Thursday, February 18, 2016

Book List: Books With Bite


Books With Bite

One of the many libraries in our system still has a number of folks asking for books "like Twilight." Enough so that I decided it was time to create another book list. And so Books With Bite was born:




Twilight Read Alikes - YA books with Vamps and Romance:
Title Author
Vampire Academy series Mead, Richelle
Marked series Cast, P. C.
Blue Bloods series de la Cruz, Melissa
Bloodlines series Mead, Richelle
Morganville Vampire series Caine, Rachel
Evernight series Gray, Claudia
Blood of Eden series Kagawa, Julie
Night World series Smith, L.J.
Vampire Diaries series Smith, L.J.
Interwined series Showalter, Gena
Dead Is series Perez, Marlene
Coldest Girl in Coldtown Black, Holly
Vamped series Lucienne Diver
The Immortals series Noel, Alyson
Chronicles of Nick series Kenyon, Sherrilyn

YA Vamps Outside the Box:
Title Author
Vladimir Tod series Brewer, Heather
Vampire Knight series Hino, Matsuri
Cirque Du Freak series Shan, Darren
Chibi Vampire series Kagesaki, Yuna
The Reformed Vampire Support Group Jinks, Catherine
Finishing School series Carriger, Gail
Department Nineteen series Hill, Will
The Hunt series Fukuda, Andrew

Paranormal Romance - YA Without Vamps:
Title Author Notes
Mortal Instruments series Clare, Cassandra supernatural
Wicked Lovely series Marr, Melissa fairies
Shiver series Stiefvater, Maggie werewolves
Grisha series Bardugo, Leigh magic
Hush Hush series Fitzpatrick, Becca angels
Fallen series Kate, Lauren supernatural
Lux series Armentrout, Jennifer aliens
Caster Chronicles Garcia, Kami magic
Legion series Garcia, Kami hunters
Strange Angels series St. Crow, Lili hunters
Splintered series Howard, A. G.  Wonderland
Raven Cycle series Stiefvater, Maggie paranormal
Darkest Powers series Armstrong, Kelley ghosts



And now to the Adult Read Alikes:

Vamps in Adult Titles:
Title Author
Jane Jameson series Harper, Molly
Sunshine McKinley, Robin
Jane True series Peeler, Nicole
Vampire Chronicles Rice, Anne
Dark Hunter series Kenyon, Sherrilyn
Black Dagger Brotherhood series Ward, J. R.
Sookie Stackhouse series Harris, Charlaine
Immortals After Dark series Cole, Kresley
Night Huntress series Frost, Jeaniene
Fever series Moning, Karen Marie
Otherworld series Armstrong, Kelley
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series Hamilton, Laurell
Dark series Feehan, Christine
Undead series Davidson, MaryJanice
Dark Ones series MacAlister, Katie
Parasol Protectorate series Carriger, Gail
The Hollows series Harrison, Kim
Cassandra Palmer series Chance, Karen

Adult Paranormal Romance:
Title Author Notes
Outlander series Gabaldon, Diana time travel
Mercy Thompson series Briggs, Patricia werewolves
Lords of the Underworld series Showalter, Gena demons
Charley Davidson series Jones, Darynda supernatural
Naked Werewolf series Harper, Molly werewolves
GhostWalkers series Feehan, Christine supersoldiers
InCryptid series McGuire, Seanan supernatural
Dark Kings series Grant, Donna dragons
Broken Destiny series Frost, Jeaniene visions/paranormal

Friday, February 5, 2016

Book Review - Feint of Art

Feint of Art (An Art Lover's Mystery #1) 
By Hailey Lind (Pseudonym for Juliet Blackwell and her sister Carolyn)
*****

This cozy was fantastic! It had a little more action than most cozies, enough that I'd totally watch it as a show on USA or TNT. Annie is a struggling artist who had a little run in with the law as a teen when she joined her grandfather in a forgery spree. After quickly learning her lesson and going straight, she tried to make a career in art restoration, only to have her past bite her in the butt as she got booted out personally by the Brocks of the Brock Museum.

Fast forward several years and after a short spurt in ho-hum office drudgery, she was inspired to turn to interior design, with faux-finishes and the like. Until an ex asked her to verify a painting. Chaos, murders, kidnappings, thievery, and shenanigans ensue.

Annie was a great heroine, with a lot of spunk, some moral fiber, and a healthy helping of knowledge about the world of art forgery (her grandfather is one of the greats, after all). In addition, there were a lot of minor characters that I also loved - Inspector Annette was pretty darn awesome (I'm totally picturing Gina Torres), neighbor Pete was endearing, and the X-Man was very Neal Caffrey, and Fender Bender has the potential of joining X as a potential suitor. 

I'm oddly drawn to books about art forgery. I don't know why - it's not like I can draw anything better than a stick figure - but I find it fascinating. Hence, the career background and plot set up for this particular amateur sleuth was a lot of fun. It also made sense that Annie would find herself investigating, considering she has a very distinctive skill set and knowledge base that even experts in the field wouldn't be able to compare to. I prefer my cozy detectives to have a good reason for getting mixed up in the investigations. 

Highly recommended.