Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Mainlining Molly Harper: Finding Half Moon Hollow

In February I found myself at Coastal Magic, a convention for readers and writers of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. My friend Grace suggested we attend, and we were lucky enough to score lunch tickets with one of our favorite authors, Molly Harper. Harper won my heart with her first Jane Jameson book, and I read that series through book four. But inevitably I slipped and lost track of release dates as other books grabbed my attention. By the time I registered for Coastal Magic I was behind not only on Jane Jameson but on two other series, Half Moon Hollow and Naked Werewolf. 

It seemed at the time too confusing to try and pick up the last Jane Jameson novel after so much time had passed. Instead, as preparation for the convention, I snagged a copy of The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires, the first of the Half Moon Hollow books. As I read, and laughed, I remembered why I loved Harper’s books so much. I read that novel in two days and moved on to book 1.5, Driving Mr. Dead. I finished that one right before Coastal Magic. Grace and I read book two, A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses, on audio on the way to and from Daytona Beach  - a ten-hour drive one-way. Undead Sublet, a novella, came next, and when I finished it I felt a bit lost. The next Half Moon Hollow wasn’t due to be published until the end of March! So I moved on to the Naked Werewolf series. As I type this I’m about halfway through with the first audiobook, How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf. If you’re keeping track that’s two and a half novels and two novellas - all of which I read in approximately eight days.

So what’s so addicting about Molly Harper’s novels? They have a distinctive wit and humor that just resonates with me. The basic plot points could be contemporary romance, but Harper has punched them up with shifters and vampires, which create unique scenarios. Her quirky characters are so real I feel like they might be neighbors…or at least I wish they were. And overall her writing style just pulls me in and I don’t want to stop reading. 


Do yourself a favor and pick up a Molly Harper novel the next time you’re at your local library or bookstore. I recommend starting with Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, the first Jane Jameson novel (but you if you're less OCD than me you could pick up any of them and jump into the middle of the series instead).  

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