Looking for fantasy/SF books with an underlying romance (no Mills & Boon stuff!)

[Melissa]

I wouldn't say I was a hardcore fantasy/SF reader, but I did love the Harry Potter series, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, Rangers Apprentice series and just finished Twilight.

I'm after books that engage the imagination and have an underlying love story in some shape or form. I don't like cheesy/soppy romances where it turns into Mills and Boon stuff.

I didn't mind the Twilight romance, although I found Bella to be a damsel in distress 99.9% of the time (don't like weak female characters). I'm not going to read the rest of the series because I'm not into the Vampire thing.

I got recommended Magician's Guild (Black Magician series) by Trudy Canavan which I've started reading and it's great so far!

Any more recommendations? (Bonus if there are some humour as well)

Thanks

[Andybaby]

I wouldnt call it romance, but alot of Joe Haldemans novels have sappy "get the girl in the end" endings which i like. alot of Heinliens later works deal with free love.

Both authors are very funny to read, and i plough through their novels whenever i pick them up.

are the haldeman books ive read, all of them have that kind of attitude, all of them i finished within 48 hours of picking it up.
http://www.librarything.com/catalog....earch=haldeman

[HarryT]

You might enjoy Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series.

[Sparrow]

'1984' George Orwell

[Margrete]

I'd recommend Traci Harding's Ancient Furture trilogy which continues with the Celestial Triad trilogy (only the first trilogy is available in ebooks )

It starts with the book the Ancient Future:

Late one evening, en route to visit a relative, an accident leaves Tory – the attractive, twenty-something daughter of a prominent history professor – stranded near a ring of stones in Britain. Tory resolves to spend the night at the stone circle and seek help in the morning . . .But across the vortex of time and space, she is taken back to the Dark Age. There she meets Prince Maelgwn of Gwynedd and his band of warriors. Initially her 'strange' appearance frightens them and they believe she is the notorious witch fabled to frequent the site. But she overcomes their fear and soon the tales of her adventures, brave deeds and beauty spread across the land.

Awesome series in my opinion. It has humour, abit of romance, swordfights.

Another series is Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra. Sofar there is 4 books published with book 5 coming sometime this year. It starts with Cast in Shadow:

Seven years ago Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered--and all had the same odd markings that mysteriously appeared on her own skin." Since then, she's learned to read, she's learned to fight and she's become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the City of Elantra. Alongside the winged Aerians and the immortal Barrani, she's made a place for herself, far from the mean streets of her birth. But children are once again dying, and a dark and familiar pattern is emerging. Kaylin is ordered back into Nightshade with a partner she knows she can't trust, a Dragon lord for a companion and a device to contain her powers--powers that no other human has. Her task is simple--find the killer, stop the murders--and survive the attentions of those who claim to be her allies!

[pdurrant]

All of Lois McMaster Bujold's books.

Start with Cordelia's Honor (Vorkosigan series) $5

Or with Beguilement (The Sharing Knife series) under $8

Also Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's books.

Try Local Custom (Liaden Universe) $5

Lastly, Sarah Hoyt's
Draw One in the Dark $6

Originally Posted by Melissa

II'm after books that engage the imagination and have an underlying love story in some shape or form. I don't like cheesy/soppy romances where it turns into Mills and Boon stuff.

Any more recommendations? (Bonus if there are some humour as well)

Thanks

[leandroide]

Originally Posted by Melissa

I'm after books that engage the imagination and have an underlying love story in some shape or form. I don't like cheesy/soppy romances where it turns into Mills and Boon stuff.

Any more recommendations? (Bonus if there are some humour as well)

Thanks

Well... you have "Old man's war" series by John Scalzi. There is an underlying love story and you've got lot of humour, specially in the first book.

L.

[igorsk]

Wen Spencer's Tinker.
Many of the Keith Laumer's stories, I recommend collections Odyssey ("serious") and The Lighter Side ("funny").

[AnemicOak]

Check out Catherine Asaro's stuff.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You might enjoy Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series.

Then again, might not. I've read the first book in the series and found it dreadful.

[JSWolf]

The In Death series by J.D. Robb are pretty good futuristic mysteries and there is some romance in there as well.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The In Death series by J.D. Robb are pretty good futuristic mysteries and there is some romance in there as well.

It was the romance elements that put me off.

Reminded me a bit of Anne Perry's 'William Monk' books - but I enjoyed Perry's stories more (although they're not SF).

[lilac_jive]

I loved the Trudi Canavan series. You should also check out her other series, The Age of the Five.

[pilotbob]

OK, I'm going to say it...

Wizard's First Rule by Goodkind.

Although, I think it can only be found in ebook form on Kindle.

BOb

[dragonbone]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You might enjoy Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series.

I agree 100% . I really enjoyed Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series. Historical Fiction slash Sci/Fi slash Medical slash Romance.

I mostly read fantasy and hate Mills & Boon soppy stuff, (although I thought I was in heaven when I found a hidden box of them in the attic at the age of 12 and secretly read the LOT).
George RR Martin's 'Ice and Fire' series, Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' Tad Williams 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn' and of course OUTLANDER, are my all time favorite books. I'm busy with the Wheel of Time and enjoying it immensely so far...