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I'm leaving on April 30 for a week of relaxation in Hilton Head, South Carolina and Augusta and Savannah, Georgia. Since the vacation will hopefully involve doing a lot of nothing on the beach, I am in the need for the good reads.
The majority of my reading is in the YA genre. I am woefully inexperienced with adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy. I keep seeing bloggers talking about series that they love, and I want to love them too.
Here's where I need help...
I want to start a new adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy series on my vacation, but I can't decide which to choose.
*Of course, I'll also bring along a million and one YA books to read. I have to have at least one book to suit every mood. Plus, a fifty pound backpack is a built-in weight-lifting routine :-)
Which of the following do you think I should pick and why?
*Some thoughts:
-While I love all paranormal creatures, I am at heart a vampire girl
-I don't mind having sex in the book, but I'd rather it not be overly graphic or have the book be sex with an occasional plot
Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward
Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning
Georgia Kincaid (Succubus series) by Richelle Mead
Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost
Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
Shifters by Rachel Vincent
Dark Hunter by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
J R Ward, I have only read one of them and loved it and now have most of the series on my tbr
ReplyDeleteI've got Darkfever but I haven't finished it yet (I barely started it). I have heard really good things about that series.
ReplyDeleteSo jealous that you get to go to Savannah (my favorite vacation spot in the U.S.)! Now is the best time of year to visit. My sister and I went in early May one year and it was absolutely beautiful. I hope you have a wonderful time!
Shifters is a fantastic series - it's one of my favourites. I definitely recommend that one! I know it's not about vampires, but he werecats are hot ;)
ReplyDeleteJR Ward, sure it has sex, but it also has a great plot which is what keeps fans eagerly awaiting the next book. I have read all the books to date and they only get better. Although I'm not a big fan of paranormal Romance these books completely opened me up to giving them a chance. Pick it! You know you want to :D
ReplyDeleteoohh, can't help sorry, don't care for the genres. however, i would take a few of my norm reads just in case you find that the novels aren't appealing. I tend not to try anything new for vacations or when i'm very hungry.
ReplyDeleteHoping the weather remains beautiful and sending prayers for traveling mercies.
I haven't read any of them so I can't give first-hand advice BUT...I would go for Succubus Blues. It's what I plan on replacing the Vampire Academy series with, as I love Richelle Mead.
ReplyDeleteGot with Half Way to the Grave! BONES is a Hot, hot hottie! Oh and uh, he is uh, MINE! Plus the book will make you laugh lots!
ReplyDeleteI've only three from here: Ward, Andrews, and Briggs. Ward does have graphic sex, it's an adult romance after all but there is a plot and the characters are fabulous. I'd recommend going to her website and reading an excerpt of her "slice of life" section to get a feel of what the book is like.
ReplyDeleteBriggs and Andrews, from what I read, have love interests and action but don't entirely focus on the romance. Hope this helps!
I have only read Dark Lover form this list and loved it! I don't read adult books that much but that book was really good. It has sex(which you can skip) but just the plot and characters will make you want to read the next asap. Another book I would recommend is Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. Bitten is the first book on the Women of the Otherworld, which is an Urban Fantasy novel.
ReplyDeleteI'm partial to J.R. Ward also. I love this series! Once I read Dark Lover I was hooked and had to run out and get the next two books in the series.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I haven't read any of these firsthand, but I've read some of Patricia Briggs' short stories and enjoyed them. Also, I've heard nothing but praises for her Mercy Thompson series (though I was told to steer clear of the graphic novels since they don't really reflect the novels well). If it were me, I'd choose that series. :)
ReplyDeleteI've read several of the books on this list. Halfway to the Grave is a fun, fast and easy read... it would definitely work as a vacation book. Dark Lover is a dark, sexy read... very hot! (Maybe too hot for you.) Night Pleasures is a great PNR... easy to read, good sex, and kicks off the long, yet fabulous Dark Hunter series. Magic Bites is not the best in the Kate Daniels series, but it's a solid UF (no romance.) And Darkfever... well, I almost put it down a few times on my first read. You need the read the entire series and that is a commitment, but as a whole it is truly one of the very best series I have ever read. The Mercy selection is a graphic novel... which I'm not a huge fan of. If you want to start that series, begin with Moon Called.
ReplyDeleteSo, if I had to pick one of these for you, I'd go with Halfway to the Grave... but you've certainly selected some of the very best in the genre to choose from!
l haven't read any of these but l would love to see what your thoughts were on Stray so l am gonna say Stray!
ReplyDeleteDark Lover! I love this series and I think everyone should read it. Dark Lover\s sex scenes don't take over the novel, but they are there. JR Ward's writing is amazing. So that's my two cents. Have a good vacation.
ReplyDeleteOoooh! How exciting Alison. I love vampires too! To be honest, I've only read three of these, so I might not be the best person to ask, but I think I'd go with the Night Huntress series. I love Cat and Bones together. It is so refreshing to seem them form a team early on and fight together. Yes, they have ups and downs, but it is still really good.
ReplyDeleteI also really love the BDB books, though book one is probably not the strongest, it is still fun to read. I think my favorite is book three, with that said, this is a great literary analysis of it. But there are serious lulls in the series because the reader has to read POVs from everyone, even the bad guys.
The Fever series... *sighs* Where to start? It is fascinating, but also very frustrating. There are more questions than answers and I feel that KMM purposely stalled the series and was very repetitious with content. It is my belief that you could skip book one entirely, start at book two and not feel lost at all.
I highly recommend The BDB by J.R. Ward and The Darkhunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
ReplyDeleteI really do enjoy the Fever series, The Night Huntress series and Mercy Thompson series.
I haven't read any of those, but I can suggest Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series.
ReplyDeleteThe only one I've read is Darkfever. I LOVED that series. It does get a bit sexually explicit, but not too bad. I'd say 90% of the books are pure story.
ReplyDeleteI've picked up Dark Lover based on all of the great reviews. I'm really looking forward to it.
Jennifer of Little Shelf
I've heard good things about, and plan to read, all of these. I have read Dark Lover, and I have read books 1-4 of the Mercy Thompson series (reading book 5 now). Patricia Briggs doesn't put much, if any, sex in her books, so if you like it tame with lots of mystery elements, she's your gal. J. R. Ward definitely isn't skimping on the sex, but the plot is well done even if the action can lull a bit.
ReplyDeleteI second Devan's suggestion of trying the Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire Mysteries series. Again, the sex is tame but it is more of a mystery bent on the UF genre. Unlike Mercy Thompson, though, there are a lot more vampires involved.
Oh, those options are too tough to chose from! I'd suggest either the Georgina Kincaid series or the Fever series. I want to get to BDB myself - saving that for my month-long trip in the summer. Happy reading and have a great trip!
ReplyDeleteI've only read the Fever series so I have to say that. I really enjoyed it and, while it does have some sex scenes, they don't take over the story.
ReplyDeleteEither Dark Lover or Halfway to the Grave. Love the BDB series by JR Ward and I recently read Halfway to the Grave and it is fantastic as well.
ReplyDeleteI definitely loved Dark Lover and Fever Series, but since it is vampires you like, I would recommend Dark Lover. Also before you read Fever, read the Highlander Series, as some of the characters show up in Shadowfever. Dark Hunter is good too.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these, but i heard the Stray series is good. Have a great vacation :-)
ReplyDeleteMagic Bites, hands down! Mercy is pretty good too. These two are the best urban fantasy series IMO. Pretty tame on the graphic sex, too.
ReplyDeleteSo many good books on this list!!! I absolutely adore the Black Dagger Brotherhood though I will agree with Missie and say book one is not the strongest. I got obsessed starting with book 2. Knowing you as I do and how you don't mind a little sex but don't want it to overly abundant, I would say some of the sexual content in this series will probably be more than you might want. I wouldn't say her work is gratuitous, it definitely serves a purpose in the context of the story, but she's very detailed and pushes the boundaries for sure. I love these books, but it may be a series you want to work your way up to:)
ReplyDeleteCat and Bones are awesome, they might be a good place to go if you want to test the adult PNR genre. There are definitely sex scenes, but usually only one or two per book and Bones is just to die for. Jeaniene Frost has a fabulous sense of humor as well, her books always make me laugh.
The Mercy Thompson and Kate Daniels series are both great, though it took me a little while to get into both though. Both have kick-butt heroines and strong male leads, but I would say the Ilona Andrews books have a lot more humor to them. The Kate/Curran relationship is ridiculously amusing:) Very mild on the sex - similar to the Chicagoland Vamps in that respect.
Don't even get me started on the Fever series. LOVE. These are amazing books, some sexual content (though not much until later in the series), but nothing compared to the Ward series.
Hope that helps!
Have you made your choice yet? Did you want entered on the Tami Hoag giveaway? :D Thanx for stopping by and I hope you have a great time on your holiday
ReplyDeleteI love the Shifter series, I loved watching the heroine grow throughout the books. This book was my first adult book in this genre and it's one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI loved Unholy Ghost because the characters are completely different and the world building is fantastic. The books are dark,gritty, and the world building is fantastic. There is some romance but it's not the focus of the books.
Mercy Thompson series is great as well. I love finding out what shenanigans Mercy is going to get herself into next, the books are just about werewolves, but also involve the fae and vampires.
A series that is also my favorite that you didn't mention is Dark Swan (by Richelle Mead) the first book is Storm Born, I adored these books and can't wait until the final book is released next year.
Hope this helps! Enjoy Savannah! I love it there and the history of it. You should take a tour :)
*throws herself on the ground in front of you* Fever! Fever Fever Fever Fever!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI swear you will not be disappointed one iota with that series. Cross my heart and hope to die. It is, hands down, the best series I've read to date (IMO) and that includes the Brotherhood books by J.R. Ward.
Jennifer @ The Bawdy Book Blog
Night Pleasures is Excellent!
ReplyDeletejbdownie5@yahoo.com
I am really enjoying the Mercy Thompson series- she's is a great heroine. There is a really cool vampire character (Stefan) and the second book has a vampire-centric plot, but I would say the focus is still more on werewolves and the romance is with werewolves. There is also a fae storyline, so if you like a good mix of paranormal creatures it does have a little of everything! :-) Hope you enjoy your vacation- I am going in May to the Outer Banks of Nc and plan on doing nothing but sitting in a beach chair and reading!
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