I just finished all the "Fever" series by Karen Marie Moning; the newest one is already in the NYTimes Top 10 Best Seller list, and the review says fantasy books are booming. But as a fantasy fan, especially of contemporary/urban fantasy, I'd never heard of this series until very recently.

Do some people call it romance? ( which I wouldn't, and which I rarely like). Are there others out there like it? "Twilight" was too YA, and/or too "romance-y" for me. I do like the Sookie Stackhouse series (read them all) but they border on the simple side. And I do not like Laurell Hamilton at all.

Why are these books so hard to find? Or am I too picky?

Karen Marie Moning is generally shelved with the romance novels, as her other major series is definitely romance -- highland romance, to boot.

There has been quite a bit of cross-genre writing between romance and fantasy lately; if you check out the Paranormal forum here you might find more authors like Moning that you'll enjoy but which you wouldn't have found otherwise because at bookstores they're in the romance department. The Charlaine Harris novels were there too, for example, until True Blood became a hit and bookstores realized that SF/Fantasy readers would like them.

In the paranormal thread, there is often a lot of discussion about paranormal romance versus urban fantasy.  I'm with you, in that I tend to prefer urban fantasy although of course there are lots of exceptions on both sides.  I think the Moning series you reference is more of an urban fantasy book, and there are tons of other great ones out there that appeal to me (I read mostly fantasy and some sci fi, and not much on the romance side) and might appeal to you.  Things like the Jaz Parks series, or Anna Strong, the Kelley Armstrong Women of the Underworld books, or my new favorite Kate Daniels, might be of more interest to you, if you haven't already discovered those (or might not - just a guess based on your OP).

Christine I totally agree with all of the series that you mentioned.  Jaz Parks and Kate Daniels are two of my favorites.  I also found that I liked the Kitty Norville series, these are less fantasy and more mystery with vamps and werewolves etc.  I also liked the Signs of the Zodiac series by Vicki Pettersson; although the characters in this one are more like super heroes with supernatural powers.

I have the Fever series on my bookshelf to read.  I am glad to hear that they are good urban fantasy, I was nervous about getting them because Morning has written so much romance :-)

Urban fantasy has definitely blended quite a bit with paranormal romance. Some series that are more fantasy and less romance novel include:

Kim Harrison's The Hollows Series starting with Dead Witch Walking

Jenna Black's Morgan Kingsley Series starting with The Devil Inside

Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer Series starting with Touch the Dark

Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson Series starting with Moon Called