10 books like Burn for Me

I have not read this book in ages, but I would read it over again in a second. The MC Rachel is a kick-ass paranormal bounty hunter reining in the law-breaking supernature creatures for a government agency. I love the humor and her interactions with the secondary characters, and they only get better as the series goes on. The relationship between demon Al and Rachel is an especially fun one, though book one is just Al’s introduction.

*Note:  Last I heard, the kindle edition has formatting & editing issues not present in the hard copy I read.

While this urban fantasy series isn’t Japanese per se, it’s full of realistic martial arts action. I love this series because of the unique mixture of concepts, and the well-imagined and likeable characters, even the bad guys. Jane Yellowrock is a shotgun-toting, motorbike riding, kick ass woman. She’s also a Cherokee Skinwalker (shapeshifter) and a security professional who works for vampire organizations to hunt down and kill their rogues; those who can't control themselves from biting humans. The books are set in modern New Orleans, which is quite an interesting location for me. I just don’t think you can get a better or weirder combination of ideas: Cherokee mythology and vampires. It may sound like a weird concept, but there are 13 books in the series. It works. 

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.

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.

I’m just wild about Harry—Dresden, that is, Chicago’s only wizard for hire. Storm Front is the first of 20 books in the Dresden Files, a great mix of urban fantasy, noir, and pop culture references. When Harry investigates a double murder committed by black magic, he has many suspects to choose from: spirits, ghouls, vampires, and he’s always contending with the overbearing White Council of Wizards with its draconian laws and rules. Butcher’s ability to get Harry out of impossible dangers is impressive. No deus ex machina here. Harry survives by his wits and his snarky remarks. Oh, and he’s not bad looking, either. Always a plus! The battle scenes can be graphic and gory, but it’s worth it for the snark.

New York City, roughly twenty-minutes into the future, is a dangerous place filled with angels, vampires, and kick-ass humans who hunt the fanged. But these angels aren’t like any you learned about in Sunday school.  They rule the world with an iron fist, until the best hunter in the city lays claim to the Archangel of New York’s dark heart. Raphael doesn’t know what hit him when Elena refuses to bend to his will. Angel’s Blood is filled with danger, action, and romance. Beginning to see a theme? I love a great escape, imagining what our world might be like with some supernatural spins.

A vampire world once again. Cat Crawfield is a human/vampire hybrid who meets her match in a British vampire, “Bones,” who hunts his own kind. Simply said, I love Bones. He’s a man of contradictions in one body—snarky with no shame, cold-hearted as needed, but would die for the ones he loves. I’d take him home in an instant if I could gain his loyalty. The amazing mix of action, romance, and the paranormal keep me re-reading this series of books whenever I feel the need to go to a sure-fire happy place.

This is the kind of series you have to read twice to catch all of the depth. Love as thou wilt—such a simple concept. But in reality, it’s full of spies, intrigue, angelic magic, and danger, the depths of which go so deep, you’ll get lost in the pages. But Phedre knows in her soul, that there is a love that can see her through it all. The question is, can Josselin, a warrior priest no less, follow her to the darkest depths, and make it out on the other side with his heart intact? Make sure you bring a flashlight because this series isn’t afraid to go dark.

The Angel By the Tower features Gabriel, a guardian angel who’s kicked out of heaven with no wings and only fuzzy memories of something dangerous coming for his former charge, Abby Campbell. And where would an angel book be without a demon? But in this case, is Gabriel’s ex-lover Evie there to help him, or hinder him?  Angels for me again. They have inspired my own series, which has a small guest appearance by a different Archangel in each book. Once again, the snarky banter between vivid characters I’d love to hang around with in real life is a true inspiration. The edge-of-your-seat action makes for a page-turner.

It seems logical that the few people with magic could openly rule in contemporary human society, which means it’s even more interesting with the opposite is true. I can easily imagine Mags and Cosmo in an entirely different setting and never crossing paths. In this world, however, the non-magical majority have oppressed the smaller populations of magi and shifters, pitting them against each other and giving them few options in life despite their significant personal power. Notaro provides plenty of engrossing story in this book while also giving readers just enough information about how this world came to be to leave me wanting more of the future and past.