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Top 100 Romances: results are in
So here they are. I had 13 from my list make on AAR's. Is that bad or good? The books made it on the list, but in radically different positions from where I placed them.
| Title | Author | My Rank | AAR's Rank | Diff. +/- | Comments | |
| The Windflower |  | Laura London1 | 1 | 75 | -74 | Despite this being, like, the perfect romance, I really didn't expect it to make the top 10 or even the top 25. But 75 seems a bit low to me. |
| The Shadow and the Star* |  | Laura Kinsale | 2 | 37 | -35 | Not surprised at this ranking. |
| To Have and To Hold** |  | Patricia Gaffney | 6 | 34 | -28 | This is a little higher than I'd have guessed for such a love it/hate it book. Interesting that such a polarizing book is the only Gaffney to make this list. |
| Heaven, Texas |  | Susan Elizabeth Phillips | 8 | 33 | -25 | The ranking here is unsurprising. I expected It Had to Be You to be the SEP frontrunner. What's hard to swallow is the Nobody's Baby But Mine placed so much higher. |
| Morning Glory |  | LaVyrle Spencer | 16 | 81 | -65 | #81 seems a little low for such a classic romance. |
| Untie My Heart* |  | Judith Ivory | 26 | 66 | -40 | Another polarizer. I'm not surprised The Proposition came in higher. That's Ivory's biggest (and only?) feel-good romance. |
| Flowers from the Storm* |  | Laura Kinsale | 29 | 5 | +24 | I find it surprising that this one comes in so high considering how often Maddie is criticized for being "intolerant" and how much religion/inaccessible language the book contains. |
| Kiss an Angel** |  | Susan Elizabeth Phillips | 32 | 59 | -27 | Phillips must have fantastic overall appeal for this one to have made the list. I love it, but I love alpha jerks. |
| Over the Edge |  | Suzanne Brockmann | 48 | 40 | +8 | I'm a little surprised at how Brockmann's Troubleshooters series has exclipsed her Tall, Dark and Dangerous one. I far preferred the TDD books. |
| The Proposition |  | Judith Ivory | 51 | 49 | -2 | Look how closely the rankings match. Only two off. |
| Welcome to Temptation |  | Jennifer Crusie | 66 | 9 | +57 | Obviously this one is more universally loved than it is loved by me. |
| Bet Me |  | Jennifer Crusie | 71 | 8 | +63 | This one too. I mean, I like it a lot, but it didn't change my life. |
| Match Me If You Can |  | Susan Elizabeth Phillips | 87 | 36 | +51 | This one barely made my list. |
I was surprised to see that Carla Kelly didn't make the list and only one Regency and one category romance. The scattering of newer titles like Hoyt's The Serpent Prince and Nalini Singh's Slave to Sensation aren't really surprising. They're hot right now and are on people's minds. I'd be surprised if they make it on the list two polls from now, though. But that The Bronze Horseman didn't make it and After the Night did? Well, that's just wrong. I'm not at all surprised that the YA titles by Dessen, McCafferty or others didn't make it or that Sharon Shinn didn't see a title crack the list. Sad, but not surprised. And it's just a tragedy that not one title by Kathleen Gilles Seidel didn't make it either. How can Passion by Lisa Valdez make it and not Archangel or Till the Stars Fall? Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
Well - I'm glad After the Night made it :) it's one of my favourites, but
some are a bit confusing. The Bronze Horseman certainly was a surprise -
and then I checked and it wasn't on MY ballot. And while I enjoyed Lisa
Valdez's Passion, for me it was surprise it made it to the top 100. And I
think with Kathleen Gilles Seidel, sadly she's just not that recognized an
author for many. It is a shame that Till the Stars Fall didn't make it.
I know Ward has lots of fans, and I know the list is fun, but that Ward is
on this list and The Bronze Horsemand isn't...'shakes head'. Or A Place to
Call Home by Deborah Smith.
Margaret and Kristie -
The Bronze Horseman is a real omission, I think. And A Place to Call Home
should be there too. This 2007 list isn't very diverse, I'm afraid. But
that's what happens when you have voting - surprising results. I didn't
vote for Hoyt or Ward, but they do seem to have their share of fans.
"How can Passion by Lisa Valdez make it and not Archangel or Till the Stars
Fall? Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong."
You know, I had no idea Shana Abe was selling so well. I've read her a
couple of times, but she didn't really click with me.
I read one of Abe's straight historicals, Intimate Enemies, and while it
wasn't bad, it also didn't wow me. She has really grown a lot as a writer,
so if the Abe books you've tried weren't the recent ones, I'd advise you to
try her paranormals specifically, starting with The Smoke Thief. It's
leaps and bounds better than Intimate Enemies, and reads more like a blend
of romance and historical fantasy than like your typical paranormal
romance.
May I copy your format? I've been going through the list and rankings and
adding a few of my own to the list that I'm working on. I like how you set
yours up. I also noticed Kathleen Eagle was missing as well. Another
wonderful contemporary romance writer and agree with you on Kathleen Gilles
Seidel and why The Bronze Horseman got knocked off the list baffles me. Out
of sight, out of mind, perhaps?
Keishon - go ahead and copy away. I'm glad you like the format. It took
me awhile to do all the data entry, but I enjoy me a little anal-retentive
project like that.