Sunday, November 28, 2010

Memorable, emotional, tender...what causes you to go back for more?

Fellow Angels, I know for me there has to be some kind of connection between a story and I. Otherwise, it gets put off to the side, ignored or only read when I am bored and can't find nothing else. There haven't been many of those, but there are a few. I'm not going to name names because that would be rude, but if you want to email me then I will divulge those names/books. On the other hand, there are many, MANY books that I have read and re-read time and again.

I believe that the emotional impact of the story is what gets me. The twists and turns that the h/h go through to finally get together pulls me in every time. I also love sexual tension. It has to be done precise and clean and you know it has been done correctly when the impact of the h/h fulfilling their relationship (and it isn't always the fulfilling of something sexual, it can be a kiss or something a bit bigger) is enough to cause tears to fill your eyes.

Whether it is paranormal, contemporary, historical or suspense, certain elements have to be there for us to enjoy these stories. And there also has to be memorable moments, either a simple sentence or one scene that takes up three pages and makes you love the book instantly.

I have condensed a few of mine down for your enjoyment. And these aren't all of them, heck, I wouldn't have room to list all of my favorites! Enjoy them and let me know some of yours!

HUGS
Trish aka Wackycajun

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Clayton Westmoreland, 9th Duke of Claymore
Whitney, My Love
"Several months ago in Paris, a lovely young woman accused me of 'pretending' to be a duke. She said that I was such a poor 'impostor' that I really ought to choose some other title to which to aspire - some title that would suit me better. I decided there was only one other title I wanted: that of her husband...Believe me, my first title was far more easily acquired than the second, and of far, far less value."

Stephen Westmoreland
Earl of Langford
Until You, Judith McNaught

Her eyes fluttered open, and he tried to smile, to tell her he loved her, but his chest was constricted with emotion, and there was an unfamiliar lump in his throat as he looked at their clasped hands on the pillow.
He had never held a woman’s hand at a time like this in his life.
He had never thought of it.
He had never wanted to.
Until Now.
Stephen bent down to kiss her, he closed his eyes and swallowed, and tried to tell her again what he felt, to explain that he’d never known there were feelings like this, but the emotions were still too raw, and he was still out of breath. All he could manage to say was, “Until you...”
She understood. He knew she did, because her hands tightened convulsively on his and she turned her face and kissed his fingers.

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Hardy Cates
Blue Eyed Devil, Lisa Kleypas

“Nick’s not worth going to jail for,” I said.
“I don’t know about that.” Hardy stared at me for a moment, registering my uneasiness. His expression deliberately softened. “The way I was brought up, ‘he needed killing’ is an airtight legal defense.”
***
“Feel good?” I whispered.
Hardy shook his head, struggling to breathe. His face was flushed as if with a high fever.
“No?” I asked.
“Felt good a half hour ago,” He managed to say, his accent slurry like he’d just done about ten tequila shots. “Fifteen minutes after that it was the greatest sex I’ve ever had, and right about now...I’m pretty sure I’m in the middle of a heart attack.”
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________________________________________________
***
Smooth Talking Stranger
Lisa Kleypas

“You can’t stand between a Texan and his power tools. We like them. Big ones that drain the national grid. We also like truck stop breakfasts, large moving objects, Monday night football, and the missionary position. We don’t drink light beer, drive Smart Cars, or admit to knowing the names of more than about five or six colors. And we don’t wax our chests. Ever.”
**
While Jack and Ella are putting together a crib…
“Can you do meatloaf?”
“Yep.”
“Marry me, Ella.”
I looked into his wicked dark eyes, and even though I knew he was joking I felt a wild pulse inside, and my hands trembled. “Sure,” I said lightly. “Want some bread?”
***
And later in the story…
“You may not know this, but the other time I asked you to marry you, the night I put the crib together, I meant it. Even though I knew you weren’t ready.
God, I hope you’re ready now.”

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And there is one other scene that I remember well. The ‘staring’ scene in Renee Bernard’s, Revenge Wears Rubies is one that is steamy, sultry and very memorable. I can’t list it here because it is lengthy, but the page numbers are…70-73.

21 comments:

  1. Trish,

    My keepers are the ones that make my heart constrict and I feel the pain the hero or heroine is feeling. I haven't read any of the ones you've mentioned, so I'll add them to my list of must read books. Great post.

    Lisa

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  2. OMG...Lisa, you haven't read those!?! You must simply tell me when you get the chance to. I would love to have the chance to re-read them as if it were the first time! You will simply love Clayton (from whitney my love), only after you want to kill him and Whit first!

    And Hardy is simply droolworthy and smokin hot!

    HUGS
    Trish

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  3. Oh God, Hardy Cates in "Blue Eyed Devil" by LK. What a sexy s.o.b. he was. Yum!
    I also like Catherine Anderson's Rafe Kendrick in Baby Love. Any of Linda Lael Miller's cowboys - the McKettricks of Texas or the Montana Creeds...hell I love them all. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a man in a Stetson, faded Wranglers, and a pair of Tony Lamas. I think my next series might have to be about some contemporary cowboys. Guess I could start looking for some real cowboys to use as research material? Great post DIL!

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  4. Lisa, every book Trish mention is a great read. If you like contemporary, read Lisa Kleypas first. Sugar Daddy, then Blue Eyed Devil. You WILL drool over Hardy Cates...guaranteed!!!! Judith McNaught's are historicals, and anything by her is readworthy and memorable.

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  5. Thanks Lori! And you should write some cowboy contemp! I can only imagine how awesome those would be since you very own Liam and Mike are so darn hot!

    And you also know how to add those tender moments that readers crave...

    And both Rafe and Ryan Kendrick are awesome men!

    HUGS
    Trish

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  6. Trish! Those are all keepers! I have read all of thoes and loved them. As I was re-reading the blurbs you put on there I wanted to pull them all of the shelf and reread them again! I love pretty much anything that Lisa Kleypas writes, but I really love her Travis series. Those are some amazing books.

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  7. Those all sound like awesome books! Thanks for sharing this, Trish! I'll have to check them out. Right now I'm reading Victoria Dahl's Crazy For Love. It's so good, and I totally get the hero as he and I have a lot in common...

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  8. Oh, and I do love a book that makes me laugh and cry, and feel things... I know I shouldn't, but I dog ear pages I want to return to!

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  9. What perfect timing!!!
    I, like Lisa, am woefully underread. On a happy note, I look forward to many days of ignoring my family so I can fall in love with all these guys. Thanks Trish! You're awesome!

    And Kellie, I do that too, with the dog-eared pages. My favorite books look like they've been munched by an overeager ferret... LOVE IT!!!

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  10. I'm there with you Kellie and Cecily. A couple of heroes came to mind: Gavin in Sabrina Jeffries, One Night w/ a Prince. And Perfect Lover by Stephanie Laurens was another I liked. But I don't get the time to read as much as I'd like to find new heroes/stories I love, so I'm glad you all are making a list;)

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  11. Trish, thank you for sharing some of your favorite scenes with us. All of those were great! Sadly, I haven't read those either but I'll definitely put them on my list to read. BTW, I'm finally reading Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed Series...yummy stuff!

    Some favorites that I have read several times are Sherrilyn Kenyon's 'Night Play' and 'Acheron'. Brenda Joyce's The de Warenne Dynasty Series. My favorite is 'The Masquerade'. My heart clinches every time I read it. But yeah, some of my copies are getting pretty worn out.

    Great post, Trish! Absolutely loved it! :)

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  12. Kasey, Ah...I do love me some Kleypas stories, how could I forget the ULTIMATE tortured hero's?? Derek Craven in DREAMING OF YOU and Sebastian, Lord Vincent in DEVIL IN WINTER!!! OMG...have to do some re-reads!!

    Kellie, Crazy for Love by Victoria...isn't the hero really REALLY protective???

    You're welcome Cecily! Sometimes, very rarely, I also dog ear pages...but I would have to be desperate! I like to keep them perfect!

    Jennifer, One night with a Prince is an awesome book! I LOVED that series! Very hot, isn't there a carriage scene in there?

    HUGS
    Trish

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  13. Trish, the Wallflower series is great. Lord St. Vincent is a favorite hero of mine too. I actually reread that one a lot. Almost as much as I read Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. I just won Lisa Kleypas's new novel on Goodreads, so I am pretty excited to get to read that. :)

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  14. Trish,

    I'm with you about Whitney, my love and Until you. Two of my favorites that I've read again and again. Clayton was a stinker you hated then fell instantly in love with.

    Heros/Heroine that touch me with their stories definately help me decide whether they stay in my library to be re-read or donated.

    The others sound great. Will add them to my list.

    Great post!

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  15. Kasey, I LOVE the DUKE AND I, by Julia. What book did you win?

    Elke, I remember you being a Clayton fan!

    HUGS
    Trish

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  16. I won CHRISTMAS EVE AT FRIDAY HARBOR. It is the first novel in her new contemporary series.

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  17. Trish - I suffered from anxiety (and sometimes still do, but it's under control), so I totally got Max in CRAZY FOR LOVE. I know what it's like to be worried about everyone and everything like that. Thankfully, I'm not like that to that extent, but I do love a character I can relate to!

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  18. Kasey, I wanted that book so bad but I refused to buy a small paperback at that price! I heard it was really good though.

    Kellie, makes perfect sense now that I understand. Yeah, Max was pretty protective, of everybody in that book, not just the herione.

    HUGS
    Trish

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  19. Good Grief, Girl,
    I can't believe I haven't read any of those, but they sound yummy! Thanks for a great post--

    I actually just bought Kleypas's Wallflower book at the used bookstore. It's a rerelease, I think. Won't get to it for a few days though.

    Hugs,
    Barb

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  20. Trish, I think it is actually a hardcover novel and that is why it is so much.

    Barb, I love her Wallflower series, it is one of my favorites of all time!

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