Why am I passionate about this?

Fantasy romance is a broad genre that simply captivates and enthralls me. The combination of romance, passion, action, humor, magic, mystery, and drama ignites this spark in my heart, filling my metaphorical cup of happiness. But what makes these books so amazing is the strong female perspective they are told from. Itā€™s not making tough decisions or embodying their masculine energies that make them strong. Itā€™s their ability to balance dealing with external conflicts while struggling with self-confidence and loving others so completely that makes them such incredible women to read. Those are the stories I want to read, and those are the stories I want to tell.


I wrote

Hybrid: Irinsbane Part I

By J.L. Buckley,

Book cover of Hybrid: Irinsbane Part I

What is my book about?

Rowen and Gabriel meet when she saves him from execution. They are forced to go on the run from theā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Night Pleasures

J.L. Buckley Why did I love this book?

I had never read a romance novel before, and it only took a few pages to absolutely fall in love with it and the fantasy romance genre. It really set the bar for every romance novel Iā€™ve read since!

Witty bantering, sweet, and touching momentsā€”sexy ones tooā€”and the best part is the main character wasnā€™t a total damsel in distress! She had her s*** togetherā€¦mostly. Very relatable! Smart, funny, and sheā€™s a fighter? Sign me up.

Though the male main character was hot as hell, powerful, and darkly funny, it was really the way they played off each other and worked together that really hooked me and resonated. I absolutely love this book and I have read it easily ten times.

By Sherrilyn Kenyon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Night Pleasures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Amanda Devereaux has a crazy family. Her mother and older siblings are witches and psychics, and her twin sister is a vampire hunter. All Amanda wants is a quiet, normal life. Only when she finds herself the target of an attack meant for her twin, she wakes to find herself handcuffed to a sexy, blond stranger. He is Kyrian of Thrace. And while Amanda's first thought is that this might be another of her sister's attempts at extreme match-making, it soon becomes clear that Kyrian is not boyfriend material.

For Kyrian is a Dark-Hunter: an immortal warrior who has tradedā€¦


Book cover of Stardust

J.L. Buckley Why did I love this book?

Neil Gaimanā€™s ability to weave a huge fantasy world and tell an engaging tale with a beautiful love story at its heart is just what makes this book so special to me.

Enemies to lovers, Yvaine and Tristranā€™s love story gives me all the feels. I loved falling in love along with them! It was literally magical.

Gaiman knows how to pepper in cheeky humor exactly when necessary, and the simplicity of his writing magically transforms words into this epic fantasy world that lives rent-free in my head. I love this book.

By Neil Gaiman,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked Stardust as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now a major motion pictureā€”this charming fairy tale by the #1 New York Times bestselling author, weaves a magical story set long ago in the tiny English village of Wall, a place where things are not quite what they seem.

Go and catch a falling star . . .

Tristran Thorn promises to bring back a fallen star for his beloved, the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Foresterā€”and crosses the wall that divides his English country town from another, more dangerous world of lords and witches, all of them in search of the star. Rich with adventure and magic, Stardust is oneā€¦


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Book cover of Sufferance

Sufferance by Charles Palliser,

This is a novel about choices. How would you have chosen to act during the Second World War if your country had been invaded and occupied by a brutal enemy determined to isolate and murder a whole community?

Thatā€™s the situation facing an ordinary family man with two children, aā€¦

Book cover of Outlander

J.L. Buckley Why did I love this book?

Time travel + epic love story + strong female protagonist? Yeah, Iā€™m in.

Though this is more historical fiction than what I usually gravitate towards, the love story between Claire and Jamie is irresistible and just too powerful to ignore. She literally crosses time to be with him! Albeit accidentally at first, but still!

This book is beautifully written, and I adore Claire so much for being ahead of her time in the 1940ā€™s and way ahead of her time in the 1700ā€™s. Sheā€™s one of my favorite book heroines because of her strength, passion, and conviction. And the love story is so beautiful and gets really hot. 

By Diana Gabaldon,

Why should I read it?

39 authors picked Outlander as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ā€¢ The first book in Diana Gabaldonā€™s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series.

One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBSā€™s The Great American Read!
 
Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldonā€™s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion andā€¦


Book cover of Witchling

J.L. Buckley Why did I love this book?

Three kick-ass half-fae, orphaned sisters, all with their own magical abilities theyā€™re still learning to control while protecting the mortal world from demons? Oh, and a steamy-as-hell romance? This book was super fun to read from the very first page to the last.

I loved the humor, much of it being self-deprecating, and the relatable lack of confidence Camille had in her powers. It was a ride that I wasnā€™t expecting, and it became a gateway drug to read the rest of the books in this series. And what a series! 

By Yasmine Galenorn,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Witchling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Weā€™re the Dā€™Artigo sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, weā€™re savvyā€”and sexyā€”operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.  But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times.  My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever sheā€™s stressed.  Menollyā€™s a vampire whoā€™s still trying to get the hang of being undead.  And me?  Iā€™m Camilleā€”a wicked-good witch.  Except my magicā€™s as unpredictable as the weather, as my enemies are about to find out the hard way...

At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, a fellow operative, Jocko, has been murdered.  Everyā€¦


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Book cover of Taken: A Mother's Secret

Taken by Dan Lawton,

Nine-year-old Chloe Janis is missing. Abby, her mom, is now faced with an impossible decisionā€”revealing seventeen-year-old secrets she's kept hidden, or losing her daughter forever.

Everything unravels after Abby receives a cryptic message from a man from her past, someone sheā€™d tried to erase from her memory. But now, heā€™sā€¦

Book cover of Dead Until Dark

J.L. Buckley Why did I love this book?

The incongruous premise of this book absolutely drew me into it so hard. Vampires with Southern accents living in the modern world where theyā€™ve come out of the coffin? Add to that a female protagonist with a supernatural gift that she has no idea how or why she has? Charlaine, take my money.

Sookie might not have started out as a badass heroine, but her strength was evident from the beginning of the book. Smart, funny, and lacking a little in confidence, sheā€™s super relatable. And she bags the sexy two-hundred-year-old local vampire while solving a serial killer murder mystery. Whatā€™s not to love?

By Charlaine Harris,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Dead Until Dark as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

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 hasā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Hybrid: Irinsbane Part I

By J.L. Buckley,

Book cover of Hybrid: Irinsbane Part I

What is my book about?

Rowen and Gabriel meet when she saves him from execution. They are forced to go on the run from the people trying to kill him, but they soon discover a powerful connection to each other that neither had expected.

While Rowen spent her entire life in hiding, training to be a warrior, Gabriel spent his living for others because it was what his Japanese parents expected. Neither had ever been free to truly live. Almost out of danger, theyā€™re kidnapped and brought to a world that shouldnā€™t exist, and they fall hard for each other while being hunted by a mysterious enemy. Together, they search for answers, inner power, and freedom.

Book cover of Night Pleasures
Book cover of Stardust
Book cover of Outlander

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