Same applies to Kresley Cole books.

I think a lot of these preferences are based on personal expereince and age. Age factors a lot, I think. More than I realized. I started reading romances in my teens and didn’t have the maturity and patience to appreciate the subtleties of some books. I read “Lord of Scroundrels” during that time with no memory of it. And went back to it after it kept showing up on 10 ten lists and loved it. I have no idea why it didn’t appeal to me the first time around.

I had read Jo Goodman then too. I only remember reading the last Compass Club book (mostly the prologue stuck out for me.) But I’ve totally fallen in love with her work in the past year. In searching out her backlist, it turns out I had already read “Only in My Arms” when it was published but I only realized when I got to the end of the book. I bought “Never Love a Lawman” the week it came out but moved during the intervening weeks. It’s going to be my reward for finally unpacking everything.

My first romance ever was a Debbie Macomber category. I think it was about a green card marriage. I even bought her single titles for awhile, but I find her stories too sweet for me now.

BUT I am truly glad others love her books. They are simply not for me. Took me a while to face that music.

Also for me I also have a bit of “being the only person in the room who didnt get the joke” feeling about some authors, and I would like to get the joke now and then.

The author I have the biggest issue with is Jacqueline Carey – I read about 100 pages of the first Kushiel book and then said the 8 Deadly Words.

Katie MacAllister – totally dislike the Aisling Grey books – so whiny and angsty

Heyer can be hit and miss due to quality

Dorothy Dunnet – I tried a Lymond book years ago and completely bounced off it

China Melville – his first book (forgotten the title) again gave it the 100 page test and bounced it off the wall, and everyone raves about him.

I would also go so far as to extrapolate out into certain genres – there are some I just dont get no matter who I read in them – steampunky Victorian stuff I am thinking of here, I can only think of one book (Havemercy) that I actually finished and enjoyed

Colleen Gleason should also tick all the right boxes, but just doesn’t sadly, nor does the Jeanne (?) Frost vampire ones. I love vampire books, but sadly not these. To carry on the rant I just don’t like YA novels that much. I have a teenager so just not wanting to read the angst.

Robin McKinley is another author I hear praised a lot, but cannot get into. I’ve tried both Sunshine and Beauty, but gave up soon after starting them due to boredom. I’ve held on to both books with the intention of giving them another try someday.

I can’t seem to get into any of Gena Showalter’s books.

Kresley Cole doesn’t work for me, either. I barely made it through the first in her Immortals After Dark series, and didn’t even finish the second.

Mary Balogh–Another really strong writer, but her characters usually martyr themselves.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips–Too many zany plotlines and characters acting in unethical, crazy ways. The best example of this is Nobody’s Baby But Mine. Jane’s actions IMO were insane and not forgiveable. But I wish I liked Phillips. She’s clearly an excellent writer and even while wanting to fling her books against walls I can see the humor in them.

Linda Howard—I just don’t get her. I’ve tried many of her older books that I’ve heard good things about. Couldn’t get into any of them.

And remember The Bridges of Madison County? After groaning and laughing my way through that piece of dreck, I wanted to line up everybody who loved the book and cry, “WTF is wrong with you people?” Then I wanted to slap my way down the row a la the Three Stooges.

I kind of feel that way a lot. With most wildly popular books, everyone around me will be trading copies and gushing and drooling, and I’ll be thinking, “Golly, you people are dumb and have no taste.” Of course, I have the same reaction when people don’t like an author I love. Anyone who doesn’t share my taste in books must be lacking in taste.

Yep, it’s all about me.

I have a book-sharing friend. We mostly agree and squee together (you should see our e-mail conversation over the forthcoming Kinsale), but we have some great chasms between us as well, leading us to insult and belittle each other. It’s good to have friends.

Some of Judith Ivory’s books work beautifully for me but “Black Silk” makes me want to poke my eyes out rather than read it again.

Great. I am reading this book for a discussion next month. There’s a reason why Black Silk was never read by me until now. I am determined to read it along with one more and I will have read Judith Ivory’s entire back list.

Stephanie Laurens – Heard a lot of good things about Devil’s Bride. Tried it several times, couldn’t get past the first night in the hut.

Linda Howard – Such a talented writer. Yummy heroes. I just can’t like her heroines. Their voices grated.

Elizabeth Hoyt. I find the fairy tale intros too precious and heavy-handed.

Sherry Thomas. I heard so many raves, but it was meh for me. And I’ll be honest, I don’t get all the raves about lyrical, beautiful writing. Didn’t work for me.

Colleen Gleason. Didn’t work for me, and too much felt ridiculously stereotypical (“it’s Regency times, so we’ll talk about “Society,” for a bit now). I also didn’t find them especially well-written, despite hearing so many people describe them so.

Judith Ivory. I just didn’t love them. I tried Black Silk and Untie my Heart. Neither worked for me, and I didn’t feel like there was enough growth on the part of main characters, especially the heros.

Anne Stuart. I just don’t connect with the characters.

That said, most of the other crowd-splitter authors listed here are ones I love–Georgette Heyer, Dorothy Dunnett, Nalini Singh, Eloisa James (except for one or two)

Caligi re Katie Macalister, have you read the Aisling Greys? I couldn’t finish any of her other books, but love the Aisling Grey stories. *shrug*

Because you witness the process – see the effort the author has put in, and the hopes they have for the book – it’s a different thing disliking that book, than disliking the book of someone you don’t know about. Those are the books I wish I loved.

I’m with you on Jo Beverley. I actually couldn’t even finish My Lady Notorious.

And at risk of losing my romance writing card, I will also admit that Georgette Heyer does not work for me either. I just can’t get into any of her books. And I’m really sad that she does not work for me because I wished she did.

But I know that these two authors—and others who don’t work for me—are because of my personal taste, nothing more. More power to the readers who love the authors who I don’t get.

A lot of people mentioned Eloisa James. I started out loving her, then cooled significantly for all the reasons mentioned above. I quit after Desperate Duchesses. But I recently caved and read her two newest books, and I have to say I enjoyed them. She seemed to move away from all that I found annoying in The Taming of the Duke, Pleasure for Pleasure, and Desperate Duchesses.

Meredith Duran is one I could never get into. I read two of hers based on recommendations, and I never felt a spark. Same with J.R. Ward’s Brotherhood. I read them all but afterwards I asked myself why. I skipped over every section in every book that was from the lessers’ point of view.