Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion

excluding some good time spent whith a book? excluding the heart-racing romance? excluding supernatural beings? In that case I get nothing

I get the joy of reading a book and escaping reality for a few hours.

after reading a book(could be any kind of book),i got stories to tell,to remember,satisfied feeling and an inspiration

What do I get out of reading?
-more vivid imagination
-relaxation time
-an escape to a whole new world :)
-something to talk about with my friends
-I got better in English since I started reading

Excitement

Something that I would never experience in my everyday life... things are all scarier, supernatural, with monsters (or other paranormal things)... It's a way to try on something new and different and exciting without being in any danger yourself.

I like escaping into another world when I read paranormals (and write them). It's the escapist aspect. Also, these stories have strong heroines and a sense of adventure. They take me away from mundane, ordinary life into a special universe.

Escapism.

Katya wrote: "Escapism."

This.

Katya wrote: "Escapism."

+1

Alana ~ The Book Pimp wrote: "Something that I would never experience in my everyday life... things are all scarier, supernatural, with monsters (or other paranormal things)... It's a way to try on something new and different a..."
I second that one. I've always liked stories that featured an element of "there is more to this world than what the eye can see." Add a nice love story to that kind of magical backdrop, and I have my perfect form of escapism. :)

Nadine wrote: "Alana ~ The Book Pimp wrote: "Something that I would never experience in my everyday life... things are all scarier, supernatural, with monsters (or other paranormal things)... It's a way to try on..."
Nadine and Alana both said it well...
I'd add the authors of paranormal tend to write a bit grittier, a bit naughtier, go deeper into the psyche than, say, historical romance or inspies... So, yeah, I'll keep reading paranormal and fantasy romance (and writing them) for a while. ;-)

*Clears throat*

I get one of the most twisted messages. The man always does everything for the woman, it's okay if he's abusive, he's still hot and a supernatural creature, and of course, that women are helpless.

Nepeta wrote: "*Clears throat*

I get one of the most twisted messages. The man always does everything for the woman, it's okay if he's abusive, he's still hot and a supernatural creature, and of course, that wom..."

Well, keep in mind it's fiction. Also, there are MANY PNR/UF out there with strong, no-crap-taking females. They are not all meek and pliant. But, alpha males (often used in PNR) are often bossy, borderline abusive, and sometimes straight out abusive. It's part of the archetype of that type of character. While I enjoy alpha males in my books, it's not a direct correlation to real life (that's where escapism, and paranormal aspects come into play.) I know it's fiction, and can only affect me as much as I allow it to. So I can safely lose myself in a 'meek' heroine (although those are my least favorite type) allow myself to bossed around by an alpha male knowing that I can close the book and be back safe and sound in my real life without any bossy males... with the exception of my stubborn, OCD, bossy 4 year old.

Whether we know it or not, fiction subconsciously makes an impact on our lives. It really does, and if we're reading a book with a weak female and an alpha male, subconsciously, the girl may think that it's okay to have an alpha male boyfriend, when it's not. ((Psychology...))

Nepeta wrote: "*Clears throat*

I get one of the most twisted messages. The man always does everything for the woman, it's okay if he's abusive, he's still hot and a supernatural creature, and of course, that wom..."
Really, Nepeta? I mean, I Have seen those heroes and heroines, yes. But there are also strong, self-reliant women who don't take any flack from the heroes.

Marne Ann wrote: "Nepeta wrote: "*Clears throat*

I get one of the most twisted messages. The man always does everything for the woman, it's okay if he's abusive, he's still hot and a supernatural creature, and of c..."

Yes, really, Marne Ann. Really. And I can count the number of strong heroines that I've read in PNR on one hand.

Wow... well, this may cross lines of PNR and going into UF but here is a list of the strong females I can think of off the top of my head:

Mercy Thompson
Charley Davidson
Rachel (The Hollows)
Elena (Women of the Otherworld)
Savannah (Same as above)
Murphy (Supporting character from the Dresden Files)
Cat (Night Huntress)
Leila (Vlad Night Huntress spin-off)
Kate Daniels
ALL the main women of the Envy series (Dystopian/PNR)

That's over ten right there, just off the top of my head

Oh, and even in YA:

Alexa Montgomery
Shanna, Rachel, Jade, and Alecia (Hunters of the Dark)
Astrid (The Dragonslayer Series)
Katy (Lux series)
Birdie (Crux)
Elyssa (Otherworld Chronicles)

I've never read those or heard of them.

How about Shelly Laurenston's heroines?  All of them are alphas and are mated to alpha males, and none of them take any crap from anyone.

Wow, well you are missing out on a whole world of strong female characters. I'm surprised you haven't heard of many of them. Night Huntress is very popular, as is her Vlad spin-off. Mercy Thomspon is a great shifter/werewolf series with vamps and fae. The Hollows is being made into a TV series I think, as is Women of the Otherworld. The Dresden Files already had a TV series over 10 years ago, and the book series is still going. Kate Daniels, she's like the definition of strong, stubborn female. I'm very surprised if you've never heard of the author of that series (Ilona Andrews). Are you basing your thoughts of PNR only on Twilight or something like that? There are so many great books out there with strong characters- I highly recommend checking them out!

I've been discouraged by PNR:

Hush, Hush
Fallen
Halo
Twilight
The House of Night
Nightshade

and so many more.

Alana ~ The Book Pimp wrote: "Wow, well you are missing out on a whole world of strong female characters. I'm surprised you haven't heard of many of them. Night Huntress is very popular, as is her Vlad spin-off. Mercy Thomsp..."

The Hollows and Women of the Otherworld are being made into TV series?? That makes me so happy!

Edited: The Hollows was picked up by CW, which makes me sad. Their adaptations tend to be horrible.

Nepeta wrote: "Marne Ann wrote: "Nepeta wrote: "*Clears throat*

I get one of the most twisted messages. The man always does everything for the woman, it's okay if he's abusive, he's still hot and a supernatural ..."

I'm sorry you've had that experience! If I'd had that experience with more than one or two books, I'd probably stop reading a sub-genre too. I did get completely turned off of J.R. Ward because of how dark her books became. I didn't like going there. So, I get it. It's cool how Alana and a few others were able to list some titles you might like, though. Maybe it'll turn the tide for you :-)
Have you read the Anna Strong Chronicles? It's the same main heroine through all 8(?) books, and she kicks butt and takes names...

Nepeta wrote: "I've been discouraged by PNR:

Hush, Hush
Fallen
Halo
Twilight
The House of Night
Nightshade

and so many more."

Well... yes, with that list I can see your discouragement. I'd really recommend checking out some of these:
(only 99cents on Amazon)
(free on Smashwords)


and even the Morganville Vampires- Claire may be human but she stands up to the vamps
if you prefer YA

I might, but I'm really not sure.

Sandra J wrote: "How about Shelly Laurenston's heroines?  All of them are alphas and are mated to alpha males, and none of them take any crap from anyone."
Yes, those came to my mind immediately, too. Also, Elena from the Guild Hunter series is a tough heroine who doesn't take crap even from the embodiment of controlling alpha male hero. The heroines of Larissa Ione (Demonica series) and Thea Harrison (Elder Races series) are strong females as well who stand their own against stubborn heroes and other opposing forces. ;)

Tracy T. wrote: "Alana ~ The Book Pimp wrote: "Wow, well you are missing out on a whole world of strong female characters. I'm surprised you haven't heard of many of them. Night Huntress is very popular, as is he..."

Awww! That bites, I didn't realize it was CW. *Sigh*

Another great series is Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires. It's actually Urban Fantasy, but Merit is a strong female character.

I've been reading a lot of Dana Marie Bell recently. I read the Halle Puma Series, Halle Shifters (on-going), Gray Court (on-going), and Maggie's Grove (on-going). All of the women in these series (some human, some not) are strong and capable characters. I also love Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle who writes strong intelligent characters who actually talk to each other. Her heroes are alpha in terms of being strong and capable and somewhat over-protective but are never abusive, instead showing the heroine a good deal of respect for her intelligence and capabilities. Dana Marie Bell tends to write the same type of alpha. These are all PNR (except many of the older JAK/Amanda Quick books are contemporary/historical with no PN aspect).

I actually (sometimes) enjoy the whole alpha-male syndrome in PNR books. It's a fantasy, and - unsurprisingly - I read these types of books because I enjoy letting my mind relax in a fantasy setting for a little while.
It does, however, depend how the chemistry between the male and female lead has been described, and I do need to be able to 'connect' with the heroine to get into the books. This typically means I can't stand meek girls getting bossed about by their testosterone-oozing counterpart without at least putting up a bit of a fight :D

But to answer the original question: My mind gets to relax and tag along on adventures that include magic and sizzling romances. The fact that it's set in 'our' world makes it easy to get the "oh, this awesome scene I just read could totally have happened in that alley I just passed" thrill.

I love having logical explanations for the everyday horrors in our lives.

I read for escapism and because I like hearing people's spin on things that are common in like every culture every where. I feel like in every culture there is some sort of shifter, magic user, or vampire like creature. I like seeing it incorporated in everyday life and how the characters interact with them.

Both reading and writing, I get to hangout with interesting characters (people/creatures)with interesting problems in an interesting world...paranormal & UF stories help me forget the laundry & the dishes! ;)

Marne Ann wrote: "Nepeta wrote: "Marne Ann wrote: "Nepeta wrote: "*Clears throat*

I get one of the most twisted messages. The man always does everything for the woman, it's okay if he's abusive, he's still hot and ..." I gotta say I don't think JR WARD went dark at all, but it's a series your either going to love or hate (no in between)

I love paranormal romance the men are by the old ways possesive & loving in doing anything for their woman & I just don't see where their borderline abusive? I mean all the books I read the woman don't put up with their man's $hit! But I myself love a strong man one that will fight for u & love u rightly. No abuse here, an a$$ kicking by female would follow!

Totally agree it takes me to a different world, where us woman can just get away from it all, even for a few hours!

Calling "Twilight" a paranormal romance is like calling "Taxi Driver" a romance. I know I'm in the minority here, but I just don't see that as being a "romance novel." To me, that's a term of art, and calling Twilight something it is not cheapens the term and confuses people. It is youth fiction. It's a young adult romance novel, true, but it is using tropes and ideas from older romance novels from the 80s, and the genre has moved on since then.

But yes. Edward scares me. I have a degree in Criminal Justice, and he is most definitely doing some stalkin'. If I had a daughter, it would be the one book I wouldn't let her read. It just sends a bad message. Real paranormal romances? If she wanted to read them, no problem. But Twilight presents a scary image of the world as far as relationships go. And keep in mind, I write books are super-villains finding love.

Why do I read? To be entertained. Simple as that. Paranormal romances have the best world-building, and are thus the most interesting.

Elizabeth wrote: "Calling "Twilight" a paranormal romance is like calling "Taxi Driver" a romance. I know I'm in the minority here, but I just don't see that as being a "romance novel." To me, that's a term of art..."

I could not agree more with this post. I understand that people's opinions on books are subjective, but I still could not see how people ranted and raved over this series. And besides Edwards stalker like ways, I'm pretty sure Bella also required many sessions of psychotherapy due to some of her thought processes going on.

Elizabeth wrote: "Calling "Twilight" a paranormal romance is like calling "Taxi Driver" a romance. I know I'm in the minority here, but I just don't see that as being a "romance novel." To me, that's a term of art..."

Tai wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Calling "Twilight" a paranormal romance is like calling "Taxi Driver" a romance. I know I'm in the minority here, but I just don't see that as being a "romance novel." To me, th..."

Both of your posts touch on something that bugged me when yet another author blamed Fifty Shades Grey for creating the abusive hero trope and how damaging it was. This bothered me because we all know that Fsog began as Twilight fan fiction. If you removed the extreme sex a lot of the characterization remained true to the original source material. Edward and Christian were both borderline stalker crazy and controlling. FSOG is marketed to adults, so who cares if it contained some handcuff fantasy. Twilight was marketed to impressionable young women who might have trouble recognizing this is not romantic behavior in real life. In my opinion Twilight is getting an undeserved pass just because of a low heat rating.

I find that I enjoy novels that most others do not....and quite often find I personally feel many popular novels are over rated....I just don't get it.

To me the most important part of any pnr and especially any uf novel is the story....it needs to be involved, realistic to a point and detailed. No fluff...to glossed over story with easily tied up conflicts. I want something that I can connect with...and I appreciate an author's effort to make that story interesting and natural.

I think equally important is that the characters are like-a-ble....As a reader I want to put myself in her shoes....and think, that is how I would do that. If she is a kick-ass heroine, she also needs some vulnerability or imperfection. Again-like me.

And why I really like UF better than PNR: I like the drawn out romance...and angst...nothing like wondering if the two main characters will hook up or not. I like seeing them learn about each other, maybe fight the attraction and yet slowly fall for the other.

From PNR, I get:
Quiet time "alone", even when the house is full
Adventure and fun
Imagination sparkage
Hot romance
Sexy men
A Happily Ever After

Escapism... Complete & utter escapism... Heaven! :)

By the way, the posts are fantastic... Love hearing what you all think :)

When I read PNR...i get to live in my own head, dream(about hot,mouthwatering men) , fantasize(about those yummy men) and completely escape reality :-)

I was telling my husband the other day that I think the reason so many women read urban fantasy is because the UF heroine is a bit like a super-powered mom.

The typical UF heroine:
1) Is responsible for lots of other people, collecting friends, becoming very dedicated to them, saving them
2) Has WAY too much going on at once - 20 world-shattering crises a day is just normal
3) Never feels they have done enough - won't walk away from a responsibility, even at her own expense
4) Plunges ahead even when she is scared and doesn't feel up to the task

And here's the fantasy payoff that makes the genre addictive to women: in the end, the typical UF heroine is appreciated and rewarded for her efforts.

What do you think? Am I on to something?

Paganalexandria **wicked juices bubbling over** wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Calling "Twilight" a paranormal romance is like calling "Taxi Driver" a romance. I know I'm in the minority here, but I just don't see that as being a "romance novel." To me, th..."

I completely agree with this. There were just too many elements to the relationship that seemed unhealthy to me, so it did not surprise me at all that a few of my close friends who known for having drama filled relationships adored the series. But it confused me how critics seemed to miss these bits of the story. Because as I see it, if you remove all of the paranormal elements from the story, Bella and Edwards entire relationship could fill up a week's worth of episodes of Dr. Phil.

Tai wrote: "Because as I see it, if you remove all of the paranormal elements from the story, Bella and Edwards entire relationship could fill up a week's worth of episodes of Dr. Phil."

Huh, maybe that's why I like Twilight, pushover heroine aside; watching Dr. Phil is one of my guilty pleasures.

I love the paranormal romance and urban fantasy books because they take me into a world that is so removed from mine that I can really lose myself in it. Anything can happen and whether good or bad it is always more fun than washing dishes or doing bookkeeping. The fact that the men are always gorgeous and hunky doesn't hurt either. :)

Another reason I love UF, especially, are the overabundance of bad ass chicks. I also enjoy romance novels but it's filled with TSTL heroines who don't listen to the hero's good advice, don't want bodyguards, and think it's brave to run into dangerous situations without even a nail file to protect them. UF heroines in comparison tend to be warriors in their own right, so when they ignore the hero it makes sense. A lot of times they even save the hero. It's girl power at it's best.