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Below you will find my top 10 list of favorite Adult Urban Fantasy series! These are the series that when a new book comes out I do a little happy dance before rushing home to read well into (and usually beyond) the witching hour. Do you have a top 10 list to share? If you do comment with a link or feel free to list them all in the comments section! I am always looking for suggestions for new books/series to read.
Happy reading!
1: The Hallows Series by Kim Harrison
Synopsis of book 1 (Dead Witch Walking):
Rachel Morgan is a runner with the Inderland Runner Services, apprehending law-breakers throughout Cincinnati. She's also a witch, one of the many Inderlanders who revealed themselves after a genetically engineered virus wiped out 50 percent of humanity. Witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves-the creatures of dreams and nightmares have lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But now they've stopped hiding, and nothing will be the same.On the run with a contract on her head, Rachel reluctantly teams up with Ivy, Inderland's best runner…and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crimelord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death…not to mention her own roommate!Fun, sassy, filled with action, humor, and romance, Dead Witch Walking is the perfect summer listen for anyone who likes vampires, paranormal fantasy, romance, or just a great beach book.
Book 1 synopsis (Darkfever):
MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car
that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your
perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something
extraordinary happens.
When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….
As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….
When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….
As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….
Book 1 synopsis (A Discovery of Witches):
In a sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches became the "it" book of
early 2011, bringing Deborah Harkness into the spotlight and galvanizing fans
around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young
scholar and the descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted
alchemical manuscript deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance
summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man,
vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Harkness has created a universe to rival
those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a
scholar's depth to this riveting story of magic and suspense. And the story
continues in Book Two, Shadow of Night.
Book 1 synopsis (Guilty Pleasures):
Introducing Anita Blake, vampire hunter extraordinaire. Most people don't even bat an eye at vampires since they've been given equal rights by the Supreme Court. But Anita knows better--she's seen their victims. . . . A serial killer is murdering vampires, however, and now the most powerful vampire in town wants Anita to find the killer.
Click here for a series synopsis from the authors web page.
5: Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong
Book 1 synopsis (Bitten):
An erotically charged, addictive thriller from the future queen of
suspense.
Living in Toronto for a year, Elena is leading the normal life she has always dreamed of, including a stable job as a journalist and a nice apartment shared with her boyfriend. As the lone female werewolf in existence, only her secret midnight prowls and her occasional inhuman cravings set her apart. Just one year ago, life was very different. Adopted by the Pack when bitten, Elena had spent years struggling with her resentment at having her life stolen away. Torn between two worlds, and overwhelmed by the new passions coursing through her body, her only option for control was to deny her awakening needs and escape.
But now the Pack has called Elena home to help them fight an alliance of renegade werewolves who are bent on exposing and annihilating the Pack. And although Elena is obliged to rejoin her "family," she vows not to be swept up in Pack life again, no matter how natural it might feel. She has made her choice. Trouble is, she's increasingly uncertain if it's the right one.
An erotically charged thriller, Bitten will awaken the voracious appetite of every reader, as the age-old battle between man and beast, between human and inhuman forces, comes to a head in one small town and within one woman's body.
Living in Toronto for a year, Elena is leading the normal life she has always dreamed of, including a stable job as a journalist and a nice apartment shared with her boyfriend. As the lone female werewolf in existence, only her secret midnight prowls and her occasional inhuman cravings set her apart. Just one year ago, life was very different. Adopted by the Pack when bitten, Elena had spent years struggling with her resentment at having her life stolen away. Torn between two worlds, and overwhelmed by the new passions coursing through her body, her only option for control was to deny her awakening needs and escape.
But now the Pack has called Elena home to help them fight an alliance of renegade werewolves who are bent on exposing and annihilating the Pack. And although Elena is obliged to rejoin her "family," she vows not to be swept up in Pack life again, no matter how natural it might feel. She has made her choice. Trouble is, she's increasingly uncertain if it's the right one.
An erotically charged thriller, Bitten will awaken the voracious appetite of every reader, as the age-old battle between man and beast, between human and inhuman forces, comes to a head in one small town and within one woman's body.
6. Meredith Gentry Series by Laurell K Hamilton
Book 1 synopsis (A Kiss of Shadows):
“My name is Meredith Gentry, but of course it’s not my real name. I dare
not even whisper my true name after dark for fear that one hushed word will
travel over the night winds to the soft ear of my aunt, the Queen of the Air and
Darkness. She wants me dead. I don’t even know why.”Meredith
Gentry, Princess of the high court of Faerie, is posing as a human in Los
Angeles, living as a P.I. specializing in supernatural crime. But now the
Queen’s assassin has been dispatched to fetch her back–whether she likes it or
not. Suddenly Meredith finds herself a pawn in her dreaded aunt’s plans. The job
that awaits her: enjoy the constant company of the most beautiful immortal men
in the world. The reward: the crown–and the opportunity to continue to live. The
penalty for failure: death.
7. Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris
Book 1 synopsis (Dead Until Dark):
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town
Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her
coworkers checks out....
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
8. Werecats Series by Rachel Vincent
Book 1 synopsis (Stray):
I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a
shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.
Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to
continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a
Stray attacked.
I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride—constantly on the
lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off,
but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.
This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own
protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and
whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—'cause I got
claws, and I'm not afraid to use them….
9. Riley Jenson Guardian Series by Keri Arthur
Book 1 synopsis (Full Moon Rising):
In this exciting debut, author Keri Arthur explodes onto the supernatural scene
with a sexy, sensuous tale of intrigue and suspense set in a world where legends
walk and the shady paths of the underworld are far more sinister than anyone
envisioned.
A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.…
Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before.
In matters carnal, Riley has met her match. But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest. For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior–by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind–and just how much it needs her.
A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, an organization created to police the supernatural races–and protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted guardian, a.k.a. assassin, Riley is merely an office worker–until her brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn’t be worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat, the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes all-consuming.…
Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she’s going to find her brother….Easier said than done as the city pulses with frenzied desire, and Riley is confronted with a very powerful–and delectably naked–vamp who raises her temperature like never before.
In matters carnal, Riley has met her match. But in matters criminal, she must follow her instincts not only to find her brother but to stop an unholy harvest. For someone is doing some shifty cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior–by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind–and just how much it needs her.
10. Vampire Huntress Legend by L.A. Banks
Book 1 synopsis (Minion):
All Damali Richards ever wanted to do was create music and bring it to the
people. Now she is a Spoken Word artist and the top act for Warriors of Light
Records. But come nightfall, she hunts vampires and demons-predators that people
tend to dismiss as myth or fantasy. Damali and her Guardian team cannot afford
such delusions, especially now, when a group of rogue vampires has been killing
the artists of Warriors of Light and their rival, Blood Music.
When strange attacks erupt within the club drug-trafficking network and draw the attention of the police, Damali realizes these killings are a bit out of the ordinary, even for vampires. Instead of neat puncture marks in the neck showing where the blood has been drained from the body, these corpses are mutilated beyond recognition, indicating a blood lust and thirst for destruction that surpasses any Damali has encountered before. Soon she discovers that behind these brutal murders is the most powerful vampire Damali has ever met-a seductive beast who is coming for her next...
When strange attacks erupt within the club drug-trafficking network and draw the attention of the police, Damali realizes these killings are a bit out of the ordinary, even for vampires. Instead of neat puncture marks in the neck showing where the blood has been drained from the body, these corpses are mutilated beyond recognition, indicating a blood lust and thirst for destruction that surpasses any Damali has encountered before. Soon she discovers that behind these brutal murders is the most powerful vampire Damali has ever met-a seductive beast who is coming for her next...
