I was lucky to grow up with parents who were voracious readers, so a love of reading came naturally to my brother and to me. When I was about thirteen, my mom convinced me to check Gone With the Wind out of the library, and I finally agreed even though I wanted nothing to do with that yucky romance stuff. Well, I was on summer vacation and I sat on my bed for two days straight and devoured it, and as soon as it ended, I wasn't thrilled with the ending, so I closed it and started back at the beginning, reading for the next two days. I've been reading romance novels ever since then in the search for happily-ever-after.

I grew up in Vermont, and after a year and a half nannying in Baltimore, I moved to Arizona where I've lived for over seven years. I graduated from ASU with a Bachelor's in Spanish, and I recently finished my Master's in Library Science at the University of Arizona. I've nannied and worked in libraries in Arizona, and I am now moving back to Vermont with my two cats while I look for a new job.

Besides reading, I like knitting, hiking, and playing tennis, although it's usually too hot in Arizona for the last two.

Absolute Favorites

Angel by Johanna Lindsey
The Awakening by Jude Deveraux
Midnight Masquerade by Shirlee Busbee

Favorite Classic

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Favorite Short Stories

Any Christmas anthology

What I'm a sucker for in a book: Marriages of convenience, intelligent heroines, scarred or wounded heroes that need to be saved, and Beauty and the Beast plotlines.

What I don't particularly care for in a book: Kids and animals in books (although I love them in real life), only physical attraction between the hero and heroine, and when the hero continues to see other women or his mistress after meeting the heroine.

What drives me absolutely nuts in a book: Medieval heroines who insist on only marrying for romantic love and similar seriously anachronistic behavior.

Contemporary:

Most of Sandra Brown

Frontier or American Historical:

Angel by Johanna Lindsey
The Awakening by Jude Deveraux
Midnight Masquerade by Shirlee Busbee

European Historical:

Ravished by Amanda Quick

Traditional Regency:

The Miser of Mayfair by Marion Chesney

Medieval:

Defy Not the Heart by Johanna Lindsey

Alternate Reality:

Legend by Jude Deveraux
Remembrance by Jude Deveraux

Category:

The Bride in Blue by Miranda Lee
Marriage on the Rebound by Michelle Reid

Favorite Hero

Gideon Westbrook, Ravished by Amanda Quick
Angel, Angel by Johanna Lindsey
Hank Montgomery, The Awakening by Jude Deveraux

Favorite Heroine

Any Amanda Quick heroine

Most Tortured Hero

Christian Langland, Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale

Strongest Heroine

Any Amanda Quick heroine

Favorite Couple

Gideon Westbrook and Harriet Pomeroy, Ravished by Amanda Quick

Best Villain

The Phantom of the Opera

Suspense:

Midnight in Ruby Bayou by Elizabeth Lowell

Sexy:

Most Sandra Brown, pre-romantic suspense

Non-Romance Favorites

Favorite Author

Maeve Binchy
Stephen King

Favorite Book

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Favorite Classic Novel

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Favorite Mystery

The Miss Marple Series by Agatha Christie

Favorite Fantasy

Feed by M.T. Anderson
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Favorite Nonfiction

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
Any David Sedaris

Favorite Women's Fiction

Maeve Binchy
Jennifer Weiner
Marian Keyes

Favorite YA Book

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Favorite Set of Connected Books

The Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery

Book Most Often Reread

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell