Love at first bite??: A breakdown of popular paranormal romance

Today's society is now bursting to its seams with the world of vampires. New material and different approaches on the subject are constantly underway. There are books, movies, T.V. series, comics, magazines... you name it! For the sci-fi fan, how much better can it get? And what better way to sell vampires than sex? When you mix lust with potential danger and disaster, the crowd goes wild ladies and gentlemen. Here in this hub, I have made a short compilation of my top three personal favorite paranormal romance works, and will break it down for those of you who might be looking to find a new book to read with dishy dead (or shape-shifting) studs.

The Twilight Saga- by Stephanie Meyer

Novels, Movies

      Boy oh boy did this one leave a dent. Stephanie Meyer certainly never has to write another book in her life. Twilight was one of the most talked about books in 2005, and shortly after, had a hard time staying off the top of the New York Times best seller list. That also goes for the other three books in the saga, New moon (2006) Eclipse (2007) and Breaking Dawn (2008). It didn't take America long to fall in love with this series. The movies followed quickly.

      Our heroine of the novel, Bella, is an average looking girl, who is somewhat intelligent (though not the brightest crayon). She is stubborn and single minded, and tends to hurt herself like clockwork. In the book Twilight, Bella moves away from her mother to live with her father in the small rainy town of Forks, Washington. Upon arrival, she notices how incredibly different the Cullen family is, and is immediately curious as to why Edward Cullen cant stop looking at her, but cant stand to be around her. In her journey, she discovers he has super strength, super mind reading powers, super cold hands, and a super hunger for her flesh. Not to mention an almost creepy obsession with her. DING DING DING, we have ourselves a vampire folks! Throughout the series, she finds out her best friend is a werewolf and is in love with her. Someone is constantly threatening to kill/protect her. Edward leaves her. The usual drama that comes in any relationship whether it is supernatural or not.

My opinion:

      These books are a very good, very quick read. Meyer has the capability to captivate you with her characters and plot, but the stuff that's in between is just so/so. The fact that there is nothing erotic in these books is a huge disappointment, and I was surprised that I made it all the way through the books without a sex scene. To be honest, I believe that is why people continue to read to the end, to see if you get any hot vamp on human action.

      The movies were actually less than mediocre, and didn't do very well to capture the essence of the books. I might have a different opinion of the movies if I hadn't have read the books.

The Sookie Stackhouse Novels- by Charlaine Harris

Books, HBO series True Blood

      These books have landed on my number two spot. Originally known as the Southern Vampire Mysteries, Charlaine Harris has so far written ten novels, now known as The Sookie Stackhouse Novels or True Blood Series. This series generated an impressive fan base. Maybe not as big as Twilight, but Harris didn't write these novels with the youth in mind. Harris signed a ten book contract starting in 2001, and in 2009 released that she had signed for another three books. The first book Dead Until Dark came out in 2001, and the tenth and latest book, Dead in The Family, came out on May 4, 2010.

      These novels are about a telepathic barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse, in the very small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. In the novel, vampires had just "come out of the coffin", and became legal citizens of the United States. Only after the Japanese discovered a synthetic blood that would sustain their needs. Sookie meets her first vampire, Bill Compton, and discovers that his mind is the first that she cant read. Sookie has never had a boyfriend, seeing how she can read each thought going through her dates head. She finds it peaceful that she cannot read vampire minds, and forms an immediate attraction between Bill and Sookie. Each book follows Sookie as she encounters other vampires, shape-shifters, fairies, and other mythical creatures. Sookie is pretty much thrown into a world different from anything she has ever known, and takes it as gracefully as she can.

My Opinion-

     I watched the first two seasons before I had even heard of the books, and I absolutely loved the show. As soon as I started reading the books, I could not put them down for even a minute! I read the first 8 books in two weeks, and had to wait patiently for the last two to come out. Charlaine Harris captures the romance between real people, and makes you believe that vampires are real too. Her characters are outstandingly believable, it's so refreshing to have characters who are not anatomically perfect. The sex scenes in this book are incredibly hot, and not so frequent you feel like you are reading a smut novel. I will read these books until the day Harris stops writing them.

     As for the HBO series, it is still amazing, but it does not completely follow the storyline of the novels. Yet far enough where it's still pretty cool to see it recreated on screen.

• Dead Until Dark (2001)
• Living Dead in Dallas (2002)
• Club Dead (2003)
• Dead to the World (2004)
• Dead as a Doornail (2005)
  
• Definitely Dead (2006)
• All Together Dead (2007)
• From Dead to Worse (2008)
• Dead and Gone (2009)
• A Touch of Dead (2009)
  
• Dead in the Family (2010)
  

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter Series- by Laurell K. Hamilton

Books, comic book/graphic novel

Folks, my number one was decided hands down. Not only is it my favorite paranormal romance series, it's my favorite series of all time. I do not take Anita lightly. Laurell K. Hamilton sweeps us away in this series with 20 books. First of being Guilty Pleasures (1993), and the last being Bullet (2010). Yes folks, we even have the next one coming in 2011! Over 6 million of her novels have been printed, and each has made it's appearance on the New York Time's best seller list. Hamilton joined up with Marvel Comics to do a set of graphic novels covering the first three books in the series. Including a prequel to her series that fans have been asking for for years. How much more amazing can this get? Oh, you haven't even heard what the books are about...

The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series really has several genres; fantasy, erotica, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, and just plain ol' gore. The vampires in these novels have also just come out and become citizens. These novels are about a young woman, Anita Blake, who is a necromancer (one who raises zombies and controls the dead). Anita is the RPIT, a local law enforcement paranormal team's go to guy on murders that are well... not human. She is also the local vampire executioner for those who can't keep their fangs to themselves. She is one bad broad you don't want to mess with. Anita has a hard time letting anyone get close, especially the monsters (vampires/shape shifters). Throughout these novels, she starts to discover that even humans are the monsters, and that some of the monsters aren't really monsters. Anita meets Jean-Claude, a sexy, powerful vampire, who is instantly enamored with her aggression and her sense of power over the dead. These novels follow her as she interacts with vampires, lycanthropes (humans that turn furry at the full moon), fairies, demons, voodoo priestesses, and other mythical creatures of the night. Anita tries to keep herself from killing everyone that comes against her, but it's not easy.

My Opinion

These books are absolutely amazing! Anita has to be one of my personal heroes. The books keep you on the edge of your seat, and your fingers turning the page (or hitting the next page button). I read these books one after the other eagerly trying to see what Anita was getting into next. Anita Blake is the perfect heroine, she has high moral values, low tolerance for stupidity and disrespect, she is an absolute badass, and shes not always sure of herself not being a monster too. The love Anita shares between her vampire, Jean-Claude, and the oh so sexy pack leader, Richard, is flooring. Hamilton writes about her characters as if they were her best friends, and I quickly fell in love with all of her creations. I would, and do, recommend this series to everyone. But these books are definitely not intended for the youth, or the weak stomached. They don't get to the sex scenes until book 6, but they are definitely worth the wait!

The comics are a wonderful representation of Hamilton's work, these comics are the first and only recreations of a book that have captured what was in my head as a reader. Laurell K. Hamilton is a truly creative, and awesome writer, and I look forward to reading the rest of her work!

• A Kiss of Shadows (2000)
• A Caress of Twilight (2002)
• Seduced by Moonlight (2004)
• A Stroke of Midnight (2005)
• Mistral's Kiss (2006)
• A Lick of Frost (2007)
• Swallowing Darkness (2008)

• Divine Misdemeanors (2009)

This is a series about fairies!