (’01). This first book in the Three Sisters Trilogy is a story about a woman who fights for her life and finds her magic vocation after fleeing from an abusive husband.
5. Black Rose (’05). Book 1 of the In the Garden Trilogy. Yay, this one Rosario, too, has on her list. The couple is in their forties and the secret heroine of the story is a fearsome and willful ghost with her own agenda.
6. Face the Fire (’02). This is Book 3 in the Three Sisters Trilogy. When I grow up I want to be like heroine Mia: different, stunning, charming, magical, self-confident, and in posession of the age old knowledge of witchery and magic.
7. Born in Fire (’94). Book 1 in the Concannon Sisters Trilogy (a.k.a. the Born In Trilogy). The heroine is a tiny slip of a woman with one of the most original professions for heroines in Romanceland: she is a glassblower.
8. Carnal Innocence (’92 & ’00). This was my very first Nora Roberts romantic suspense, single title and one of the last books I read in German before I switched to English. This book has everything a romance addict could wish for: strong characters and a grabbing, nail biting plot in a lovingly detailed small-town setting.
9. Honest Illusions (’92 & Jan ’08)is a single title from the early nineties and features one of my favorite plot types, namely about gentleman thieves.
10. Montana Sky (’96, ’97 & ’06). Sky is a romantic suspense title with a lovely dash of Western and a to die-for cowboy hero.
11. Heaven and Earth (’01). Book 2 in the Three Sisters Trilogy has a yummi, geeky, professor-ish hero and a down-to-earth no-bullshit heroine.
12. Angels Fall (’06 & ’07). AF is romantic suspense favorite from Nora Roberts’s more recent single title backlist.
I’d never read Nora Roberts before picking up The Gift last week, her collection of three Christmas stories. OMG. I ate that trio in a day and a half. But she has so much of a back catalogue that the prospect of a serious glom is just…frightening!
Carrie – The good and bad thing about lists like these is it adds to my TBR list something awful. I don’t think I’ve read any on this list, and I feel like I’ve read a lot of Nora.
I you want to read more La Nora, I highly recommend Birthright and her In Death books. The In Deaths are all relatively short, when compared to her other books.
Your number one Nora and my number one Nora are the same. I remember when I first read the book I wanted a New Years Eve Cat Suit like Dora wore.lol….I don’t even want to contimplate what my body would look like now in one of those.
I have read like none on this list but have two, does that count? Wasn’t Heaven and Earth on Ro’s list? Or no that was meljean that said it had a mulder like hero? maybe?
Yay, Katharina, your number one is my number one, Hidden Riches! And *so good* to see Montana Sky on the list too. You have good taste. But, hey… no Chesapeake Bay series, hmm….?
I feel like I’ve read hoards of Nora, but when I look at her backlist I realize that I really haven’t read that many! My favorite is the Chesapeake Bay series because those were my first Noras, but Honest Illusions, your No. 9, Katharina, is also one of my all-time faves. Anyone who will at least pick up one of her books will become an instant fan, just like Carrie.
Sorry, a little late with responding. I flew back from Glasgow on Wednesday, and the last two days I was immersed in my Jane Austen film viewing marathon and didn’t check any blogs. Funnily, the Quinn trilogy (+1) was never on my keeper list and besides the Key trilogy the only one (full novel) series I don’t have at least one book from. I never really liked it, and yes, I know that’s horrible for most fans out there 🙂 As to the hero from Heaven & Earth, he, indeed, has a more introverted personality, but deep running *g* and definitely recommendable and yummi. I have read Birthright recently, and while I totally adored the love story, the suspense/mystery part was really disappointing, I only gave the book a B- (bring out the stones LOL). And I tried her In Death books, but futuristic and I don’t do well, so I’d better leave it. And great that I am not the only one with Hidden Riches on the top of the list. It has so many small and treasured scenes that really make me appreciate the story, hmmmmm ….. sigh ….. re-reading or more Jane Austen? I just wanted to start a “second” take on all the lovely DVDs I bought. As Sybil would say … Le sigh LOL.