I bet you thought this was a rec list for vampire romances, didn’t you? The timing sure fits, and getting sucked into one of these series is like being under a vamp’s thrall, but instead of stealing your blood, they’ll addict you to characters who will steal your heart, book after book. While I love series with different couples, I adore a good continuation series where the same couple features through-out. Coming to romance first as a TV-addict and fanfiction reader/writer, I gravitate to series that allow me to stay with the same characters/couple for more than one book. I want to see the characters grow and I want to roll around in the slow burn build of their conflict, romance and hard-won HEA. These are just a few of my favorites!
Captive Prince Trilogy by C.S. Pacat
This was one of the three series that hooked me on male/male romance (the other two being Nora Sakavic’s All for the Game series and Abigail Roux’s Cut & Run series). Imagine Ancient Sparta and the 17th century French court existing simultaneously, throw in two banished princes, Laurent and Damen, destined to be enemies yet complementing each other to a tee, one a master manipulator, the other a military prodigy, and the stage is set for the best, most original fantasy adventure, political thriller and enemies-to-lovers romance rolled into one fantastic trilogy. The audiobooks are also fabulous!
Naked In Death by J.D. Robb
At almost fifty books now, this is the ultimate immersive experience when it comes to knowing and loving a character, couple and world. At the center, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke, who continue to get into trouble and fall more in love. The near-future setting puts an interesting spin on this suspense series and lends itself to interesting high-tech cases and exciting investigative work.
Death and the Devil by L.J. Hayward
This series is my current obsession. In the first book (Where Death Meets the Devil), Aussie spy Jack Reardon finds himself unexpectedly allied with notorious assassin Ethan Blade. Both men are highly competent, mature adults, but they’re also both very scarred from past emotional and physical traumas. The push-pull between these two, professionally and personally, through the first novel, a coda and three novellas so far is stellar. The Australian (and South Pacific) setting is a delightful change, the storytelling framework unique, and the voice utterly original. I couldn’t stop turning pages, engaged in both the plot and slow-burning romance. And as someone who’s had the good fortune of beta reading Why the Devil Stalks Death, out in December, it only gets better.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Arguably women’s fiction with romantic elements, you can’t argue the romance at the heart of the story, and the compelling characters, Claire and Jamie, who drive it. Claire is smart, stubborn and capable, the force behind this incredible journey, and Jamie is relatively enlightened for the time period, along for the ride and Claire’s champion. Their tumultuous love story spans timelines and continents, and with eight (long) books in the series, it’ll keep you busy for at least a couple weeks. And don’t miss the mystery side series starring my favorite Outlander character, Lord John Grey!
Seven of Spades by Cordelia Kingsbridge
Warning: This series is not for the faint of heart. It is an unflinching look at two very flawed men, Las Vegas Detective Levi Abrams and Private Investigator Dominic Russo, who have to battle their own demons and a serial killer for a shot at happily ever after. The investigative detail work is impeccable, the action scenes movie-worthy, the whodunit / who-is-it mystery page-turning, and the ups and downs of Levi and Dom’s relationship realistic for a fledgling romance under this much stress. It’s hard to watch at times, but also impossible to look away. And who the hell is the Seven of Spades?!
Want more recs? There are plenty great continuations series out there, especially in male-male romance. We’re blessed with a bounty of them! Follow me on FB or Twitter, or in my Reader Group, where I’m usually gushing about my latest favorites!
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