Paranormal romance, fantasy romance, romantasy - these all get a little messy in terms of overlap so here are some key features that help you identify a paranormal romance book:

1. Romance is key - if you remove the love story there is no story at all. A happy ever after or a happy ever after for now are also vital. 
2. Paranormal is obviously also key - some kind of supernatural being. We're talking big burly werewolves, irresistibly dangerous vampires, witches, demons, ghosts, or even a mermaid.
3. But it's different to fantasy because of the setting - usually paranormal romance is set in a modern world, contemporary setting. Often the supernatural or paranormal elements exist in secret or alongside everyday humans. 
4. What about Urban Fantasy you ask! It's murky - but Urban Fantasy is contemporary setting + magic, and usually the story has elements that are as central if not more so than the romance storyline.

You can find almost in any trope in almost any genre but with paranormal romance you'll often find tropes like fated mates, forbidden love, enemies to lovers (my fave), and new girl in town. Often the protagonist isn't supernatural/paranormal but is drawn into a world of characters they may not have known existed. Sometimes you get a little 'break up to save them' trope moment too.

Hello, does this remind you of anything? Cough cough, sparkly vampire, cough.

We all can take a moment to admit we still love Twilight for introducing us to the world of paranormal romance. (Well, that is if we ignore the weird crush we had on an adorable ghost called Casper.)

In Twilight Bella Swan arrives in Forks Washington only to become embroiled in a dangerous and forbidden love story with rather sparkly vampire, Edward Cullen. It's a story of longing and forbidden love, of an outsider finding her place in a new (rather beautifully rainy) home. I still read it or watch the movies whenever I'm sick and no one will take the comfort of knowing every single story beat away from me. Also, there are werewolves too.

Obviously you have to read Twilight first but we'll consider that a given and move on to what you should pick up now that you might be ready for something new - maybe with a bit of spice? I have you sorted. 

Steffanie Holmes is a beloved Kiwi paranormal romance author who writes about a small town with a murder mystery solving book club and plenty of paranormal action going on. Her books have unforgettable characters, genuinely horrifying moments, and a swoony, spicy love story to take you through. I loved Fangs for Nothing, and A Grave Mistake and am about to read the third book which comes out soon, You're So Vein.  Think Twilight but if the spiciness was ramped up significantly and the murders were happening more frequently. Honestly though my favourite part of her series is the book club - a bunch of nosy and wonderfully different characters plus their weird paranormal partners. Obsessed.

Another amazing Kiwi writer is Isabelle Taylor who published Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf earlier this year (which I loved) and has just released Only One for the Orc, set in the same small town. These books are a lot less action/murder mystery and much more your Pumpkin Spice Cafe but if there were paranormal creatures and knotting (iykyk). I love the small town vibes of Claw Haven, and can't wait to read Only One for the Orc which is about a burnt out bookseller and the orc who has fallen, hard, but seems to have blown it all. 

Stay with me - think the Ghost of Christmas Past but if he was a hunky scrooge looking for the chance for a future (Good Spirits!). Or imagine the Grim Reaper who accidentally falls for an angel (Grim Tidings). B.K. Borison is an amazing contemporary romance writer who has also gifted us with seasonal spicy paranormal romance reads to keep us swooning all year round. They are delightful, well-written, and the perfect example of paranormal romance done well. Of these three authors, Borison's are the least spicy but still with a fair amount of heat (the perfect amount imo).

First, pick up a Kimberly Lemming - there's demons, werewolves, aliens and witty paranormal rom-coms  done SO well. They are on the funnier side of paranormal romance, with wonderful world building and cozy elements too. Ali Hazelwood is well known for her spicy romance - covering everything from the age gap trope, to sports romance, to women in STEM and even paranormal romance. Bride is about a Vampyre Bride and an Alpha werewolf that are forced into a marriage of convenience, and then Mate is the follow up - both bring Ali's skills with crafting clever and spicy romance but set in a world that feels like it lives alongside Forks.

Maybe a paranormal romance featuring the loch ness monster is more your style? Or a rom com about finding an affordable renting situation by accidentally moving in with a vampire? Interested in a rom-com with a rather tanned mer-man, or looking for a story about a witch who owns a cafe just trying to not to hex the next person she falls for? There really is a bit of everything.

The thing I love about paranormal romance is the mix of speculative, strange elements that take my usual happy ever after romance and turn it into something different - sometimes more stressful and deadly, sometimes just whimsically wonderful, and often surprisingly spicy. I love the genre and can't wait to read lots as we head into Spooky Season!