MsMoonlight's 2nd Day on the island

“Good morning all! MsMoonlight here with all my heroes and my sidekick Johnny Depp. Boy what a night we all had last night! Johnny got everyone bombed on rum then the guys got all stupid as drunk guys do…”

Johnny: “Hey I resent that comment! We didn’t get stupid, we just had some fun. Can I talk now?”
Me: “Sure, but make it kinda quick? I’ve got to tell everyone about my heroes.”
Johnny: “Ok, I just wanted to say that the guys and I will lay any woman who visits the island today.”
Me: *slaps forehead* “Johnny! Now look what you’ve done! Slow down ladies, don’t riot! Someone’s going to get hurt! What Johnny means is while him and the heroes got bombed last night on all that rum they decided to make their own LEIs, as in the traditional wreath of flowers necklace given to visitors in Hawaii.”
Johnny: “Well of course that’s what I meant Elizabeth, the other…that would be quite a challenge.” He pauses here to think it over, then with a grin says; “Hmm…lay…lei…I’m willing to give it a go either way here.”
Me: “Then I suggest going sleep now, because I know some of these women! Besides, the guys have a big bon fire party planned for tonight. I'm thinking rum and fire probably aren't a good idea, but I can't talk them out of it.”

Ok now where was I? Oh yeah my DIK heroes! My picks are from over a decade ago because all my current picks were already taken by previous islanders (this shows I have good taste in hunky heroes because others have already gobbled them all up!). I had to dig deep in the way back of my keeper shelf to come up with these heroes and while I recall really liking them, it’s been so long (more than 10 years) since I read then I honestly can’t give specifics on them now.

But before I list who my heroes are I wanted to share again my current favorite books (which I mentioned in my Q&A welcome to DIK post back in June) that have already been picked, because I haven't mentioned why these are my favorites. This is from question #3:
3. What are your 5 favorite books?

Paranormal favorite: "Lover Eternal" by JR Ward

Historical Romance: "Prisoner of my Desire" by Johanna Lindsey

Mystery: "Dead to the World" by Charlaine Harris

M/M Romance: "The Assignment" by Evangeline Anderson

Young Adult: "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer

“Lover Eternal” is my favorite paranormal because Rhage is my hands down favorite paranormal hero of all time. I think he’s perfect – inner beast and all.
“Dead to the World” is my favorite mystery fiction (favorite mystery series actually) because of all the phenomenal characters. As weird as they are, they are engaging and compelling drawing assorted emotions from me with each chapter of every book. Few books can do that for me, but Charlaine Harris never fails to take me on a roller coast ride of emotions and leave me begging for more.

“The Assignment” was my first step into gay romance. I had read other bloggers reading and reviewing these books and my first thought was “Why? If you’re not gay, why read a gay romance? What’s the appeal?” – that was very shallow of me and I am glad I quickly got over it because I now love gay romance books! What I learned is romance is romance and if the writing is good and the characters engaging it draws me into the story - I just love a good romance story and gender hasn't got a thing to do with it. That is what Evangeline Anderson’s “The Assignment” did for me. Totally opened my eyes to gay romance and sent me on a spending spree for more gay novels which are now beginning to fill my keeper’s shelf.

“Eclipse” is my favorite of the “Twilight” YA series that is making teens swoon around the world. I liked this book in the series because I think you see the most growth in the characters and the story turns strongly to how to make things work after a heartbreaking break up and where to you fit in the guy (Jacob) who supported you and took you through the worst time of your life, when your boyfriend is back but things aren’t exactly like they were before. Loved this part of the series. Bella had a lot of decisions to make and Edward and Jacob both had a lot of accepting to do. Personally, (my unasked for opinion) I think Stephenie Meyer should have stopped at this book in the Twilight series, and then gone on to a new spin off werewolf/shapeshifting series for Jacob at this point instead of the horror of what happened in “Breaking Dawn”.

So that’s the ‘why’ behind some of my favorite books, I left out “Prisoner of my Desire” because that is in my current island hero list that I will talk more about soon. So now to get to my hero list from my keepers shelf!

My first hero is Zane MacKenzie from “MacKenzie’s Pleasure” by Linda Howard. I love Linda Howard’s books; they are my number ONE keepers of all time. She tops my list and had I been able to pick any hero from any book it would have been hands down John from “All the Queens Men” – my favorite book by her of all time. But her “MacKenzie” series is phenomenal and I really liked Zane – a military stud. The heroine is being held prisoner by a terrorist group and NAVY SEAL Zane is sent in to save her, he does and loses his heart to her in the process. Great story and a fast read.

My second hero is Warrick de Chaville from “Prisoner of my Desire” by Johanna Lindsey. Back in the 1980’s when I began reading romance (yeah I’m that old!!), I stocked my shelves with this author. I was completely consumed by historical romance and read that nearly exclusively until Jude Deveraux began turning out some contemporary romances. In “Prisoner of my Desire” the tables are turned. The heroine needs to conceive a child fast, so she kidnaps hero Warrick then…rapes him. Yeah, I know rape is bad and prominent in many of these historical romances and it’s usually the woman saying ‘no, no’ but supposedly meaning ‘yes, yes’ (that’s a whole other topic for discussion) but in this story it’s good. Well no, being rape isn’t good, but it makes for a good story when written by Johanna Lindsey, that’s what I mean. The heroine is a virgin, hasn’t got a clue what to do but finally manages to get it right. The hero is not happy being used and seeks retaliation, but of course they fall in love and have their happily ever after.

My third hero is also from Johanna Lindsey, its Royce of Wyndhurst in her “Hearts Aflame” book. The hero is a Saxon who captures the Viking heroine and makes her a slave in his household, but she doesn’t remain one. Soon he can't get enough of her and they fall in love, but have all sorts of problems between them. I love the depiction of this time period that author Johanna Lindsey creates, it’s like watching it being played out for you. Her details are great as is the love story that unfolds between the characters.

My fourth hero is Jamie Graham from “The Lion in Glory” by Shannon Drake (another author I filled my bookshelf with for decades under all the names she writes under). This is the story of the Scottish vs. the English and the romance that blooms between them. The Scots have turned the war and King Robert the Bruce has taken more land from England. His knight Jamie takes heroine Christina as hostage, but he’s got his hands full because Christina will stop at nothing to help her brother. Jamie is continually frustrated by the stunts Christina pulls and she keeps him on his toes and eventually in her bed. Fun romance for anyone who loves those Scottish men in kilts!

My fifth hero is Lord Ware from “Lion’s Bride” by Iris Johansen. I read this one last year and really enjoyed it because I hadn’t read a dashing knight falls for the lady he really doesn’t want to love in a very long time. This had an element to it of mystery and magic, they come out in the second book, but the second book doesn’t come close to being as good as the first. The hero is an ex Templar Knight with a target on his back – he’s supposed to be death and there is a hit out on him. The last thing he wants is to fall for a woman and put her in danger, but that is exactly what happens. Together they fall in love and save each other.

My sixth hero is Nicolas Eden from “Love Only Once” by Johanna Lindsey. This is part of her Malory series, the book that started it all – a series I reread over and over and over again for at least ten years! So good. If you like historical romances with sexual tension and characters that are near combustible together, this is a book you want to read.

My seventh hero is Warren Anderson from “The Magic of You” by (you guessed it) Johanna Lindsey. This is another book in the Malory series but this was is different from the rest in that the heroine is Amy Malory and the hero Warren (whose been wounded by love in the past) does his very best to stir clear of her but she simply will not take no for an answer and Warren being so studly can only hold out for so long. Warren is the wounded hero you want to be happy and find love, and Amy sees his pain, loves him already and is determined to be the one to heal him and bring him happiness. This is a battle of wills with love winning out. Loved it!

My last hero is Lt. John Dunbar from Dances With Wolves by Michael Blake. I love watching John transform and grow as a person while he struggles with just who he is and what side he’s going to stand on when things begin to go bad. He’s a hero and Kevin Costner did a great job portraying him in the movie based on the book in my opinion.

So those are my heroes from my deep dark keeper’s shelf. They were pushed to the back and buried by books from JR Ward, Charlaine Harris, Nora Roberts, Kresley Cole, Evangeline Anderson, Cheryl Brooks, Kendra Leigh Castle, Anne Rice, Lori Foster, Stephenie Meyer, Lora Leigh, Jude Deveraux, Maya Banks, Lisa Marie Rice, Christina Dodd, JK Rowling, Judith McNaught, LaVyrle Spencer, Erin McCarthy, Lisa Kleypas, Tami Hoag and many others.

It was wonderful to revisit these heroes and I hope to one day soon reread their stories and recall all the details of what made them so special that they have stood the test of time for me and remained on my keeper shelf even after a decade- or two!

So my question to all of you is, who do you have buried in your keeper shelf from years ago that stands the test of time?