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Reader Favorites – Jan’s Top Five Paranormal Series

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Jan is gonna help us with our paranormal romance needs. Many of us started (or discovered) our love of reading via the paranormal path (Twilight  and Sookie for the most part), and have since been lead back into loving human males (mostly rock stars and bad-asses of sorts).

But Jan knows that sometimes… we need to get back to our roots.

Let Jan help!

Jan: I was thinking about Michelle S wanting book suggestions. We’ve all been there in that book funk. So I’m putting 5 of my fave PNR series out there to share. You’re probably familiar with them already, but there might be someone out there who’s not.

And one of the best things about this blog is the fab books I’ve discovered from you all. So here it is. I’d love to hear your top 5s too (or top 2 or whatever). Always lookin’ for that great new series.

Seven series by Dannika Dark. Series of 7 books about a pack of wolf shifters and their complicated relationships and adventures. Really well-written, imaginative and engaging.

Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh. Cross-over PNR/ sci-fi. Long series of books (up to 15 now, I think?) about shifters, humans and ‘psy’ (enhanced but emotionless humans). The early books are great adventure/romances, tho’ sadly as the series has gone on it’s started to get overcooked and pretty boring. But the early books are well worth a read.

Dragonflight series by Ann McCaffrey. An old school series I first fell in love with as a teen. The first two books, Dragonflight and Dragonquest are by far the best. The later books just don’t have the power and drive of the first two. ‘Clean’ stories (no explicit sex!) and you could argue they aren’t romance books as such (although there is some romance). But very exciting fantasy/adventure/sci-fi with wonderfully imagined telepathic dragons.

Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs. Really well-written books about wolf shifters and other magical creatures. Charles and Anna are such a wonderful pairing. Sigh……

Captive Prince trilogy C. S. Pacat. FANTASTIC BOOKS. Fits more into the fantasy genre than PNR I suppose, although there is a strong romance element – tho’ it’s MM. It reads as if it’s set in an actual historical time period as there are no fantastic elements (i.e. no magic or dragons etc). But the setting is totally fictional – a pseudo-ancient Greek style world. A fantastic, involving read, really well-written. And Prince Laurent would have to be one of the best characters ever written – a complex, maddening, wonderful character you will be spellbound by.

    

Sarina Bowen – True North Series Reading Order

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Book #3 is coming out soon (and is now up for preorder)!

Teri: I just finished Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen. I love her and this one did not disappoint. I actually think it’s the best I’ve read by her. The writing was great, the story fun, steamy and kept my attention throughout. The secondary characters are interesting and I can’t wait to read book 2. Read it in one sitting.

Lisa: I’m half way through Steadfast – the follow up to Bittersweet for Sarina Bowen and I’m loving it. Its a slow burn and their lives are so seriously messed up I just can’t even see how this can be resolved. At this point I’m thinking it’s better than Griff and Audrey’s story – not so sweet – and a whole lot grimier (is that a word? It looks weird).

About book #1:

The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.

At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.

Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.

They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.

  

Veronica Larsen – Heart of Stone Series Reading Order

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About book #1:

I tried to do things the right way. I wore the big white dress and rode off with Prince Charming. Then Charming changed his mind. Some people rush to fill the holes left by their past, but I stripped my life bare. Right down to the essentials: Me, myself, and I.

Now I’m thriving, running a successful company and certain I’ve got everything I want. Until a gorgeous, blue-eyed specimen of a man walks into my company and introduces me to a level of attraction that is undeniable, inescapable, and utterly consuming. I have two choices, I can either edge around the intense chemistry between us or plunge right through it until there’s nothing left.

I’m done playing by the rules, but nothing can prepare me for what’s on the other side.

  

Friday Finds & Reader Recommendations

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YAY ME!!! I’ve just received my Amazon Echo from the Prime Day sales and OMG I am in love with it. My sister and mom got it for me for my birthday (thank you guys!!!) and she and I can’t stop marveling over how cool this thing is.

I’ll tell you more, soon, ’cause we’re still in test-mode right now, but some of my fellow Echo users and I have been giggling over a few things we’ve discovered about Alexa (she’s “the lady” in the Echo that we can tell what to do – and we’ve already had a bit of ‘tude from her. Tee hee!!). I’ll tell y’all about that story shortly. That’s okay, we’re still in the “training” period. It’s fun!

Maryse: Eeeep!!!! My Echo is here, from Prime Day! *happy wiggle*

R. Renee: I got one too!!! But I have to wait until my birthday 🙁

Maryse: I’m going to set mine up tonight. 😀 …I bet you can’t wait for your birthday.

R. Renee: oh the power you wield lol. Just told the fam YOU got YOUR Echo and guess what I just got?? Happy early birthday to me!!

Maryse: It’s my magical vampire powers, R! 😉 I KNEW they were still working. *snort* My sister & I are having a blast with it. R. Renee – I forgot to tell you it was my early birthday gift, too!!

R. Renee: OMG!!! guess what you can do?? “Alexa, read Full Tilt.” SQUEE!!! LOL I just thought it played music… let me know if you learn anything crazy. I stopped trying when I learned she could read!

OMG RENEE!!! I am having “Alexa” read “The Promise of Stardust: A Novel” and she has personality to her voice!!!! She’s reading to me almost perfectly like a human reads a book. She even pauses properly and responds to punctuation perfectly! OMG she even swears!! I. AM. FLABBERGASTED!!!!

P.S. I already feel like crying over that one… wow, even read by a robot, it is so intense that it can make me choke up. Technology is so cool.

Oh yes my friends… more to come. I’m gonna set up playlists and all sorts of fancy stuff, AND I’m gonna have her read to me, too. So while I play with it, I’ll also be reading (and maybe choosing one from the list below. I’m thinking “Anything But Minor” might do the trick, for me. 😀

Look what we found! (NOTE: bargain priced when I added them, but prices can change on Amazon, so make sure to check before you finalize your order. Sales listed are for Amazon U.S., however some of the Amazon UK links also reflect the sale!):

  • Hustle: A Skin in the Game Standalone Sports Romance by Christine Bell <— LIVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROMANCE ALERT! He wants to be in the NFL and he’s falling for his teacher’s assistant… “Straight off a bloody tour in Iraq, I’m battling night terrors while my peers squabble over beer pong. If it wasn’t for my NFL dreams, I wouldn’t be here at all. But when I sign up for an easy “A” Drama class, I take my eye off the ball, totally distracted by Teacher’s Assistant, Flora Vasquez…“
  • Puck Buddies by Tara Brown <— LIVE!!! HOCKEY STAR ALERT! “Matt Brimley is a sports god. Hockey fans adore him. Girls everywhere want to worship at his skates. He’s living the dream. If the dream involved everyone expecting you to be nothing but a jock. These two rich kids could be the perfect couple. If he didn’t think she was a spoiled princess, and she didn’t think he was a dumb puck, they might be…”
  • Twirled Bond (Holly Woods Files, #5) by Emma Hart <— LIVE!! MAFIA FAMILY ALERT! “Darcey Connors will do anything to get her baby brother away from the criminals in her family – even screw up a good man’s life. Yet in the midst of tailing Joe, she somehow falls hard for the sexy tattooed car thief…”
  • Spin (Boosted Hearts Book 2) by Sherilee Gray <— LIVE!!! MAFIA FAMILY ALERT! “Darcey Connors will do anything to get her baby brother away from the criminals in her family – even screw up a good man’s life. Yet in the midst of tailing Joe, she somehow falls hard for the sexy tattooed car thief…”
  • The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels) by Kerrigan Byrne <— HISTORICAL THAT REMINDS US OF GREY… K recommends it!
K: “The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne. It’s a historical but the H reminded me a bit of Christian Grey, eg. Emotionally scarred, doesn’t like to be touched.”
  • Butterfly Tattoo: Ultimate Edition by <— LIVE!!! RE-RELEASE OF ONE OF MY OLD FAVS!!! He has been in love with his partner for years (M/M), but after his partner dies, he begins falling for some else… a woman. SO FREAKING GOOD! P.S> Fabi you might enjoy this one for sure!! 😀 (here’s 4.5 star my review)
  • The Pepper Jones Collection by Ali Dean <— FREEBIE! Anna found us this one! “The Pepper Jones collection by Ali Dean is currently free on Amazon. I haven’t read it but it’s on the what to read after Paper Princess list. The collection is books 1-3 there are two more books not in the collection.“
  • Captured: Devil’s Blaze MC Book 1 by Jordan Marie <— BIKER SERIES BARGAIN-SALE ALERT!! Lauren found out this series is on sale and she recommends it!
Lauren: ALL of Jordan Marie’s books are on sale… Absolutely, positively the most AMAZING MC series I’ve read, Captured: Devil’s Blaze MC Book 1, Burned: Devil’s Blaze MC Book 2, & Released: Devil’s Blaze MC Book 3. If you haven’t read this series, READ IT!!!
  • Slip of the Tongue by Jessica Hawkins <— MARITAL DISCORD & TEMPTATION ALERT! The author lets us know “Slip of the Tongue will be a Daily Deal on Amazon…” (and I liked this one!! Here’s my review)
  • American Bad Boy: A Military Romance by Eddie Cleveland <— Nancy found us this one! “Just saw that AMERICAN BAD BOY: A Military Romance was reduced…. It is by Eddie Cleveland and a newer release.”
  • Pennies (Dollar Book 1) by Pepper Winters <— DARK READ ALERT! Grey just finished this recent release!
Grey: “Pennies was good. 4.25 stars. A cliffy, which I knew going into it. Elder Prest… he seems bad, but he doesn’t seem as awful as some of our favorite baddies, not yet anyway?!?! IDK, I’m sure there are worse things to come from him in future books. It was a dark read, some twisted -ish going on, but not as spelled out as some of her other work. Definitely intrigued as to where she’s going with the series.”
  • Eminent Love by Leddy Harper <— TEARJERKER ALERT! Grey gave THIS recent release 5 stars!

“Alright girls, I’m throwing a 5 star rec into the mix. Some of you may remember a couple weeks ago I had a string of really good reads, thanks to my spreadsheet…and 1 ARC that I was reviewing. Well, today is that ARC’s book birthday!**Eminent Love by Leddy Harper.** I actually wrote a review… like a real review to post instead of just rating it on Goodreads, like I do with almost all other books I read. But I wanted to show it some love on the blog and encourage you all to give it a try. A warning that this is an emotional read…remember me with the whole swapping of the Godiva wrappers for tissues and all that, but it was so worth it!”

“Unexpected Reality was a good read…had a little twist toward the end but not an extreme angst at all…beyond my initial confusion of my own feelings….”
  • Royal Seduction (The Royal Princes of Ruthenia Book 1) by Jennifer Blake <— HISTORICAL ROMANCE (and per the lower ratings, it appears there’s some serious Stockholm Syndrome & other horrible situations, that made some hate it) but plenty loved it, and Young HIGHLY recommends this one!

“Just finished a book and couldn’t wait to tell you guys how much I enjoyed it!! It is a historical romance ‘Royal Seduction’ by Jennifer Blake. It is a fairly long book (over 550 pages) but I wasn’t bored not even a bit through out the whole book. Anyone who likes a historical romance, please try it”

  • Brooklyn & Beale by Olivia Evans <— ROCK STAR SUPER-BARGAIN ALERT! Kat found it, and my friend Kandace loved it, and Cheryl had it in her best of 2015 list!! “Indie rocker Reid Ryder needs a replacement violinist for his tour. For Chloe, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. For Reid, it’s a checkmark off his list. Already battling addiction, guilt, and his inability to write new music, Reid’s hopeful that things are finally falling into place. But life is never predictable…”
  • Lock & Key by Cat Porter <— Lisa is going CRAZY for this one!

Lisa: “Maryse and co…i just read Lock & Key and the followup Random & Rare by Cat Porter. I know they’re oldies and perhaps everyone else has already read them BUT if you haven’t PLEASE PLEASE read these books. I am wrecked, wrung out and emotionally drained. Dig’s story (told from the grave) in Random & Rare has ruined me.

Eleventy billion stars for me and some of the best biker books Ive read… Dig will break your heart even more than Havoc (Susan Fanetti). *shuddery sigh*”

  • Anything but Minor by Kate Stewart <— HILARIOUS SPORTS ROMANCE ALERT! This recent release is back on the list ’cause Shunda recommends it (and I think I need to read it, because I could use a hilarious read).
Shunda: “Try “Anything but minor” by Kate Stewart. I laughed so hard I spit water all over my hubby and I may have peed a little.”
  • AUDIOBOOK L:DVERS

    For those going on a road trip soon, or maybe you’ve got some projects that require both hands this weekend but still allows you to “listen”… check out the free audible trial + 2 free audiobooks deal —>

  • AND! Here’s the fun-tool again! —> Find out which of YOUR Kindle books are available as audiobooks at a BARGAIN-PRICE! <— This thing is so cool (Amazon calls it “Matchmaker“)! It’s an Amazon feature, that scans your Kindle books and will list all of the ones you have that are also available as an audiobook at a discounted price (not normal audiobook prices). This way, you can switch back and forth, seamlessly between your ebooks and your audiobooks. VERY COOL!

                    

 

PREORDERS (next week’s!!! :D )

“One by Jewel E. Ann comes out July 28!!! It is a standalone which involves a couple secondary characters from the Jack and Jill series. It’s recommended to read the Jack and Jill series (End of Day, Middle of Knight and Dawn of Forever) first because One has some spoilers. So here goes… Maryse you MUST read the Jack and Jill Series!!!!!! It’s so good!!!!”

➜ CHECK OUT ALL the upcoming BOOK RELEASES here (frequently updated and it goes all the way to 2017!)

                

 

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Reader Question – Desperately seeking good funny romance books…

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Some of our fellow readers are looking to love AND laugh… and boy do I have the tried-and-true list for her! I know some of y’all miss the “Ultimate” genre lists at times, so I’m thrilled to bring this one back to the forefront.

Sinead & Colleen ask:

Sinead: Can u or any readers recommend any good romantic comedy books , running out of books to read lol … it is hard to find good funny romance books

Colleen: Do you have any new comedy ebooks, I read everything on your list. …need a really good laugh.

HECK YES you guys!!!! 😀

<— We made a list of best romance comedy books and in fact, Colleen, it’s just recently been updated!! Take a look: Recommended Comedy Romance Books

ALSO! If anyone has a recommendation (any of your favorites – old & new), comment below and we’ll add them onto the main list.

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