Caffeinated Reviewer celebrated its seven year blogoversary this month, and for some stupid reason I thought it would be fun to share seven books that gave me a book high. You know that feeling you get when you slip into a book and reemerge in a euphoric state. It’a a feeling we all chase. Grab an iced mocha frappe and add these to your must read list.
In no particular order. All reviewed between 2011 and 2018. Authors I now work with have been excluded from this list in the interest of fairness.
by Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #1
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 5 cups
No one creates realms like New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop. Now in a thrilling new fantasy series, enter a world inhabited by the Others, unearthly entities—vampires and shape-shifters among them—who rule the Earth and whose prey are humans. As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.
Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow
Credited with my onset of audio addiction, Written in Red, and the world of The Others thrills me every time I slip into this world. This is a series that I listen to first, before reading my hardcover edition. I own every format of the series books. (excluding paperback) Excellent world-building and complex characters make this series a must read for fans of urban fantasy.
by Deborah Harkness
Series: All Souls Trilogy #1
Genres: Paranormal
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
In a sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches became the "it" book of early 2011, bringing Deborah Harkness into the spotlight and galvanizing fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and the descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting story of magic and suspense.
Diana and Matthew…be still my heart. I adored this book and really the entire trilogy. From the characters to the whirlwind travels and intrigue. A TV series is coming to Britain and I sure as heck hope the US. I loved that Harkness allowed me to immerse myself in this story and completely lose track of time.
by Ilona Andrews
Series: Hidden Legacy #3
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Just when Nevada Baylor has finally come to accept the depths of her magical powers, she also realizes she’s fallen in love. Connor “Mad” Rogan is in many ways her equal when it comes to magic, but she’s completely out of her elements when it comes to her feelings for him. To make matters more complicated, an old flame comes back into Rogan’s life…
Rogan knows there’s nothing between him and his ex-fiance, Rynda Sherwood. But as Nevada begins to learn more about her past, her power, and her potential future, he knows she will be faced with choices she never dreamed of and the promise of a life spent without him.
As Nevada and Rogan race to discover the whereabouts of Rynda’s kidnapped husband and are forced to confront Nevada’s grandmother, who may or may not have evil motives, these two people must decide if they can trust in each other or allow everything to go up in smoke.
Conner “Mad” Rogan and Nevada and her crazy family stole my heart. Action, snark and a wonderful, complicated romance have me hoping we revisit this world! The Hidden Legacy series rocked my face off and I recommend it to everyone 🙂
by Pierce Brown
Series: Red Rising #1
Genres: Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Darrow is a miner and a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he digs all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of the planet livable for future generations. Darrow has never seen the sky. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better future for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow and Reds like him are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow joins a resistance group in order to infiltrate the ruling class and destroy society from within. He will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
Can you say fandom? Every book is epic, filled with Easter Eggs, and leave me craving more. From Brown’s incredible worldbuilding to the characters I’ve come to call friends, this series is a must for fans of fantasy. I belong to a Facebook fandom, own t-shirts and covet my signed editions.
by Loretta Chase
Series: Scoundrels #3
Narrator: Kate Reading
Length: 11 hrs 39 mins
Genres: Historical Romance
Source: Audiobook Jukebox
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 4,5 cups
"They call him many names, but "angelic "isn t one of them." -Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain, is big, bad, and dangerous to know. No respectable woman would have anything to do with the Bane and Blight of the Ballisters, and he wants nothing to do with respectable women. He s determined to continue doing what he does best sin and sin again and all s going swimmingly until the day a shop door opens and she walks in.
"She s too intelligent to fall for the worst man in the world."-Jessica Trent is a determined young woman, and she s going to drag her imbecile brother off the road to ruin, no matter what it takes. If saving him and with him her family and future means taking on the devil himself, she won t back down. The trouble is, the devil in question is so shockingly irresistible that the person who needs saving most is Jessica herself.
I was late to the game with this classic, but oh how I laughed, swooned and enjoyed this romance.
by Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson #10
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
In the #1 New York Times bestselling Mercy Thompson novels, the coyote shapeshifter has found her voice in the werewolf pack. But when Mercy's bond with the pack and her mate is broken, she'll learn what it truly means to be alone...
Attacked and abducted in her home territory, Mercy finds herself in the clutches of the most powerful vampire in the world, taken as a weapon to use against alpha werewolf Adam and the ruler of the Tri-Cities vampires. In coyote form, Mercy escapes only to find herself without money, without clothing, and alone in the heart of Europe...
Unable to contact Adam and the rest of the pack, Mercy has allies to find and enemies to fight, and she needs to figure out which is which. Ancient powers stir, and Mercy must be her agile best to avoid causing a war between vampires and werewolves, and between werewolves and werewolves. And in the heart of the ancient city of Prague, old ghosts rise...
I love the Mercy Thompson series, and our protagonist Mercy, but this particular novel pays some homage to the Dr. Who fandom. A golem, travels abroad, and a well played plot set this one apart from an already brilliant series.
by Justin Cronin
Series: The Passage,
Genres: Horror, Post-Apocalyptic
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.” First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse. As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun. With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.
Another trilogy that will soon have a TV show. Have you seen some of the snippits and footage from Comic-Con. I cannot wait. Brilliantly written, this horror, dystopian is among my favorites.
This is just a snippet of the books that have delivered that “book high” Since 2011, I have read 1,706 books over 300 of which were audiobooks. So yeah…this was dang near impossible.
Share a book that gave you a book high.
Seven Books I've read since 2011 that Gave Me A Book High... #blogoversary #mustreads #fandoms Share on X
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Tressa @ Wishful Endings
Discovery of Witches is still one of my all-time favs. I generally read clean romance, but this book… I just love every single minute! All that chemistry and dialogue and then the intriguing plot. Yep. Great choice for this list. A few of the others are on my tbr. Obviously I need to read them. 🙂
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library
I’m listening to Written in Red right now and really liking it! I’m so glad I decided to go with the audio version. I’m loving the narrator. I have one from Ilona Andrews (Burn for Me maybe?) that I’m really looking forward to and now I need to go get the rest!
MarthaE
I agree with your choices of Silence Fallen and Red Rising. I haven’t read the others. Guess I need to get started on The Others.
One of the many books that gave me a High over the past few years was From Afar. Lovely goosebumps!
Stephanie Jane (Literary Flits)
I’m so impressed you could narrow it down to just seven books! You’re either very decisive or this post must have taken hours to plan
Dani Eide
Love the diversity of your 7 highs! Loved Written in Red series. Didn’t know Discovery of Witches was o be a tv show. Great book. Haven’t statred the Hidden Legacy series as yet. Oh my, poor Mercy! ❤️❤️
Sophia Rose
Yep! I remember seeing most of these reviews and knew you were insatiably in love. I still need to read/listen to Written in Red and Discovery of Witches. I’m already in love with Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews books.
However, I’m going to pick CS Harris’ Sebastian St. Cyr series for my book high. 🙂
S. J. Pajonas
RED RISING! That book had me hooked from the very first page. I’ll never forget reading it for the first time when I was traveling in Japan. I brought it to every restaurant to keep reading!
Nise'
I need to read The Others series!! Love Hidden Legacy series. I was late getting to Lord of Scoundrels too.
Anne
I’ve read and loved all on your list except Lord of Scoundrels (not surprising since I rarely read historical romance) and The Passage. I’d add in some of the Dresden books and Naomi Novik’s Uprooted for favorites book highs for me. Oh and the audio of Iron & Magic was to die for – Steve West!!! Anne – Books of My Heart
Nadene
Wild Fire is awesome indeed. The others I am yet to read. I have six new books to add to my list.
Karen
Oh book highs! I don’t have as many anymore but it’s the BEST feeling int he whole world!
Written in Red was one of mine too.
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
Greg
Fabulous list. I need to read The Passage and will DEFINITELY be watching the show. The Mercy thompson series I started and just need to find time to continue! And I’ve heard so many good things about Ilona Andrews that it’s silly of not to have tried those yet!
sjhigbee
I haven’t yet got around to reading Discovery of Witches, but I know what you mean about Red Rising and I’m in love with Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chronicles and also was enthralled by The Passage. Book high reads? Mendoza in Hollywood – Book 3 of The Company novels by Kage Baker; Glass Thorns by Melanie Rawn; Hav by Jan Morris; Among Others by Jo Walton; Doomsday Book by Connie Willis; Zoo City by Lauren Beukes and Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. Though if you ask me tomorrow, they will probably be different…:)
Tanya @ Rantings of a Reading Addict
I have been meaning to read the Discovery of Witches and Written in Red for FOREVER! I seriously need to get to them.
Lorna
Written in Red! Loved that whole world. Not read any of the others although I think I have the first two books in the Ilona Andrews series in my tbr. I just went to Audible and got Lord of Scoundrels from the romance package so that made me happy. The other one I remain interested in is The Passage. Good choices! I’ve had lots of book hangovers over the years and books that I want everyone to read. Of course my mind is pretty blank this second although besides The Other series in its entirety I would add The Mageri series for me. I have to sit down and really think. Hard to limit the number for sure!
Angela Adams
Great list. Thanks for sharing!
Heidi
I have read them all except the Loretta Chase book. So many good ones up there. I love them all.
Angie Elle
Yes to Written in Red and Wildfire! I haven’t read the rest, but man. Those books were so dang good. I’m hoping to jump on the Patricia Briggs bandwagon soon.
Thanks for sharing!
Tanya @ Girl Plus Books
I so agree with Written in Red! I was hooked from the very first book and fell in love with the world Bishop created. I binged the series on audio (I think the first 4 books were out at the time) and became more and more invested in that world with Meg and Simon and all the rest.
Deborah Haupt
Yeah I get it you could have added a 7 or two 7s to the number and still could have made it work LOL
I totally agree on Cronin and A Discovery of Witches and WOW and yay on that promo I want to watch it.
Nicci @ Sunny Buzzy Books
I adored A Discovery of Witches and Wild Fire.
Great recommendations Kimberly!
Mary @StackingMyBookShelves!
I haven’t read any of these…That makes me sad. But still till this day a book that gives me a book high is Anna Dressed in Blood. OMG, I loved it. Still love it. Will always love it.
Mary
sherry fundin
I already had most of these on my TBR.. Discovery of Witches sounds like so much fun, though the cover doesn’t do all that much for me.
Jonetta (Ejaygirl)
Outlander sent me on a high that I’ve yet to descend from (thanks to the TV series). Great post and congratulations on seven years???
ShootingStarsMag
I STILL need to read Written in Red. That was one my wish list since before it came out, and now the series is over, so I need to get on it. haha I’m also really curious about Discovery of Witches. Fun list – thanks for sharing!! And congrats again on 7 years!
-Lauren
Nick
Ooh this is a fun and torturous idea, Kim! 😀
I’ve read two books from your list and they totally gave me a book high and probably put me in a bit of a slump! I’m sure you can guess which! 😉
Someday I’m going to read the Mercy Thompson series! SOME DAY!
Natalie @Natflix&Books
I haven’t read any of these, bit A Doscovery of Witches has been on my tbr for years. I love a book that I just cannot put down. They really are just special.
Jackie Briere
A Discovery of Witches on film? YESS! Now that is something I would love to see. I love paranormal fantasy. I got the Howler Owlcrate edition for Red Rising. Love this series.
I think my book high was in Vampire Academy. I was so in love with Dmitri Belikov and Rose Hathaway, and the Moroi, Strigoi entanglement