Beyond Fur and Fangs

What a ride this series is! The characters in these books are all on the run from the government because they were subjects of an experiment gone wrong, who end up with psychic powers. A Perfect Darkness is the first one and I still think about this series to this day. 

I started writing the year this first book came out, and my very first book also explored the idea of psychic powers. But instead of evil government overlords, my “gifted” folks were all victims of trauma that spawned strange and terrifying new powers that they explore as students and staff of Havenhart Academy. The first book became Healer and it was released in 2020. If you find X-Men and M. Night Shyamalan’s Split intriguing, you might dig this series. 

I am a huge fan of the classic monsters and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an all-time favorite. I came across Lauren’s modern take on this masterpiece and was wowed by her worldbuilding and steamy hot romance.

Mitchell Turner is one of my original book boyfriends and this series kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Fun fact, the first time I ever fangirled was when I met Lauren in person. I still think she’s afraid of me. Pick up Hyde and let me know what you think! This is definitely a series I’d like to see more people read. 

Now, you may argue that this series is simply shifters and vampires with a healthy dose of Greek mythology, and you’d be right! However, I fell for Kenyon’s take on the paranormal and gobbled it up, loving all the references to history and mythology.

Fantasy Lover is the first one, although the series really gets into the canon with the second book, Night Pleasures. Who’s your favorite hunter? I’m always torn between Vane, Wren, and of course Ash.

Many of us are still in mourning after losing our queen this past year. While she is mostly famous for her Vampire Chronicles and The Mayfair Witches series, which profoundly affected me as a young person, two of her other titles are stories I go back to again and again.

The Mummy features an immortal from Ancient Egyptian times and I doubt any of us could resist Ramses. The other story that appealed to my queer heart even before I understood what that meant was Cry To Heaven which featured the castrati, men with angelic voices who were damned for what had been taken from them. While not a traditional romance, there are deep romantic elements to the story that made me swoon. 

Where the Devil Says Goodnight sucked me in with its forbidden romance that was inspired by Polish folklore. Normally, I’m not one for dark romance, but from the cover to the very end I was hooked.

I can’t stop talking about this book and I definitely think you should check this out if you’re looking for something a little different.

Kerrigan Byrne, Cynthia St. Aubin, Cindy Stark, and Tiffinie Helmer are some of my favourite authors. And much to my pleasant surprise, they wrote a book together! Which Witch is Which? introduces readers to quadruplet witches, separated at birth, who find each other and manage to kick off the end of the world. As you do. But each witch catches the interest of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and, well, shit gets real fast.

I love witches, I love writing witches, but so many witchy series plop them in the middle of were or vampire politics. I loved this unique take on magic and destiny and I know you will too.

About R.L. Merrill

R.L. Merrill was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She currently lives with two teens, two cats, a dog, a snake, a crested gecko, a bunch of fish, and the most patient husband on the planet. She teaches virtual middle school by day, and by night she’s a guerilla writer who can be found penning passionate stories anywhere she’s warm and dry and they have a steady supply of Diet Coke and chocolate. Visit her on www.rlmerrillauthor.com.