The best not-your-usual vampire, werewolf, and witch books

Why am I passionate about this?

The idea of paranormal beings living amongst us makes me irrationally giddy. It constantly distracts me as I wonder how they blend into society and live behind their closed doors. Happy to explore these possibilities, I love to read and write books where wolves, vamps, and witches are put through the wringer as they navigate a world that’s sometimes hidden, and other times not. Tenacious females, gutsy heroes, and heinous villains inhabit my dark paranormal and epic fantasy realms, but with added twists that make them not-your-usual paranormal tales. When not torturing my characters, I can be found reading tarot as I live my own otherworldly life in Dublin, Ireland. 


I wrote...

Bound

By Julie Embleton,

Book cover of Bound

What is my book about?

Hunted by a depraved evil. Maimed by his twisted magic. If she’s to survive, the price demands a sacrifice. Can she surrender love to evade death? 

The alpha of Nyah’s pack has aligned with dark forces, and his plans for her break the most absolute of Lycan Laws. With her pack under his thrall, and her wolf maimed by his magic, she turns rogue, her incapacity landing her in unfamiliar Lycan territory where she catches the unwanted attention of Dean, an alpha determined to learn the truth she hides. With her crazed alpha closing in, and the safety of another pack at stake, Nyah faces a choice. Her bound wolf will kill her, both alphas can save her, but which one, and at what cost?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Kiss Me Deadly

Julie Embleton Why did I love this book?

"A necromancer and a vampire walk into a cemetery…and if you’re wondering how this joke ends, that makes two of us." Nickel City ticks all the boxes for reasons why I’ll deprive myself of sleep for a book. The cast leaps out of the pages; Sera the witty, brave, but soft-hearted heroine, her friend/ex-girlfriend, Dev, a feisty, sharp-tongued vampire hunter, and then Nate, the brooding vampire who Sera just can’t ignore. Three deadly enemies forced to work together against evil; what can go wrong, eh? Thomas slays with this enemies-to-lovers paranormal romance. With delicious simmering tension and laugh-aloud moments, it’s a clever, gripping read that now has me addicted to visiting cemeteries in the hopes of bumping into a certain vampire.

By Jessie Thomas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kiss Me Deadly as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A necromancer and a vampire walk into a cemetery…and if you’re wondering how this joke ends, that makes two of us.I’m Seraphina Mason, Buffalo’s only resident necromancer. While other people are on normal sleep schedules doing regular human things, I spend my nights conjuring spirits, resurrecting the dead, and sometimes a bit of poltergeist removal, if you need it. But I’m not even the most dangerous nocturnal creature lurking around the cemeteries. That’s where vampire Nathaniel Caligari waltzes in—all devastating eternal beauty and brooding charm, ready to ruin my life. He’d rather have a wooden stake shoved through his chest…


Book cover of Alchemy of Chaos

Julie Embleton Why did I love this book?

Miranda is one of my favourite authors when it comes to dark, gritty characters. Her study on a side of human nature from which most authors would recoil in Alchemy of Chaos is intelligent yet unnerving. There’s no romantic fluff here whatsoever. It’s harsh, violent, yet painfully beautiful. A shifter who changes gender, and sexual tension between a vampire professor and his student, all tangled up with chaotic witchcraft in a dark academia setting. Miranda delivers a violent, passionate, and sublimely clever tale for readers who aren’t sensitive to adult themes. A refreshing change from paranormal fantasy with HEAs, this one haunted me long after I turned the final page. 

By Ruth Miranda,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Alchemy of Chaos as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

FIfteen years after the suicide of two of his friends, Ezra King returns to the prestigious University of St. Cyr, this time as a teacher. Following on the footsteps of his former mentor Darren Whitford, he reopens the elitist study group specialising in Chaos Alchemy, guiding his students in the pursuit of results that will make life easier for all the Nonpareil.When those connected to the prior group, of which Ezra was a part of, start showing up dead, his own demons resurface, and the ghosts lying dormant in St. Cyr threaten to rise from their graves...


Book cover of The Arrival Reawakened

Julie Embleton Why did I love this book?

A happy ever after is nice ‘n all, but sometimes I want angst and torture blocking the path of true love. The Children of The Morning Star series delivers that, plus more. Pavlik has crafted a complex, layered world, woven with religious dogma, which I could have taken at face value, but once I dwelt on the motives, beliefs, and loyalties of the characters (both good and bad) it left me contemplating the age-old battle between good and evil until the wee small hours. Lucifer’s vampires, created to aid the war effort between heaven and hell, strike a deal with God, and with this metaphorical handshake, chaos is unleashed. Way beyond the usual vampire trope, for me, this series has a whiff of the classical rising from its pages. 

By Kastie Pavlik,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Arrival Reawakened as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The small Midwestern town of Orison Crossing has a secret: it’s 2006 and a Civil War veteran has an office on Main Street. Sure, the townsfolk whisper all kinds of rumors, but when they say, “Bloodsucking lawyer,” they mean it literally.

Humans. Vampires. God. Lucifer.
One woman stands between them…and they all want her dead.

Orphaned in an accident ten years ago, Paresh Hawthorne returns to her childhood home and her reality shatters. Her uncle kidnapped her. The man who should have raised her, attorney Eric Ravenscroft, is a vampire. And she may not be as human as she thought.…


Book cover of Dark

Julie Embleton Why did I love this book?

Ever wonder what would happen if paranormal beings were ousted on social media? Kinney explores this enticing idea in her Texas Shifter series, where she’s created a gritty new existence for vamps and wolves. With one of the MCs a freshly-bitten hot mess, and desperate to avoid eating her family, she seeks help from her equally troubled (and broody) ex. Cue the drama, sass, chemistry, and steam. What I enjoyed most is how the more hard-hitting, sobering themes of this book are balanced out by the spice and sarcasm. But best of all? No damsel in distress! 

By Kat Kinney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dark as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hayden Crowe fronts an all-girls band down in Austin, Texas. Between tending bar so her sister can stay in school and dealing with the fallout after their addict father skipped town, she hasn’t exactly had time to join the social media freak out over the recent outing of vampires and werewolves.

Her world comes crashing down the night she’s attacked in an alley after a gig and bitten by a feral werewolf. Unable to return home for fear of hurting her sister, and with a message scrawled across her arm warning HOSPITALS NOT SAFE, Hayden is left with just one…


Book cover of White Wolf

Julie Embleton Why did I love this book?

My best/worst book hangovers are thanks to Lauren Gilley. She can wring every emotion out of me, but I’ll come back for more every time. As a massive fan of her outlaw bikers Dartmoor MC series, I wasn’t sure how she’d translate to fantasy, but shame on me for doubting. Gilley doesn’t half-ass things, so Sons of Rome with its Russian history, Roman legends, incredible character building, diverse, engaging casts, and meaty plotlines comes together in four big books (with a 5th on the way). Be warned; you don’t emerge from a Gilley book the same person you went in.

By Lauren Gilley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked White Wolf as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NYPD homicide detective Trina Baskin is having nightmares. Vivid ones. Full of blood, and snow, dead wolves…and a young man with pale hair who howls like an animal. She chalks them up to stress and an overactive imagination, too many Old Country stories from her Russian father who, when he’s had too much vodka, starts to rave about dark forces and things that look like men…but aren’t. But then a case hits her desk that can’t be explained. A young man found outside a club with a nasty bite mark on his neck – and not a drop of blood…


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The Last Ranger: Ranger of the Titan Wilds

By J.D.L. Rosell,

Book cover of The Last Ranger: Ranger of the Titan Wilds

J.D.L. Rosell Author Of The Last Ranger: Ranger of the Titan Wilds

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Hiker Reader Gamer Cat dad

J.D.L.'s 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Betrayed. Hunted. Left for dead. 

But not even death itself can keep the last ranger from vengeance...

Embark on a new epic fantasy tale full of magic, revenge, and rampaging titans in the latest series written by bestselling author J.D.L. Rosell.

The Last Ranger: Ranger of the Titan Wilds

By J.D.L. Rosell,

What is this book about?

Betrayed. Hunted. Left for dead. But not even death itself can keep the last ranger from vengeance.

Leiyn "Firebrand" is no stranger to a fight. A brash ranger of the Titan Wilds, she takes up her bow to ward against the colossal spirit creatures known as titans, ever a threat to the colonies she has sworn to protect.

But no amount of skill can guard against treachery.

When tragedy strikes the rangers' lodge, Leiyn vows to avenge the fallen. But if she is to succeed, she must embrace a power within her she has long denied.

Power to move mountains…


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