Recommend Paranormal Romance?

Karen Junker · Oct 14, 2012

I don't know if this is the right place to ask, so if it isn't, I apologize!

A friend of mine who is not a romance reader has decided to try to write a paranormal romance. I've advised her to read a few first and I was wondering what books you all would recommend. Her story will have fae and a triad, if you can think of any with those elements. She has it all plotted out, but I think she needs to read a few to get a sense of the conventions of a romance (as opposed to a fantasy, for example, which is what she mainly writes).

I have read a few triads when I was critting for an EC author and a couple of books with fae characters when I was editing for a small romance epub, but that's been a few years ago and I have not kept up with the subgenre as well as I could. Don't we have a few members here whose books she (and I) should read?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Calle Jay · Oct 15, 2012

Sherrilyn Kenyon would be my first suggestion. Then some of the other big names: Jennifer Ashley, J.R. Ward, Christine Feehan. I'd also suggest hitting the Amazon fantasy/futuristic/ghost list for best-sellers there. OR just searching paranormal romance and fairy/fae.

Ann_Mayburn · Oct 15, 2012

I really like Cherise Sinclair's shapshifter books. They are really well done and her world building is great.

Yeah, most people know her for her BDSM novels, but I like her shifter books better.

http://cherisesinclair.com/hour-of-the-lion/

kmart86 · Oct 15, 2012

Kresley Cole has some fae/elf characters in her Immortals After Dark series. She's a great writer and the series is fantastic. I don't know if this will help, but fae seem to be popular in YA paranormal romances. Popular authors in those genres are Melissa Marr and Julie Kagawa.

amrose · Oct 15, 2012

Karen Marie Moning's Highlander books have fae as supporting and then major characters as the series goes on (The Immortal Highlander is my fave with a fae turned human.)

Her fever series deals with the fae too, but it's urban fantasy with a TON of sexual tension.

ARoyce · Oct 15, 2012

Zoe Archer and Kristen Callihan write historical paranormals. Archer has at least two series (the Blades of the Rose...and her newer Hellraisers). Callihan's is the Darkest London series (starting with FIRELIGHT).

Karen Junker · Oct 15, 2012

Thanks for all the ideas, everyone! This is a great start!

VanessaNorth · Oct 15, 2012

Lauren Dane had at least one fae book--something about an archeaologist in Ireland I think. She's also written several triad relationships. She's one of my favorites too, a great example of a modern voice in paranormal fiction.

Katallina · Oct 15, 2012

For (occasionally) more light and whimsical PNR you might try Lynsay Sands Argeneau Vampire novels. Another author I haven't seen mentioned yet that I love is Gena Showalter. Her Lords of the Underworld books are great.

I'm also a huge fan of P.C. Cast, although my favorite stuff by her is the YA series House of Night that she does with her daughter Kristen. Also from YA, I would suggest Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck, The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen and the Vampire Academy novels by Richelle Mead. (You can take or leave that last bunch. Not sure if you need YA but I figured it couldn't hurt to list them.)

Hope that helps.

K. Taylor · Oct 20, 2012

Shannon K. Butcher's Sentinels series. 7th book comes out in the spring. She also did a good short novella e-book called Forget Me Not.

akaria · Oct 22, 2012

Larissa Ione's Demonica series. I really love her characters. Good worldbuilding. Great tension. Holy crap how is she going to pull this off OMG she did it and it's beautiful plots.

Nalini Singh's Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series. Both have very creative worlds. GH has heroes to die for and no TSTL heroines. It also has a very urban fantasy feel to it. The first three books focus on the same couple but the last two have different couples.

Recommend Paranormal Romance?

Karen Junker

Live a little. Write a lot.

Calle Jay

Romance Novelist & Freelance Editor

Ann_Mayburn

Smutty McTitters

kmart86

amrose

is Envy Augustine

ARoyce

Hopeful romantic/hopeless pedant

Karen Junker

Live a little. Write a lot.

VanessaNorth

Purple hair, not prose.

Katallina

K. Taylor

Bah Humbug

akaria