Book picks similar to
Rune & Claw by Artemis Olsen
urban-fantasy
vampires
magic
thriller
Wolfsbane
K.C. Burn - 2010
A portal is open in Rothburg, and this time the Umbrae passing through it are creating werewolves. He needs to close the portal, even if it means losing two-thirds of the people possessed by the Umbrae.So what if Adam Farelli, the town's screw-up, is the sexiest man he's ever seen? Carmichael's been content to live with 'don't ask don't tell' for most of his life. A gorgeous, shiftless layabout isn't going to convince him to step out of the closet.But when Carmichael needs Adam's help to close the portal, he's unable to resist the temptation Adam represents. But his lies and lack of trust put Adam in danger when one of the werewolves, obsessed with Adam, kidnaps him. Even if Carmichael can save the man he's grown to love, he's going to have to convince Adam to forgive him.
Mage of Inconvenience
Parker Foye - 2018
What he needs is a mage…. Julian is part of a wealthy and ancient family, and one day, his legacy will include his mother’s vast library of spell books—and the knowledge he needs to correct his past mistakes. But his inheritance comes with a stipulation: he has to be married before he can collect. What he needs is a husband…. West and Julian can help each other, and at first they don’t want anything further. But as they dodge meddling cousins, jealous rivals, and an insidious drug, it becomes clear that their lives are entwined in ways they never imagined—and they’re in greater danger than they thought possible. Featuring: werewolves, magic, a marriage of convenience, an enchanted library, at least one explosion, and enough snark to sink a ship. This is a second edition. This first edition was published with Dreamspinner Press (2018).
Inheritance
Lissa Kasey - 2011
Seiran spends his time hiding in plain sight, flirting dangerously with his vampire boss and occasional lover, Gabe, and studying magic as required by his powerful mother. All with the hopes to slip under the radar and not be the next witch burned at the stake.Seiran finds himself forced to prove his abilities in a test of elemental magic against the Pillar of Earth, and comes out on top, shocking everyone. But phenomenal powers bring a lot of the wrong kind of attention. The kind he could have lived without, literally.When witches around him begin to fall, murdered for their power, he finds fingers pointed in his direction. Can he stop the killer before he ends up the next victim?
Maloney's Law
Anne Brooke - 2008
It is the first book in the Maloney series.Paul Maloney, a small-time private investigator from London, reluctantly accepts a case from his married ex-lover, Dominic Allen. Before he knows it, Paul finds himself embroiled in the dark dealings of big business and the sordid world of international crime. The deeper he pushes, the closer he comes to losing everything he holds dear.Can he solve the mystery and protect those he loves before it's too late?Maloney's Law was shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Prize 2006 (for novels set in London) and the Royal Literary Fund Scheme, and longlisted for the Betty Bolingbroke-Kent Novel Award.
The Pauper Prince
Sui Lynn - 2012
He’s a survivor and tough as nails. Attacked and beaten, his attacker is murdered. Lance, with blood on his hands and a broken spirit, flees to the solitude of the peaceful pine forest of the Black Hills of South Dakota.Andrew Reed, a handsome shape shifter discovers a man in his barn loading a duffel bag with supplies. Before he can ask questions, the young man spots him and runs. Andrew chases after him. What he discovers at the end of a fast paced run through the woods astounds them both.Can Andrew help Lance heal enough to trust him? Can he convince Lance to stay before he runs out of Andrew’s life, forever beyond his reach and the slavery that has him bound to the land and vampires?
The Given & The Taken
L.A. Witt - 2012
The catch? They have to spend a year apart after the bonding ritual. Then Ian must—using only their newly-forged spiritual connection—seek Levi out, proving the bond actually worked despite Ian being human. Now the year is over, and Levi is desperate to have Ian back in his arms, but there’s one problem—Ian’s changed. In a moment of weakness during that agonizing year apart, Ian cheated… with a vampire. Now Ian himself is a vampire, and a devastated, furious Levi wants nothing to do with him. That is until he learns his clan wants Ian brought to justice for desecrating their most sacred ritual. If they find him, they’ll learn he’s a vampire, and kill him. Afraid for Ian’s safety, Levi rushes to find him. Darius, the vampire who converted Ian, tries to take him someplace safe, but when Levi catches up, all hell breaks loose. Now Ian’s on the run with a dead wolf’s blood on his hands, and the only way Levi or Darius are going to get near him is to work together. They need to get to him before the rest of the clan… assuming they don’t kill each other first. This 118,000 word novel was previously published.
Light Up the Dark
Suki Fleet - 2016
His only company, the cold man who promised to keep him safe from harm, Lance. But when Lance dies, Nicky’s assurance of safety disintegrates and his world suddenly becomes a lot more real and a lot more dangerous. Scared to leave the house, Nicky longs for daylight. He employs a gardener to clear the over-grown bushes and vines that have nearly swallowed Thorn Hall whole.The last thing Nicky expects a little light to do is show him something to fight for.Eighteen months in a young offenders’ institute has taught Cai two things: he occupies the playful puppy end of the How Dangerous Are You? spectrum, and he has an unfortunate knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.Desperate for a job, he takes the first offer he gets. Even though Thorn Hall creeps the hell out of him and he barely knows one end of a pair of garden shears from the other.Things start to fall apart when Cai is drawn into Nicky’s strange world of sticky notes and secrets. Cai finds he is now a target, blamed for a crime he didn’t commit. Desperate not to go back to prison, he digs deep and risks all the good things in life to help Nicky run. But now Nicky has someone he wants to protect, he knows he can’t run any more.
Shades of Sepia
Anne Barwell - 2014
A serial killer stalks the streets of Boggslake, Ohio. The victims are always found in pairs, one human and one vampire. Simon Hawthorne has been a vampire for nearly a hundred years, and he has never seen anything like it. Neither have the other supernaturals he works with to keep the streets safe for both their kind and the humans. One meeting with Simon finds Ben Leyton falling for a man he knows is keeping secrets, but he can't ignore the growing attraction between them. A recent arrival in Boggslake, Ben finds it very different from his native New Zealand, but something about Simon makes Ben feel as though he's found a new home. After a close friend falls victim to the killer, Simon is torn between revealing his true nature to Ben, and walking away to avoid the reaction he fears. But with the body count rising and the murders becoming more frequent, either, or both of them, could be the killer's next target. Author’s note: This story was originally released in 2014 by another publisher. This edition has been revised and re-edited with the end result being a better, stronger story.
First Moon
Richard Amos - 2020
Half-werewolf. One hell of a baker.Need someone, or something, hunted down? Akira Murakami is your man! No target is too small for him to get his energy-sucking blades swinging, and all jobs are welcome at the right price.The bills have to be paid after all.Living in a world where the apocalypse almost happened can be complicated, as is being the hybrid son of the High Werewolf of, well, everything. But Akira likes to live a relatively simpler life than dear old papa would like, shunning all the political crap, living by the sword and perfecting that recipe for dark chocolate and raspberry brownies.Killing is easy.Brownies are easy.Too easy.To hell with the simple life!There’s a werewolf killer stalking the city, and Akira is about to be caught in the middle of everything.Step into an alternative London where the London Underground is above your head, Hyde Park a prison for some creepy shadow creatures, and plenty of baking goes down in a tiny flat on Grays Inn Road.A kick-ass Urban Fantasy adventure with a slow-burn MM Romance.
Beckoning Blood
Daniel de Lorne - 2014
But keeping their love a secret triggers a bloody chain of events that condemns Thierry to a monstrous immortality. Thierry quickly learns that to survive his timeless exile, he must hide his sensitive heart from the man who both eases and ensures his loneliness...his twin brother.Shaped by the fists of a brutal father, Olivier d’Arjou cares for only two things: his own pleasure and his twin. But their sadistic path through centuries is littered with old rivals and new foes, and Olivier must fight for what is rightfully his – Thierry, made immortal just for him.
His Unclaimed Omega
L.C. Davis - 2016
Can he convince Barnabas of what his heart has always known before he's given to another alpha? Barnabas is a one-man kind of alpha and when his beloved mate and omega is taken from him, he's left an empty shell. Cameron's gentle strength and unfailing devotion might be what it takes to save him, but Barnabas sees claiming another omega as an act of treachery. Despite his best intentions, Barnabas' instincts as an alpha without an heir are pulling him in the direction of the young unmated omega he's sworn to protect and find a mate of his own. Giving Cameron to the alpha of a neighboring Council pack is the only way he can do right by the orphaned omega and keep the vow he made to his fallen mate so long ago, but can Barnabas' heart withstand the pain of losing yet another omega he loves? When the elder of the Council makes a shocking decision about Cameron's destiny, the Silver Lake pack is thrown into chaos. Cameron is getting what he's always wanted, but he soon learns that being claimed by his alpha in name only is a worse fate than being held at arm's length. Only time will tell if Barnabas can shed the heavy weight of his guilt to claim the omega who belongs to him, or whether his pain will be exploited by the brutal Mountain Ridge pack that has designs on Silver Lake territory -- and its unique omega. Grief, love and passion combine to give Cameron a crash course on what it means to be an omega. Luckily the young wolf understands better than anyone that love heals wounds that even time can't touch.
Out of the Ashes
Ari McKay - 2017
Alpha werewolf Eli Hammond returns from a fishing trip to discover a nasty surprise—five members of his pack murdered and the rest missing. He needs help locating and rescuing his pack mates, but the supernatural council in Asheville, North Carolina, turns him away. Except for one man. As they work together, Eli is stunned—and not especially thrilled—to discover half-elf Arden Gilmarin is his destined mate. But as Arden and his friends struggle to help Eli in his quest, Eli surrenders to the demands of his body—and his heart. They’ll need to bond together, because the forces opposing them are stronger and more sinister than anyone predicted. The evil has its sights set on Arden, and if Eli wants to save his mate and the people he is entrusted with protecting, he’s in for the fight of his life.
Wormwood Summer
Kai Butler - 2021
They’ve come to collect.
When the Summer Queen summons Parker to her court, the private investigator knows there’s trouble brewing. Trapped into compliance by his past debt to the fae monarch, he’s tasked with locating a missing girl in San Amaro. Now he has to find the girl or give up his life.Things only get more complicated when a very familiar cop asks Parker for his help on a case involving murdered magic users. With the victims completely drained of their magic, the San Amaro Police Department needs Parker’s special skill set to track down a killer. Navigating through San Amaro’s paranormal underbelly while dealing with his own past and this new case is the last thing Parker wants or needs. Now Parker’s stuck trying to locate a missing girl, stop a paranormal war, find a killer, and resist Detective Nicholas King’s many charms. Here’s hoping he doesn’t die trying.
Wormwood Summer is a 107,000 word MM urban fantasy with a HFN ending.
Dead Man Stalking
T.A. Moore - 2019
The case is open and shut… but nothing is ever that easy. As he digs deeper, he discovers a lot more than one cold case is at stake, and if he wants to solve this one, he’ll need the help of the BITERs team. Even if that brings his old commander, Madoc, back into his life.
Yearning
Amy Lane - 2011
Can they both get what they need at Green’s Hill?Jack and Teague are human ‘hunters’, who have been recruited to work as liaisons between the preternatural world of Green’s Hill and the ignorant humans that surround it. Teague's in the game for redemption – and Jack’s in the game for Teague.Teague Sullivan is damaged and haunted – and about the loneliest man Jack has ever met. But Jack sees beyond his scars and his gruffness to kind and valiant man underneath. Unfortunately, Teague sees beneath Jack’s overtures to the naive, green idealist, and although Teague loves him, he makes it clear that a scarred old dog like himself will never be good enough for a sweet young pup like Jacky.While the argument’s raging, Jack is injured in the line of duty and the two hunters are abruptly sucked into the paranormal world that they’ve been defending. Teague is forced to reevaluate everything he’s believed about the two of them. He may be old and damaged, but that doesn’t mean he can let his Jacky go somewhere without him, does it?(Be aware that future books in this series contain m/m/f menage.)