BookThing! » Authors

Jacqueline Carey

Grete — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:17:02 +0000

About Jacqueline Carey

Best known for the epic Kushiel’s Legacy series, she has won several (and well deserved) awards for her work. She currently resides in Michigan although she loves to travel. Surprisingly to me, she has no tattoos!

Jacqueline Carey’s Official Author Site

My Comments

If I had to choose just one word to describe Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series it would be ‘Breathtaking’. It had been a while since I had read a fantasy series that was so smooth to read, absorbing and utterly engaging. The world and characters she creates are wonderfully real and I just love them all. I can’t recommend it highly enough and is always on my list of recommendations when asked by friends for something to read.

Bibliography

Kushiel’s Legacy

Naamah Trilogy

The Sundering

Santa Olivia

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J. R. Ward

Grete — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:23:10 +0000

About J. R. Ward

With law school, working in healthcare and chief of staff of an eminent academic medical centre in her background, she is now one of the most loved writers of paranormal romance. A woman of many passions – Writing, her husband, her golden retriever and her coffee pot!

http://www.jrward.com/

My Comments

Having read and reviewed Covet, I decided to delve into what else J. R. Ward had written. I like to start at the beginning of a series, even if it isn’t strictly necessary, just because I like to know where a character has come from or what has shaped them into the person they are. The Black Dagger Brotherhood books are very tied in together and while you could read them out of order, it would be a shame to miss out on the multiple plot threads running through from where they first started in Dark Lover. It was actually a book that surprised me a lot and clicked with me right from the start. The characters are powerful, sexy, rough and ready and very appealing, the writing style very crisp and clean, easy to read and very engaging. Add in a good story to that mix and you have a set of books you will want to read right through one after the other and be left wanting more. Superb paranormal romance at it’s finest!

Bibliography

Black Dagger Brotherhood

Dark Lover – Read my review
Lover Eternal – Read my review
Lover Awakened – Read my review
Lover Revealed – Read my review
Lover Unbound – Read my review
Lover Enshrined – Read my review
The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide
Lover Avenged – Read my review
Lover Mine – Read my review
Lover Unleashed – Read my review

Fallen Angels

Covet – Read my review
Crave – Read my review

Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward Giveaway! I’ve fallen a little behind in reviews due to Tony being away last week, and me being a girly wuss who doesn’t like it when Tony is away and retreats...
Why you should read – J. R. Ward The first book I read by J. R. Ward was actually the start of a companion series to the Black Dagger Brotherhood books. Covet impressed me in many different ways...
J. R. Ward Giveaway Finished! Thanks to everyone who commented and apologies to those outside of Europe who wanted to enter. The 4 books will be going to : Sue Aitken Tracey Risebrow Donna Barrie...

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Rachel Caine

Grete — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:15:44 +0000

About Rachel Caine

Rachel Caine (aka Roxanne Conrad) is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy with 2 series for adults and one for young adults. With an award winning paranormal romance also to her credit, she is enjoyed by readers, young and old. She lives with her husband and 2 beloved pet iguanas in Fort Worth and still manages to hold down a day job!

http://www.rachelcaine.com/

My Comments

I picked up the first Weather Wardens book on the recommendation of a friend, and I was intrigued by the world of the Djinn that Rachel Caine had created. It was unique and fresh and I loved that the magic in the world came in the form of talented people who had an affinity for different elements and could affect them accordingly. It was a nice change from the paranormal romances I had been guzzling up until that point. I’ve not had a chance to read the first book in the Outcast series yet, a Weather Warden side series, but am looking forward to it.

The Morganville Vampire series, even though written for young adults, were still a good read and again provided a fresh look at the vampire mythos and a whole town controlled by them, allowing humans to live there by sufferance and following a set of rules. She creates characters who you can empathise with, even though they may not be all human and her writing style is fluid and easy to read. The plots may not be overly complex but she isn’t afraid to throw her major characters into a tailspin and I have to admire her for that. Definitely recommended if you want a good read!

Bibliography

Weather Wardens

Outcast Season

Morganville Vampires

Red Letter Days

Rachel Gibson About Rachel Gibson When not writing she can be found shoe shopping, boating with her husband or trying to love an ungrateful cat (I know that feeling!). With numerous awards...

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Karen Chance

Grete — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:07:59 +0000

About Karen Chance

Growing up in Orlando Florida, the bestselling novelist has lived in several countries before returning to Florida and settling in DeLand. With books translated into several languages and a nomination for Readers Choice for best Urban Fantasy Novel in 2008 she is a force to be reckoned with. A bit like her characters!

http://www.karenchance.com/

My Comments

I was introduced to these books by a friend and I’m glad I heeded her advice. Karen Chance creates an often dizzying world of vampires, clairvoyants, mages and the ultimate headspin of time travel. Her main character Cassandra Palmer is a gutsy heroine that got dropped in the deep end by becoming the world’s chief clairvoyant with no formal training or preparation. The charm of the books is how she deals with it and interacts with those around her, even those who would see her dead. My favourite secondary characters have to be Pritkin, the mad mage and Mircea, one hot vampire, both who have a vested interest in her and seeing her stay alive. The books are well written, the stories engaging and above all, you care about what happens to the characters. Well worth reading.

Bibliography

Cassandra Palmer

Dorina Basarab

Short stories

Buying Trouble in On the Prowl
Rogue Elements in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe
The Day of the Dead in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance
Vegas Odds in Strange Brew
Skin Deep in Inked

Curse the Dawn Curse the Dawn continues Cassandra Palmer’s journey as the world’s Chief Clairvoyant, even if she hasn’t been sanctioned by the ruling magic council. They are even out to kill her...
Touch the Dark Cassandra Palmer is a talented clairvoyant who can also see and talk to ghosts. When she finds her own obituary notice on her computer screen, she realises the vampire mafia...
Kelley Armstrong About Kelley Armstrong Kelley Armstrong lives with her husband and three children in Ontario, Canada. She is a full time writer and is not afraid to have a photo taken...

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Sherrilyn Kenyon

Grete — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:24:14 +0000

About Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the writers who helped shape the genre of paranormal romance into the phenomenon it has become today. She lives in Missouri with her husband, sons, pets, a collection of swords and a plethora of imaginary friends which she likes to play with and share their stories with us. Her books are always at number one spots in the charts where they certainly deserve to be, and there are more than 18 million in print in over 35 different countries.

http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/
http://www.officialsanctuary.com/index.html
http://www.menyon.com/ (Official Fan Community)

My Comments

The first Sherrilyn Kenyon book I picked up was Night Play. I hadn’t read much paranormal romance but the blurb on the back intrigued me and I thought I would give it a try. I didn’t expect to read a book rich in dark humour, stunning characters, steamy scenes and fast paced plot. The world she created was amazingly detailed, based on our own but with an unseen side of dark-hunters and were-hunters, gods and monsters. I was hooked.

Having read every book I can get my hands on, in all the different genres she writes in, I am astounded by her imagination and creativity. She is prolific (thankfully!) but spares no detail because of it and I always have the feeling she genuinely loves each character, that they are real to her and because of that, makes them real for the reader through her writing.

If I had to choose just one author to recommend for Paranormal Romance, Sherrilyn Kenyon would be it, as a few friends who are also now fans can attest!

Bibliography

Dark-Hunter

The Dark-Hunter Companion – Read my review

Dark Hunter Manga

Short Stories

Phantom Lover in Midnight Pleasures
Winter Born in Stroke of Midnight
A Hard Day’s Night-Searcher in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
Until Death We Do Part in Love at First Bite
Shadow of the Moon in Dead After Dark

Lords of Avalon

The League

B.A.D.

Why you should read – Sherrilyn Kenyon As the genre of Paranormal Romance has evolved, one of its pioneers has been Sherrilyn Kenyon. She broke new ground with her Dark-Hunter series. It appealed to the many readers...
Recommendations: Sherrilyn Kenyon Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the pioneers of supernatural romance. I’ve loved her work right from the first book I read and she remains one of my absolute favourite authors. ...
“No Mercy” (Dark Hunter Series) By Sherrilyn Kenyon – Trailer St. Martin’s Press just released this trailer for Sherrilyn Kenyon’s upcoming book – No Mercy....

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Jim Butcher

Grete — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:56:10 +0000

About Jim Butcher

Jim enjoys various diverse hobbies – martial arts, fencing, singing, riding, roleplaying and while that should make him seem like a fairly scary individual, all reports suggest he is a very nice man. He also does LRP (Live Roleplaying) which in my book makes him fairly awesome! He lives with his wife, son and dog and is without a doubt one of the best writers of urban fantasy and fantasy I’ve come across in a long time.

http://www.jim-butcher.com/

My Comments

I managed to start the Dresden Files right at the beginning with Storm Front and was blown away (no pun intended!) by Harry Dresden. As a character he is brilliant, sarcastic, enigmatic and often downright hilarious. You also see him develop a more sombre, angry side which adds more depth to the character and just helps you empathise with him all the more. The books themselves are a bit like riding a runaway horse. You can’t get off, you have to just hang on and keep going and eventually it will stop but you also know you just had the ride of your life. They are pure entertainment and just get better with each book. There was a short lived TV show which was a lot of fun and it was a crime when it was cancelled.

The fantasy side of his writing talent comes with the Codex Alera, a series based in a world where the ordinary is extraordinary and it’s down to a boy without the talents everyone else has, to use his wits and intelligence to get by. I wasn’t reading much fantasy at this stage but since it was a Jim Butcher book I thought I would give it a go and again, it was fantastic. Very different in theme and even writing style to the Dresden Books which I thought was good because we didn’t need another Harry Dresden but in a fantasy setting. All I can say is give the first one a go!

Bibliography

Dresden Files

Storm Front – Read Tony’s review
Fool Moon
Grave Peril
Summer Knight
Death Masks
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
Proven Guilty
White Night
Small Favor
Turn Coat – Read my review
Changes – Read my review
Side Jobs (Stories from the Dresden Files) – Read my review
Ghost Story – Read my review

Short Stories

Something Borrowed in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
It’s My Birthday Too in Many Bloody Returns
Heorot in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon
Harry’s Day Off in Blood Lite
Last Call in Strange Brew

Codex Alera

New Dresden Book! Woohoo the new Dresden Files book is out and I’m reading it right now!...
Ghost Story It’s incredibly hard to write this review without spoilers. I keep wanting to go ‘ooh and there was this and that!!’ but I shall try not to spoil it. If...
Turn Coat Harry Dresden is used to being in over his head where the supernatural community is concerned, even used to it turning up on his doorstep. When a severely wounded Morgan,...

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Rachel Gibson

Grete — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:41:58 +0000

About Rachel Gibson

When not writing she can be found shoe shopping, boating with her husband or trying to love an ungrateful cat (I know that feeling!). With numerous awards and fifteen books under her belt, she has become one of America’s (and quite a few brits too!) best loved romance authors.

http://www.rachelgibson.com/

My Comments

The first book I read was Simply Irresistible and it couldn’t have been more perfectly titled because it really was. I think it was one of my first brushes with the romance genre, having had trouble finding sci-fi and fantasy to read. It wasn’t at all what I expected. It was funny, touching and extremely engaging. While it was also good and steamy in places, it was also really well written and brought the characters to life in a way that made you love and care about them from the start.

Now, having devoured everything else she has written I can say that stays true in all of them. There is not a bad book in the set and they are all very entertaining.

Bibliography

Rachel Caine About Rachel Caine Rachel Caine (aka Roxanne Conrad) is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy with 2 series for adults and one for young adults. With an award winning paranormal...

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Janet Evanovich

Grete — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:38:58 +0000

About Janet Evanovich

Just like Stephanie, Janet Evanovich is a Jersey girl born and raised. She escaped and now lives with her family in New Hampshire. A much loved writer of romantic and crime fiction, she is probably best known for the creation of her gutsy, fiery and tenacious heroine Stephanie Plum.

http://www.evanovich.com/

My Comments

I’d had a few books from the Stephanie Plum series sitting on the shelf for a while but kept putting them off until I could find the first one (I’m one of those people who like to start from the beginning even if it’s not strictly necessary). After talking about them with a friend, she told me I HAD to read them so I stopped procrastinating and finally ordered the first book. She knows me too well and I was hooked by the second chapter and never looked back, devouring the whole series as fast as I could. If I had to pick just two words to describe them, it would be ‘pure entertainment’. They are touching, emotional, amusing and often laugh out loud funny. As with any long running series some of the later novels can feel a bit samey, but Evanovich’s superb characterisations are what make them so enjoyable and it’s those that keep you reading and wanting more.

Bibliography

Stephanie Plum

One for the Money – Read my review
Two for the Dough – Read my review
Three to Get Deadly – Read my review
Four to Score – Read my review
High Five – Read my review
Hot Six – Read my review
Seven Up – Read my review
Hard Eight – Read my review
Visions of Sugar Plums (Between the Numbers)
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin’ (Between the Numbers)
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky (Between the Numbers)
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky (Between the Numbers)
Finger Lickin’ Fifteen

Alex Barnaby

Romance Novels

With Charlotte Hughes

Seven Up A normal day in the life of bounty hunter Stephanie Plum – given the seemingly easy task of bringing in an elderly man up on smuggling charges, things quickly get...
Fearless Fourteen A usual day in the Burg for Stephanie Plum, finding a body in Morelli’s basement, taking care of the teenager of a missing woman who seems to be connected with...
One for the Money Stephanie Plum is in a fix. She lost her job, had her car repossessed and was running out of furniture to hock. When she hears her low-life cousin Vinnie is...

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Jill Mansell

Grete — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:24:28 +0000

About Jill Mansell

Jill Mansell is a full time writer (when she’s not procrastinating) and lives in Bristol with her family. With 20 books all still in print, and over a decade of experience, she is one of Britain’s best loved writers of romantic comedy.

http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/index.html

My comments

Perfect Timing was the first book I read by Jill Mansell, and I loved it so much I had to read it again straight away. My only experience of humourous romance up til then had been Jilly Cooper and it was a revelation to find someone who also created larger than life characters who were funny, charming, witty, and above all, very human. I regularly re-read them and I am always entertained and get very excited when she has a new book published.

Bibliography

Nadia Knows Best Nadia Kinsella gets stranded in the snowy Cotswolds with the attractive Jay Tiernan. She already has the perfect boyfriend and avoids temptation by thinking of Laurie, who she doesn’t get...
Take A Chance On Me When Cleo Quinn finds out her seemingly perfect boyfriend has a wife and kids, she does what any self-respecting girl would do, she dumps him. Cleo is a bit disconcerted...
Recommendations: Marian Keyes Marian Keyes is one of those writers that can capture ordinary moments in life and turn them into something special. Funny, witty, sarcastic yet also sombre and poignant, she is...

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David Gemmell

tony — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:12:56 +0000

David wrote a fair old number of novels over the years, and produced a couple of graphic novels (collaborating with Stan Nicholls and Fangorn), his publishers have released a number of compilations and finally, David has written one book under a pseduonym. This is a list of the main publications, it doesn’t attempt to include all the regional publications, or different editions of each publication.

The books are split into sections based on the world in which they are set, or on their shared theme. Within each section, the books are listed in publication order (when I know what that was!)

Drenai Tales

Legend
The King Beyond The Gate
Quest For Lost Heroes
Waylander
Waylander II – In the Realm of the Wolf
The First Chronicles Of Druss The Legend
The Legend Of Deathwalker
Winter Warriors
Hero in the Shadows
White Wolf
Swords of Night and Day

Hawk Queen Tales

Ironhand’s Daughter
The Hawk Eternal

Sipstrassi Tales

Wolf In Shadow
Ghost King
Last Sword Of Power
The Last Guardian
Bloodstone

Rigante Tales

Sword In The Storm
Midnight Falcon
Ravenheart
Stormrider

Greek Tales

Lion of Macedon
Dark Prince

Troy

Lord of the Silver Bow
Shield of Thunder
Fall of Kings

Others

Dark Moon
Echoes of the Great Song
Knights Of Dark Renown
Morningstar

Omnibuses

The Complete Chronicles of the Jerusalem Man
The Drenai Tales
Stones of Power: A Sipstrassi Omnibus
The Drenai Tales – Volume 1
The Drenai Tales – Volume 2
The Drenai Tales – Volume 3

Graphic Novels

Legend: The Graphic Novel
Wolf in Shadow: The Graphic Novel

Non-Fantasy

White Knight, Black Swan (as Ross Harding)

The David Gemmell Legend Award For Fantasy – 2010 Stan Nicholls just sent over this press release, for next years (2010) David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy. New Award Categories When we established The David Gemmell Legend Award For...
The David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy The first David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy was held last night in London, the following press release gives information on who won. The David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy...
David Gemmell, 1948-2006 David Gemmell, Hero, Legend and Friend Eight days have passed since David Gemmell died at his home on the 28th July 2006. I’ve written and deleted hundreds of words in...

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