There are so many great books and series to read out there. I’ve read a lot, but I knew I was missing some of the best, so I polled online fan groups for their top recommendations. I was really looking just for books I hadn’t read, but I think this list is worth sharing!
This is just the top 5 series – To check out the full top 10 list, audiobook recommendations, favorite short series, and best UF books with male leads, you can sign up for my newsletter here.
I also share the first sneak peeks at new books, cover reveals, contests, and deleted scenes!
Happy Reading!
B.P. Donigan
Kate Daniels Series, by Ilona Andrews
This series is my hands-down favorite. Post-apocalyptic world, kick-ass heroine with a sword, and a sexy, shape shifter love interest… all delivered with amazing plot and fascinating magic from husband and wife writing team Ilona and Gordon Andrews.
This one gets all the stars and is a must-read for UF fans. And bonus alert – they have spin offs, other other series, novellas as well as tons of content on their website for free. Once you get hooked into their worlds, you’ll have a great time discovering all the great extras!
When magic is up, electricity dies, cars stall, and skyscrapers tumble; when it’s down, phones and guns work, and defensive spells can’t protect your house from the creatures who stalk the streets. Equally dangerous are the competing factions of The Pack – a highly organized and military clan who governs Atlanta’s shifter clans versus the Masters of the Dead, power-hungry necromancers whose minds control hordes of blood-crazed vampires.
Mercy Thompson, by Patricia Briggs
This series is another favorite, with a kick-ass heroine who starts off underestimating herself, but her heart and character growth takes readers on a journey filled with interesting magic, characters and an entire world of magic that feels fresh and well-developed. I was particularly tickled when Publisher’s Weekly compared Fate Forged to Patricia Briggs – what a compliment!
When a half-starved teenage boy arrives at Mercy Thompson’s mechanic shop looking for work, she quickly realizes he’s a newly changed werewolf, struggling to control his animal instincts. Mercy asks her neighbor Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, for assistance. But Mercy’s act of kindness has unexpected consequences that leave her no choice but to seek help from those she once considered family—the werewolves who abandoned her...
Disrupted Magic Series, by Melissa F. Olsen
I found this series as an audiobook, and it makes my short list of recommended narrators as well (narrated by Amy McFadden). Scarlett is an interesting character who has a unique ability to negate magic. In a secret world of vampires, werewolves and witches, she’s caught in the middle of supernatural politics and forced to grow into her true potential while cleaning up the messes around her.
Scarlett Bernard is used to cleaning up messes. As a human who cancels out any magic around her, Scarlett’s job is to keep the supernatural world hidden—at any cost.
Iron Druid Chronicles, by Kevin Hearne
This series offers a fresh voice in the Urban Fantasy world with a touch of old world magic, featuring one of our rare male leads.
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.
The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher
No UF must-read list would be complete without a mention of Harry Dresden, wizard for hire. Harry is a slightly-nerdy wizard with a sense of humor and a knack for getting in trouble, and Jim Butchers’ Dresden Files is required reading for Urban Fantasy fans.
As a professional wizard, Harry Dresden knows firsthand that the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most of them don’t play well with humans. And those that do enjoy playing with humans far too much. He also knows he’s the best at what he does. Technically, he’s the only at what he does. But even though Harry is the only game in town, business—to put it mildly, stinks.
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