I got an excellent book recommendation while reading Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, a wonderfully snarky site for romance novel lovers. Yes, I enjoy romance novels. I have since I was about 12. There are many great feminist defenses of romance novels out there, so I’m not going to bother getting het up about judgment against the genre when I’m so totally in love with this book.

Loretta Chase, “Lord of Scoundrels”

The cover is blah, yes, but the book is dynamite. Seriously. It’s freakin’ fantastic. It may be the best romance novel I’ve ever read. It’s like an amplified version of Amanda Quick’s “Ravished” (longtime favorite, I’ve practically memorized it, I’ve read it so many times). It’s funny, it’s sexy, it’s got just enough drama to keep it going without the mutual main character emotional carnage that some authors *cough*Elizabeth Lowell’s early stuff *cough* like to wreak but is tediously tiresome for the reader. Really, by halfway through a Judith McNaught novel, I want to take the heroine aside for a drinky-poo and tell her, “Honey, you need to leave that bastard, and take everything in the divorce. Stop taking his shit.” This is why I only read three McNaughts and then stopped – even at 16, I found it annoying. There are no painful misunderstandings in this book, which is a huge relief.

Jessica, the heroine of “Lord of Scoundrels”, is delightfully emotionally mature. She recognizes her own bullshit, is up-front about whatever she’s thinking and feeling, and informs her man – the Marquess of Dain – what his baggage is and how he ought to deal with it. It’s great. I can’t even tell you how much I love her.

I checked this book out from the library, but I’ll definitely be hitting Barnes & Noble to pick up a copy to keep, and no doubt re-read many times. Extremely well done, Ms. Chase. Brava! For the first time ever, I’m inspired to actually write to an author and tell her how amazing I think she is. Normally I am too lazy, but I’ll be damned if I don’t shoot her an email to tell her how great this book is. SMTB rated her other works with high praise, so I’ll be picking up a few more when I buy my copy of this one. It’s such a relief to find a new author I love. Now she needs to write more, so I can eagerly await their publications, as I used to do with Julie Garwood (before she started writing the romantic suspense set in present day things she’s doing now – the first two were good, and the third all right, but they went swiftly downhill. Nothing can top “Ransom” or “The Wedding”, I think, though. I crack up every time Brenna harangues Jamie about her tapestry of William the Conqueror, even after reading the book a dozen times).