Romance Report: Celebrating Love in Other Realms By Martina Bexte (February, 2005)
Hearts, flowers and love everlasting aren't just for humans anymore in today's romantic fiction. Aliens, shape shifters, vampires, pixies, fairies, werewolves, mermaids, and yes, even genies, suffer love's trials, tribulations and traumas, ones that often involve much more powerful gods than February's love lord, Cupid.
Take the Djinn in Chill Factor, the third installment of Rachel Caine's imaginative Weather Warden series; once again we find wise-cracking warden extraordinaire Joanne Baldwin wanting nothing more than to kick back and spend some quality time with her Djinn lover. They did, after all, just save the world. Instead they're in another race against time to save humankind, this time from a disturbed teenager who wants big-time payback. In Seize the Night, latest in Sherrilyn Kenyon's wildly popular Dark Hunter series, outcast Roman general Valerius Magnus finds his soul mate in quirky business woman (and part time vampire slayer) Tabitha, but also encounters a terrifying new enemy determined to destroy his newfound love.
Kim Harrison heads back to her dark Urban fantasy world of 'The Hollows' with The Good, the Bad and Undead, another story featuring tough-as-nails witch, Rachel Morgan. She hangs out in an abandoned church with her business partners, a vampire and a pixie, working as a 'free agent' after leaving Inderland Security. This time she's trying to find out who's got their sights set on killing Ley-line witches. And Susan Kearney delivers a rousing adventure and plenty of romance in The Challenge. After presidential secret service agent Tessa Camen is killed in the line of duty, she awakens to find herself catapulted into the future and under the tutelage of Kahn, who must teach her to use her untapped psi abilities to save the world.
Otherworldly beings don't always dwell in the realm of the dark and dangerous or exciting save-the-world scenarios -- and they can have a sense of humour just like normal human beings. Take Mary Janice Davidson's latest hilarious howler, Derik's Bane. Werewolf Derik Gardner has never considered himself an Alpha of his species. But visions from a psychic change all that, and he's dispatched to put an end to the re-incarnated Morgan Le Fay, who's about to, yes, take over the world! Funny thing though, Derik can't seem to get behind that particular notion after meeting the lady herself, the slightly off kilter Dr. Sara Gunn.
In Cheryl Sterling's What Do You Say to a Naked Elf?, Jane Drysdale finds herself in a pickle after running down a fey creature late one night. Transported to Lowth, she's put on trial for murder and finds herself more than interested in her part human, part elf lawyer, Charlie, who's got a great set of -- errr -- wings. Katie MacAlister's Sex, Lies & Vampires takes us back to dark, mysterious Moravia, where 'The Betrayer' Adrian Tomas (a vampire) finds himself at odds, and falling in love with, nutty Medieval history professor Nell Harris. And in Diane Stingley's I'm With Cupid, the wise-cracking god points out to anyone who'll listen that he considers his job 'the worst one in the Universe'. The fun begins after he shoots off 'premature' love arrows in a fit of pique.
Here are more otherworldly romances to enjoy along with that box of chocolates from your sweetie - some of these stories are recent releases while others have stood the test of time as long-term reader favorites:
