Last year I discovered Melissa Haag. I know, I know, where in the heck have I been? I honestly don’t know. Why hadn’t I picked up her stuff before? Because of the covers – again, I Know! Don’t judge, yada, yada… But you have to admit, if you’re a Haagfan, the cover on Hope(less) doesn’t scream ‘read me, I’m awesome’. It’s the food equivalent of blancmange and that stuff looks Bland (capital B).
If you like paranormal, romance, werewolves and teen fiction, then Melissa Haag’s Judgement Of The Six series ticks all these boxes. There’s no smut or foul language, the girls are ‘of appropriate age’, but we are talking mates-for-life and some horrific scenes.
Each book is set around a different female character. These ladies have special ‘gifts’ and they are to be the deciding factor in a centuries-old war. I love the devotion of the guys, the manner in which the lovers find each other and the basic storyline in general. With the exception of the covers (which get better after the first book), there is nothing to dislike about these stories. Ms Haag has also written a companion series which offers the male POV.
Other fabulous author discoveries are: Karen Lynch (Relentless series) – demons, werewolves; Stacey Marie Brown (Collector Series) – demons and fey; Mia Sheridan (Sign of Love series) – contemporary; Montana Ash (Elemental Paladins series – again, the covers are off-putting) – angels; B.L. Brunnemer (Veil Diaries series – if you can put up with poor copy editing) – necromancer/reaper.
In addition to those, you have to get your hands on: Sophie Jordan’s Reign of Shadows series – Rapunzel with a twist which you will not believe until you see it (hint, hint); Eric Lindstrom’s Not If I See You First; Tillie Cole’s A Thousand Boy Kisses; Cecilia Ahern’s Flawed (a new foray into the teen/YA market).
There you go. Some of my fave reads of the past 12 months, not discounting Cassandra Clare, etc. for you to get your teeth into. You’re welcome. Just pop back and let me know if you agree.
You could always go to my bookshelves on GoodReads to see my reviews (especially the ones I did not finish so you know what to avoid).
Banished by Bea Turvey
