Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Bad Boys of Paranormal

My reading tends to be all over the place, usually due to whatever I'm working on at any given time.  But, one way or another, I find myself craving a good paranormal romance or urban fantasy for the amazing creatures, the flash of magic, and those oooh-sooo-wonderful bad boys that frequently fill the pages.  I thought I'd pop by and share a quick list of some of my favorite bad boys I've encountered over the years.  I'll admit that I'm massively behind on most of the series that are listed below, but I'm steadily collecting the books in the wild hope that I will one day catch up on my reading.

Kisten from the Hollow series by Kim Harrison
If you've taken a chance on the Hollow series, then there's a good chance that you've fallen in love with Kisten as well.  A living vampire who's working for the bad guy that helps to bring Rachel Morgan out of her shell while tempting her in so many wonderful ways.  With Kisten, you're sure to laugh, cry, and swoon.

Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Anita Blake series was the third book/series I tried after Stoker's Dracula and Anne Rice's Lestat.  Yeah, there's a lot to love about Jean-Claude.  He's a complicated creature who doesn't pretend to live my humanity's rules and yet even with all his cruelty and selfish nature showing, he still manages to worm his way into your heart.  And maybe that's what makes him so tempting.  You know he's so very bad for you and yet you come back for more.


Jag from Pamela Palmer's Feral Warriors series
Stepping away from vampires for a bit, I have to say that I've never been a sucker  for a shifter but, Jag (sigh) has me constantly torn between smacking him and kissing him.  It takes a special woman to love a man who doesn't know when to shut his mouth.  Internally damaged in the worst way, Jag works very hard to keep everyone at arm's length from him.  It makes you want to hug him (when you're not longing to hit him).

Carlos from Kerrelyn Sparks' Love at Stake series
While we're talking about shifters, I have to know if you've met Carlos.  It was a tough choice when I thought about the Love at Stake series, because there are just too many wonderful heroes, but they seem too sweet to call them bad boys.  Except for Carlos.  Don't get me wrong.  He's a sweetheart too, but there's just something about him that makes me think that he's got a naughty side too and it makes him so much fun to read.

John Taylor from Simon R. Green's Nightside Series
John Taylor took me by surprise.  He's a private detective. working in the ultra secret part of London called the Nightside.  He's got a gift for being able to find anything... and I mean anything.  Naturally, it gets him into trouble every once in a while.  I love the Nightside and I loved John.  He's not sexy as the other men, but I loved watching him jump in and out of trouble like a dolphins darting through the water.

Gage Powell from Asylum Tales
What? You thought I'd make a list of my favorite bad boys without including my own two precious boys.  Gage has a special place in my heart.  He's like a brother who I worry over constantly.  He finds troubles like no one else I know and he's got no problem pissing people off when it suits him.  He's a tattoo artist, a warlock in hiding, and a man in love with a woman on the run.  He's torn between wanting the save the world, and wanting the world to stay out of his affairs.  I worry about Gage.  I worry about him a lot.



Danaus from the Dark Days series
This man is my first love.  Danaus is a bad boy in the darkest sense of the words. He is a vampire hunter to had the misfortune of fall in love with a vampire who had a thing for fire.  Danaus was trying to save the world from the bloodsuckers, and maybe even his own soul, but he didn't have much of a chance when it came to Mira. He's a fierce warrior with a deep sense of honor. A man of few words, Danaus never fears charging into a dangerous situation and if you catch him in the right mood, he's got a dark sense of humor.  I can't count the number of hours I spent with this man running through my thoughts, but I will say that it was time well spent. While I worry about Gage, I dream about Danaus.

Who are your favorite bad boys from the paranormal world?  Who would you be willing to run into on a dark lonely street when the moon is full?

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh I miss Danaus so much, he is definitely in my top 5. I desperately need more Danaus and Mira. Others would be Lothaire, I agree with Kisten(miss him :( ), Trent, Barrons and Jean -Claude also.
Curran and Bones are two more but I don't know if they would be considered bad boys or not. They are awesome alphas though.

Unknown said...

Top 5? Kisten, Trent, Jaden, Zarek, and Jean-Claude.

Unknown said...

all of those are great and there is a new up and coming also Darnyda Jones about Harley the female Grim reaper The Gravestone series are great six so far

Unknown said...

I'm suprised Harry Dresden isn't in your top 5 sincehis story arc and worl are so eerily similar to Gage from the Asylum Tales. He is my original bad boy crush.

Unknown said...

Adam in Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series!!

Lisa Kay said...

Thank you so much for this list. There are a couple of them I haven't tasted yet!

Unknown said...

The first two authors on you list are two of my very favorites. I love Kisten as well but I have to say that Asher in Laurell K Hamilton's series is my favorie. With his damaged beauty both inside and out he makes me want to just hug him. And Laurel's Merry Gentry series has so mamy wonderfully tempting hunks in it that I woulx be hard presses to choose just one. Haven't read any of your books yet, but will most certainly be remedyinv that in fhe very near future.

Unknown said...

Apologies for all the typos above. My smartphone isn't really all that smart. Lol!

Unknown said...

Bones is the badest of bad vampire boys.

Sithspit said...

Yes, Bones! Glad to see someone included him.

Anonymous said...

Curran from Ilona Andrews Kate Daniel's series, Vlad from Jeaniene Frost's Vampire series, Louis-Cesare from Karen Chance's Dorina series, Emmett London from JFK's Ghosthunter series, Charles from Patricia Briggs Alpha and Omega series etc.

Tabitha (Pabkins) said...

Can't believe I've only read the top two series - I'll definitely be adding the others to my read list!

skjackson13 said...

Cole from Gena Showalter's White Rabbit series and Jack from Kresley Cole's Poison Princess series for my inner teen. Pritkin from Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series, all the boys from the BDB and finally Barrons, Ryodan and Lor (in that order)from the Fever series for the win, because you couldn't lose with any of those three :)

skjackson13 said...
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Heathersmark said...

I've been a Hollows fan since I discovered the first book! Thrilled to see this list of one's I have yet to read! Thank you for writing this!! ♡

Unknown said...

My fave is Zsadist from BDB series by J.R. Ward

mrcygld said...

Top 5 for me has to be Barrons, Bones, Zhadist, terrible, and ranger. There are a few non leading men that really make me swoon especially Christian mcKeltar, kisten is in this category too. Anyone else think of Eric Northman pre book 10?

Unknown said...

Trent-hollows series
Bones-night huntress series
Trillion-otherworld series
Doyle-merry gentry series
All the lords of the underworld!!!!

Jocelynn Drake said...

These are some awesome names! I can't believe I forgot the boys of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. They definitely need to be on the list. I briefly thought about Harry Dresden, but I've only read the first couple books and in those he didn't feel like a bad boy to me. That might change in the later books. So many great suggestions! My TBR list just jumped!

Dawn C said...

Pritkin (Karen Chance)