Another Confession…

I read…..a lot.  I can’t help it.  If I don’t have anything to read, I re-read my favorite books.  And, I will read almost any genre, so one day you will find me reading kids lit while the next I’m reading about vampires.

But, I have a confession to make…..I read a lot of romance novels.  Romance novels were all I could handle in college.  Between classes and working, they were quick, mindless reads with the easy entertainment value that would find in a TV show.  I focused mainly on historical romances (I blame my mother for this, by the way) because I found the contemporary stuff too cheesy.  I didn’t find that’s how life worked…and the characters were not relate-able in my opinion.  Anyway, I find when life is stressful or work is, romance novels are all I can handle in the book department.

Today, I read mostly paranormal romances usually sent in the contemporary times, but with great twists.  Right now, many of the authors I love have come out with new books so I have been in heaven. Most of the authors I love create great female characters.  These are your “please save me because I’m a naive nitwit” types from the older romance novel days, but the strong, independent women who find themselves faced with the unusual, alpha-male – so the conflict is very much in the space you would expect.

If you find yourself in need of an escape during the holiday season and winter months, might I recommend the following authors:

1. Sherrilyn Kenyon – Her vast Dark Hunter series is great.  The series itself is currently 29 books and short stories.  As a person who started the series in the middle, it is possible to do it.  This series has vampires, Greek gods and goddesses, peeks into Atlantis, etc.  You can definitely tell the author has a degree in PhD in History as well as degrees in Classical Studies and Medieval History.  Her books will make you want to revisit your Greek mythology from the 8th grade.

2. Katie MacAlister – She writes historicals, contemporaries, vampire books and paranormal books.  She tends to take the tact of taking an American woman and dumping her somewhere in Europe or into a situation where she is the outsider.  Her books are hilarious.  She has a couple of series around Vampires and Dragons.  But again, most are stand alone and worth the read.

3. Erin McCarthy – Another author who writes a lot of different types of romance novels.  She has a series about Vampires who live in Las Vegas that is pretty funny.  She just started a series about race car drivers.  She has a set of dark books about fallen angels set in New Orleans.  And, she has a scattering of contemporary novels that are pretty realistic.

4. Emma Holly – She is technically more towards the erotic, but I like her books too. If you are new to Emma Holly, I would steer clear of her Demon books.  She creates a world that was bit difficult to get into initially.  Her other stuff is hot. And, filled with interesting ideas, if you catch my drift. 🙂

I just started reading the series of books the vampire series on HBO is based off of.  I can’t throw it on my recommended list quite yet as I need to read more than just the fist one.

Happy reading… 🙂

2 Comments Add yours

  1. garbonzo says:

    I like your ideas from Emma Holly. And Katie MacKallister has a great book about Men in Kilts!

  2. nitebyrd says:

    Gotta love men in kilts. Even better if they are vampires!

    Another great writer, Kim Harrison. Not really romance but lots of sex, vampires, werewolves, fairies. Good stuff!

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