For Book's Sake #7 Weekly discussion post

Hey everyone and welcome to our weekly feature, FOR BOOK'S SAKE!

We review a wide variety of books here at The Demon Librarian, but we're readers first and foremost, and like any reader, we have our favorite genres and types of characters or romances. But why do we love one genre more than another? What is it about a certain type of character or romance that makes us swoon or leaves us with a "meh" feeling? We'll be chatting about these and other compelling readerly questions over the next few months, and we hope you'll join us in the discussion!

This week's topic is...Paranormal Romance!

 

Discussion:

J: Hi, everyone! This week we're tackling the paranormal romance genre. Lynsey and I are big fans of these types of books, and it's easy to see why. PNR's feature all the supernatural races we love and cheer for, such as vampires, werewolves, demons, witches, angels, and many, many more....aaaaand there's always a healthy helping of hot, smexy times to satisfy our inner romantics. Really, what's not to like? Am I right, Lynsey?

L: Yes, of course you are. When are you not?:)

Paranormal Romance books are great in that they contain all the elements of our BFF genre Urban Fantasy, only with guaranteed hot naked times. Sometimes, when you've been reading an Urban Fantasy series where the author has been teasing you with a will they/won't they subplot for years and years and years, you just want to read a sure thing, you know? You can't handle being teased any more and just want to know you'll get your guaranteed 2/3 love scenes and a nice dose of Happily Ever After to finish, leaving you feeling all gooey and satisfied. That's the good side. However...*cue the ominous music* the downside to this is often thin world-building, predictability within the plot, and a feeling of sameness in general. Something that could be said of a lot of genre romance, I suppose, but I particularly notice it here. There are exceptions to this generalization, however. Series that have exceptional world-building AND scorching romances. We will list those for you at the end of this post.

For now, Janice, what's your favourite supernatural species to read about in PNR? Is it those bitey vamps or those tactile wolves, perhaps?

J: Wolves. Definitely wolves. They've always been my favorite wild animal, so it's a natural choice for me. Plus, I'm sorta burnt out on vampires. They may be cool and sexy and mysterious, but for a long time, they dominated the paranormal market, and I guess I just got tired of reading about them. Shifters, on the other hand, continue to fascinate me. It's not just about werewolves anymore - there are dragons and big cats and bears and birds of prey (to name just a few) and I love them all.

My second favorite supernatural race is.....um.....hmmm. Demons, I guess, although I'm very fond of the Fae too, and if I can find a well-written and original angel story (fallen angels, especially), there's a good chance I'm going to grab it. For some reason, I have a tough time with witch and wizard books. It's not that I don't like them, per se - in fact, one of my favorite series in the whole word features a witchy heroine - but sometimes, I get lost in the magical details, ya know? All the steps of setting up a spell and what-not.

Are there any supernatural races you struggle with, Lynsey? Ones you don't particularly care to read about?

L: I'm kinda sorta with you on the being sick of vamps thing. As a matter of fact, the only vamps I've been enjoying recently have been the ones that have reverted back to the old school style, how vamps used to be - and that's EEEVIL! In the role of villain rather than love interest. But I haven't given them up completely. Yet. I also sometimes struggle with Fae men; they sound rather shiny and effeminate a lot of the time. Except, of course, there's this one elf that goes around in jodhpurs and riding boots. And I think he has a crop, too...

Well, now look what you've done! You've set off my Trent Kalamack fantasy reel again! Doh!

So.... anyway. Now that we've told you what we like and what we don't like, how about we each give you our Highest Of Fives.That's right, Janice, you can only pick your Top 5. Go!

J: Oh sure, put me on the spot first. Pffft. ;)

Okay, here we go, off the top of my head....

1. Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh (all-time favorite) 
2. Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh
3. Blackthorn series by Lindsay J. Pryor
4. Dark Dynasties series by Kendra Leigh Castle
5. Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent (this one's YA but so, so good!)  

L: And mine would be:

1. The Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole (hands down my #1 favourite)
2. Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward.
3. Midnight Liaisons by Jessica Sims
4. Highlanders series by Karen Marie Moning (historical paranormal)
5. Darkest London by Kristen Callihan (historical paranormal)

We hope you enjoyed our discussion this week! If you have any other suggestions for discussion topics, or anything else to say at all, drop us a comment below!

Bye for now :)

Posted in: Book News and Tidbits, For Book's Sake!, Paranormal Romance