In the first section of this post, I discussed how I discovered my true calling—that of a book-selling savant—and offered recommendations for non-romance. Now I move to another section of the store and offer some thoughts on romance books.
This next grouping of series is shelved in the romance section, so you may have heard of or read some if not all of these books. If you’ve read a lot of these hybrid titles, you know many—but not all—feature very intense sexuality. These are definitely not your mother’s paranormal romance.
I loved selling to readers who were willing to go back and forth between sections of the bookstore. Some of these books I put into the hands of those cross-over readers. Others I recommended to romance readers so that perhaps down the line they might cross over into urban fantasy. Still others I recommended to urban fantasy readers who were open-minded enough not to let stereotypes about romance stop them from discovering a whole new world of books. Chances are that if you like one or more of the more popular series listed, you might like some of the lesser-known ones as well.
- Jill Myles’ Succubus Diaries (I’m not sure why these are housed in romance as the heroine has two gorgeous preternatural males at her disposal)
- MaryJanice Davidson’s Queen Betsy, Wyndham Werewolves, and Fred the Mermaid series (my favorite series by her is actually her Alaskan Royal Family alternate history trilogy)
- Marjorie M. Liu’s Dirk and Steele series
- Rhyannon Byrd’s Primal books (particularly for BDB and Dirk & Steele lovers)
- J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood and Fallen Angels series
- Angela Knight’s Mageverse series
- Sarah McCarty’s Shadow Wranglers and Dark Haven series
- Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld
- And for those who don’t mind getting their full freak on, Lora Leigh’s Breeds (SF romance rather than urban fantasy, but I couldn’t resist including it—how often does one get the chance to talk about freaking fully?—even though I think it’s just about run out of steam).
Which of these series/books have you read...and liked? Which do you think you might try? Oh, before I forget, I've got another tentative series to add to my list. I've not read enough of Jennifer Lyon's Wing Slayer Hunter series to commit fully to it, but based on the just-released Night Magic, which I liked tremendously, I'd try to hand-sell it like mad were I still at B&N.
Based on my selections, what would you recommend to me, one savant to another?
Laurie Gold cannot stop reading and writing about romance—she’s been blabbing online for years. She remains a work in progress. Be one of the few who visits her at Toe in the Water or follow her may-be-too-political-for-you tweets at @laurie_gold.
