Paranormal Romance Books

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1)

In this vampire series there are various classes of people. There are the Moroi which are living vampires and considered special sort of like royalty, as there are so few remaining. Moroi do not kill humans but feed from willing donors. There are the Strigoi which are dead vampires and are pretty much the evil doers in this world. And then there are people like Rose Hathaway, a half vampire-half human who by the very nature of her genetics is destined to be a guardian for a mortal vampire Moroi.

Rose and her best friend Vasilisa (a Moroi) have run away from the guardian training academy because of fears regarding the special relationship that Rose and Lissa share.

The books are told from Rose's point of view and has some interesting views into growing up in a culture which expects you to be what your genetics dictate. Rose is expected to sacrifice any desire for a personal fulfillment and give herself over entirely to her role as protector of Lissa. Whatever she might want for herself such as love or career are irrelevant.

Rose is very good at her job. But still she aches for more. She has strong feelings for Dimitri an instructor and is torn between doing what she's supposed to and doing what her heart wants.

There is plenty of mystery, evil forces and romance to keep you interested and looking forward to the next book.

Marked: A House of Night Novel

The House Of Night book series is about a sort of parallel world to our own. Where everything is pretty much the same with the exception that vampires (spelled in this series as vampyres) walk about among the human population. It is an uneasy coexistence but for the most part the vamps keep to themselves.

Around the age of 16, some young people have a mark appear on their forehead. This is a sign that the vampyre Goddess Nyx has chosen them to follow the vampyre way. Those that are marked are shipped out to the various vampyre training schools where the young people (referred to as fledgelings) are trained in the ways of becoming a powerful vampyre. The House Of Night is just such a school and our heroine Zoey Rebird has just been marked.

There is a growing struggle between good and dark powers here and Zoey must look deep within herself to become the vampyre leader she is destined to be. Fortunately she has friends to help her along the way.

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls)

Shiver is the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy. It begins with Grace as a small child who is being attacked by wolves who have pulled her from her swing in the backyard. One of the wolves defends her and stops her from being killed.

Fast forward until Grace is 17. She has a fascination with the wolves of Mercy Falls MN. Her home borders a great woods and the wolves, one in particular often comes to the edge and watches her. They have a bond though she can't understand it. The wolf is Sam. Or at least he is Sam when he's in human form.

This series is about werewolves though it is a slightly different take on the lore. The shift with the weather. During colder months they become the beast forgetting their human existence and live as real wolves. But when the weather warms they change back to people. This shifting only last for a few years and then they become permanently wolf.

Sam loves Grace but he is a werewolf and this may well be his last summer to ever be human.

The story offers a truly unique and intriguing idea on werewolves and spins it effortlessly with a young romance. A truly great read for any young person interested in the paranormal romance genre..

Fallen

The story opens with Luce being sent off to some sort of school for delinquent children. She doesn't understand what's happening to her. She had been at a party with a boy and when they snuck off together ... well she doesn't exactly remember what happened but the boy ended up incinerated by fire.

Now even her parents seem a little afraid of her and maybe they should be. For you see ... Luce sees things no one else does. Creepy cold shadows that move about and seem to have some dark intent. Luce doesn't feel crazy, but she can't really be positive about it either.

Luce doesn't know it yet but she's cursed. Cursed with her true love Daniel. Destined to repeat the same pattern over and over again through time until it ends as it always does with Luce dieing in a horrible fiery death. But Luce wants to stop the pattern. She thinks she can break the curse and set her and Daniel free.

These books have fascinating way of incorporating biblical lore and stories into a great love story that last over the millenia. There are angels and demons but not all angels are the good guys and not all demons are evil. I've been loving this series and am looking forward to the next book as with each book we go back farther into time until we wind up at the Garden of Eden.

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

It's hard to imagine that there might be anybody left who isn't familiar with the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. It was a huge success as a book and has just grown in popularity with the release of the movies. But for those of you who may not be familiar ...

The series revolves around Bella Swan a young girl who moves in with her father in the woods of Washington state. Bella is confused about a fellow class mate Edward. At times he appears to hate her seems to avoid her at all costs and then the next time they cross paths he takes an active interest in her.

What Bella doesn't know at the time is that Edward is a vampire. A vegetarian vampire who tries to live among the humans. But Edward struggles with Bella. She has a powerful pull for him. It takes all his control not to give in to his vampire nature and become the monster he thinks he is.

I have read this series more than once and thoroughly enjoyed it though I think it sends some seriously mixed messages to a younger audience. But it does have all the thrills and awkward love triangles that makes for a really good Paranormal Romance.

Outlander

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is about a women who falls through a hole in time and is thrust into a life and history that is not her own.

This is a series of books that is sort of a cross between romance and historical novel. In the first book Claire Randall slips back in time 200 years. She is forced to marry a Scottish Outlaw, Jamie Fraser and the series chronicles there life together. In the various books they experience a great many historical events and famous historical people from across the globe.

These books also address the harsh reality of the times they are written about. There is no romanticizing the every day life or the act of battle and war. These books are startlingly graphic in their violence and to a much lesser degree the sexuality. They also however tell te story of a love so great that no one or nothing, not even time, can keep them apart.

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)

Anita Blake is an animator for a living. She raises people from the dead. That's right she makes Zombies. Not a pretty glamorous job but it pays really well.

In this Vampire series we enter a world where vampires, werewolve and other pre-eternal creatures live together ... while not quite in harmony there is an uneasy acceptance. Vampires have been given a living status and there is much activity to give them the right to vote.

Prior to this vampire civil rights movement Anita was also a part time vampire slayer. Back when vampires were considered pesky and dangerous. She was good at it too. In vampire circle Anita Blake is known as the Executioner. And thus begins the complex world of interspecies relations in Laurell K. Hamilton's book Guilty Pleasures

In the first book Anita Blake's quest to find the killer she brushes with some seriously scary supernatural types including wererats and the ever so creepy and super powerful Nikolaos who looks like a little girls but is in reality the cities most powerful vampire and twisted to boot.

The second most powerful vampire, Jean-Claude, is interested in more than just Anita's professional talents, but the she's not interested in what he's offering. Eternal life sounds good but she's worried about her soul. Still he does have a certain appeal that she finds hard to resist.

Anita Blake is a superb character. She's sassy, powerful and flawed. But best of all she's not looking to be saved. She's the one doing the saving.