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Funny Urban Fantasies - City Lane Romanceopoly Recs
Episode 108 • 2nd August 2024 • Reading Under the Covers: A Romance Novel Podcast • Under the Covers Book Blog
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In this episode of Reading Under the Covers, a romance novel podcast, we are highlighting more book recommendations for the Romanceopoly yearly reading challenge. This week the prompt is City Lane - read a funny urban fantasy novel. And if you're reading genre only it's also urban fantasy.

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Transcripts

Speaker:

francesca--she-her-_3_07-27-2024_121809:

Welcome to reading under the

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covers, a romance novel podcast.

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I'm Francesca from under

the covers book blog.

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And today I am excited to

bring you another romanceopoly

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reading recommendations episode.

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If you guys don't know, Romanceopoly

is a year long reading challenge

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where you can basically explore all

sub genres of romance and also step

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a little bit outside of that as well,

which will guarantee you a just really

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diverse and fun year of reading.

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The challenge is designed as a board

and you can basically go through the

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board either by rolling the dice or

going challenge by challenge in order.

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Each challenge has a reading

prompt or a specific genre

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or sub genre assigned to it.

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So you'll either choose one

of those options and pick a

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book that fits the category.

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Now there are a lot of challenges , but

you don't necessarily have to read All

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of them and complete the whole board

in order to complete the challenge.

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So I suggest that you

head over to romanceopoly.

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com and you can find all of the

rules if you want to participate.

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There is definitely still time for you

to participate and read along with us.

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And remember that sometimes participating

in a reading challenge may not necessarily

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just be about finishing the challenge,

but just the experience itself.

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So it's never too late to join us and

come and participate with Romanceopoly.

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For today's episode.

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I have book recommendations for

city lane, and the prompt for this

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is to read a funny urban fantasy.

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I happen to absolutely

love funny urban fantasies.

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I feel like I need to

even read more of them.

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I'm always on the lookout.

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So I was very excited that

we managed to include this

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prompt this year on the board.

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And if you're not doing board challenges

and you're just doing the genre,

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it is an urban fantasy challenge.

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So, these recommendations

will fit no matter which one

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of the two you're completing.

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Now, I think there are some

classics when it comes to

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thinking of a funny urban fantasy.

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And there are also some urban

fantasies that have small

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elements of fun and humor in them.

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Like, for example, our beloved, Kate

Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.

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There's definitely so much humor in that

series, but I still wouldn't necessarily

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be calling it a funny urban fantasy.

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But if you have not read that series

yet, I will leave a link in the show

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notes down below where you can get our

complete series guide on that series.

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And it's absolutely amazing.

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It is a must read series.

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If you're a fan of urban fantasy and you

know what, there's enough humor in it.

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So you could just read

it for this prompt too.

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But we're not talking Kate Daniels

today, so let's dive right into

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my recommendations that I have for

you guys for funny urban fantasies

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that you can read for Romanceopoly.

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Again, this is for City Lane.

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The first one I picked up on a complete

whim, and actually it was a, Social media

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recommendation by Ilona Andrews, and that

is Death and Relaxation by Devon Monk.

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This is the first book in

the Ordinary Magic series.

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I have also read some of the

other books in the series.

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Absolutely loved it.

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It's a series that has a small town

vibe and plenty of humor Where we

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dive into this chaotic world and

unique world of ordinary Oregon.

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The heroine in this book is the police

chief and she's got her hands full with

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a mix of supernaturals in the town.

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You've got vampires and werewolves

and all kinds of creatures, but

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you also have the vacationing gods

who are always causing trouble.

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Because, yes, this is basically the place

where the gods come on vacation, and we

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also even have death on vacation here.

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With the rhubarb

festival fast approaching.

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Delaney, our heroine is

juggling so many things.

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way more than the usual small

town drama and also the looming

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threat of godly tantrums.

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And as if things are not complicated

enough, her ex also shows up

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just when she's starting to catch

feelings for Ryder, her childhood

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friend, and the guy that she should

not be having any feelings for.

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But then a dead body washes ashore and

it's not just anybody, it's a god's body.

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Now, Delaney has to solve the murder

of a god, deal with the fallout

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of the god power on the loose,

and try to keep the apocalypse on

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hold all of that while navigating

small town drama and her love life.

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It's just another day in the life

of the ordinary chief of police

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where ordinary is anything but.

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I've got a full review for this book on

the blog and I will leave it linked in

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the show notes down below as well, but

highly recommend that you check out this

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book and that you check out this series.

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You'll find lots of endearing

characters, a lot of also found

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family and family as well because our

heroine has her bond with her sisters.

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You'll get your fix for romance,

unlikely sidekicks, and I would

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say kind of medium stakes.

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It's not super high stakes, but

it's definitely not low stakes.

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So it's just got the perfect mix

and it's also perfect for summer.

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I think all of these funny urban

fantasies are perfect summer

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reads as well, or transitioning

between summer and fall reading.

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And if you're watching this and you're

deep into your fall reading or your dark

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paranormal reads, these are great palette

cleansers in between those as well.

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The next one that I'm going to recommend

should come as no surprise to any of

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you because it's actually one of my

absolute favorite series in urban fantasy.

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And we've done nothing but recommend

this series here at Under the Covers.

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And that is First Grave on

the Right by Darynda Jones.

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This is the first book in the Charley

Davidson series, one of our all

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time absolute favorite urban fantasy

series here at Under the Covers.

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Darynda Jones is one of

our favorite authors.

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In fact, a few years ago, we had posted

a video with Darynda Jones answering

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some interview questions from us.

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And I'll be sure to also leave that

link in the show notes below as well.

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I think it's super fun.

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Her series is so amazing.

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You'll definitely want to be reading

it and definitely read it in order.

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So, Charley Davidson is a

part time private investigator

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and full time Grim Reaper.

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Yes, you heard that right, Charley sees

dead people, and It's basically her

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job to help them go into the light.

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But when the deceased have been

murdered, it is often very tricky.

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They usually like to stick around

to see justice being served.

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As if juggling ghostly clients and

solving murders was not enough Charlie's

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nights are haunted by really hot dreams

about this mysterious dark figure

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that's been haunting her and following

her for as long as she can remember.

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The twist is that he's actually not dead.

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In fact, he might actually be

something way more complicated

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and dangerously attractive.

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And believe me, you'll want to stick

around with this series until you find

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out exactly who he is because he is one

of my all time favorite paranormal heroes.

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And you'll probably be calling

him your book boyfriend as well.

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This series will give you

lots of laugh out loud humor,

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incredible sizzling chemistry.

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And First Grave on the right is just that

perfect introduction to a world where

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the dead don't really rest in peace and

the living are just full of surprises.

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I would say that the Charley Davidson

series is a classic in this category.

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So if you have not read it,

you have to at least give

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yourself a try and check it out.

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Now, the next book is one that I read

recently, and I was super excited

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to read it because it gave me the

Charley Davidson vibes that I have been

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missing since finishing the series.

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Even though the element of paranormal

is slightly less because where Charley

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Davidson sees ghosts, this one just

has basically psychic abilities.

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It definitely is a little more toned

down when it comes to the paranormal,

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but the humor is definitely there

and the set of characters and

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the vibe of the story as well.

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And that is The Dead Guy

Next Door by Lucy Score.

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This is the first book in

the Riley Thorn series.

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And if I could also compare it to

something that is contemporary,

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and it is something that I've also

compared the Darynda Jones Charley

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Davidson series to, is Janet

Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.

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So if you like that, you'll

definitely enjoy both of these series.

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Now Riley Thorn's life

is anything but ordinary.

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She's divorced.

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She's broke.

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She's living in this quirky

building full of elderly neighbors.

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And she's been having these

hallucinations her whole life that

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she's been basically ignoring.

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Meanwhile, her tarot reading

mom keeps telling her that those

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are not hallucinations and she's

actually having clairvoyant visions.

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Sounds great, doesn't it?

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except one of those visions is that she

sees her next door neighbor being murdered

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in his apartment, and things get very

real when a private investigator shows up

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knocking on that neighbor's door one day.

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He's charming, he's good

looking, and together they find

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her next door neighbor dead.

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Now, her vision has come to life and

she is definitely prime suspect in

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this private investigator's eyes.

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While the police are investigating,

he's been hired also to find

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out what really happened to him.

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And while he also needs to

investigate her, he definitely

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needs her help to uncover some

of the clues and crack the case.

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So they team up to solve this murder at

the same time as she's having to come to

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terms with her powers and her abilities

and just deal with her attraction to

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Nick and also with her meddling family.

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If you're looking for that family vibe.

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also found family and lots of humor with

a great side romance, then this is going

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to be a great series for you to check out.

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It's fun.

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It's thrilling.

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There's chemistry between

the two characters.

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It's got a touch of supernatural

and also a great whodunit mystery.

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The next book that I have for you guys

is also one that's super interesting

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because it's very different, and

it is Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep.

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This is the first book in the

Big Time series, now, Karma Girl

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is basically a superhero story.

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There is a bit of romance in it, but it

is more of an urban fantasy with a dose

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of romance, as opposed to a paranormal

romance, at least in my opinion.

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Our heroine, who is not a superhero,

she's an investigative reporter and on

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her wedding day, she gets the shock of

her life when she finds out that her

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fiance is a superhero and her best friend

is a super villain and they've been

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basically cheating on her and she finds

them together right on her wedding day.

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So to spite them, she decides to expose

their identities and writes this article

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on her newspaper it goes massively viral

and she becomes the reporter that is in

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charge of exposing all those superheroes

and supervillains all over the country.

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So she travels from city to city

until she uncovers the identity

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and exposes those superheroes.

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Then she lands her latest job at a top

newspaper in Big Time New York it's

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a city full of masked superheroes and

supervillains, and everything seems to

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be going great until she's kidnapped by

the terrible triad uber villain team.

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They basically give her the task of

uncovering the identity of Stryker,

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who is the leader of The fearless

five that is the superheroes team

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of the city or face a deadly fate

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as she starts to dig into Stryker's

life and also has her run in

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encounters with him a la Lois Lane

and Clark Kent, she finds herself

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unexpectedly attracted and drawn to him.

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Torn between her duty as a reporter,

the threat that she's facing, and

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dealing with the internal struggle

of the reasons why she's been doing

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this job, all of that while dealing

with her growing feelings for Stryker.

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In Karma Girl, Carmen has to navigate

these feelings, try to defeat the

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terrible triad that's threatening

her life, navigate this dangerous

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world of secret identities, A bit

of romance and high stakes action.

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It's a really fun and thrilling

superhero urban fantasy romance.

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With plenty of twists and turns, and

you'll definitely want to continue

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reading on the series as well.

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The next one is also a bit different,

and I read this book years and years

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ago, but I still remember how much I

enjoyed reading it, and that is My Life

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as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland.

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It is the first book in the

White Trash Zombie series.

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And I remember picking this up

mainly because of the cover art.

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It is artwork by Dan Dos Santos,

which is the same artist that does the

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covers for the Patricia Briggs series.

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Absolutely stunning.

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Every single cover in this series,

love them, but I'm happy to report

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that the book was also a ton of fun.

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And I love that it doesn't take itself

too seriously while still delivering

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a great urban fantasy read that

packs the action, a great plot, great

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characters, and just lots of fun.

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Our heroine Angel's life is a mess.

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She's a high school dropout

living in the swamps of southern

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Louisiana with her alcoholic dad.

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She has a criminal record and a pill habit

She's been in and out of crappy jobs and

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now faces probation for a felony however,

things get even weirder for her when she

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wakes up ER from a supposed overdose,

only to find no sign of injury from the

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car crash that she actually remembers.

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Then she receives an anonymous

letter that directs her to a

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job at the parish's morgue.

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A job that she can't refuse because Angel

suddenly finds herself craving brains.

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And developing a major crush on

a honky deputy all while trying

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to navigate her undead life

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as if that wasn't enough.

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There's a serial killer on the loose.

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Decapitating victims and making angels

cravings even harder to control.

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To survive in this new world and in

this new life, angel has to grow up

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very fast, balance this bizarre new

appetite that she has and keep her

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new job or she's basically dead meat.

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I can guarantee you that My Life as a

White Trash Zombie is going to be a quirky

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and darkly funny take on zombie life.

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It's full of unexpected twists, and

you'll find our main character

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here who is very gritty, but at

the same time totally relatable.

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The next one is also a series that we love

to recommend here at Under the Covers,

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and it is Slouch Witch by Helen Harper.

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This is the first book in the Lazy

Girl's Guide to Magic series, and

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Suzanne always talks about this series.

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I will leave links to the reviews

for all of the books that I've talked

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about that we have posted on the

blog in the show notes down below.

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But in Slouch Witch, we're introduced

to Ivy, and she's a witch who's

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anything but your typical heroine.

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Her ideal day involves lounging on the

couch, binge watching TV shows, munching

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on junk food, and arguing with her cat.

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Definitely not fighting

crime and casting spells.

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But, due to a mix up, her laid back

lifestyle is turned upside down when

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she's mistakenly enlisted into the arcane

branch, which is the investigative arm of

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the holy order of magical enlightenment.

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So now instead of just lounging

and chilling at home, She's

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dragged into a case that involves

a stolen valuable object.

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To make matters worse she's paired

with Raphael who is serious and

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kind of perfect, so definitely polar

opposite from her carefree vibe.

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Those pretty eyes definitely

make her stomach flutter, but his

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uptight attitude drives her mad.

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The tension between them is

palpable, and not so much in the

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romantic kind, but more in the I

want to turn you into a frog type.

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Check this one out if you're looking for

a magical detective with sarcastic wit.

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and a lazy approach to magic.

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I think we can all relate to a

witch that would rather avoid the

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heroics and just stay in bed all day.

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And the last book that I have

for you guys today is Goddess

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with a Blade by Lauren Dane.

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This is the first book in

the series by the same name.

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And our heroine Rowan is

basically unlike any other.

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She is not just a vessel for the

Celtic goddess, Bridget, but she's

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also a vampire hunter raised by

the leader of the vampire nation.

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With her supernatural powers, she's

definitely a force to be reckoned with.

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Ensuring that vampires are

adhering to an ancient treaty.

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So when a series of gruesome

murders strikes Las Vegas,

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Rowan goes on high alert.

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The new scion in town is

arrogant and definitely powerful.

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And Rowan is not shy to make sure

that he keeps his vampires in check.

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But despite their constant clashes,

their undeniable chemistry and

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sparks that fly cannot be ignored.

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Now, as Rowan is trying to race

against the clock to stop this killer

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so more women don't turn up dead,

she has to navigate this attraction

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and feelings that she has for the

vampire Scion This is a great start

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for a sexy urban fantasy series.

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It's action packed.

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It's such a fun read.

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There's lots of laugh out loud moments.

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And if you love strong heroines

steamy tension, and supernatural

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intrigue, then definitely Rowan's

Adventures in Goddess with a Blade

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are going to be your next must read.

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So those are all the books

that I have for you guys today.

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I hope that you found something

that you want to dive into.

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All of these are series as well, so

once you pick one up, you can just

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binge through the rest of them.

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I can highly recommend that you do

that too and if you've never picked

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up a funny urban fantasy, you're

totally missing out and I think you

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need to rectify that immediately.

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I would also love to know which

ones are your favorites that

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I didn't include on this list.

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And I have even more recommendations

of this genre on the blog, so I

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will definitely leave a link to

our blog post with more funny

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urban fantasy recommendations

in the show notes down below.

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As always, don't forget to visit the

blog at Under the covers book, blog.com.

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Sign up for our newsletter so

you get all the latest bookish

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news and recommendations in

your email every single Sunday.

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Follow us on social media at UTC

book, blog on Instagram, TikTok X

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or Pinterest, or under the covers

book blog on Facebook and YouTube.

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Thanks so much for listening, guys, and

we'll see you again in the next one.

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Bye.

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