The best urban fantasy books with a strong female lead

Why am I passionate about this?

I love stories set in contemporary urban environments where magic just happens to be real. This can take many forms, but my preference is a novel with realistic real-world scenarios that have to accommodate a magical world, without making things too easy for those with power. When I write Urban Fantasy (or SciFi) I try to inject logic and consistency into the worlds I create. My day job, working in the software industry and the logic skills needed to master problem solving, add these qualities to my writing.  


I wrote...

Dark Hope

By H.D. Smith,

Book cover of Dark Hope

What is my book about?

After five years of working for the Devil, Claire Cooper believes she lives an otherwise normal life. Until she finds herself in jeopardy for a murder she did not commit. Desperate to save her life and soul, she enters Purgatory, but runs afoul of the Pagan Queen Mab. Mab has her own agenda and uses Claire to get even with the Devil. Claire learns each ruler is in a race to discover “the girl” in the prophecy to fix time. As Claire peels away clues to the real killer, she realizes she must outwit the Devil’s children or end up a prisoner in Purgatory forever.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of Burn for Me

H.D. Smith Why did I love this book?

Ilona Andrews (a husband and wife team) is one of my instant buy authors. I love all their series but Hidden Legacy is my favorite. The intricate plots, compelling characters, and real-world feel make their books memorable. BURN FOR ME, set in an alternate Houston, Texas, introduces the reader to Navada Baylor and the Baylor Family Detective Agency. Navada is given a case she can’t refuse, which puts her in the crosshairs of two powerful Primes. Primes are the highest-ranked magic users and act as if they are above the law.

Nevada is a strong female character willing to do anything to protect the ones she loves.

By Ilona Andrews,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Burn for Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand-new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire ...Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career-a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile situation. Nevada isn't sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire. Then she's kidnapped by Connor "Mad" Rogan-a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn…


Book cover of Dead Witch Walking

H.D. Smith Why did I love this book?

Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series is set in a world where demons, vampires, pixies, witches, and other magical creatures are real. She incorporates these characters into a world that has been devastated by a virus that brought the human population equal with the supernatural. In Dead Witch Walking we are introduced to Rachel Morgan, a witch that decides to leave her job with the supernatural police force and go out on her own as an independent bounty hunter. Now she’s dodging attempts on her life as she tries to pay the rent.

By Kim Harrison,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Dead Witch Walking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From New York Times bestselling author, Kim Harrison, comes the first book in an exciting urban fantasy series; packed with the perfect balance of wry humour and thrilling action, which will delight fans of thrillers and fantasy alike.

Rachel Morgan is a white witch and runner working for Inderland Security, in an alternate world where a bioengineered virus wiped out a great deal of the world's human population - exposing the existence of the supernatural communities that had long lived alongside humanity.

For the last five years Rachel has been tracking down law-breaking Inderlanders in modern-day Cincinnati, but now she…


Book cover of Skinwalker

H.D. Smith Why did I love this book?

Faith Hunter’s vampire world is rich and dangerous with many creatures, all trying to rule their factions. Jane Yellowrock is a skinwalker who hunts vampires for a living. Now one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans needs her to stop a rogue vamp killer.

Jane’s own supernatural ability helps her survive the witches, werewolves, and vamps, but doesn’t help her solve the mysteries of her own origins as the last skinwalker on earth.

By Faith Hunter,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Skinwalker as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Meet shapeshifting skinwalker Jane Yellowrock in the first novel in the New York Times bestselling series that captures “the essence of urban fantasy” (SF Site).

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind—a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she’s been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katies’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps.

Amidst a bordello full of real “ladies of the night,” and a hot Cajun biker with a…


Book cover of Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs

H.D. Smith Why did I love this book?

Molly Harper has a way with words. They are often funny in the most unique ways. Her Half-Moon Hollow series is set in a world where the vampires have come out of the coffin. Jane Jameson, the local (recently fired) librarian, has been turned into a vampire and if her mama finds out, Jane will never hear the end of it.

By Molly Harper,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first in the Half-Moon Hollow series is “wry, delicious fun” (Susan Andersen, New York Times bestselling author) as it follows a librarian whose life is turned upside down by a tempestuous and sexy vampire.

Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children’s librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that’s sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she’s mistaken for a deer, shot, and left…


Book cover of Spider's Bite

H.D. Smith Why did I love this book?

Jennifer Estep’s writing talents shine in her Elemental Assassin series. She has filled her world with supernatural creatures and humans with magic who can harness different elemental powers. Gin is an assassin, known as the Spider. She has ice and stone magic. She also runs the best barbecue restaurant in town and Estep’s masterful food descriptions will have your mouth watering for more.

By Jennifer Estep,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Spider's Bite as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Follow Gin Blanco, a kick-butt female assassin who moonlights at a BBQ joint in Tennessee, as she searches for the person who double-crossed her in this heart-pounding and fresh paranormal romance series.

After Gin's family was murdered by a Fire elemental when she was thirteen, she lived on the streets and eventually became an assassin to survive. Now, Gin is assigned to rub out an Ashland businessman, but it turns out to be a trap. After Gin's handler is brutally murdered, she teams up with the sexy detective investigating the case to figure out who double-crossed her and why. Only…


You might also like...

Ferry to Cooperation Island

By Carol Newman Cronin,

Book cover of Ferry to Cooperation Island

Carol Newman Cronin Author Of Ferry to Cooperation Island

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Sailor Olympian Editor New Englander Rum drinker

Carol's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

James Malloy is a ferry captain--or used to be, until he was unceremoniously fired and replaced by a "girl" named Courtney Farris. Now, instead of piloting Brenton Island’s daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.

When he discovers a plan for a private golf course on wilderness sacred to his dying best friend, James is determined to stop such "improvements." But despite Brenton's nickname as "Cooperation Island," he's used to working solo. To keep historic trees and ocean shoreline open to all, he'll have to learn to cooperate with other islanders--including Captain Courtney, who might just morph from irritant to irresistible once James learns a secret that's been kept from him for years.

Ferry to Cooperation Island

By Carol Newman Cronin,

What is this book about?

Loner James Malloy is a ferry captain-or used to be, until he was unceremoniously fired and replaced by a girl named Courtney Farris. Now, instead of piloting Brenton Island's daily lifeline to the glitzy docks of Newport, Rhode Island, James spends his days beached, bitter, and bored.

When he discovers a private golf course staked out across wilderness sacred to his dying best friend, a Narragansett Indian, James is determined to stop such "improvements." But despite Brenton's nickname as "Cooperation Island," he's used to working solo. To keep rocky bluffs, historic trees, and ocean shoreline open to all, he'll have…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in vampires, romantic love, and Nevada?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about vampires, romantic love, and Nevada.

Vampires Explore 271 books about vampires
Romantic Love Explore 840 books about romantic love
Nevada Explore 35 books about Nevada