One of my dear friends (*ahem* Megan *ahem*) does not reread books.
Frankly, I don't get it. Of course, I like to read new books. I wait patiently for new releases by favorite authors and I'm always interested to try new authors who have been recommended to me by someone I trust.
But there are times when I just need to settle down with a book that will hit all the right notes for the mood I'm in, a book that has characters who have become familiar friends, a book whose denouement I know will leave me with a warm, happy sigh.
Maybe I reread because I don't have a favorite aunt with whom I can sit down for tea and sympathy and my closest friends are too many miles away for a quick, comforting visit. Maybe I reread because there are times when I really don't want any surprises.
So, what do I reread? Well, that's an interesting question. And the answer is, it depends. It depends upon what I want from that reread.
When I'm looking for a historical comfort read, I always to turn to Loretta Chase. I know, your first thought is Lord of Scoundrels, and I do reread that on occasion, but you're more apt to find me curled up with Mr. Impossible, because, I've got to tell you, when you're reading for comfort, you need a Beta Hero. Those Alphas are just too exhausting. And Rupert Carsington is all that is yummy and comforting in a Beta: big, handsome, funny and overtaken by love.
On occasion, I look for a contemporary Beta to soothe the savage beast. That frequently involves Lisa Kleypas' Smooth Talking Stranger. Although Jack Travis might look like an Alpha hero to you, what with all those muscles and macho interests (hunting, fishing, serial dating), deep down, under all those muscles, he's a mushy Beta, swept off his feet by his first glimpse of our heroine.
Sometimes, I'll haul out a reread that will provide me with a good, cathartic cry. These don't require a particular type of hero (or heroine for that matter). The only requirement is a denouement that will tug the old heartstrings. I find Barbara Samuel/Barbara O'Neal a very reliable catharsis reread. I just have to gauge the amount of catharsis I need before choosing one of her books. Most of the time, it's Barbara O'Neal's The Lost Recipe for Happiness, a reliable heart-wrencher with a very satisfying ending. I get the good cry and the warm resolution. You can't beat that. If I'm after a sob-fest, I'll read Barbara Samuel's No Place Like Home. Although the heroine ends up with true love (something I insist upon when I read), there are plenty of tears on the way to the happily ever after.
Surely, you ask, you must reread some Romances with tasty Alpha heroes. And surely I do. Those are my hot rereads. When I'm looking for something a little spicy, a little sexy (or a lot sexy), then I reread those Alphas. Interestingly, these are mostly Historical Alphas. Give me The irredeemable Marquess of Dain from Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels or, even better, the incorrigible Duke of Ainsworth from her The Last Hellion. Give me Derek Craven, guttersnipe turned pent-up Alpha from Lisa Kleypas's Dreaming of You. Oh yeah. Give them to me, Baby!There are more. I have quite an extensive keeper shelf, but these are the ones I turn to more frequently than the others, and these are the reasons I turn to them. Apparently, Megan has access to a favorite aunt with a steaming pot of tea and a sympathetic shoulder.
So what books are your go-to rereads?
Myretta Robens
The Republic of Pemberley
