We all, I suspect, have read at least one series in its entirety. (Although I can’t imagine having read all 49 of the In Death books. 49!) For the purpose of this discussion, let’s assume that a series is a set of linked books four or more in number. A stellar series has characters whose outcomes you care for and thematic consistency. The best have engrossing world building and offer an immersive experience that deepens with each book.
Romance is rife with series but which ones are spectacular? And do some genres lend themselves more to serieses than others? What do you require in a series? Which one is THE VERY VERY BEST?
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Outlander. Period. Thank heaven Diana Gabaldon is working on #9 and plans #10. What do I require? Characters I love, that I would love to meet, that I truly care about. A hero that I fall in love with, who has a sense of humour but is full of kindness, self-knowledge and abiding love. A heroine who deserves him. A good, well researched historical setting with details that send me off to Prof Google to learn more. A story that keeps going, sustained by plotting that is clever, realistic and moreish. An author whose prose is high quality, precise, error free in terms of word use and punctuation and occasionally sends me to the dictionary. A series that has me irritated beyond telling because I have to WAIT for the next book.
People always argue that Outlander isn’t really a romance series–Gabaldon herself included. I’m not sure I’d agree although I’ve only read the first two. Thoughts?
I’ve read them all; I definitely think they are romance. THE LOVE STORY BETWEEN CLAIRE AND JAMIE IS THE CENTRAL FOCUS OF THE SERIES.
There is a central love story in Outlander, yes. But I feel these are more adventure books than romance books. I ADORE this series, and the tv show, too. Jamie is the heart-throbbiest hero ever written. Claire is quirky and interesting and driven. Both are smart, smart, smart. Their love story is beyond romantic. But, still not a romance imho. If and when they get an HEA, then we’ll talk. Until then, these are tales of epic and often romantic adventures.
I sense Ross Poldark fans everywhere shocked you would make such a claim…. ;)
Ross & Demelza are my #2 romance series H/h although I am convinced that Winston Graham did not write the final book himself.
I read the Poldark books when the first series aired, back in the 1970s. Absolutely loved them! But, they drifted away from a focus on Ross and Demelza, and I didn’t like that much. Still, I have many happy memories of both the original show and the books. I have not watched the new series,
I would say that, as AAR reviews books of genres that may not be straightforward romance in perhaps the traditional understanding, then Outlander fits in as a romance for the purpose of the questions we have been asked here. AAR include graphic novels, time travel, steam punk, women’s fiction, mysteries, inspirational fiction, etc., etc,. then certainly Outlander which contains threads that encompass all of the foregoing including m/m romance, then it qualifies as fitting into the spirit of the question posed here. As Em said above, the romance and love between Jamie and Claire is the heart of the series – hot, hot at times and, as time goes on in the stories, a settled partnership of a loving couple who still go at it like rabbits on occasion.
I’m know I’m in the minority but I’m definitely no Outlander fan. IMO, I see the use of sexual assault and violence in this series as way OTT. Quite put me off.
I have so many fave series. Any and all Loretta Chase, Lady Darby (Anna Lee Huber), Sherry Thomas’ Lady Sherlock, Sebastian St. Cyr by C.S.Harris, Poldark, Kleypas’ Wallflower series, Ravenals, Hathaway, and Dreaming of You (Derek Craven!). Also, just finished Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunsmore and really enjoyed it. Can’t wait for the next in the series!
Outlander is kind of polarizing, I think. People seem to either love it or strongly dislike it, usually because of the violence. I loved it from word one, and still do. It’s by far the best series, the best books, I have ever read. And I’ve been a voracious reader since about 1963, so that’s a lot of books.
I love the vivid characters, the historical accuracy, the non-stop action, the mystery of the time-travel element, the intense love and loyalty between Jamie and Claire, and how Gabaldon keeps surprising me with her twists and turns of plot. Not to mention the gorgeous prose.
But there are plenty of people who are seriously offended by Jack Randall’s sadism, the wife-beating episode, the killings and rapes and general violence. I see that as a fairly accurate representation of the dangers of the times, and the general attitudes toward women of that era. But I get how all of that can be sickening to others. Luckily, there are lots of books in the world to choose from, and you have clearly found many great ones to make you happy!
I have a whole category on GoodReads for ‘Favorite Series!’ I think 3 books makes a viable series for me & these all meet that criteria:
Off the top of my head (and peeking at the pictures above), I would include any and all series written by KJ Charles, Loretta Chase, Julia Quinn, Bec McMaster (both London Blueblood linked series), Welsh Blades by Elizabeth Kingston, Sebastian St. Cyr by CS Harris, Hook series by Kennedy Ryan, Enlightenment series by Joanna Chambers, Out of Uniform series by Annabeth Albert, Mixed Messages by Lily Morton, Metahumans by Hailey Turner, Chance of a Lifetime series by Kate Clayborn, any & all series by Sherry Thomas, Devil’s Duke & Falcon Club series by Katharine Ashe….
Oh wow. I could go on and on. I’ll stop there – those include some highlights!
But if you had to pick one…..
I think I’m going with McMaster for the win.
BUT THAT QUESTION IS TERRIBLE.
Also leaning towards Society of Gentleman & the Falcon Club.
McMaster hit it out of the stadium with the Bluebloods. I’ve read a few books in her other series and they’re interesting but not stellar. The London Steampunk books are phenomenal.
*HOOP series by Kennedy Ryan
Also a strong contender for favorite.
I don’t have much to contribute to this discussion as I am only a baby romance reader, I read and truly enjoyed romance for the first time only about a year ago. The only series I’ve read that qualifies (4 books or more) so far is the Spindle Cove series by Tessa Dare. I do want to mention it, because it’s basically what converted me to romance, and her books got me through one of the hardest times of my life. I enjoyed them so much, they kept me going when I had nothing else.
I love to hear that. I’m a big believer in the transformative power of joy.
Same. And Estelle you have so many Spindle-esque series to look forward to!
I have read everything in the In Death series. Overall it is my choice for best series with some being really good and a few others not as good. On other end of the reading spectrum I would choice the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn. My daughter says I am missing out because I haven’t read any of the Outlander novels.
WOW! Go you! All 49? That’s impressive.
For a long time, I’d have picked the Bridgerton series too. Now, I think I’d pick Pennyroyal Green instead.
For me the mark of a great series is characterized by how I respond to it more than by any particular aspect of plot, character, etc. If I finish a book (or even before I finish the book) and immediately want to know all about the author, the other books in the series, and the other books they’ve written (in any genre), that’s my sign.
Thinking about aspects of plot/character/etc., I’m always impressed when an author manages to take a secondary character who is briefly sketched in one book – especially if the sketch is not terribly favorable – and spin them into a fully-fledged person in another book. I’m thinking specifically of Mal/Haven in Sarah MacLean’s Scandal & Scoundrel series. I know Day of the Duchess doesn’t work for everyone but it really does for me, in part because the reader begins the book with every reason to despise Mal and by the end I was so rooting for him.
Another sign is if I feel a silly kind of anxiety about whether the other books will be as good. It must be so hard to write a series and make sure every book is as strong as the others, especially once you move past, say, four books in the series. So whenever I start a new release in a series I love, I’m always excited, a little worried that it might not be as good as the others, and also hopeful for the author’s sake – there’s so much pressure on them!
I’ve only been reading romance for about a year, although I’ve been a fairly voracious reader within that time. The series that have stood out to me have been:
– Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green series. They are not uniformly excellent – there are 11 books in the series so this seems perfectly understandable – but three of my favorite books come from it: I Kissed An Earl, What I Did For A Duke, and It Started With a Scandal (this last one is my very favorite comfort read. I love a good housekeeper-sets-a-neglected-old-house-to-rights montage.)
– Anything by Sherry Thomas, but especially her London Trilogy and the Lady Sherlock series.
– On that note, several of my favorite series are more properly called historical mysteries with a strong romance woven in: Lady Sherlock, Veronica Speedwell, and Georgina Clarke’s Lizzie Hardwicke series. Love, love, love.
– Bec McMaster’s London Bluebloods, a series I would never have picked up if not for its strong reviews here but wound up loving and racing through. When I think of good world-building, this is the first series that comes to mind.
And I’m looking forward to finding new recs through this thread! Also off to make a modest donation to this lovely site, which has pointed me to so many great reads.
Co-sign the Bec McMasters’ and the Long. Both of those series are on the very top of my list.
While I don’t care for McLean’s writing, I share your love for most others listed here, esp. Lady Sherlock, Veronica Speedwell, and Long’s Pennyroyal Green series. In fact, It Started with a Scandal is one of my very favorites of hers as well in addition to What I Did for a Duke. I have Georgina Clarke’s Hardwicke series on my tbr list. If you haven’t read Deanna Raybourne’s Lady Julia books, they are pretty wonderful too,.
Oh, tell us what you think of the Hardwicke series when you get there! I hope you like it. Thank you for the Lady Julia recommendation – they are on my tbr list, and now so are the St. Cyr books. And I just started The Legend of Lyon Redmond today because the series was on my mind.
Eloisa James’ Desperate Duchesses and Essex Sisters.
Madeline Hunter’s Rarest Blooms series.
Loretta Chase’s Carsington Brothers and the series connected with Lord of Scoundrels.
What makes these series so good is that the characters are al distinct, not just the same characters with different names and hair colors, and each book has its own unique plot.
I really liked The Rarest Blooms series too. The dynamics between each couple is fascinating.
Everyone’s picked some really nice choices so far! I’d add in the Bridgertons as well.
If I can only pick one…it must be Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers series.
I also love Loretta Chase’s Carsington Brothers, Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons series, as well as Kleypas’ Hathaways series and her current Ravenels series. There are many others as well, but those are the standouts, the ones I read over and over and never tire of.
I am with Patricia and have read all 49 In Deaths. I definitely like some books better than others, but any series that can keep me for 49 books is a winner. Other series that are great are:
Tasha Alexander’s series about Lady Emily
Ashley Gardner’s series about Captain Lacey
CS Harris’s series about Sebastian St. Cyr
Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation Series
As you can see I like a bit of mystery with my romance when it comes to series.
I second The Captain Lacy Series and Jennifer Ashleys Mackenzie series!
I find long-running series intimidating and rarely if ever will read a series featuring only one couple. Sometimes I start a series and abandon it halfway through because I lose interest. That being said I LOVE Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy series. Although it is a short series so maybe that’s why I love it so much. So far only four books and a novella, and only the first three focused on one couple and the second half is another couple. My interest hasn’t waned at all and I’m impatiently awaiting the next book. The only super long-running series I’m still reading is Nalini Singh’s Psy Changeling series. Although I don’t think I’ve loved any of the more recent offerings I’m still hooked to that world. I think what these two series have in common for me is fantastic world-building. As far as historical, Lisa Kleypas Wallflowers is probably the most consistent series for me as I loved all the books in it.
I’m really out in left field here, but I love Sybil Bartel’s Alpha Bodyguards series. Set in Miami, the stories follow the interconnected lives of a group of former Marines who now work for a personal security form. There is a lot of violence, but also hot love stories as each man meets his strong-willed match in a woman who is in some trouble through no fault of her own. The latest book in the series, CALLOUS, just hit my kindle this morning. Can’t wait to get home from work this afternoon and start reading!
I also love Kati Wilde’s Hellfire Riders MC series, about a very inclusive motorcycle club (they even have a “patched-in” female officer). The violence level is pretty high, but Wilde writes wonderfully emotional (and hot!) romantic scenes too. Can’t wait for the next book, LOSING IT ALL, due September 30.
It seems to me that historical romance series often get more love than contemporary romance series. It’s nice to have someone champion the latter.
I’ve enjoyed many of those authors already mentioned, such as Sherry Thomas, Julie Anne Long and Julia Quinn. I’d add a few contemporary romance series: Julie James’s FBI/U.S. Attorney series, Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Chicago Stars series and Rachel Gibson’s Chinooks hockey books.
Those two–by SEP and Gibson–are, I think, my favorite contemporary romance series.
I agree with all your choices. Those are fantastic contemporary romances.
Joanna Bournes Spymaster series and Long’s Penny Royal Green. I have read them more than once. For contemporary I like Longs’s Hellcat Canyon. I like that they seem like a place to revisit and you know the people that live there. Like seeing old friends.
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I love the Spymaster series too although I thought it went on a book or so too long. The first five are superb.
With my favourite book of any genre, The Spymaster’s Lady, the Spymaster series is certainly up there for me too.
I agree with so many of the series listed by Julie Anne Long, Julia Quinn, Joanna Bourne, Lisa Kleypas, Madeline Hunter, Sarah McLean, and would like to add Mary Balogh’s “Simply Series” “Survivor Series” “Bedwyns” and “Westcott” series and also Jo Beverley’s “Rogue” series.
Question: What do you do with all the books you own? My book shelfs are overflowing and so are the baskets that are all over the house?
I donate as many as possible and, unless it’s an extraordinary book, I replace it with an ebook copy. (I keep a list I want on Amazon and when one goes on sale, I buy it!)
I gave up buying physical books years ago. I switched to ebooks for years, but now I have vision issues so I only do audio. Sadly, so many of the series mentioned here are not yet on audio. But I still find plenty to listen to!
Have you checked out the Audible Escape program?
This is so hard to choose! For historical, I’d add Lisa Kleypas’ The Hathaways series. For contemporary, I’d add Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers.
The Winston books don’t do it for me and I’m not sure why. Readers love them. I think maybe they are a bit too nice for me!
I like her Knitting in the City books better (Neanderthal Meets Human is my favorite).
Did anyone mention Stella Riley’s The Rockcliffe series?
Caz would!
You know me so well… ;)
Loved them. Very good series
Oh I forgot that. Yes, a fantastic series!
I’m reading this now for the first time and it’s so very enjoyable! I’m on book 4, The Wicked Cousin.
I really used to like Kresley Coles Immortals After Dark series, but gave up after the hiatus between entries got increasingly longer. If you have to wait years and years for a new book, with no satisfying end in sight, it reaaally gets tedious.
Now I agree that Bec McMasters Blue Blood series is hands down the best. I only wish that very soon she’ll write another spin off series, as there are so many questions unanswered as of yet.
The Immortals also, over time, began to blur together for me. There isn’t really a long term story there that I could follow.
I really love all the historical series mentioned here! Kleypas, Hunter, Quinn, James, and Balogh are my favorite authors. I must also add the original Cynster series by Stephanie Laurens! So great!
I love these discussions and definitely have read most of the historical series and I’m now reading the Lynn Kurland Macloud time travel series! Dont know how I missed them.
Several years ago I would have listed all historical series , but now I enjoy a different category. I would include all of Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series, the Ilona Andrew’s Edge books as well as the Kate Daniel’s series and Anne Bishop’s the Others series.
I would add Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson books and Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock books to that list.
I am terrible at choices like this; I could name lots I’ve enjoyed/am enjoying, but I suppose we’re talking about the really memorable ones, the ones that stick in your mind long after you’ve finished them.
Bec McMaster’s London Steampunk/Blue-Blood Conspiracy series have been mentioned a lot, so I’m adding my voice to that one.
To that, I’ll add Courtney Milan’s Brothers Sinister, Joanna Bourne’s Spymasters, C.S Harris’ Sebastian St. Cyr books and Sherry Thomas’ Lady Sherlock ones. K.J. Charles’ Society of Gentlemen and Sins of the City. Annabeth Albert’s Out of Uniform and Joanna Chambers’ Enlightenment. Stella Riley’s Civil War series (I’m including my long-time favourite, A Splendid Defiance in there!) In romantic suspense, Rachel Grant’s Flashpoint series and Cordelia Kingsbridge’s Seven of Spades, Gregory Ashe’s Hazard and Somerset, L.J. Hayward’s Death and The Devil isn’t finished yet, but is a current favourite.
Others have mentioned Bridgertons, Bedwyns, Carsingtons and Dains … yes to all those, although I’m not sure they’re quite as close to my heart as the ones I’ve listed in the first paragraph!