I’m a book nerd and YA novel lover. While I do enjoy the occasional mystery or thriller, I unerringly find my way to the young adult aisle each and every time I go searching for my new guilty pleasure. I especially enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance. I find that these types of books are escapism at their very finest. It should come as no surprise that when I wrote my own book, I did not stray from my favorite genre.
Okay, I hear you. Maybe you’re saying that a hundred-year age gap is creepy and that the Twilight books are trite, overly dramatic, and way too hyped for what they truly are. Maybe. But c’mon, tell me you didn’t swoon when the century-old vampire with the mussed-up hair and sparkly skin fell for the klutzy outcast, Bella. I know I did. Twilight was a guilty pleasure that I read on a Bahamian beach with a drink in hand. It got me started on my love for YA fantasy romances, and most importantly, if I hadn’t picked up this book those many years ago, I don’t think I would have ever tried my hand at writing my own YA fantasy novel. So, thank you, sparkly Edward and clumsy Bella. I owe you one.
When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town.
But in spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella.
Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility…
Although this is not the first book in the series (it’s the 2nd), it’s my favorite because (spoiler alert) this is where Feyre and Rhysand become an item. Our female protagonist is eighteen years old, while the dashing High Lord of the Night Court is at least five hundred years her senior. Men and their obsession with young women. Am I right? The Acotar books, though sometimes considered YA, are actually adult books because of their quite explicit sexual content. Despite the gratuitous sex scenes, I enjoyed Sarah J. Maas’s world-building. From Velaris to the Night Court and everywhere in between, the descriptions are vivid, and the story stays with you long after you’ve put down the last book in the series.
'With bits of Buffy, Game Of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series of total joy' - STYLIST _____________________________ Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court - but at a steep cost. Though she now possesses the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, the mesmerising High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates his dark web of political games and tantalising promises,…
Full disclosure: I love the Shadowhunters series. Angels. Demons. Fae. Parabatai. Cassandra Clare created such a fun and interesting world with a vast cast of endearing characters. City of Bones is the first book in the series. This is where the very ancient demon Magnus Bane first meets Alec Lightwood, a young handsome Shadowhunter. By the way, Shadowhunters are Nephilim, whose main reason for being is to vanquish demons and other supernatural creatures. Although Magnus and Alec are only side characters to the more central story of Jayce and Clary, I thoroughly enjoyed the development of their romance. You will just have to trust me on this one. If you haven’t already, you must get yourself a copy of City of Bones.
Discover this first installment of the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly).
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he…
A telepathic waitress begins a relationship with a vampire while a serial killer stalks their small Louisiana town.Tell me with a straight face that that blurb didn’t hook you! While this one is technically an adult book, it’s campy and fun and reads like a young adult novel, full of mystery, adventure, and supernatural creatures. This is the first novel in the Sookie Stackhouse books, which later became the inspiration for the True Blood TV series. Needless to say, vampire books = inappropriate age gap romances, but what can I say, I’m here for it!
Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much - not because she's not pretty - she's a very cute bubbly blonde - or not interested in a social life. She really is ...but Sookie's got a bit of a disability. She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill: he's tall, he's dark and he's handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting all her life for. But Bill has…
I discovered this book as it was a finalist in the 2021 Rone Awards along with my own debut novel. I really enjoyed the imaginative premise of this book. The Zodia are real. Clawing their way from a long-forgotten tomb, they emerge, ravenous to claim everyone born under their star signs. What an inventive idea! When young Larken starts to fall for the powerful Aries, you know you’re in for quite the ride. I absolutely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to lovers of YA fantasy romances.
Some destinies are written in the stars. Others must be bought with blood…
The Zodia are real. Clawing their way from a long-forgotten tomb, they emerge, ravenous to claim everyone born under their star signs. Plotting to resurrect kingdoms no human knew existed, they are driven by a hunger for vengeance against the one who buried them: Aries.
Larken is a natural born sprinter, but even she can’t outrun the darkness closing in. A shelter-in-place order has been issued, causing widespread panic. Some brush the alarm off as a drill, until people begin to disappear... vanishing without a trace. Left…
When a handsome leprechaun reveals himself to Clover O'Leary on her eighteenth birthday, she is faced with three hard facts. One: he is the reason for her remarkably charmed life. Two: her luck has now taken a turn for the worse. Three: her name is a curse; a malicious gift from the powerful leprechaun who named her while she was still in the womb.
In order to get her life back and undo the evil spell, she must travel to Ireland to seek the only creature who may be able to help: the Seelie Queen. With her intriguing leprechaun in tow, Clover crosses into the Faerie Realm, where fairies and mythical creatures abound and where finding her luck may ultimately lead to finding her love.
I’ve adored reading a good snarky first-person story since I first read Bloodlist, so long as the snark doesn’t go too far and become total unlikeable jerk… It can be a fine line!I hope I stay on the right side of it, but having read it enough and written in it for years with my Blood Rights Series, I feel qualified to say I’m a…snark connoisseur. (If you ask my family, this is how my own internal/life narrator speaks! My mother says that my character Dakota is me if I “said everything aloud that I think in my head.” She’s probably right, and I’m okay with that.)
Bad Blood is paranormal suspense in First Person Snark, so if you like sarcastic, strong female characters set in a world where the preternatural is run amok (i.e., legal citizens in the United States), then this book and series are for you.
Follow Sadie Stanton–"poster girl for the preternatural"–as she deals with all sorts of messes and sets up her business while being a vampire in a new day...or night, really.
I’m Sadie Stanton, and I don’t know why everyone makes such a big deal out of me. I’m just like everyone else—I’m trying to start a business, not spending much time on my social life, and dealing with an obnoxious roommate...
Oh, and being a vampire. There’s that. But it’s okay, because we’re all legal now.
But believe me, that doesn’t make life easy. In fact, it might be harder now than ever before, but I did it to myself… And now vampires are attacking people seemingly at random and not even trying to feed. Everyone…
