Diana Gabaldon |

For today’s Friday Five I’m talking about heroines. I like a heroine who is flawed, funny and overcoming a major obstacle that either happened in her past or she’s dealing with at the opening of the book. She also has to be strong enough to put her hero in place, but I don’t want her stronger than the hero.

So here they are, in no certain order:

1. Stephanie Plum – Janet Evanovich’s Plum series – contemporary. Stephanie’s humor is legendary and while she readily admits she doesn’t know what she’s doing, she still tries.

2. Laura Townsend – Catherine Anderson’s My Sunshine – contemporary. Laura is my favorite heroine of all time. After suffering a brain injury and losing her career, Laura must learn to cope with a new life.

3. Diana, Countess of Arradale – Jo Beverly’s Devilish – historical. Ms. Beverly picked a perfect heroine for her famous Rothgar. Diana is rich and strong willed enough to face down the formidable hero and the king himself.

4. Claire – Diana Gabaldan’s Outlander – historical. Outlander is one of my top five favorite books of all time so it makes sense that Claire makes this list. Although Gabaldan doesn’t consider Outlander a romance. Claire is a spunky 20th century woman who finds herself in the 18th century with a sexy Highlander.

5. Samantha Jellicoe – Suzanne Enoch’s Suzanne Jellicoe series – contemporary. Samantha is a thief who is caught by a sexy billionaire while she’s trying to steal from him. This is a five book series that I wish would never have ended.

So who are your favorite heroines?

Welcome to Friday Five where every Friday I list five of my favorite things then ask you to do the same. Today I’m listing my five favorite romances and discovered, after I wrote my list that all of them, except #5, are historicals. Huh. Figures my top five are the same genre I like to write.

Again, these are in no certain order:

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I read this book over ten years ago and still, to this day, the characters have stayed with me. I just recently downloaded the Kindle version and when I get time, I’m going to read it for the third time.

2. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux

I remember reading this book twenty-two years ago. Yes, that’s how old it is. But its timeless and, again, another book where the characters just stay inside you. This is more time-travel than historical, but still an excellent book.

3. The Bride by Julie Garwood

Julie Garwood’s historicals are comfort reads to me. I read them over and over when I’m feeling down, or can’t settle into a good book. I absolutely love every one of her heroes.

4. Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen

I just recently read this one and didn’t want it to end (the hallmark of a great book). I loved the characters and the fact they are married but didn’t really know much about each other. Some of my favorite stories are about couples who are couples before the book even begins.

5. Second Chances by Sharon Sala

When I first started even thinking about writing romance I knew I wanted to write emotion like Sharon Sala. This book is packed full of it. The journey these two characters take really spoke to me.

Okay. Your turn. Name five of your favorite romances. One… Two… Three… GO!