Meet Senior Editor/Reviewer Ellen Micheletti
About Me Personal Reading Tastes
I have loved to read ever since I can remember, and my occupation(s) prove it. I am a full-time library assistant and a part-time bookseller.
Growing up, I lived next door to my grandparents who would always read to me, and somehow I absorbed the ability to decipher print. I went to school knowing how to read, got my library card at age 5, and have been a Constant Reader ever since.
When it comes to romances, I enjoy Carla Kelly, Barbara Samuel/Ruth Wind, Jo Beverly, Paula Detmer Riggs and many, many more. I enjoy trying new authors and have found many who are now on my auto-buy list.
I live in Kentucky, am divorced, and have two grown children. I enjoy crocheting, studying history, and I love to hike especially around the Mammoth Cave area which is not far from where I live.
(Read this profile of Ellen in a 2004 newsletter article written for Western Kentucky University, where she works as a librarian.)
What I’m a sucker for in a book: Plots from fairy tales, especially Beauty and the Beast stories, brainy heroes and heroines, action/adventure stories, the reformed bad boy or bad girl as hero or heroine, and relationships across class lines.
What I don’t particularly care for in a book: Secret babies, improbable wills, and silly Big Misunderstandings.
What drives me absolutely nuts in a book: Ultra macho/ultra cruel heroes, title mistakes in Regency novels, really bad historical errors, heroines who are fashionistas or angsty when they lose their make-up, and ditzy or New Age type characters.
Favorite Romance Novels
Absolute Favorite
Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly
Favorite Classic
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Favorite Short Stories
Make a Joyful Noise (A Regency Christmas Carol) by Carla Kelly
Romance Authors Favorite Characters
All-Time Favorite Romance Authors
Carla Kelly
Barbara Samuel/Ruth Wind
Jo Beverley
Best Discovery/Buried Treasure Author
Liz Carlyle
Adele Ashworth
My Biggest Glom
Justine Davis
Carla Kelly
Author I Have Given Up On
Amanda Quick
Authors Others Love That I Don’t
Catherine Coulter
Favorite Hero
Jamie Fraser, Outlander
Benedict, Duke of Knaresboro, One Good Turn
Favorite Heroine
Roxanna Drew, Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand
Most Tortured Hero
Jackson Rule, Jackson Rule
Houston Leigh, Texas Destiny
Strongest Heroine
Claire Randall Fraser, Outlander
Favorite Couple
Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall, Outlander
Best Villain
Jack Randall, Outlander
Favorites by Plot Type Favorites by Mood
Suspense:
Dream Man by Linda Howard
Cabin or Road:
Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath
Funny:
Beauty and the Brain by Elizabeth Bevarly
The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
Sexy:
Winter Garden by Adele Ashworth
Comfort Read Author(s):
A Lawless Man by Judith McNaught
Most-Hanky Reads:
Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath
Shattered Rainbows by Mary Jo Putney
Guilty Pleasure:
Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
Favorites by Sub-Genre
Medieval:
A Bed of Spices by Barbara Samuel
Traditional Regency:
With This Ring by Carla Kelly
Tallie’s Knight by Anne Gracie
The Rake’s Rainbow by Allison Lane
European Historical:
A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh
The Rake by Mary Jo Putney
Hazard by Jo Beverley
American Historical:
Anything by by Maggie Osborne or Lorraine Heath
Contemporary:
Girls Night by Stef Ann Holm
Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
Alternate Reality:
The Pirate and His Lady by Margaret St. George
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
Contact by Susan Grant
Category:
Bad for Each Other by Kate Hathaway
Reckless by Ruth Wind
Her Secret, His Child by Paula Detmer Riggs
Least Favorites
Most Disappointing Book
High Intensity by Dara Joy
Worst Book
Paper Rose by Diana Palmer
Most Annoying Lead Character
Dougless Montgomery, A Knight in Shining Armor
Purple Prose-iest Book
Anything by Bertrice Small
Non-Romance Favorites
Favorite Author
P.G. Wodehouse
Favorite Book
In this House of Brede by Rumer Godden
Favorite Classic Novel
1984 by George Orwell
Favorite Mystery
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers
Favorite SF/Fantasy
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
Favorite Women’s Fiction
No Place Like Home by Barbara Samuel
Favorite YA Book
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Favorite Set of Connected Books
The Dirk Pitt Series by Clive Cussler
Book Most Often Reread
The Lady’s Companion by Carla Kelly (a romance)