75 books like Blood Heir

By Ilona Andrews,

Here are 75 books that Blood Heir fans have personally recommended if you like Blood Heir. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Night Broken

Amara Mae Author Of Pack of Secrets

From my list on urban fantasy with kick-ass world building.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a bit of an anomaly in the author world because I didn’t find my passion for reading until I was a newly married adult. My husband, who is the coolest geek ever, introduced me to the DragonLance Chronicles, opening my eyes to the wonder that is the fantasy genre and turning me into an insatiable reader. It’s taken more than ten years to craft my own urban fantasy world, outline my first 6-book series in the world, and write the first book, but none of that would have been possible without the urban fantasy trailblazers listed above. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have! 

Amara's book list on urban fantasy with kick-ass world building

Amara Mae Why did Amara love this book?

Once upon a time, the gorgeous covers of the Mercy Thompson series caught my eye and tempted me to taste urban fantasy. The stories turned me into an insatiable glutton. Night Broken is the eighth book in the series, and the way it handles a relationship under stress from a manipulative ex who plays the victim is chef’s kiss perfection. No silly miscommunication tropes here, thank you very much. It’s a solid story about two shifters who are confident enough in their relationship and themselves to deal not only with ex and pack drama, but also a terrifying magical foe. Talk about relationship goals. 

By Patricia Briggs,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The eighth novel in the international No. 1 bestselling Mercy Thompson series - the major urban fantasy hit of the decade

'I love these books!' Charlaine Harris

'The best new fantasy series I've read in years' Kelley Armstrong

MERCY THOMPSON: MECHANIC, SHAPESHIFTER, FIGHTER

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam's ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam won't turn away a person in need, but with Christy holed up in Adam's house, Mercy can't shake the feeling that something isn't right.

Soon, Mercy learns that Christy has the farthest…


Book cover of Turn Coat

Amara Mae Author Of Pack of Secrets

From my list on urban fantasy with kick-ass world building.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a bit of an anomaly in the author world because I didn’t find my passion for reading until I was a newly married adult. My husband, who is the coolest geek ever, introduced me to the DragonLance Chronicles, opening my eyes to the wonder that is the fantasy genre and turning me into an insatiable reader. It’s taken more than ten years to craft my own urban fantasy world, outline my first 6-book series in the world, and write the first book, but none of that would have been possible without the urban fantasy trailblazers listed above. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have! 

Amara's book list on urban fantasy with kick-ass world building

Amara Mae Why did Amara love this book?

No best of urban fantasy list would be complete without a shout-out to the Dresden Files. Although Harry Dresden can be a tad chauvinistic, he’s got a fantastic sense of humor and a solid moral code that leans toward self-sacrificing. Turn Coat is my favorite book in the series because it really showcases Harry’s “chaotic good” personality, which I’m all about. When the “lawful good” watchdog of the white council who’s always riding Harry’s back is framed for murder, of course, Harry puts himself on the line for the jerk. It’s a snarky, action-packed roller coaster ride, which is what I’m always looking for in a book escape. 

By Jim Butcher,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Jim Butcher’s breakthrough #1 New York Times bestseller starring Chicago’s only professional wizard, Harry Dresden.

When it comes to the magical ruling body known as the White Council, Harry is thought of as either a black sheep or a sacrificial lamb. And none hold him in more disdain than Morgan, a veteran Warden with a grudge against anyone who bends the rules. But now, Morgan is in trouble. He’s been accused of cold-blooded murder—a crime with only one, final punishment.

He’s on the run, wanting his name cleared, and he needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. So…


Book cover of Magical Midlife Madness

Nathan Lowell Author Of Ravenwood: A Tanyth Fairport Adventure

From my list on magical stories about second chances.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always looked for stories that aren’t stamped out of the same mold. Having broken that mold in my own writing years before with Tanyth Fairport and Ravenwood, I dove into this new blend of second chances, paranormal romances, and characters that might be fighting for their lives against supernatural forces but always kept the human spark burning.

Nathan's book list on magical stories about second chances

Nathan Lowell Why did Nathan love this book?

I fell in love with K F Breene’s wisecracking heroine, Jacinta Evans, in the first few pages. When she gets to Ivy House, the story takes a turn for the weird—even for a slightly off-beat genre like this. 

Speaking of early PNWF works, K. F. Breene’s book is probably the first book I read in this niche. March 2020, and I wanted something different to read after a months-long stint of space opera. This book delivered it with bells on, a creepy butler who always wore a cape, and a vampire gardener. Toss in a few shifters. The odd gargoyle. I got my wish and then some. I love this whole series.

By K.F. Breene,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Happily Ever After" wasn't supposed to come with a do-over option. But when my husband of twenty years packs up and heads for greener pastures and my son leaves for college, that's exactly what my life becomes.


Do-over.


This time, though, I plan to do things differently. Age is just a number, after all, and at forty I'm ready to carve my own path.


Eager for a fresh start, I make a somewhat unorthodox decision and move to a tiny town in the Sierra foothills. I'll be taking care of a centuries old house that called to me when I…


Book cover of Glimmer of the Other

Heather G. Harris Author Of Glimmer of the Other

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Heather's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Delve into this internationally best-selling series, now complete! A fast paced laugh-out-loud mix of Urban Fantasy and Mystery.

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time. I’m Jinx, a PI hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar–yet my gut tells me there’s more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, she’s a bookish soul who’s as likely to go off the rails as Mother Theresa. Secondly, I’m not the only one on her trail; she’s also being tracked by the implacable and oh-so-sexy Inspector Stone. Stone…

By Heather G. Harris,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time.

I’m Jinx. As a private investigator, being a walking, talking lie detector is a useful skill – but let’s face it, it’s not normal. You’d think it would make my job way too easy, but even with my weird skills, I still haven’t been able to track down my parent’s killers.

When I’m hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar – yet my gut tells me there’s more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, she’s a bookish…


Book cover of White Trash Warlock

Amara Mae Author Of Pack of Secrets

From my list on urban fantasy with kick-ass world building.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a bit of an anomaly in the author world because I didn’t find my passion for reading until I was a newly married adult. My husband, who is the coolest geek ever, introduced me to the DragonLance Chronicles, opening my eyes to the wonder that is the fantasy genre and turning me into an insatiable reader. It’s taken more than ten years to craft my own urban fantasy world, outline my first 6-book series in the world, and write the first book, but none of that would have been possible without the urban fantasy trailblazers listed above. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have! 

Amara's book list on urban fantasy with kick-ass world building

Amara Mae Why did Amara love this book?

Although White Trash Warlock has fantastic world building and a fresh, unique take on supernatural people and creatures, it was the feels in this book that did it for me. I love a wounded protagonist, and the way Adam fights to live life on his own terms while still helping the family that doesn’t support his sexuality or his magic tugs on all my heartstrings. 

By David R. Slayton,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Finalist for the Colorado Book Award

Reading the West Book Award Nominee for Debut Fiction

“The complex world-building, well-shaded depictions of poverty, emotional nuance, and thrilling action sequences make this stand out. Slayton is sure to win plenty of fans.”--Publishers Weekly (starred review) on White Trash Warlock

Not all magicians go to schools of magic.

Adam Binder has the Sight. It’s a power that runs in his bloodline: the ability to see beyond this world and into another, a realm of magic populated by elves, gnomes, and spirits of every kind. But for much of Adam’s life, that power has…


Book cover of Shadows of Swanford Abbey

Leah Lindeman Author Of Wisps of Gold

From my list on history mysteries that keep you jittery in the night.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I began reading, two things have fascinated me the most, that is, history and mystery. My voracious appetite for mystery began with Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. History has always been my best subject in school. To me, history isn’t about people, achievements, and dates. It’s about lives lived through the tragedies and triumphs that we all face and can relate to. It is the origin of stories. History doesn’t have to be boring. It can be the greatest and most intriguing story that you have ever read. Mystery is history’s great friend—to convert a huge range of readers into history lovers.

Leah's book list on history mysteries that keep you jittery in the night

Leah Lindeman Why did Leah love this book?

Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie in Julie Klassen’s Shadows of Swanford Abbey. Rebecca is bidden by her recluse brother to get his manuscript published by an author residing at the abbey. A mysterious death occurs for which Rebecca is a suspect. Even worse, the man she used to care for is the presiding magistrate. Klassen is always faithful in detailing Regency elements in every single area of her work from the clothing, jury procedures, customs, architecture, etc. The mystery was seamlessly woven into the history.

By Julie Klassen,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this atmospheric Regency tale brimming with mystery, intrigue, and romance.

When Miss Rebecca Lane returns to her home village after a few years away, her brother begs for a favor: go to nearby Swanford Abbey and deliver his manuscript to an author staying there who could help him get published. Feeling responsible for her brother's desperate state, she reluctantly agrees.

The medieval monastery turned grand hotel is rumored to be haunted. Once there, Rebecca begins noticing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey's cloisters. For all…


Book cover of Flight

Savannah Kade Author Of Crash & Burn

From my list on steamy romantic suspense for savvy readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a contemporary romance writer who does some series in paranormal romance and some in romantic suspense. I know lots of romance is about the fantasy and I write to that, but I want each of my romances to have you walking away believing in real-life love, too. I want heroes and heroines who could walk right off the page! I want to acknowledge smart women finding men who love a snappy comeback and a sharp brain. My favorite stories come together when our heroine is the only one who could solve this crime or mystery. I was first invited to write RS in the Dark Falls series and I shockingly won a Maggie for my first book. I loved the genre so much that I went on to build a whole series of my own!

Savannah's book list on steamy romantic suspense for savvy readers

Savannah Kade Why did Savannah love this book?

This is the second book in the Texas Murder Files series and Griffin is the author who brought us the Tracers books (another great series. Go read it!) In Flight, Miranda is desperately trying to take a break and recoup from a far too stressful job. We can all relate. But when she stumbles upon a murder, her skills as a forensic photographer mean her break is over. Local Detective Joel is just the hero we need and the tension builds slowly and wonderfully. This is great romantic suspense!

By Laura Griffin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'Laura Griffin is one of those skilled writers who hook me with the first sentence' reader review

'Wow, this is an absolutely brilliant and hot crime read. I loved the characters and how real it all feels' reader review

If you love Karen Rose, Melinda Leigh and Lisa Gardner, you'll be gripped by Laura Griffin!
With her signature breathless pacing and suspenseful twists and turns, 'Laura Griffin never fails to put me on the edge of my seat' (USA TODAY).

'I love smart, sophisticated, fast-moving romantic thrillers and Laura Griffin writes them brilliantly' JAYNE ANN KRENTZ

'A pulse-pounding romantic thriller'…


Book cover of What the Dead Leave Behind

Dianne Freeman Author Of A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder

From my list on female sleuths of the Gilded Age.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m the author of the Countess of Harleigh Mystery series. I’ve been fascinated by the Gilded Age/Victorian Era/Belle Epoque since reading my first Edith Wharton novel, The Buccaneers, which followed the lives of four American heiresses of the late 19th century, who crossed the Atlantic to marry British lords. Love and marriage almost never went together in Wharton’s world, but with all the loveless marriages, the social climbing, and the haves and have-nots, I find it makes an excellent setting for a mystery.

Dianne's book list on female sleuths of the Gilded Age

Dianne Freeman Why did Dianne love this book?

Frances lives in the Victorian Era in London, but in her hometown of New York, it’s the Gilded Age. This is her background in all its glittering and horrifying glory. 

Crime novels fit quite naturally in this era. I love a loathsome villain and Rosemary Simpson serves up some of the worst in her Gilded Age series. She uses actual events, like the great blizzard of 1888, as catalysts for some heinous crimes. If you needed to dispose of a body, what better place than a snowdrift? 

Prudence MacKenzie, the dead man’s fiancé and our sleuth, doesn’t seem to realize the danger she’s in. I spent the entire read on the edge of my seat wondering if she’d make it to the end of the book alive. This is historical noir in elegant Gilded Age style.

By Rosemary Simpson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What the Dead Leave Behind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Set amidst the opulent mansions and cobblestone streets of Old New York, this enthralling historical mystery by Rosemary Simpson brings the Gilded Age to life—in a tantalizing tale of old money, new love, and grave suspicion . . .  

As the Great Blizzard of 1888 cripples New York City, heiress Prudence MacKenzie sits anxiously within her palatial Fifth Avenue home waiting for her fiancé’s safe return. But the fearsome storm rages through the night. With daylight, more than two hundred people are found to have perished in the icy winds and treacherous snowdrifts. Among them is Prudence’s fiancé—his body frozen,…


Book cover of Standoff

Elizabeth Goddard Author Of Shadows at Dusk

From my list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m always inspired by nature. I’m sure that’s because my parents always took us to beautiful places on our summer vacations. I enjoyed snorkeling in Florida, hiking in the Rockies, exploring at Yellowstone National Park, to name a few places. I’ve never forgotten how in awe I was at seeing such beauty, and when I started writing romantic suspense novels, it seemed natural to look for a setting that not only inspired me to write but would lend to the suspense and tension aspect of my novels as well as provide an exciting adventure. Even now, when we travel and explore, it’s always setting that inspires me with new story ideas.

Elizabeth's book list on Christian stories that take readers to stunning locations

Elizabeth Goddard Why did Elizabeth love this book?

This novel is set in a national park and is filled with danger and drug traffickers.

I love the details the author writes of this amazing national park that begins in Natchez, Mississippi, supposedly follows a Native American trail, and then ends in Nashville, Tennessee. What a great setting for a novel, especially when you factor in that drug traffickers are using this trail. In truth, they’re using our national parks because no one lives in the parks. The forest is dark and makes a good cover.

Patricia Bradley pulls the reader in with her park ranger heroine who wants to find the truth about who murdered her father. 

By Patricia Bradley,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It's the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for park ranger Luke Fereday, lately it's being used to move drugs. Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers.

John's daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father's murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear, and Brooke soon finds herself the target of…


Book cover of Deception

B. G. Howard Author Of Thicker Than Blood

From my list on where characters see the end before the end.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a past award-winning weekly newspaper columnist turned business owner, I eventually embraced the love of writing following an auto accident that necessitated more than eight years of rehabilitative therapy. Scripting my first novel proved more of a therapeutic undertaking and it was released in 2020 to moderate success. That experience then compelled me to learn more about the craft of being a novelist. Two years later, the original work was modified and Revised Edition Family Ties: Thicker Than Blood was launched in June of 2022. 

B. G.'s book list on where characters see the end before the end

B. G. Howard Why did B. G. love this book?

There is little in life, be it circumstances or people, which appear to be as they’re presented and Montgomery does a masterful job of exampling this fact in “Deception,” a captivating thriller. Finley Borders, the daughter of a prostitute; murdered by the drugged-out pimp assigned to the role of “father” when their daughter was just a child, embodies an ambition that pushes her from the Faraday Center for Children just as she reaches the age of emancipation. At a young age, she has seen much more of life than is warranted but understands there is so much more to be lived. Frequency at the card table during the late nights and early morning hours when she’d escape, unknown, from the center groomed Fin for a lifestyle amidst the underworld’s elite.

While sitting at a high stakes “by invitation only” poker table in Cannes, Findley receives an urgent phone call that…

By Selena Montgomery,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author and political leader Stacey Abrams, writing under her pen name Selena Montgomery, delivers a gripping story of a woman forced to play the hand life dealt and the FBI agent who calls her bluff.

Playing the odds has always been Fin Borders' forte. As a professional poker player, she knows when to get out to keep from losing everything. But an innocent woman has been accused of murder, and to help, Fin will have to go back to the small southern town of her birth. It's a place she's been running from her entire life,…


Book cover of Vienna Waltz

Grace Burrowes Author Of A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times

From my list on mysteries with gorgeous prose and delightful sleuths.

Why am I passionate about this?

History has always interested me, in part because it helps explain how we got where we are. I have a bachelor of music in music history, which is where I first became aware of how small things—the invention of the quill pen—can ripple into huge consequences. Tack onto that an inclination toward political science and law, plus a family full of bench scientists, and it’s easy to see how stories set in the past that focus on whodunit, how, and why fascinate me. Both reading and writing against that tapestry educates me, entertains me, and gives me a glimpse of our capacity to transcend all difficulties for the sake of truth and justice.

Grace's book list on mysteries with gorgeous prose and delightful sleuths

Grace Burrowes Why did Grace love this book?

Early on, what the then-publisher sought, and what the characters preferred apparently diverged, because a few of the titles have an “alternate universe” relationship with the main mystery world.

That didn’t bother me one bit, when the characters and the historical aspects of Napoleonic Britain are so well drawn. Grant is particularly adept at exploring the odd corners of this time period—the diplomatic convolutions, New World repercussions, and sociological upheaval in Britain itself following Waterloo.

As the series progresses, the main protagonists build a community of sleuths, and the relationships complexify right along with the politics. Absolutely wonderful!

Including novellas (two of them prequels), this series is closing in on 30 titles.

By Teresa Grant,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Nothing is fair in love and war. . .

Europe's elite have gathered at the glittering Congress of Vienna--princes, ambassadors, the Russian tsar--all negotiating the fate of the continent by day and pursuing pleasure by night. Until Princess Tatiana, the most beautiful and talked about woman in Vienna, is found murdered during an ill-timed rendezvous with three of her most powerful conquests. . .

Suzanne Rannoch has tried to ignore rumors that her new husband, Malcolm, has also been tempted by Tatiana. As a protégé of France's Prince Talleyrand and attaché for Britain's Lord Castlereagh, Malcolm sets out to investigate…


Book cover of Night Broken
Book cover of Turn Coat
Book cover of Magical Midlife Madness

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