Book picks similar to
By Darkness Revealed by Kevin O. McLaughlin
paranormal
magic
amazon
fantasy
The Rules for Lying
L.A. Kelley - 2017
No good comes from this book. The story has magic, mayhem, theft, murder, sass talk, demons, animals committing felonies, gleeful revenge, and bad things happening to good people for no particular reason. It won’t encourage good habits and probably fine tune bad ones. The only lesson learned is don’t lie unless you know the rules. Teenager Peter Whistler lives at the Little Angels Home for Orphan Boys. Life in New Jersey is harsh in the Great Depression, but Peter has an exceptional ability to lie. He hones his talent, convinced it’s the ticket to easy fortune. He certainly doesn’t foresee the arrival of a murderous conjurer with mysterious designs on a little blind girl named Esther. Drawn into a nefarious plot to unleash a demon, Peter leads Esther and an enchanted terrier on a desperate escape to New Orleans and meets Amelie Marchand. Like all well-bred southern girls she’s trained in deadly martial arts, but with a murderous stepmother, Amelie has troubles of her own. Peter and Amelie’s one chance for survival is to head deep into the bayou and seek help from a mad shaman known as the Frog King. Welcome to an alternate 1930s where both jazz and magic fill New Orleans’ air. Can a little luck, mystical lies, and a dash of Cajun crazy help Peter harness the power to kill an immortal demon? If not, the Depression will be a picnic by comparison when hell arrives on Earth.
Inborn Magic
Kim McDougall - 2020
It’s his job to keep strangers out. Especially when a demon is hell-bent on stealing their most precious resource—magic.Can Quinn lower his shields enough to let Bobbi in?Can Bobbi trust these witches to help her tame the wild magic inside her?No one can stand alone against the coming darkness.No witch can hide any longer.Inborn Magic, Book 1 of the Hidden Coven series. You’ll love this sizzling paranormal suspense because of its quirky characters and action-packed story.
Called
Robert J. Crane - 2013
A cop without a cause. A seemingly unstoppable evil rising in a small town... WARNING: Contains violence, coarse language and sexual situations. Archibald "Arch" Stan was a local cop in Midian, Tennessee that was good at his job, good at being a husband, and exceptionally good at hiding his disappointment at not being able to figure out what was missing in his life that made it all seem so empty. Lafayette Hendricks looked like a drifter, a broken-down hitchhiker blown through Midian on the prevailing winds. When Arch catches him in a fight on the town square, though, things start to get weird, fast, because the guy he's fighting doesn't die when he gets shot. And Hendricks is carrying a sword. Pretty soon, Arch's whole life is turned upside down by Hendricks's revelation that there's a secret world operating under the one he's been living in his whole life - one filled with demons, chaos, and unspeakable evils, one of which is already in town, stirring trouble. And if the two men don't band together to keep watch on the darkness falling on Midian, then this small town might just get swallowed up by the forces of evil - with the rest of the world to follow shortly behind.
Death Rites
E.A. Copen - 2018
Hunted by gods. Low on ramen.After getting out of prison, necromancer and curio shop owner Lazarus Kerrigan has done his best to stay out of trouble. Unfortunately for him, fate has other plans.When a woman is found dead on his doorstep, Laz’s checkered past makes him the prime suspect, especially since he was the last person to see her alive.Lazarus will have to find the real killer if he wants to clear his name. That means delving into the magical world of vengeful gods, conniving fae, and powerful witches, a world that once shunned him.But more than monsters go bump in the night in New Orleans, and what Laz awakens in his quest for answers might just be more than he bargained for. Baron Samedi is back in town, asking for Lazarus by name. And when the Baron of Death calls, answering is a dangerous game.NOLA may never be the same.
Soul Mate
Richard Crawford - 2011
Only Tommy knows that it wasn't an accident at all. He made a drunken mistake he can never take back. And now he's haunted, literally. It sounds nuts, and sometimes Tommy is not sure if he is nuts. It doesn't seem to matter too much until he meets Suki.UK SPELLING!
The Sharded Boy
L. Darby Gibbs - 2017
Pain runs a close second.Jahl must cope with both if he hopes to fulfil his dream of becoming a master wielder.He teams up with the best friend that abandoned him and the girl who ridiculed him. Rouen has a secret to keep and needs Jahl to make it happen. Donya needs Jahl to teach her how to wield, never mind that it could get them killed.And he needs them both if he's to survive the danger he refuses to believe awaits him.It's a relationship that will force them to face both the cruelties of love and the miracles of friendship.When a stranger hires Jahl for a job only a master wielder can perform, it seems the perfect first step to take him to the destiny he is certain is within his grasp.Will the cost of being recognized as a wielder of magic be worth the loss of those he loves most?Read this classic tale of adversity and becoming an adult in a world of magic.
Magic Unmasked
Megan Crewe - 2018
Growing up in Manhattan's secret community of mages, 17-year-old Jonathan Lockwood has always seen his family as one of the enlightened ones, regularly campaigning to integrate with the so-called "Dulls" and offer their talents to the wider world. But when a looming disaster threatens hundreds of lives, he watches his parents bow to the pressure to stay silent. Horrified, he resolves to intervene himself. Jonathan's mission leads him to a chance encounter with Amy, a girl who should be Dull but has a clear affinity for magic. As they struggle to tackle the impending threat, he introduces her to the world he knows is rightfully hers. The closer Jonathan and Amy become, the more he finds himself losing his heart—and his certainty about the rules he's broken. The greater good may come at a price more painful than he ever expected to pay. Set four decades before the Conspiracy of Magic trilogy, Magic Unmasked offers a glimpse into a critical turning point in magical history—events that set the stage for Rocío and Finn's ordeals.
Cursed
J.A. Cipriano - 2016
Not why I woke up in a dumpster. Not why my right arm is as black as pitch and covered in glowing red tattoos, and certainly not why a vicious death cult is after me.Actually, that last part isn't true. I know why the death cult is after me. It's because I saved that damned girl from them. I didn't know who she was at the time, but I'd have done it anyway. I just don't like it when girls get beat up, call me old fashioned.Still, I can tell she's hiding something behind those devilish eyes, and if I want to find out what it is, I'll have to help her.My name is Mac Brennan. I have no memory, and I'm a werewolf-hunting, hellfire-flinging version of Faust himself.*Book 2: Marked (ASIN: B01D04ULFQ) is on sale for only $3.99!*
Blood Gifts
Becca Andre - 2016
Born into a necromancer family, he and his twin brother Lex exhibited uncommon magical potential at an early age that led their father to expect great things—from them both. That is until Lex’s blood gift fails to manifest. Or so everyone believes. For the past five years, Ian has been keeping a secret. A secret that—if it got out—would see his brother shunned, or worse. Lex does have a blood gift, but not every gift is a blessing, and not every recipient can manage the talent in his blood. As Lex’s sanity begins to slip, Ian knows the responsibility to raise his family’s fortunes is on his shoulders, and his alone. When he is offered an apprenticeship with one of the most influential men in the necromancer community, Lex convinces Ian that the connection would offer their family even more if Ian were to marry his elderly mentor’s “spinster” niece. Ian’s plan takes an unexpected turn when he discovers that Isabelle is not a spinster. She’s a young, beautiful, intelligent woman who, unfortunately, wants nothing to do with him. Now Ian must find a way to win her over before Lex attempts to elevate their family, his way. BONUS – Included in this ebook is the short story, Lords of the Dead (Total word count for both the novella and the short story is over 52,000 words.)
Darlings of Urban Fantasy
Chrissy PeeblesC.M. Doporto - 2013
BlakeBook 2 – Ignite (Midnight Fire Series Book One) By Kaitlyn DavisBook 3 – Element, Part 1 (The Natalie Vega Saga) by CM DoportoBook 4 – Stake You by Claire FarrellBook 5 – Tempest by Holly HookBook 6 – Seventh Mark (Hidden Secrets Saga) by W.J. MayBook 7 – Dangerous Designs (Book #1 of the Design Series) by Dale MayerBook 8 – Crush (The CRUSH Saga) by Chrissy PeeblesBook 9 – The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw (The Morgan Sisters) by Suzy TurnerBook 10 – Keeper by Tiffany Evans (BONUS two-chapter excerpt)
The Problem with Black Magic
Karen Mead - 2012
Sam, a mysterious co-worker at The Daily Grind, seems to have taken an instant dislike to her, but for Cassie, the looming specter of the SAT Verbal section is a much bigger concern.After a freak accident nearly leaves Cassie and her co-workers dead, a spell cast in desperation transforms her from a regular teen to a valuable familiar: a magical well a demon can tap. As if she didn't have enough problems, now every demon (and their monstrous minions) seems to be after Cassie's latent magic, and will stop at nothing to possess her.Blending a hint of gothic romance with wry humor, The Problem With Black Magic is a tale of one young woman's struggle for independence in a brand new world of sorcery, intrigue, and wonder.
Escape The Deep
S.T. Branton - 2020
Maybe a monster is exactly what the earth needs. My name is Sara Slick, and I was an average teenager. I worked hard. Followed the rules. Took care of my family. But normal dissolved the night that the hidden world of The Far showed up to accuse my dad of heinous crimes against the magical community. To protect the ones I loved, I took the blame and the sentence of ten lifetimes in The Deep. No human had ever been sent to this paranormal prison.They didn’t think I’d last the night. They couldn’t have been more wrong.I survived by becoming the kind of human the magical world feared. Now, a decade later, I need to escape from hell before the home I sacrificed everything for meets its end at the hands of a maniacal, master wizard and his army of fanatics. What’s one army against the heinous Sara Slick?
Bangkok Warlock
John P. Logsdon - 2021
Average for a mage in the Paranormal Police Department (PPD), anyway. After years of doing the jobs nobody else wanted, his career, and life, seemed to be on hold. Then he met a foul-mouthed demon who filled him with power, turned him into a warlock, and dumped him into a world of wealth and debauchery that was disturbing at best. When an enemy strikes who is far beyond what the cops in the PPD have ever seen, Mark is forced to travel to Thailand and face threats from all sides. But he soon learns that the chief of the Bangkok PPD is on the take, the local mafia is stirring up trouble, two of his team members have already been killed, and his new partners have trouble keeping their clothes on in public. Okay, the public nudity is probably the least of his worries.Worst of all, everyone in the supernatural community despises what he's become. To them, 'warlock' is a dirty word...If you like Jim Butcher, Domino Finn, Michael Anderle, M. D. Massey, Rick Gualtieri, Orlando A. Sanchez, K.F. Breene, Shayne Silvers, Ilona Andrews, Brad Magnarella, Patricia Briggs, or Kim Harrison...you'll have a blast with the first book in the Southeast Asia Paranormal Police Department.
Vampire Midnight
Gary Jonas - 2016
Kelly Chan, the magically engineered assassin you know from the Jonathan Shade series in her first solo adventure! Picking up a package for a friend should be easy, but when the package is at Tally's, a shop that caters to things that go bump in the night, and that package is a woman, things can go south fast.Of course, if the person picking up the package is Kelly Chan, when things go south, bad guys die.But what happens when the bad guys are already dead? Or more specifically, undead.Kelly finds herself face-to-face with an actual vampire who has the power to issue commands Kelly has no choice but to follow.So how do you kill something when you've been commanded to protect it?
Dead Letter: Prelude to Dragon Choir
Benjamin Descovich - 2016
Novice Kettna is commissioned to solve a string of robberies, but is haunted by a forbidden secret. Murder, blackmail and espionage drive her investigation into the shadows of danger where she must confront Bloody Agnus, the queen of the criminal underworld. Can a mage with failing magic discover the truth to find her lost love and save the city from itself?
Sword and Sorcery simmering with Mystery and Mayhem.
Dive into the magical world of Oranica and steel yourself for adventure. From the boundless imagination of bestselling author, Benjamin Descovich, comes a turbulent tale set in the City of Gold, Calimska. The daughter of the Archmagus has an impenetrable intellect, but her talent with magic is waning. To her shame, she is incapable of passing the trials of sorcery and is sent to serve on the city guard. With the help of a caustic, yet beautiful, guardian and a poor kitchen hand, Kettna uncovers a deadly conspiracy that threatens the great city. Only one thing can keep a secret buried, a Dead Letter. Get one of my ebooks free! Go to benjamindescovich.com today. I'd love to hear from you.