The lust, angst, and violence quotient in Kelley Armstrong's stories of werewolves and witches is perfectly balanced between
Annette Curtis Klause's Blood and Chocolate and
Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series. Armstrong's books are more satisfyingly grown-up than
Blood and Chocolate, although they sometimes lack Klause's tightly controlled pace, and they are far,
far less whiny, gory, and sexually explicit than the
Anita Blake books, although they lack Hamilton's extraordinary eye for detail. While this series may not be groundbreaking, if you're a Klause, Hamilton, or
Charlaine Harris fan looking for even more supernatural romantic horror, Armstrong's books are smart, sexy, and twisted like a pretzel.
Aftertaste:None.
Availability:Everywhere. Ms. Armstrong has also written some novellas (prequels to "Bitten") that are available as free e-texts on her homepage. To check them out, click
here.
Other Recommendations:The
Sookie Stackhouse stories, by
Charlaine HarrisAnything by
Laurell K. HamiltonBlood and Chocolate, by
Annette Curtis KlauseSunshine, by
Robin McKinleyWebsite:http://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/ -
Comments
helena
With the exception of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books, Armstrong's series is the first supernatural series that I haven't been totally repulsed by. I like how her characters seem like real people, albeit ones with really ugly, hairy issues.
hecate
I'm a big fan of Annette Curtis Klause's (sp?) "Blood and Chocolate" and Kelley Armstrong's books, while heavier on the mature content, are very similar in tone and content. Also try "Sunshine", by Robin McKinley. (Both the Klause and the McKinley books are mentioned on this site.)