Monday, May 21, 2018

Paranormal Romance!

Ana Coqui from Immersed In Books has put together a 30-day list of romance novel recommendations, a different theme for each day. Friday's theme was paranormal, easily my favorite kind.

But I didn't see my favorites in that post or most of the Twitter comments that followed, and I didn't recognize most of the authors listed, so I thought I'd put together my own listing. Originally I was going to do it via Twitter but when I saw the number I'd accumulated... well, a blog post seemed more readable.

Some words about the books on this list:
  • Most of these are m/m, with a few f/f, a few f/m, and some ménage.
  • I'm always on the lookout for more writers of color and also for writers not from the US/Britain/Canada - I've marked these (WOC/INT) and welcome recommendations!
  • There are some short stories/novellas on this list and I've noted those as well.
  • There's some overlap with my list of ghost stories but not a lot. Most of those weren't romances.
There's disagreement about what constitutes paranormal vs. fantasy vs. science fiction, etc. As I think about it, a book is paranormal if people/beings are, or practice, magic (or abilities are so augmented as to appear magical to most people), and the world either feels like this one or outright references this one, whether in current times or historical ones (even if alt-historical). There are a couple of exceptions to this on the list and I've noted those too.

Finally, and this is so hugely subjective (as if this whole list weren't), but when it comes to shifter stories (persons who can shift from one form to another, ie. werewolves), I just don't seem to be able go much beyond coyote/wolf or dragon shifting. I don't know why. I know there's a universe of shifter stories out there beyond that but I haven't read many and don't feel compelled to. But with so much out there to read I'm not going to worry about this. (There's one exception on this list and I have noted that too!)

On to the books! Alpha by author. And, as usual with my lists, I'm not trying to review the books here. If it's on the list, I thought it was at least good enough to share. If you want more of my take on individual ones, I review almost everything I read on Goodreads (I'm not 100% caught up though.)

Charmed and Dangerous: Ten Tales of Gay Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy
A couple of my favorite authors (KJ Charles, Jordan L. Hawk, Jordan Castillo Price) and then an introduction to some new faves (Ginn Hale, Astrid Amara, Nicole Kimberling).

Irregulars: Stories by Nicole Kimberling, Josh Lanyon, Astrid Amara, Ginn Hale
Recognize those new faves I mentioned?

Hell Cop 1 & 2
More stories by Astrid Amara, Nicole Kimberling, and Ginn Hale. These don't seem to be available any more, I don't know why.

The Druid Stone by Heidi Belleau & Violetta Vane

Light by 'Nathan Burgoine
He also has a paranormal trilogy that I've started and like a great deal so far, but I hesitate to call it a romance. As far as I've read, anyway.

Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, particularly the novellas at the end. The whole series is romantic in nature but the novellas are straight out romances.

Caroline's Heart by Austin Chant (novella)

K.J. Charles. Well. Obviously the Charm of Magpies series, but I think I like the Green Men series even more so far (counting The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal as a precursor to that series). Probably mostly because of the time period it's set in, but also the nature of the magic being explored and also the hints at conspiracy.

Elliot Cooper (stories)
     Clockwork Menagerie
     Hearts Alight
     Junk Mage (this is a mix of magic and sci-fi)

Sweet by Alysia Constantine

R. Cooper's Being(s) In Love series (mix of novellas, stories, and novels) and Familiar Spirits series (novellas). Have I already raved enough about her books in other posts? I'm not sure I can. I think you can read the first three of the Being(s) In Love books in any order and then they start building on each other - you don't have to read them in order after that but I'd suggest it. The Familiar Spirits novellas don't have to be read in order. Yet. I'm hoping for more in this line.

Beary Christmas, Baby by Sasha Devlin (WOC) (novella)
Polar bear shifter! And such a cutie. I definitely want more in this world.

Blind Man's Wolf by Amelia Faulkner. First in the Tooth & Claw series.

Kim Fielding's Bureau of Trans-Species Affairs series (novellas)

The Long Past and Other Stories by Ginn Hale. Magic and steampunk and dinosaurs. And you can hear her talk about the research that went into this book at The Hopeless Romantic (this is also a hilarious episode).

Alexis Hall's Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator series. Not available at the moment, but hopefully sometime again in the future. I originally checked the first one out from the library, so that's a possibility.

Jordan L. Hawk's Whybourne & Griffin series and Hexworld series. And they have more too (in particular a ghost series I very much want to read), but I haven't gotten to those yet.

Something to Remember by Elliott Junkyard (story). And there's a prequel to this, available free via his webpage, I believe.

The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune
Okay, this is straight-out fantasy. I include it here though because he has a number of paranormal books I just haven't gotten to yet, including a werewolf one that I know is going to rip up my heart. (Which is why I haven't read it yet... but I will.) I also include this one because it is flat out one of the funniest books I've read in a long time - crying, I was laughing so hard.

Half by Eli Lang

Shelly Laurentson's Call of Crows series. She has several other series as well, and I've looked at them, but... not for me. But I loved this one.

Out Of Her Depth by Pike Martell (story)

Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters by Angel Martinez (WOC) First in the Offbeat Crimes series.

Snare by Erin McRae & Racheline Maltese (novella)

Robin Moray's Bonded to the Alpha series (werewolves) and Something Wicked (witches). I think it's the same world in both so I'm looking forward to some resonance between them if not crossover. I came to this author from her BDSM novella series and was thrilled to see she writes paranormal as well.

The Better to Kiss You With by Michelle Osgood. First in the series.

E.E. Ottoman (novellas)
     Business Makes Strange Bedfellows
     Selume Proferre

Jordan Castillo Price's PsyCop series. She has more paranormal books and series as well, and I intend to read those too, but I'm still on this one so far.

Seducing Chaos by Luna Quinn (WOC)
This is the first in a planned series and I'm hoping the authors continue! I read the world as a future magical apocalyptical Earth, rather than a fantasy one, but I could be wrong about that.

Darkling by Brooklyn Ray

Water & Air by Janelle Reston (story)

Shatterproof by Xen Sanders (WOC) (also writes as Cole McCade)
I want to gush all over this but I haven't yet read the new edition (which has notable changes). Just. Go read this, and then go check out everything else he's written (but pay attention to his excellent content warnings).

RoAnne Sylver
     Stake Sauce
     Moon-Bright Tides (novella)

Holley Trent (WOC). So many books. So far I'm halfway through the HearthMotelAfótama Legacy, and Norseton Wolves series (these all interweave). Trying to hold off on any of her other series until I've finished these three but I make no promises.

Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon (WOC). First in a series.

Close Quarter & Slow Waltz (this is a follow-up story to Close Quarter) by Anna Zabo

And then there are a few books that aren't romances as such but have such strong romantic elements (oh, the pining!) that I had to include them.

The Glamour Thieves by Don Allmon
Slouch Witch by Helen Harper
Amir Lane's Morrighan House Witches series

And, just because, Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya (INT). You know, if you like your slow-burn paranormal romance stretched out over 12 volumes.

And that is quite enough of that. Though I'll probably have another list equally long by this time next year.

Happy reading,
Annie

























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