paranormal romance

  • Taking a walk on the weird side of Fantastical Seattle

    Taking a walk on the weird side of Fantastical Seattle

    We all know that Seattle is fantastic, but only fantasy readers know just how much so. Seattle not-quite-as-we-know-it has appeared in many fantasy novels. Urban fantasy fans will be familiar with Kat Richardson’s classic Greywalker series, in which psychic sleuth Harper Blaine solves crimes along the natural and supernatural faultline that passes right through our… Continue reading

  • Read Something Amorous

    Read Something Amorous

    Maybe it’s Bridgerton, or the promise of Spring; Valentine’s Day, or the promise of vaccination day, but more and more readers these days are discovering the wondrous and diverse world of romance fiction. Ever one of the most popular genres around, last year saw rising numbers of romance readers, with more expected in the year… Continue reading

  • Dragons, wolves and bears in love – oh my!

    Dragons, wolves and bears in love – oh my!

    Are you stuck in the winter doldrums? Perhaps you need some sexy romance novels to spice up these last winter days – why not add some steamy shapeshifting surprises to raise the temperature? Isabel Cooper has a number of books about the dragon shapeshifting clan the MacAlasdairs. Her latest trilogy, Dawn of the Highland Dragon,… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Catching Up with Romantic Suspense

    Posted by Eric G. Authors and publishers have wasted no time releasing new romance titles for 2015, and dozens of savvy library patrons are already on the request lists! While waiting for the new ones, this is a great time to read the previous titles from top romantic suspense authors. Local author Jayne Ann Krentz… Continue reading

  • Adult Summer Reading Challenge: Paranormal Romance

    – posted by Selby G. Part 4 of our Adult Summer Reading Challenge focusing on subgenres of romance. This week’s romance subgenre is a doozy and, admittedly, the reason I started reading romance novels. Paranormal romance is all the weird stuff. Men (and women) who can shape-shift into tigers (or just about any other animal you… Continue reading

  • Adult Summer Reading Challenge: Contemporary Romance

    By Selby G. Set in the here and now, contemporary romance novels deal not only with love but also current social issues. Single motherhood, military members with PTSD and illness feature heavily in these works. Contemporary romance can run the gambit from chaste kisses between potential partners in an idyllic small town to drinking too… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Recent Favorites

    ~posted by Eric G. Every month, librarians across the country contribute to LibraryReads, a site that features top ten lists of new, noteworthy books. These lists cover books across all genres that are often missing from other lists, from self-help books to biographies to romance. Here are some recent romance favorites from our nation’s librarians.… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: the Baddest Bad Boys

    One of the great romantic themes is the redemption romance, or how someone who has been very, very good saves someone who has been very, very bad, all through the power of true love. In Regency romances, this was the “reformation of a rake” story. In paranormal romance, a vampire has been the hero of… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Werewolf? There, wolf

    This post was inspired by that classic line from Young Frankenstein, you know, the one where Frederick questions Igor, “Werewolf?” and Igor responds, “There, wolf.” In paranormal romance if there isn’t a vampire, there’s a wolf. I meant werewolf. Sometimes there are both vampires and werewolves. Sometimes there are werelions and weretigers and werebears (oh… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Even More Hot Reads for Cold, Wet Nights

    It may be warm-ER but it still isn’t exactly toasty around here. And then there’s all that lovely, chilly rain to contend with… To keep warm on those damp, cold nights, I have a selection of paranormally hot reads to warm you up! If vampires are hot right now, then flying vampires must be even… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: A Second Slice of Holiday Fruitcake

    One post just wasn’t enough to contain all the romantic goodness. There are some people who read holiday romances all year long. (And then there are some who believe that listening to “Grandma got run over by a reindeer” even once is one time too many!) Your own personal holiday mileage may vary. But for… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Romancing the Ghost

    Tomorrow is Halloween, which makes this the perfect time to talk about the spookier side of romance. Halloween is the perfect time to fall in love with a ghost! Or for your romance to get a little ghostly assistance. Or, sad but oh, so romantic, to get that one last chance to say goodbye, with… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Paranormal New Orleans

    If you’ve ever walked the streets of New Orleans, you recognize that there is something beautiful and decadent and just plain eerie about the place. New Orleans is a city where you can feel the past walk beside you; its history creeps in between the cracks of its sidewalks and seeps along the alleyways of… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Fall for a New Author

    Another summer has ended in Seattle, and soon the rain, early sunsets and colder temperatures will keep many of us indoors. It may sound grim, but it’s perfect weather for discovering new authors! Though they are relatively new, each of the following authors has written several books to date, with more on the way in… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Paperbacks to go!

    When we started this weekly romance post several months ago, our goal was to highlight the extensive collection of romance titles available for checkout from The Seattle Public Library. But did you know that the Library also has a significant number of paperbacks that don’t appear in our catalog? We order these books in addition… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Paranormal romance vs. urban fantasy

    Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy are like kissing cousins. Considering all the vampires and werewolves involved, maybe that should be biting cousins. The big difference between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance is usually where the focus is placed in the story. It’s not that Paranormal Romances can’t include an other-than-human hero or heroine, or that… Continue reading

  • The Vampire List, Part 1: Love Bites

    So you want to read a vampire story. Your interest is understandable — they are compelling. But before you begin this journey, I warn you, once you start on this path, there’s no turning back. There are legends of a cure of course, but really, once a vampire groupie, always a vampire groupie. What’s worse… Continue reading