Hello fellow PBSers,

I wanted to know if anyone can suggest a good series for me. But before anyone quickly replies, I have certain things I'm looking for. I'm not even sure if the kind of series I want is to be found. So far I've struck out.

Here's what I'm looking for: I want a main, recurring character. Male or female.

While the genre does not have to be classified as romance, I would like the main character to experience romance. Date somebody. Maybe even get married in the latter part of the series.

I'd also prefer in the early part of the series that the main character not sleep with a different person each book, or sleeping with more than one person at a time. It really turns me off.

I'd prefer no vampires or immortal...creatures, etc. However, if the series fits the requirements previously noted, then I'm willing to take a look at it.

So can anyone suggest something? Does such a series even exist? I hope you all aren't sighing and rolling your eyes at me. I just had to come somewhere and ask for recommendations. I've tried to look on my own for a series even remotely close to what I'm hoping, but it never turns out to be what I want. And I'm beginning to think that I've got strange taste or something.

Anyway, if someone can help out, I'd appreciate it!

And if it turns out no such series exist, oh well! Lol.

Natalie B.

Have you ever checked out the "In Death" series by J.D. Robb(aka Nora Roberts). The main character is Eve Dallas, a homicide cop in the future(2050ish). There is romance, and later marriage, between Eve & Roarke. They are not warm fuzzy books. Some of them can be dark because the stories revolve around Eve's homicide cases but they are also about Eve & Roarke and their relationships with their friends, family & co-workers.  

Robb's in death series came to mind for me too...gosh drawing a blank on series with the same person! a good mystery series is the china bayles series by susan wittig albert - might be a little cheating later in the series- cant' remember - but there's a relationship..can't rmember about the cheating but the focus is on mysteries surrounding herbal names - the love interest has a teen son seems like and the main sleuth is an exlawyer from Houston who got out of the rat race and went to a fictional town in the hill country to open an herb shop.

Here are some suggestions that may or may not meet your requirements, but here goes:

Ashley Gardner's Captain Lacey series, they are actually historical mystery cozies. Where Captain Lacey solves crimes in 1800s England. I would read them order as there is character development as well as a romance, but it isn't the primary focus of the books. The Hanover Square Affair is the first one.

CS Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr series is phenominal. What Angels Fear is the first one. St. Cyr also solves crimes in 1800s England, but he is apart of the nobility, but has skills that easily fit in the underbelly of London. There are romantic elements and the books should be read in order.

CS Graham aka CS Harris aka Candace Proctor - her Octorber Guiness series (Tobie) has remote viewing capabilities, so it is a little bit paranormal, but very well done IMO. Her and Jax Alexander solve world crime with her ability to remote view. They should be read in order, just don't let Jax borrow your car, he wrecks every one he drives. The Archangel Project is the first one. There isn't any real romance, but as there are only 3 books on the series right now, we might have one or two coming.

Colin Cotterill - His Dr. Siri mysteries are set in 1970's Laos. Dr. Siri is made the unwilling national coroner of Laos and ends up solving crimes with his coworkers. I know it doesn't sound fun and sexy, but these books are so good. There is romance and considering that Dr. Siri is in hsi 70s you wouldn't think there would be, but I can't tell secrets. The Coroner's Lunch is the first one and should be read in order. It is the characters around Dr. Siri that set him up for some hilarious and often sarcastic side bars.

Tami Hoag's Oaknoll series with sexy FBI agent Vince Leone. Tami brings us back to her romance with suspense with these books. I adore the series and adore Vince. I would start with the first one. Deeper than the Dead. The romance takes place between Vince and Anne. Here is my review up on GRs for this one.

The year was 1985. Duran, Duran was on the radio, Queen's Radio GaGa was on video and dead bodies are half buried in the park. At least that is what four 5th graders discovered as they were racing through the park. To bad young sensitive Danny is the one that fell right on top of the victim. As Anne Navarre, their teacher, tries to help her students cope with the horror that they have uncovered. Law enforcement have to cope with the fact that this is not their first victim, this is their third.

As the town starts to grapple with whom is their midst is a killer, the killer carries on his secret life, for his next victim is already in his hands. He could be anybody, the lawyer who helped fill out your will, the dentist that fixed your cavity or even the guy who bags your groceries. Sheriff Dixon knows he is in over his head, as the decides to call in the FBI. Enter Vince Leone, a tall good looking dark Italian with a wise cracking mouth and a Tom Selleck mustache. All the better to keep you from staring at the scar that leads to the bullet still lodged in his brain.

Profiling is in its infancy, AFIS is not online yet and the only DNA crime database is still buried deep in some nerd's head waiting to be born. So Vince uses his knowledge of talking to many serial killer's over the years and getting in their heads. He is a man who never quits until he gets his man.

Meanwhile the kid's horror continues as the ripples of what they uncovered start to affect not only them but everybody around them as well. Anne does the best she can to protect her kids. Even if she has to stand up to Vince herself. Only once Vince gets sight of Anne he wants to do more than interrogate her. (Thank you Ms. Hoag for paying homage to your writing past as you include a bit of serious romance for those that miss your work so very much in that genre.)

As Vince and the rest of Oakpark's Law Enforcement struggle to find another missing young woman, the little Peyton Place of lies starts to unravel and perfect families facades start to crumble. Who will be left in the rubble? Broken homes, broken dreams and of course broken children. Oakpark, CA Pop. Small Town; Serial Killers Pop 1...for now.

If you have never read Tami Hoag I urge you to give this book a try. Vince is her new character and a serious contender for my heart. I can't wait to read the next one in the series, Secrets from the Grave. (Warning: There is graphic descriptions of the bodies in question and deeds of past serial killers.) Amazing good read!

I have more, but will stop there for now.

Shanna Swendson has her Enchanted, Inc. series.  It does have magic in it, but the heroine isn't magical.  She has a few dates in the first (and maybe second) book(s), but she doesn't have sex in any of the books, although she does fall in love with her H.They're really cute books and I've really enjoyed them.

Have you read  Tamar Myers before?  These are cozy mysteries with a bit of romance and a wicked sense of humor.  She has a few series to choose from:

Den of Antiquity series

Pennsylvania Dutch series  (my favorite)

If you like mysteries, Julia Spencer-Fleming's series is excellent. It's a forbidden love situation, very intense.

Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan series. Good romance suspense. I would suggest reading them in order.

The Lucy Valentine series by Heather Webber are fun reads that might meet your specifications: 1) Truly, Madly  2) Deeply, Desperately  3) Absolutely, Positively.  We've been passing these along our book club group - I think about 4 of us have shared them and thy are getting ready to move along to the next reader.

You might want to try the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine. The hero is immortal (he's a djinn) but it's a really good series. She is with the same man throughout the whole series but it takes awhile for them to warm up to each other.

The first book is Ill Wind (Weather Warden, Bk 1)

 edited to add they must be read in order.

I love Julia Spencer-Fleming series, as well as the Lucy Valentine series...I wish they would both write faster. Great recommends.

You might also consider Kristan Higgans, but her books are all standalones, but do have quite a bit of humor. Hers tend to lean toward chiclit vs romance.

I'd recommend the Samantha Jellicoe series by Suzanne Enoch. There's about 4 books in the series. It's a contemporary romantic suspense where the heroine (Samantha Jellicoe) is a thief and in the first book of the series (Flirting with Danger) tries to steal something from millionaire Richard Addison. Of course, romance (and mystery) ensues. In the rest of the series, she and Richard are having adventures and she's trying to find something to do that doesn't involve stealing from the rich and of course gets involved in mysteries.

Hmm, most of the series I have read do not have a main recurring character, so that's where I'm getting stuck on a recommendation.  The Robyn Carr books (Virgin River series) are all set in Virgin River, but each book has different main characters.  You do see characters from past books in each one though.  I think the only series that I have read that has main recurring characters is Outlander, but that is more historical fiction than romance.  The main characters, Claire and Jamie, do get married, and the story of their marriage is very realistic- it's not all flowers and rainbows, but it's clear that they belong together.

how about the Lavinia Lake and Tobias March series by Amanda Quick

1. Slightly Shady

2. Don't look Back

3. Late for the wedding

Most of the books that are billed as romance series are a group of folks finding thier mates, so you have to get out of the romance books and to other types to get something else + romance.  then it depends on what you like that something else to be.

I like the lois mcmaster bujold series.

http://www.librarything.com/series/Vorkosigan%3A+Chronological+Order

this miles vorkosigan series has 15 books.  2 of them are about his parents, 2 of them are about other characters.  the rest miles is the main character & his love life is pretty interesting.  the one that is subtitled a regency romance is my favorite.  but it is set on other worlds, space travel, different technologies. So it is usually called a science fiction series, but the technology talked about is usually to show the moral decisions around it, not tons of details of the technology.  I went thru these books non-stop earlier this year. if you buy the latest hardback , cryoburn, it includes a cd of e-books of the rest of the series.

http://www.librarything.com/series/The+Sharing+Knife

this one is a romance, but set in a fantasy world that is like Ohio Valley settlers and indians in a lot of ways.  That is not what it is, but it kind of feels like it.  A little bit of magic, but not much.  This one has 4 books and follows the same couple thru-out.  More about the relationship between the 2 groups of people.

There is also a 3 book series called Chalion Series by this author that is a swords and horses kind of fantasy world.  this one I read a long time ago and don't remember how much romance there was but I think there was some.

the trilogy Brandy mentioned is good - wish they'd continued it.

there's another historical romance/mystery that sorta got left hanging but can't remember which one it was - might've been mentioned already and I just missed it. think deady was in the titles - brenda joyce maybe?

Yeah, the Deadly series by Brenda Joyce. She did just publish another book in it that ties up the loose ends.

Willa, did it do a good job tying everything together? I was all set to read them -someone gave me ad eal on them several years ago - but put them aside the heard we were left hanging.

stevi mittman did a series iwth harlequin next that ended abruptly when that series ended - they were some decent msyteries and there was another mystery series with harlequin next - set in florida when an older couple - not old but past the 20's/30's - charlotte douglas I think is the author.

As you're willing to consider a series with immortal creatures if it fits the main recurring character + some romance throughout the books + no sleeping around requirements, I'd recommend Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Bk 1).

Do NOT be put off by the cover (the first time I saw that book I rolled my eyes and thought she looked like a tramp...that's why I didn't start the series sooner.) But I'm so glad I started it...it's my favorite UF series. And I've read all the books in that series and I don't remember the character EVER wearing a belly shirt.

The main character is probably my favorite heroine in all of Urban Fantasy.

I just found the Kindle version of The Hanover Square Affair for .99 and bought it. Thanks for the rec, Keri!

Each book in the Chalion series is about a different character. I loved the first one though. I'm in lust with the main character's voice. 

It wasn't a great book, Susanna, but Joyce jumped the shark for me some years ago. I thought it tied things up pretty well, though my review says one character was left hanging and I no longer remember which: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/184532761

I second the "In Death" series by J.D. Robb with heroine Eve Dallas.   I had a co-worker years ago who raved out the series.  I thought... ugh... reading all lthe books with same characters... and also.. J.D Robb is a pen-name for Nora Roberts who I can take or leave, but none on the keeper shelf. 

I loved the series from the first chapter and have never had a dull moment.  The characters, instead of being repetively boring over so many books, actually get better and better.  You actually feel like you know them. 

Another point which delayed my reading the series is that I find a lot of futuristic stuff a little hokey.  However, the future aspect is really secondary to the characters and works in these stories.  The future is not the key to the books, but rather the characters and their intereactions and  also the mysteries they are trying to solve.

I envy you the finding of the "In Death" series.  I can't count how many times I have read the books.