49 books like Demon from the Dark

By Kresley Cole,

Here are 49 books that Demon from the Dark fans have personally recommended if you like Demon from the Dark. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Lover Awakened

Tracy Tappan Author Of The Bloodline War

From my list on vampire romance that make you want to get bitten.

Why am I passionate about this?

What if there was something you absolutely had to do to survive, but you were bound by world rules that prevented you? What would you do? These are the kinds of impossible dilemmas the characters in my Community Series face. Hidden from discovery in a secret, underground town, the vampires of Ţărână struggle against the threat of extinction while trying to forge a difficult path toward love with an unforgiving humanity. Combining the dark intensity of True Blood with the small-town vibe of Virgin River ended up creating—to my utter delight—an award-winning series that has become “wildly popular” (Readers’ Favorite) with paranormal romance fans.

Tracy's book list on vampire romance that make you want to get bitten

Tracy Tappan Why did Tracy love this book?

Love alpha males?

The men in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward are the original bad boys of vampire romance. With her street-slang style of writing, Ward is one of the best in the business at immersing a reader into deep POV.

Lover Awakened (book 3 in the series) is one of my favorites because of the compelling hero. Zsadist, a former blood slave, bears so many internal wounds that watching the psychological growth he must conquer to find love with Bella is truly enthralling. 

By J. R. Ward,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Lover Awakened as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion…


Book cover of First Grave on the Right

Yvonne Kjorlien Author Of Memoirs of a Reluctant Archaeologist

From my list on kick-ass women come from screwed up families.

Why am I passionate about this?

On the surface, my childhood was characterized by 1980s unsupervised country freedom in rural Alberta. Deeper in, my history involved emotional abuse and neglect. I wanted nothing more than to be seen and loved for my true self. The library was a refuge, but the fiction section allowed me to find the community I so greatly desired. I was seen and loved by the characters I read. They showed me it was possible to be myself–loudly and audaciously–and still be accepted. I read and now write books that delve into themes of identity, autonomy, and acceptance because I still struggle with these themes today. 

Yvonne's book list on kick-ass women come from screwed up families

Yvonne Kjorlien Why did Yvonne love this book?

This book isn’t about graves. It’s about dead people. And I’m all about dead people. This book lured me in with the supernatural component, kept me in suspense with multiple mysteries (including who the hot guy is), and invested me through Charley’s empathy. Her empathy is her superpower and her Achilles’ heel.

I love genre-defying books, especially when the female protagonist is kick-ass without being butch, smart while flawed and hilarious, and child-like without being emotionally immature. Between kicking dead people out of her bathroom and solving their murders, being seduced by the hot guy plaguing her dreams, and dodging her evil stepmother, this book (and the rest of the series) reminds me of the humanity of humans. Charley sees the good in people, alive and dead, and inspires me to see it, too.

By Darynda Jones,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked First Grave on the Right as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Private investigator Charlotte Davidson was born with three things: looks; a healthy respect for the male anatomy; and the rather odd job title of grim reaper. Since the age of five, she has been helping the departed solve the mysteries of their deaths so they can cross. Thus, when three lawyers from the same law firm are murdered, they come to her to find their killer. In the meantime, Charley's dealing with a being more powerful - and definitely sexier - than any spectre she's ever come across before. With the help of a pain-in-the-ass skip tracer, a dead pubescent…


Book cover of Still Life with Murder

Nhys Glover Author Of The Barbarian's Mistress

From my list on hot, tortured heroes saved by love.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always read and written Romance. But while my real life took center stage, I consigned my manuscripts to gather dust in my bottom desk drawer and went off to teach English and History and raise a family. When my real life got less hectic and the Indie Revolution started, I dragged my stories out, dusted them off, and started publishing them. Lo and behold, readers loved them as much as I did, and suddenly I had a whole new career. Teaching literature tends to make you critical, and I was super-critical of my ‘trashy’ romances. Now I’m proud I write stories women can read to relax and be entertained by. 

Nhys' book list on hot, tortured heroes saved by love

Nhys Glover Why did Nhys love this book?

This is the first in the Nell Sweeney Mystery series. And the slow-burn romance extends over the whole series. Set in 19th Century Boston, these little gems kept me on the edge of my seat, while immersing me in the historical period.

Normally, I don’t find drug addicts make for the best romantic heroes, but William Hewett is not your typical hero. Sure, he was a surgeon in the Civil War, where he was injured physically and emotionally and has become hooked on opium because of it, but he’s not a scorch-your-panties-off kind of hot. (It is the Victorian era, after all.) Yet he’s a compelling character and perfect for the heroine who helps to save him. I found I was rooting for this pair every step of the way. I wanted him to heal, kick his habit, and have his HEA with the unconventional Miss Sweeney.

By P.B. Ryan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Still Life with Murder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“What a thoroughly charming book! A beautiful combination of entertaining characters, minute historical research, and a powerful evocation of time and place.” —NYT bestselling author Barbara Hambly

Boston, 1868: The dawn of the Gilded Age, an era of burgeoning commerce and invention, of unimaginable new fortunes and lavish excess—for some. Born into poverty, young Nell Sweeney scratches by on her wits and little else until fortune blesses her with a position as nursery governess to the fabulously wealthy Hewitts. But she soon learns that ugly secrets lurk beneath the surface of their gold-plated world.

The Hewitts’ eldest son, William, a…


Book cover of Carrots

Kate Moseman Author Of Silver Spells

From my list on finding magic at midlife.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always loved fantasy books with female main characters, but as I’ve grown older, it’s been difficult to find contemporary women’s fantasy with main characters over the age of thirty-five. So when I discovered paranormal women’s fiction, a new genre label for stories of midlife women with magic, I was instantly hooked. I read everything I could get my hands on. After that, I was so inspired that I decided to write a contemporary fantasy series of my own, one in which every protagonist was a woman over the age of forty.

Kate's book list on finding magic at midlife

Kate Moseman Why did Kate love this book?

Two words: action and adventure! A quick stop at the grocery store leaves our middle-aged main character able to read minds, but now there's a mob boss out to kill her. 

Carrots is a thrilling magical story for fans of Stephanie Plum and similar female-led thriller stories, and there are plenty of books in this series to keep you busy reading.

By Colleen Helme,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A mind-reader, a mob-boss, and a hit-man. What could go wrong? More fun than you can imagine! Book 1 in the Shelby Nichols Adventure Series

"One of the best and rarest gems of the indie book market."~ Matthew LeDrew

USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Colleen Helme offers a clever mix of mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and page-turning adventure in the highly acclaimed Shelby Nichols Adventure Series.

Stopping at the grocery store for some carrots shouldn't be dangerous, but in Shelby's case, it changes her life forever. During a bank robbery, she is caught in the cross-fire and grazed…


Book cover of Ed the Happy Clown

Anders Nilsen Author Of Big Questions

From my list on deeply human graphic novels.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a kid in the 80s the superhero comics I was obsessed with were beginning to deal with the real world in a new way. And their creators were beginning to push and pull at the boundaries of the medium with a new spirit of play and provocation. I still love comics that seriously deal with real life – its complexities and its profound weirdness – and that push the medium in new directions and reckon with its history. I also want to be absorbed and moved and to identify intently with characters. It’s what I try to do in my own work, and what I look for in that of others.

Anders' book list on deeply human graphic novels

Anders Nilsen Why did Anders love this book?

This book is, to me, one of the true weird masterpieces of human imagination.

It is one of the things that made me want to make comics in the first place, that expanded my idea of what comics and storytelling could do. It’s deeply weird, extremely unsettling, dark, funny, and, at times, a little offensive. And it is unlike anything you will ever read anywhere else for the rest of your life.

One of its delights is how clear it is at the beginning that the author didn’t know what he was getting into when he started. He just followed his imagination, trusting completely, and ended up with something grand and unique. And none of his work after this is anything like it. Which is probably for the best.

By Chester Brown,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A LONG-OUT-OF-PRINT CLASIC BY A MASTER OF UNDERGROUND COMICS

In the late 1980s, the idiosyncratic Chester Brown (author of the muchlauded Paying for It and Louis Riel) began writing the cult classic comic book series Yummy Fur. Within its pages, he serialized the groundbreaking Ed the Happy Clown, revealing a macabre universe of parallel dimensions. Thanks to its wholly original yet disturbing story lines, Ed set the stage for Brown to become a world-renowned cartoonist.

Ed the Happy Clown is a hallucinatory tale that functions simultaneously as a dark roller-coaster ride of criminal activity and a scathing condemnation of religious…


Book cover of City of Bones

Kerrie Faye Author Of Dead Girl

From my list on fantasy books with angels, demons and Nephilim.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always felt strongly that there is a world out there beyond our human comprehension where good and evil are at war. Add in the fact that I might have seen my very own angel, and it is a topic that has both intrigued and inspired me. At first, I snapped up every book I could find on angels and demons. Then, over time, I expanded to movies and TV shows. Finally, after consuming diverse media across genres, I wrote my own book centering on a female protagonist who discovers her own Nephilim heritage, the hard way, of course, with demons!

Kerrie's book list on fantasy books with angels, demons and Nephilim

Kerrie Faye Why did Kerrie love this book?

I did not want this series to end!

A strong-willed protagonist who discovers that she isn’t human and wields runes to fight demons invading her world, what’s not to love? Enemies to lovers, plus demons and Nephilim, SWOON!

I consumed this entire series in weeks! It is the OG of Young Adult Fantasy books that include Nephilim. I highly recommend this book series.

By Cassandra Clare,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked City of Bones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Discover this first installment of the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series and “prepare to be hooked” (Entertainment Weekly).

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he…


Book cover of Penric's Demon

Mary Sisson Author Of The Weirld

From my list on to help you stop doomscrolling.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m Mary Sisson, award-winning writer blah-blah-blah, and when I need to pry myself off the feeds before my head explodes, I reach for a particular sort of book: story-driven with a lot of adventure, a dash of humor, another of romance, and set in a well-developed, immersive fictional world. While all of these titles can be read alone (I hate books that were clearly written to sell a sequel—600 pages of filler ending with a cliffhanger? No thank you!) they all also form parts of series, because when my head is about to shoot right off my neck, it helps me to know that I have the remedy at hand. Enjoy!

Mary's book list on to help you stop doomscrolling

Mary Sisson Why did Mary love this book?

While Bujold is famous for her science fiction Vorkosigan Saga, she has taken a welcome turn to fantasy in recent years with her Penric & Desdemona series, starting with Penric’s Demon. The book focuses on the accidental sorcerer Penric and the demon who possesses him and gives him power, Desdemona. Theirs is a complicated relationship, in no small part because Desdemona retains the memories and personalities of the many people—and animals!—she has possessed before. While having magical powers obviously has its advantages for Penric, demonic possession is not without its dangers, and quite a few people in the world of the Five Gods believe that sorcerers and their demons are best drowned at sea. The book features exciting adventures in an exotic world—but also touching mediations on death, fate, and destiny.

By Lois McMaster Bujold,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

On his way to his betrothal, young Lord Penric comes upon a riding accident with an elderly lady on the ground, her maidservant and guardsmen distraught. As he approaches to help, he discovers that the lady is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her avowed god is The Bastard, "master of all disasters out of season", and with her dying breath she bequeaths her mysterious powers to Penric. From that moment on, Penric's life is irreversibly changed, and his life is in danger from those who envy or fear him.

Set in the fantasy world…


Book cover of The Warded Man

Christopher Patterson Author Of A Chance Beginning

From my list on broken and struggling heroes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I believe that in our real world, most heroes are like any other human, exhibiting the struggles, the moral dilemmas, and the psychological battles any human would be. And that is what makes a hero so great. They rise above the internal and external struggles to become something better and something others can look up to. Heroes are not supposed to be Superman. They are Batman, struggling with the darkness of trauma and the weight of responsibility like everyone else. 

Christopher's book list on broken and struggling heroes

Christopher Patterson Why did Christopher love this book?

The Warded Man is a fantasy adventure mystery about a hero who never wanted to be a hero and a man who has to fight both physical, literal demons as well as his own internal demons and a traumatized past. The Warded Man exposes humanity and the emotional and psychological struggles that even a hero can experience. 

By Peter V. Brett,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Warded Man as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The stunning debut fantasy novel from author Peter V. Brett.

The Painted Man, book one of the Demon Cycle, is a captivating and thrilling fantasy adventure, pulling the reader into a world of demons, darkness and heroes.

Sometimes there is very good reason to be afraid of the dark...

Eleven-year-old Arlen lives with his parents on their small farmstead, half a day's ride from the isolated hamlet of Tibbet's Brook.

As dusk falls upon Arlen's world, a strange mist rises from the ground; a mist that promises a violent death to any foolish enough to brave the coming darkness, for…


Book cover of Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures

C.S. Friedman Author Of Nightborn: Coldfire Rising

From my list on books for designing alien worlds.

Why am I passionate about this?

For as far back as I can remember I’ve been creating fantastic stories. My high school notebooks were filled with maps of warring interstellar empires, and my graduate school notes were interspersed with short tales set in distant universes. My first science fiction novel, In Conquest Born, was published in 1985, and since then, I’ve written 14 novels for DAW Books, both in fantasy and science fiction. I love the challenge of creating alien worlds so real that my readers feel immersed in them and using them to explore the darkest recesses of the human psyche. 

C.S.'s book list on books for designing alien worlds

C.S. Friedman Why did C.S. love this book?

Need some monsters to inspire you? A bizarre creature from primitive folklore, perhaps, or a quirky gatekeeper from the 13th level of hell?

Though the market abounds with books on the subject, this is my favorite. Bane presents nearly 3,000 descriptions of supernatural creatures from the “real world” (no gaming monsters), drawn from a stunningly diverse array of time periods and cultures as well as biblical tradition. Each entry details the name, appearance, powers, and proclivities of a given entity, as well as instructions for how to deal with it. Source material is noted so you can follow up on your own,  and an index and bibliography are provided.

While there are many books on the market that feature lists of monsters, this is a serious research book with a wealth of well-organized inspiration for writers of fantasy, horror, and supernatural fiction.

By Theresa Bane,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This exhaustive volume catalogs nearly three thousand demons in the mythologies and lore of virtually every ancient society and most religions. From Aamon, the demon of life and reproduction with the head of a serpent and the body of a wolf in Christian demonology, to Zu, the half-man, half-bird personification of the southern wind and thunder clouds in Sumero-Akkadian mythology, entries offer descriptions each demon's origins, appearance, and cultural significance. Also included are descriptions of the demonic and diabolical members making up the hierarchy of Hell and the numerous species of demons that, according to various folklores, mythologies, and religions,…


Book cover of Hellboy Volume 2: Wake The Devil

Michael Fleishman Author Of Drawing Inspiration: Visual Artists at Work

From my list on artistic doodads, thingamabobs, and whatzits.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been a guest lecturer and featured presenter at colleges and conferences, served on the Board of Directors for ICON6, and authored eight published books on illustration and design. I'm a retired college art professor and freelance illustrator and still teach fine art, design, and cartoon classes for kids and adults; I’m also an English Dept. writing tutor at a local college. Right now, I am exploring the medium of cardboard. Cardboard taps into a material that is so ubiquitous and common, it’s often maligned as being inconsequential, but I’m positively tickled to be working in a material that was wonderfully simple and presents a simply wonderful challenge.

Michael's book list on artistic doodads, thingamabobs, and whatzits

Michael Fleishman Why did Michael love this book?

There are some artists who are so talented they are, simultaneously, incredibly inspirational and discouraging.

Mike Mignola is one of those guys. Mignola is the commander of figure/ground. His beautiful sense of shape and form and utter control of black and white is just amazing. He builds story beautifully and constructs his pages cinematically.

When I looked for people to grace the pages of my book, I shot for consummate talent like that, and, if I can blow my own horn just a bit, the book succeeds along those lines. When I grow up, I want to be able to draw like that.

By Mike Mignola,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hellboy Volume 2 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A murder in a New York wax museum and a missing corpse lead Hellboy into ancient Romanian castles on the trail of a sleeping legend: the original nobleman vampire. Nazi scientists prepare for the return of their occult master and the end of the world, and Hellboy confronts his purpose on earth.


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