The days when I first started reading romance have long since past. I’ve grown as a reader and I’ve grown out of the authors that I started my romance career with. That doesn’t mean they weren’t (and aren’t) wonderful authors, but they just aren’t for me anymore.
Danielle Steel: Message from Nam, Malice, and Zoya just to name a few. While I don’t read Danielle Steel anymore, she will always hold a special place in my heart.
Diana Palmer: Her Long, Tall Texan series…sigh. I read as many books in that series that I could find until they went out of print. Back when I worked at a used bookstore, I searched high and low; I would spend hours in local used bookstores looking for oop books.
Elizabeth Lowell: To the Ends of the Earth? I’ve re-read it half a dozen times. It’s one of those books that made me cry every time I re-read it.
Those are just a few authors that I grew out of. Not authors that aren’t still great, just authors that aren’t for me.
What about you? What authors have you grown out of since you started reading?
I feel like I’ve gone more explicit in my reading tastes. Every time I look at a Nora Roberts/Susan Mallery/Jill Shalvis – I put them off in deference to something with racier sex scenes. I’m sure that says something kinda perverse about me, but hey, what can I say? I still read their books, I’ve just given them more time on my TBR pile.
Oh, Susan Mallery. I forgot about Susan Mallery. I haven’t read her stuff in ages either.
I think it’s safe to say that I outgrew Barbara Cartland; when I was a young teen I loved her books and owned well over a hundred of them. I donated those books years ago. I’m actually afraid to read one of her books today.
I’ve grown out of most of the wallpapery historical authors I used to love. It makes me sad that I didn’t read all their books when I still would have liked them, but there you go. I still enjoy historicals, but the writing has to be above par.
Kareni — I recently made a stab at rereading my first Cartland/first historical romance. Could not get far.
I’ve actually grown out of all historicals. I can’t recall the last one I’ve read.
I haven’t read historical in a while either. I don’t know if I can really say I’ve “outgrown” them but they were definitely something I enjoyed earlier in my romance reading life that just doesn’t appeal much to me now.
I have recently discovered C S Harris’ Sebastian St Cyr series, thoroughly enjoying them
Johanna Lindsay is definitely one for me. I used to love her stuff, now it’s squicky. Particularly her early work.
Diana Palmer, Elizabeth Lowell, Jayne Ann Krentz and Linda Howard – with LH *her* writing has changed so much as to be indistinguishable from her 80’s and 90′ s work. Shannon McKenna, J R Ward, Sandra Brown.
Oh, yeah, JR Ward is another biggie for me. Good call.
Thank you ! *Blush*
Why Shannon McKenna?
For me, her heroes just got more and more psychotic and I wanted to shout ‘run away’ to the heroine! Meanwhile, her heroines got more and more like wimpy pseudo-virginal doormats!
You continue to be my twin. 🙂 DNF’d the last three Howards. Gave up on Palmer and Ward several books ago. Still reading McKenna but not enjoying it much. Am listening to Sandra Brown on audio because she has really good narrators.
Hello my Willa twin good to see you!
I have outgrown Janet Evanovich; I still read her Steph Plum books, but it’s almost like I’m punishing myself when I do. I would say that I’ve outgrown getting excited by Jill Shalvis and Kristan Higgins, they were my favorite authors when I started reading primarily romance but now I don’t preorder their books and wait for them to go on sale before I buy them. I also would say I’ve outgrown Robyn Carr. There was nothing wrong with her new series, I just wasn’t that interested in them for some reason. I think maybe I’m just suffering small-town romance fatigue. I still don’t mind reading them, but I would prefer a city setting.
I outgrew Janet Evanovich too. I remember when I used to read her books like they were crack but after a while, I just stopped caring if Stephanie was a Cupcake or a Babe.
I’m starting to outgrow Kristan Higgins and Robyn Carr. I tried and tried to read books by them in the last couple of years and just can’t do it. Not anymore.
Many years ago, I read tons of Silhouettes, Harlequins, etc. These days, I rarely read “category” romances. There are still a few authors that I like, but in general I shy away from them. I’ve also outgrown Robyn Carr and Nora Roberts although I do still read the In Death series (Roarke never gets old LOL). I think it’s mainly that the more we read, the more our tastes change. Also, some authors have a very distinctive style and cadence to their writing that sometimes just gets old after awhile. That’s one reason I rarely binge read. I find I’ll usually get tired of any author if I read too much of them too quickly.
I haven’t read a Nora Roberts in a while and I’m just not interested in reading any either. That’s scary cause I love Nora’s stuff.
Debbie Macomber, Emily Giffin & Nicholas Sparks. I used to read everything they wrote. Not so much any more.
There are quite a few authors that I used to read all the time that I just have no interest in reading anymore. J.R. Ward (though I stopped reading her after book 3 but I LOVED Book 1 & 2 of the BDB books) then there’s Jennifer Crusie, SEP and I can’t think of anyone else right now but there are more I’m sure.
Well I became a super avid reader when I was maybe ten years old, so I’ve outgrown a lot of authors lol. I know that when I was a teen, I was really into chick lit, that humorous kind, you know? Albeit mostly YA chick lit, like Katie Maxwell and the Georgia Nicholson series (can’t remember the author). I kind of can’t stand chick lit now though. I reread one of the adult Katie Maxwell books last year that I liked when I was a teen, and it was definitely not for me. In high school I then started reading Anne Rice and loved all her Vampire Chronicles books, but I tried rereading Interview a few years back, and I didn’t even finish it :-/ So I still credit her for shaping my reading tastes (my love of vampires and paranormal), but I think her writing style isn’t for me anymore.
Robyn Carr is another one for me. I hadn’t read her in ages and decided to read Sullivan’s Crossing. It was so similar to Virgin River that it felt like I was reading the same book. I doubt that I’ll read her again. SEP is another one, though I did pre-order her new one because it sounded really good. I’m hopeful.
J.R. Ward is like a trainwreck for me. I just can’t help it. I’m actually going to start The Bourbon Kings.
It’s hard for me to define “outgrown” because I’ve really only been reading romance (as an adult, at least) for maybe 7 years, so I don’t feel like I’ve had as much time to outgrow anything. I have definitely cooled on historicals, especially the more hack-y ones that don’t offer something unique. Probably my favorite author from 7 years ago was Victoria Dahl–I can’t say I’ve outgrown her, but I guess I don’t really care for the style she’s writing in any longer so I haven’t read her in a long while, which makes me sad.
I don’t know that I have outgrown anyone, but I know I haven’t rushed to the store to buy a Nicholas Sparks novel for a long while maybe years.
For some authors I’m not sure “outgrow” is the right word. I gave up on Janet Evanovich, not so much because the books were all the same, but when I finally tuned in on the fact that Stephanie was a big ol’ blatant hypocrite (no other woman’s gaze can linger on Joe for a second too long but hey! It’s totally OK for her to bump uglies with Ranger and chalk it up to an evil curse Joe’s creepy Aunt Bella put on her. Child, please.)
I’m seriously having a brain fart thinking of romance authors I’ve outgrown – I know there has to be some. Like Willaful I’m having a hard time with wallpaper-y historicals in general, but I can still get through the occasional one with the author writes with some verve.
I agree about the Plum series. I stopped at book 12 because it was just more of the same. If we’d seen some growth from Stephanie maybe I could have stuck it out, but she’s the same character she was at the start.
I think our tastes evolve overtime. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I used to love JR Ward and haven’t read anything by her since Lover Mine (#8). I also used to love Christine Feehan and haven’t read her in years. So funny that some say they are burned out on small town romance series, since I am really into that right now. I am totally digging Jill Shalvis and Shelia Roberts.
Judith McNaught. Though she hasn’t had a new release in about 11 years, when I think about going back to her old releases I just..can’t. I think I’ve outgrown the never-ending drama and angst.