I'm in a book club and while we have read many great books we have not read a romance/love story (just remembered we have read the Time Travellers wife). It's my choice soon and I'm looking for one that isn't a Mills and Boon but maybe a little more raunchy than "Love in the time of cholera" . What is a favourite of yours?

An oldie but a goodie is PaulLina Simons The Bronze Horseman. Very sad but a great read.

Have you done The Bride Stripped Bare by Anonymous ( Nikki Gemmel)?

It's fairly high on the raunch scale and not Mills and Boon.

Not sure if you are interested in historical romance but Lake in the Clouds by Sara Donati is an awesome read. It basically follows on the story of Last of the Mohicans (Daniel Day-Lewis was in the movie and made me drool).

Also The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. Sometimes I buy books purely based on the cover art - and this was one of them. I was so glad I did as it turned out to be a great "poor girl makes good" story. The romance factor is childhood sweethearts and will they or won't they be reunited. Again though, the book is set around the late 1800's...so a period piece.

The Tea Rose

Lake in the Clouds

Thanks for your suggestions. I lurve Paulina Simons and have read the "Bride stripped bare" (certainly fulfills the raunch quotient!!!). Will have a delve into your suggestions Acerbic.

Thanks again.

The first book that popped into my head is Possesion by A.S. Byatt.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guernsey//book/

Awesome book -"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" sooooo much to chat about! Please give it a shot! Love story, history of german occupation during WWII, wonderful book

Oh I love "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" - great book.

I was going to suggest "84 Charing Cross Road"

Thanks for the suggestions, I will definitely look into these, will read them even if i dont use them for book club.

I missed this thread a few days ago, but had to reply. I love romance, especailly historical romance.

I posted these in another thread, my 3 favourite authors:
Mary Balogh, especially Simply Love (a romance that starts with the heroine running away in shock having glimpsed the disfigured war veteran hero), and Slightly Married.
Connie Brockway , especially the Rose Hunters trilogy
Jo Beverley, my fav being The Shattered Rose (where the hero returns from the Crusades to find his son dead, his wife holding her new baby to another man, and his castle controlled by his wife's lover!)


For a contemporary romance, I'd recommend Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas, which is the first in an excellent trilogy.

Well, I think the Time Travellers Wife is a great love story...

Like Water for Chocolate is also good.

How raunchy are you after?

Lisa Valdez has two historical novels, but the one I'd highly recommend is Passion. This is not a book for the faint hearted though. Extremely raunchy/erotica. Would definately get the book club talking.

Or Lisa Kleypas is a great historical romance novelist as well. Her books are more romance but still with a good steamy edge.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin?
Or Affinity by Sarah Waters....more about lust and obsession though.Actually all but her last book are very erotic. Lesbian erotic.
That should make for interesting discussions at book club!

Good god at the idea of reading Valdez in a bookclub those are some serious erotica!

Loretta Chase, esp _Lord Of Scoundrels_ and Laura Kinsale is absolutely fabulous. _Flowers from the Storm- is wonderful.

Another massive thumbs up for 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'! We just did it for book club and everyone loved it! No raunch to speak of though, just a beautiful story.

Historical raunch - "The Witch of Cologne" by Toshba Learner was good!

Thanks again for the suggestions. I might have to try the erotica first for myself before I put it up for book club . You have definitely all given me books I'm going to add to my personal reading list aswell.

What about Girl With A Pearl Earring? It's beautifully written. We did it for a book club I was in years ago, and it was lovely.