One of the greatest things about books…they aren’t disposable, you don’t read it once and it automatically starts disintegrating into your hands or dramatically go up in flames. You keep them, you put them on your shelf or store them on a file in your eReader or computer, where they patiently wait for you to open them again and immerse yourself back into their world. Of course, it is unlikely that you will reread everything you have ever read, there are far too many new books with new worlds to explore popping up that you can’t wait to get your hands on…so I always think there is something special about the books that you do go back to time and again, despite having new and exciting options to explore. This Top Ten gives you the books that we Under the Covers girls love to reread!
Neighbours from Hell series by R.L. Mathewson
This one is reread by Suz. A lot. When she needs something absolutely guaranteed to make her laugh, this is the book she automatically reaches for. You can’t go wrong with this mixture of romance and humour, which offers you some light relief when you just need something to make you smile.
Done with being the world’s biggest pushover, Haley decides that things are going to change starting with the aggravating neighbor who has too much charm and not enough restraint. What she didn’t expect was to be sucked into his world, but Haley has a game plan and she won’t let herself forget just what the bad boy next door is capable of.
The last thing Jason expected was for his little shy neighbor to go Rambo on him over some ruined flowers. After he decides to take her under his wing he can’t help but notice that she fits very nicely in his life. Now the only thing left is to convince her that this is anything but a game.
The Hollows series by Kim Harrison
This one is a favourite of Fran’s, it is action packed and full or surprises, even on a second, third reading. Add a little it of sexy and ever growing hope that the bad guy, may have a glimmer of goodness in his heart it becomes irresistible. Add in some of Fran’s most beloved characters, rereading it is almost like meeting up with friends.
Forty years ago a genetically engineered virus killed half of the world’s human population and exposed creatures of dreams and nightmares that had, until then, lived in secret alongside humanity.
Rachel Morgan is a runner with the Inderland Runner Services, apprehending criminals through out modern-day Cincinnati. She is also a witch.
Used to confronting criminal vampires, dark witches and homicidal werewolves, Rachel’s latest assignments – apprehending cable-stealing magic students and tax-evading leprechauns – have prompted her to break her thirty-year contract with the I.S. and start her own runner agency.
But no one quits the I.S.
Marked for death, Rachel is a dead witch walking unless she can appease her former employers and pay off her contract by exposing the city’s most prominent citizen as a drug lord. But making an enemy of the ambiguous Trent Kalamack proves even more deadly than leaving the I.S
Blud Series by Delilah S. Dawson
Another one of Fran’s favourite rereads and one that if you ask her for recommendation it is bound to pop up on the list! Where else would you find a hero as uniquely creepy as Criminy Stain, and bunnies that would like nothing better than to gnaw on your flesh? No where. It is one that you can’t help going back to again and again.
When nurse Tish Everett forced open the pesky but lovely locket she found at an estate sale, she had no idea she was answering the call of Criminy Stain, from the far off land of Sang. He’d cast a spell for her, but when she’s transported right to him, she’s not so sure she’s ready to be under the spell of another man. (It didn’t go so well last time with controlling, abusive, domineering Jeff.) If only Criminy wasn’t so deliciously rakish….
Half the inhabitants of Sang are Pinkies—human—and the other half are Bludmen, who in Tish’s world would be called vampires. But they don’t mess with any of the bat/coffin/no sunlight nonsense. They’re rather like you and me, just more fabulous, long living, and mostly indestructible. (They’re also very good kissers.) But when the evil Mayor of Manchester (formerly Bludchester) redoubles his efforts to rid Sang of the Bludmen once and for all, stealing Tish’s locket in hopes of traveling back to her world himself for reinforcements, Criminy and Tish must battle ghosts, sea monsters, wayward submarines, a secret cabal, and thundering Bludmares to get the locket back and allow Tish to return home…but has she found love with Criminy? Could she stay in Sang forever?
The Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn
An Annie and Suz favourite and if you read much Historical Romance than you have probably heard of them. Funny and romantic, Julia Quinn gives writes the best light hearted historical romances, which are easy to delve into again and again as you read through your favourite couple’s story. Suz is partial to a bit of Penelope and Colin (book #4 Romancing Mister Bridgerton) where as Annie swears by some Francesca and Michael (book #6 When He Was Wicked), but there is no denying that they all offer something funny and touching that draws you in and tempts you to read again.
Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?
— Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1813
By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister, the lovely—and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.
But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her… but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke… for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love..
Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
This is one of Annie’s ALL TIME favourite books and one of the series that she has reread the most. The twists, the turns, the action, the mystery, magic and mayhem, it all comes together to make a unique, dark and edgy series. Then you have Barrons. I am pretty sure Annie has a temple set up at home dedicated to him where she worships him, probably naked, and there is probably some kind of dance and sacrificing involved as well…
MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.
When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….
As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….
Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
You may have noticed that this series and the characters in it pop up a lot in our posts, well that is for good reason. Suz is obsessed and she likes to drag everyone along with her, including Fran and Annie who also follow the series. But how can she resist when, a, it is packed full of interesting story lines that take bits and pieces of different mythologies and throw them all over Atlanta, b, it has such a kick ass heroine and finally c, it has Curran in it. Nuff said. That hunky piece of primordial lion shifter deserves to be read over and over again, so Suz happily obliges.
When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.
Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.
The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…
Psy Changeling series by Nalini Singh
This is a series beloved by all of us here at UTC, and we have all at one point reread books in the series. It is a long series, but we all have our favourites installments in the series that we like to grab and get an injection of some Psy Changeling romance. There are so many reasons we love to come back to this series; Nalini Singh’s beautiful writing, the sexy romances, the interesting story lines as well as main story arc all coming together to produce a series of books which the whole UTC team get lost in time and time again.
Nalini Singh dives into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind-and none of the heart.
In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation” – the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was…
Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion – and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities – or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…
Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole
This is once again a series that the whole of UTC team likes to reread, there is so much to love about this series, not the least is the variety…fancy a vampire book, you could pick up Lothaire or No Rest for the Wicked, or maybe you are feeling a more primal and fancy a shifter then you could go for A Hunger Like No Other or MacRieve. But with each read you are guaranteed to find knicker melting sex, some bawdy humour and a mad Valkyrie or two…perfect.
A mythic warrior who’ll stop at nothing to possess her…
After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he’s waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.
A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy…
Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents—until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae—and their notorious dark desires—ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.
An all-consuming desire…
Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be?
Wallflower series by Lisa Kleypas
Lisa Kleypas, a favourite author of UTC and probably any fan of Historical Romance…we chose the Wallflower series even though every book of hers has probably been reread by one of us at least a couple of times. You know what you are getting with a Lisa Kleypas book; a beautiful romance with characters that you can almost reach out and touch with some sensual intimate scenes that leave your blood pumping and heart sighing. Just thinking about it gets us reaching for our battered copy of Secrets of a Summer Night.
Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.
Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle’s most intriguing–and persistent–admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition . . . but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.
Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon–and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon’s passionate embrace and tempting kisses . . . and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all
Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward
Now we come to our number one, the series that all of us have read more than once and have multiple copies in multiple formats. We just can’t resist the WARDen’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. The big sexy alpha warriors, with hearts that beat just for their females have our pulses racing as they fight to keep their people alive and fall in love with their shellans.
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.
The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams
These are our favourite rereads, what are your top three? Do they match ours?
Let us know what you think in the comment box below!
- Black Dagger Legacy Series Guide - April 14, 2023
- A Beginners Guide to J.R. Ward Reading Order - April 12, 2023
- Black Dagger Brotherhood Series Guide - April 9, 2023
My top three are Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander series, Lora Leigh’s Tempting Seals and two of her Elite Ops books, Christine Feehan’s Leopard series and her Drake Sisters
Mathewson and kleypas I haven’t read….yet….blud series was not my thing but all of the rest are incredible!
I’ve only read #10 (my little grasshopper) on the list but have a few of the other series on my TBR pile.
Mine are HOT HEAD by Damon Suede, DIVERSION by Eden Winters, and SAY A LITTLE PRAYER by Clare London.
Mine would probably be relistens. I don’t do many rereads, but I do a lot of relistens or read a story and then go and listen later.
Kate Daniels – Ilona Andrews
Immortals After Dark – Kresley Cole
Charley Davidson – Darynda Jones
I plan on relistening to The Others by Anne Bishop before book three comes out in March.
I do that as well!!!
WOW 😀
I have read some of these books/series,plus new books for my TBR 🙂
My favorite Top 3:
1.Dream a little dream – Susan Elizabeth Phillips
2.The Bride – Julie Garwood – amazing historical romance! 🙂
3.Bet Me – Jennifer Cruise
🙂
Fever!!! I’ve reread it twice now. I’m doing to do a reread in December to get ready for Burned.
I’ve also done a reread of the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. I plan on doing a reread of the Downside Ghost series by Stacia Kane sometime soon.