Better than Blake, Part Two
Nov. 2nd, 2006 12:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekittyA while back, I made a post about the genre of books with pentacles and sexy chicks on the cover. Books like the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, only better. And it was all well and good, and I got tons of compliments on it, but I have found so much more since that time!
So, here I am compiling some books that I have found in the past few years that also fit into this genre. They must have an urban setting (like our modern world, in other words), they have to include sex or romance, they have to include something supernatural, and the woman has to kick ass for at least a few minutes. I am excluding those that were poorly written or had dumb female leads. I'm focusing on the first book in each series, for ease of picking up. These are the best of the best. Happy reading.
Hunter's Moon by CT Adams & Cathy Clamp A beautiful woman hires a hit man to take her out. The catch? He's a werewolf, and it's love at first smell. Really, it's much better than it sounds. I promise.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs Car mechanic coyotero Mercy Thompson tries to juggle work, friendship, and inconvenient animal urges. But her past won't leave her alone, and someone is hunting werewolves...
Ill Wind by Rachel Caine A secret society of Weather Wardens has been controlling the weather, with the help of genies, for centuries. This series actually gets BETTER as it goes along.
Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson Betsy Taylor is fabulously self-involved. She loves shoes. She has a strained relationship with her stepmother. And she happens to be a vampire.
Staying Dead by Laura Gilman The first in the Retrievers series, this book shows a lot of promise. An original interpretation of magic and magicians.
Carpe Demon:Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner Just when you thought you'd seen it all. Like Buffy moved to the suburbs and didn't tell anyone about her past. I think it said that on the cover, but I can't describe it better. It's also intensely hilarious.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley Again, something truly original in the vampire genre. The main character's magical affinity is for sunlight, and her vocation is baking. I hope beyond hope that McKinley will write a sequel or three.
Urban Shaman by CE Murphy How could a shaman who is half Native American and half Celtic NOT be a cliche? Well, for one thing, she could hate her heritage and wish for her gifts to go away. For another, she could be an unwilling police officer who would really rather be fixing cars.
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn A female werewolf who runs a talkshow for supernatural advice. What else can I say? Oh, it's also sexy and funny.
Thanks for playing. Let me know if you found this list helpful. I take suggestions of things to read, too.
So, here I am compiling some books that I have found in the past few years that also fit into this genre. They must have an urban setting (like our modern world, in other words), they have to include sex or romance, they have to include something supernatural, and the woman has to kick ass for at least a few minutes. I am excluding those that were poorly written or had dumb female leads. I'm focusing on the first book in each series, for ease of picking up. These are the best of the best. Happy reading.
Hunter's Moon by CT Adams & Cathy Clamp A beautiful woman hires a hit man to take her out. The catch? He's a werewolf, and it's love at first smell. Really, it's much better than it sounds. I promise.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs Car mechanic coyotero Mercy Thompson tries to juggle work, friendship, and inconvenient animal urges. But her past won't leave her alone, and someone is hunting werewolves...
Ill Wind by Rachel Caine A secret society of Weather Wardens has been controlling the weather, with the help of genies, for centuries. This series actually gets BETTER as it goes along.
Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson Betsy Taylor is fabulously self-involved. She loves shoes. She has a strained relationship with her stepmother. And she happens to be a vampire.
Staying Dead by Laura Gilman The first in the Retrievers series, this book shows a lot of promise. An original interpretation of magic and magicians.
Carpe Demon:Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner Just when you thought you'd seen it all. Like Buffy moved to the suburbs and didn't tell anyone about her past. I think it said that on the cover, but I can't describe it better. It's also intensely hilarious.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley Again, something truly original in the vampire genre. The main character's magical affinity is for sunlight, and her vocation is baking. I hope beyond hope that McKinley will write a sequel or three.
Urban Shaman by CE Murphy How could a shaman who is half Native American and half Celtic NOT be a cliche? Well, for one thing, she could hate her heritage and wish for her gifts to go away. For another, she could be an unwilling police officer who would really rather be fixing cars.
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn A female werewolf who runs a talkshow for supernatural advice. What else can I say? Oh, it's also sexy and funny.
Thanks for playing. Let me know if you found this list helpful. I take suggestions of things to read, too.
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-02 05:45 am (UTC)(But I still like Anita best, maybe because she kicks ass better than anyone. ;-))
no subject
Date: 2006-11-02 12:03 pm (UTC)Maybe at some point I should make a list of mysteries, too.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-02 02:50 pm (UTC)The Kitty books keep popping up on my Amazon recommended list and I've been toying with getting them. Now I think I will.
Have you read any of the Women of the Otherworld? (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-2519001-6596140?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Women+of+the+Otherworld&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go)?
Something from the Nightside (http://www.amazon.com/Something-Nightside-Simon-R-Green/dp/0441010652/sr=8-6/qid=1162478848/ref=pd_bbs_sr_6/102-2519001-6596140?ie=UTF8&s=books) has a female bounty hunter in it who definitely kicks ass. I found the quality of the first book to be "eh" (I would read the sequels, but I wouldn't buy them).
no subject
Date: 2006-11-02 02:56 pm (UTC)I hope you enjoy the Kitty books.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-02 03:47 pm (UTC)My favorite ass-kicking female mystery character is Eve Dallas, of the "something in Death" series. She was seriously abused as a child, and sometimes nightmares remind her of those days, which makes it all the clearer what an incredibly gutsy woman she is to be able to do what she does. Unlike many mystery series, this one has to be read in order (not for the mystery part, but for the development of Eve's character). You've probably read them already, but if you haven't, the first one is Naked in Death, and they're by J. D. Robb.