The Long Series: When There Are 5+ Books Already Out, Are You Game?

So last night on Twitter I chatted about how if there is a series I didn't manage to read a book of yet and that series gets past 5 books, then I'm out. It's overwhelming to me to think of 5 sometimes 10-20 books to read in a series to catch up.

Now, this makes me sad. And yes, it means that if I loved book #1 I would have a entire gaggle of books to read and love - BUT...BUT...maybe it's the fact that I review books that I feel the need to "catch up". Not really to read and enjoy, but literally to hurry up and read these damn books before the next one comes out. Again, maybe becuase I feel the pressure to be able to review that "Hot" book when it comes out. Maybe. Although readers of this blog know I'm not always about the latest and greatest book.

Twitter also chimed in with the series they believed I just HAVE to read no matter how many books back I'll need to catch up on. So I decided to take a leap. I asked for any and all suggestions of longer series - meaning 5+ books already out - and that I would pick a series today to try out.

So, here were the suggested series from my Twitter peeps last night. I've actually read a few, but I wanted to list all the suggestions:

The Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by JR Ward
The Guardians Series by Meljean Brooks
Tairen Souls Series by C.L. Wilson
The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost
The Trixie Beldon Series by Julie Campbell Tatham
Riley Jensen Series by Keri Arthur
The Otherwold Series by Kelley Armstrong
The Kitty Norville Series by Carrie Vaughn
The Chelsea Cain Series of books
The Dave Robicheaux Series by James Lee Burke
The Hornblower Series by C.F. Forester
The Chronicles of the Warlands Series by Elizabeth A. Vaughan
The Chesapeake Bay Series by Nora Roberts
The Carsington Series by Loretta Chase
The Dresden Files Series by Jim Butcher
The Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey
The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

So which series I've never tried before have I decided to tackle book #1 of?

I'm going to go with The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. I've heard so much about these books and although I know they aren't typical romances, I feel like they might be the best fit for me. (Also, I was horrified to realize that I've met and chatted with Ms. Gabaldon before and had NO IDEA who she was. GASP! Um yeah. So next time I'd like to at least have read 1 book!)

Which series have you read and loved even though it was 5+ books? Do you start a new-to-you series even if you are behind by 5+ books? Which series would you have picked to read book #1 of?

Black Magic Sanction Is Out – RUN To Your Local Bookstore!

One of my most anticipated books of 2010 happened to release while I was away and I can’t let another day go by without discussing it.

I haven’t read the book yet, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE no spoilers, but I’m pretty sure the spectacular Mrs. Harrison will keep us Hallows fans happy with Black Magic Sanction!

Mrs. Harrison is an absolute master at world-building and creating characters you love and love to hate. I “discovered” her in my all-time favorite way – I randomly selected a good looking audio book at the library and the rest is history.

I do highly recommend the Audio Book versions of the Hallows series, but I’ve also read the books. Yes, I am a book geek. To read and listen to the same book means I’m in love. :)

For those not familiar with Mrs. Harrison and her Hallows-verse(Rachel Morgan Series) I have a treat for you. The publisher is offering free eBooks of the first book in the series, Dead Witch Walking.

Here is the FREE Amazon version.

Here is the FREE Barnes & Nobles version.

Here is the FREE Sony Reader version.

I seriously cannot recommend this series enough. It’s the very best Urban Fantasy I’ve ever read with the question of who Rachel will end up with being one of my favorite romance plots ever!

The Geeks of Doom have released Mrs. Harrison’s first ever book trailer. Click here to head over there and check it out!

Book Review: Sweet Seduction by Maya Banks

Review: Sweet Seduction 
By Maya Banks
Berkley HEAT
4 Heart Review
Disclosure: ARC provided by author

Since this was an ARC, it didn't come with a back cover blurb so the only first impression I had to go on was the cover image. That cover image was quite amazing, as you can see from the image to the right. That image, when combined with the title of Sweet Seduction, let me know this book would be on the spicier side. This time, first impressions were a great indicator of what was inside.

Many might wonder, “Why an image of a woman alone?” Once you've read the book, you'll understand it perfectly. This is a book about a woman's fantasies and a man who loves her so much, that he'll do anything to fulfill them. Here's a peek at a blurb I found online.

He was the stuff erotic dreams are made of
Salon owner Julie Stanford wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body, stripped, oiled, and spread out in front of her? Stuff dreams are made of. But the sexy lug was oblivious to the signals she was sending—until she finished off his final rub-down with something extra. In fact, the best extra he ever had. Unfortunately, he came around too late. Now Julie’s moving on…

She was everything he’d dreamed of
The woman was driving him crazy. She lit fire to his insides then ran like a scalded cat. And now she’s going to someone else to have all her fantasies fulfilled? Over his dead body… He’s more than willing to give her what she wants, and as soon as he pins the little minx down, he’d show her his own brand of sweet seduction.

This was my first time reading Maya Banks, but I had heard great things so I was very excited to give this one a try. I wasn't disappointed. As part of a series, I had no problems reading this book as a stand alone, but do think I would have enjoyed it more, and understood the character relationships better, if I'd read the previous books in the series first.

The story started off with a bang and didn't really let up from there. Right from the beginning I like the character of Julie and knew she wouldn’t be taking any crap from the hero. Speaking of the first scene, if you read romances and can't wait for the “action” to start, then this is your book.

Julie was my kinda woman, she knew what she wanted but she wasn't prepared to wait around forever for it. Nathan was a good match for her as he was sweet and would always let her and her outspoken characteristics be the center of attention. He was a good foil for her.

I enjoyed the secondary characters and saw just enough of them to know that each heroine’s book showcases having their sexual fantasy fulfilled. I liked knowing that each book will have differing sexual situations and wouldn’t provide any cookie-cutter sex scenes. 

There is more to this story than just the sex, and Maya does an excellent job of weaving in side plots that add to the central story. She has an awesome writer’s voice, and know exactly how to craft a good contemporary story.

One thing that did get me about this book was Nathan’s reasoning for not taking the Julie bait sooner. I felt like he didn’t really have a good excuse for denying his attraction at the beginning and based on his later actions, should have been the type of man to pick up her signals. Luckily, he gets over that real fast.

I can say that based on Sweet Seduction, I will be buying and reading the rest of the series. In speaking with Maya, I know that there are two more books to come, but I'm hoping for at least three so that we can get Cole's story. He intrigued me very much and I can't wait to hear how he came to be at Damon's and to be trusted with such a delicate job. If you want to know what that means, you’ll have to read the book! :)

Read an excerpt

Serial Lovin': Keeping Series Straight - Win The Sexiest Man Alive!

Cheeky Reader Marissa posted a great question last week: If a book is part of a series, why would I read them out of order? This question kept popping up in my head, so I thought it would make a great blog post.

Marissa's question was in reference to my review of Hard and Fast by Erin McCarthy since it’s the second book in Erin's Contemporary series about NASCAR drivers. So why did I read that book first? Well, in that instance, it was because I was in the mood for a contemporary, went to the bookshelf, and this book seemed to fit the bill. I completely spaced on this being part of a series, and I even have the first book on my shelf to read too! Both of these books, like most contemps, are stand alone books that share characters. So, even though they are linked, it's not 100% necessary to read them in order to enjoy them!

One thing I find very interesting – Why don't contemporaries do a better job of connecting books in a series? Yes, each book is a complete story in its own right, but very few of them bother to mention on the cover or back blurb that this isn't the first or only book with these characters involved.

Paranormals, Urban Fantasies and even mysteries, usually play up the connection between books on the cover. You'll often see “Book 5 of the xxx series” or “A xxx Mystery” right on the front cover. So why don't contemporaries do this more often? What is it about that particular genre?

In thinking about the other times I've read a series out of order I think it’s because I'm a reader just like you! I browse bookstores to find new authors, and that doesn’t always mean I know if a book is part of a series before I pick it up. Impulse shopping when you work across the parking lot from a bookstore can make you try out all kinds of new books!

I've been introduced to many of my favorite authors not through their first book, but through whatever book I first discovered of theirs. I read book three in Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series without any clue that it was part of a series. What happened? I said, “Whoa! I need more!” That's when I discovered the first two books – now I'm first in line for every new release! I'm constantly buying an author's backlist once I'm introduced to their awesomeness!

There are of course those books or series I've heard about online, so I will start with the first in the series, but I'm a reader like any other – drawn to an individual book like a moth to a flame! Catch my eye with a shiny cover or whet my appetite with a great blurb, and even if I haven't heard about the book or author I'll give it a try.

Have you ever bought a book only to discover that its part of a series, or do you always research books before buying? If you have read a later book in a series, did it inspire you to go back and read the previous books? What do you think about loosely linked Contemporaries that don't mention the series on their cover?

Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a copy of Sexiest Man Alive by Diana Holquist! Winner will be announced Friday July 24th! A big thank you to Marissa for the great question – Send your mailing address to cheekyreads(@)gmail.com and I'll send you something special!