Book picks similar to
Sword of Secrets by S.M. Schmitz


urban-fantasy
norse-mythology
fantasy
free-reads

Child of the Flames


D.W. Hawkins - 2011
     She alone escapes the slaughter, spiriting away the secret which brought them down on her family. Revenge is all she has to keep her alive. Dormael Harlun just wants to find a place to sleep off the drink, but he decides to help her--though he wonders why something in her possession makes his magic react so violently, and what it's trying to tell him. Some secrets, though, are better left where they lie. Will they escape, avenge the deaths of Shawna's family, or drown in a tide of blood?

Rise of the Fallen


Donya Lynne - 2012
    Vampire enforcement agency, All the King’s Men (AKM), is charged with maintaining the truce, but when volatile enforcer Micah Black loses his mate and falls into the biological agony that results from the broken bond, he tests the boundaries of the truce by seeking out Apostle, a leader in the dreck community. Micah wants Apostle to kill him, a request Apostle is more than happy to fulfill. When ex-Army medic Samantha Garrett inadvertently disrupts the plot and saves Micah’s life, a chain reaction sets Micah’s heart on a collision course with Sam’s, but he will have to protect her from Apostle and her obsessive ex-husband, Steve, if they will have a chance at forever. Can Micah hold his emotions together to keep Sam alive?

The Temptation of Dragons


Chrys Cymri - 2016
    ‘Holy water doesn’t harm vampires. Which is just as well, as it would make it impossible to baptise them.’ When I was asked by a dragon to give him the last rites, I never dreamed it would lead to negotiating with his cannibalistic family or running from snail sharks. Life as the priest of a small English village is quite tame in comparision. At least I have Morey, a gryphon with sarcasm management issues, to help me. And if all else fails, there’s always red wine and single malt whisky. As if my life weren’t complicated enough, a darkly beautiful dragon named Raven keeps appearing where I least expect him, I’ve met a handsome police inspector who loves science fiction as much as I do, and my younger brother is getting into trouble for trying to pick up vampires. That’s what happens when you’re dealing with an incredible and dangerous parallel world full of mythical creatures. And I have to learn to navigate it all without losing myself, or my brother…

Small Time Vengeance


Steve McHugh - 2012
    *free short story*It takes place just before the beginning of Crimes Against Magic.link:http://stevejmchugh.wordpress.com/boo...

No More Black Magic


A.L. Kessler - 2015
    As the top Paranormal Investigation Bureau agent, she only gets the best cases, but when the Cult of Ra comes to play she might be in over her head. Finding a murderer while up against a hex, an overprotective coven, and a stubborn werewolf reminds her that nothing in the paranormal world is easy. As the death toll rises and a decades old crime, linked to Abby, is uncovered, disturbing information is brought to light. Abby must unlock an ancient language steeped in black magic to uncover the truth before the murderer comes for her.

Twice Dead


George Magnum - 2011
    There was no explanation. The dead were rising, returning to life, and devouring the living. Commander Peterson, leader of the most elite fighting unit in the U.S. armed forces, was assigned one, last final mission. In his worst nightmares he never could have imagined this apocalypse, or that he and his team were to become the one last hope that remained…

Flower Among the Ashes


Genevieve St-Yves - 2020
    This was the Elven Kingdom’s most ironclad rule. They are about to defy that law.When her parents cast her out for possessing a power they could not understand, Arshé learned the world was cruel. When her lover betrayed her, it taught her happy endings were a lie. On the run with a bounty on her head, the elven oracle vows never to let anyone exploit her ability to see the future—or her heart—ever again.As her enemies close in, Arshé finds an unlikely ally in Rekki, an ogre mercenary on a mission to retrieve a priceless treasure stolen by the elven king. Offering protection in return for her aid, Arshé has no choice but to accompany the handsome warrior on his perilous quest.But Rekki has no intention of parting ways with her when the treasure is back in ogre hands. For he was born under a prophecy foretelling he will become king of the ogres and unite his people’s fractured clans. When Rekki looks at Arshé, he sees the queen destined to rule at his side. If he cannot teach her reluctant heart to trust again, they will not survive the dangers ahead.

Grave Intentions


Lori Sjoberg - 2013
    But this dream man is Death’s best agent—and now he’s got more than his soul to lose… One act of mercy before dying was all it took to turn soldier David Anderson into a reaper—an immortal who guides souls-of-untimely-death into the afterlife. But the closer he gets to atoning for his mortal sin and finally escaping merciless Fate, the more he feels his own humanity slipping away for good. Until he encounters Sarah Griffith. This skeptical scientist can’t be influenced by his powers—even though she has an unsuspected talent for sensing the dead. And her honesty and irreverent sense of humor reignite his reason for living—and a passion he can’t afford to feel. Now Fate has summoned David to make a devastating last harvest. And he’ll break every hellishly-strict netherworld rule to save Sarah...and gamble on a choice even an immortal can’t win.

The Bewitching Hour


Mallory Crowe - 2017
     When she tries to give the lead detective a quick hint to send him in the right direction, Sam gets sucked further into the investigation than she ever thought possible. Now Detective Derek Pierce has to put together the half truths Sam is giving him and the facts of the case that get stranger by the second. The killer is closer to Sam than she could've imagined and Derek is the only one who can stop him from tearing her family apart, but only if he knows the whole truth. And the whole truth is exactly what could kill him. **WARNING** This is not a standalone book. Sam and Derek have more stories to tell...

Black Spark


Al K. Line - 2016
    I didn’t know my name, let alone that I had such power. The man was dead. I panicked. I ran.How was I to know I was a dark magic enforcer, tasked with keeping magic hidden from the world? Yeah, total noob move, I know.But my memory is returning, and the Hidden have given me twenty-four hours to make amends. Cover it up. Finish the job I was given, or else. Failure isn’t an option. Well, it is, but I like me, and I like being alive.Time is running out as I battle to make things right and exact revenge on those that took so much from me. Easier said than done as I deal with angry mages, bitey zombies, oversexed imps, creepy necromancers, and grumpy trolls—and those are just my friends!—all while trying to stop myself falling in love with my best friend, Kate, who just so happens to be a hot vampire.I’m Faz Pound, a.k.a. Black Spark, Dark Magic Enforcer, and time is running out.At least I have my looks. For now.

The Phoenix Series: Books 1-4


Ted Tayler
    The system often fails to deliver the correct punishment. He can redress the balance. The Olympus Project Rescued by strangers from a watery grave and given a new identity. The Phoenix is a stone-cold killer. An ideal fit for the Olympus Project, a secret organisation fighting injustice.Gold, Silver, and Bombs The eyes of the world are on London 2012. British security services anticipate an organised terror attack. Safety is paramount. What if the real danger comes from a lone wolf?Nothing Is Ever Forever The action never slows. The tension never slackens. The Phoenix stares death in the face once more. Detectives Phil Hounsell and Zara Wheeler are back, as Colin Bailey’s past threatens to catch up with him.In The Lap Of The Gods Olympus battle vicious gangsters on home soil. The body count rises. Dimitar Marinov cements his reputation as the most brutal criminal ever to have set foot on UK soil. Phoenix and Athena attend their first senior meeting with Zeus and the other Gods. They sense factions within the Project are plotting to take it in a different, more sinister direction. Who can they trust?

Lunar Rampage


Samantha Cross - 2015
    One Werewolf. A dozen suspects.Twenty-six-year-old Cora Nash is a sweet, quirky aspiring photographer with big dreams, but for now, her biggest concern is renovating her grandmother’s storm damaged home in the small woodsy town of Rookridge.When she arrives in the tight-knit community, it doesn’t take her long to figure out she doesn’t exactly fit in, so she does what she thinks is best—keep to herself. That plan works… until it doesn’t.People in Rookridge have gone missing, but the most disturbing part is that no one in town is concerned about the inexplicable disappearances. No one except for Cora, who barely escapes with her body intact after a run in with a mysterious and violent beast.A werewolf.Cora realizes she’s in over her head, especially when the werewolf sends her running for her life and seeking shelter in the home of the town’s biggest bad boy, Max, who may or may not think she’s completely nuts. Can she figure out who the werewolf is before it's too late? And will she be able to control her own appetite for Max along the way? Cora can only hope!

GAMELAND Episodes 1-2


Saul W. Tanpepper - 2012
    and 10,000 Undead. Everyone loves Survivalist, a live-action, virtual reality show based on Arc Entertainment's The Game, where cybernetically controlled zombies do battle in a video arcade in the middle of a Long Island wasteland. It's to die for.If you're rich enough, you can buy your way in. If you're desperate enough, you can volunteer to become one of the Undead Players. Jessie Daniels and her gang of computer hackers plan to break their way in.Welcome to GAMELAND. Access Restricted.EPISODE 1: Deep Into The GameA reckless, end-of-summer plan leads Jessie and her friends onto Long Island hoping to catch a glimpse of the infected victims of a decades-old outbreak. But while breaking in might be easy, getting back out is a hell of a killer. It doesn't take long before they realize they're part of The Game.EPISODE 2: FailsafeJessie and Kelly clash after one of their group gets stranded among the Infected Undead, forcing Kelly to make a rash decision which will ultimately deliver them into the hands of those who would turn them all into mindless players in The Game.

Immortal Coil


C.I. Black - 2012
    One Body. Sharing is not an option… Terrible news has turned Anaea Salis’s life upside down. There’s nothing she can do to make it right, and the stranger who stops to talk to her can’t help. But when that stranger, Hunter, an ancient dragon spirit, is viciously attacked and forced to transfer his spirit into her body, Anaea’s life takes a new terrifying twist. Hunter should have known by now not to get involved with human affairs, but there was something about the woman that drew him to her, and he just couldn’t help himself. Trapped in her body all he wants is to get out, except whoever is trying to kill him is now after her. Their only hope of survival… plunge into the deadly world of dragons.

Weapons Training


Nalini Singh - 2013
    Free short story in Nalini Singh's Newsletter.A short story about Jessamy and Galen.For those of you unfamiliar with the Guild Hunter series, this story features Galen, Weaponsmaster to the Archangel Raphael, and Jessamy, Historian of the angelic race and teacher of their young.For Guild Hunter fans, this story takes place during Archangel’s Kiss, after Galen has just completed a training session with Elena.