Paranormal & Urban Fantasy, Monthly Group Reads discussion

Author chatter!

Am curious about who your favorite authors are and why they are your favorites!


My favorite is Laurell K Hamilton, I believe she pushes the envelope on kinky sex and I absolutely LOVE her imagination.
The worlds she writes about in both of her series just never ceases to amaze me.

?...

It was a question I was asking the group, to try and start conversations about our favorite authors.

Ok so I'm going to go off genre here and say JK Rowling( for her Potter) she was the first author who truly captivated me. I was pulling into her world from page one and couldn't break free until I was done. It got so bad that when I put the book down to sleep I would have Potter Dreams. The wait b/t books would give me Potter Withdrawals and I remember one time I walked in a blizzard to the library to get the next book in the series b/c I couldn't go to sleep knowing they had it on the shelves and I wasn't reading it.

lol Thats great Jael :)

Its nice when you find an author that moves you like that.

Sherrily Kenyon is another one of my favorites, I really enjoy her Dark-Hunter series quite a bit.

There are other authors I find to be good, but am still looking for more that meet the high standard that I hold LKH to.

I've read a lot of good authors in the last 2 years! It's hard to choose just one - but I think (for now) my favorite is P.C. Cast for the House of Night series. I think it is the most inventive series about vampires I've read. They're not the normal blood sucking, sexy vamps of most books. It's nice to see some new thoughts and ideas in the genre!

There are so many that I like, but right now, in the PNR arena, it would be JR Ward. I just love her Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

I'm with ya, Yz. I love that series, and I love the way she writes them.
It's hard to separate "favorite author" from "favorite series" when someone's only written one series or you haven't read any of their other stuff, but I'm really liking Jenna Black's Morgan Kingsley series right now. I guess she has another series that's more vampire based, so I'll have to get to that next.
I also am really loving Jeaniene Frost.

I'm seconding the votes for both J.R. Ward and Jeaniene Frost. I also love Adrian Phoenix and Patricia Briggs. They all write series that completely suck me in. I become connected to the characters (both primary and secondary ones), and I can't wait for the next books in the series to come out. I will stop everything for new releases by any of these guys.

I have yet to read anything by those authors DarkHeart but I just got my book order in and it has some of each I think in the mix :)

I love topics such as these because it gives others (like me) really good author ideas to try out :)

Tricia, I think you'll really like all of those authors.
Well, I can't speak for Adrian Phoenix or Patricia Briggs 'cause I haven't read them yet, but I'm planning to very soon.

DarkHeart - I voted for A Rush of Wings on the Urban Fantasy poll for February, but I don't think it's going to win. :(

I think the reason it didn't was because its hard to get?
I tried to get that book and I think it said it was like a 3 week wait :( Same for Vampire Shrink.
I am not sure why thougth :(

Yeah, that could be. I haven't tried checking my library for it yet, but I want to read it. DarkHeart nominated it for the Urban Fantasy group, and they posted their voting poll yesterday or today and Grave Sight (?) by Charlaine Harris is winning.

The UF group has a history of picking books I can't seem to get from either of the library systems I use. Either that, or it's something I have no interest in reading. (As in this case.)

I've requested A Rush of Wings, Witchling, and Working for the Dead from the library, and they all have it. I guess I should be grateful for the library system I belong to, considering where I am currently financially, I can't really buy books.

I put up a poll to see if people wanted a second read for February, so if it turns out the majority does then we will have another vote and both of those books can be voted for.

However, like I said they seem to be hard to get and I am not sure why :( And so close to Feb it might not be wise to vote on it just yet.

I know I definitely am going to order both and wait the 3 weeks to get it so I can have it for future reading. =D

Tricia wrote: "I have yet to read anything by those authors DarkHeart but I just got my book order in and it has some of each I think in the mix :)


Ooh, you've got lots of good reading ahead of you then! Enjoy, and let us know what you think of them!

Nichole wrote: "DarkHeart - I voted for A Rush of Wings on the Urban Fantasy poll for February, but I don't think it's going to win. :("

Yeah, I did as well, but it doesn't look like it's going in our favor. Maybe we can read it another month. =)

I am thinking for March I will really push either Rush of Wings or Vampire Shrink. As they are both books people have been wanting to read.

Of course no one is abliged to wait that long if they can get their hands on a copy hehe

These are tops for me.

PNR:
Lynn Viehl
J.R. Ward
Patricia Briggs
Larissa Ione
Shana Abe
Nalini Singh

Historical:
Lisa Kleypas
Christina Dodd

Romance Suspense:
Lora Leigh
No one else necessary, LOL.

Fantasy:
Robin Hobb
Juliet Marillier
These two are leaps and bounds above most other authors in the genre for me.

This is tough, there are so many I love. But My favorite would probably be Patricia Briggs, Jeaniene Frost, Kim Harrison, and Laurell K Hamilton.

I am fairly new in reading romance. Comparing who I've read and enjoyed (# of book titles per author) the most would be Sherrilyn Kenyon in PNR. Followed closely by Sunny.

I only read 1 from Opal Carew and Shayla Black but they'd be considered faves in romantica, for me.

A couple of fave m/m romance author I only recently read would be Jet Mykles and J L Langley.

Lora Leigh is an absolute fave but her books contain action and romance, which I enjoy reading as well.

In general fiction Dean Koontz still is an auto buy. Maybe not as a HB, lol, but I eventually get all his new releases.

A few off the top =)

Who is this Sunny? Never heard of that author.. I will have to check them out :D

She has written a series called "Monere" Children of the Moon. The first book is Mona Lisa Awakening. It is a very hot and intense series. The race of Monere are very sexual and Sunny just describes everything to where your feeling every breeze, or brush of a hand. The world of the Monere that she creates that totally got me hooked from the novella in ON THE PROWL. The ultimate bad boy: Halcyon Demon Prince of Hell.

Her book remind me a lot of Anne Bishop's Jewel series, if you've read that, although Sunny's books are of course more explicit, LOL. A female rules the male werewolves, etc.

I don't know if this is the right place to ask. But looking at all the posts about PNR, my head is in a spin. I have only just got into this genre. Started with Twilight series (totally hooked), and I have read Dark lover by JR Ward (and now have the rest of the series on order). Loved it!!!

I don't like my books 'erotic' and I go and have a look at a lot of the books listed on this group (and others) and I want to order them all but then I find they seem to fall into that erotic category and I'm put off. So....I thought I would ask the experts.

What series/authors would you suggest I read? I have the first Jacquelyn Frank from the library and also the first 3 in the Dark hunter series to read. (I am on PNR overload). So what else???

LibraryLass, you sound like you'd be better suited to urban fantasy than paranormal romance. It's definitely my preference as well, and there are some wonderful series out there. My favorites include Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thomspon and Alpha and Omega series, Adrian Phoenix's Maker's Mark series, Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress and Jennifer Rardin's Jaz Parks. And there are a number of series that sit on the fence between the two genres, like the brilliant Black Dagger Brotherhood. You just need to try a few out and see what you like.

Thanks DarkHeart, scuse my ignorance, but could you please explain urban fantasy vs paranormal romance? Also, these books may be hard for me to source, because my library (where I work) hasn't kicked in to this genre/s yet.

Short and sweet explination:

UF - No happy ending
PR - Happy ending


Now, its not as clear cut as one might think, there are all sorts of PR mixed with UF books and vice versa so the lines cross and blur quite a bit.

Oh! I'm afraid I have to have a happy ending! But I've looked up the series DarkHeart recommended and I like the look of a couple. Not Jennifer Rardin cos I avoid reading the first person like the plague. I was extremely reluctant to read the Twilight series because of this but once I started I was hooked.

Any recommendations, tho, are greatly appreciated as this is just a mind-spin for me as no-one I know reads this genre or knows anything about it.

This is how I view the difference between PNR and UF books.

Paranormal Romance (PNR) books are simply romance novels with fantasy or paranormal elements, like vamps, werewolves, ghosts, demons, etc. The key word is Romance, meaning there is going to be a happily-ever-after (HEA) at the end. JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood are considered PNR because each book focuses on a couple and their relationship, although there is talk that in her latest book she is shifting toward UF because the romance angle is starting to diminish and being eclipse by the more complicated world she has created.

Urban Fantasy on the other hand are books set in contemporary or modern times with fantasy or paranormal elements. It may have romance or it may not. Usually it has a singular character or couple that continues to play out in a long arc, going through several books. In this context, the focus is more on plot and action. What separates it from regular fantasty (meaning those which have alternate universes setting) is the contemporary period. Examples of UF would include Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Meredith Gentry series, Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson books, and Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, where you have recurring characters in the books as the plot unfolds.

Thanks for that Yz, it does get confusing. I like recurring characters (one of my very favourite series is Eve & Roarke!!) but I love the HEA more. My only hesitation with PNR then would be the degree of erotica in the books. Not a prude, loved Dark lover, but would be put off greatly by some of the 'erotic explicit language. Hate, hate, hate the c word for eg.

So, on that basis any recomm. for PNR??

Well for your happy endings check out the Dark-Hunter books by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Very much happy ending, its a series but each book is a different Dark-Hunter. Now you dont have to read them in order but I like to because each book does contain elements you recognize from the last.

And they are GOOOD!

I'm the same way Library Lass - you have to be in the right mood to read some of the more erotic books out there. I love these series, they all have some romance but the plot is more important then the sex. I think there is great character development & I have been sucked into the lives of the characters.
Sookie Sackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.
The Hollows by Kim Harrison
Noble Dead by Barb Hendee
Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine

I almost forgot another 2 I've really enjoyed -
Vampire Acadamy Series by Richelle Mead
House of Night Series by P.C. Cast

What can I say - I'm a sucker for a good series!

Hmm...I'm not sure on what you considered too "explicit", because different people have different tolerance level?

Was Dark Lover too much for you, or is that kind of "sexiness" okay? I would say Dark Lover is sexy, but not over the top. There are other books that are more explicit.

Maybe if you can answer that, I can use that as a basis on what will work for you. Because you are right, there are many PNR/UF books that are borderline into erotica, and if its not your cup of tea, I totally understand.

Actually, checking out YA Paranormal might worked better for you. There are great writers in that genre, and because it is designed toward Young Adults the "smut" factor is almost non-existent, like the Twilight saga..LOL..

Yz, don't get me wrong, I love a great sex scene (in fact almost a must-have) or 2 or 3 or even 4 but it's the language that is sometimes used that I don't like and how much sex is in a book. LOVED Dark Lover, just the right mix for me.

LibrayLass,

In that case, I would recommend you continuing the BDB books. They are favorite vampire series. Just the right touch for me.

I lean more towards PNR rather UF, so my recommendations would include Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark, Jacquelyn Frank's Nightwalkers series and Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series.

You can also try the popular Dark Hunter series by Sherilynn Kenyon, which unfortunately, I haven't really read..but has plenty of fans.

Awsome, Thanks Yz! I am off to work now, so I will finish shangheing (is that how you spell it, LOL) this thread!
Ka kite ano.

LibraryLass - if you don't like first person, then you're probably better off sticking with PNR and not drifting into UF. Almost all the UF out there is first person, from the POV of some kickass female.

As far as PNR recommendations, I second everything Yz said, even down to promoting Sherilynn Kenyon without ever having read them, lol.
Jacquelyn Frank's series got occasionally nauseating as far as the saccharine sweet writing, and I got very exhausted by her particular take on the soul mate angle and had to stop reading them, but I enjoyed the first four for the most part.
And of course, if you like BDB, it's natural to recommend Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series since they're very similar.

(At work now so sneak sneak...) I have enough new authors so that I won't be reading any series too much at a time! Along with my 'normal' romances I have reading coming out of my ears.

Absolutely love it!! Cheers gals, now I REALLY have to go ;)

Sorry, I have to ask, LLass, do you mean the c-word in relation to the male anatomy or female anatomy? LOL. There's quite a difference in the number of books that feature one or the other.

Hahaha new_user! No don't mind the male anatomy c-word. It is the c-word in relation to the female anatomy I can't stand. I was called it many times by someone who abused me when I was young, so obviously not good vibes from it when I either hear it or read it!

Yeah, I don't blame you. It can be a very degrading term. I don't think I've seen many mainstream titles use it at all, outside of erotica.

I've read it in a few 'male' thrillers, but it was used as a swear word not a descriptive word if you know what I mean =)

I have to say that I also hate the c-word in reference to women's anatomical parts. I never really saw it, and then I picked up a book by Alison Kent and she used it. I read over it, and then I was like "wait what" and I had to go back and see if I actually saw it. It turned me off.. it was such a good scene too!!

I have a *really* open mind, but I really dont like the use of that word.. It is such a turn off to read a word like that in a sex scene /sigh

Jael wrote: "Ok so I'm going to go off genre here and say JK Rowling( for her Potter) she was the first author who truly captivated me. I was pulling into her world from page one and couldn't break free until I..."

I loved the Harry Potter books. By the time I discovered the series, the first four books were out. I've stood in bookstores at midnight waiting for the release of the next book, then went home and started reading it. I'd finish them before the weekend was out, in under 36 hours as I just had to know what happened!

For romance books, the last author that grabbed me was Debbie Macomber. She writes contemporary romances. Once I read one of her books, I started looking for all of her others.

Not sure how I first found them, but got hooked by the first book in the Aunt Dimity mystery series.

I not sure I've read much that would fit into PNR or UF. One that might qualify was Meg Cabot (of Princess Diaries fame) that wrote a young adult series called Mediator. In it, a family moves to a california town and the teenager daughter learns she can see and talk to ghosts and over the series of books, falls for the teenage male ghost that haunts her room. Along the way, she has to help other ghosts in each book find their way to the other side, by helping them with whatever is holding them back since only she can see or speak to them. So it was a bit of a supernatural teenage romance arc. lol

I love Laurell K. Hamilton! Her heroines are very "look at what I can do", but her writing voice is so "conversational" to me, that I always feel like I am sitting down with a friend and hearing about their day. She also has some of the sexiest book men out there! Frost, Doyle, Mistral, Jean-Claude, Micah - Oh boy! Even Sholto, who knew tentacles could be sexy?! Her world is our world, just more exciting, sexier and magical. There are many who disagree, but with over 25 books under her belt, she's doin' something right and it works for me!

Hehe. Carla. Once I whittle down my TBR read [series:] pile to a sensible [oh, 20 series or less?:] number. I figure I can add LKH to my listed of favored authors. She seems like a like her or not author, and I can give her a try =D.