What are your favorite series?

As a writer, I think penning a series is so much easier than inventing a brand new set of characters for each book. As a reader, I love getting to know the characters and then being able to find out what happens to the same cast in later books. Some of my favorites are Suzanne Brockmann's Navy SEAL series, and JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I still can't believe how Ward sucked me in so deep into her world, but she did, and it just goes to show the power a good author has over their readers. I hope to be able to do the same someday!

My romantic suspense series with The Wild Rose Press features the same cast of characters, and their stories span five books. Having started the fifth and final book, I'm already kind of sad because these characters have been with me for a few years now and I'm not certain I'm ready to say goodbye! Must be the equivalent of author empty nest syndrome or something. I've got another series in mind (my Night Stalker series, which I've mentioned before), but the characters aren't as clear to me yet.

What are your thoughts about series? Have you ever read part of a series and then rushed out to buy all the other books because you couldn't wait to see what happened in the others? Or buy any book that a particular author has written because you just know it'll be good? Like books by Linda Howard, Karen Robards, or Diana Gabaldon in my case, along with the authors mentioned above.

Tell me some of your favorite series and why they earned that coveted distinction.

Happy reading!
Kaylea :)