Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion

Everyone has their first read, movie, or even a person that tuned us to this world of vampires, were's and much other things. I know it's expected but my first look into this world was Interview with the Vampire with Brad Pitt. I was young and was sneaking a peek with my sisters, but all the same I was intrigue and hooked. What was your first?

i will admit, it was the twilight series. I avoided reading the series for a long time, and when I finally did, I was hooked. My husband wasn't a big fan and suggested that I try reading the books that the HBO show true blood was written about, the sookie stackhouse novels.....the sookie stackhouse novels did me in, I am now comepletely hooked on all books otherworldly....just can't get enought...at least I'm over the twilight craze....

it was the twilight saga

Interview with a Vampire was my first as well. I got hooked on the genre when I read the Sookie Stackhouse series.

Really Twilight? I know it's poplular but goodness. I guess since I've been interested with vampires since I was maybe seven Twilight is a little soft. The very first vampire book I read was Christopher Pike's the Last Vampire.

Loren wrote: "Really Twilight? I know it's poplular but goodness. I guess since I've been interested with vampires since I was maybe seven Twilight is a little soft. The very first vampire book I read was Christ..."
I agree that twilight was soft, it actually seems kinda silly now that I have read so many other series, but it was the series that got me started reading all the others....

its begun when i read silhouette nocturne and i read many2 paranormal book after that
and for twilight..hmm not biggie fans
the book not work for me (and make not want to read YA books :()

Picking up Ward's Dark Lover from a library sale bin, along with Lover Awakened. The glossy red cover caught my eye, and it was like 50 cents a piece. I was not familiar with the BDB books or even heard of JR Ward at that time.

Read two chapters and couldn't get into it. Book sat on my bookstand for weeks. A month later, I picked it up again, and this time shouldered on with the reading. By the time, I was done, I was thoroughly hooked.

I went online to get more info, and discovered a new world: paranormal romance. It got me back to reading, and at the moment, PNR is my current romance addiction.

I'd read things like The little Vampire. as a kid and got hooked on Buffy and Charmed on TV as soon as they hit the UK, but my first real PNR book was Secret Vampire by L.J. Smith. It was and is one of my favourite books :)

That said, I do know a lot of people who now read PNR purely because of Twilight. I loved the books, but only read them recently so I had a good decade of PNR experience before them.

Oh and I do read the Sookie Stackhouse as well as watch the show. Which reminds me to add Charlaine Harris to my book list, thanks. Yet the very first series on tv that made me love this world was Angel and Buffy, remember that (lol).

The Twilight Series started it all for me as well.

My first official PNR romance was Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Before then, I was very anti-PNR. I'm so grateful my sister kept pushing it at me. I scoffed at the vampire love interest. But, because I read Kinley MacGregor (SK's alter ego), I decided to give it a chance. The rest is history....

Yz the Whyz wrote: "Picking up Ward's Dark Lover from a library sale bin, along with Lover Awakened. The glossy red cover caught my eye, and it was like 50 cents a piece. I was not familiar..."

Wow! That's so cool that Ward was your first, Yz!

It was with a dutch book called children of Judas. The children in the book wanted eternal life and went one some scary adventures to become a vampire. I loved the book!

You know I did read Twilight but it was after Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, P.C Cast, so it was below the high standard I had set.

Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "Yz the Whyz wrote: "Picking up Ward's Dark Lover from a library sale bin, along with Lover Awakened. The glossy red cover caught my eye, and it was like 50 cents a piece...."

Never heard of that do you remember the author?

Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: Wow! That's so cool that Ward was your first, Yz!

I know. *grins*

I stopped reading fiction for almost three years, and was in the process of going back to it. That was the reason, I was at the library, looking for something new to read. It was quite fortuitous that it happened, because I love this 'new'(that is, for me), romance sub-genre.

Wait blonde moment though I'm not blonde it was J.R Ward, sorry lol.

It was the Twilight series. My friend would not give up until I read them,. I finally gave in that was three years ago, and the rest is history as they say.

My first introduction into PNR was Moondust and Madness by Janelle Taylor & PN YA was The Silver Kiss byAnnette Curtis Klause. Both were at the age of 12 & I haven't looked back since.

Deanne wrote: "It was the Twilight series. My friend would not give up until I read them,. I finally gave in that was three years ago, and the rest is history as they say."

Twilight again! What is going on, how is it that Twilight is now the new Anne Rice of the vampire genre?

I loved Anne Rice when I was in high school. Charlaine Harris re-introduced me to UF back in 2002 with her Sookie Stackhouse series. But my first actual PNR was Kresley Cole's back at the beginning of 2008.

This is probably going to cause ripples, but I don't like Anne Rice. I just can't get on with her books at all - they're so wordy!!! I think Twilight is a great intro to all things PNR - vamps, psychics and werewolves? It's a pretty decent jumping off point.

with the twilight thing, i think it's because twilight is just so popular and mainstream. the movies are out, the books are EVERYWHERE...for me, my curiosity got the best of me, I read the first book (which is pretty good) then had to read the rest of the series to see how it ended...

Nairabell wrote: "This is probably going to cause ripples, but I don't like Anne Rice. I just can't get on with her books at all - they're so wordy!!! I think Twilight is a great intro to all things PNR - vamps, psy..."

I agree about the Anne Rice thing I only read the first one.

Nairabell wrote: "This is probably going to cause ripples, but I don't like Anne Rice. I just can't get on with her books at all - they're so wordy!!! I think Twilight is a great intro to all things PNR - vamps, psy..."

Curiosity sometimes does kill the cat, but don't get me wrong I read Twilight just like everyone else, I'm only saying I've had better, to quote Jim Carey in Liar Liar.

I couldn't even finish it. I didn't even like the movie of Interview with a Vampire. It was so dull! On the other hand, I do love the movie of Queen of the Damned with Stuart Townsend (who is entirely not the reason I like it, really) :)

Nairabell wrote: "I couldn't even finish it. I didn't even like the movie of Interview with a Vampire. It was so dull! On the other hand, I do love the movie of Queen of the Damned with Stuart Townsend (who is entir..."

It was slow paced but you have to admitt that pretty Brad Pitt saved the day.

Heather - my best friend doesn't read, and she's now read all 4 Twilight books multiple times plus she owns the movies, soundtracks, tie-ins etc. I own a lot of twilight stuff, but I don't accost people and insist they read them like she does. She's a happily engaged 24 year-old with a kid, and all the obsession grew out of a desire to see what the fuss was about! Twilight sucks people in and spits them back out as rabid fans :)

I read lots of James Patterson/John Grisham books and then I discovered Twilight. I've always been a fan of YA but that started my love of all things PNR, UF and dystopian. :)

My first paranormal romance was The Dark One.

For me it was Darkfeverby Karen Moning and it was VERY recently. It is more Urban Fantasy but still kind of similar. I read about the Fever Series on a thread in one of the groups and checked it out, saw the high ratings and bought it. One week later I read all 4 books!!! It was fantastic! I joined the Fever group on here and saw the other books the members recommended and starting reading Halfway to the Grave and then Dark Lover and now let's just say I am hooked!

Oh I have the sookie books. I read the first 4 last year but it did not hook me like Fever or BDB.

Twilight is a monster with Edwards pouty lips and Jacobs body, if only I could close my eyes and not see them. I say there's some kind of spell on the series.

I think that Twilight series was softer version of vampires. People who were a little apprehensive about reading something supernatural and this was a perfect start for that. It showed you could have supernatual and it not be Stephen King.

I admit that Twilight was my introduction into Paranormal Romance. I originally read it because my 13 year old wanted me to see the movie with her and I wanted to know what I was getting myself into....and, of course, I got hooked. Little did I know that Twilight was nothing compared to all the paranormal books I've read since then.

Toni wrote: "For me it was Darkfeverby Karen Moning and it was VERY recently. It is more Urban Fantasy but still kind of similar. I read about the Fever Series on a thread in one of the groups a..."

I recently read the fever series and I loved it too! How do i join that group? where do i find it?

Yeah, Twilight is like your introduction to spicy food, at first you want mild, but then your palet developes and you crave a much more hotter taste.

Loren wrote:
Twilight again! What is going on, how is it that Twilight is now the new Anne Rice of the vampire genre?
i>

ACK! LOL I wouldn't go THAT far. ;)

Loren wrote: "Yeah, Twilight is like your introduction to spicy food, at first you want mild, but then your palet developes and you crave a much more hotter taste."

Too funny, LOL! You are so right!

For me it was Twilight. After those 4 I went to S. Kenyon and read all the Dark Hunter/ Were Hunter books back to back.

Toni wrote: "For me it was Darkfeverby Karen Moning and it was VERY recently. It is more Urban Fantasy but still kind of similar. I read about the Fever Series on a thread in one of the groups a..."

The Fever series is one of my favorite series of all time! I'm in the Fever group too.

Jen wrote: "Loren wrote:
Twilight again! What is going on, how is it that Twilight is now the new Anne Rice of the vampire genre?
i>

ACK! LOL I wouldn't go THAT far. ;)"

I hope not, I really do. Or all that everyone is going to be reading is mopey vampires who don't have sex, sorry Edward.

LOL Loren, self loathing vegetarian vampires aren't my thing either....But I read the Twilight books and liked them ok, but I hated Bella...I thought her character was awful. I tried reading the Vampire Diaries and couldn't get through that series either, but I do love the show!

Heather wrote: "i will admit, it was the twilight series. I avoided reading the series for a long time, and when I finally did, I was hooked. My husband wasn't a big fan and suggested that I try reading the book..."

This is my story as well. Twilight got me started. Then, I read the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and now I have read so many PNR novels that I can't remember them all.

I like the show VAmpire Diaries as well and the books were just....blah.
I like a little za za zoo in my books.

My love of paranormal fiction in general started way back when with L.J. Smith's "The Vampire Diaries." It was originally published in the 90s and it was the first YA paranormal series that I ever read. I also loved her other series, "Dark Visions," "Night World," and "Secret Circle." From there I moved on to more adult stuff, like Anne Rice, and I eventually got into J.R. Ward, Kresley Cole, and some others. I also read urban fantasy and my interest in that started with Emma Bull's War for the Oaks and Charlaine Harris's "Sookie Stackhouse" series.

Yz the Whyz wrote: "Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: Wow! That's so cool that Ward was your first, Yz!

I know. *grins*

I stopped reading fiction for almost three years, and was in the process of going back to it..."


--It was destiny, Yz. :)

Loren wrote: "Really Twilight? I know it's poplular but goodness. I guess since I've been interested with vampires since I was maybe seven Twilight is a little soft. The very first vampire book I read was Christ..."

I’m not sure why, but there seems to be a huge backlash against the Twilight books now, and at times it seems like you’re made to think you should feel embarrassed to say you enjoyed them.
Well I for one am not embarrassed at all! I’ll happily admit that without them, I wouldn’t be reading PNR now. I didn’t read for many, many years, and then last autumn, even though I totally thought ‘vampire books’ wouldn’t be my thing, I caved in and read Twilight. I loved it, and that series opened a whole new world for me. I’m now 70 odd books in and finding new authors, series and characters I’m enjoying all the time.

I'm 100% grateful for the Twilight books! They caused thousands of non reading teens and adults to pick up reading again!! I have nothing against it and very happy it became hugely popular, it's just not my favorite series....

I think my first time was Twilight the movie than I wanted to know more so I read the saga to find out what happen to Edward and Bell, than I started watching HBO show True Blood when that was over I was lost. One day I picked up a book called Immortal Sins and I was hooked. Now I can't go without reading a book, but It's not looking good I can't find a book that I like.