by Amy Wilkins, Digital & Internet Team
One of the many great things about working at Harlequin, as you can probably guess, is the free books. But when presented with such a massive selection each month, choosing can sure be hard!
When faced with the plethora of books a couple months ago, my coworker Jenny asked me a “very important question”: How do I choose which Harlequin Presents books to read that month?
Jenny goes by author — I don’t think she even glanced at anything on the cover besides the writer’s name as she snapped by her faves. I have a friend who’ll read anything with “Sheikh” in the title.
Personally, I go for the hero’s nationality or setting. As I mentioned in my very first blog post over a year ago, I’m a sucker for an Aussie (or New Zealand) hunk — which is why I grabbed The Australian Millionaire’s Love-Child by Robyn Donald for July. I have a soft spot for Brits, too, so Kate Hardy’s One Night, One Baby was my pick for August. This month, it’s Anne Oliver’s Business in the Bedroom — that Australian setting struck again!
So how do you choose which Harlequin Presents book to read next? (or pretend you have to choose if you’re a reader who gets every Presents title each month 
). Do you base it on the author, plot, a recommendation… or something else? And what’s on your TBR pile for October?
Totally by author. As an unpublished Aussie girl who is trying to establish her voice I target the Australian and New Zealand authors as a rule. I love Kelly Hunter, Melanie Milburne, Sarah Mayberry, Natalie Anderson and Susan Napier. But then again, I also cannot go past Trish Wyllie and Heidi Rice. (I once loved one of Heidi’s books so much I slept with it under my pillow in an effort to channel her creative energy. Is that creepy or what. The only thing I can offer in my defence is that I had just read The Secret.)
What is on my reading pile. I am just about to reread Trish Wylie’s “Claimed by the Billonaire Bad Boy” because I enjoyed it so much the first time through (maybe I could put her under my pillow) and I have two titles by Robyn Grady that I picked up at the Romance Writers Conference, which – judging by the first chapters – are going to be great reads as well. As I am editing a manuscript I also have Kate Walker’s 12 point guide to Writing Romance stapled to my hip at the moment as well.
Oh, and I am listening to Ken Follet’s “Pillars of the Earth” on I-book as well every day for an hour whilst I walk my dog.
Cheers, Felicity
LOL Felicity! Tell me, did it work? I’ll try almost anything, though I draw the line at stapling the 12 Point Guide to any part of my anatomy, that sounds just too painful for a wimp like me- it IS on my bedside table in the hope that some of Kate’s wisdom and talent might just osmose across….
Hmmm…now I have to go and reveal the inner workings of my tortured mind! I have so many favortie authors, and I’m always willing to give a new one a chance, although I’ll read anything Lucy Monroe comes out with! Generally, I look for the words innocent or virgin…I don’t know, I just like that plot element.
But I tend to read at least half of what’s released every month, so basically, if it says presents on the cover, eventually I’ll end up reading it!
Maisey
I have authors on my auto-buy list. Problem is that list keeps changing. Lately I’ve been disappointed with some of the more recent books. The authors deny this, but the old double standard has reared its ugly head again. More and more books have married heroes committing adultery — while separated — and that is a major “hot button” for me. Anyway, I still maintian my “three strikes” policy. If I read three books by an author that are turn offs for me I remove that author from my auto-buy list. Then I only will buy a book if it comes highly recommended.
My time and money are to precious to waste. It really surprises me to see the changes in HPs. There are other lines with the Harlequin publications that are more suited to infidelity — for example, Harlequin SuperRomance and Everlasting Love. I don’t understand why it needs to be included in HPs.
A few years back on the eHarlequin boards there were a lot of discussions about alpha heroes. Kate Walker posted the following: “For me, the point about an Alpha male is that he is rich, powerful, etc. because he got there as a result of his intelligence, his integrity, his ability to manage people, his innate sense of morality and his sense of caring about the important things that matter. When that sense of honour comes up against some things he truly believes to be wrong then the strength that made him what he is can also make him a hard and implacable enemy. But the true Alpha is the ultimate nurturer — a man of honour. A man with no honour, no integrity and no intelligence could never be a hero to me.”
I think that way too many HPs deviate from that description of alpha males. That saddens me — I’ve been reading HPs since they were first published. They have come a long way from those first books. Now in the past couple of years it seems that they are just going backwards — something that quite frankly I don’t understand.
And honestly, I don’t understand how anyone can say that a man behaved with honor when he dumped his wife, carrried on with other women and then blackmailed his estranged wife back into bed with him and at the end they lived a HEA.
Sorry for venting — but every month there are more and more books whose heroes don’t fit the description of ‘alpha male.’
Luckily for me that are still authors out there that I can count on to write fabulous books with great heroes. The best thing is that I have added some of the newer HP authors to my list.
In answer to your question Mulberry, something worked, as I was one of the runners-up in the Modern Heat competition. You can imagine how excited I was when some of my fav’s posted congrats note on the blog. I dont know what was more exciting, receiving the news or getting a congratulation post from Heidi Rice. So Heidi Rice, Trish Wyllie, Kate Walker, Melanie Milburne and all my other favs, thank you. May I be able to harness some of your energy and ride it all the way through to publication.
Cheers
Felicity
Interesting topic – I DEFINATELY choose on authors, which means I generally read across the lines. I’m not really a huge Presents fan (more a Mod Heat gal here) but read Aussies like Trish Morey because she’s so damn nice and because I like to support the wonderful people in RWA Australia. My fave authors are Kelly Hunter, Jenny Bayley-Burke, NAtalie Anderson, Anna Cleary, Robyn Grady and Heidi Rice but I buy ALL the Mod HEats and although I’m behind in reading atm, I try to read them all. I figure I can learn something from each of the talented MH authors and can’t wait to read Kimberly’s debut!!
Gotta go, baby crying…
Rach!
I generally read all the Modern Heats and then pick Presents books by authors. I’ve also read Romance books by Modern Heat authors (and others) but the large font size disconcerts me. Weird, I know!
Lately, I have been reading the entire month’s releases on e-book reader. I get their 8 or 12 depending on the month in one download
so devour them all LOL.
However, I still choose some on a single basis. I buy some of the extras and have to confess, that I have a soft spot for the Greek Hero. I always snap up anything with Greek in the title. Not sure if it is the heart-thumping, haunting, dark good looks of the typical Greek alpha or the fact that has been pointed out time and time again… no matter how ruthless he appears, underneath lies a sexy, passionate man who cares about honor and family above everything else. I also enjoy the Australian stories, but can’t seem to get into the Sheik stories as easily for some reason. That is just me and not to say for a second that the authors are not tallented and on the mark.
I do look at the title and have favorite authors like Robyn Grady, Trish Wylie and Heidi Rice. I sometimes go for the author rather than the title. To be honest, here are a few authors(only a couple) that I have found aren’t my cup of tea, but that is what makes this series so great. Just because I don’t see eye to eye with every author’s voice or style, there are plenty to choose from and if not me personally, every author’s voice has touched someone or they wouldn’t be on the list.
Keeping the stories fresh, modern, interesting and above all real, is not an easy task and I applaude every single author on this list for the contribution and tallent. I do read HP for the seductive, passionate fantasy that is promised in every book, but I am also an intelligent woman of the twenty-first century and want to see a story that reflects heros and heroines of this day and age. Even if they aren’t the perfect alpha male of the past.
oops!
In my last post the line should have read — To be honest, there are a few authors ( only a couple)…
I didn’t want it to be read in the wrong text because I missed the T in the word there, Keys are sticking today for some reason LOL
I think this is an important topic because it can be helpful for the harlequin publishers to know what us readers enjoy so they know what will sell. Lidia, I think you have courage to vent & should be able to say what you will buy- after all the readers decide what sells. I too have pet peeves about some reads. My main pet peeve is if a writer has the characters using cussing as a way to express frustration & anger. I think a writer should be able to get the point across without cussing & esp. a heroine cussing. I dont like settings in the city unless its exotic or they are only there briefly as an apt or penthouse setting just doesnt do it for me.
I too have favorite authors that I always buy like Sarah Morgan (shes low key & never hear about her but she can flat out write) & Jane Porter is my totally fav sheikh writer as well as I buy anything she writes. I buy anything “virginal” as well as anything with sheikh in the title unless the author cant do “sheikh” & some cant. They dont research the culture or portray it accurately or respectufully & I wont buy that. I am Native American so cultural respect is important to me & I dont like it when a writer tries to get the hero for ex. to totally change his culture to suit the heroine. Flexiblilty is a must for couples and so I think both persons backgrounds should be respected.
I usually prefer any UK authors & several “aussie” writers -
Annie West & Trish Morey are great. I used to buy only the sheikh titles in any line but expanded when I would run out of something to read. So now I buy about 6-8 a month with fav authors, sheikh, greek, italian heros & virginal themes as well as if the herioine is lower in the economic scale (like to see her get a better life). I dont buy mod. heat, & if the first chapter is wrong I dont buy the book (here we can read at a coffee shop any book to see if we want to buy it so I do that to see if the book will suit me).
Thanks for letting us have a chance to say what we choose & why.
I read them all.
I love sheikhs — always, always have! I like heroines who have some experience, though there is something mystical about that first time when she is a virgin and the hero is her lover. The order I read the books in once I have the whole selection home depends on author or subject: sheikhs get picked up first for sure. 
The cover sometimes influences the purchase. If it has a passionate looking cover and a title that captures the imagination, its likely to find its way into my shopping cart.
I don’t imagine finding fresh and exciting cover art is an easy job and the covers are always well done. But it is great when the character on the cover, matches the characters described in the book. If I read about a raven haired beauty with hair flowing to her waist and the cover has a heroine with blonde hair cut in a bob, it loses something in translation. It doesn’t happen often, but it does on occassion. That is no reflection on the author since they do not pick thier own artwork for the cover. I know it seems picky or irrelivent to the story, but when I close the book after an enjoyable read and glance back at the cover, I like the characters to coincide with the book. The cover can be a great link to the story.
I did a little survey at my local Wal Mart store recently since I’m a newly published romance author. I asked several shoppers in the book aisle what they looked for in a book and the number one answer I received….a hot guy on the cover. The good-looking hero on the cover seems to attract the women readers. Second answer was fav authors and third was fav nationality ex: Greek, Sheikh, Italian etc…
I read a lot, always have and HP’s have always been my favorites. I do all of the above when choosing a new title to read and in my mind the HP authors always deliver. I’ve never read a Harlequin that I put aside because I couldn’t finish the book and that’s saying something because I’ve read thousands through the years. Authors like Kate Walker, Anne McAllister, Sandra Marton, Penny Jordan and many, many others produce great reads time after time. I’m proud to call myself a romance junkie.
Patricia
Keep up the good work.
Hmmm, interesting topic
I’m a Mod Heat chick reader so I def read the 2 releases each month.
However, I’m swayed by author when choosing HPs and usually buy anything by Trish Morey, Annie West, Carol Marinelli and Sandra Marton (without reading the blurb)
In addition, I’ll also look at the covers of all the HPs and will read the blurbs to see if any “grab” me. BTW – I’m not fussy with my heroes – LOL – I like ‘em all sheiks, Italians, Greeks etc..
What can I say… I’m a romance reading junkie 
Cheers, Joanne
Like many of the others, I pick up the MHs first. But, I read across the lines (H. Romance, H. Presents, H. Medical) because, frankly, I am fairly new to reading romance. Can’t believe I missed such wonderful reading over the years.
So, I guess I could say, I pick some based on plot, some based on authors (LOVE Carol Marinelli’s Presents and Medicals, Annie West is on my must read list, Kate Hardy and Amy Andrews), based on input from this site (I just picked up Sandra Marton’s two latest — I know embarrassing that I am just now getting to read her work) and I randomly pick others just to get a feel for what is in the lines AND to be able to sit back and enjoy a read.
I have to say I am becoming a sucker a marriage of convenience, so I usually pick those up as well.
I rarely go by the cover, although the title will sometimes catch me. The Magnate’s Indecent Proposal hooked me right away!
Barbara
I have favourite authors – I love books by Sharon Kendrick – but will also try books with certain themes – am a sucker for anything with “Greek” in the title, I’ve no idea why!
Lidia – sort of agree with your point of view. I think that sometimes authors think that if the male character is not bedding women all the time, he’s somehow not “alpha”, but it’s a fine line. It’s Ok before he met the heroine, sometimes OK if they were not married and they split and he wasn’t thinking of getting back with her, but unforseen circumstances bring her back into his life (and he stops as soon as she’s back). But you are right, if he’s married to her AND he’s the one blackmailing her back into his life, then he should really have been faithful to her all that time if he truly loved her. One of my favourite books is by Nalini Singh (OK I know she’s not a presents author) where the alpha male was faithful to his love for the five years they were split because he simply couldn’t bear the thought of touching another woman (and of course the heroine was faithful to him during that period too).
Going back on topic – I wish HMB would republish some of the old Charlotte Lamb books. I’ve been collecting them from second hand book shops and charity shops, and my god, she could write! She heroines were far more self-possessed and feminist than the ones you sometimes see now.
Good topic, sorry I am so late getting here. I agree with most of the posters here, I usually buy my HPs by author. I’ve read HPs for 20+ years and my auto-buys typically include Carole Mortimer, Penny Jordan, Michelle Reid, Lucy Monroe, Lindsey Armstrong and Helen Brooks.
Favorite author is Susan Napier, I have most of her books found at second hand stores or half.com. I also love Robyn Donald and am collecting most of her old books now. Some of Robyn’s books wouldn’t be “PC” enough to be published now, but I love those older books and re-read them more than any of the more recent books, I guess they churn me up more, very emotional. My favorite books by Robyn are “A Mansion for my Love” and “Smoke in the Wind”, love them.
I also do give newer authors a change, I have been buying all of Chantelle Shaw and Abby Green’s books, I enjoy their stories.
I live in the US so I like to read books set elsewhere just for a difference. I’ve travelled to Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and England/Scotland so I like to read those settings and recognize places that I’ve been. I haven’t been to Greece, Australia or New Zealand but would like to go, so I enjoy reading and dreaming about travelling to there also (maybe next year for New Zealand!).
Not many of the books are ever set in the US except NYC, maybe a couple in San Francisco, I would enjoy reading some US and Canada based books not in those two cities, but maybe the rest of the country isn’t “glam” enough for HP? Probably not now that every hero has to be a billionaire.
I never buy books about sheikhs, even for my “auto-buy” authors, just can’t see a sheikh as a romantic hero. I also really hate the newer titles like poison, “The Italian Duke’s Innocent, Virgin, Mistress Wife”, etc… I would prefer more normal titles instead of these silly ones, but I am probably in the minority on that point.
Aspiring Writer, I agree with you on Charlotte Lamb’s books, they were excellent and she was always on my auto-buy list. Her heroines were always the best and would put some of the more recent ones to shame.
Cheryl