The best paranormal romance/mystery books pertaining to magic and animal rescue

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been captivated with legends of witches, vampires, faeries, fae, and most magical beings since childhood. Studied and wrote about them with a mysterious twist most of my life. I spent eighteen years as a paralegal in a criminal law firm. Also animal and wildlife rescue is my passion. Working with sanctuaries gives you an up close and personal understanding of why these institutions are necessary. The first book in my second series, A Witch’s Journey, documents a witch who is passionate about animal rescue, and her efforts to build a sanctuary on her family’s enchanted land with the help of her family, friends, and a former Navy SEAL.


I wrote...

A Witch's Journey

By Tena Stetler,

Book cover of A Witch's Journey

What is my book about?

Pepper McKay comes from a long line of powerful witches. Unfortunately, magic brings her nothing but trouble. She learned the love of wildlife rescue and rehab from her Aunt Ashling. After graduating from college, Pepper works for Salem Wildlife Sanctuary and lives from paycheck to paycheck until she inherits the McKay property in Lobster Cove. With family land and resources, she dares to dream of starting her own wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center.

Lathen Quartz, a former Navy SEAL turned handyman maintains the enchanted McKay property & estate. But someone is trying to steal the McKay magic. Lathen offers to help Pepper achieve her lifelong dream of building a wildlife center. During the long hours spent together, their mutual attraction can’t be denied. But each harbors a deep, dark secret. 

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

The books I picked & why

Book cover of A Discovery of Witches

Tena Stetler Why did I love this book?

A Discovery of Witches is a series of four known as the All Souls Trilogy.

Deborah tells the stories well with engaging characters and settings. They are a combination of vampires and witches and take you through when Matthew and Dianna first meet all the way through their marriage and children.

There is time travel included in Shadow of Night. The Elizabethan time period in England is done so well right down to the gas lights and merchants.  

By Deborah Harkness,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked A Discovery of Witches as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.


Book cover of How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf

Tena Stetler Why did I love this book?

I love paranormal stories about, vampires, werewolves, faeries, you name it, if it’s done well I’ll read it.

Molly Harper tells them well and interjects them with snarky humor. You will laugh out loud at times. Her characters are wonderful and her descriptions of places, characters, and situations will make you feel like you are there. 

By Molly Harper,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Northern Exposure

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several…


Book cover of The Sacred Bridge

Tena Stetler Why did I love this book?

I love Native American legends and lore, especially when they are done well.

This book hits all the right notes, plus the characters are well written, plus Jim Chee, a Sargent of the Navajo police in the book takes on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery. Love mysteries.

The vivid descriptions of the locations in the southwest make you feel like you are there.

Life on the Navajo Nation is depicted well, as Anne Hillerman’s father, Tony Hillerman wrote before her.  

By Anne Hillerman,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Don’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+!  

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“A fine legacy series . . .  in the spirit of her late father, Tony.”—Booklist 

An ancient mystery resurfaces with ramifications for the present day in this gripping chapter in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series from New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman.

Sergeant Jim Chee’s vacation to beautiful Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell has a deeper purpose. He’s on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery his mentor, the Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, stumbled…


Book cover of The Awakening

Tena Stetler Why did I love this book?

I love books of Irish lore, magic, and battles of good vs evil. This series hits all the marks for me.

The Awaking - Breen Kelly’s discovers that she is a magic being, and the stories that her long-lost father wove for her when she was a child are true. The magic realm of Talamh does exist. She stumbles into the magic realm from a portal in Ireland.

The tale continues in The Becoming. Breen learns of and hones her skills as a witch, with her childhood friend who winds up in Ireland with her. There is a fantastic cast of characters that will melt your heart as well as evil that must be fought.

The tale comes full circle in The Choice - with Breen’s hero, Keegan, and the newfound family by her side in Talamh, she fights the evil and darkness with every weapon she has, her magic, sword, and most of all courage.    

The characters and descriptions are so well written, you’ll feel like you are right in the midst of all the adventure. 

By Nora Roberts,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

From Sunday Times bestseller Nora Roberts - a tale of adventure, magic and finding your home

Mists, shimmering silver fingers, rose over the pale green water of the lake. They twined and twisted toward a sky quietly grey, while in the east, over the hills, a pink blush waited, like a held breath, to waken.

Breen Kelly had always been a rule follower. So, when her father left when she was twelve years old, promising to return, she waited. Now, more than a decade later, she's working at a job she hates and is tired of the life that playing…


Book cover of Ready Player One

Tena Stetler Why did I love this book?

Sometimes I like something a little different. Ready Player One is an oldie but a goodie 2011 science fiction novel.

The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, the Oasis. It’s fast-paced and exciting. I loved the way the author made his characters and the world he created come alive.

You’ll be rooting for Wade and his friends at every turn. Will he discover the location of the egg which leads him to inherit the game creator's fortune? You’ll need to pick up a copy and find out.

By Ernest Cline,

Why should I read it?

15 authors picked Ready Player One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG

It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that…


You might also like...

American Flygirl

By Susan Tate Ankeny,

Book cover of American Flygirl

Susan Tate Ankeny Author Of The Girl and the Bombardier: A True Story of Resistance and Rescue in Nazi-Occupied France

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Susan Tate Ankeny left a career in teaching to write the story of her father’s escape from Nazi-occupied France. In 2011, after being led on his path through France by the same Resistance fighters who guided him in 1944, she felt inspired to tell the story of these brave French patriots, especially the 17-year-old- girl who risked her own life to save her father’s. Susan is a member of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, the Air Force Escape and Evasion Society, and the Association des Sauveteurs d’Aviateurs Alliés. 

Susan's book list on women during WW2

What is my book about?

The first and only full-length biography of Hazel Ying Lee, an unrecognized pioneer and unsung World War II hero who fought for a country that actively discriminated against her gender, race, and ambition.

This unique hidden figure defied countless stereotypes to become the first Asian American woman in United States history to earn a pilot's license, and the first female Asian American pilot to fly for the military.

Her achievements, passionate drive, and resistance in the face of oppression as a daughter of Chinese immigrants and a female aviator changed the course of history. Now the remarkable story of a fearless underdog finally surfaces to inspire anyone to reach toward the sky.

American Flygirl

By Susan Tate Ankeny,

What is this book about?

One of WWII’s most uniquely hidden figures, Hazel Ying Lee was the first Asian American woman to earn a pilot’s license, join the WASPs, and fly for the United States military amid widespread anti-Asian sentiment and policies.

Her singular story of patriotism, barrier breaking, and fearless sacrifice is told for the first time in full for readers of The Women with Silver Wings by Katherine Sharp Landdeck, A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell, The Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia, Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown and all Asian American, women’s and WWII history books.…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in good and evil, the Navajo, and romantic love?

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

Good And Evil Explore 131 books about good and evil
The Navajo Explore 24 books about the Navajo
Romantic Love Explore 828 books about romantic love