I have never liked Nora Roberts at all, at all; and refuse to buy her books now.
But Nancy Atherton's AUNT DIMITY, I adore. I own all 17 and pass them on and through my daughters and then send them to my granddaughters. We all love Aunt Dimity. Silly, fun summer beach reading, if you like. Certainly not intellectual. But sweet and funny and cosy and fantastical and dreamy and; well, I love Aunt Dimity. Try one! It may not be your thing, or you may enjoy going along for the ride.
I tend to sandwich an Aunt Dimity between the larger, darker tomes I read. Sort of the creme brulee at the end of a heavy meal. Cleans the palette, or something.
Just yesterday I received DVDs of COMMISSARIO BRUNETTI Episodes 1 and 2 by Donna Leon and CASE HISTORIES, a mish mash of the books about Jackson Brodie by Kate Atkinson. I find Kate Atkinson a really, really, really good fine writer. Amazing, actually.