Okay, I cheated a little listing two or more books along the way. But they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t that good!
My Top 12 Paranormal Picks
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1. Kiss of the Highlander / The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning. The beginning of the MacKeltar family books. Drustan and Daegus are every romance-reading lady’s dream, plus the imagination of Moning is fabulous. And you have to read the two together. No ifs, ands, or buts about that. |
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2. Outlander / A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. If you haven’t read Jamie and Claire, you are definitely missing out. A sweeping epic, sure. But even the time travel is really secondary to the love story of the Frasers, and the rich history Gabaldon weaves throughout their story is an added bonus. Even though there are plenty of books in between these that are just as good and worth the read, these two give us our introduction to Jamie and Claire where we fall in love with them and the latest is the most emotionally fraught of the entire series. |
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3. Lord of the Fading Lands / Lady of Light and Shadow by C.L. Wilson. Newcomer Wilson has hit the big time with her four-book series of the fey, mages, good vs. evil, and, of course, Rain Tairen Soul and Ellysetta Baristani, two lovers destined to save a race of huge cuddly cats that fly while fighting evil coming at them from every direction. These books never slow down one iota and once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop. The only downside is the next two books to finish the series will be out late next year. |
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4. Son of the Morning by Linda Howard. A terrific time travel taking a modern day woman into the past to a Templar Knight of her dreams. Even though the hero and heroine spend much of the book apart, they are connected by dreams while trying to solve the mystery surrounding an ancient manuscript. |
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5. Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward. Follow the brothers through their fight with the lessers and watch them fall in love in the process. Alpha heroes to the max! |
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6. Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh. Actually, the entire Psy-Changeling series belongs on this list. This introductory book is simply stupendous. Singh is right up there in the imagination realm with Moning. Be sure to have all the current books lined up ready to go because you won’t be able to stop at just one. |
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7. The Smoke Thief / The Dream Thief by Shana Abé. Dragons! Nuff said. |
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8. Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night by Kresley Cole. No. 3 in her Immortals After Dark series and the best of the series so far. You do meet the characters from the first two books, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to read those first. But when you get to Bowen and Mari, you’ll have the time of your life in all their adventures and their love. |
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9. Be Mine Tonight by Kathryn Smith. First book in the The Brotherhood of Blood series. The other books are wonderful too, but this one just has more emotion, a more gripping story. Templar Knights turned vampire and after centuries each are finding their true loves and their lives for the first time since their “deaths.” Simply stellar. |
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10. A Dance Through Time by Lynn Kurland. Any of Kurland’s books are worth the read, historical or paranormal, but this is her best. Laird Jamie McLeod is one to be feared, but all it takes is the right woman to bring him to heel and it’s done with love and humor. A Garden in the Rain is sort of a follow-up with Jamie’s brother Patrick as the hero. |
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11. Fangs for the Memories / Fangs But No Fangs / I Only Have Fangs for You by Kathy Love. The Young Brothers were all turned into vampires at the same time. They’re now finding love amid mystery and evil and reuniting through that love after years apart. Great humor. |
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12. In Death series by J.D. Robb (a.k.a. Nora Roberts). One book may be better than another, but it doesn’t matter if you have to get your fix of Roarke and Eve in futuristic New York. You better start now, though, because there’s 27 books and three anthology entries in the series to date! |
