The Best of Paranormal Romance?

I am curious. I have been reading paranormal romance for quite a number of years, but I keep finding a lot of great authors I haven’t read. My friends have shocked expressions on their faces when I say I haven’t read them, and as I have yet to find a definitive list, I was wondering what paranormal romances (and urban fantasy which crosses over into paranormal romance themes at times) you find to be definitive of our genre. I think it will be really interesting to see if there is a general consensus, or if everyone suggests different authors. I attend a paranormal book club at my favourite bookstore in Sydney, and I am relying heavily on my friends there to recommend me new authors – and some of the readers I know from twitter have also been steering me towards some great finds. However, I hate that blank expression on my face when someone mentions a fabulous author I have never heard of, and as a voracious reader, I am always looking for new conquests (especially if they sizzle LOL).I am sure I am not the only one! I know I have a lot of author swapping discussions with both my RL friends and those I know online, and we are always looking for new authors to discover.

So my questions are:

1. What books to you think everyone who is a supporter of the paranormal romance genre should read? Who are your favourite paranormal romance authors? And what paranormal authors do you recommend for people to read?
2. And what are some others that you think don't have that level of recognition, but deserve to be read? 

List as many as you want, and if you agree with an author someone has listed, can you add it to your list also? This way I can tally the results and see which authors have the most favour with readers polled. In a month’s time I will tally the results and post them on my blog.  

Please share the link with your friends, because the more people who respond, the more consensus will be visible! :D