Jessie recs 'Captive,' 'Fury of Desire' and series starters
NA paranormal romance
Captive: The Forbidden Side of Nightshade by A.D. Robertson
This is the first book in A.D. Robertson's "adult" series set in the Nightshade world — hint, hint: A.D. Robertson is the pen name for Andrea Cremer — and thus deals with some more adult situations in the bedroom (or bath chambers). Since this is almost a transition book from YA to NA, there are elements of both in Captive. On one hand we have the sweet but stunning Tristan, who is a Keeper, and he falls head over heels for Sarah. But on the other hand, many of the situations are still approached in a YA way rather than a true adult PR. Fans of the Nightshade world will enjoy seeing this side (if they're old enough), and for readers who have never read the Nightshade books, there's enough back story in the prologue to get you up to speed so you can enjoy it as a stand-alone.
Sarah is a member of the Seekers, who want to topple the Keepers and, more important, the evil man who started it all, the Bosque Mar. Tristan is one of the Bosque Mar's Keepers, who are able to bring down dark magic. There's a ton of plot at first, to get the star-crossed lovers to meet, and then it all settles down about a third of the way into the book into a pure romance between two young people. I think I'll definitely be interested in reading the next two adult books in the Forbidden Side of Nightshade, and hope that the next will have more action. Romance readers who like the spice of danger, shifters and a bit of Stockholm Syndrome will love the slow trust building between the two.
Paranormal romance
Fury of Desire by Coreene Callahan
This is the fourth book in Coreene's sizzling Dragonfury series and deals with the most damaged warrior, Wick. If you haven't read her Dragonfury series, I'd recommend you start with Fury of Fire. The covers are beautiful, and the men are hard and very hot. Now back to Wick: For newbies to the series, Wick had a horrid childhood complete with slavery, torture and despair. He's a man of few words, but something melts when he meets J.J., a woman imprisoned and brutalized by prison life. Once the two meet, neither will be the same.
I love the Dragonfury warriors, and of course the women who wind them up. The bedroom scenes are spicy, and who doesn't like a dominant warrior there for the loving? Readers get to meet the next heroine in the current book, and this is either going to be a pro or con, depending on how you look at it. I enjoy getting some character development in the current book for the next couple, but I would like some new characters that aren't all connected. Fans of action and romance and, of course, dragons should start the series. Wick is one of my favorite warriors and, dang, if the author didn't do him justice.
Bonus recs
There are some awesome releases that are coming out next month, so here are the books that started the series!
Paranormal romance
Dragon Bound (Elder Races) by Thea Harrison
Kinked will be released Nov. 15, and the cover is gorgeous, so if you haven't already tried it, I highly recommend the Elder Races, which starts with Dragon Bound. These two characters are my favorite still in the series, and the audio book is also fantastic. You have Pia Giovanni, who starts the entire chase, so to speak, by stealing a penny from Dragos (you don't steal from a dragon). He's hot, he's so dominant and so, so, so, so hot. Pia is humorous, and watching them fall for each other is great. The secondary characters, who get their own books, are so much fun to meet and, like I said, I also have the whole series on audio.
Paranormal romance
Angel's Blood (Guild Hunters) by Nalini Singh
Archangel's Legion comes out at the end of the month (Oct. 29).
I adore Nalini's Psy-Changeling series, but if you want a little less fur and a bit more feathers, I'd recommend her Guild Hunters series. In this first book of the series, Angel's Blood, we get to see the world where there are vampires, angels and archangels. Elena (our heroine) is a vampire hunter, and our beautiful dark hero is the archangel Raphael. There's passion, there's blood, there's love. I mean, this is Nalini Singh we're talking about. Pick up this book and look forward to the sixth Guild Hunter, which is also about Elena and Raphael. There are only a couple of books in the series that aren't about them, but all are fun and steamy to read.
Paranormal romance
Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School) by Gail Carriger
Curtsies & Conspiracies comes out Nov. 5.
This is a fun series where Sophronia is sent to a boarding school called Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, where one learns, well, etiquette and espionage. It's fun, it's slightly violent, and Gail Carriger is a great writer. It's a bit different since Sophronia is 14, and there's the spice of steampunk thrown in. The second book is going to be simply dashing and humorous.
Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She is a top 1,000 reviewer on Amazon and also does reviews for Bitten By Books and AllRomance.com. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).