Kit's Recommended Reads Part 1

I get a lot of questions about what I would recommend for folks to read.

This, of course, seeing as I’m born of my mother, the Queen of the Grand Statement, made me think I should do a definitive list of all my favorite romance titles. And as with any Grand Statement, you almost immediately need to backtrack because every Grand Statement leads to another Grand Statement that contradicts or changes the previous Grand Statement, especially if you’re talking about definitive lists of romance novels.

So, I’m gonna do a series of blog posts about romance novels I’ve loved that have stayed with me, in some cases, for decades. Though, there will be some that are very new.

But I’ll say now that I reserve the right to add to this repeatedly in the future.

Now, I’m writing this sitting on a plane from Seattle to Phoenix. And after having what I consider an awesome idea for a blog post series, what should pop into my mind for reasons unknown, outside of the fact it’s a kickass book—Johanna Lindsey’s WARRIOR'S WOMAN.

Now, I have no clue why this popped into my mind (and not a Judith McNaught, but that’s for a later blog post) except for the fact that this book was such a revelation in its time. I bought it because I bought everything Ms. Lindsey wrote, devouring the back cover copy for information only purposes. If it had her name on the front and spine, I was gonna own that sucker.

But this book blew my mind.

In other words, if I was considering a definitive list of my recommended romance novels, this would definitively spring to mind.

See, this came out back in the eighties when Fabio was on the covers of many novels. Where fade to black happened a lot. Where every heroine was a virgin. Where, in some novels (though not the ones where Fabio was on the cover), you might, maybe, possibly, get a wee peck on the lips in the final two sentences of a book. Where the dude was the badass knight or pirate or duke of the realm, and the chick always but always looked damn fine in her dress(es). In fact, even if she somehow found herself tossed into a pig pen and was covered in mud, the smears on her face would only make her simply adorable.

I’m not making fun of this shizzle. I ate it up. Loved it. And still do.

But then one of my favorite authors puts this book out. And in this book there are robots that look like humans and space travel and…wait…what? Robots and space travel in a romance novel? Squewsay moi?

Ms. Lindsey didn’t stop there. She also gave us Tedra De Arr, a strong, smart, skilled heroine who’s a total badass. She’s also a virgin, but not because that’s a defining trait we’re supposed to believe makes her a worthier catch for our hero, but because she has decided to hold that back until she finds a dude who deserves it. She’s totally down with sex; she just hasn’t found the right guy yet.

Shizzle goes down on her home planet and tout de suite she needs to board a spaceship and surf the stars. Lucky for us, she finds herself meeting up with a barbarian warrior who, in a physical battle, can give her a little competition, something she doesn’t have on her home planet. This peaks ole Tedra’s interest. It helps he’s hot. And can be tender. And sweet. And a lot of other things.

I remember reading this book and thinking I hit the mother lode. I loved it. I devoured it. The idea of breaking the rules to this extent thrilled me. It might have even planted a little seed that would grow to give me the sense I could break the rules too…one day. And I did.

I recently reread this book and I enjoyed it just as much as I did back in the day. Loved it. And even though romance has long since blossomed and grown in amazing ways, WARRIOR'S WOMAN will forever stand as the novel that taught me that going rogue, blazing a trail, taking a chance can lead to spectacular things.

In other words, rereading this recently I would easily and wholeheartedly recommend it today.