Hehehe. I crack me up.
Apparently there are a number of us who admit to having an “OMG, they’re so freaking HOT” thing for mate/shifter stories. (Eg Lily, Orannia and Tracy.)
Yeah, the trope is a (very) familiar one (ie thrashed to death because even those without a creative bone in their body can recognise a winner almost as fast as they can say ‘urban fantasy’ *kaching*).
I also have major – HUGE, GINORMOUS – issues with books that use the “we’re mates” theme as a seemingly more palatable way of dealing with homosexuality, especially in some GFY-type stories. Pisses me off no end.
Let’s face it though, when it works the mate/shifter deal definitely sets the undies (translation from Australian: panties (US), knickers (UK)) or the boxers alight so I thought I’d share with you my faves… books, not undies cos ewww… moving on…
First up is a series I have pimped to death talked about before because I love it so freaking much and this is M L Rhodes’ The Draegan Lords. Go read why I think M L and these stories are awesome here and then go BUY THE BOOKS STRAIGHT AWAY! EXCUSE ME NO EXCUSES!! ::ahem::
Second is J L Langley’s With Caution, which is the third book in her With/Without series. This, I think, is the best in a good bunch. Writing, plot, pacing, development, characters – everything about it is great. Not to mention Remi and Jake being very, very smexy together. 😉
Third – and finally – is Shelly Laurenston’s Magnus Pack and Pride series. Her heroines are snarky, kick arse bitches, who don’t take shit from anyone least of all their men. I’ve posted about her before because I think her stories are absofrigginlutely hilarious. You will die laughing (hopefully not literally). Good stuff for those feeling a little blue.
Which mate/shifter stories have worked for you? What about the ones that have been total shit unconvincing??
Well, Lily, Orannia and Tracy?? I’m waiting…
Kris + Books = Good. *Sometimes*. 
With Caution was my favorite too. I'm not a shifter fanatic, but I like them. I can handle the mates GFY, but I like to go with the flow if hot smexin' is involved. 😀
Not sure which others are my faves. Draegan Lords was great (when is that next book coming out).
I liked TA Chase's wolf Lou. God, can't think of any others off hand. Trying to think of something NOT a wolf. The Nalini Singh psy series I loved, lots of cat shifters there. That's m/f though.
I'm sure if you name some more I might remember them.
“I'm sure if you name some more I might remember them.”
Oh, okay then I'll get right to it, shall I. *rolls eyes* Your fingers are broke again, aren't they??
“but I like to go with the flow if hot smexin' is involved. :-D”
You shock me, Tam. You srsly do.
I've never read the Nalini Singh series before but I've heard great things about it.
The third DL book is coming out for my birthday *M L promised right here on this blog*. Get your diary out… that's SEPTEMBER 30!!! *Choccies, book vouchers and accolades will all be accepted.*
Okay, I just read Hellbourne 3 (like 10 min. ago) and the true love is a wolf and here is his romantic statement of the day:
“…if one day you decide you
wish to be a demon lord, I’ll murder a basketful of kittens in a playground full of kindergarteners if it will send me to hell to be by your side.”
Now THAT is true love. LOL
Here's a list of some of my favs…
You already mentioned 2 of them, JL Langley's With or Without series and ML Rhodes Dragean Lords series
plus
Anne Cain's Pawprints series (so cute, cats and dogs)
Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael's Kitten 1&2
Sean Michael's Bite and Bitten
Christine Warren's Fixed series (from when I still read m/f)
I've read many more but these are the ones that come to mind now.
@Tam
Wow, no kidding, true love indeed.
*thanking her stars that this is the interwebz and no one can see the tears running down her face* Such a beautiful sentiment, Tam. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Oooh, good choices, Lily. I can’t believe I forgot Christine Warren. I only own all of the books in that series. LOL.
I’m gonna be reviewing the Pawprints series for Wave. I read them ages ago, but it will be fun to revisit them. 🙂
Hey, Kris!
I’m new to your blog (shocking!) and had to comment.
I don’t read much M/M (weird, aren’t I? 🙂 ), but I love shifter books. However, they have to be GOOD shifter books. 😀
I did like With Caution. Won that on someone’s blog. Think it was LB’s.
I like To Trust a Wolf and To Tempt a Wolf, both by Kate Steele.
The Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh (hot, hot, hot heroes. *fans self*).
Christine Warren
And I’m writing a shifter series, but they aren’t werewolves. I’m sick of werewolves. It’s a shifter/mage/human world and I LIKE it. 🙂
*looks around wildly*
*points at self* You looking at me?
I echo everyone who has said Nalini’s Psy/Changeling series. They just keep getting better and better! I have With Caution, but I haven’t read it yet *ducks* I know I said I love shifter stories (and I do) but I’m still discovering them 🙂
HI Bridget! *waves*
And don’t shoot me but I haven’t read the Draegan Lord series…
*off to hunt them down*
*pops head back around door* I finished Bent and I think I’m in love….with Sean Michael’s writing! That book! I haven’t been that obsessed by a book since….Melusine! I WANT MORE!! Kris, oh wise one, which Sean Michael book should I tackle…I mean read…first please?
Hey Bridget! Welcome to my random madness or madomness as I like to call it. 😉 *I don’t really. I srsly need to stop making stuff up. Anyhoo…*
You *gasp* don’t read much m/m?? For shame! Don’t worry I’ll be happy to be your genre pimp. LOL.
If you like Kate Steele, have you ever tried her m/m work?? Since we are speaking shifters, I can definitely recommend her short “What the Cat Dragged In” through Ellora’s Cave. It’s is a gem.
“hot, hot, hot heroes” Definitely sounds right up my alley. I think I’m going to have to try Nalini Singh. With you, Tam and now Orannia talking them up.
You are writing a shifter series that features mages and humans? Very cool. 🙂 And they’re not wolves… I think I’m in love already. 😉 God save me from bloody wolves. The followers of this blog are rabid proponents of stories featuring were-kangaroos. We love ’em. LOL.
Orannia, go read the Draegan Lord series NOW!!!!! *mutterwhatthehellisSHEdoingmutter*
You are in love with Sean Michael?? Good Lord, grasshopper. When you jump into the m/m romance genre you certainly jump right into the deep end, don’t you. LOL.
I’m going to be posting about one of my faves of his within the next day or so, but in the interim the rest of his “Hammer” series is good as is “Bite” (as Lily mentioned) and “Where Flows the Water” (hard arse Emmy cries when she talks about this book – she loves it so).
<>You are in love with Sean Michael?? Good Lord, grasshopper. When you jump into the m/m romance genre you certainly jump right into the deep end, don’t you. LOL.<>Well….yes 🙂 The (very tame [c.f the rest of the book *grin*] but very interesting) exercept caught my eye on Fictionwise so I purchased it on Saturday….and then the book consumed me! The thing about Bent was that it introduced both me and Jim to…lots of new things, but it worked so well. I don’t know how to explain it 🙂
I am looking forward to your discussion of your SM fave…that so didn’t come out right LOL! In the interim, I’m going to get the rest of the Hammer series. I wonder if Sean Michael is going to do a sequel to Bent. There just seems more to tell….or is that just me? I want to know what happened about the book…and the letters!
…how obsessed do I sound?
Obsessed??? Umm, maybe a smidge. *Note to self: Orannia could turn out to be a nutso stalker to Sean Michael. Besides that she is all growed up liking BDSM and stuff. :)*
2nd book in the Hammer series is the best, IMHO. And the discussion about my fave of his is really more of an acknowledgment about some of my own ::ahem:: tendencies. 😉
Not all Sean Michael is “bent”. LOL There are some more “straight” stories that I really enjoyed. I like the short <>The Tutor<> a lot, <>Love in an Elevator<> is also a fave. There are two or three sorts with a blind protag but I thing <>The Sight of Home<> is the best. I also loved the <>Personal Best<> series. There is a series of shorts that Jenre reviewed the <>Cherry Sours/Lemon Drops/Licorice Whips<> series of shorts if you want to explore a shaving fetish. Sounds odd but it works. I also liked <>Bite<> and <>Bitten<>. I swear no one can write non-stop sex that doesn’t make you want to just skip the whole thing like Sean Michael.
“I swear no one can write non-stop sex that doesn’t make you want to just skip the whole thing like Sean Michael.”
Yep, I’m with you, Tam. For some reason it just works in his stories.
<>I swear no one can write non-stop sex that doesn’t make you want to just skip the whole thing like Sean Michael.<>
I’ll second that, Tam.
I too have With Caution on my tbr pile. It’s been there so long I’d forgotten about it. oops!
Oops, indeed. 🙂
@ Orannia
I love Sean's writing, here's a few more suggestions for you.
The Velvet Glove books are BDSM stories set in a futuristic world.
Sammy's Place, When Harry Met Jason and Between Friends (Between was written first but should be read last)
Need and Chosen (Vampire)
Secrets, Skin & Leather (super hot corset fetish)
Switched (futuristic story of twins who somehow switch bodies and have to find a way to get back to their own life)
Tripwire (awesome story of a doctor and a mercenary set in a jungle)
Center of the Earth and Sky & Painting the Desert (beware these are twincest m/m/m stories)
The Bruised and Guardian Angel Chaser series
and my favorite his Jarheads series, these books are totally “non-stop sex that doesn't make you want to just skip the whole thing” and consists of about 12 books, some full sized novels and some are short 10-15 page stories. Very hot!!
And in case it's not already obvious, I LOVE SM and have read just about all of his books.
Mega fan here, not a stalker 🙂
Lily
Bloody Hell!!!
There’s a fine line, Lily, is all I’m sayin’.
Kris, as long as I can still see the line in front of me and not behind me everything's good. For Sean and for me ;D
Lily
Orannia, take notes. Lily obviously has extensive experience in the shades of grey between pyscho stalker and rabid fan.
@ BL – seriously sister – she WILL be your m/m pimp! lol She's mine and I love it.
So I'm like, soooooo honored that you mentioned me in a post *cue Valley Girl speak*.
Ok – fav shifters….With Caution – uber awesome shifters.
Nalini Singh's Psy/Changeling series..wonderful shifter/alpha males.
Of course Shelly Laurenston. Love those shifters. Although I've not read her Pride stories, have you?
I can always use suggestions so I'll look over everyone's comments to get ideas. Yeah, like I need more books.
I hate to sound like a retard (but it looks so good on me) but who's Sean Michael?
Kris-I should clarify. My shifters ARE wolves, but they aren't werewolves. They aren't able to bite people and turn them. It's all in the genetics, baby. 🙂
I love wolf shifters, but I'm not a big fan of the werewolves. Yeah, that's an oxymoron, but there you go. 🙂
Thanks for the welcome. I feel so loved. 😀
ROFLMAO!!!!!!
Kris, how'd you know gray is one of my favorite colors? It's beautiful with so many shades to it, suits my complexion really well ;D
I'm not sure I like Rabid Fan, I think Mega Fan has a better ring to it.
Lily *otherwise known as SM's MF*
Retard, whoops, I mean, Tracy: Pimping is great fun for me. You know how I love spending other people's money.
You like NS too?? God, I'm starting to feel like the odd kid out. LOL.
SL's Pride stories are great. Read 'em!!
Sean Michael is an m/m erotica author, who mainly writes for Torquere Press – http://www.torquerepress.com/.
OMG, I'm like soooo thanking gawd that Lily didn't see your comment cos she would've just died.
Bridget: I read your comment and thought to myself “well, of course, we were talking about the thrashing of the werewolf story as opposed to the shifter wolf”. LOL. We're on the same wavelength already. 😉
“Thanks for the welcome. I feel so loved. :D”
Yep, it won't be long at all before we start picking on you too. *G*
Lily honey, SM MF looks like an acronymn for some new kind of sexual behaviour. You might want to rethink that one.
Thank you Kris, Tam and Lily for all the SM suggestions 🙂 *bounce bounce* I'm going to have fun 🙂
Orannia, take notes. Lily obviously has extensive experience in the shades of grey between pyscho stalker and rabid fan.
Apprentice self to Lily…gotcha 😉
@ Kris
Lol, you're right, it looked better last night. I guess I'll stick to Lily with no weird letter combos.
@ Orannia
Welcome, my apprentice!!
Lily