One of the things I love about social, especially TikTok, is seeing some of my favorite books from YEARS ago get discovered by a new audience. I wanted to share some of my top books that made me smile and swoon before TikTok was a thing. These reads from the past deserve a fresh look. I most definitely have a certain book type. If you’re a romantasy fan, these might just be for you.

First up, The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning. I have two words for you—Jericho Barrons. He is the OG of MMC’s in the urban fantasy world. He owns a shop called Barrons Books and Baubles, and is the perfect growly, immortal, well-read male.

There are 11 books in this series. Yes, that’s daunting, but at least read the first four or five. It features FMC MacKayla Lane (nickname: Mac), who starts off fairly vapid, entitled, and without an ambitious bone in her body. Her sister is murdered and she heads to Ireland to investigate. She steps into the dark world of fae and other magical things. Including Jericho Barrons.

The character growth is AMAZING. Moning also has the first book in her new series out now. The House at Watch Hill is on my TBR.

The Arcana Chronicles series by Kresley Cole was a love-hate relationship for me. I LOVED every book. The first one is Poison Princess. I hated the huge, multi-year gap between books five and six. Lucky for new readers, the entire series is complete and you don’t need to suffer.

This YA fantasy is set in apocalyptic times, with zombies and all the characters are young adults who take on powers from cards in the Tarot card deck. The FMC is Evie, the Empress who controls plants and can poison people. The romance is a very slow burn that leaves you on the edge of your seat, and there's a love triangle. But the star of the series is the unique terrifying world that Cole built around the major and minor Arcana cards and their characters. Brilliant!

True Blood on HBO (now Max) came out in 2008. It ran for seven terrific seasons and was based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris. The books are quirky, funny, bloody—because vampires, and sexy, just like the TV series.

The first book, Dead Until Dark, released in 2001 and get ready… there are 13 total books. Sookie Stackhouse is the FMC, she’s a small town Louisiana waitress who finds herself a vampire boyfriend, werewolf friends and enemies, plus she can read minds.

This isn’t a Twilight scenario, the vampires aren’t sparkly and hiding out in luxury homes in the Pacific Northwest. There are vampire clubs, vampire spokespeople, and a synthetic blood drink to help them not drink from humans.

Jennifer L. Armentrout (author of the wildly popular, Blood and Ash series) released Obsidian, the first book in the Lux series in 2012. I devoured this YA sci-fi romance immediately. Read it on Libby. If you love it, note that the publisher just released a beautiful sprayed edge hardcover book that would also look good on your shelf.

What’s it about? This is my second Twilight reference… if you liked that series, you’ll like this one. Insert aliens where there are vampires. The FMC Katy is a badass high school senior who moves with her family to West Virginia. She meets her new neighbor, Daemon. Of course he’s gorgeous with startling green eyes, a horrible personality, and some powerful alien abilities. Daemon and his family have many alien enemies which keeps things action-packed and fun. I loved the snark in this series!

And finally, another older urban fantasy gem, check out the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Fun fact: Ilona Andrews is a pen name for a husband and wife writing duo.

Start with 2009’s Magic Bites. This is a ten-book series if you choose to go all in for the full experience. Kate Daniels is the heroine/mercenary who is compassionate and cold-blooded. Set in Atlanta, and chock full of magical creatures, Kate spends her time cleaning up paranormal messes that involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community. I loved the tension and attraction between Kate and Curran, a powerful Alpha wolf.

I need to revisit these series, after I reread Fourth Wing and Iron Flame in prep for Onyx Storm—out on Jan. 21. :)

Currently/Just Finished Reading:

Listen for the Lie (great audiobook!) by Amy Tintera
The Wife Between Us (great audiobook!) by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

*Title availability may vary by library & region.

📲📚 Be sure to follow Libby on TikTok!