Blended Genre Book Recommendations

Earlier this week I read a blog about blended genre books on Morgan Mandel's blog. The post got me thinking about all the great blended genre books I've read lately and failed to share here at Char's Book Reviews. So I'm going to fix that today.

First, you may ask - what is a blended-genre book? Have you ever picked up a book from the romance section that contained a mystery? Have you read a great sci-fi that also contained a mystery or a romance? These are blended genre books and more of them make it to the book shelves every day. Here's a list of my recent reads that fall into this category:

Hurricane Moon by Alexis Glynn Latner is marketed as science fiction - for good reason. This great sci-fi tale takes place in the late 21st century. The inhabitants of Earth have polluted their own next to the point that it becomes necessary to seek out a new nest. A spaceship named Aeon is launched and the adventure begins. The scientists, adventurers and astronauts on board must triumph over many trials and tribulations along the way. Not the least of these challenges is a love/hate relationship, full of mistrust, between two key players who must find a way to work together to help the human race survive. So, we have a great sci-fi adventure, and tucked inside we have a budding romance.

You don't hear much from me about romance novels. That's because I don't generally read them. However, last Fall, Christy Craig spoke to my writing group - The Final Twist Writers. She was such an entertaining speaker; I picked up two of her romance novels hoping they'd be just as entertaining. I was not disappointed. Ms. Craig's writing style includes many creative and humorous phrases such as, "...caught her ex playing Pin the Secretary to the Elevator Wall...." The romance aspects were both incredibly HOT and entertaining. But the best part for me - the romances in Divorced, Desperate and Delicious and Weddings Can Be Murder both revolve around my favority genre - mystery!

Earl Staggs talked to The Final Twist Writers and January and gave a great talk on the diverences between writing short stories and writing novels. Mr. Staggs is well known for his wonderful short stories and has recently published his first novel, so the differences were fresh in his mind. After Mr. Staggs talk, I picked up Memory of a Murder, which turned out to be a mystery with a touch of paranormal.

Last, but certainly not least, is Mark Phillips's The Resqueth Revolution. This sci-fi tale includes touches of horror, a love story, and a complex mystery. Talk about blends!

I thoroughly enjoyed all of these novels and fully intend to seek out other work by these authors.

What about you - have you read any blended genre books lately? Do you have a favorite?