Book picks similar to
The Everchanging Dilemma by Richard Raley


urban-fantasy
sff-have-bk
contemporary-fantasy
dark-fantasy-horror

Shapeless


Glenn Bullion - 2017
    Boy must put his best face forward. Brady Jones doesn’t know where he came from. He knows nothing about his family. He doesn’t know what he is, or how it’s possible to do the amazing things he can do. He does know loneliness and survival, both from a life in the foster care system. He knows that he’s comfortable being alone on a Friday night. Despite the fact they’re so very different, he’d like to get to know Lily Ferguson better. Maybe even call her a friend. Brady knows he’s a shapeshifter. He can change his body to look like nearly anything he can imagine. An object, an animal, even other people. What he doesn’t know is how far the powers-that-be in the world will go to meet him, control him. He’s about to find out.

Raven, Red


Connie Suttle - 2019
     Arianne Leone, a mountain lion shapeshifter, owns an art gallery in Deep Ellum, a popular tourist attraction and haven for musicians for decades. Together, they are charged with guarding the one who bears the Hermit's Stone, an ancient artifact that has held worlds together—and kept them separate—for eons. Possession of the stone falls to Ari's friend and art student, nineteen-year-old Nico Garcia. When Nico's parents are killed in an attempt to destroy him, Ari and Mac must set aside their differences and work together, protecting Nico at all costs…

Elf Inflicted


Robert Bevan - 2014
    Will Julian become really awesome at basketball? Or is there still time enough to save him from such a heinous fate? Descend into darkness with this latest Caverns and Creatures tale.

Hex


Craig Zerf - 2018
    And that was only this morning. This afternoon I’m going to take on a fallen angel. So, if you need the impossible done and you have nowhere else to turn, call me. Sholto ‘Hex’ Gunn, warrior mage for hire. But bear in mind, the best don’t come cheap and I don’t do no charity work. Don’t insult me by asking for a discount.”A group of dark Mages are looking to muscle in on New York. They reckon it’s about time that darkness ruled.But they didn’t take into account that Hex might disagree.The last thing that you wanna do is upset Hex in his home town because he just might decide to start kicking butt and taking names … and one of those names just might be yours!Sholto ‘Hex’ Gunn – he’s our kind of trouble!

Arcanist Fables


Shami Stovall - 2021
    New arcanists. The rise of the Second Ascension.Volke Savan has proven himself time and time again, but now the others of the Frith Guild want their opportunity. Illia wants to recover a lost runestone, Master Zelfree hopes to learn the magics of the Mother of Shapeshifters, and Adelgis surprises himself with the new depths of his dreamweaving abilities.But while the Frith Guild prepares for the coming war, the Second Ascension has grand plans for the world. When two more god-creatures are born, dastardly arcanists try their hands at braving the godly lairs. With the Dread Pirate Calisto as a ferry, men like Theasin Venrover will have to outsmart puzzles and traps that put the world serpent’s to shame.Witness stories from the viewpoints of friend and foe alike, all while the world races to find and bond with the remaining god-creatures.

Pox You: A Croft and Tabby Short


Brad Magnarella - 2021
    The alternative was to behead her, and as wizards go, I’m just not that callous.Do you think Tabitha shows any appreciation? Two years old now, her speech has grown along with her girth, and when not insulting me, she’s plotting ways to devour my soul.But that’s the least of my problems. An early winter storm has plunged our unheated apartment to near freezing, and I’m too cash-strapped to afford a chimney sweep. So when a strange woman appears, asking me to investigate an attack at an old smallpox hospital, I accept the case along with her vague offer of compensation.And If I can involve Tabitha, who knows? Maybe we’ll finally start bonding.Sure, and maybe Hell will host the next Winter Games.Croft & Tabby is a spinoff of the popular Prof Croft series, set before the main books. If you like snarky cats, fledgling mages, and supernatural investigations, you'll love Croft & Tabby!

A Hunter and His Legion (The Praetorian Series: Book III)


Edward Crichton - 2013
    Joined now by a team of Special Forces operators from an alternate and skewed timeline with their own agendas and motivations, Hunter now finds himself without direction. Since escaping Ancient Rome four years earlier, his only goal was to survive long enough to enact his scheme to remove Agrippina from power and place Vespasian, a once and future emperor of Rome, on the throne in her place. But all his well laid plans came to a fruitless end when he and his friends narrowly escaped a grisly fate at the hands of Agrippina. However, there was one thing that survived Hunter’s encounter with the empress to focus his mind. The orb. He has often thought on it, but has never really understood it, yet now comes the moment when he must come to grips with the fact that only by understanding its nature will he be able to harness its power and send everyone home. The orb should have been his sole source of focus from the very beginning, but it was only after his recent failure to apprehend Agrippina that this fact was fully realized. Found in the rubble of Agrippina’s villa was a note left for him by his deceased friend Marcus Varus, tasking him with a mission to track down ancient Druids who may be able to help him. Now, after years trapped in Antiquity, Hunter must finally seek answers to the central mystery that has plagued him since becoming history's first recorded time traveler. Armed with fresh clues and a final destination, Hunter and his company embark on a new quest, one that will take them beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire in search of centuries old information about a relic few even know exists. But a darkness accompanies them. While the orb is a powerful tool, it is also a deadly device in the hands of those who underestimate or do not understand its dark potential. With its ability to grant certain users the ability to manipulate time, also comes a degenerative property that can reduce an individual into a simpering, doddering fool, or warp him into a tyrannical despot. The orb’s ability to do this is well documented in both Caligula and Claudius, and perhaps Agrippina too, but it is Hunter who should be most concerned by its influence. He has interacted with it far more than anyone else, and as he and his friends begin their odyssey, his challenge will be greater than simply discovering the truth about the orb’s origins, but overcoming and surviving its ill effects as he struggles to maintain control of his mind.

Redemption


D.L. Harrison - 2021
    He’s been running from his powerful enemies for the last six years, ever since he discovered his power at sixteen and crossed them in ignorance and by accident. It isn’t an easy life.His life is about to change, when his travels put him in Seattle for the first time, and he meets some people that just might be crazy enough to help him out… for a price.Note: This is the first book of a trilogy. No major cliffhangers but expect a few minor unresolved plot threads. The main plot of the book will be resolved. This story is told in the first person, from Tony’s point of view. This series takes place in the same world started in the Power of Air series, and the Water sorceress series. It is not necessary to read those to enjoy or understand this trilogy.

Kat Drummond Series: Books 0.5-4


Nicholas Woode-Smith - 2020
    On top of all that, I’ve got rent to pay, a cat to feed, and I’m pretty sure the local grocery store is haunted.This is a crazy world we live in. Monsters roam the streets, vampires run nightclubs, necromancers sacrifice little girls. Somebody has to do something about it.My name is Kat Drummond, and I’m a Part-Time Monster Hunter.This boxset contains the first four books of the Kat Drummond Series:Part-Time Monster HunterBlood CartelDevil’s GambitNecrolordThe book also contains the short story Soul Bound as a bonus, detailing one of Kat’s earliest hunts and how she met her furriest friend.

Lore and Order


Steve K. Peacock - 2014
    The fire brigade have been doing their best, as have the other emergency services, but whoever is behind the fires has been systematically running them ragged. Whitehall is worried. Something doesn’t add up, so they’ve dispatched a warlock – a former illegal mage, pressed into service of the government to deal with matters of the arcane – to look things over. Jameson Parker is that warlock, and he’s pretty okay with that. His freedoms might be heavily restricted, and any unauthorised use of magic means he’ll be struck down dead instantly, but it could be worse. He gets more or less free rein to swan around Humberside like the big I am, and it gives him a way to atone for his less than stellar past. He’s better off without magic, and he knows it. But is magic better off without him? The warlocks of Humberside don’t seem to think so, and there are rumblings that, as well as the fires, something big is about to go down. Jameson is not best pleased.

Habitual Heroes


Elliott Kay - 2021
    Collectively they include explicit violence, explicit sex, explicit language, explicit economic discontent, sorcery, lies, fluff, breaking and entering, premeditated public indecency, analysis of adult film, impersonation of a cow, angel gossip, punching, kicking, stabbing, shooting, defenestration, casual sex, assertive sex, sex in a stranger’s office, sex under the table, awkward shopping encounters, unsafe starship hallways, a jerk throwing a rock at a cat, the same jerk getting stomped for it, outdated sports merchandise, kidnapping, intimidation, judgmental peers, college hook-ups, persistent enabling, incomplete college notes, polyamory talk, hiding things from Mom, Tacoma traffic, snarky book titles, price gouging, the social and emotional trauma of a superior sense of smell, sorcerous inadequacy, rampant speculation, orc civics lessons, passive aggression, insubordination, ambushes, abusive leadership, misuse of medical equipment, betrayal, conspiracy, corruption, looting, espionage, baiting, social engineering, running in socks, weaponized shrooms, home invasion, a surprise snake, and failure to disclose the cult origins of used furniture.

The Paragon Element


Lezlee Cheek Hale - 2012
    If the boy next door is secretly a sorcerer who hunts and kills nightmarish creatures the world doesn’t know exist. Aerick works for MAGE (Mind and Aetheric Government Enforcers), a centuries old organization that keeps humans oblivious to the existence of magic. It also protects the Barrier, a metaphysical wall that separates this realm from one of wild magic and things of dreams and darkness.But now the Barrier is failing. As Aerick is sent on his most dangerous assignment yet, he begins to suspect MAGE’s reasons for protecting the Barrier may not be all they seem. A partnership with an exiled fae princess and a visit from the legendary Merlin put Aerick on a path to discover he is more than what he knows.Aerick’s blood might very well be the key to the Barrier’s destruction. MAGE convinced him that protecting the Barrier was the only way to save the world. Now Aerick isn’t so sure. The only way to save the world may be to pull the Barrier down and hope humanity can survive the aftermath.Note: this book was previously published with Kindle under the same title. This is a 2nd Edition revision of that book.

Bermuda Triangle Blues


T.R. Cameron - 2020
    It’s time for her and Fyre to visit New Atlantis and find out what the fuss is all about.Both gangs in the Crescent City are fighting for control, with Cali and her friends in the middle. To do nothing is to risk those she cares about on a daily basis.One of those, Tanyith, has his own people to protect, as the people who broke him out of Trevilsom prison finally reveal themselves.Her parents left behind secrets she needs to understand, mysteries with no clear solution. The shadowy figures behind the Kraken attack might be involved, or might be just another bunch of people seeking to mess with her life for no apparent reason.Watch out, New Atlantis, Caliste Leblanc is on her way to New Atlantis to bring the fight to you. Assuming nothing crazy happens when she travels through the Bermuda Triangle on the way there.For magic, mystery, martial arts, and all the mayhem a canine-sized dragon can bring, join the Blues right away!Scroll up and click 'Read for Free' or 'Buy Now' and read it today.

Ian's Big One


John P. Logsdon - 2019
     This Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department box set gives you 7 full novels and three bonus short stories, all filled with action-packed, hilarious adventure! Ian Dex is a genetically engineered man who has abilities from all classes in the spectrum. He's also the chief of the Las Vegas Paranormal Police Department (PPD). His job is to monitor all supernaturals and their involvement in the world of normals. Book 1: The Merging A new breed of supernaturals has turned up and they're a lot tougher to deal with than your run-of-the-mill vampires and werewolves. These are larger, tougher, and stronger...and they laugh at wood and silver bullets. Book 2: Grave Creatures An old necromancer has been summoning the dead. His goal is to overrun the world, one city at a time. Too bad he started in Vegas. Book 3: Blood Bane Tower Ian Dex is no stranger to dealing with death, destruction, and mayhem. But there's something entirely different about chasing a fang-wielding vampire and staring down the throat of a dragon. Even worse is when that dragon is hovering over you on the edge of the Badlands, right next to the entrance of hell. Book 4: London Growl There is a new uberwolf who has taken over the werewolves of London and he's bent on proving that he is the most powerful creature in all of the supernatural community. Book 5: Swarm of Fire A foul-mouthed pixie has hit the streets in Vegas to stir up trouble. He's tiny, angry, and full of magic dust. His primary goal is to wreak as much havoc as possible on the tourists and casinos Book 6: Curse of Fangs When Las Vegas Paranormal Police Chief Ian Dex is injected with a healthy dose of vampire venom, he gains access to power like he's never known. He's faster, stronger, and his ability to do magic is on the rise, too. Book 7: Clash of Flames Four amalgamites are searching for their brother and they're willing to kill the cops in the Las Vegas PPD to get to him. Bonus 1: The Bleeding Even Ian Dex had to go through cadet training in the Netherworld PPD. Bonus 2: The Chief Ian wasn't always the chief of the Vegas PPD. Here's how he got there. Bonus 3: Blind Date Ian's crew sets him up on a blind date. It was was going fantastically well...until she got kidnapped. The Paranormal Police Department has delighted thousands of readers with action, adventure, outrageous (and often offensive) comedy, and tons of snark. Grab your badge and join the legion of fans who keep begging for more...