Reading A to Z: P is for Paranormal Romance

I have long been opposed to paranormal romance. I despise vampires. I do not like werewolves. Twilight seemed like one of the stupidest things ever. I couldn't even get past the first page and still feel dirty if I hold one of the books in my hands. And then I read this free installment of a vampire series called The Vampire Hunter's Daughter. I have been Facebook friends with the author for a couple of years, now, and have watched her along this voyage of writing the series. She is constantly promoting it, so I decided the first part would make a nice read while The Man was trying to choose the right pair of shoes for playing street hockey. (This can take a really long time, as he is quite picky, but I digress.)


I read the whole damn thing before he had finished trying on all of the shoes at one store. I spent a couple of bucks to buy the rest of the series. And I was hooked. And then she sent me a copy of The Birth of Jaiden. It's another vampire story, with a little implied romance thrown in there. (Full review to come in May.)


A couple of my other writing friends were constantly talking about a book called 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover. The book is written by a woman who has also written for Harelquin, so she knows how to write romance. And her sassy character Jazz, who is a witch in love lust with a vampire is hilarious. I could hardly put down my phone (on which I read Kindle books) until the book was finished. I even researched the series and have purchased the third book for 99 cents. I will end up with the rest of them, I just know it.


And then there is my Facebook friend Christie Silvers. When I was home for Spring Break, I was sick as a dog. But I was still able to read books. I was devouring one novel a day during that week. She needed some beta readers, so I volunteered. I'm now completely hooked on her Liz Baker series. I have lost many hours of sleep because of them.


How some of these truly fit under paranormal romance, I'm not sure. I haven't yet figured out how to really define the genre. All I know is I am not longer simply tossing them aside, and have found a new side to myself.

And no, I still have no interest in Twilight, thanks.

Full reviews of all of these books will be put up in May, when this challenge is over.