It’s always delightful to find a paranormal romance that embraces the tropes of historicals rather than the gritty noir of urban fantasy. M.A. Grant’s The Marked Prince tells an affecting, old-fashioned tale of love and redemption, taking place in the modern day but set in the immortal world of Faerie.

Grant cleverly reimagines Scottish folklore’s distinction between Seelie (light, friendly) and Unseelie (dark, violent) faeries as two separate courts. The Seelie court is ruled by Shakespeare’s Oberon and Titania and is a more traditionally stratified but supposedly less violent realm. The Unseelie faeries are ruled by the more openly authoritarian Queen Mab, whose realm is more egalitarian despite its Machiavellian leader.

Sebastian is half-Seelie and half-Unseelie, unwelcome and distrusted by the people of both courts. But as Oberon’s nephew, Sebastian can infiltrate his court on behalf of the Unseelie royal family and kidnap Sláine, the eldest son, and take him back to his homeland.

Sláine supposedly defected to the Seelie court before the events of The Marked Prince, but Grant’s prologue reveals what truly happened. While taking part in negotiations between the two courts, Sláine was captured by the Seelie Princess, Aoife, and placed under a curse. He can’t tell anyone who he is or what happened to him, and one of Aoife’s henchmen has been magically transformed to look like him. Trapped under the spell and a magical mask that hides his face, Sláine is seemingly doomed to live out the rest of his days as Aoife’s slave, Duine.

Kind-hearted Sebastian is not a natural spy, having been emotionally blackmailed into undertaking his quest. But his impulsive mercy when he witnesses Aoife punishing Duine results in Oberon gifting the masked slave to him. It’s a tenuous chance at freedom for Sláine, but Sebastian has now unwittingly made both himself and Sláine targets of the vicious Aoife.

With all that external conflict already present, Grant wisely allows Sláine and Sebastian’s relationship to develop at a realistically slow pace. They evolve from master and servant, to uneasy allies, to friends, and finally to lovers, all while navigating the treacherous Seelie court. Sláine was taught to be ruthless and manipulative as the heir to his mother’s throne, and while he offers those skills in service of Sebastian, he also begins to see their limitations. Sebastian is able to gain influence simply by advocating for the lower classes and promoting peace, defying the lessons Mab drilled into Sláine from a young age. As the pair grow closer, Sláine is forced to come to terms with the fact that his previous cruelty was not the necessity he believed it was. And by following Sláine’s canny advice, Sebastian is able to see the benefit of his high status and the ways he can use it for good.

One would expect The Marked Prince to end with a showdown in a ballroom or council chamber, given all the political intrigue that takes up the majority of the story. But Grant goes to wilder, more primal places by the story’s end, tapping into the fairy tale roots of her world to give her deserving pair a suitably mythic happy ending.

Nancy Campbell Allen gives Rapunzel a steampunk twist in The Lady in the Coppergate Tower. Medical assistant Hazel Hughes knows she has some minor healing powers, but her world changes overnight when a stranger arrives in London claiming to be her uncle and that her previously unknown twin sister needs Hazel’s special talents in Romania. Doctor Sam MacInnes isn’t willing to let his lovely employee stray far from his sight, as he suspects her “uncle” might have malevolent intent. Their journey via submarine engenders a new closeness between Hazel and Sam, and Allen creates a fun and fantastical world to visit in this kisses-only romance.

Shelly Laurenston returns to the uproarious, madcap adventures of her Honey Badger Chronicles with In a Badger Way. Hybrid shifter Stevie MacKilligan has met the one bear shifter who doesn’t make her fearful—Shen Li, bodyguard and Giant Panda.

Stevie is a powerhouse due to the honey badger and tiger shifter abilities she shares. Unfortunately, she’s also a genius, highly sought after for her scientific insights, and prone to anxiety-induced panic attacks. It’s a deadly combination, especially as Stevie’s shifting becomes unpredictable when she’s riled up, anxious or off her much-needed medication. One of the few things that soothes her is Shen Li. Stevie thinks he’s adorable, given that he can shift into a Giant Panda instead of a terrifying bear that’ll send her blood pressure surging. When Shen is tasked with protecting and keeping the troublesome prodigy out of danger, he soon realizes this assignment should have come with a significant amount of hazard pay.

A scientist is doing experiments on shifters and the MacKilligan sisters have their hands full with finding their evil cousins, who are just coming into their own powers. The combination of both plots make this an action-packed paranormal romance and for those new to Laurenston, the best advice is to strap in for the rollercoaster ride of brash heroines, snarky side characters and over-the-top fight scenes. Laurenston really is one of a kind when it comes to rip-roaring shifter shenanigans.

Stevie’s relationship with her sisters is incredibly important and a central motivation for all three of the MacKilligan women, and Laurenston weaves in her developing relationship with Shen as a counterweight of sorts. In many of Laurenston’s romances the women take the lead, whereas the heroes serve to complement the heroines’ strengths in strong and supportive ways. In a Badger Way is no different. Shen is the calm to Stevie’s storm, and isn’t threatened by Stevie’s unbelievable hybrid strength or her abnormal intelligence. He isn’t scared off by her mental illness. He is Stevie’s rock in the best way possible and the way he anchors her makes him, in this reviewer’s eyes, worthy of sainthood.

In a Badger Way is pure, unadulterated fun. It’s ten pounds of bursting-at-the-seams excitement in a five pound bag. You’ll cheer on the MacKilligan sisters and their antics, wish you could cuddle with Shen Li and thoroughly wish for Stevie to get her happily ever after. No one does it like Shelly Laurenston when it comes to unique, unparalleled heroines and the heroes who can’t help but love them. Even when they’re honey badgers.

Gena Showalter’s paranormal romance Shadow and Ice pulses with exciting and near-unrelenting action. Irreverent heroine Vale London manages to maintain her equilibrium when she suddenly encounters supernatural soldiers engaged in a battle, even as she unwittingly and unwillingly becomes one of the competitors. When she reluctantly partners with immortal warrior Knox of Iviland, their fierce yet unexpected attraction is just another war to wage—and one they end up losing. Superb world building—from the governing body pulling the strings to the special powers of each combatant—fulfills the authorial promise of this high-concept romance. Readers will be enthralled by Showalter’s details and root for her ruthless yet sympathetic characters in this not-to-be-missed adventure.

This article was originally published in the November 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Susanna Kearsley’s The Rose Garden is an enthralling and achingly romantic read. Recovering from a painful loss, Eva Ward travels to Cornwall and the centuries-old Trelowarth House where she once spent happy summers. One morning, she hears unfamiliar voices in the next room, and on a walk she encounters a mysterious man who seems to be from another time. At first she attributes these oddities to symptoms of grief, but when the “hallucinations” continue to occur and she actually converses with the stranger in her bedroom, Eva concludes she has traveled back 300 years. Though she can’t control her comings and goings between the past and present, she begins to fall in love with Daniel Butler, a dashing man with a dangerous secret. As Eva investigates local annals, she learns some of what Daniel faced, but she’s unsure whether she can or should interfere in historical events—or if she can or should find a way to stay with him forever. Told in first person and with understated sensuality, the story of Eva and Daniel’s devotion and dilemma will keep readers avidly engaged.

There are clearly no limits to the wildly creative genius of Ilona Andrews, and never has that literary imagination been more evident than in Magic Triumphs, the tenth and final novel in the Kate Daniels series.

Kate’s dangerous father is up to his old tricks—this time he’s scheming to gain access to Kate and Curran’s toddler son. Kate has more than her difficult parent to deal with, however, because an ancient and powerful enemy has challenged her. Atlanta residents are being attacked, disappearing and dying. The Pack of shape shifters once ruled by Curran, the People who control vampires, the Witches and their Oracle, the Mercenary Guild and all the rest of Kate’s friends with supernatural powers will stand with her. But they may not be enough to stop the strongest threat Kate has ever faced.

While Kate and Curran race to save their world, they are also fully engaged with parenting. Their son Conlan is a precocious 13-month-old with the ability to shape shift into a young lion. The magically gifted toddler’s hilarious antics add a layer of Andrews’ trademark humor to the constant danger. Kate and Curran will do whatever is necessary to keep their son safe, but neither anticipated the alliances they will be forced to make. When an old enemy steps forward to join them against the ancient evil, Kate has to take a leap of faith. Even her father’s offer of aid must be considered. If Kate, her family, her friends and her Atlanta are to survive, she must commit to a plan that even she isn’t sure will succeed. There are no guarantees that everyone will survive, or that Kate and everyone she loves won’t burn to the ground along with the city of Atlanta.

This tenth novel completes the arc of the Kate Daniels adventures but readers are left with an inkling that they may see more stories set in this world. Perhaps Kate’s Aunt Erra and her adopted daughter Julie will carry on the tradition of hair-raising action. Readers will surely be anxiously awaiting further developments from the amazing Andrews.

Shelly Laurenston’s world of shape-shifters is hilarious, sexy, often casually violent and always absolutely fascinating. The latest novel in the series, Hot and Badgered, features a vicious, dangerous honey badger shifter and the amiable grizzly bear shifter who can’t resist her. Who knew romance could involve so much mayhem and so many laugh-out-loud moments?

Honey badger shifter Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan and her two younger half-sisters are each uniquely talented and trained to kill. They’ve had each other’s backs since they were children. When someone attacks Charlie in Switzerland, she knows her estranged criminal father must be at the heart of the plot. She escapes to a nearby hotel room where a big, handsome grizzly shifter helps her escape. Charlie and her sisters head for New York City, where their father is allegedly in the city morgue. Unfortunately, the morgue has the wrong man, a discovery that Charlie finds intensely irritating.

Holed up in a cousin’s safe house, the sisters discover their cousin is friends with Berg Dunn, the grizzly shifter who saved Charlie in Switzerland. Berg was impressed with Charlie’s handling of her would-be assassins and wants to spend more time with her. He finds the sisters a safe house on his street in an all-bear neighborhood. The three sisters fascinate and delight the bears, especially since Charlie bakes when stressed and the bears can gorge themselves on her cakes and pies. Plus, she bakes with honey. It’s a win-win situation—now Charlie and her sisters have multiple big human protectors who are 1,000 pounds of pure mean when shifted into their bear forms.

For the first time, the MacKilligan sisters aren’t alone, and while having a gang of bears defending them is unusual, they kind of like it. Plus, Charlie more than likes Berg and the feeling is mutual. The two make the most of their stolen moments together in between fending off murder attempts, kidnapping attempts and the sisters’ introduction to the world of NYC shape-shifters. There are fisticuffs in a hockey rink, a brawl with female wolverines, a furious Charlie taking down two of the best enforcers in the shifter military unit and other violent, slapstick escapades. The plot zips along with surprising twists, turns and fearless honey badger bravery. That the almost nonstop action also allows for excellent character development and lots of snarky humor is a testament to Laurenston’s skills.

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

J.R. Ward returns to her beloved Black Dagger Brotherhood with Blood Fury, the third book in the spinoff Black Dagger Legacy series. This riveting novel features two powerful parallel storylines. The first involves Novo, a survivor of painful family betrayal, and Peyton, an aristocratic vampire whose own personal history is strewn with bad choices. As Black Dagger Brotherhood trainees, Novo and Peyton share classes, workouts, hand-to-hand combat practice and dangerous, sometimes bloody field exercises. Despite Novo’s hard-edged persona and snarky comments, Peyton can’t deny he’s drawn to her. Novo shares his attraction, but she locks down her emotions due to her belief that he is in love with someone else. All that changes, however, when the dangerous nature of their work forces both to confront their feelings. Faced with the very real possibility of losing Novo forever, Peyton must make hard choices about himself and the world he lives in. Given both Novo’s and Peyton’s dysfunctional childhoods, however, the road to happy ever after is not a simple one.

Interwoven with Novo and Peyton’s journey is that of Saxton, legal counsel to the King, and Ruhn, a commoner of unparalleled honor. Saxton and Ruhn have wildly different backgrounds and life experiences, but when they are assigned to work on the same project, they realize fate has brought them together. Both are wary of falling in love due to past hurts and they’re cautious about the feelings that swamp them. Just as a future together looks bright, their dangerous assignment turns life-threatening. If Saxton loses Ruhn, he’ll lose much more than a lover. He’ll lose the other half of himself. Will the fate that brought them together now cruelly tear them apart?

Fans of the Brotherhood series have long anticipated the pairing of these two couples, and the novel doesn’t disappoint. The brilliantly developed world of the Brotherhood, nail-biting action and lots of steamy sexual tension make Blood Fury a stellar read.

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.

New York Times bestselling author Christine Warren returns to her Gargoyles series with a bang, featuring a strong, Buffy the Vampire-esque heroine, a tough gargoyle warrior and an intense battle of good versus evil.

Heroine Ivy Beckett posses the gift of “clairaudial empathy,” which enables her to hear things often associated with strong emotions. Unfortunately, she tends to pick up on these things while she’s fast asleep. If she’s unable to rouse herself to consciousness, whoever is in danger could wind up dead. And has, as in the case of Ivy’s beloved uncle George and cousin Jamie. George and Jamie were Wardens, individuals who with magical abilities tasked with summoning fearsome Guardians to protect the human race. But the relationship between Wardens and Guardians has deteriorated in recent years, enabling demonic forces to cause chaos in the modern world. Since the death of her uncle and cousin, Ivy has made it her mission to protect the world’s current Wardens by ushering them to safety. But when her current assignment goes wrong, leaving her cornered in an alley with three very angry demons, Ivy assumes her luck has run out.

Baen has been asleep for three hundred years, awakened only when needed in battle, and this time it’s Ivy’s presence that ends his centuries-long slumber. After Baen dispatches the demons, Ivy is stunned to see a Guardian in the flesh, though she senses it has something to do with the Warden she’s currently escorting to France. She gets bit of a shock, though, once Baen confesses that she is his Warden. Ivy insists he must have it wrong, since she’s a woman. But there’s no arguing with a large winged man.

It’s impossible not to like Ivy as a heroine. She kicks some major butt and she’s incredibly dedicated to her cause. Though Baen is physically stronger, Ivy matches him in intelligence and adaptability. Readers who like their leading ladies with some significant bite will love her. Meanwhile, Baen tempers his intimidating presence with a surprising amount of tenderness. He’s the type of hero who speaks only when there is something worthy to say—a swoony strong and silent type.

Though this is the sixth book in a series, readers shouldn’t let that deter them as Warren does a fantastic job setting up the mythology of the Guardians for newcomers. There’s also the added bonus of non-stop action and truly enviable jet setting. Who wouldn’t want to battle dark forces surrounded by gorgeous Gothic architecture, while sneaking off for a French pastry or two?

The best part of Hard Breaker, though, is how well Ivy and Baen complement one another. They make an extraordinary team, and the two of them slowly come to address the loneliness of their lives. Ivy’s family history is fraught with danger, as no one ever knew when a mission could snuff out a life, while Baen’s existence has been one of mere utility. Once his use has ended, back to sleep he goes.

A steamy, magical romance and an adventure with apocalyptic stakes, Warren’s Hard Breaker is bound to please.

The New Year starts particularly badly for Silver Harris, but the appearance of a dark stranger leads to a world-shattering kiss with a vampire, and she swears off human men for good. She’s had her fill of clingy men in search of relationships and starts to wonder if the Irish-accented vampire could offer her some low-pressure fun. Hoping to find her nameless vampire and share another stirring kiss, Silver signs up for V-Date, an online dating site for humans to meet vampires and have some no-strings-attached fun. Unfortunately, her first few dates are duds—wealthy, vain vampires with very little personality. So when the police approach her to share information about her vampire dates, she agrees without a second thought.

Unbeknownst to Silver, her midnight kiss, Logan Byrne, is just as enthralled with her as she is with him. He can’t stop thinking about that kiss or the snarky redhead he shared it with. His blood bond to a seedy club owner in London forces him to accept the task of spying on the V-Date users, but when Silver appears as his first assignment, Logan knows that he will betray even his blood bond to be with her. This time he isn’t going to let her get away so easily.

While their romance begins as a simple love story between living and undead, their dangerous entanglements in the outside world begin to seep into their romance, threatening their very lives. Silver has to learn to trust and maybe even love for the first time, while Logan has to balance his affection for Silver with his desire to protect her. Facing judgment, loss and even death, can these lovers find a way to make it last?

Fraught with drama and danger, Dating the Undead is charged with all the thrills of forbidden romance and gives its lovers some intriguing personal backstories. It’s guaranteed to keep you reading well into the night.