It All Started With ...

[Sara]

It was Twilight, but then I thought that was all there was to it, until some gorgeous person on here guided me to Jeanine Frosts One foot in the grave, and I fell in love with Bones... Since then he's been joined by Zsadist, Bill, Vishous, Acheron etc.. I have a harem of sexy hunks in my imagination now..bliss..

[Lauren]

My first PNR series was the Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts. I loved them, especially the third book, Valley of Silence - Cian is still one of my favorite tortured heroes. What's interesting is that I did not consider this to be PNR at the time. I merely saw it as another Nora book.
Then I read Christina Dodd's Darkness Chosen series and was completely hooked.

[Colleen]

I heard a few coworkers discussing a book over the wall of my cubicle 3 yrs ago. Thought they were nuts reading a YA series and about, of all things, vampires! Hundreds of books and countless series later I think I paid for the prez of Barnes & Nobles new Mercedes....

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence)]

I've always loved PNR/UF tv shows and movies but Twilight was the one that got me back into reading them again in my adult years.

[Audrey]

When I was younger there wasn't really a PNR section. Anything dealing with any sort of paranormal was in the horror or romance section. It depended on the book. I remember always searching those sections trying to find something dealing with the paranormal. Anne Rice was who turned me on the whole paranormal scene. I am glad that it is so much easier. :-)

[Nichole ~~The Grey Lady~~]

I think my love of it is rooted in my love of the fantasy genre. Which started with Piers Anthony during high school, I remember one of my english teachers talking about it. I read lots of Anne Rice when I was in high school and college. But you know this genre was hard to find for a long time...it's recently just exploded. I had a friend send me a box of books that had Laurell K Hamilton and Kim Harrison in it a long time ago, and that was it! I guess I view it as an extension of my love of fantasy. But truth be told...I love so many genres! :o)

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Nicole, love the Tardis. Is it a cake?

[Breann]

I always liked reading but what really got me HOOKED was the Fever series. Now, I am a helpless addict in search of my next reading fix.

[[deleted user]]

I had never read PNR until I was gifted a copy of when I was given my Ereader as a Christmas present. I've been Addicted ever since!!

[Aimee]

I started old school with , , and then more recently (last decade or so) became full out addicted to PNR when I started reading these series and . Now I have read most of the PNR and UF series out there and have a to be read pile a mile high.

[JenniferJ]

I have always loved "scary stuff" but what started me reading the genre if I had to choose I would say The Sookie Stackhouse Series and Kelly Gay's Charlie Madigan Series.

[Jojobean]

R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books- I read them from when I was like seven.

[Angie]

It was none other than Twilight! Although I was super addicted to Goosebumps and Fear Street as a kid, so it probably started there.

[Michelle]

Originally it was Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, then it was Harry Potter. After that I read Twilight and Sookie and then there was so turning back.

[Michelle]

deleted user wrote: "I was shocked! with the vivid sexuality, the YA books I read of this genere (when I was YA) were NOT that sexualy implicit! Even Marked I had to put down because I can't read a YA book that sexsually graphic! should have been marketed for an older market... 18+!! yikes! What is this world coming too?"

That is what really bothered me about the House of Night series, it was WAY to sexual for a YA, in my opinion.

[Ellese]

What started my obsession with PNR/UF? That is a hard one! Hmm...

(Anime) Sailor Moon, Pokemon, X-Men, Superheroes, Crime novels (hell I picked up Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment in like 7th grade), YA - with some supernatural in it, Missing (by Meg Cabot and the TV show) Supernatural crime/military, Christine Feehan, Laurel K. Hamilton and then it just flew from there...that is a progression if I do say so myself! lol

I guess I have always been intrigued by extraordinary abilities. I have always loved psychic stuff, super-human abilities, abnormal human behavior, all that crazy stuff :) Good thing I got a degree in it eh? lol

[Carrie]

When I was much much younger I used to play vampire. I watched Dracula when I was just a kid. The Addams Family and the Munsters used to come on after supper (obviously re-runs) From there I moved on to The Crow and I had read Interview With the Vampire and I had always loved the movie. Two of my favorite books from my childhood where and . I fell in love with Christopher Pike's The Last Vampire series.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was and is still my favorite tv show.

[Corinna]

When I was in 6th grade I started reading Frederick Forsyth's books which introduced me to suspense and action in my reading. I was always in to Star Trek at that age too. Then in high school I was addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and anything even slightly urban fantasy. I had been put off vampire books after trying to read Anne Rice (sorry, I'm just not a fan). Then in college I stumbled onto the Anita Blake series. From there it was Cassandra Palmer, Dorina Basarab, Mercy Thompson, Sookie Stackhouse, Twilight and on and on.

[Tiffani]

In all honestly until twilight came out I hadn't seriously read anything since high school. After reading it I realized I enjoyed it and I was more relaxed. Then I didn't really know what to read after that, wasn't really sure what I liked so I tried books made into a to movie so I read the time travelers wife. I loved the book but really wished I could keep reading more. So I read the highlander series on my moms suggestion. When done with it I read hunger games and then I found BDB!!! Omg that's when it hit me I need multiple books romance and a lil creepy scary thrown in. I've been hooked on the pnr and uf since. My pace has also picked up since twilight I can read certain books in a day while twilight took me a month! I guess it's a matter of finding ur groove.

[Natasna]

Twilight

[chucklesthescot]

Horror:

UF: and
(I couldn't get book one in either series in the library so had to try book 2)

[Goge (BARRONS) le Moning Maniac,]

When I was little it was Francine Pascal's "Sweet Valley Twins" series (Sweet Valley kids, Sweet Valley Twins and Friends, Sweet Valley High, ect) I stopped when they reached Sweet Valley University because Idk I just had other books that plagued my thoughts more. For the romance genre, of which I read mostly of, it was Christine Feehan's Dark series that started my obsession with Romance series. Two of her books were on my shelf at home because my sisters read her books. Sandra Hill's My Fair Viking was also on the shelf too. And I got addicted to her Viking series fast.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Goge, I've got My Fair Viking on my shelf as well ;)

[Mary]

For me it was the Dark Carpathian series by Christine Feehan. I can't stand those books now but they were my first. I also enjoyed Piers Anthony. I started with his Incarnations of Immortality books and then on to the Xanth novels. Sure does bring back memories.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Mary, I love, love Incarnations of Immortality, though I haven't read the last one that came out years afterwards

[Mary]

Yeah, I don't know if I just didn't care about it back then or if he has gotten more perverted over the years...and not in a good way, in my opinion. I was disappointed in the last Geodyssey bookClimate of Change that came out a couple years ago.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

I never got into that series, but I did love his monologues at the end of each of the IoI.

[Mel]

Roald Dhal and R. L. Stine

[Literary Ames]

I enjoyed Roald Dahl's Matilda, The Witches, The Twits,Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Stine's The Boyfriend as a child. I forgot about them.

[Goge (BARRONS) le Moning Maniac,]

I loved Roald Dahl as a child too. I've read The Witches, The BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Danny the Champion of the World, Esio Trot, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, George's Marvelous Medicine, The Twits, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, The Magic Finger

[Kim]

The Black Dagger Brotherhood had me hooked. I want one, or two or three of my own.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

They'd be a handful Kim *snigger*

[Steph, Serious series addict]

So true! :D

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

Kim wrote: "The Black Dagger Brotherhood had me hooked. I want one, or two or three of my own."

You'd never get any rest. lol

[Jaime]

I hate to admit this but I was not a reader until just a few years ago when I purchased nooks for my kids and secretly stole them at night to read none other than "The Hunger Games" because a friend was going on & on about it. Since then however I have my own iPad and a massive library to show for my newly formed addiction, and while I still can't bring myself to read an actual book...gasp I know!

So The Hunger Games started my dystopian era which included around a dozen or so series.

I lived in he YA world for a while until I my eyes burned from some horrible experiences that made me jump to the big girls club which while this wasn't my first PNR, but my first adult one and the one that started the downward spiral into my love of reading for which I can't and won't come out of ever if I have my way. Drum Roll Please.......for none other than those amazing Highlanders from KMM's Highlander Series. I still go back to them if I'm in a lull and debating which series I want to start next.

And KMM was also the author of my first UF series as well (at least I always think of it as UF) with her Fever series.

Since then my PNR & UF world has been expanded to so many new worlds and characters with many more to come.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Yep, Fever is UF Jaime. Main protags book after book.

I'm not much of one for the YA stuff, so most of my reading in pnr/uf is of the adult variety.

You might find the best of lists towards the bottom of the group useful. They list just the first bk in each series. Happy Reading :)

[Sonja]

Anne Rice and The Vampire Chronicles

[Dee]

After finishing my university degree, 3 years of textbooks was looking forward to reading for pleasure. A fellow graduate introduced me to Christine Feehan's 'Dark' series I was hooked went from there to 'Dark Hunter' series and 300 books later still loving PNR/UF

[Theresa]

KMM's Highlander and Fever series

[Natina]

It was Christine Feehan's Dark Series for me. It had been awhile since I really enjoyed a book. Probably before high school. My husband bought me an Ipad for my birthday. I happened across a library app for books and then before I knew it.. BOOM.. I'm a series addict. It's like nobody even writes single standing novels anymore. sigh.. I'm not complaining but shrugz..

[Minuska]

well for me love for series started about 20 years ago with O.S.Card and Ender's game, then years of sci-fi.. fantasy and later I got to paranormal romance by Naked Werewolf series from Molly Harper :) I remember it like yesterday, I ran out of things to read (again) and asked my bf to recommend a book to read.. he googled something like "books for girls romance funny" and came back with "How to seduce a naked werewolf", I had mixed feelings about it, but 2 hours of laughing and half a book later I was hooked :)

[Angelique]

It was Anne Rice and Laurell K Hamilton for me. I was living in Germany when I found The Vampire Lestat in an Army Base Book Store. (The pickings were slim at times), and I thought; Hmmmm, sounds interesting. That was the absolute beginning of my downfall. Then Laurell, oh how I loved Anita Blake, but at a certain point in time she went off the rails so to speak.

Those two got me hooked but back then it was hard to find any UFs, so I frequently ran out of books to read in the genre. Now there are almost too many, well... Good ones. For me it's often, read that, not new, bored now. ;)

Before A.R. and L.K.H. it was Stephen King and Dean R. Koontz that ruled.

[Linda C]

I am a big fan of romance and got interested in paranormal when some of my favorites, like Jayne Ann Krentz and Nora Roberts started adding it to their work. Then I started looking at other authors and plot lines. Now I read across a broad range, but still not as in depth as many of you. Too many other things to read as well!

I have to admit I do not enjoy Vampires; just something about blood sucking...

Looking forward to finding some great new reads through this group.

[Catherine]

Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews started me in UF. I honestly can't remember what started me on PNR aside from Ilona Andrews.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Can't go wrong with Ilona Andrews, Catherine :)

[Anita Reads]

For me I'd say before I became a book nerd. Which isn't so long ago as one might think. I already loved watching paranormal TV. Buffy and Angel were some of my favorite series as a teenager.

What got me starting at reading was Harry Potter. I started reading the series with book 6, because I couldn't wait to know what would happen in the series after watching the movies, and my sister, brother and dad all knew what was going to happen. So the Half-Blood Prince was the first book I ever read, when it wasn't for school or something. After reading that whole series, I started reading Twilight (as a lot of you mentioned), and I just knew that the paranormal genre was my genre to read. I'm not sure if I'd think Twilight is as great if I did a reread of it now, but I know Harry Potter will always be one of my absolute favorite series. I've started doing a reread of the series (for the 4th time I think), and i still find little things when reading them that I didn't see the previous times.

I don't reread a lot of books anymore, because I'm so far behind on all the books I want to read, so I'd rather read the new series, but Harry Potter is the series I can't seem to not reread. Next book to read for me in that series is The Order of the Phoenix. Wonder when I'll have the time to fit it in to my schedule.

[China]

With me it all started with the Scary Stories series, I was an early reader. I credit my mother who read me my first book The Three Billy Goats.

[Sandra, Kindle Operator Licence Required]

Mothers are very important in getting their kids to read. Not only reading to the kids but being seen reading their own books.

In my case it was both mum & dad who were readers, so I had no chance. LOL.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

The first UF I found before I even knew the genre existed -

[Cee]

I can't remember exactly which books brought me over to PNR and UF but, it probably started with Alanna: The First Adventure when I was a kid and from there I just read everything paranormal.