Book picks similar to
Bard to the Bone by Cid Banks


litrpg
fantasy
harem
reading-for-damsels-of-distress

Civilization: Barbarians: A 4X lit novel


Tim Underwood - 2019
    It would be my job to guide them from these inauspicious beginnings to glory and greatness. Of course I signed up. Barbarians keep attacking, and they are literally cannibals, I can’t talk to anyone directly so I’m getting lonely, and I’m terrified that I’ll make a mistake, and everyone in the settlement will die horribly. But still, this is way better than any video game.

The Wrathic


Jason Kucharik - 2018
    Governments have been abolished. Weapons have been systematically removed from society. Most diseases have been cured. Adam has a rare disease that will soon claim his life. Spending most of his remaining time in the VR world Asphodel, he's discovered something unbelievable. The ability to transfer human consciousness into the game. Upon choosing the Shifter Class, Adam becomes the first known character to obtain the transformative powers of a Wrathic, Asphodel's version of a Wyvern. When the word gets out to three billion users that he could be the key to living inside the game permanently, he'll need all the help he can get to survive.

Fateseal


Bonnie L. Price - 2018
    Standard MMO fare—or so Cerys Collins thought.As a long-time gamer and guild leader, Cerys has always wondered what it would be like to live in virtual reality. When her guild members convince her to try a new VRMMO, she discovers reality is far more complex than she knew.Chosen by the gods of another world, Cerys finds herself trapped between warring factions: a tyrannical human empire and an oppressed kingdom of demons. When she discovers her best friend has been dragged into this new world as well, Cerys is forced to choose between saving her friend or looking at the bigger picture.If Cerys is to be anything more than a pawn in the gods' game, she'll have to leverage everything she's learned on her home world and in past games, before it's too late.With a cocky incubus king vying for more than her loyalty, her quest won’t be an easy one.The Deck of Souls series contains some dark themes, profanity, violence, and adult relationships.

Factory Core - The Dwarven Secret Weapon: A Dungeon Core Epic


Jared Mandani - 2019
    Bursting out of the breach they created is a horde of powerful demons that only know one thing: to destroy. Fast-forward a few months and the war rages on. Unfortunately for them, despite their bravery, the dwarves are no match for the sheer numbers and ferocity of their adversary. In a last-hope attempt to save their kind, they decide to activate a secret project their engineers had been working on: a mobile factory made of bricks, brass, magical runes and soul gems. That sentient machine is not only capable of observing and learning from its foes, it can also produce the required weapons necessary to strike back. This Factory Core—as they call it—will need to build units and defensive mechanisms to repel the demon army and prevent it from razing the city. But this will prove to be an almost impossible task as the invaders, led by a vicious commander, have more than one trick up their own sleeve…

The SyStem: Multiverse


Jon Svenson - 2020
    He escaped Boston, with help from his mother, to head to the west coast and create a new life in Seattle. All that changes when he attends a party to celebrate his friend's new physics invention: a device that connects two universes together.Events quickly spiral out of control as Brett, and his best friend's ex-girlfriend, find themselves pulled by the device and end up in a different version of Earth, one that has been stripped of it's resources and population by an alien race. Will the Earth they came from share a similar fate? Can they escape the dimension they've been sent to and find a way back home? And do they want to escape after learning more about the universe they find themselves in? More importantly, can they change the SyStem that controls everything in that universe and many more?The SyStem: Multiverse is the first book in a series of the same name, where they fight monsters with psychic powers, deal with betrayal, survive on a barren world, and decide whether they will let things remain the same or take action to change their circumstances.Jon Svenson is the author of Biomedical Self-Engineering and other novels yet to be released.

Restart


Bern Dean - 2021
    He had risen to the top as a vice guild leader and thanks to his work his guild was steps away from truly standing with the other top guilds. Only fate decided to rip it all away at the last moment. After his fall Alex awakens to see his 18 year old self looking back at him in the mirror. It's 2266 and Eternal Dominion is set to launch in a matter of hours, this time things will be different. This time he will succeed in life and make sure his friends and family are along for the ride even if he has to drag them along to do so.

Moving On


Maggie Fox - 2017
    It’s official. Her childhood sweetheart ex-boyfriend just walked out on his wedding, telling everyone it’s because he’s still in love with Lucy - even though they broke up a long time ago! Desperate for a place to escape to while the dust dies down, Lucy gets the chance to spend two weeks in a luxury castle in the Scottish highlands - for free. The catch? She has to be a last minute replacement contestant on a reality TV series about relationships. It can’t be that bad being part of a TV show, can it? Actually, yes it can... The only good part in the whole disaster seems to be Liam, the intriguing and handsome Scottish Laird who owns the castle. Lucy senses there's a spark between them, but the reality show’s director has made it perfectly clear that Liam is strictly off limits to the Love Programme’s contestants. With her ex now pursuing her across the country, Lucy has some serious soul searching to do when it comes to matters of the heart. Will the Love Programme be able to help her find true love? Do you enjoy fun and flirty romantic comedies packed with warmth, charm and intrigue? Then you’ll love Moving On. Join Lucy today as she tries to figure out life, love and relationships in an impressive castle in the middle of the stunning Scottish Highlands...

Office Wars: The Mailroom Clerk


James G. Patton - 2017
    He sleeps in a real bed and eats real food and only jumps into Neuroma to work. All he wanted was to log in, work and log out and live in general obscurity. Getting the attention of a CEO, meeting a stranger in real life, and forced to play in a secret game of corporations were not penciled into his calendar. While that was bad, he started to question whether Odditek was still in control, or had their complacency created the noose tightening around their neck. Bran was not yet aware of the choice before him. He could no longer stand back and watch, and he had to pick a side and fight before he lost the ability to choose. Would he recognize the inevitable in time? Was it possible to make a ‘correct’ choice, or had the lines blurred so much that hero and villain were indistinguishable? This novel is part of an Odditek series and is a LitRPG novel. I realize it’s the first Odditek series, but more are coming. This series started as a companion series to a book called Lantern Online. I wanted a way to build up the world as it now exists, and to explain what Odditek is. Neuroma and Nerves are mentioned in Lantern Online, and I felt all that information was taking away from my story and is mostly not relevant, but good to know information. I took a lot of it out and added it to this series. Anyway, out of that came Office Wars. I hope it's different than most LitRPG you will read, and brings another dimension to the genre. Explicit language! I will not lie, there is a satirical nature to this story, and a lot of the language and scenarios are morally questionable on purpose. In this story and I use a lot of curse words and controversial commentary. Just look on Facebook or any half a dozen social media sites, and you will see similar language, conversations, and other nonsense. If we all moved into a digital world, this is how I view that world.

Tempest


D.B. King - 2022
    He always assumed he would take the vows and become a monk, but his plans are thrown to the wind when he receives a letter from the Grand Sage to attend the Schools of Elemental Magic.Gifted with the system known as the Codex of Ascension, Zephyr intends to master the various elements in record-breaking time. Alongside two other students who bear mysteriously similar origins, his school year promises to be more than he could have ever imagined.

Stellar Survival Quest


Jalf Whitemage - 2019
    With no hype building announcements, no history of any Alpha, or beta, or even as much as a leaked snapshot they released a first-generation fully immersive virtual reality pod and their bundled game Stellar Survival Quest. Even being 20 years ahead of anything else out, a new entertainment media is not typically world shattering. Especially, when players reported not being able to recall their time playing. The company made claims of not allowing meta-gaming, Thus keeping the game world pure. After every gaming session regardless of length the player could watch a short video of their session. Each video was only three minutes of randomly recorded footage from every hour played. Thus, a nearly impenetrable wall of secret gameplay was maintained.However, when that first generation of gamers left the white-grey egg-shaped gaming pods, they gave the world an even bigger shock! The technology was amazing, true VR with all five senses was outrageous, the stuff of fiction novels! No, what really sent the world reeling was skills learned in game translated to real life skills! Overnight the world was thrown on its heels. A new player could log into the game to be given a job in some way decided by the game and come out an ivy league educated scientist, or special ops level soldier. As the world reels from these first-generation gamers suddenly becoming some of the most highly skilled individuals in the world, more gamers clamor to buy their own expensive pod and hop into space!Nathan Tyrone Rogers or Bubba to his friends and family awoke on a small transport. Freshly landed on an ancient space station. As the first Human to be spawned outside the Sol System, Nathan is vastly unprepared and overwhelmed for the task. With a cryptic message that he needs to claim the solar system of Epsilon Indi before one of the other 12 alien species; whom were also spawned in system can. Some of which will supposedly be hostile to humanity. Nathan attempts to survive in the completely unforgiving environment of space. All the while trying to choose a path for himself, avoid being eaten by monstrous alien women, and growing more and more annoyed with his “real self” still back on Earth.Nathan’s first step to claiming the Solar system is simple to say, hard to do. He must survive!***This is the first Sci-Fi LitRPG in the Stellar Survival Quest series set in Jalf Whitemages Total Expanse Universe. This book contains adult themes, mild harem themes, base building, and real time strategy elements. It is not recommended for those new to the Lit Genre, and definitely not anyone who is easily offended by … well anything. You have been warned 

Grimoire Bound


Jeff Sproul - 2017
    His memories are clouded, except for images of glass and metal. He quickly finds that he’s not alone in this new realm. There are others who all arrived just as he did. In this strange world, people are driven by survival against forces that have little interest in continued human existence. But through the use of special tomes known as 'grimoires,' people are able to enhance themselves to increase their abilities and 'life properties,' giving them a fighting chance against the monsters that surround them. Without a chance to acclimate himself, Chaxin is thrown into a bloody confrontation with monsters born of nightmares. He soon realizes that one false step could mean his death. But death isn’t the worst that the Graymos has to offer. Can he survive in such an unforgiving world? If not, more than just his life could be at stake. Grimoire Bound is a LitRPG-Lite novel, inspired by Dark Souls, Lovecraft and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

Login Accepted


R.J. Triveri - 2018
    Earth has entered a golden age of technology, and man and artificial intelligence share the world in peace. For those that aren't satisfied with the physical humdrum of Earth, the Singularity's people eagerly welcome humans into their home of Incipere. But new golden age or not, the world keeps on turning as it always has, and it still isn’t always datum and daisies. Just ask Athos Aramis. After being mugged, stabbed, and left with a critical spinal injury, Athos’s last option is to trade one machine-supported life for another and let his mind be downloaded into the world of Incipere. Thanks in part to some outdated guide books, his journey is less than ideal, and as the newest alchemist of Incipere, Athos must learn to survive as he goes. His biggest lesson? Incipere - and its denizens - shouldn't be taken lightly.

Hunter's Bond


C.E. Keene - 2018
    The creatures that inhabit Apex are cunning, ferocious, and a massive challenge for even the most experienced hunter. In order to rank up in the Hunters’ Guild and participate in the most prestigious hunts, Simon will have to slay increasingly more threatening creatures and use what he gathers to craft powerful armor and weapons. But a fearsome beast stalks the jungle, untouchable even by the Guild. To have any hope of stopping her, Simon won’t just have to level up and hone his skills--he’ll have to put his trust in his fellow hunters. And for a lifelong soloer, that’s no easy feat…

Cape High Christmas: A Side Story


R.J. Ross - 2016
    "For the next twenty-five days, one of you will do something as a surprise for the school. Vinny, for obvious reasons, you get the big day.""What obvious reasons?" Vinny asks, looking up from his newest cookbook. "Wait, what's going on?""You're cooking Christmas dinner," Lance says as everyone else starts laughing."The rest of you, well, I just tossed you onto random days," Nico says, shrugging. "You can ask for help, as long as you keep it to two people or less, and pay them back in return. If you ask an adult, you can only have that one adult, and you owe them a favor of equal size. That means no asking me to make the entire school new computers--you can't afford to pay me back. Don't ask Zoe for that, either, because she will have you as an indentured slave until they're paid off.""I wouldn't--" Zoe protests. "Well, no more than a year, at most," she adds thoughtfully. Every single kid in the room silently swears not to ask at that statement.*This book also contains shorts:Christmas Eve: Jack goes back to the start on Christmas EveChristmas Diamonds: Nico goes hunting for diamondsDeadly Darlin's: Skye, Doris, and Ariel move (back) to Texas

You Need A Bigger Sword


Natalie Grey - 2019
    Turns out, punching zombie bears is  fun . Who knew? Enter the world of Metamorphosis Online, a fully immersive video game where players compete for spots in the Global Top 10—ranks that actually pay you to play the game.Gracie doesn't play the game to make money…at first.  Broke, single, and working a crappy job as a blackjack dealer, Gracie's just blowing off steam and having fun. Can playing a new type of immersive game help her overcome real-life issues, or will it cause more problems?Before she knows it, Gracie has intervened in a generations-long war between the kobolds and the fae and started a ragtag guild, and her weird math abilities make themselves known in a way that most could not have imagined. Can she deal with being pitted against the game developers? For the first time Gracie can remember, she has something worth fighting for. Go up and click "Buy Me" or "Read For Free" and find out what most gamers understand. GAMING IS REAL—MORE SO THAN BEING IRL...