Indie urban fantasy series I recommend…

I know many of you are waiting patiently for Darkness Divides to come out on April 20th.  As an update, it’s coming along well and I’ll be posting the first two chapters this weekend.  So be on the lookout!

In the meantime, I thought I’d give you all a list of other urban fantasy authors who I follow.  Most of you are probably already aware of the big traditionally published names in the genre such as Jeaniene Frost, Ilona Andrews, Karen Marie Moning, Chloe Neill, Patricia Briggs, plus many more.  This is to highlight the indies who I’ve found to be just as enjoyable.

Keep in mind that your mileage may vary as no two people have exactly the same tastes, but these are ones I’ve found to be good and think you might too if you haven’t discovered them already.  All covers are linked to the book’s Amazon purchase page.  I’ve also included some brief thoughts on my impression of each author’s books.

 

 

Blood Wager coverConnie Suttle– If you haven’t read the book that begins her Blood Destiny series and sets up the ones that follow it, check out Blood Wager first.  The key thing to know with her work is that it has a lot of emotional twists, action, and expands to include sci-fi elements as the series progresses.  The romance in her work isn’t of the traditional variety, but I love the uniqueness of her writing.  Her “voice” is very different from other writers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Demon Bound book coverDebra Dunbar– For those who enjoy a wicked sense of humor, this is a great series to try.  The main character is a demon imp who gets into a lot of trouble, but as you get to know her you’ll find she’s surprisingly relatable.  There are light romantic elements and a rather hunky love interest or two, but nothing too hot and steamy for those who prefer those elements toned down.  Do expect some naughtiness, though.  This series has five books out so far and Debra recently released two spin-off novels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sleight of Hand book coverMark Henwick– His series is strong on action and suspense, while being lighter on the romantic elements (though you should expect some explicit content).  The thing I think readers love the most about his writing is how fast-paced it is  and that he includes investigative elements as well as a female character who has a military background.  This series has three books out so far, plus a prequel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark Dates coverTracey Sinclair– I stumbled upon this author after seeing a review of one of her books from a blogger who also follows my series.  The cover is a bit different from most UF, but I promise this series is great!  The setting is in London, so with this one you get out of the United States so you can enjoy something a little different.  There is some nice humor and the romance will keep you intrigued.  If you like heroines who are always trying to do the right thing despite not being all that powerful, you should enjoy this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elemental Magic coverAngela Wallace– She has a nice UF series that features elementals (users of earth, air, water, fire).  Her novels are lighter than the ones I mentioned above, making them a great change of pace from the standard darker fare.  There’s more mystery to her books too and they have sweet romantic elements (nothing hot and heavy).  The main character stays the same for the first two books before switching to a different one with the third.  She should be releasing the fourth novel soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

shadowpath_coverP.L. Blair– She has a UF series featuring two main characters.  A human female and an elf male.  They are detectives who have been partnered together to investigate supernatural cases.  The criminals in this series are rather unique and the lore this author uses keeps me fascinated.  The romance doesn’t pick up until much later in the series and the author keeps things fairly clean, but I must admit I was ready for it when it came!  Expect the books to focus on the plot and have some nice action sequences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feel free to make your own suggestions in the comments section.  I know there are a lot of other good ones out there and that I didn’t name them all.  If you can tell us a little about why you like any particular author/series, that would be helpful too!

16 thoughts on “Indie urban fantasy series I recommend…

  1. Abra

    I love the Nightshifted series by Cassie Alexander. The protagonist, Edie, is an RN in an urban fantasy world county hospital. I love the very dark and gritty quality of Edie’s world. It’s unfair and harsh and the originality of the plots and characters is amazing. I generally don’t go for the darker UF, but this is too good to miss.

    Some situations seemed eerily similar to stories my RN friends tell so I checked out the author’s website and, not too surprisingly, she is a nurse in her day job.

    Reply
    1. Susan Illene Post author

      Thanks for the recommendation, Abra. I’ve seen that series on Amazon, but hadn’t had a chance to check it out yet. I’ll have to add that one to my TBR!

      Reply
  2. Mark Henwick

    Thank you Susan! (and Abra for the rec above)

    Here are a couple more that are worth adding to the tbr

    Huntress Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008G14754/

    FBI procedural mixed with paranormal. This is light on the paranormal world building, and uses two POVs, but I highly recommend it. Very tense. There are only two books in the series.

    Feral Sins by Suzanne Wright
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008QYT6FC/
    Wolf shifters – the original contained a very badly misjudged orgy scene. Now that’s been removed, it’s excellent UF. I haven’t read the remainder of the series yet.

    Reply
    1. Susan Illene Post author

      Thanks, Mark. Those series you recommended look like they might be right up my alley. By the looks of things, I’m going to be going on a huge reading binge once DD is out. If I disappear off the radar, it’s not my fault. I’ll be off in UF land enjoying the fruits of other writers’ labors!

      Reply
    2. Abra

      If anyone is curious, the orgy scene is on Suzanne Wright’s website. It does seem a bit out of place from the rest of the book. The other books in the series are good, too.

      Reply
  3. Sarah L

    Thank you so much for those suggestions. The first 3 are on my TBR pile and I think I will have to add the last 3 as well! I’m really enjoying some of the indie authors, they have very different voices to some of the ones from big publishing houses (although I enjoy those too) and at the moment all my favourites appear to be indie or fairly new. They include

    Elizabeth Hunter – Elemental Mysteries, with a few spin offs in Elemental World, about vampires but with elemental powers, it’s fantastic. She also has 2 other series Cambio Springs about shifters and The Irin Chronicles, both fantastic and very different.

    Gayla Drummond – Discord Jones Series, really fun world building

    Colleen Vanderlinden – Hidden Series, heavy on the action and world building, includes mythology too. Her characters are brilliant.

    Sharon Hannaford – Hellcat series, she’s not indie but there’s only 3 in her series and she’s from New Zealand so a bit different and again great characters.

    I’m very much looking forward to Darkness Divides, can’t wait to see whats in store next!

    Reply
    1. Susan Illene Post author

      Thanks for your own suggestions, Sarah! I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Elizabeth Hunter and hope to check out her books soon. For Sharon Hannaford, she is indie, but it looks like she created her own imprint. I’ve been wanting to take a look at her books too. Honestly, all the series you listed look good!

      Reply
  4. Rachel Scott

    Two of my favorite authors of all time are Elizabeth Hunter and Colleen Vanderlinden. Colleen’s series “Hidden” starts with “Lost Girl” and is one of my favorite series ever. I’m a beta reader for her fourth book coming out in June, and seriously her books are addicting! Elizabeth Hunter has several books out, but her latest book/new series is amazing! The book is called “The Scribe” and it’s addicting. After nominating you, of course, for the Indie author page, I nominated them as well. I highly recommend checking them out!!!

    Reply
  5. laura271gsd1

    I saw a link to this post on Mark Henwick’s Facebook page a few days ago. I just finished consuming the Sensor Series books in one ridiculously glorious, responsibility ignoring binge. I’m thrilled that a new book in the series is being published this month. Thank-you so much- the series is terrific fun! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Daniel Dobbelstein

    I can recommend Rylee Adamsonbook by Shannon Mayer,
    For those who like Vampires, all books from Jeaniene Frost,
    Jeanne C. Stein’s series, called Anna Strong novels, about a Bountyhunter who got bitten by a Vampire on the job.
    Donna Augustines Alchemy Series, very dark, very appocalyptic.
    Eileen Wilks, Lupi Series, about a sensor, quite like Melena, but working for the FBI and her Werewolf mate,with some dragons, demons and Fae mixed in, for good measure.
    Amanda Carlson for those who love werewolves.
    Keri Arthur Vampires, Werewolves and something like angels, but not quite.
    and Jean Bennet, for her mage books.

    I found your books as well on Mark Henwick’s site.

    Awesome reading, can’t wait for DD

    Reply
    1. Susan Illene Post author

      Thanks for all the recommendations, Daniel. Jeaniene Frost has been one of my favorite writers for years and I definitely agree she’s good. I recently read the first book in the Rylee Adamson series and enjoyed it, but haven’t had a chance to get to the others yet. I’ve also read a couple of books by Keri Arthur and hope to get back to her soon as well. The rest I haven’t checked out before, but I’ll definitely keep those in mind for my next reading binge!

      Reply
  7. Rebecca Vance

    Check out The Colbana Files by Shiloh Walker writing as J.C. Daniels. Very enjoyable. A little reminiscent of Illona Andrews Kate Daniels series, but very readable,

    Reply

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