Haunted Reading Recs from Those Who Write

We bibliophiles devour books by our favorite authors. But what are those authors reading? I took a deep breath and asked that exact question to some local and not so local authors. But being me I couldn't simply ask what books they like. Oh no, I had to keep with my theme of the month: Paranormal/Haunted Books. So here you are, the paranormal books that rocked our authors' socks.

Larissa Ione, author of Pleasure Unbound, recommends:

Full Moon Rising, by Keri Arthur – I picked this as a Haunted Reading Recommendation because it's gritty, scary, and each page is bursting with vampires, shapeshifters, and werebeasts. With all those creatures running around causing trouble, the book is absolute Halloween fun!

Kiss of Midnight, by Lara Adrian – I love the gothic feel of this book, the shadowy, dark details, the incredibly textured description. Then there are the vampires….yum! How can a Halloween read get much better than this?

If Angels Burn, by Lynn Viehl – I simply adore the atmosphere in this book. A scarred, scary hero, a strong heroine suddenly dumped into a dark, frightening world. The book is intense and mysterious, and again…vampires!

Jenna Petersen/Jess Michaels (Lessons From a Courtesan) says:

As a historical writer and fan, I rarely dip my toes into paranormal, but the books in that genre I’ve loved the most seem to all be written by Kathryn Smith. Her Victorian vampire series is spectacular (start with BE MINE TONIGHT) and her new Dream series is also outstanding (BEFORE I WAKE is out now, but I’ve already read the second… haha!).

Jade Lee (The Dragon Earl) shared:

It’s not romance, but I have been reading Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. It’s adventure urban fantasy. Dresden is a wizard in Chicago, and he’s funny, touching, and grip your pages exciting. I started ages ago with the short lived television show which I really enjoyed. Then I tried the first book, now a Dabel Bros comic (with an awesome prequel). Anyway, the first book was Storm Front, and it was good. The second book was Fool Moon, and it was better. After that…they just blew me away. He just gets better and better. I’m now on White Night, which is ninth in the series, and it’s still incredible. Awesome, awesome books and an amazing talent!

Also under the not-romance category the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine is really good. I’ve really enjoyed that. Same thing: adventure urban fantasy, but she’s got a bit more romance in there than Butcher. Actually, a lot more, but the series grows and it’s fabulous.

Under the romance side: I’ve also been reading Gena Showalter’s Lords of The Underworld series. Darkest Night, Darkest Kiss, and Darkest Pleasure are the first three books. If you enjoy alpha males and the “I see you, I want you, you are my destiny” thing, then these are the books for you. I do enjoy that type of set-up at times, so I really got into this series.

And finally, don’t forget my series! Dragonborn is a fantasy romance where a dragon hunter is tracking the last dragon egg to kill it and its owner. Then he falls in love with the woman who’s got it. He’s supposed to kill her, he has to kill her, he needs to kill her. Oops! Sort of puts a crimp in the love story! *grin* The next book Dragonbound comes out in April!

Jaci Burton (Riding Temptation) encourages us to read:

Jackie Kessler's Hells Belles - A wonderfully fun paranormal urban fantasy about a demon succubus on the run in human form trying to escape eternal damnation. I loved this book because it was funny, sexy, had a strong, kickass heroine who loves fashion (what's not to love about that?), plus a unique twist on Hell at the end that I found mind boggling. First in Jackie's Hell on Earth series.

Melani Blazer's Hot Rod Heaven - It's like Stephen King's Christine, only sexy and romantic instead of scary. A woman thinks her dead boyfriend is back, and that a car is stalking her. A seriously great read, with chills and beautiful, hot and sexy romance. (Available at Ellora's Cave in ebook and in print).

Meljean Brook's Demon Night. I know it's book 5 of Meljean's Guardian series (Really, if you haven't read this series yet you're missing out on something magical), but it's my favorite. Why? One word - Ethan.