Book picks similar to
The Devil to Pay by Jackie May
urban-fantasy
fantasy
shifters
paranormal
Born in Fire
K.F. Breene - 2017
Breene will take you on a magical joy ride you won't soon forget. Supernatural Bounty Hunter isn't the sort of thing you see on LinkedIn. But with a rare type of magic like mine, I don't have many options.So dangerous or not, the job is mine. And it was going fine, until an old as sin vampire stole my mark, and with it, my pay day.Knowing I'm poor and desperate, he has offered me a job. I'll have to work by his side to help solve a top secret case.Everyone knows not to trust vampires. Especially a hot elder vampire. But without any other jobs coming up, I'm stuck. As I uncover a web of lies and treachery, revealing an enemy I didn't know existed, the truth of my identity is threatened. I might make it out alive, only to end up in a gilded cage.
Dark Fae
Caroline Peckham - 2019
Elise Callisto. Vampire. Angel of vengeance. And a girl on a mission to destroy one of them for murdering my brother. I just don't know which one did it yet.When I kicked the ass of a Werewolf who was high on a new and dangerous drug called Killblaze, his final words painted a dark reality for me. The King of Aurora Academy killed my brother. The trouble is, there's four kings at that school and each of them have motive and cutthroat natures.Aurora Academy isn't a place for the faint of heart. To put it lightly, my town is the asshole of Solaria where the dodgiest Fae in the kingdom reside. The school itself is divided by the two gangs who run this town. The Lunar Brotherhood and the Oscura Clan. And guess what? Two of the kings run the gangs at the school, their hatred for each other so fierce I hear a day doesn't go by without blood being spilled in the halls.I might be a petite, lilac-haired girl who looks like a fragile doll, but they haven't been introduced to my fangs yet. And they don't know why I'm really here. Or that I'll do whatever it takes to bring down the Fae who took my flesh and blood from me.I don't believe in fate, but I do know this... the King who killed my brother is a dead man walking. And I'm prepared to sacrifice my heart, body and soul to ensure I get my revenge .This is a reverse harem series set in the world of Zodiac Academy four years before the Vega Twins were Awakened. Expect some character cross-over, dark and hot romance, and a twisted murder mystery which will leave your head spinning.
Shadow Kissed
Sarah Piper - 2018
Five smoldering-hot guardians. And the dark secret that could destroy them all… Blackmoon Bay is a city of monsters. Surviving here means never leaving home without a sharp stake. It means keeping secrets, even from friends. And unless I want the Hunters finding me again, it means my witchcraft stays on lockdown—permanently. First time I fumble? Three witches get murdered for my mistake—including my best friend. Now I’m hunting a killer, and the magic I’ve snooze-buttoned for years is quickly making up for lost time. And attracting dangerous allies... Asher, the bad-boy incubus. Darius, the all-too-tempting vampire. Emilio, the wolf shifter with a big heart and a treacherous past. Ronan, the only demon I trust with my soul. And Death himself, drawn to my magic for reasons I don’t understand. Together they’ve sworn to protect me from the evil out there, but even with a killer on the loose, it’s not the evil out there that scares me. A shadow lurks inside me, black and deadly as a bomb. And I’m pretty sure my magical mishap just lit the fuse. I’m Gray Desario. Witch. Survivor. Occasional bringer of chaos. And tonight? The darkness is coming… SHADOW KISSED is the first book in The Witch’s Rebels, a steamy reverse harem paranormal romance and urban fantasy series featuring five smoldering-hot guys and the kickass witch they’d kill to protect. If you like sexy forbidden romance, dark magic, and heart-pounding supernatural suspense, Sarah Piper’s witchy new series will leave you spellbound.
On the Edge
Ilona Andrews - 2009
Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it.
Some Girls Bite
Chloe Neill - 2009
They healed me. They changed me.Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was Merit’s. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker–and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she’s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred-year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately, he expects her gratitude–and servitude.But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan’s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone’s still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war–and there will be blood.
Once Bitten
Linsey Hall - 2020
Sure, my idea of a party is a mini box of wine and hanging out with a feral raccoon, but it works for me.When I’m accused of murder, things get crazy. One, I learn that I have magic. Two, there’s a secret magical city hidden right in London itself. And three, my only hope is a vampire who’s sexy as sin and scary as the devil himself. He's called the Devil of Darkvale, and he all but owns Guild City.Some say I should just quit and turn myself in. Not a chance. I’m going to solve this murder myself, which means surviving in a new world of witch parties, magical guilds, and a vampire with a tortured past. The vampire and I are like colliding stars, and the heat is irresistible. I should avoid him, but if I want to save my own life, he’s my only hope.
Vampire's Kiss
Ella Summers - 2016
Leda Pierce is working as a paranormal bounty hunter on the Frontier, the dividing line between human civilization and the plains of monsters. Life is simple and the pay modest, but at least she has her family. That is, until a vampire hunt goes wrong and her brother goes missing, captured by the dark angels of hell. With no magical powers of her own and no way to find him, Leda’s only option is to go to New York and join the Legion of Angels, an elite unit of supernatural soldiers with powers gifted to them by the gods themselves. If she can survive long enough to make it up the ranks, she will gain the magic she needs to find her brother. But Leda soon finds herself on the wrong side of a conspiracy that will shake up the supernatural world—and at the mercy of a fiercely powerful and tempting angel.
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.
Three Mages and a Margarita
Annette Marie - 2018
Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig. It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview - to see if I'd mesh with their "special" clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That's the definition of fitting in, right? I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they...offered me the job? It turns out this place isn't a bar. It's a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I'm exactly the kind of takes-no-sh*t bartender this guild needs, or there's a good reason no one else wants to work here. So what's a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course - with a pay raise.
Supernatural Academy: Year One
Jaymin Eve - 2019
WTF?Secondly … she is one, even though no one seems to know exactly what kind. Double WTF.Thirdly … she’s about to go back to school. Well, things just got a little more interesting.The Supernatural Academy is where shifters, vampires, magic users, and fey are educated. Where they are taught about their abilities, and how to function in the human world. Maddison already has the human part down, but this supernatural thing is an entirely new dangerous game.Example one: mean girls who can actually turn you into a frog.Example two: Asher Lock, a god at the Academy. Not literally … well, who knows for sure. He certainly acts the part, as do all of his minions who worship him.Asher drives her crazy, because apparently snarly, gorgeous, and arrogant is her thing, and despite their mutual dislike, sparks fly between them. The more they’re thrown together, the more Asher is determined to figure out what’s been blocking her abilities.Until the moment the truth is revealed, and they find out nothing in this supernatural world is what they thought.
Cry Wolf
Patricia Briggs - 2008
and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer—and son—of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna's inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf—a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack.It is recommended you read the prequel "Alpha & Omega" before reading Cry Wolf.
Sinister Magic
Lindsay Buroker - 2020
When magical bad guys hurt people, I take care of them. Permanently. This doesn’t make me popular with the rest of the magical community—as you can tell from the numerous break-ins and assassination attempts I’ve endured over the years. But thanks to my half-elven blood, a powerful sword named Chopper, and a telepathic tiger with an attitude, I’ve always been able to handle my problems with aplomb. Maybe some cursing and swearing, too, but definitely aplomb. That changes when my boss is afflicted with a mysterious disease, a government agent starts investigating me, and a godforsaken dragon shows up in the middle of my latest job. I’ve taken down vampires, zombies, and ogres, but dragons are way, way more powerful. And it doesn’t look like this one is going to like me. Worse than that, he wants to use his magic to compel me to do his bidding, as if I’m some weak-minded minion. That’s not going to happen. I’d die before being some dragon’s slave. But if I can’t figure out a way to avoid him, save my boss, and get rid of the government spook, I’m screwed. Or dead. Or screwed and dead. And that’s never comfortable.
Dragon's Guard
Eva Chase - 2017
Four hot alpha mates. A legacy of bloodshed. When Ren Landis goes looking for excitement on her 21st birthday, getting kidnapped is a little more than she bargained for. So is finding out that shifters exist—and that she’s one too. As the last of the dragon shifters, she’s got a role to fulfill: Take the alphas of the four shifter groups as her mates and unite all shifter kind. No pressure, right? Too bad Ren’s fate isn’t as simple as getting it on with four scorching-hot guys. Someone is out for dragon shifter blood, intent on finishing the massacre they started years ago. If Ren can’t figure out how to kickstart her buried powers, her life’s about to go down in flames. *This steamy new reverse harem paranormal romance series is intended for readers 18+. Expect sexy situations, intense action, ongoing storylines, and a quartet of alluring wolf, bear, jaguar, and eagle alpha shifters you’ll wish you could make your mates.*
Gypsy Blood
Kristy Cunning - 2018
Or uncommon. I'm sure there are a lot of girls with old gypsy blood who see the dead, have killer cults hunting their family, and turn into something that gets scary when they panic. Yep. Completely unoriginal, if I do say so myself. Move along. Nothing to see here. Nope. I'm just an ordinary girl. I wish people would believe that. I've been labeled as one thing or another for most of my life: Death Girl. Crazy Gypsy Girl. Gothic Chick. Monster... It took my mother's death for me to finally start getting answers about what's really been going on. Unfortunately, most of the answers come from men...who aren't just men. Somehow, I've gone and landed myself in a world truly filled with monsters, and I'm starting to think this is where I should have been all along. Only...I don't understand what's going on. I'm walking into the middle of a story that's thousands of years old, and I'm the new girl on the block who doesn't have a clue how this world even works. My only guides happen to be the most lethal of the bunch. They decide who lives or dies. They decide who gets stabbed or tortured. Yeah... I've gone and drawn attention to myself, and the ones paying attention are the ones everyone else seems to fear. How do these things always happen to me? **Reverse Harem **Language warning **Sexual content **Dark Humor
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.