Top 10 Paranormal Romance Books To Read if You Love Paranormal Romance
Paranormal romance books have their own set of unique tropes and cliches. You know the formula: Big, tough, werewolf with a heart of gold falls for the beautiful vampire and they live happily ever after. But what if you aren’t the biggest fan of this formula? Hopefully, this list will help you stray away from the paranormal romance cliches and find a book that you’ll actually enjoy.
Table Of Contents
- Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
- The Vampire’s Desire by Martha Woods
- Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
- A Shade of Vampire By Bella Forrest
- Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
- Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
- Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
- Interview With The Vampire By Anne Rice
- Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan
1. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
In Rebel Belle, Rachel Hawkins brings us the continuing adventures of Harper Price, a southern belle who also happens to be a zombie hunter. This wannabe-rebel has a thing for tall, dark, and mysterious boys, and as it turns out, those boys also have a thing for her. In this sequel to the popular Hex Hall,
Sophie Mercer has finally learned to harness her powers as a witch, but it comes at a steep price. Now that she is a member of the demon council, she has the power to make her own decisions—like giving herself a love curse. (So much for making decisions for herself!) But when that spell causes her to fall for someone else, she realizes she may have made more trouble for herself.
Harper struggles to find balance between her normal life, which is less than exciting, and her exciting but dangerous life as a hunter. When she’s not following her two boyfriends around, she’s trying to figure out who murdered her father and why.
2. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
In the halls of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of forgotten witches, daemons, and vampires soon descends upon the library.
It is an age when witches, vampires, daemons and humans co-exist. White witches, black witches, witches who eat their young: these are the shadow-dwellers who secretly live alongside mankind, hiding in plain sight as they go about their mysterious business. And then there are the others: the powerful, dangerous, and irresistible fallen angels, demons and sorcerers who are the source of all magic.
3. The Vampire’s Desire by Martha Woods
Love is a powerful feeling as well as an important part of life. We often think of it as only between two people, but love can exist in many forms.
In Martha Woods’ book, The Vampire’s Desire, love exists in the most powerful way possible: the love between a vampire and a human.
Vincent has never met a woman like Amy. Not in over 114 years as a vampire has he been so taken. He is a supernatural enforcer. The vampire’s laws are his code.
Behind the murders is an evil shaman. He has a taste of revenge.
Now wait and watch the sparks fly as their two worlds collide.
4. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
If you’re a fan of paranormal romance books then you’ll already know all about the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a group of vampires that live together, love together and protect one another. In the latest instalment of this series, Dark Lover, the Brotherhood’s leader, Wrath, finally finds his soulmate.
When Black Dagger Brotherhood vampire Rhage falls in love with a mortal, he is forced to choose between his heart’s desire and the vampire society he is sworn to protect. As the war with the Lessening Society builds and the Brotherhood needs every able body it can get, Rhage’s uncontrollable beast may turn him into a walking weapon…and ultimately destroy him. Desperate to protect the brotherhood–as well as his own heart–Rhage must find a way to get ahold of himself before he loses everything.
5. A Shade of Vampire By Bella Forrest
If you like your vampires sexy and sensitive, A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest will appeal to you. A Shade of Vampire is the first book in Bella Forrest’s new Guardian series. The book is currently available as an ebook, but you can pre-order a signed paperback copy on her website.
The story revolves around a young woman who discovers she’s a vampire—and that there’s a war brewing between vampires, werewolves, and witches. She’s forced to choose between her attraction to her childhood crush and her newfound abilities. There’s plenty of drama and action in this paranormal romance series, along with hot, steamy sex scenes sure to make you want to read long into the night.
6. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
While a lot of the urban fantasy that has gained popularity in recent years focuses on vampires and werewolves, there’s something to be said for the stories that deal with shapeshifters. In Patricia Briggs’s newest book, Cry Wolf, Briggs brings us the story of a shapeshifter who isn’t sure what species he is. As a result, he’s not sure how he feels about the fact that he’s attracted to a woman.
A shapeshifter of the wolf variety, Mercy Thompson knows the dangers of the full moon all too well. As the next phase of the lunar cycle approaches, she’s forced to consider her loyalties to the pack—and whether its time to break her ties to Alpha Adam.
7. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
There is a lot of urban fantasy out there these days, and many of it is good stuff. But no one does it like Kim Harrison. With her Hollows series, Harrison’s created a world where magic is real, the living are walking dead and the undead are still living, and there are witches, vampires, werewolves, demons and angels—and every group is trying to see who comes out on top.
The first book in author Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series, Dead Witch Walking, is just such a book. Almost a decade after the events of this book, the series is still going strong with at least 13 books so far. For those who can’t get enough of the paranormal romance genre, the Hollows series is a must-read.
8. Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
Dragon Bound is a fantasy romance novel by American author Thea Harrison. In this book, the protagonist, Serena, is a young woman who gets caught up in a quest to find the hidden lair of an ancient dragon. This book is the first in a series of paranormal romance books.
In the world of humans and dragons, a human woman could be a powerful and respected queen. But a powerful dragon—well, that’s a different story. And there’s no greater proof of that than the fire-breathing dragon, Vigholf the Abhorrent.
At least, that’s what the humans think. When Vigholf is forced to take a human female as his queen, he has no idea just how much she will change his life—for the better.
9. Interview With The Vampire By Anne Rice
The idea of interviewing a vampire may conjure up images of Anne Rice’s seductive immortal Lestat. But, in fact, the first vampire novel was written in 1748 by a German author named Heinrich August Ossenfelder. His “Der Vampyre” (“The Vampire”) was a short story, though it launched an entire genre of vampire fiction. Centuries later, in 1976, Anne Rice brought vampires into the modern age with her mega-bestselling novel Interview with the Vampire.
In Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, Louis, a vampire, tells the story of his transformation from human to immortal being. The book starts off with Louis looking back at his life, reflecting on his mother’s death and his father’s remarriage. Louis is hurt by the fact that his father didn’t even bother to attend his mother’s funeral. But this is only the beginning of Louis’s loneliness and pain, as he realizes he can never love another human being again.
10. Shadow Rider by Christine Feehan
Who can say whether the love between a man and a woman can survive the darkest of nights? Or the terror of a creature that exists only in the shadows? Few would think that the vampire-shifter Carpathian, Falcon, and his lifemate, the courageous and beautiful Natalya, could find their way back to each other after being torn apart by Falcon’s brother. But when the lives of their respective Carpathian and mortal families are threatened, Natalya rushes back into Falcon’s arms.
Her recent Shadow Riders series is the perfect example of that; her latest novel Shadow Rider follows the story of a mysterious man who is nearly invincible. He can heal from any wound, including a bullet to the heart, and he has an uncanny ability to predict the future.
