Our Favorite Jo Beverleys

Susan here, presenting our "What We’re Reading” feature—and this time, we’ve each chosen our favorite Jo Beverley books.

Just a month ago Jo was still with us, and she’ll always be in our hearts — and “we will always have a part of Jo with us in her wonderful books,” as Wench Andrea/Cara recently said.

Jo wrote well over forty books and novellas, and we’ve each chosen our “favorites”—a word that loosely applies here. Choosing one or two over others wasn’t easy, but in the end the titles we picked all hold special meaning and resonance for each one of us. Some of us chose the same book. “Great minds and all that,” says Wench Joanna, “but see how differently we talk about it. A book is a collaboration between author and reader,” and the way we may respond to story and characters, and how we absorb and interpret a book, can be unique.

Recently, Jo's son Jonathan took this wonderful photo of his mother's many books--and her glittering collection of RITA awards.

Read our favorite picks -- and then tell us your favorite Jo Beverley books too!

Mary Jo Putney
So what is my favorite Jo Beverley book?  This could be a difficult question.  How about the stunning My Lady Notorious, first in the Malloren Series?  Or how about Lady Beware, because of my unnatural fondness for Darien?  Or her most recent, The Viscount Needs a Wife, which is subtle, original, and an overall delight?

And yet the choice turned out to be easy: Emily and the Dark Angel. It's one of her early traditional Regencies.  It might have been the first book of hers that I read.  It might have won the first (of five!) of her RITAs.  Those details I don't remember.

What I do remember is that it is everything a Regency should be: beautifully written, rich with carefully woven historical detail, and superbly characterized, it is one of the best handsome rake/plain heroine books ever.  Set in Melton Mowbray, the fashionable fox hunting capital of Regency society, the book features Emily Grantwich, a sensible twenty-six year old who is firmly on the shelf.  She competently runs the family estate owned by her invalid father, and enjoys the challenges.

Verderan, the Dark Angel, is a notorious rake who inherits the adjoining estate--and proves that a man must be very charming to make a good rake!  The growing relationship between them is both convincing and romantic--and just reading about the book made me pull one of my two copies off the keeper shelf because it's time for a re-read! 

Joanna Bourne
I went along my keeper shelf, looking at the old friends. It was pick one up and say, "Oh, yes. That's my favorite." Then I'd see the next one and open it and think, "No. This one is the best." 

I sat dithering between Secrets of the Night, (so sensual), and An Arranged Marriage. (Oh, Nicholas. How could I NOT choose you?) And finally settled on An Unwilling Bride. The privileged heir of an aristocratic house ​and a prickly, radical schoolmistress are forced into marriage. There's resentment and distrust from the start and a chasm of social inequality that causes misunderstanding after misunderstanding.
Not the ingredients of a happy life together. 

Many of Jo's books are about the needs and desires of strong men and women confronting the rigid, hierarchical society in which they live. This is the boundary she continually explores. An Unwilling Bride is this conflict in almost pure form. It's the meticulous picking apart of the assumptions and attitudes of Beth and Lucien, two complex people who are so Georgian we believe in them utterly and so universally human that our hearts ache for them.

I love the gradual coming together of Beth and Lucien. I see them working at the relationship, deliberately uncovering their vulnerabilities, being honest. Kindliness and goodwill are as important as desire. I like that. I like to see friendship growing up beside love.   

What's special about Jo's work is not that she gets the historical clothing and countryside and forms of address correct. Though she does. Nobody does it better. 
It's the strong, honorable people. She gets the people right. 

Andrea Pickens/Cara Elliott 
What can I say? Trying to pick a favorite Jo Beverley book is like trying to pick a favorite vintage champagne—each has its own uniquely nuanced taste, hue and effervescence but they all possess a brilliant sparkle and leave you feeling blissfully intoxicated! Jo was a master at creating compelling characters whose conflict created stories of depth and complexity. I think readers love her books because they are so real. Flaws, fears, difficult decisions, past mistakes—we all can relate to the struggle to define happiness and the struggle to find love. Her writing resonates with intelligence, a masterful command of language and history, and a true gift for storytelling.

 Okay, do I REALLY have to pick a favorite? (She says with a heavy sigh.) If pressed, I guess I have to say An Unwilling Bride. For me it showcases all of Jo’s magnificent talents. She took what to most authors would have been a very difficult storyline and created unforgettable characters and crackling tension, all in such a thoughtful exploration of human nature—and then of course ended with the celebration of love as the ultimate redeeming power.

 Love—it’s at the heart of romance books. And Jo, we love you.

Pat Rice
I cannot possibly choose my favorite Jo Beverley title, so I pulled the oldest signed copy that I could find off my shelf. This is one of her classic Regencies, after Lord Wraybourne’s Betrothed and before Emily And The Dark Angel. The Dark Angel is a very strong presence in The Stolen Bride. Even back then, Jo was creating her own circle of wonderful characters. She signed this one for me at a conference in Savannah in 1992. By then, I’d been a published author for a decade, but I was in awe of her talent and presence. I suspect my few short Regencies followed her classic format—numerous characters colliding off each other, having a rousing good time, suffering heartbreaks, and leaping into adventures. I’m not sure that I’ve yet to learn how to wave a magic wand the way she did to create so many entertaining characters  within the confines of such a small book. In this one, she not only has beautifully delineated characters plus an adventure, but one new romance, one betrothal, and we get glimpses of how Lord Wraybourne and his bride are doing. Amazing!

I really need to go back to the beginning of this series and read my way through all of them again.  

 Anne Gracie
In our tribute to Jo, I mentioned two books — Devilish, which I read and loved shortly before flying to the RWA conference where I first met Jo — the meeting wasn't planned. I told her how much I'd enjoyed it, and later at the end of the conference I was thrilled when she won the RITA with it. I also mentioned in the comments how very impressed I was with one of Jo's medievals, The Shattered Rose (except I called it Shattered Vows, which is a Mary Jo Putney book.) The NYT called it a masterpiece, and I have to agree. She made the impossible story work, and work beautifully.

Galeran of Heywood has gone off to fight in the Crusades. When after much trouble he finally returns to reclaim his lands and his wife, he finds she has borne a child that is not his. Two proud people, secretly desperately in love, yet unable to move past the hurt and betrayal. . .  It's fabulous. 
There's an excerpt here: http://www.jobev.com/tsrexc.html

Nicola Cornick
I came late to Jo Beverley’s books. In England, in pre-internet days, I could not get hold of them, even though as an avid reader of historical romance I had heard Jo’s name mentioned time and again. Hers were the books I so wanted to read! It was not until I went to my first RWA Conference that I met Jo and was at last introduced to her books. Then I couldn’t decide where to start! In the end I picked up the special edition of Three Heroes, and found my way into The Company of Rogues as a result.  Choosing a favourite from amongst them, though, from amongst Jo’s books at all, is almost impossible. (St Raven, perhaps? I have such a weakness for a highwayman!)

As a writer I admire Jo’s elegant use of language and the way she takes familiar tropes and turns them into the most original and thought-provoking historical romance one could imagine. So many times I read her books and am struck by the seamless interweaving of the historical background, the absolute authenticity of the characters and the depth of the emotion. Not only is this evident in Jo’s full length books but it struck me afresh in the short story she wrote for the most recent Word Wench anthology. Sheer reading pleasure that will endure.

Susan King
Sometimes, no matter how many books I've read by one author, what stays with me most dearly is the first book I ever discovered by that author. For me, with Jo, that was My Lady Notorious—and it remains one of my favorites among her books, and one of my favorite historical romances overall. Highwaymen (and women), a clever, courageous heroine and a smart, compassionate hero, an exciting, unpredictable and exciting plot--I loved everything about this book when I first read it as a romance fan and a newbie writer (and I remember being awed and convinced that I could never write a story half that good). So recently I plucked it from the shelf and read it again.

The storyteller's control, the ease and grace of the writer shine through every word. Natural dialogue and authentic, wonderful characters, the economy of perfectly chosen descriptions, steamy sexual tension and genuine attraction, a hero and heroine simply made to find each other—it’s all there. And the sense that the story is truly going somewhere at a brisk pace with the reins in the hands of a master, and that delicious sense of discovery as the story unfolds—that’s all still there too, even though I’ve read it before. I never found a moment to tell Jo how much I admire that book in particular, and I regret that since I loved the book so much and it made a difference to me as a new writer. And I never had time to finish the Malloren series, but I can change that, and I will. Thank you, Jo. Always.    

Which Jo Beverley book is YOUR favorite, and why so—and did you find it as difficult to decide as we did? 

Susan 

Comments

[kay]

So many - so many. There are four of her books which pop into my mind and I like them for different reasons: An Arranged Marriage - because it introduced a wonderful series, My Lady Notorious which introduced a great fun couple and also a mysterious older brother, Devilish - just because I waited and my favorite The Shattered Rose. I will be honest, when The Shattered Rose first came out in 1996 I didn't care for it. I may have even written to Jo complaining about infidelity in romance books. After a few years had passed I pulled out The Shattered Rose again and reread it. I'm so glad I did because it is now one of my all time favorite romance books. The writing is terrific and the characters are wonderful. It's a book which truly represents storytelling at it's best. By the way, I believe I wrote Ms. Beverley that time too and you know she always responded back to me.

[Lillian Marek]

Yes, picking a favorite is close to impossible. So many of them were wonderful. But since people are picking, I'll go for one of her more recent books, An Unlikely Countess, because it just made me happy. I loved Cate and Prudence and the way they baked each other up, as if they were literally standing back to back, fighting off the idiocy and mistakes of the rest of the world.

[Janga]

Ten of the titles on my all-time favorite top 100 list are Jo Beverley books, so choosing one as a favorite is difficult. An Unwilling Bride is on the list; so are My Lady Notorious, Devilish, and Emily and the Dark Angel. My monthly On Second Thought column at The Romance Dish today mentions the many reasons Forbidden Magic is a favorite. I also have a particular affection for Winter Fire because it is a lovely Christmas book and I love the family reconciliation; A Lady’s Secret because it is a road book with the perfect balance between adventure and romance and because I delight in referring to it as Jo’s secret baby book; and The Rogue’s Return because Simon is a perfect beta hero--and I’m a beta lover—and because Jo makes the Big Secret, which often makes me cringe, work beautifully.

I started with Lord Wraybourne’s Betrothed and am rereading all of the books. Even those that are not among my top 100 list make me glad that I am a romance reader.

[Beverly Abney]

AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE is the title I have re-read the most. I think it is interesting that there are actually 2 classic Regencies. (I had to look under the bed to get them out of storage.) All the favorites are among Jo's older titles. It won't bother me a bit to do some more re-reading and I will enjoy them all over again.

[Dana]

Picking just one would definitely put me in a bind. :-) My top three are The Dragon's Bride, St. Raven, and Devilish. I rarely reread, but these three, absolutely. If I didn't have so much to do this afternoon, I'd be tempted to reread Dragon's Bride right now.

[Jo Banks]

So difficult to choose but if I must I will go with the first of her books I read -St Raven.Which I have re-read several times I might add.It is written with such warmth and humour you can't help but fall a little in love with both H&H.And I will now go and dig it out to read again !

[Susan/DC]

I've loved many of her books, but "An Unwilling Bride" is the one that had the most powerful effect on me. It's also a secret baby book, although not a traditional one, and I loved the way Beth turns out to be her father's daughter even if they've only recently met. It is also a handsome rake/plain heroine story, but it turns out Beth is not so plain after all and you can understand why Lucien is drawn to her physically as well as emotionally. Jo Beverley was so good at taking tropes, even the most well-worn, and making them new and believable.

But what I most loved about the book was how Beth and Lucien are both creatures of their times and sympathetic to 21st C readers. For example, when Lucien is appalled that Beth let a man take her virginity, she immediately responds that he did not take it, she gave it to him. In that one short dialogue we see him responding as a Georgian aristocrat and her attempting to declare agency over her life. As it turns out, neither has as much agency as s/he would like, and she was not telling Lucien the truth (an important plot element), but this is such a wonderful example of showing us their characters, not telling us -- Ms. Beverley was a master and she will be missed.

[Tina Steele-Kersey]

She is a great lost to her friends and family.
And all of us that have read her books.

[Jana]

I love "Christmas Angel" (Leander and Judith's story). It's the marriage of convenience story and a second chance at love for Judith. I also just really, really like Leander. He's one of my favourite heroes. I also like "to Rescue a Rogue" she is such a determined heroine, a power to be reckoned with for sure! You know in the end Dare is going to win because she simply wouldn't have it any other way! I love Jo's work and will miss her voice in the future. It's a good thing I like to re-read!

[LouisaCornell]

Good Lord, how can one choose? It is rather like choosing my favorite type of chocolate. I love them all. Her latest definitely makes the cut. I loved The Viscount Needs a Bride, proof of her genius as it is unique and fresh and wonderful.

An Arranged Marriage comes to mind. As does An Unwilling Bride.

I ordered and just received a hardbound copy of Forbidden Magic as I do not think my paperback copy will survive another reading.

Ooh, and St. Raven - love a Jo Beverley bad boy.

What a legacy of love, joy, wit, and truly amazing stories she has left us. As I have a new copy I think I will settle down with a cup of Earl Gray and reread Forbidden Magic.

[Grettel]

Oh no! It'll be impossible to choose just one of her books. The first one I read was My Lady Notorious and I loved it so much that I decided to search for more and found the Rogues series. I started to read them in order as fast as I could find a copy. By the time I finished The Dragon's Bride I was furious on account of poor Lady Anne. That's why Race is my favorite among Mrs. Beverly's heroes.

[Jenny]

It's so hard to choose. I started out with Christmas Angel. In fact I have read my copy so many times, I had to buy another copy that I could keep. But when I went to look, I discovered To Rescue A Rogue, or The Three Heroes, particularly The Demon's Mistress, but then there is Hazard, and winter Fire and A Most Unsuitable Man, and and gosh where do I stop. I just love Jo's books. She will be sadly missed, but she will live on in her books.

[Kathy Lynn Emerson]

I can't pick just one, either, but I recently listened to the audiobook of Dangerous Joy and it was every bit as wonderful in that format as in print or e. Jo's books are comfort rereads for me, and have been for a long time.

Kathy/Kaitlyn

[Nancy]

Absolutely a difficult choice. I had just looked at my book cases last night for a book to reread. I practicaly had to go eeny meeny miney mo. Ended with Mary Jo's book about Daniel Herbert and Jo's books The Shocking Delight and the Viscount needs a wife and then had to close my eyes and pick which one to read first. I had already read all three. I like the mallorans and the Rogues but have about 3 I choose to read less often. Other wise the favorite is the one I am currently reading or next in the TBR pile.

[Shannon]

I'm a Malloren fan. My Lady Notorious, Devilish (currently rereading), and Winter Fire are some of the most re-read books in my collection. I can now see I'll be doing more re-reading rather than getting on with my TBR pile. Part of the problem with the TBR pile is that they're not Jo Beverly and for right now, her voice is a delight.

[Faith Freewoman]

Definitely Devilish. And An Arranged Marriage. And My Lady Notorious...and if I don't stop now, I'll end up listing them all. Although mayyyyybe I should also add St. Raven. Okay, I'm really stopping now.

But I will say I'm going to re-read An Unwilling Bride thanks to Joanna's comments. Beth was a bit prickly for my taste when I read it before...who knows how I'll feel these days?

Thank you all, Wenches and fans, for a lovely time spent together honoring Jo and her wonderful books, her wonderful friends, and her priceless legacy.

Faith

[Linda S]

Jo's books are almost an embarrassment of riches. I particularly like Winter Fire for its evocation of cold in large stately homes as well as Ash and Genova and Lady Thalia. And from the Rogues, To Rescue a Rogue and An Unwilling Bride. And surely I'm not the only reader who has fantasized about Bey and Diana's grandchildren being known to the Rogues - at least Lucien and St Raven?

[Zara West]

My favorite is Forbidden Magic. The eccentric hero Sax with the heart of gold and the careful way he woos and rescues his reluctant bride is one of my all time favorite heroes.

[Karin]

For me the 1st 3 Malloren books are the best, "My Lady Notorious", "Tempting Fortune" and "Something Wicked". But for a comfort read, I prefer "Emily and the Dark Angel" and "Lord Wraybourne's Bride". I also adore two of Jo's books where the heroine rescues the hero, "The Demon's Mistress" and "To Rescue a Rogue". But so many other great ones to choose from!