I first read Bitten, by Kelley Armstrong, when I was going through a pretty intense paranormal romance stage. I spent months devouring series about werewolves and vampires and the plucky girls who hunted/loved/became them. Bitten stood out because the two main characters, Clay and Elena, were so in love that they couldn’t keep their hands off each other—regardless of fiancés or serial-killers turned werewolves.
So when I saw a Canadian show on Netflix called Bitten, I was immediately intrigued. And, sure enough, I was soon watching some of my favorite characters come alive on the small screen. The show has a vastly different feel from the book with the characters much more angry, volatile and intense. I’m not complaining, as it gives way to an insane amount of unresolved sexual chemistry between Clay and Elena. Think lots of eye sex. And, uh, some actual sex, too.
The story begins with Elena living in Toronto, engaged to a sweet—if kind of boring—guy from a normal family. But she’s keeping some pretty big secrets from him, including the fact that she’s a werewolf. Faced with the threat of lone wolf mutts trying to overthrow the pack, her alpha calls her home to upstate New York. There, she has to confront her feelings for her first love Clay and the tension that comes from her desire to live a normal life outside the pack. She spends most of the season angry with Clay (I won’t spoil why), which leads to a ton of chemistry-laden fight scenes. He’s still madly in love, and spends most of his time shooting her longing glances. Also, he’s shirtless a lot.
The second season is currently airing in Canada, though we Americans will have to wait a bit longer before Syfy releases it in the US sometime in 2015. I’m being very chill about all this waiting, I swear. OK, that’s a big lie. I’m mostly rewatching season one, daydreaming about shirtless Clay, and reading more paranormal romances. So before season two comes out, here are three books to make the time go faster:
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
I’m including the excellent source material, obviously. Bitten is the first novel in Armstrong’s Otherworld series, with 13 books in all. And it’s also my favorite, as it sets up the almost-unhealthily-in-love dynamic between Clay and Elena. The Clay of the book is much less broody than the Clay of the TV show, instead cracking lots of jokes and bounding around Elena like a, well, puppy. He’s just as charming, but in a completely different way. And like with any on-screen adaptation, the book is meatier with more back-story and a more in-depth look at each character. Read this when you’re desperately missing Elena’s struggle between Toronto and the wolves in New York, or if you just need a good dose of werewolf romance.
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
There are few things in the world that I love as much as the Kate Daniels series. Starting with Magic Bites, this character is still going strong at seven novels (with the eighth coming out this August!). There are also a bunch of novellas and companion novels, and the husband and wife writing team that makes up Andrews are always posting amazing spoiler scenes and excerpts on their website. The series follows Kate, a sword-wielding mercenary who helps keep control in the ruins of Atlanta, where magic and technology are always fighting for dominance. When the magic is up, don’t expect your cell phone to work, though monsters, witches, and giant mythological beasts are another story. Kate eventually falls hard for Curran, the Beast Lord, who shapeshifts into a lion and is as hot as he is terrifying. Together, the two of them fight some very scary villains—though no one is as scary as Kate’s own father. The sexual tension between Curran and Kate definitely rivals that of Clay and Elena. So if you like romance, lots of witty banter and sword fights, this series is for you.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson is a shapeshifter who’s struggling to find her place in the paranormal world. She’s called a “walker,” a person who changes into a coyote, and she’s quickly falling for her werewolf neighbor. Also, there are vampires, gremlins, the fae, you name it. Mercy’s a mechanic by day, but, a little reluctantly, finds herself fighting crime and solving mysteries by night. The series deals with the politics of the paranormal, romance between two headstrong individuals, and what it means to go from a loner to someone who relies on others. Plus, Mercy, like Elena and Kate, is a total badass.
