Dead Witch Walking series by Kim Harrison

Dead Witch Walking
The Good, The Bad and the Undead
Every Which Way But Dead
A Fistful of Charms
For a Few Demons More
The Outlaw Demon Wails
White Witch, Black Curse
by Kim Harrison

This is probably the best urban fantasy series I've read (and I've read a lot!). The story revolves around Rachel, a witch, her best friend, Ivy (a vampire), and Jenks (a pixie). The characters are rich and whether you love their relationships or hate them, you will be sucked into their world. Kim Harrison excels in creating a believable world where vampires, fey, weres & witches can all exist.

The stories are told 1st person thru Rachel's eyes.

I highly recommend this series to anyone interested in Urban Fantasy. I read the first book in a day & spent the next 2 days running to every bookstore in a 30 mile radius to scrounge up the rest. For an entire week, I did no housework, no laundry, no cooking. I stayed up late reading until I was bleary eyed until I'd finished the last book (TODW). And then it was complete torture waiting for the most recent addition (WWBC) to come out. Go out and buy these. You'll want to keep them.

My Scale:
Characters (1-5) = 5
Solid Story (1-5) = 5
Believable World (1-5) = 5
Angst (1-3) = 3
Humor (1-3) = 2
Relationships (1-3) = 3
Choices (1-3) = 3
Adventure (1-3) = 3
Grand Total (out of 30) = 29

Mark del Franco

Unshapely Things, Unquiet Dreams & Unfallen Dead
by Mark del franco

I'm currently half way through the second book in this series. They take place in Boston & the main character (Connor) is a druid who has lost his powers & now works part time with a Boston detective (a human named Murdock). The author has done a great job describing the Boston area (hey, I'm from here - I'd know), while giving it a nice twist with the fey neighborhoods. The characters are believeable & well developed. The story line in both the first & second books is well thought out and enjoyable. I enjoyed the first book well enough to pick up the 2nd & 3rd before I was finished, so that I could read them in succession.
The story is told in first person from Connor's perspective.
I normally like a little more humor in my books, but hey, if I was a druid without powers, I don't know how much I'd be chuckling either. To understand what makes a book enjoyable to me, read my first post.
So, here's my scale:
Characters (1-5) = 5
Angst (1-3) = 2
Solid Story (1-5) = 5
Humor (1-3) = 1
Love (1-3) = 1
Choices (1-3) = 2
Believable World (1-5) = 4
Adventure (1-3) = 2
Grand Total (out of 30) = 22

Best Urban Fantasy Authors

I thought I'd post a list of the best of the best in Urban Fantasy. So, here it is:

Holly Black
Rachel Caine
Dakota Cassidy
Karen Chance
Kim Harrison
Richelle Mead
Stephanie Meyer
Karen Marie Moning
Justine Musk
Adrian Phoenix
Jennifer Rardin
Rob Thurman

What makes a good book or series?

First, the characters have to be believeable even if they're demons (or whatever supernatural creature you're into). They have to have flaws, not all good or all bad. The reader should be able to love them or hate them, but not feel apathetic toward them.

Second, there has to be angst. Life does not run smoothly, and it shouldn't for them.

Third, there absolutely has to be a solid story. Characters floundering around looking for love just don't do it. There has to be more to it than that. A starting point, a quandry, a series of choices and a satisfying conclusion. (Even if it ends with disaster.)

Fourth, humor. If you can't laugh when the shit hits the fan, you're not worth knowing. Sorry.

Fifth, love. It doesn't need to be hot, detailed sex. In fact, sometimes that just ruins it. Just give me attachments to friends, to family, to that special person and all the messy garbage that goes along with it.

Sixth, choices. Not good/bad choices necessarily - because those are easy. I'm talking the bad vs. equally-bad-but-in-a different-way choice. How a person chooses to move through life is important and when faced with two totally crap choices. Which one you choose shows your character.

Seventh, a rich, full, believeable world. If you have the best character in the world, but they're living in a one-dimensional universe that's not carefully and thoughtfully laid out, it just won't work.

Eighth, adventure. It doesn't have to be knock-down, drag-out violent chaos, but certainly there should be some excitement, some question as to whether things are going to work out in the end or end up totally f*cked up. It shouldn't be a given that everything will be peachy or you might as well just pick up the book and read the last page.