I don’t know about you, but I get series fatigue. (I know Laura agrees with me on this one!) And, in one of my favorite genres—Urban Fantasy—the series is The Standard. (Has there ever been a stand-alone UF novel? Seriously… it’s okay to end a story after 400 pages!) So, when a series piques my interest, I usually wait until there are two or three books before getting started, because I hate the wait for the next part of the story—especially if it’s cliffhanger-tastic at the end of each novel.

However, I’ve succumbed to temptation and discovered a three series that are only one novel in that are worth starting! Each of these series had their first book release in 2010, and have sequels hitting the shelves this year, so you won’t have to wait too long if you enjoy the first book.

Unbound Series by Rachel Vincent

You guy! Rachel Vincent’s books are like Pixie Stix laced with extra sugar—once I start, I cannot put her books down. She’s even made me break my, “No YA Paranormals” rule with her Soul Screamers series. But, as much as a (somewhat guiltily) enjoyed her Shifters series (it took me about ten pages to get over the WTFery of the concept of werecats; werewolves I’m cool with, werecats are another thing altogether), her new series with Mira is in an entirely different stratosphere (it’s actually what started me on my Epic Rachel Vincent Binge last fall—I read all of her books in about six weeks).

Blood Bound is the first in the series, and it’s written in first-person alternating points of view. The world in this series a delicious mix of magic and a seedy underground akin to The Sopranos. It’s full of action, features a mild, yet incredibly compelling, rekindled romance and loads of action. The next book in the series, Shadow Bound (released in late May), stars a secondary character from Blood Bound, and I’m excited to see the direction this series heads.

{Buy Blood Bound: Amazon | Powell’s | Book Depository | Audible}

{Preorder Shadow Bound: Amazon}

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Arcadia Bell Series by Jenn Bennett

This new series is so much fun! I waffled back and forth about buying the first book, Kindling the Moon, for months and months, despite its many glowing reviews. But, I am sure glad I finally caved! The basic premise of the Arcadia (Cady) Bell series is that a magician/tiki bar owner and a demon/rare book collector team up to solve a mystery. Obviously, this is a recipe for awesome.

Kindling the Moon has loads of unique elements that you don’t find in a lot of Urban Fantasy: an older love interest with a very cool teenage son who’s a well-developed character, a heroine who owns her own business and a healthy dash of humor. There’s also some requisite Urban Fantasy family drama, but it’s executed in a fresh way. The next book in the series, Summoning the Night, will be published by Pocket next month and I’m sure it will be just as quirky.

{Buy Kindling the Moon: Amazon | Powell’s | Book Depository}

{Preorder Summoning the Night: A mazon}

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Revivalist Series by Rachel Caine

This one I bought not realizing it was part of a series (duh), and boy was it a surprise. Rachel Caine’s books have never appealed to me (see the above snark about YA Paranormals as to why I’ve never read her uber-popular Morganville Vampire series). But the first in this new series, Working Stiff (FYI, if you search this on Amazon, half the time you get a book that is definitely not this book—my eyes!) is creative and, yes, like Kindling the Moon—super fun.

This series, published by Roc, brings something fresh to the Urban Fantasy table: Corporate Espionage. The plot revolves around Bryn, who is a funeral director who’s very committed to her work—even after she becomes, well, dead and subsequently reanimated. While I liked Bryn as a protagonist (she’s former military), I adored the two secondary characters, Patrick and Joe (no worries about a love triangle—Joe’s happily married). There’s a pretty high tension level throughout the first book (Bryn will die without a daily dose of her reanimation drugs), and as a result, it’s a fast read with loads of action. The next novel in the series, Two Week’s Notice, comes out in August.

{Buy Working Stiff: Amazon | Powell’s | Book Depository | Audible}

{Preorder Two Week’s Notice: Amazon}

{Add on Goodreads}