Review: Aliens Abroad - Gini Koch

With the human population growing and alien refugees pouring in from around the galaxy, Earth is becoming too overcrowded to sustain itself--and the solar system is filling up with the alien overflow. Advanced technology from the Alpha Centauri and Vatusan systems offers one possible solution. It's time to explore new planets and see if any uninhabited ones can be claimed.

The President and First Lady, aka Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini, aren't supposed to be on this mission, but what looks like a snafu during a political photo op on the newly christened Distant Voyager spaceship turns out to be a call for help from a planet that might be Earth's salvation...or its destruction.

The discovery of a world at the opposite end of the galaxy that seems like it could be a twin to Earth creates the usual issues for Kitty & Company. It also raises questions of Z'porrah and Ancient influence--not to mention cloning, the multiverse, and, scariest of all, whether or not the Black Hole Universe Police are starting to take too much of an interest in this particular universe.

Katherine "Kitty" Katt Series:
Touched by an Alien
Alien Tango
Alien in the Family
Alien Proliferation
Alien Diplomacy
Alien vs. Alien
Alien in the House
Alien Research
Alien Collective
Universal Alien
Alien Separation
Alien in Chief
Camp Alien
Alien Nation
Alien Education
Aliens Abroad
Aliens Like Us (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Galaxy (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Rescue (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Reckoning (release date to be confirmed)

Visit Gini Koch's website for more information

Review:
With more and more alien refugees arriving in our solar system Kitty and her crew have quite a lot of work on their hands keeping the peace and finding everyone suitable homes. That would be more than enough to keep them busy on its own but when they receive a distress call from the other side of the galaxy they suddenly find themselves on an intergalactic mission that could either save the universe, or end it.

There aren't many series that are still going this strong by the time they reach book 16 but Gini Koch never fails me and this book has all her trademark humour, fantastic characters and fast paced action. Not only do we get to spend time with many of our favourite characters (lets face it there are now too many for all of them to have a starring role in every book!) but we get to meet a whole host of new ones who I'm sure we'll be seeing more of in the future. I absolutely love seeing Kitty and Jeff back in the thick of the action again, things slowed down a little for a few books when they were the ambassadors but now they seem to have more freedom to go on adventures again and that's when they're really at their best - when they're coming up with crazy schemes to save the day.

I'm not going to say too much more because fans of this series will already know exactly what to expect from this book. Instead I'll just confirm that you're in for one hell of a treat and let you get on with enjoying the ride!

Source: Received from DAW books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Alien Education - Gini Koch

It's a typical day of bureaucracy and stress for President and First Lady Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini, in part because kitty's been tapped to represent Earth in the Galactic Council. Kitty feels that's a bad idea, and she might be right.

When her first official TV morning show goes awry, it's only the quick thinking of the actor determined to make the "Code Name: First Lady" movie a reality that saves the day. It also forces Kitty to work with Hollywood.

Meanwhile, the Embassy Daycare kids are all about to enter "real school" - and none of them want to go. They may have grounds to be concerned because many of the other students and their families seem shady, and everyone seems to have an evil agenda.

Dealing with the assimilation of the aliens who have come to Earth, while fending off advances from a variety of Hollywood types, seems like Kitty's biggest challenge. But then she and Jeff discover that Stephanie Valentino - Jeff's niece and the true Heir Apparent to the original Mastermind - is back.

Can Jeff and Kitty thwart the most insidious attacks yet, while keeping tenuous peace on Earth and goodwill towards all sentient species going? And can they also find time to be part of the most truly terrifying organisation they've ever encountered - the school's parent-teacher association?

Katherine "Kitty" Katt Series:
Touched by an Alien
Alien Tango
Alien in the Family
Alien Proliferation
Alien Diplomacy
Alien vs. Alien
Alien in the House
Alien Research
Alien Collective
Universal Alien
Alien Separation
Alien in Chief
Camp Alien
Alien Nation
Alien Education
Aliens Abroad
Aliens Like Us (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Galaxy (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Rescue (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Reckoning (release date to be confirmed)

Visit Gini Koch's website for more information

Review:
It's hard to believe that we're 15 books into this series now but I'm very happy to say that its still just as much fun to read as it was in the very beginning. Gini Koch has created such a unique world populated with a giant cast of regular characters and an ever growing variety of alien species always ready to either cause trouble or save the day. Picking up one of these books is like going to visit old friends and it always amazes me how easily I'm able to slip back into this world and remember exactly who all the main players are.

As usual the story is full of action pretty much from the first page and there is plenty of Gini's trademark humour to make you giggle alone the way. Kitty and Jeff are trying to help the various alien refugees settle into their new home on earth while trying to figure out who is behind the latest robot doubles that keep crawling out of the woodwork. As if running a country and trying to help smooth Earth's entry into the Galactic Council wasn't enough they're also facing every parent's biggest nightmare when Jamie and some of the other embassy kids have their first day at school - the parent-teacher association. Truly if you thought the superbeings from the early books were bad just wait until you come across the head of the PTA!

We're back to the good old days where Kitty is right there in the middle of all the action, from food fights at the school bake sale to dance-fighting on ice at a fundraising hockey match Kitty is fighting to protect her family and friends from their enemies. It's no wonder Hollywood are so excited about the idea of turning her life story into movie "Code Name: First Lady", along the lines of mission impossible it has box office hit written all over it! Of course Kitty has never been one to crave the limelight and she'd much rather be left in peace to get on with her life but the public have never been so keen to see more of the First Lady and the President.

I don't want to say too much more but if you're a fan of this series then you're in for a real treat with Alien Education. It's everything you could want and then some and I'm so happy that the series is still going strong. I can't get hold of the next five books fast enough!

Source: Received from DAW books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Alien Nation - Gini Koch

It's a typical day of bureaucracy and stress for President and First Lady Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini, made more stressful when alien spacecraft are spotted making a beeline for Earth, none of them from the Alpha Centauri system.

Then a cryptic request from an old adversary pulls Kitty out of the White House and into an explosion - and an even more explosive situation. Not only is the Mastermind back in the game, influencing the Club 51 True Believers to find and destroy all Centaurion bases, but he's also found a dangerous benefactor and created some frightening new cloning abilities. And, just to make things a little more challenging, those alien spacecraft are coming to as Kitty for protection, and asylum on Earth.

Police stations being blown up and war helicopters in play aren't enough to keep Kitty down, especially when she's got some new alien friends helping out. But what these aliens share will rock the world - the other aliens on their way to Earth are fleeing an enemy so terrifying that even a Z'porrah ship is trying to get to Earth for safety and protection. And if Earth isn't able to stop this threat, there may not be anything left of humanity.

Now Kitty and Company have to figure out where the Mastermind is and stop him before any new aliens land. And then they have to save the world from a deadly invasion. Or, as Kitty calls it, Thursday.

Katherine "Kitty" Katt Series:
Touched by an Alien
Alien Tango
Alien in the Family
Alien Proliferation
Alien Diplomacy
Alien vs. Alien
Alien in the House
Alien Research
Alien Collective
Universal Alien
Alien Separation
Alien in Chief
Camp Alien
Alien Nation
Alien Education
Aliens Abroad
Aliens Like Us (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Galaxy (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Rescue (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Reckoning (release date to be confirmed)

Visit Gini Koch's website for more information

Review:
14 books in and this series is stronger than ever! Once again Gini Koch has managed to up the stakes, this time bringing in a whole host of new alien species who are all headed to earth seeking sanctuary from a terrifying new enemy. I don't know where Gini gets her ideas from but you can look forward to meeting some fun new characters in Alien Nation.

This series never has a chance to grow stale because it's constantly evolving and I honestly don't know how Gini manages to create such intricate plots that have spanned over so many books. We've known who the Mastermind is for a couple of books now but Kitty and co finally get a chance to take out their enemy once and for all, if only they can stop him before he kills Jeff and the rest of the world leaders in one fell swoop that is.

I'm so glad we're back to seeing Kitty do what she does best, she has a unique way of looking at every situation and she's brilliant at finding new allies but more than anything she is able to kick ass with the best of them. There is just no stopping our girl when people she cares about are in danger and since she has such a huge heart that includes a massive circle of friends and adopted family members. This series has such a huge cast of characters but they're all so well drawn out that I never have any problems keeping track of who everyone is and I just have so many favourites whose stories I'm invested in.

None more than Kitty and Jeff though, they're such a brilliant couple and I love spending time with them. I'm so pleased that this series is still going strong and I'm looking forward to lots more future adventures in this world.

Source: Received from DAW books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Camp Alien - Gini Koch

The President and First Lady, aka Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini, don't get any downtime once the Mastermind has been revealed to the world. Not only do they have myriad high-level government positions to fill, but the scrutiny and pressure on this Administration has gone into overdrive.

The sudden reappearance of a long-forgotten adversary turns out to be the tip of the iceberg. New robots and androids attacking, old enemies making new alliances, and new aliens with interesting abilities almost overshadow the fact that the U.S. still has to host a peace summit at Camp David between Israel and Iraq. It's clear that while the Mastermind may be down, there are plenty of others ready to take his place - and all that stands between them and success are Kitty and Company.

Kidnappings, rescues, creepy hideouts, a hidden black site, and a domestic dispute that could end Jeff and Kitty's marriage are nothing compared to find not one but two hidden labs where dangerous and deadly things are brewing.

But when the President and his entourage finally get to the peace talks, things are no better. Mossad rightly suspects something's wrong with both their Prime Minister and the President of Iraq. A hidden in-control superbeing, an android replacement, and an army of Fem-Bots turn the peace talks into a Battle Royale that the team might not actually survive. And if they don't make it, Earth won't make it, either.

But no pressure.

Katherine "Kitty" Katt Series:
Touched by an Alien
Alien Tango
Alien in the Family
Alien Proliferation
Alien Diplomacy
Alien vs. Alien
Alien in the House
Alien Research
Alien Collective
Universal Alien
Alien Separation
Alien in Chief
Camp Alien
Alien Nation
Alien Education
Aliens Abroad
Aliens Like Us (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Galaxy (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Rescue (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Reckoning (release date to be confirmed)

Visit Gini Koch's website for more information

Review:
You know a series is special when the author still manages to make the story fresh and exciting when you're 13 books in! Gini Koch somehow manages to up the stakes in every new instalment and she definitely excels at flinging her characters into some crazy situations. Luckily Kitty is the queen of crazy and she has a pretty badass team of people on her side to help her.

The shocking ending of Alien in Chief left Jeff and Kitty reluctantly stepping into the roles of President and First Lady and now it's time to deal with the fallout. The Mastermind's plots left them with slots to fill in a lot of key government roles and now it's up to Kitty and Jeff to try and build a strong and trustworthy administration around them. They have the Planetary Council around to lend a hand but it's fairly safe to say they have their own motives for being on Earth in the first place and if that wasn't enough to think about Jeff is also supposed to be presiding over peace talks between Israel and Iraq. Throw in a few kidnapping attempts, the fact that half of the airborne team are still missing, the discovery of a new species of alien who has been hiding in plain sight for months, various key people being replaced by androids and the appearance of a new superbeing and you could say that Kitty and co have their hands full.

Kitty and Jeff never stagnate as a couple, juggling their jobs and their family keeps them on their toes and Jeff makes a pretty big mistake here that could cost him everything he cares about but no matter what is going on around them I have faith that they'll deal with things together and they have plenty of friends on hand to help shoulder the load. If you were nervous that them becoming one of the most politically powerful couples on the planet would slow them down you needn't be, Kitty is never going to settle for being a stay at home wife no matter how supportive she is of Jeff's career advancements and it's quite clear that there are still a lot of exciting challenges ahead for one of my favourite fictional couples.

As with any book in this series the plot is fast paced and well plotted, it's full of twists, there are several different enemies each with complex and well thought out plans in motion, add in fun banter between all our favourite characters, Kitty treating us to her usual wide array of musical inspiration and plenty of flying by the seat of her pants problem solving and you know you're in for a fun time. I don't think I'll ever tire of this world and these characters, I don't know anyone who can keep as many different balls in the air as Gini Koch does and the further you get in the series the more you start to realise how far in advance she must have planned things. Camp Alien is helping to kick off a whole new story arc and I'm incredibly excited to see what happens from here onwards. This series is nowhere close to done and I'm incredibly glad about that.

Source: Received from DAW books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2016. There are so many upcoming releases that I'm looking forward to but since I already posted a list of my most anticipated 2016 Debuts I decided to focus this list

1. Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh: I absolutely love everything Nalini writes so I can't wait to get my hands on this book. It's not often you find series that are still going so strong at book 15 but this is definitely one of them.
2. Morning Star by Pierce Brown: I've been addicted to this series since I first read Red Rising nearly 2 years ago, the series has gone from strength to strength and I can't wait to see how it ends.
3. Night Study by Maria V Snyder: I'm a huge fan of the Chronicles of Ixia series and I'm really pleased Maria decided to revisit the original main characters Yelena and Valek in these new books. I don't think I'll ever get enough of this world!
4. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs: It's no secret that I love Patricia Briggs, in fact I'm currently on my third read of the Mercy Thompson series because I couldn't resist reading it again before the new book comes out. I think that says all there is to say about how fantastic it is!
5. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas: I love Sarah's Throne of Glass series but I think I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses even more so I'm going to be dropping everything the second I get my hands on a copy of ACOMAF.
6. Of Flame and Promise by Cecy Robson: The Weird Girls series is another of my favourites, this is the first book to be told from Taran's point of view and I'm really looking forward to getting inside her head and finding out what makes her tick!
7. Judged by Liz de Jager: I've known Liz since she was a blogger so I was thrilled when she got her publishing contract and I've loved every minute of the Blackheart Legacy. I'm going to be taking part in the blog tour for Judged, the final instalment in the trilogy, in January so happily that means I get to read it very soon :o)
8. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab: A Darker Shade of Magic was absolutely fantastic so I'm really looking forward to seeing what trouble Kell and Lila get into next.
9. Camp Alien by Gini Koch: This is another series that makes me drop everything when I get my hands on the latest instalment, the books are always completely crazy and laugh out loud funny.
10. Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill: I love the Chicagoland Vampires, this series just gets better and better and I'm looking forward to spending more time with Merit and Ethan.

So those are my most anticipated reads from early 2016. Do any of them match the books on your list? What books are you most excited about?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I read in 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's topic is Top Ten Books I read in 2015 which I have to say has been a really difficult one for me. It's just too hard to narrow it down to only 10 books! I decided to break it down into 3 categories - YA, NA and Adult - and was going to allow myself 5 books from each but even that ended up being too difficult. So I figure if I'm going to cheat I might as well REALLY cheat so here are my top 26 books of 2015 (Yes, I know that's a crazy amount of books but considering I've read around 250 books this year I don't think it's unreasonable LOL. Books are listed in the order I reviewed them & I've included links to my reviews.

My top YA books of 2015:

1. Golden Son - Pierce Brown
2. These Broken Stars - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
3. Shadow Study - Maria V Snyder
4. Froi of the Exiles - Melina Marchetta
5. End of Days - Susan Ee
6. The Shepherd's Crown - Terry Pratchett
7. Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo
8. Winter - Marissa Meyer
9. A Thousand Nights - E.K. Johnston
10. Illuminae - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
11. Asking for It - Louise O'Neill

My top NA books of 2015:

1. Rock Hard - Nalini Singh
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas
3. Once Pure - Cecy Robson
4. Anything but Broken - Joelle Knox
5. This is One Moment - Mila Gray

My top Adult books of 2015:

1. Dark Debt - Chloe Neill
2. Magic Shifts - Ilona Andrews
3. The Great Zoo of China - Matthew Reilly
4. Shards of Hope - Nalini Singh
5. Archangel's Enigma - Nalini Singh 
6. Sweep in Peace - Ilona Andrews
7. Ties That Bind - Pippa DaCosta
8. Alien in Chief - Gini Koch
9. Uprooted - Naomi Novik (review will be posted soon)
10. The Martian - Andy Weir (review will be posted soon)

So do any of my choices match yours? Which other absolutely amazing books have you read this year?

Review: Alien in Chief - Gini Koch

The Mastermind has upped his game . . .

As Kitty can tell you, it's not easy being the wife of the vice president - especially not when he's an alien fom the Alpha Centauri system. And being a parent of preternaturally talented children, don't even go there. But she and her A-C husband, Jeff, have learned how to roll with whatever life and the bad guys throw at them - they think.

Kitty & Company have been savouring a few months of quiet since they got back from Beta Eight. But suddenly their peace is shattered by the arrival of a mysterious female assassin - who might be Jeff's missing niece, Stephanie. And that's just the beginning of the fun.

When the Alpha Centuri Planetary Council requests a visit with the president and vice president, things look politically dicey. When the most dangerous prisoners in the most secure supermax prison escape with ease, things look bad. But when the Mastermind releases a virus that kills people in a week, things go to Defcon Worse fast.

Now it's up to Kitty to save everyone important in the U.S. government - including her mother, her husband, and herself - before the virus spreads through the rest of the country, and then the world. Plus she's facing invisible attackers, crazed assassins, a teenager in hiding, the most dangerous train ride ever, the disappearance of her beloved flyboys, and a mysterious alien who could be an enemy or the ally she needs.

And this time, the Mastermind's made it very personal. Either he's going down . . . or Kitty is.

Katherine "Kitty" Katt Series:
Touched by an Alien
Alien Tango
Alien in the Family
Alien Proliferation
Alien Diplomacy
Alien vs. Alien
Alien in the House
Alien Research
Alien Collective
Universal Alien
Alien Separation
Alien in Chief
Camp Alien
Alien Nation
Alien Education
Aliens Abroad
Aliens Like Us (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Galaxy (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Rescue (release date to be confirmed)
Alien Reckoning (release date to be confirmed)

Visit Gini Koch's website for more information

Review:
It's not often you can reach book 12 in a series and still have an author surprise you with the direction the story takes. There aren't many authors out there like Gini Koch though and not only is she an expert at creating action packed stories that are full of sub plots upon sub plots run by a huge cast of wonderful supporting characters but she also fills her books with so much humour that they never fail to make me laugh out loud. Kitty is undoubtedly one of my favourite characters, she comes up with such hair-brained schemes and you can honestly never guess what she'll try next but you know for sure she'll come out fighting and that any bad guys in the vicinity had better watch out.

We have been watching the Mastermind pulling the strings for a long time now, he's done a lot of despicable things and caused the deaths of some much loved characters but now Kittye and crew are onto him and they're working hard to bring him down. Unfortunately it's not quite as simple as calling him out since they have absolutely no evidence to use against him and they're pretty sure he has several back up plans in place in case anything happens to him. It's no use cutting off the head if the hydra is just going to grow a few more replacements so this really does need to be done carefully. Unfortunately the Mastermind has a few more tricks up his sleeve and when he kicks off one of his Doomsday plans Kitty realises that the people she cares most about are in more danger than they've ever faced before.

You're in for a crazy journey in Alien in Chief so you should just sit back and enjoy the ride. Crazy fight scenes, snake attacks, a deadly virus, alien visitors, invisible armies, old enemies finally getting what they deserve, new allies found, old allies lost and so much more can be found in these pages. The fun never stops but you should also be prepared for a few tears because not everyone makes it to the end of the book. Things have also taken a really interesting turn and the future is about to get extremely interesting for Jeff and Kitty as the series continues. I can't wait for Camp Alien!

Source: Received from DAW books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Urban Fantasy Series

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's topic is a Halloween Freebie so I've decided to talk about my Top Ten Urban Fantasy Series. These are all adult series so most of them won't be suitable for younger readers but they're all fantastic and books I'm happy to shout from the rooftops recommending. It was actually REALLY hard to narrow this list down to just 10 series so I may have sneaked a few extra in there! All links below will take you to my reviews the different series mentioned.

1. My absolute favourite urban fantasy writers would have to be Ilona and Gordon Andrews, their most well known series is about Kate Daniels, a sword wielding, totally kick arse heroine who has a great deal of power and is half of one of my favourite fictional couples. I just have one word for you - Curran. I LOVE him and that's all you need to know! These books are full of action and danger, have a great supporting cast of characters and just never fail to make me smile. You can find my reviews of the Kate Daniel's series here but I'd highly recommend EVERYTHING by these authors including their Edge series and Innkeeper Chronicles and their most recent Hidden Legacy series which I'm desperately waiting for the next instalment of. Ilona and Gordon are undoubtedly the Queen and King of urban fantasy so if you've not read any of their books you're definitely missing out.

2. Nalini Singh is another author that I absolutely adore. I'm kind of cheating with this one because her Guild Hunter series definitely straddles the line between urban fantasy and paranormal romance but it's absolutely excellent so I had to include it. The series follows vampire hunter Elena as she hunts rogue vampires to keep humanity safe. This is a world where angels are in control, they're powerful and often terrifying creatures and they rule over humanity with an iron fist. The world is divided into territories, each controlled by an Archangel and Elena catches the attention of Raphael, the Archangel who runs New York. While many of the books in this series focus on Elena and Raphael and are definitely what I would consider urban fantasy (with a fairly high level of romance!) there are some books that feature other couples and are probably more paranormal romance. The world building is very strong in the whole series though and there is an incredibly likeable cast of secondary characters who all have major roles to play. If you enjoy Nalini's writing then it would be well worth checking out Nalini's Psy-Changeling series too, it's definitely PNR but also has very strong world building, wonderful characters and a lot of action. Nalini is an auto-buy author for me and I've yet to read a book by her that I didn't love.

3. I recently reread Rachel Vincent's Shifters series and I loved it just as much the second time around. The main character of this series is Faythe Sanders, a twenty something cat shifter and her family. The Shifters world is very male oriented and Faythe struggles to make some of the old fashioned council members take her seriously because she's a woman but she's stubborn, intelligent and stands up for what she believes in so she refuses to back down. This series can be quite dark in places and there were a few parts that absolutely broke my heart but I love it.

4. Another series I absolutely adore is Rachel Caine's Weather Warden and the spin off Outcast Season. It's been a long time since I read these books, in fact I read most of the series before I started blogging so it would have been about 6 or 7 years ago, but I love them. I was incredibly excited when Rachel Caine recently announced that she is going to revisit this world and I'm planning on rereading and reviewing the entire series before the new book releases next summer. These books are about humans who have the ability to control the weather and the Djinn they use to help them, the series is very different to anything else I've read and I'm looking forward to revisiting it.

5. You can't really talk about urban fantasy and not mention Patricia Briggs and her Mercy Thompson series (or the spin off Alpha & Omega books!). This is a series full of werewolves, vampires and fae and Mercy Thompson is the only known coyote shifter. She is less powerful than the other supernatural creatures around her but that never stops her for standing up for what she believes in no matter what it costs her. I love Mercy, she's one of the bravest characters you'll ever meet and I've been rooting for her from the beginning. The spin off series allows us to spend time with werewolf couple Anna and Charles and lets us explore more of the world that Patricia Briggs has created. There is always so much going on in these books and I just wish we didn't have to wait so long for new instalments!

6. So I've already included series with shifters, angels, vampires and even humans with magical abilities but the fantastic Katherine "Kitty" Katt series by Gini Koch is a little different because it's all about aliens. Kitty's whole life is turned upside down when she discovers not only that aliens exist but that they're living among us and hiding in plain sight. Not all of the aliens are benign though and when she manages to kill one of the monsters using just a pen from the bottom of her handbag Kitty is recruited to fight alongside the good aliens to protect humanity. This series is absolutely hilarious and never fails to make me laugh out loud, the characters are brilliant, the antics are madcap, the plotting is superb and I guarantee you'll never know what's coming next.

7. There is a reason that Karen Marie Moning's Fever series is such an incredibly popular one and it's a series that I'm going to be rereading over the next few weeks. Mac isn't your typical urban fantasy heroine, in fact at the very beginning I wasn't sure if I was going to like her much because she comes across as quite weak, but she goes through a baptism of fire and we really get to see what she's made of throughout the series. I ended up absolutely loving Mac but even if I hadn't these books would be worth reading just for Barrons. He's a totally mysterious, unapologetic alpha arse and I just can't resist his charms!

8. Another one of my favourite authors is Keri Arthur, she writes brilliant paranormal romances as well as urban fantasy but my favourite is her Riley Jenson series and the spin off Dark Angel books. Riley is a half werewolf- half vampire hybrid and alongside her twin brother Rhoan she works for the Directorate of Other Races, an organisation that is tasked with keeping humans safe from the huge variety of supernatural creatures that are wandering around. Life isn't easy for Riley, she is often forced into difficult situations because of her job but she always comes out fighting and I love her for that. This is a vast world and has a great range of characters and I loved meeting the next generation in the Dark Angels spin off, I keep hoping that Keri Arthur will revisit some of the other side characters in the future but I've not seen any indication that it will actually happen.

9. If you love vampires you should definitely check out Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series, Merit never asked to be a vampire but she was turned by Master Ethan when he found her badly injured after she had been attacked. He may have saved her life but he also turned it upside down at the same time and now she has to find a way to come to terms with what happened and rebuild a new life for herself with the vampires of Cadogan House. I love this series, Merit is brilliant and there are some great side characters, the series has plenty of humour but also plenty of danger, there's magic, sorcery, shapeshifters and interesting vampire politics, not to mention a brilliant romance.

10. I can't compile a list of my favourite urban fantasy series without including the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. I discovered this series back in 2010 when it was recommended to me by several UK bloggers and I've been hooked ever since. Cat Crawford is a half vampire who was born after her mother was attacked by a vampire. She has dedicated her life to killing every vampire she meets believing them all to be evil but then she meets Bones and he makes her realise that not all vampires are monsters. Cat is kick arse, Bones is hot and I absolutely love them as a couple. It's been a long time since I read these books but it's still a favourite series and I think I might be due a reread soon!

Honourable mentions:

So those are my top urban fantasy series but I feel like there are a lot of other series that also deserve some love, these are mostly (but not all) newer series so haven't quite earned such a huge place in my heart (yet!) but they're definitely ones I'm excited to continue and worth giving a try!

1. The Hollows series by Kim Harrison: I started this series before I was a blogger so I've not reviewed any of the books but I remember loving the world Kim has created and it's a series that I'm planning on starting again next year.
2. Cassandra Palmer & Dorina Basarab series by Karen Chance: Two more series that I started years ago and haven't reviewed, I love Karen's writing and really want to catch up with these books.
3. Weird Girls - Cecy Robson: This series is about four sisters, each with their own unusual magical ability thanks to a curse that was placed upon them when they were children. The curse backfired and left them extremely powerful but it also placed a target on their backs and now they're trying to deal with the aftermath.
4. The Colbana Files - J.C. Daniels: Kit is a warrior born and bread and she is incredibly skilled with weapons of all kinds. She was raised to be an assassin but escaped from her family and now works as a PI trying to help people in need.
5. The Veil - Pippa DaCosta: Muse is half human and half demon, she was raised in the hell where she suffered horrific torture until she was able to escape and make it to the human realm. Her whole life has been about survival and now she just wants to live a quiet life but with the veil between the worlds starting to fail and old enemies looking to catch up with her Muse is going to have to choose which side of the upcoming war to fight for.
6. Fallen Siren series by S.J. Harper: This series is all about a siren who was cursed by Greek Goddess Demeter and it's quickly becoming a favourite, Emma is an FBI agent who specialises in tracking down kidnapping victims and her partner at the agency is a werewolf.
7. Monster Haven series by R.L. Naquin: The Monster Haven books are really light hearted and very funny reads, the author includes a huge amount of different supernatural creatures and they cause all sorts of mischief for the main character, Zoey, to deal with.

So those are my favourite urban fantasy series! Do any of them make your top ten? Have I missed any series that you love? Urban fantasy is definitely one of my favourite genres so I'd love some new recommendations :o)