Fantasy Lover: Dark Hunter #1

The key to a good paranormal romance is to make sure it doesn't take itself too seriously. Because … vampires. Some of the creatures that appear in these types of series are ridiculous and when an author doesn't keep this in mind, it creates a weird separation between reader perception and author intent. Sherrilyn Kenyon is guilty of this. These books aren't just dramatic, they're Kardashian-level dramatic. Fortunately, Kenyon's gift for writing dialogue makes it worth your time to wade through the hysterics. If that's not enough for you to attempt it, then the way in which she's written the friendships between the female characters should be enough to convince you that the series is worth a try. (Interesting sidenote: Kenyon's audience has the largest percentage of male readers of any paranormal romance author.) She's also not terrible at writing sex scenes and steers clear of awkward metaphors and gross descriptions. And, while the characters are typically traumatized, Kenyon somehow manages to write this as naturally as possible. It's refreshing to find a series where self-diagnosed broken characters don't suddenly become unbroken when they meet their soul mate.