Book picks similar to
Shadow Magic by Jayne Hawke


urban-fantasy
paranormal
fantasy
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Shadow's Messenger


T.A. White - 2016
    That ended when I met tall, dark and handsome in a bar and wound up in a dumpster sporting a nice set of fangs and my life flipped on its head. Now I'm a messenger for Hermes Courier Service trying to make enough to support my ice cream habit while staying below vampire radar. When this newest job of mine goes disastrously awry, it puts me on the hook to be indentured to a sorcerer for the next fifty years unless I can find a way to fix things. What's hidden can't stay in the shadow's forever and my life will never be the same.

Moonstruck


Lauren Dane - 2016
    Jace Dooley is hotter than ever, and their friendship picks up along with massive doses of grown-up chemistry.The very scent of Katie sharpens Jace's canines, makes the wolf within him stir. There's nothing more alluring to a Pack Alpha than a sexy female who is so very in charge. She won't be coddled, but if he plays his hand just right she might be convinced to become his.Katie presents a challenge to Jace's wolf nature, whose chief instinct is to protect. Especially now that she's coming into the magic that is her birthright - and suddenly Jace isn't the only one who's interested in Katie, or the raw power she's just learning to use.

Magic Forged


K.M. Shea - 2020
    As someone with barely a flicker of magic, I've spent my life being mocked and surviving fights with bullies. But when my parents die in an accident, and I find myself responsible for our whole wizard house and family, I know my usual tactics aren't going to cut it.The situation veers from bad to catastrophic when my backstabbing cousin stages a coup and takes my family hostage. I barely manage to flee, but the only supernatural willing to help me is Killian Drake - the most feared vampire in the region, and a far more deadly villain than the jerk threatening my family.Is Killian sexy and charismatic? Heck yeah.He's also so powerful that my flight or fight instincts kick in every time our eyes meet. And he's definitely using me as his personal magic detector in his feud against the local fae.But Killian is also the first person to believe I might have more than just a scrap of magic. And if I can convince him to train me, I might get strong enough to free my family and get my house back.I'm not sure what happens when a scrappy wizard is taught how to fight by a hall of deadly vampires, but I'm about to find out.Magic Forged is the first book in the Hall of Blood and Mercy trilogy, which features vampires, wizards, fae, and werewolves. It's packed with humor, adventure, and a sweet, slow burn romance between a vertically challenged wizard and the most lethal vampire in town.

Wicked Never Sleeps


Gina LaManna - 2018
     Wicked—the paranormal sixth borough of New York—is home to witches and goblins, werewolves and necromancers, elves and vampires…and former Detective Dani DeMarco. Dani’s busy with the grand opening of her family’s pizza parlor, when a knock on the door leaves her face to face with the stunning, yet lethal vampire in charge of the NYPD's supernatural branch—Captain Matthew King. There’s been a high profile double homicide in the Sixth Borough, and Dani’s peculiar talent is the only hope to untangle the web of lies and magic connecting the dead victims. As the case spirals into a pulse-pounding chase, Dani’s not sure what’s worse: the fact that a ruthless killer has his sights set on her, or that her feelings for New York’s most infamous vampire have returned… All is fair in love and war, but passion is downright Wicked…

You Slay Me


Katie MacAlister - 2004
    In her job as courier, Aisling is to deliver a precious demonic artifact to a Mme. Deauxville in Paris, but she finds Madame freshly dead, surrounded by a circle of ash. The artifact is then stolen by the fast-talking Drake, who claims that Aisling is no mere courier but in fact a demon lord and his destined mate. Determined to play detective, Aisling summons up a demon only to find herself saddled with one, in the form of a slobbering Newfoundland who wants to go walkies. Drake wants to show her the way dragons mate, and then bodies seem to pile up all over Paris, making Aisling a corpse magnet and top suspect. It's going to take every screwy new ally she's got to solve this murder and adjust to her new life in a strange new world.

Viper Moon


Lee Roland - 2011
    She has faithfully served the Earth Mother for years, rescuing kidnapped children from monsters-both human and supernatural-dwelling in the ruins of the Barrows District. But when two children are kidnapped under similar circumstances, all clues point to a cataclysmic event on the next dark moon. Now Cass must race against the clock and prevent a sacrifice that could destroy the entire town...

Tempting Danger


Eileen Wilks - 2004
     National bestselling author Eileen Wilks draws readers into a bold new world where the magical and mundane co-exist in an uneasy alliance--and a cop balanced on her own knife-edged struggle is their only hope against a cold-blooded killer.Lily Yu is a San Diego police detective investigating a series of grisly murders that appear to be the work of a werewolf. To hunt down the killer, she must infiltrate the clans. Only one man can help her--a were named Rule Turner, a prince of the lupi, whose charismatic presence disturbs Lily. Rule has his own reasons for helping the investigation--reasons he doesn't want to share with Lily. Logic and honor demand she keep her distance, but the attraction between them is immediate and devastating-and beyond human reason. Now, in a race to fend off evil, Lily finds herself in uncharted territory, tested as never before, and at her back a man who she's not sure she can trust.

Sealed with a Curse


Cecy Robson - 2012
    Everyone knows vampires aren't aggressive, and killing one is punishable by death. But soon more bloodlust-fueled attacks occur, and the community wonders if the vampires of Tahoe are plague-ridden.Celia reluctantly agrees to help Misha, the handsome leader of an infected vampire family. But Aric, the head of the werewolf pack determined to destroy Misha's family to keep the area safe, warns Celia to stay out of the fight. Caught between two hot alphas, Celia must find a way to please everyone, save everyone, and—oh, yeah—not lose her heart to the wrong guy or die a miserable death. Because now that the evil behind the plague knows who Celia is, he's coming for her and her sisters. This Wird girl has never had it so tough.

Motor City Fae


Cindy Spencer Pape - 2010
    But Meagan can't deny the evidence of her own eyes—he's Fae. A tall, blond, handsome, pointy-eared elf—and a man she just can't get enough of.Ric Thornhill's assignment just got a lot more complicated. The more time he spends with Meagan, the harder it is to see her as a political tool to prevent an all-out war between humans and Fae.Now Meagan's in a race to master her newly released powers in time to prevent the conflict, convince a jealous Queen not to strip Ric of his powers, and find out if she can build a life that straddles two worlds.

Moon Stalked


Aimee Easterling - 2019
    A werewolf. A thief in the night.Unlike werewolves, I shift into wolf form by wrapping myself in my pelt and falling onto four paws. It's a good life until I screw up and let my cousin's pelt be stolen. Now I'll do anything to steal it back.Unfortunately, my first attempt to break into a gated mansion is blocked by a dangerous and enticing werewolf who fingers my pelt and offers to team up with me.In woelfin circles, werewolves are known as the skinless. They steal pelts. They aren't to be trusted.But murders are dogging my footsteps while my cousin fades daily. I'm willing to lose my pelt to save his life.The first book in Aimee Easterling's new Woelfin Awakening series is full of pack, adventure, and a healthy helping of romance. Why not come along for the ride?

The Tracker's Mate


Ingrid Seymour - 2021
    The best in the business.Dead or alive, I find them. No one can hide from me, including people’s predestined mates. I can hook couples up better than Tinder. It’s my specialty.A year ago, I opened my own agency, and now that I’m finally looking out for number one, my bank account has regained its lost confidence.So when Jake Knight suddenly returns, determined to drag me back into the dangerous life I used to lead—the same one where ramen was a staple and I became homeless—I put my brand new Louis Vuitton boot down.He can take his hot, werewolf self back to whatever hole he crawled from.Sure, it sucks there’s a supernatural war brewing, and the werewolf I used to date has gone missing, but Jake won’t drag me back into that life. No way. He can fight crime all on his lonesome. I’m done with it.Or at least that’s my goal until the attempts on my life begin, and I barely escape. Now, I have an ancient vampire on my tail, and a hot werewolf reawakening our troubled past, and I must fight not to lose myself again.If you enjoy K.F. Breene, Shannon Mayer, Annette Marie, and CN Crawford then prepare to enjoy a witty heroine and her rekindling romance with the hot werewolf who broke her heart.

Dead But Not Forgotten: Stories from the World of Sookie Stackhouse


Charlaine Harris - 2014
    Written by a killer lineup of authors, including New York Times best-sellers Rachel Caine, MaryJanice Davidson, Jonathan Maberry and Seanan McGuire, and with introductions read by Charlaine herself, Dead but Not Forgotten puts your favorite characters center stage.The stories included in Dead but Not Forgotten are:"Nobody's Business" by Rachel Caine (featuring Kevin Pryor & Kenya Jones)"Tyger, Tyger" by Christopher Golden (featuring Quinn)"The Real Santa Claus" by Leigh Perry (featuring Diantha)"Taproot" by Jeffrey J. Mariotte (featuring Andy Bellefleur)"Knit a Sweater Out of Sky" by Seanan McGuire (featuring Amelia)"Love Story" by Jeanne C. Stein (featuring Adele Hale Stackhouse)"The Million-Dollar Hunt" by Jonathan Maberry (featuring Mustapha Khan)"Borderline Dead" by Nicole Peeler (featuring Desiree Dumas)"Extreme Makeover Vamp Edition" by Leigh Evans (featuring Bev & Todd)"Don't Be Cruel" by Bill Crider (featuring Bubba)"What a Dream I Had" by Nancy Holder (featuring Alcide Herveaux)"Another Dead Fairy" by Miranda James (featuring Claude & Claudia Crane)"The Bat-Signal" by Suzanne McLeod (featuring Luna)"The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars" by Dana Cameron (featuring Pam Ravenscroft)"Widower's Walk" by MaryJanice Davidson (featuring Eric Northman)Dead but Not Forgotten was edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.©2014 Charlaine Harris, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

The Unearthly


Laura Thalassa - 2013
    The second time, I lost my humanity. Now I’m being hunted, and if I die again, my soul is up for forfeit.After enrolling in Peel Academy, an elite supernatural boarding school on the British Isles, the last of the sirens, Gabrielle Fiori, only wants to fit in. Instead, the elixir meant to awaken her supernatural abilities kills her.When Gabrielle wakes up in the morgue twelve hours later, something wicked is awakened in her, something even the supernatural community has never seen before. Now the only person who can help her is Andre de Leon, the community's infamous bad boy and the king of vampires.Yet even his help can’t prevent the repeated attempts on Gabrielle’s life. Someone is after her, and they will stop at nothing to end her short existence. Only Gabrielle cannot let that happen now that her soul hangs in the balance, because she may have met the devil. And he wants her. Bad.

Heart of the Thief


Katerina Martinez - 2019
     First of all, I don't consider myself a thief. I'm a finder. I find things people have lost, things people have had stolen from them. The only problem is, some people don't appreciate the distinction; especially once I've broken past their protective wards and... stolen from them. Enter, Asmodius. I may have stolen from him recently, and he may have found out it was me. When his henchmen catch up to me and bring me before him, he gives me a choice. I can face the consequences of having stolen from one of the most powerful magical families in New York City, or I can work for him. It turns out I have a gift he's pretty keen on exploiting, and as long as I play ball, I get to keep my head. But there's another problem with that: this guy is a legit crime boss, and what he wants me to do for him is suicide at best. The worst part? He puts his infuriatingly attractive son on babysitting duty to make sure I'm keeping up my end of the deal. Despite the arrogant, controlling shadow hanging over me, I have to put together a team to help me pull off the most dangerous heist in history. Either way, I'm probably dead, so I may as well have a little fun while I'm at it.

Fate's Fools


Ophelia Bell - 2018
    What she wasn’t born with was a soul. It’s all she ever wanted, but the one thing she can never have. When Fate was handing out those precious things, it must have overlooked her, and a soul is required to unlock the dormant elemental powers within her. Not to mention the only thing that will ever give her a chance of finding the thing she truly desires: a soul mate. Not only has Fate forgotten her, it seems dead set on destroying the only part of her life that gives her purpose. An ancient bloodline of mixed-breed humans linked to Deva is being hunted by a pack of rogue fate hounds, and her link to the bloodline means she’s the only one who can save them. She doesn’t count on her quest taking her straight into the arms of a dragon, and she definitely isn’t prepared for the futile desire he incites within her, or the frustrating passion his ursa friend draws out of her. She shouldn’t want the pair so much, but when they both fall victim to the hounds, it may take nothing less than her love to save them. Warning: This series is a spinoff of Ophelia Bell's epically sexy "Immortal Dragons" series. It is a fast-burn HOT and steamy RH odyssey, with some M/M content, not meant for the faint of heart (or libido)... #whychoose!