Who was your first ever book crush?

Dianna's question for me today: Who was your first ever book crush?

I'm kinda ashamed to say that I wasn't big on reading as a child. I enjoyed when my mother used to read me stories at bed time. She would do all the voices and sing my songs - yeah, she's sweet like that - but I personally never thought about picking up a book and reading it by means of passing time.

I wasn't even big on reading in my early teen years . . . I know, this sounds so terrible, especially since I'm an author. It was actually a work colleague from my first job at the age of sixteen who got me into reading paranormal and urban fantasy romances.

I had always enjoyed watching movies and shows that fall under the supernatural, or fairytales, and fantasy etc. and I loved Greek and Egyptian mythology. So, my interest for all of those subjects and genres was there, but I hadn't picked up a book to do with any of the above.

Any way, my work college - who is still a good friend - said to me "it's about finding the right books," and then he handed me, Mooncalled by Patricia Briggs, and I was hooked. He leant me every book that he had in the Mercy Thompson Series until there was no more because he was waiting for the next release. He got my hooked on the, Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews, and then after that, I just kinda went crazy and started looking at any books that were suggested because of these series. I'm happy to say I now have full bookshelves. :-)

Now, I liked Adam from the Mercy Thompson Series, and I liked Curran from the Kate Daniels Series. Both are sexy alpha men. Adam is more relaxed and patient, and Curran is cocky and quick tempered, but although I liked these characters in the first books of each series, it took reading the books that followed to really love them.

Around the same time as me reading these two series, another friend leant me a book titled, Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. At first I was hesitant, it was taking me a while to get into it, but then in walked Clayton Danvers, and I was a goner.

He is imperfect. Right from what he says to how he handles situations. He is overprotective of Elena, constantly getting in her space; pushing, flirting, but you just can't help but love him. I fell in book one, but as I learnt more and more about him - and Elena, because in all fairness I think she is awesome and it is their relationship that also appeals to me - the more I grew to love him as a character.

He's just so sexy, and smart, but then dangerous. Oh, and he is a professor . . . yum! He is dedicated to Elena, loves his adopted father, Jeremy, and . . . *gush* I can't even explain it. I just love reading his and Elena's stories. I like all the stories in the series, but the ones featuring them - the werewolf books - are definitely my fave. I think the fact he is a werewolf also comes in to play. I do have a soft spot for werewolves, which would explain why I like Adam, and like Curran, who is a shapeshifter.

I have to say I'm so behind with all of the above series. The last book I read in The Otherworld Series was Frostbitten, a Clay and Elena book, but the final two have been released since then. I have the next books in both the Mercy and Kate series sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, but the following books have been release already. *head desk* So, behind. It sucks. I will catch up, though. Eventually.

So, to answer Dianna's question, my first and official book crush - as in I was hooked from book 1 - is definitely Clayton Danvers from Kelley Armstrongs, The Otherworld Series.

What about you; who was your first ever book crush?