Stephanie Plum & Dark Hunter books

[Iott Family]

Along the lines of the dark hunter series you should try JR Wards Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Christine feehan has a few good series out and Keri arthur does a great series called The Riley jenson series. All in the same genre.

Along the lines of Stephanie Plum type books you should try The Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross. She is an older lady and her characters just tickle me silly. The plots are light but grab you and she always tells a good story that builds onto the next book.

 

[Iott Family]

The Sophie Green series by ... have to go look it up...... Kate Johnson. I actually just started reading these and I'm really enjoying it. Youngish girl working as a gate agent in a London Airport is recruited by a Secret Service Agency. Chaos and Intrigue ensue. She's a pretty funny writer though so it works.

No Such Thing as Series.... Shelly Fredman. I think she's working on book #4 now. I'm not sure she'll be available at a library, I think she might publish independently. Heavily borrows from the Plum series .. 2 competing love interests, tastycakes, etc. But this author also addresses some of the complaints many have about the Plum series in regards to the characters never seem to develop.

As previously mentioned, the Body Movers Series is good.

OTOH, I'm really disappointed in the Plum series the past couple of years. Fifteen isn't as bad as Fourteen but still nowhere as good as what she used to write.

Rita, I totally agree about the plum books. The new one is out and instead of buying it HB I am waiting for a copy to come thru from the library. I am an avid reader so this has to say something!

 

[mickaholic4077]

Along the lines of the dark hunter series you should try JR Wards Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Christine feehan has a few good series out and Keri arthur does a great series called The Riley jenson series. All in the same genre.

Along the lines of Stephanie Plum type books you should try The Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross. She is an older lady and her characters just tickle me silly. The plots are light but grab you and she always tells a good story that builds onto the next book.

I'm reading Miss Julia Delivers the Goods right now!! Really funny.

 

[ericamanda01]

I'm a huge Kenyon fan, have read all the books, as well as the series she's written under her pen name (Kinley MacGregor) similar series:

Vampires--J.R.Ward' s Black Dagger brotherhood (1st is Dark Lover)
Lynn Viehl--1st is "When Angels Burn" (or something to that effect)
Janiene Frost--1st is "Halfway to the Grave"
Katie McAlister's vamp series
Shapechangers-- Rachel Vincent--1st is "Stray"
Humor/Fantasy--the Aisling Gray series by Katie McAlister
Karen Marie Moning fairy series or Fever series
Michelle Rowen
Stephanie Rowe
G.A Aiken--these are about dragons and are really funny

sorry, I'm a HUGE roomance fan and I work in a bookstore!

Isn't Kenyon the best! I don't have anything here to read right now and with all this DH talk I started the series again. I can't tell you how many times I have read them. But I still cry every time I read Acheron's book. It is the best!

Along the lines of the dark hunter series you should try JR Wards Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Christine feehan has a few good series out and Keri arthur does a great series called The Riley jenson series. All in the same genre.

I just finished the Brotherhood series a couple of months ago and loved it. Very interesting and I can't wait to see what she does next with the Blind King. I wonder if Jon, or anyone else, will ever figure out who he really is! I love it!

 

[ericamanda01]

Rita, I totally agree about the plum books. The new one is out and instead of buying it HB I am waiting for a copy to come thru from the library. I am an avid reader so this has to say something!

I just finished the Plum series (again) this afternoon and I was hoping that I ran through 14 too fast and missed something last time. But alas I didn't and it was just as disappointing as last time. I really hope 15 is better. She seems to be missing the heat, action, and humor of her previous books. In 14 Stephanie is becoming a little too domesticated and a little boring. And there was more interaction between Stephanie and Mooner, than Stephanie and Ranger. I want more Ranger! Than again who doesn't!

 

[bengalbelle]

I literally LOL when I am reading Betsy. But on book 7, or at the end of book 6, she warns you that she is taking the series in a different direction and she does. It's not as funny and a bit more serious. Still good writing, just not what you've come to love about Betsy.

Actually I read some Anne Rice that I didn't know was her's. It was written under a different pen name and it was some pretty ...umm....how do I put this....let's just say it should have had a brown paper wrapper on the cover. Yoaza!

I started reading one the Anita Blake books but couldn't get into it. I think it was too similar to the Dark hunter series. I might try it again. I haven't read Hamiliton but I will put it on my list.
I blame my best friend who got me started on the Dark hunter series. It really is my favorite. If you haven't read it, do! And be sure to read it in order. The first one is a little different from the rest but it sets up some of the characters. But each book is about a different couple, very good!

It took me a few books to get into the Anita Blake series then I loved it until around Obsidian Butterfly. I don't want to spoil how she changed, but the books began to focus on one thing and didn't develop characters or plot. I was so disappointed in them after OB. I stopped reading before the end of the series.

I just started the Dark Hunter series. I wasn't crazy about Fantasy Lover, but I'm going to keep going.

The Sookie books are fantastic. I watch True Blood as well and I think the books are much better than the show.

My absolute favorite was mentioned in a previous post: the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. The reading order is Darkfever, Bloodfever then Faefever. Dreamfever is the next installment and it'll be out in August.

I checked out the first 4 of the Stephanie Plum books but haven't started them yet.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Rita, I totally agree about the plum books. The new one is out and instead of buying it HB I am waiting for a copy to come thru from the library. I am an avid reader so this has to say something!

I am addicted to them on Audio books. I just finished 15.

 

[ericamanda01]

Has anyone read Christina Dodd? I heard she is similar to JR Ward/

 

[RitaE]

I just finished the Plum series (again) this afternoon and I was hoping that I ran through 14 too fast and missed something last time. But alas I didn't and it was just as disappointing as last time. I really hope 15 is better. She seems to be missing the heat, action, and humor of her previous books. In 14 Stephanie is becoming a little too domesticated and a little boring. And there was more interaction between Stephanie and Mooner, than Stephanie and Ranger. I want more Ranger! Than again who doesn't!

I've read 15 and I'd recommend people pick it up used or wait for the Library copy. It's not as terrible as 14, but it isn't like the earlier books in the series either.

Ranger is in fifteen, but the focus of the books have just changed from Mystery/Suspense with testosterone laced romance to ... almost a carnival like atmosphere. Even the humor has changed. It used to be edgy and unexpected. Now its just constant burping and farting. Honestly reading Fifteen I kept waiting for somebody to hold out a hand and proclaim "Pull My Finger! Come On! I Dare Ya!"

In the earlier books the villains were scary the men were pure blood Alpha. The reader got pissed at Stephanie Plum for not carrying her gun because there was a very real danger she would end up dead or hurt. These last couple of books the villains are about as threatening as Pee-Wee Herman and Morelli and Ranger seem content to just cuddle and steal kisses.

---I totally blew through the Miss Julia series at the library a couple months ago. They're good but I think it would have been better spread out some. I kind of got tired of Miss Julia.

---Another one I really like is the Blackbird Sisters mysteries by Nancy Martin. Our library carries those.

I've recently started Kathy Reichs Temperance Brennan novels. These are the basis to the TV series Bones. I'm really not far enough in to have much of an opinion, but so far I like them.

 

[ericamanda01]

Oh Rita I am so sad to hear about 15! I loved books 6-12 were so wonderful and then they started to go down hill.

 

[gdulaney]

OMG -- the JR Ward series is so good!!

Here are some of my favorite authors:

Susan Wittig Albert (mysteries)
Madelyn Alt (paranormal)
Mary Kay Andrews (mysteries with a little chick lit)
Kelley Armstrong (paranormal)
Nina Bangs (paranormal)
Patricia Briggs (paranormal)
Jim Butcher (paranormal - love his Dresden Files books)
Meg Cabot (chick lit)
Rachel Caine (paranormal)
Joanna Carl (mysteries)
Jennifer Chiaverini (hard to define, but a good series)
Laura Childs (teashop mysteries and scrapbooker mysteries)
Diane Mott Davidson (mysteries)
Christine Feehan (paranormal)
Andrew Gross (thriller/suspense)
Iris Johansen (thriller/mystery/suspense)
Sophie Kinsella (chick lit)
Sherrilyn Kenyon (paranormal)
Elizabeth Lowell (suspense)
Lynsay Sands (paranormal)
Sarah Stohmeyer (Bubbles series is similar to Stephanie Plum)
Kathryn R. Wall (mysteries set in Hilton Head, SC)
F. Paul Wilson (Repairman Jack series --- horror)

Happy Reading!!
Ginny

 

[golfgirl3613]

Oh Rita I am so sad to hear about 15! I loved books 6-12 were so wonderful and then they started to go down hill.

It sounds like #15 is a huge disappointment! Sad, I love 1-12.

Other authors you might like:
Jennifer Rardin - the Jaz Parks series #1 is Once Bitten, Twice Shy, I think.
Laura Adrian - Midnight Breed series
Charlaine Harris - Aurora Teagarden series; Harper Connolly series, and of course, Sookie Stackhouse.

 

[shortbun]

Have you read Sue Grafton's series with gumshoe Kinsey Milhoan? They all have a letter in the title and go in alphabetical order. They are a very quick read, adult humor and language like Plum's novels. I'm not familiar with Dark Hunter.

 

[Caradana]

I cracked up reading #15 on the plane ride home from Orlando yesterday. I used to live in an apartment near Trenton and my superintendant was a sweet guy named Dillon. I felt like Stephanie for the briefest of moments.

P.S. If I were her I'd be jumping Ranger the way that Rex jumps the peanut butter sandwich scraps.

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

Second and third the Sookie suggestions, can't believe I only started them a couple months ago & ripped right through them, SO good!

I also love Sue Grafton, and Ayelet Waldeman http://www.amazon.com/Ayelet-Waldman/e/B000APIXG8/ref=ep_sprkl_at_B000APIXG8?pf_rd_p=479564851&pf_rd_s=auto-sparkle&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=ayelet%20waldman&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0H7MHSG4GNP8S5SR0M20


And Anne George is SOOO funny! Love her books!
http://www.amazon.com/Anne-George/e/B000APLWXY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

 

[ericamanda01]

P.S. If I were her I'd be jumping Ranger the way that Rex jumps the peanut butter sandwich scraps.

I love it! I second that one!

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I am not familiar with the Dark Hunter books, but I am a HUGE fan of the Stephanie Plum series. A series I really enjoy that is similiar to the Stephanie Plum is the Spellman Series by Lisa Lutz. The first book is called the Spellman Files I think.

I second the Spellman Series by Lisa Lutz.