Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion

I'm looking for romance books with a chubby, shy, geeky, or plain heroine. :)
I've been craving books like these for a while and I just can't seem to find any. :(
I've already read Big Bad Wolf by Christine warren and a lot of Sherrilyn Kenyon's works, more books like these would be great! :)

Brigg's Mercy Thompson is described as on the plain side. But she's none of the other attributes you listed.

Eve in Dominion by S.E. Lund (shy, geeky and naive).
For non-PNR, Claire in Weekends Required by Sydney Landon ("Plain Jane")
Carrie in Carrie's Answer by Violet Summers ("curvy").

ETA links above. (Will be glad when links can be posted from the app on my phone.)

Donna wrote: "Brigg's Mercy Thompson is described as on the plain side. But she's none of the other attributes you listed."

Thanks! I'll check that out but series about one particular person aren't really my cup of tea.... Any way the heroines I'm looking for don't have to have all if the things I'm looking for :3

Evie in is shy and withdrawn. She believes she's fat and ugly and was teased mercilessly in school. Her friends say she's beautiful and curvy.

In the Kate Daniels series, there is a character named Dali that is plain and a geek. She's great and so is her love interest, but you'll have to read the series in order to really understand them (in my opinion). Her short story is called Magic Dreams and is in the Hexed anthology. It's #4.5 in the series.

Gena Showalter's contribution in Mysteria Lane has a chubby heroine (Tawdry). If you read the previous anthology, Mysteria, you'll meet her sister and get some background on the character. I think both sisters' stories appear in Mysteria Nights.

The Wallflower is a shifter paranormal romance/erotica that has a chubby heroine who is pretty shy.

That is mostly all I've got with the exception of a few BBW erotica short stories with shifters or werewolves, if you're looking for erotica. I love the kind of heroines you are looking for but only seem to really find them in historical or contemporary romance. Let me know what you find!!!

PNR is right. There's a ton in historicals! I've read so many, I can't remember.

Have you read the Experiment In Terror series by Karina Halle....the main character fits your description and I believe the first book in this series is free.

Not a ton of romance in the first book though

PNR wrote: "In the Kate Daniels series, there is a character named Dali that is plain and a geek. She's great and so is her love interest, but you'll have to read the series in order to really understand them ..."

I love Gena Showalter and I don't mind erotica :) I can't wait to check out some of these suggestions

Sarah wrote: "Have you read the Experiment In Terror series by Karina Halle....the main character fits your description and I believe the first book in this series is free."

No I have not read that series, but I'll be sure to check it out!

Yes EIT is a MUST read

Only one I can think of of hand is Soulless The main character isn't totally plain, but there's a lot made about how she doesn't fit the expected look of the time (it has a Victorian setting) and how she's given up on finding a husband. She's sort of geeky in a steampunk sort of way too.

I'm interested - how many people prefer their heroines like this versus how many like the more usual glamourous leads?

In theory I think it'd be great if there were more books with "normal" heroines, but in practice I always prefer the pretty and talented ones. In fact as part of a series of posts on why I like vampire books, I wrote a blog post about how perfect characters are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me - http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...

Oh and one thing I absolutely hate is characters who are actually clever, pretty, loved by everyone etc etc but who go on about how ugly and stupid they are. Make them unashamedly gorgeous and talented or make them average or below, but please no perfect characters with painfully low self-esteen!

Any books with these types of characters? I love shy, geeky, and plain heroines. :) They remind me of me :)
Any books that have these characters, thanks.

Bre ~BreXEthanWate~ wrote: "Any books with these types of characters? I love shy, geeky, and plain heroines. :) They remind me of me :)
Any books that have these characters, thanks."

They remind me of me too :D except I'm extremely stubborn :P

Rozzer wrote: "Bre ~BreXEthanWate~ wrote: "Any books with these types of characters? I love shy, geeky, and plain heroines. :) They remind me of me :)
Any books that have these characters, thanks."

They remind m..."

LOL, I'm kinda stubborn too. :)

I'm in Georgiana's camp on this one. I like to live vicariously through fictional character's perfection. Lol.

LOL

And I like the ones with the perfect characters, because they remind me of me. ;)

For a non-PNR was a good one, so was

Darkhouse

Unique paranormal romance series with no twiggy heroine

Actually--most of Jennifer Crusie's heroines are kind of shy/plain/geeky/chubby (1 or more of these traits) but they STILL wind up winning everything.

Tempest Rising is the first of the Jane True books. Jane doesn't technically fit any of the categories--except maybe for the (pardon the pun) "fish out of water" thing.

I know that one of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books (Sorry, can't find the stupid book, or I'd give you the title) has Bride (yes, that's her name) who is an over-weight woman. She winds up with one of the shifters as her fated-mate. It's either the Dark Hunters or the Dream Hunters series (or one of the books that gets put into both series.) Sorry, but I really can NOT find the book.

Then there are the Nice Girls Don't series (Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men is the first) which feature a libriarian as the main character.

Katie MacAlister has a few of her "Dark Ones" females that are over-weight/shy/geeky/handicapped etc. And they are usually really funny.

I'm sure that I have read more than that, but that's all I can think of right now.

OH, and of course there are the Real Vampires Have Curves books.

In Dead End Dating one of the female vampires (bitten, not born) complains that all the male vamps want skinny girls, which has always bothered me. What you consider "attractive" is very much a product of your upbringing. And it's only been since really the 1960's that we've been into considering women that could be poster-children for Famine Relief as sexy and attractive. So any male that was born and raised in a society where that was NOT the normal view of "sexy" would be after a woman with a fuller figure. sigh, there speaks a "fuller figured" female. Sorry, getting off my soapbox now.

Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "Actually--most of Jennifer Crusie's heroines are kind of shy/plain/geeky/chubby (1 or more of these traits) but they STILL wind up winning everything.

Tempest Rising is the first of the Jane Tru..."

the SK book with Bride and Vane is It's book 5 I think.

Non PNR Kristen Ashely writes almost all her heroines to be 'average' size so they are all around 12-16. Most of them are gorgeous tho and not at all shy. Except Jet in the 2nd Rock Chick book, she's shy. Also and are very funny and the heroines are curvy and kinda plain jane. (I read the series a while back...I know the heroine in the 2nd was chubby, it's a pretty big part in the book. I don't remember if the heroine of bk1 was tho) Also has a heavier heorine. It was really good.

There is a list on here about wallflower characters. I have voted on it before but I don't know how to link something like that.

Dana Marie Bell has a shifter series where the main characters is kinda shy and curvy . A lot of Shelly Laurenston's heroines are 'big boned' but very rarely are they shy. Hilarious books tho.

There are lots in HR as well, its a pretty popular theme in HR's. Shy, somewhat mousey curvy girl gets gorgeous, dynamic Adonis with a title. Personally I love stories like this and I do generally prefer my heroine to not be super attractive or skinny. But I do like my heros to be eye candy

Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "Actually--most of Jennifer Crusie's heroines are kind of shy/plain/geeky/chubby (1 or more of these traits) but they STILL wind up winning everything.

Tempest Rising is the first of the Jane Tru..."

I've actually read tempest rising, and I thought it was ok. I've read the one with Bride as well, it was one of my favorite in the series! (Lol, I can never remember its name either ;)

I Love Jane True

Megan wrote: "Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "Actually--most of Jennifer Crusie's heroines are kind of shy/plain/geeky/chubby (1 or more of these traits) but they STILL wind up winning everything.

Tempest Rising is th..."

I read a lot of Shelly laurenstons works, she's one of my favorite authors! ;)

My favorite book in her series is Go Fetch!
Your suggestions look really good! I'll be sure to check them out!

I just read Mari Carr's and the h is shy, chubby, and a librarian. Almost exactly what you wanted. It was pretty good. The book that comes after it is good too but this one is better imo.

is funny. The heroine is a curvy witch, but she's definitely not shy. If you like cozy mysteries with a romantic element you might like Kerry Greewood's Corinna Chapman series starting with . The heroine is a baker who enjoys her food.

I feel like some of the characters in Kathy Love's New Orleans Vampires are like that. Any Way You Want It

A non-paranormal is which is romantic, sexy. The heroine is fat and scarred. It bothered me to read it because of her low self-esteem and how her mother constantly puts her down. It has BDSM as you know is Cherise Sinclair's specialty.

MadameZelda wrote: "A non-paranormal is which is romantic, sexy. The heroine is fat and scarred. It bothered me to read it because of her low self-esteem and how her mother..."


I just read Take Me that had a curvy size 16 gal who was dealing with self doubts. Erotic romance book but I was surprised when the heroine was not the perfect "10". It was refreshing.

Debi--what "perfect 10"? Nowadays, if you listen to Hollywood (movies, tv, magazines) then the "perfect" size is more like a 2--altho they are even starting to critize models who are 2 or 4 as being "too fat." Sigh, WHY THE HECK do those idio....er people want to make animated skeletons "sexy"?

I was out surfing the web yesterday, and there was a link to see "famous heavily Photoshopped photos" and one of them was Kiera Knightley in this picture http://www.imdb.com/media/rm428969907... and in the original--she has ZERO bust. The crocheted/macrame' top she is wearing just lays there perfectly flat. But she's held up as "sexy" and "beautiful" and "attractive." Sigh. Give me a Reubenesque figure any day (since mine is basically "Gibson Girl" or Rosalind Russell.) Oh yeah--and did I mention the whole "blind as a bat" thing? I actually need my glasses in order to FIND my glasses. I got my first pair of bifocals at age EIGHT. Yes, that IS third grade age.

And, in a moment of total sharing--I have also had plastic surgery to take me DOWN TO a DD. I'd been a LL before the surgery. And that is NOT a fun size to be. Having to buy a size 18 top and a size 6 pants--doesn't work real well. Altho these days, its more a size 16 for both.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisene...

Nice selection PNR--but the one I was looking at had the "before" and "after" pictures. Still, we are old enough (and cynical enough) to not trust any picture. But what about kids? Sigh, the movers and shakers in Hollywood who are mostly male, need to stop thinking with their "little" head and wise up to the fact that there are many beautiful women who are "normal" sized (12-16) and that most men actually prefer to not have to worry that they will smush the female they are interested in when they go to have sex with them.

i would like a to read a book were the guy is a bad boy but has a sweet side

I wanted to give this thread a little bump - I'm always on the lookout for chubby and/or plain heroines!!!

Most of Eve Langlais h's are on the chubby side and she is hilarious.

Hello, it's been a while so I thought I'd post my finds!

Christin Lovell's books all have chubby heroines.

Acheron by Sherrilyn kenyon has a geeky heroine who is a virgin and a plain Jane. ( This is hands down one of the best books I have ever read.)

Go Fetch!, The Beast in Him, and Miss Congeniality by Shelley Laurenston all have really smart and geeky heroines. They're also really well written and wickedly funny. They're also some of my favorites.

Uuuum, that's all I can think of for now. Anyone have any more suggestions? I'm really itching for something to read. ;)

Hello, it's been a while so I thought I'd post my finds!

Christin Lovell's books all have chubby heroines.

Acheron by Sherrilyn kenyon has a geeky heroine who is a virgin and a plain Jane. ( This is hands down one of the best books I have ever read.)

Go Fetch!, The Beast in Him, and Miss Congeniality by Shelley Laurenston all have really smart and geeky heroines. They're also really well written and wickedly funny. They're also some of my favorites.

Uuuum, that's all I can think of for now. Anyone have any more suggestions? I'm really itching for something to read. ;)

Hello, it's been a while so I thought I'd post my finds!

Christin Lovell's books all have chubby heroines.

Acheron by Sherrilyn kenyon has a geeky heroine who is a virgin and a plain Jane. ( This is hands down one of the best books I have ever read.)

Go Fetch!, The Beast in Him, and Miss Congeniality by Shelley Laurenston all have really smart and geeky heroines. They're also really well written and wickedly funny. They're also some of my favorites.

Uuuum, that's all I can think of for now. Anyone have any more suggestions? I'm really itching for something to read. ;)

I just read and the heroine is chubby and has food issues. It's great! It's the second in the series about brothers but the first ones great too.

I agree with Georgiana, perfect heroines are somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me, but that said, I do appreciate more normal heroines, although I'm a little picky in that the story has to make me believe in the dominant, physically perfect, model good looks hero falling for the heroine if she is shy, plain, and chubby, and vice versa, because that hero can come off as such a jerk that her liking him can be like asking me to believe that poop has suddenly become a delicacy (okay, I guess if it was a werewolf, I might stretch there. Actually, no.) I know it's about the fantasy, but when I can't believe in the couple, I have a hard time being invested in the book. This can happen with perfect heroines too though, so I guess it comes down to the story.

Anyway,

is a book with a plain (maybe less than plain) heroine, and I quite enjoyed it. It's the 4th in a series, and I liked the other heroines as well, but this one stuck out to me.

What I would like is to find more books where normal (and perfect, for that matter) heroines are not virgins, or nearly virginal (one of the things I love about Shelly Laurenston!).

Rosanna Leo's has a chubbier heroine. It's a hot read!

And it's not PRN, but I have a plus-sized heroine in