Miranda Owen | Paranormal Goodies Gift Giving Guide

This time of year, gift buying guides are everywhere. This one I’ve come up with is a little more personal. Every Christmas and birthday, I get my sister-in-law something – with a healthy helping of books I think she might like as well. There are a lot of things I might not do well, but I can usually make a good book recommendation. This particular list is full of paranormal romances I may or may not have gotten her (hopefully she’s not reading this), along with a few classics that I would recommend to anybody. These are books that might chase the winter blues away.

This first book is not the first book in the series, but I will die on the rock that some series have books that can be read in any order. I firmly believe that Shelly Laurenston’s Pride series is one of those. The other day, a library patron was relentlessly berating me over the availability of free candy at the circulation desk. The tone took a turn toward the personally offensive. A co-worker remarked “How rude!”, after hearing my tale of woe. That instantly made me think of one of the shifter characters from Laurenston’s Pride series. Hybrid wild dog shifter Blayne is forever remarking on how rude others are as they underestimate her. An altercation involving claws and fur flying inevitably ensues. Anyway, this incident made me dig into one of my favorites in the series – WOLF WITH BENEFITS. This story follows Toni – a jackal shifter and young woman at a crossroads. The choice whether to follow her dreams and leave the nest or continue being the artful fixer and personal assistant to her several – often amusingly obnoxious and self-centered - prodigy younger siblings. If you haven’t tried this series, it’s hilarious and good to the last page. A librarian I worked with described it this way – “I don’t normally read romance, but this book was so entertaining”. Exactly. Even though they’re technically paranormal romance, even if that’s not your thing, the action, humor, engaging story and one-of-a-kind characters will have you addicted.

Lynsay Sands’ early Argeneau books are what I would consider to be classic romcoms, but with a paranormal twist. Excellent. A BITE TO REMEMBER is the fifth book in the series and a true gem. Vampires, La La Land, assassination attempts, and a romance that comes as a surprise to many – especially the two people involved. PI Jackie Morrisey – small in stature but not in personality – heads to LA with her loyal partner Tiny to find out who’s causing headaches for vampire, actor, businessman, and general nice guy, Vincent Argeneau. It’s a total “opposites attract” vibe. Jackie initially is inclined to dislike Vincent because of some relationship baggage regarding vampires, but Vincent eventually (key word “eventually”) wins her over. I love everything about this story – the hint of danger, the flirtation, and grumpy-sunshine trope with the female character being the “grumpy”, and of course the vampire aspect. I gotta say though, my fav part of this book is Vincent. He’s a vampire and strong but he doesn’t give off the typical alpha hero “grrr” vibes. He a sweetheart who wants to help people and chat.

Author Kathryn Ann Kingsley has a definite preference for creating antiheroes. I describe Izael, the serpentine Duke of Bones – from her Deal of Shadows series – as a cross between The Joker from the early Batman: The Animated Series and Beetlejuice (in the best ways). I normally don’t go for stories about the fae and all their complex manipulations, but I was intrigued by the first book in the series – THE UNSEELIE DUKE. Alex is a witch who is desperate and casts a devil’s bargain with the cunning Izael. He has a devil-may-care air about him with an affinity for the absurd and dramatic. He’s the appealing mix of sexy and dangerous – with a pinch of bizarre thrown in. Over the course of the first book and into the next book, Alex is struggling to find her path. Izael frequently knocks her off balance while weaving a spell of seduction around her. By the end of the book, it becomes evident that Izael has caught himself in his own trap. His feelings for Alex are devasting to him because of how surprised he is by how deep they turn out to be.

Author Brooklyn Ann dabbles in several different genres and romance subgenres – like her historical romance Scandals with Bite series and her urban fantasy Brides of Prophecy series. As a fan of spooky flicks, I love her B Mine series. If you’ve ever watched a horror film and thought, “I’m so rooting for this one couple to make it out alive” – Brooklyn Ann’s B Mine series might be for you. They’re all set in the 1980s and are a mix of horror, the paranormal, and romance. One of my favorites in the series is the third book – HIS SCREAM QUEEN. This book has a prom-pocalypse, makeovers, and demonic possession. The story is told from alternating perspectives, so that the reader always knows the source of the evil permeating the town, but the main couple are forced to play detective as their romance blossoms. With a lot of romcoms, the guy usually keeps hidden the initial reason for his interest in the female “ugly/awkward duckling”. Not so in this story – which is much appreciated. My favorite love stories are the ones in which the two main characters work together and bond as they fight a common foe or tackle a common problem. Such is the case in HIS SCREAM QUEEN. I’ve described this story as having “a charming teen romance and an insidious evil that proves to be a compelling mix”.

Last, but certainly not least – NOT ANOTHER VAMPIRE BOOK by Cassandra Gannon. I was surfing Amazon one day and stumbled across this book. The cover immediately grabbed my attention because it looked like a beautiful movie poster. The concept attracted me as well because I love stories in which a character falls into a fantasy world - while the reader is also reading about another world. In this case - the world is the cheesy historical fantasy script featuring Wizard Warlocks and vampires. Karalynn is a modern woman who is unpleasantly surprised to suddenly find herself in Eternal Passion at Sunset. Over the course of the book, she tries to keep everything running true to the original plot in hopes that will eventually get her back to her own time. When Karalynn first encounters the Wizard Warlock, Damien, it’s as she’s slowly realizing that she’s “not in Kansas anymore”. Damien, unbeknownst to him, is the villain in Eternal Passion at Sunset. He arrives on the scene complete with chiseled good looks, a sexy facial scar, and a pet raven on his shoulder named Lenore. Damien finds Karalynn inexplicably yet intensely attractive, while being flummoxed over her idiosyncratic behavior, clothing, and speech. Also – from his perspective, vampires are the villains who attacked his people and killed his sister. Slade, on the other hand, is the vampire king with runway good looks who everyone adores. The humor is fab as Slade pounces in and out of scenes (often accompanied by theme music), while spouting nonsense, sounding vapid and clueless, and convinced Karalynn is his long-awaited “Eternal One”. Heavy frustrated sigh. Karalynn is not amused and, much to everybody’s surprise, looks to Damien as an ally rather than rush into Slade’s arms. The banter between Karalynn and Damien is witty and the chemistry is off-the-charts. Karalynn forces Damien to question everything he’s ever known, or thought he’s known. I always say that a sign of how much I like a book is reflected by whether I kick in for a print AND electronic copy. This is most definitely such a book. Run, don’t walk, and get this book in your life.

Miranda Owen is the Editorial Manager for Fresh Fiction. Her reviews and other articles can be found here.