Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion

I just had surgery so it looks like I’ll have a lot of reading time. I’m tired of the hit and miss book roulette game. I’ll read an amazing book then I’m left longing for something that is the same standard. So let me have it…tell me your most favorite book.

I love Patricia Briggs' books for the intelligent intrigue in her plots. Her characters have depth (even the side characters) and they grow as the series moves on. There's well thought out action but it's not just for the sake of action and doesn't swamp the story.
Mercy kicks ass, takes care of business but is still a kind person.
And Adam Hauptman is yummy!
There's also not a lot of OW/OM stuff and none of that is for making the other jealous or silly games like that. The MCs are adults and know how to communicate.
I love this series and all the spin offs ; )
There's one or two I wasn't as crazy about but still enjoyed.

Hope you feel better soon and happy reading!

Oh, and I have to mention this newer series that's been getting better as it goes. The world building is getting more complex and the characters really show the combination of human and animal.

There are probably better ones out there, but the original three series that got me into this kind of genre were The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton - The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, and TheShadow Saga by Christopher Golden. It's difficult for me to choose, But I believe I had the most fun and excitement reading the Shadow Saga. The images that Mr. Golden could bring about in my mind of the things happening in his books were absolutely amazing. And I really fell hard for the characters.

TheShadowSaga

Can't wait to see more recs.

How about an entire series???

Sounds like you could use some laughs and a little sizzle in your life. Try Jane Cousins Southern Sanctuary Series.

Matchmaking elderly relatives (and their tricky cats) Interfering Gods, Sentient bridesmaid dresses, kick ass heroines, alpha sweet heroes. The snarky bickering is awesome and the romances always deliver on the heat and the HEA.

Start with book 1 - To Woo A Warrior
The Hero invents some dating rules to woo our reluctant heroine that will have you sighing.

Scent of Darkness

I love this series, and these brothers! The first two are good -- but I like more reckless men -- and that's the second two books! The world building is great and doesn't overwhelm with mythology or goofiness. The series is set in the wilds of Pacific Northwest and it's a family of shifters, each with a unique animal. So, it's not a pack, but a family with the normal quarrels between siblings.

Cheesecake wrote: " I love Patricia Briggs' books for the intelligent intrigue in her plots. Her characters have depth (even the side characters) and they grow as the series moves on. The..."

I've been wanting to read this series.. it looks really good

Touch of Darkness has now become my favorite series. I am in love with Hades and all his dark ways. The books, to me are beautifully written. Just enough detail to give you a vision of what everything looks like but not too much detail to make it annoying.

Jim Butcher

Any book from the Dresden Files series. I was hooked by the first book because Harry Dresden is the type of hero who does not see himself as such. The stories are imaginative and the characters are engaged in myriad ways. These are detective stories with a major paranormal twist that takes you from the mundane city of Chicago to the fantastical world of the Never Never, a place of many big bads. You don't have to read them in order but because there is a definite progression it is the best way.

I absolutely loved The Dowser series by Meghan Ciana Doidge and the subsequent spin-offs. The characters are fantastic and so are the villians lol. They are fun, adventurous, and funny. The also get into your feels.

Right now? The Others by Anne Bishop.

I just love how unique of a take it is on shifters and vamps. Also, the characters are very endearing. I love how she assigns the animal attributes to the characters while in human form. The world building is like nothing else I’ve read. I really hope she writes more in the series! (8 so far)

has to be game of thrones just nothing like the character development

I only made it through the first one of GOT. Not because I didn’t like it in the end, but it felt like so much work! I have a hard time with frequently switching POVs in any books, I feel like I have a harder time engaging with characters, getting attached to them. When I thought about picking the next one up (I bought the first 3 to start) I just felt exhausted, and never did it.

Since I doubt I can pick my own (that would be cheating), I think I would go with Dresden Files.

i totally agree with Karen. It's addictive, imaginative, fun... and the audiobooks are fantastic.

As a writer, I appreciate Jim's approach, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I enjoy seeing how his writing has improved.

If I could bring a whole series, probably In Death by Robb just because it is a lot 60+ books and novels and easy reads but... it isn't my favorite, or most frequently reread which is what I feel this is asking. I have reread, Alpha and Omega & Cry Wolf the most The novella leads into the book. But more likely I would choose Magic Rises or Magic Breaks. Recently I've reread Murderbot a few times so that might be a contender too now if I get the full series.

Rye wrote: "How about an entire series???

Sounds like you could use some laughs and a little sizzle in your life. Try Jane Cousins Southern Sanctuary Series.

Matchmaking elderly relatives (a..."

Lol, who needs a burglary alarm when you have a bride's maid's dress!

Okay, I'm going to cheat a little bit, as this is a question in the PNR AND UF group, so obviously you needed both! And let's double cheat by picking both FMC & MMC, Okay? (Sorry, I read so much, even these choices were really hard).

Best UF with male protagonist : Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Best UF with female protagonist : Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
# And if you end up loving their work: both have written more se1ries.

Best PNR with a female lead: The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost.
Best PNR with a male lead : okay, maybe I should have used the plural as there are multiple PNR series where (mostly) each book a new guy finds himself in trouble, but also gets the love of his life. Granted, these are often formulaic, but all examples also have an allover story arc.
Sherilyn Kenyon - Dark Hunters
Lyndsay Sands _ Argeneau vampires
Karen Marie Moning _ Highlanders (time travelling druids)
And I second Southern Sanctuary by Jane Cousins.

I completely love all of those, except Dresden. I really have tried, so many times. I even tried the audio with James Marsden, but just couldn’t bond with it. And, I haven’t tried Highlanders. Is it better than Fever? Because, I started out loving Fever, but she just lost me, I started getting so irritated with Mac. She was so back and forth and hot and cold it drove me crazy. I get Barrons was an ass most of the time, but make up your mind already!

Amy, I live In Death, and the whole Mercyverse. Murderbot is pretty recent for me, so I haven’t reread them, but I LOVE them!! So funny. ART is the best! I probably reread the whole of In Death once a year…until this year. I’m trying not to do rereads, but rather to read the first in series I own part of to see if I really want to buy more. It’s been quite successful. I’ve started 33 new series this year, and plan to continue 12 of them. The rest have been dumped on my “DNF series after the first book” Kindle Collection. Keeps my shelves clean. I still have a couple hundred series to try, but if I keep going, I think I can have most of them narrowed down into the two piles in a year or two.

Oh, and my most reread series is probably The Others by Anne Bishop, actually. Starts with Written in Red. (I’m on the app, so I can’t link the book.). Definitely UF, as the romance takes every last book to get to the first kiss, but the romance is quite sweet. I love the world building, and the way she attributes the animal characteristics to them while in human form. Laurenston does this well, so does Bishop. Cracks me up.

Zoi wrote: "I completely love all of those, except Dresden. I really have tried, so many times. I even tried the audio with James Marsden, but just couldn’t bond with it. And, I haven’t tried Highlanders. Is i..."

Highlanders is very different from Fever. Where in Fever you have a bit of a whiny (yeah I had some issues with Mac as well) FMC and a continious story about scary fae in one town and that book that needed to be caught - with a few villains added - Highlanders is, as I said, a more formulaic series.

There is, as soon as the MacKeltars- the Druids - become the core, an overall arc, but basically it's the type of series where you have a family of hot dudes (+ a couple of friends) who find their true love in each different book. Some characters return in their brothers' books, whether for fun or because of the overall arc. That's why reading in order is still smart or several things won't make sense and you miss out on the paranormal part. Time traveling is the thing here, but the druids have other magic as well. One of the brothers is even possessed by evil.
Most of the time the hot highlander finds himself in our time, but I believe the reverse happens as well.
For the type of series it's really enjoyable.

I’ll give it a try. Thanks!

The Dowser Series by Meghan Ciana Doidge. The FMC is very relatable and it is just a fun series.

Although, most of the series that are posted here are fantastic as well and I would recommend them all lol.

I recently read the first one, and I liked it very much. Then I read the prequel novella for Amplifier, definitely interested in that (sequel) as well.

I must say that for me it would be this one.

The Golden Dynasty

I love the world. The culture. And the primitive natures within the story. It's a great escapism read. Though it feels real. And it has everything in it that a guy like me would love. Yet it makes you think. It doesn't hurt that my wife loves to read this one with me as well. She's the one who introduced me to this book.

This is like Sophie's Choice... Though, if I had to pick, it would be The Charley Davidson Series by Darynda Jones. The first book is First Grave on the Right. There are 13 books in the series. It is quirky, fun, and sexy.

(Also, I'd second the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.)

Charley is HILARIOUS. Everyone should have their very own Cookie, imo.