I have read a couple of mysteries with a ghost involved with helping to solve the crime.  I would like to try reading more with a paranormal twist to them...not necessarily has to be a mystery.  I don't care for the really gory type of book but at the same time I want to expand my reading and try new to me genres so am not sure where to go from here.  Can any one give me some ideas of what book or author to seek out???

Wow, there are so many to choose from.  I really love Victoria Laurie's Psychic Eye series, which is what your post immediately made me think of - it's about a psychic who ends up getting involved with a police detective and has a friend who is a PI, so it's also a mystery.  I really loved all of them.  I would also suggest Shanna Swendson's series (I may have the name spelled wrong, but one of the books is Enchanted, Inc.), which is also sort of a mystery about a magical "null" who works for a magical company.  I tend to read a very wide variety of books in the paranormal genre and a number of them have violence and gore, so those were the first two series I thought of that were (IMO) well written and good reads, without the major violence.

There is a red sticky listing authors and their series.  But it really comes down to how much romance, how much gore, and how much mystery you want.  Paranormals cover a really wide range as we have authors who write romance, mystery, urban fantasy, erotica, as well as horror.  Letting us know more about what you are looking for would help.

That said, as you are coming from mystery, I recommend Charlaine Harris series about Harper Connelly.  The first one is Grave Sight.  

(I also agree with Christine's recommendations.)

Other then not wanting any gory books I am open to try any kind of book at least once.   The gory ones tend to give me nightmares so can't read them.  Have not read a romance in years so am not sure if they have changed much but figured it is worth trying one more time if it has a different twist to it. 

What other aspects do you want?  Humor, light, dark, alpha males, uber alpha males, vamps, weres/shifters, gargoyles, dragons, fae, psychic, magic, witches, wizards,  and there are others I can't think of right now.  Which one do you want to be good/evil or does it matter.  Do you want time travel and go to the past, or they come to the present day, or set in the future.  Other dimensions, and do you want series or stand alone books or it doesn't matter.  Do you want more erotica or more romance and little sex, and do you mind m/m/f or m/m in the books.

Okay, I have overwhelmed you, it is that there are so many different type of books. 

Some suggestions that I have to get you started are:

Magic:  Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters, somewhat light, the heroes are not over the top alpha, there is magic but they are not listed as witches, but just as having special abilities.  Seven sisters (seventh daughter has seven daughters, passing down the gifts to the daughters).  First one is Magic in the Wind, but don't let it turn you off, it is a novella and not that great, the stories get better.  Reallyg ood series

Vampire:  Her Dark series, Carpathian's are vampires and it has a darkness to it and some violence (and lots of sex)  but their level is subjective.  I would see them as just bordering on what you want, there is always a happy ending in the books  Although it is a series and really needs to be read in order, you can check out Dark Challenge and Dark Fire, it will give you an idea of the series.  For me, a great series, but I like the uber alpha and the darkness is not too much for me, I read some that are really dark with lots of violence.

Lyndsay Sands is a good series, light, very funny, and a totally different take on the vampires (survivors from Atlantis).  A Quick Bite, Love Bites and Single, White Vampire are the first three, they also have to be read in order. 

Shifters: Nalini Singh, her Psy/Changling series, based in the future, three races, humans, psy who have psychic abilities and have given up their emotions (but at a cost) and the changlings, who are human but have the ability to shift. The two many shifters are the DarkRiver leopard clan and SnowDancer wolf pack.  The first can be dry as it introduces you to the psy and they are a cold race.  But it is worth it to read on.  Slave to Sensation; Vision of Heat and Caressed by Ice (my favorite of them).

If you like mythology, Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark-Hunter series; vampires, the bad ones take not blood but the souls of humans.  The Dark-Hunters hunt them down and destroy them.  They are humans who suffered a great tragedy and death and in obtaining vengeance they gave their soul to Artemis (Greek goddess of the hunt) and become hunters for her for the Damions, the "bad vamps".  There are some shifters in the series.  Fantasy Lover has been listed by SK as the first of the series, I suggest you read it, Night Pleasure and Night Play to see what you think of it. 

Dragons:  Deborah Cooke has a dragon series, middle of the ground in some aspect of dark and light.  This can be subjective in that area also, I see it as light with a slight touch of dark.  In the series the good dragons, Pyr are protectors of mankind, the Slayers seek to destroy mankind.  Each book is about a member of the Pyr and his firestorm (finding his mate and getting her pregnant) and at the same time, fighting the Slayers.  Good series, some humor, magic and good sex.

Shifters:  Shelly Laurenston has a series, really several, Magnus Pack,  you will laugh yourself silly and the sex is great Magnus Pack is Pack Challenge, Miss Congeniality (in anthology When He Was Bad you don't have to read it, but it is worth it), Go Fetch and Here, Kitty, Kitty. Wolf shifter with a tiger tossed in.

Pride series, feline The Mane Event, The Beast in Him. The Mane Attraction and The Mane Squeeze

I haven't read this author yet, but heard good about her, Kim Harrison, witches in it.  Dead Witch Walking, The Good, Bad and the Undead are the first two (from the titles of the books she must like Clint Eastwood, LOL)  Shirley librian, witch, she is a librarian  who solves murder mysteries.  No sex but has some humor in it.   Witch Way to Murder, and Charmed to Death are the first two. I have read the first one, it is a good read, not great, but good.

Demon:  The only one I know is Jaci Burton and from what I have read she can write highly erotic stories, she has a series, Demon Island, the hunting of evil demons by a man who is half demon and a woman. Surviving Demon Island and Hunting the Demon are the first two, haven't read the series yet.

Time travel is Karen M. Moning, a must read really, based in the Highlands of Scotland, has magic, fae, and demons it it.  Can be dark, but has good in it.  There are three that are written that some don't see as part of the series as they don't deal with a certain clan.  Kiss of the Highlander, The Dark Highlander, The Immortal Highlander and Spell of the Highlander.  really, really great read  Good sex, lots of laughts, tension, and I don't think it has too much darkness, but I don't know what you see as dark.

Janet Chapman is time travel, Highlanders are sent to the future by a wizard.  Two clans, who had been fighting against each other, with one left of one clan and four or five of the other  Charming the Highlander, Loving the Highlander, Wedding the Highlander are the first three.  Light, humor and good sex, a very nice read, one of my keepers and re-reads

Jean Johnson has a series based on another world, magic, eight brothers, four sets of twins that a prophesy has been written about and so they are exiled on an island. The books are about each brother and how the prophesy is fulfilled and along with it, another prophesy   The Sword, The Wolf, The Master, Song, Cat, Storm, Flame and Mage.  Well worth reading. I really like this series some humor, good sex and no darkness

Last but not least, C. L. Wilson, fantasy.  It has one couple that is focused on, but a great series to read.  Lord of the Fading Lands, Lady of Light and Shadow, King of Sword and Sky, Queen of Song and Souls and the last one, the name has been changed and I don't remember it. Great series

I have lots of other series I read, but I tried to find ones that touched on several areas of pn, some light and funny, some more serious, some with a lot of steam and some light in it.   Some real dark and lots of violence and sex.

Hope you enjoy whatever you choose to read.  None of what I read has m/m/f or m/m in them.

Janette

You could try the Silhouette Nocturne series of books.  They are really good and not usually too much gory details with a little sex.  They are good for a lite read and not as thick as some of the Paranormal books tend to be.  With this series you get a lot of variety into the different types of Paranormal characters.  They are good to read to see which type of Paranormal creatures you would like to read more about.

If you are interested in the whole list, I have it in Excel, I could send it to you if you PM me your E-Mail address.  I am willing to send it to anyone that wants it.

Maggie Shayne is also a good author.  If you want a lot of erotic sex you could always try Laurell K. Hamilton, but some of hers are a little more gory.  There are getting to be so many authors out there that it is hard to choose which on to choose from.

I have been reading the "Immortals Series"  which is a good one, but it is by different authors.  So you get some more gory than others.

Amanda Ashley is a good author.

Another way to start is to pick the books that have 3 or more authors, I can't think of what they are called.  They tend to be less gory.

CARRIE

Carrie,

Are you talking about anthologies?  Those are good ways to find new authors, at least I think so.  Others find them frustrating to have to buy a book that has three or more authors just to get the one author they want.

Some that I would recommend are:

Hot Blooded, it lets you read books by Christine Feehan, Maggie Shayne, Emma Holly and Angela Knight.

Hot Spell lets you read Emma Holly, Lora Leigh, Meljean Brooks, Shiloh Walker,

Shifter lets you read Angela Knight, Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Virginia Katra

Love at First Bite has Sherrilyn Kenyon, L. A. Banks, Susan Squire and Rhonda Thompson

Dead After Dark has Sherrilyn Kenyon, J. R. Ward, Susan Squire and Dianna Love

Magical Christmas Cat has Nalini Singh, Erin McCarthy, Linda Winstead Jones, Lora Leigh

I have read Amanda Ashley, she is a good writer.

Janette

Yea  Thanks.  That's what I was trying to think of.  It is a good way to figure out which authors you want to read more of.

My favorite authors  are Christine Feehan,  Sherrilyn Kenyon, Maggie Shayne, Angela Knight and Susan Sizemore.

Other Anthologies include:

Highland Vampire by Hannah Howell, Adrienne Basso and Deborah Raleigh

His Eternal Kiss By Karla Hocker, Judith A. Lansdowne and Jeanne Savery

Over The Moon by Angela Knight, Mary Janice Davidson, Virginia Kantra and Sunny

Moon Fever by Susan Sizemore, Maggie Shayne, Lori Handeland and Caridad Pineiro

On The Prowl by Patricia Briggs, Karen Chance, Eileen Wilks and Sunny

Just One Sip by Katie MacAlister, Jennifer Ashley and Minda Webber

And Don't forget:

     After Twilight, The Only One, Lover Beware, Fantasy, A Very Gothic Christmas, The Wicked and The Wondrous, The Shadows Of    Christmas Past, Midnight Pleasures, Stroke Of Midnight , My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding and My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon.

I'm Sure there are lot's more but I had to list a few.

CARRIE

Thanks for your suggestions...I am not sure what other aspects I want to explore at this point...just don't want any gore, blood and guts kind of books.  I have made a list of the authors and books you have suggested and will be checking them out.   I am sure that I will find something that strikes my fancy somewhere along the line.

thanks Janette I was wondering what some of those series were like!

I pretty much go for light, funny, sexy - Laurenston and her Aiken series are about as violent as I can stand but in all fairness that's probably  light in that dept as far as some go! I love her books though.

I love Sands' vampire series, Kerrelyn Sparks' vampire series, also liked Kathy Love's 1st vampire books Fangs for the Memories, Fangs but No Fangs, I only have fangs for you, my sister is a werewolf. I enjoyed Accidental Werewolf by Dakota Cassidy but the 2nd and 3rd I overall didn't like - very chick-lit-ish and one of the 3 women, Nina, had the worst mouth I've ever read(pretty much topped one of the characters in Laurenston's Magnum Pack!) not that I have anything against language 'cause I can hold my own but it was really overkill for the character and the storyline I thought but I skimmed through for the main story in them and there were some funny LOL scenes in all of them so I may read the next book if I find it at the library..

I have some other series I haven't read but coworker has - Singh's psy changelings - she loved these. Kresley COle's Immortals after dark series - she's read them all except the latest - I've only read the 1st and it pushed my limits on the violence though it wasn't long-lasting but I almost didn't  make it through the introduction torture scene and thank goodness it was fairly brief...but she loved the overall storyline.