SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

I know we have the BEST OF threads, but I thought it might be fun for the newbies to these genres to get a look at what our favorite PNR & UF series are.

So, which are your 10 favorite? You can list 5 for each or 10 for each or split the 10 anyway you'd like.

I read only PRN series, but here is my list:

Adrian, Lara - Midnight Breed series
Aiken, GA - Dragon Kin series
Frank, Jacquelyn - Nightwalker series
Frank, Jacquelyn - Shadow Walkers series
Ione, Larissa - Demonica
Johnson, Jean - Sons of Destiny
Kenyon, Sherrilyn - League Series
Kenyon, Sherrilyn - Dark Hunters series
Knight, Angela - Magneverse series
Laurenston - Shelly - Pride and Magnus Pack series
Leigh, Lora - Breed Series
Palmer, Pamela - Feral Warriors
Singh, Natalina - Psy/Changling Series
Ward, JR - Black Dagger Brotherhood

Top 10 PNR
No particular order

1. Psy-Changelings by Nalini Singh
2. Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter
3. Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward
4. Demonica by Larissa Ione
5. Immortally Sexy by Stephanie Rowe
6. Midnight Breed by Lara Adrian
7. Monere by Sunny
8. Fallen Angels by J.R. Ward
9. Pack by Shelly Laurenston
10. UFR The Dark Forgotten by Sharon Ashwood

Top 10 UF

1. The Maker's Song by Adrian Phoenix
2. Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost
3. Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
4. Southern Vampire/Sookie by Charlaine Harris
5. Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill
6. Dark Days by Jaye Wells
7. UFR Guild Hunter by Nalini Singh
8. Mercy Thompson & Alpha/Omega by Patricia Briggs
9. Shifters by Rachel Vincent
10. Rachel Morgan by Kim Harrison

Honorable Mentions: (sorry! this was harder than I thought)
UF-"Moonlight" by Nancy Gideon
UF-"Shadow World" by Dianne Sylvan
UF-"Nocturne City" by Caitlin Kittredge
UFR-"Riley Jenson" by Keri Arthur
UF-"Dorina Basarab" by Karen Chance
UFR"Women of the Otherworld" by Kelley Armstrong

Karen wrote: "I read only PRN series, but here is my list:

Adrian, Lara - Midnight Breed series
Aiken, GA - Dragon Kin series
Frank, Jacquelyn - Nightwalker series
Frank, Jacquelyn - Shadow Walkers series
..."

No UF, huh? I have been wanting to check out a couple of those, great to see they made your top 10 list! :)

Stealing Steph's idea and going for 10 of each, in no particular order :)

Top Ten PNR
1. Dark Hunters - Sherrilyn Kenyon
2. Love at Stake - Kerrelyn Sparks
3. Argeneau/Rogue Hunter - Lynsay Sands
4. Lords of the Underworld - Gena Showalter
5. Children of the Sea - Virginia Kantra
6. Accidental Witch/Triplet Witches - Annette Blair
7. Magic Series - Tracy Madison
8. Accidental Series - Dakota Cassidy
9. Broken Heart - Michele Bardsley
10. Ghostwalkers - Christine Feehan

Top 10 UF
1. Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
2. Chicagoland Vampires - Chloe Neill
3. Southern Vampires (True Blood) - Charlaine Harris
4. Mercy Thompson/Alpha & Omega - Patricia Briggs
5. Rachel Morgan - Kim Harrison
6. Women of the Otherworld - Kelley Armstrong
7. Weather Wardens - Rachel Caine
8. Walker Papers - C.E. Murphy
9. Shifters - Rachel Vincent
10. Greywalker - Kat Richardson

There are probably loads I haven't mentioned but love, but I did this using my read shelf here and I know not all my books are listed. So many awesome books, so little time :)

I, too, only read PNR. What can I say--I like HEAs! Here are my top 10 PNRs in no particular order.

1. Dark-Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon
2. Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter
3. Demonica by Larissa Ione
4. Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole
5. Love at Stake by Kerrelyn Sparks
6. Argeneau Vamps/Rogue Hunters by Lynsay Sands
7. Midnight Breed by Lara Adrian
8. Sentinel Wars by Shannon K. Butcher
9. Guardians of Eternity by Alexandra Ivy
10. Mageverse by Angela Knight

Honorable Mentions (sorry, it's tough to leave these off the list):
Warriors of Poseidon by Alyssa Day
Nightcreatures by Lori Handeland
Night Huntress World by Jeanine Frost (Would put it in the top 10 if it were longer)
Novels of the Others by Christine Warren
Nightwalkers by Jacquelyn Frank
ACRO by Sydney Croft

In no particular order and because I still don't know the difference between the two...

1. J.R. Ward - Black Dagger Brotherhood
2. Kresley Cole - Immortals After Dark
3. Sherrilyn Kenyon - Dark Hunter
4. Keri Arthur – Riley Jensen Guardian
5. Jeaniene Frost - Night Huntress
6. Gena Showalter – Lords of the Underworld
7. Larissa Ione – Demonica
8. G.A. Aiken – Dragon Kin
9. Lynsay Sands - Argeneau/Rogue Hunter
10. Katie MacAlister – Dark Ones & Dragon Series

Honorable Mentions:
Lara Adrian - Midnight Breed
Kerrelyn Sparks - Love at Stakes
Dakota Cassidy - Accidental Series

In no particular order:

1. Sherrilyn Kenyon- Dark Hunter
2. Lords Of The Underworld- Gena Showalter
3. Carpathian - Christine Feehan
4. Midnight Breed- Lara Adrian
5. Immortals After Dark- Kresley Cole
6. Argeneau Vampires- Lynsay Sands
7. Black Dagger Brotherhood- J.R. Ward
8. Guardians Of Eternity- Alexandra Ivy
9. Nightwalkers- Jacquelyn Frank
10. Warriors Of Poseidon- Alyssa Day

TOP 10 FAVORITE PNR/UF SERIES

1. Fever by Karen Marie Moning
2. Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost
3. Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill
4. Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
5. Shadow World by Dianne Sylvan
6. Alex Craft by Kalayna Price
7. Demonica by Larissa Ione
8. The Disillusionist Trilogy by Carolyn Crane
9. Highlanders by Karen MArie Moning
10. Mercedes Thompson by Patricia Briggs

I can't believe I forgot Moning's Fever and Highlander series.

Can I get a little shout out from the UF only girls? Where's my backup? ;)

Top 10 Fave UF Series

Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane
Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill
Fever by Karen Marie Moning
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Cassandra Palmer/Dorina Basarab by Karen Chance
Sirantha Jax by Ann Aguirre *Jax is more sci-fi than UF, but it reads like UF, so I'm including it :)*
Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter
Mercedes Thompson/Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs
Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris

LOL! Shout*Shout Oh, whoops, I enjoy the occasional MINE!, love-at-first-sight HEA mixed in with my battlin' of underworld baddies UF. ;)

Great lists, guys! Definitely some on there I need to check out.

Kimberly wrote: "In no particular order and because I still don't know the difference between the two..."

Kimberly, you might find this chat thread interesting. It has a breakdown of PNR v. UF and some of our discussions on both. :)

What's the Difference? PNR v. UF

Not much of a PNR girl myself, Laura, so I'll stick with my top UF:

1. Kara Gillian by Diana Rowland
2. Mercedes Thompson by Patricia Briggs
3. Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill
4. Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep
5. Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost
6. Alex Craft by Kalayna Price
7. Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
8. Southern Vampires by Charlaine Harris

9 and 10 are up for grabs for now.

Coolio, I have the Elemental Assassins & Grave Witch on my TBR, probably April--they didn't make the March cut whe I put my challenge lists together today. :)

I agree with you guys not being much of a PNR fan. There are only a few PNR series I am in love with. I hope to find more soon though.

Steph wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "In no particular order and because I still don't know the difference between the two..."

Kimberly, you might find this chat thread interesting. It has a breakdown of PNR v. UF an..."
Thanks Steph! I'll check it out!

NP, Kimberly. :)

Such a difficult question. But, I will try off the top.of my head. Forgive my typos... this was typed on my Android phone and it loves to try to auto correct incorrectly *grin*

Urban Fantasy
1. Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
2. Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost
3. Mercy Thompson/Alpha&Omega series by Patricia Briggs
4. Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison
5. Shifters series by Rachel Vincent
6. Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill
7. Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
8. Aisling Grey series by Katie MacAlister
9. Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead
10. Georgina Kincaid by Richelle Mead

Favorite historical urban fantasy:
1. Gardella Vampires by Colleen Gleason
2. Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger

Paranormal Romance
1. Shifters Unbound series by Jennifer Ashley
2. Dark Hunters series by Sherrilyn Kenyon
3. Immortally Sexy series by Stephanie Rowe
4. Night Huntress World series by Jeaniene Frost
5. Love at Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks
6. Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning
7. Dark Ones series by Katie MacAlister
8. Naked Werewolf series by Molly Harper
9. Argeneau series by Lynsay Sands
10. Love/hate Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward

No particular order:

Urban Fantasy
1. Fever series by Moning
2. Kate Daniels series by Andrews
3. Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
4. Chicagoland Vamps series by Neill
5. Harry Dresden series by Butcher
6. Downside Ghosts by Kane
7. Sirantha Jax by Aguirre
8. Cassie Palmer series by Chance
9. Anita Blake by Hamilton (I am only up to 6 so this ranking may change)
10. Sookie Stackhouse by Harris
11. Disillusionist Trilogy by Crane

PNR (not my favorite genre)
1. BDB
2. Highlanders by Moning

I have read other PNR series, but wouldn't list them as faves.

yea. UF apparently dominates my favorite series list. I'm surprised when I do find a PNR that I really like.

Mariya wrote: "yea. UF apparently dominates my favorite series list. I'm surprised when I do find a PNR that I really like."


Mariya I agree completely.

Limit to 10, Eeek! Didn't quite happen, LOL. I did break up my favorites lists into categories though. I included Fantasy and Science Fiction because a couple edge the line over into alternate history, some are popular among people here on SOS and the others are personal favorites just too darn fantastic not to mention.

Picking a top 10 is hard, so many factors to consider. I have a lot of "favorites" so I really had to work to limit my lists using only two factors. First is the Shhh! Don't Tell the Publisher rule. Would I buy these books even if they were only available in hardcover? If I could wait a year for the paperback, it didn't make the cut. Second is the Wake Me Up rule. I've been dealing with insomnia for the past few years, some weeks I only average about 4 hours a night. So I really value my sleep. Certain books don't quite make the Shhh! cut, however I'd still be willing to sacrifice sleep in order to read the book. After weighing these two factors (and after much rambling), I came up with the following lists.


Top PNR
Psy-Changeling by Nalini Singh
Sazi by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
Breeds by Lora Leigh
Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon
various series by Christine Feehan

Top Urban Fantasy
Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
Walker Papers by C.E. Murphy
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
Allie Beckstrom by Devon Monk
Southern Vampire by Charlaine Harris
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong

Top Fantasy
Kushiel by Jacqueline Carey
Black Jewels by Anne Bishop
Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara West
The Sun Sword by Michelle West

Top Romantic Science Fiction
In Death by J.D. Robb
Katherine "Kitty" Katt by Gini Koch

Oh, I totally forgot Shifters by Vincent, really enjoyed those. I have way too many faves to keep to a "Top 10", that's for sure. I also seem to fall in love with whatever I'm reading at the time. I guess that's why my ratings tend to be closer to 4, than 3 for a "I really enjoyed this book" rating. :D

Hmm. My favorite series. So many to choose from. In no particular order:

1. Jim Butcher's Dresden Files
2. Richelle Mead's Georgina Kincaid series
3. JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood
4. Lynsay Sand's Argeneau Vampires
5. Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series
6. Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters
7. Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampires
8. Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark
9. Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampires
10. JK Rowling's Harry Potter series (which I don't think is what you are asking for, since it's strictly fantasy, but I just love them too much to not put them on the list)

I'm loving everyone else's lists. I have the first couple of books from the Chicagoland Vampires in my TBR mountain. Seeing them on so many of your lists makes me look forward to them. :-)

Chicagoland Vampires is a fun series, Crystal. Hope you enjoy them too. :)

Regina wrote: "No particular order:

Urban Fantasy
1. Fever series by Moning
2. Kate Daniels series by Andrews
3. Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
4. Chicagoland Vamps series by Neill
5. Harry..."

We have almost exactly the same list. Shocker, huh? Lol. You have Anita where I have Jane Yellowrock, but other than that, it's exactly the same. I just bought the 2nd Disillusionist Trilogy book yesterday, so I may be adding a #11 to my list, as well. :)

And I never read any Anita, and never will, don't forget about my cute little OCDemon--I would have a really hard time not reading the next book, hoping for something better, and I have heard waaaaay too many of my GR friends kicking themselves for reading the later books. I won't subject myself to the torment. :)

LOL, from what I understand you would be in for a world of torture (and reading about sex with creates that have tentacles). I haven't read Jane Yellowrock yet, but based on your reviews I have it on my to read list for this month (which includes March). So I may be adding that one too. I am so glad I started Cassie Palmer, I wish I hadn't waited.

I need to reread the Cassies before the 5th one comes out in June. I read the 1st four in December 2009, and there's so much info in them, I feel I need a refresher. I feel bad for the people who read #4 when it came out in April 2009--that's 26 months between books. Shnikeys.

How far are you into them? I need to know before I ask if you're a Mircea or Pritkin gal. ;)

ETA: I just checked your shelves, and you're only 2 books into the series. Pritkin's still an ass. Well, he's still an ass 4 books in, but he grows on ya. Like a fungus. But a good fungus, like a sexy truffle, or a life saving penicillin. :)

I am a huge fan of the love/hate thing (maybe also why I like UF) and I guess, to be honest, I like abrasive assholes. Yikes. So that being said about my bad psychological state, I like Pritkin even after book #2. I loved the part when they realized they were both very attracted to each other. And I love Tomas. I liked him in book 1 and I loved the developments in 2. I am not a Mircea fan, it isnt that I dislike him, I just see him as a former caretaker of Cassie. Pritkin is very appealing and in a way he reminds me of a grown up Jace (from Mortal Instsruments).

Was the tattoo parlor scene in book 2? If it was, then yes, I was a Pritkin fan by then, too. I don't want to say I like abrasive assholes, because sometimes, that's all they are--assholes. I like the abrasive assholes who are using the abrasiveness as a defense mechanism--they are poor, little wounded martyrs on the inside, and they use asshole to keep people away. It's always fun to see the heroine chip away to get to their ooey gooey center. :)

And I never liked Mircea either. I like him as a character, even more so after having read the Dory books, but I never liked him as a love interest for Cassie. He's too oily smooth for my liking. I like the ones that are hard to get, not the ones that are hitting on the heroine at every turn. :) Have you gotten to the geis yet? Hated that.

Lol @ ooey gooey centres!
I didn't like Mircea that much for the first book but then again, I didn't like Pritkin either. Because I read them without being recommended or hearing about them beforehand, it was only when he turned up in the second book that I even considered he'd be a love interest. Like Cassie, I didn't even look at him that way and kind of disliked him. Obviously I don't anymore but I think it's made their relationship even better IMO, because they had to get to know each other. Cannot wait for HtM, have you read the 2 chapters posted on KC's site?

You said it much better than me Laura -- yes that is it exactly! Yes, the tattoo scene was in #2. Josie I agree, I couldn't stand Pritkin in #1. I started to like him in #2.

Josie, I knew about all the Pritkin talk before I started the series, and here is a status update while I was reading the 1st book:

"Not that I don't trust you all, but are you sure I'm going to love Pritkin in the future? Jeez, he is so annoying now."

Lol! And one of my GR friends commented on it, after I'd read all 4 books, saying something about how funny was this comment in hindsight, since I was Pritkin gaga at that point. And I said, "The best part is I knew you all loved him, so to go into it knowing that--and still wanting to punch him in the piehole--was a strange conundrum."

And no, I haven't read the 1st two chapters on her site, I don't like doing that because then I want to keep reading and it kills me, plus, when I do finally get the book, I start reading those 2 chapters again and wish I could skip them since I already read this stuff, but sometimes they add extra, and I don't want to miss anything. Yes, I'm a weirdo.

LOL Laura! I remember posting something similar on someone else's review -- that Pritkin was too rabid or too much of a believer/rigid to be interesting.

Lol! He was so infuriating! And angry! I like to think Cassie's mellowed him a bit :)

One of my fav quotes about Pritkin: "He wasn't that good looking, he had the social skills of a wet cat and the patience of a caffeinated hummingbird"

And I don't blame you for not reading it but I couldn't resist! I died inside a little bit when I couldn't read on but the content was worth it :D

Laura Lulu wrote: "I feel bad for the people who read #4 when it came out in April 2009--that's 26 months between books...."

*raises hand* That's me. :\ Hense my re-read. :)

Ya'll are so funny. Enjoyed the Cassy banter. I've always been a fan of Pritkin, even when he was a major pain in the arse. Love the quote, Josie.

1. Guildhunter series Nalini Singh
2. The Others series Anne Bishop
3. Vampires in America series D.B. Reynolds
4. Psy-Changeling series Nalini Singh
5. Elder Races series-Thea Harrison
6. Blood Destiny series-Helen Harper
7. Hidden Legacy series-Ilona Andrews
8. Mercy Thompson series-Patricia Briggs
9. Shadow Hunter series-Christine Feehan
10. Dark Hunter series-Sherrilyn Kenyon

Some really good ones listed AlyssReads!! Its no wonder they're your favourites :)

It'd be interesting to see whether people's lists have changed.

New series added, old ones maybe dropped off the lists or they might be holding up against the new series?

I was thinking the same. And, thinking I might wanna review my favorites to see how they compare to my lists from 2011. I can already tell ya that some have moved down or maybe even off the top 10 for me since then.

Oh, I completely agree. I'm doing a re-read right now and I can already tell it's different for me this time. You guys should update your lists!!

I will, eventually :)

Steph wrote: "I will, eventually :)"

Oh, I'm just curious. No pressure. Like, ever. ;)

Okay, here's mine. Because I have hours before I need to be at work...LOL.

PNR Series:
-Nalini Singh
-Nora Roberts

The Urban Fantasy's a bit harder. I made sure that my list is only series that I am caught up on or have read through the end. There are several others I could list, but I'd need to re-read them or finish them to see if they hold up.

UF Series:
-Anne Bishop
-Stacia Kane
-Kim Harrison
-Seanan McGuire
-Patricia Briggs
-Ilona Andrews
-Ilona Andrews
-Kalayna Price
-Patricia Briggs

UF Comedy Series Because I don't really compare them to the ones on the list above. It's a different type of storytelling, I think?
-Seanan McGuire
-Darynda Jones

Holly wrote: "Okay, here's mine. Because I have hours before I need to be at work...LOL. "

I agree with your list Holly though for the life of me, i could never really get into Mercy Thompson series. I think i stopped at book 5. I prefer the Alpha & Omega series to it. I adore The Others by Anne Bishop. I love the subtext behind it; it really resonated with me. Anything by Ilona Andrews is gold!

I'll add for UF:

by Ella Summers. This series is still ongoing but so far so good, 5 stars!
by Jim Butcher. This series is epic.
by Nalini Singh

PNR:
by Jennifer L. Armentrout (I know it's YA and a bit sci-fi but i looovvveee this book)
by Laura Thalassa

These are the ones that comes to mind at the moment, i'm sure missing some.

Holly wrote: "Oh, I'm just curious. No pressure. Like, ever. ;)"

😜

Oyinlola wrote: "Holly wrote: "I agree with your list Holly though for the life of me, i could never really get into Mercy Thompson series. I think i stopped at book 5. I prefer the Alpha & Omega series to it. I adore The Others by Anne Bishop. I love the subtext behind it; it really resonated with me. Anything by Ilona Andrews is gold!."

Oh, my gosh, I feel the same way! A&O just resonates more with me, too (vs. Mercy Thompson, that is). I feel a sort of....loyalty to the MT series? It was my second-ever UF adventure and I really read most of them before I knew there were so many more out there.

That said, once I got to Silence Fallen, I was like, clapping and shocked and giggling. That book was very, very surprising. I'm absolutely a Charles & Anna diehard, though.

I also agree about the Others and the subtext. That series just fills some part of my soul in the best way. I can't wait to re-read them and read the new release this year!

I read and I remember loving the siren aspect of it. Have you read the next ones in the series? Are they worth continuing? It's been a while.

I'm seeing several series' I haven't read yet. Yeah!! Always on the lookout for something new. I go back and for on the MT vs. Alpha and Omega series'. I really do love them both!

That's one of the best things about these types of lists, AlyssReads; they're a great help in finding new authors & series. :D