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Serious Series Addiction

ShadowfeverI’m a romance reader who loves series books.  Give me books for all the brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, pack mates, or even coven members and blood brothers an author can come up with; I’m good with’em all if they’re well done of course. Luckily for me, my three most favorite series books will all soon to be released installments and while I’m looking forward to the releases, each one will be somewhat bittersweet.  My love for them, tied to my angst and worry over seeing them end, makes me wonder if I’ll find other books to take their place and who else out there feels the same way about these books and others.

I’ve written about Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series before and I’m still just as addicted to it today as I was when I read Faefever for the first time.  I’m sad to see it end.  I began with the third in the series and it didn’t take me long to get sucked into MacKayla Lane’s world of Seelie and Unseelie Fae.  The first person narration, suspense plot, and unique setting work for me in almost every way.  With four books already released in the series, the final installment, Shadowfever, will be released on January 18, 2011.  Hopefully, as many questions as possible will be answered and Mac will finally be with Barrons, but if not, I won’t be completely surprised because I have visions of the Lost finale with it’s lack of answers and have a feeling this will be similar since there are so many questions that need answers.  Plus, I read on Moning’s site that she’s signed with Random House for three more books set in the Fever World, so while Mac’s story arc may conclude the problems may continue.  Regardless, I’ll miss Mac and Barrons and hate to say goodbye.

I’m also quite addicted to Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series and just can’t get enough of her heroes regardless of what they are – vampire, werewolf, demon, or vemon.  In mid-February, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Reagan and Aidan’s story will be released and I’m buzzing with excitement.  I love Reagan and have wanted her story for so long and can’t wait to see how Cole brings them together.  However, as this one’s released, the series draws even closer to an ending, which I dread.  According to Cole’s Web site, she has a dozen books plotted out in the IAD series and from what I’ve read, I think they’ll be two more after Dreams of a Dark Warrior.

A series that I came late to is Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters and I’m seriously, hopelessly obsessed.  I’m eagerly looking forward to the next release on March 22, 2011 and while it isn’t ending, she’s announced on her site that Izzy’s book, Breaking the Rules, is her longest Troubleshooters book because she plans to take a break from the series and wanted to tie up loose story arcs.  When I read her statement, I wanted to cry.  Seriously.  A “break” isn’t an end – I get that, but it still feels like the writing is on the wall and for me no other series has the depth and scope of Brockmann’s Troubleshooters.  I will literally be depressed when it ends.

Not all series books hold my interest for the entire run.  I abandoned both J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood and Lisa Kleypas’ Hathaway series. I never had much interest in Xhex, though I did like John Matthew, but obviously not enough to actually read Lover Mine and continue with the series.  With the Hathaway books, I think my lack of interest in continuing had more to do with my changing tastes than the stories themselves.

As my three series obsessions gradually come to an end, I can only hope that others will rise up to fill the void. How do you feel about romances series?  Which ones do you follow and why?  Or, which ones do you avoid and why?

– Heather AAR

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