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Are you ready for Halloween? Even if you don't celebrate it, I still say that we should celebrate Fall! What's not to love about cozy sweaters, warm drinks, and fuzzy socks?
It's day two of our spotlight on Tricia who, in all her amazingness, has offered up some great reading recommendations for you! Don't forget to give some comment love to both this post and the previous one!
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This is so hard....I'm going to deviate slightly, if that's alright. I'll give you a few favorite series and a few lone rangers :) And I'll leave out the Kate Daniels series since you all already read the first one and got a good feel for the awesomeness that is Kate Daniels!
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1) The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning
This is a fantastic urban fantasy series. It centers around a girl, MacKayla Lane, who is a pretty typical twenty something year old with a pretty mellow care free life, until her sister is murdered abroad at school in Ireland. From there MacKayla encounters more than she ever thought possible in search for answers about what happened to her sister. I love MacKayla, and I love the way she ultimately adapts to the situation as the books progress. I also LOVE the way the Fae are depicted in these books. They are not anywhere close to what Disney has led us to believe with Tinkerbell. They are cruel, ruthless, and have no humanity whatsoever, they aren't human and they don't suffer from a human conscience or way of thinking. Some of them are quite frightening! This series has some of the most incredible world building that I've ever seen. It's massive and fantastic. The plot is so well thought out, you never quite know what is going to happen next. There are twists and turns at every corner and never is there a dull moment. There is some romance in these books, but it is a slow burning kind. You do have to wait awhile for things to romantically take off, but it's there all along in the background building, and the pay off is well worth the wait in my opinion. There are 5 books, and 1 graphic novel in this series, starting with Darkfever. The author is also branching out and has come out with a separate series from the same Fever World too, so far there is only one book out in that spinoff.
2) The Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle
These are some amazing paranormal/horror books. I have to say that this series really gets better and better with each book. There are 9 full length novels along with numerous novellas in this series. The first of which is Darkhouse, which is currently free on Amazon. This series is about a girl named Perry Palomino, who can see spirits. Perry is your average young woman in a lot of ways, she's not the most beautiful woman alive, she has clear flaws and struggles with insecurity and other pretty common things (which I love about her), but damn does she do it with gusto. She is a complete smartass and kind of a nerd. She's unique, funny, brave and only gets better as she grows throughout the series. Once Perry accepts herself as she is, she is a force to be reckoned with. Sorry, I'm totally gushing right now. She ends up joining forces, inadvertently with Dex Foray (see above gushing in favorite male lead) who is trying to make a name for himself in the ghost hunting business. This series reads a lot like an episode of Ghost Hunters. They get into some seriously scary situations throughout the series, and become an unstoppable team. Some of these books literally gave me goosebumps and had me looking over my shoulder and hiding under the blankies like a child.
3) The Thoughtless Series by S.C. Stephens
This is a emotional romance series. There are 3 books total, starting with Thoughtless. Reading these was a gut wrenching, rollercoaster ride. I remember YELLING at my kindle throughout Thoughtless. I was so infuriated with the lead, Kiera. I really wanted to just shake her, or maybe drop kick her in the head. Funny thing was when I finished it and thought about it, I realized I wouldn't be so angry if I wasn't completely invested in this story. I couldn't put it down. And not to worry, ultimately I even ended up liking, or at least understanding Kiera better. This series also has one of the best male leads in it. I dare you to not completely fall for Kellan Kyle and all his tortured musician glory! This was one of the best realistic relationship stories I have read. Be forewarned though, those who can not stomach the reality of newly adult relationships, and subject material with cheating, this may not be the books for you. But if you think you want to try something a little raw and new, I don't think you will be disappointed.
4) The Stand by Stephen King
I'm sure you have all heard of this book, or at least the author so I won't break it all down for you. I first read this book (the uncut version) in my earlier years, somewhere around 13ish and I LOVED it, I've since read it again, multiple times. I could never tire of pretty much anything Stephen King. He was one of first favorite authors (aside from my very early childhood idols, Shel Silverstein, R.L. Stein, Dr. Seuss, etc) and still remains so today. I recommend pretty much any of his books, he is a literary genius. But in my opinion The Stand may have been his crowning jewel. This was maybe the most incredible world building I've ever read, and the characters are so multidimensional and real. It has one of the most epic showdowns and I love the look into good and evil, which side might you fall on? Everything about this book was great, if you haven't got around to reading it, you are missing out!
5) Defending Jacob by William Landay
I am throwing this one in because this book is completely different than anything mentioned above. A little diversity, if you will. This is I guess, a realistic fiction book. It is about Andy Barber, assistant district attorney in white collar suburbia, who finds himself in quite the predicament when there is a murder in his sleepy community, and signs start to point back towards his own 14 year old son. I think what I love most about this book, was the stark terrifying questions it made you think about your own life. How far are you willing to go for the people you hold dearest? What if your own child was guilty of a horrible crime, what would you do? It was awful even trying to think about these things for myself, which made Andy's story that much more riveting. I also love the nature vs. nurture element that comes into play! Are we all a product of the environment that we are brought up in, or are we predisposed to certain traits from the start thanks to genetics? It's funny how you hear so many people say things along the lines of "they must get it from their mom/dad" whether it be about their athleticism, smarts, or looks. So if they inherit these good traits, what about the bad ones too?? Maybe a temper, or violent tendencies? This book will make you think about so many interesting, controversial subjects, while at the same time telling a compelling and emotional story. Also this author was actually an assistant district attorney in real life, so his knowledge of court room proceedings and crimes and law enforcement procedures in general is very extensive and noticeably on point in this novel.
Phew. All done. Maybe I should have picked something along the lines of talkative, or long winded as my descriptive words lol. Thanks for indulging me.....hope you all found at least one thing that piqued your interest. Happy reading!
