Fantasy stories that take place in the present day. See also urban fantasy and magical realism. Return to general Fantasy
Note: these books are currently sorted by release date, with newest first.
Word Count: 73000
Summary: When supernatural secrets collide, it’ll take more than coffee to brew the perfect love. When Ky Hernández bonded with his familiar, Zuri, his life changed forever. Their connection turned him into a practicing witch and led him to his calling as a medimagical professional. However, it totally tanked his love life—what guy would settle for eternal second place behind a parrot? So Ky keeps his witchy nature under wraps and sticks to hookups with humans, which can never go anywhere. But the mouthwatering barista at the coffee shop next door makes him thirst for more than a caffeine fix. The charms Ewan Jones uses to appear human are inconvenient, disorienting, and . . . necessary. Ewan and his siblings are achubyddion, metaphysical healers whose powers are coveted by unscrupulous supernatural beings. And let’s face it: all supes are unscrupulous, given the right incentive. He’s grateful for the protections that hide his little family, and for the barista job that keeps them housed and fed. He’s just so lonely. And his regular, Ky, the super-hot, commitment-averse EMT, seems like the perfect candidate for a one-night shot at intimacy. After all, humans are no threat. It takes a clumsy coffee shop intern, a mysterious werewolf epidemic, and one snarky parrot to unravel their pasts—and give them a chance at a future.
Word Count: 125889
Summary: Alex Philothea, the newly appointed director of the Keepers of the Holy and Noble Maat, is fighting to save the agency her ancestors have led for over two millennia. Operating in deep cover, KHNM shields the mortal realm against the lethal chaos of the Immortals. As Alex battles the Gods over the agency’s existence, she is in a race against time to contain dangerous magical artifacts. If the Gods succeed in shuttering the agency and these ancient objects fall into unworthy hands, humanity will pay a deadly price. Deep in the Netherworld, adventurer Jorge Trinculo unearths a primordial book of magic. It exposes one of KHNM’s darkest secrets. For years, the agency has been erasing the memories of his encounters with the Immortals. As his old life floods back, he realizes all that he has lost. In Jorge’s pursuit of revenge, his future becomes entwined with that of a power-hungry magician. A magician who has waited patiently, for centuries, to possess the forbidden book and wield its lethal magic against the mortal realm.
Word Count: 90000
Summary: A new generation of vampires embarks on a quest to save humanity. Opening a forgotten crypt during a military exercise, Dr. Jane Heckman is made a vampire and begins a journey to unlock the secret origins of her new kindred. Elsewhere, solitary vampire Marcella DuBois emerges from the shadows and uncovers a government plot to create vampire-like super soldiers. Daniel McKee, a vampire working as an astronomer, moves to a new town where he's adopted by a family, only to have government agents strip those he loves away from him. All three vampires discover the government is dabbling in technologies so advanced they'll tap into realms and dimensions they don't understand. To save humans and vampires alike, Jane, Marcella, and Daniel must seek out the legendary master vampire Desmond, Lord Draco and encourage him to resurrect his band of mercenaries, the Scarlet Order.
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Summary: First of the Vyrdigaan Prophecies, telling the back-story of Parsivaal Probyt. Parsivaal had always known his mother hated him. Everyone at the Beryk enclave believed him to be the product of rape. A chance meeting with a woman claiming to be his grandmother helps him to learn the truth of his origins. Through her, he discovers another branch of his family. His new-found relatives show him love and introduce him to a radically different culture and lifestyle. As he grows up, his life choices lead him away from his homeworld of Malvania and into the unknown. Having come from a remote enclave, he finds it difficult to adapt to life in a busy city. An unlikely travelling companion becomes his guide and helps him adjust to life outside the enclave. Dreams and visions compel him to solve a mystery and set him on a path taking him away from his new life and onwards to further adventures. Travel with him as he is propelled towards his destiny by a series of perplexing and frustrating events.
Word Count: 27686
Summary: On Earth a stranger is convicted of murder, though he has no memory of the crime. A young architect wins his Masters degree, but -- still battling his demons -- he makes a momentous decision. A young woman waits for her father to come home, but her troubles are only just beginning. These three people share a connection they have yet to discover. On the remote world of Berikatanya the people suffer the most cataclysmic failure of Elemental magic in their history. How will they deal with the loss of so many powerful magicians? Berikatanyan Dawn is a prequel novella that can be enjoyed on its own, and also sets the scene for John's SF/Fantasy trilogy: The Berikatanyan Chronicles. It is only available as a free download when signing up to John's mailing list.
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Summary: The only way to stop a threat is to eclipse it. And last year, we discovered an enormous one. Temperance Fairbanks: the most powerful and sadistic water magus ever to set foot on campus. Hawthorn Academy will host a series of extramural challenges. That means we’re hosting shifters, changelings, psychics, and even a vampire. Temperance vowed to hurt them any way she can, and she’s already got help. My roommate Grace has a plan. Social warfare, breaking reputations and hearts, including her own. And she wants me to be her muscle. Last year I almost burned the school down. But this time, I might just be sitting on a powder keg.
Word Count: 126000
Summary: YOUR NEXT READ IS NOW BOARDING She can speak all languages. He can smell evil intent. They're enemies. They crave each other. With international settings, a conspiracy plot, star-crossed lovers, and sharp writing, The Demon in Business Class is a stunning debut novel spanning continents and genres. Zarabeth travels the world for a shady executive, laying the groundwork for global war. Gabriel offers a second chance to the criminals that a visionary leader sees in dreams. One rainy night in Scotland, they meet... Now, it's complicated. There's also the investigator, the witch, the playboy, the gangster, the cultist, the pre-school teacher, the two angels… And, the demon. Fans of Jeff VanderMeer, Michel Faber, and David Mitchell will love this stylish hybrid-genre novel. The Demon in Business Class is an international story of fantasy, intrigue, and love, on the uneasy ground where the human meets the divine. "If William Gibson wrote paranormal .... weaves the dark worlds of the occult and big business into an intoxicating tale." – D. J. Butler, author of Witchy Eye "Creative spark? Anthony Dobranski ignites a creative bonfire ...A masterwork of invention." – Mary Kay Zuravleff, author of Man Alive! "... a swank cocktail of international intrigue, steeped in the supernatural, mixed with literary flair .... so sleek it flies off the page...." - Zach Powers, author of First Cosmic Velocity
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Summary: Step through a portal in time - and steal a piece of history! Iria and Madge, witches extraordinaire, have summoned Joshua Norton I, self-declared Emperor of the United States, back from the nineteenth century to help them save the city of San Francisco from a demon of greed. Mammon, their infernal adversary, is running a real estate scam to end all real estate scams, and he's got his own helping hand from the city's past: Etta Place, famous in her day as the accomplice of Butch Cassidy and partner of the Sundance Kid. As Norton dodges mafia foot soldiers alongside another of San Francisco's larger-than-life figures from yesteryear on the fog-shrouded streets of Chinatown long ago, Iria and Madge find themselves face to face with Mammon and Etta in modern day - and trapped in very different timelines. It'll take all their ingenuity, bravery, and prowess to fix time itself, steal the prize, and get these three heroes back together!
Word Count: 150722
Summary: It’s raining on Berikatanya. During the day. That hasn’t happened for three hundred years. Stripped of its time displacement before the Battle of Lembaca Ana, the Valley is once again the subject of dispute. Confrontation between the great houses is disrupted by a daytime rainstorm – unheard of since the creation of the malamajan centuries ago. Suspicion falls on the Elementals, especially Lautan, who has not been seen since the battle. Meanwhile, millions of kilometres out in space, the last Prism ship is preparing to make planetfall. Where is Lautan, and why can’t he stop the freakish rainstorms? Can Patrick rediscover his father’s lore and unlock the secrets of the Pattern Juggler in time to help? Or will civilisation be submerged under the influence of the malevolent new Water Wizard? The Elementals continue their adventures in the second instalment of John Beresford’s SF/Fantasy crossover, The Berikatanyan Chronicles. Primordial forces spin out of control in this tale of magic, mystery, and mayhem that will appeal to lovers of Thomas Covenant, Merlin, and Allanon. Get your copy today!
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Summary: Real estate is hell - sometimes literally! Wedged between real estate speculators, startup bros, and gentrified neighborhoods, it’s gotten hard to get by in San Francisco and it’s getting even harder all the time. Now two witches have decided the time has come to do something about it. Using all their arcane skills, Iria – tall, dark, and genderqueer – and their partner and mentor, Madge – the granddaughter of Chinese immigrants and a powerful magician – have summoned back to the world of the living one of San Francisco’s greatest eccentric heroes: Joshua Norton, self-declared Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. In the 19th century he issued imperial proclamations intended to combat prejudice and advance the interests of the destitute and downtrodden. Binding him to themselves and to the city, Iria and Madge need Norton’s charisma and tireless dedication to the city to help them save the city from a demon of greed. With an exciting combination of spell-slinging and derring-do, Norton and his modern-day patrons embark on a series of adventures across San Francisco’s past and present in search of the keys to the city: objects from its past they can use in the present to save the city’s future from a demon of greed and his tireless efforts to rob San Francisco of its soul forever!
Word Count: 53100
Summary: Tad loves bouncing around in time and watching mankind grow and change. He loves humanity and helping when he can. However, his job isn’t conducive to helping people. He’s an Angel of Death. Doug is fun loving and a drama queen. Despite his witty exterior, he has a dark history and is prone to self-destruction. He’s also an amazing drag queen and hairstylist with big dreams. When Tad pushes the boundaries of his duties too far, his angel wings are stripped away from him, and he is sent to New York City to live as a human. Lost and alone he ends up meeting Doug, and the two start a friendship that will shape them both and last a lifetime. But nothing is simple when you’re dealing with a former Angel of Death and a Drag Queen. Could these two cause the fabric of our world to collapse or will they manage to keep the future as it should?
Word Count: 60000
Summary: Planet H Man has toppled under the coup of the century and Mex must choose. Will she settled for her retirement fund or politicians too young to take seriously? Planet Hyman is at a loss as their new and callous leader takes a sabbatical, she has found her "pleasure dome" and while she learns there is more to life than a new manifesto, a coup rises to the occasion. With Mex hungover in Scotland there is little to stand in their way apart from a hippy colony too chilled to care, a reporter with no scruples, and a missing set of batteries. The coup has plans to runs things the “proletarian way” they are young, idealistic, and haven’t tasted luxury yet. They almost make it, grab the operations room, when their new and callous leader arises from her pleasure dome and grabs back her throne. Will Mex pick up her leathers and defend the coupe, or return to her planet to recuperate from a Scottish “good night out”? Rebel Without A Crew is the quirky third book in the Planet Hy Man science fiction comedy series. If you like high-mileage heroines, fast-paced satire, and meticulously crafted universes, then you’ll love Kerrie Noor’s otherworldly farce.
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Summary: Genevieve doesn't know if her unhappiness and feelings of not fitting in are different from anyone else's on her college campus. Recovering from a break-up and struggling with depression, she takes comfort in her impulsive sketches of strange creatures to try to escape the dark cloud that looms over her. But the truth is her place in this world is a lot more complicated than she could ever imagine. With two strange men following her, vines that engulf her dorm overnight, and a cactus that overruns the campus library, she is forced to face the possibility that her origins are more mysterious than the fact that she was abandoned as a baby. Especially as a powerful urge takes hold of her to draw something new and frightening. Can it be that her reality is stranger than her imagination? The one thing she can't imagine is that her happiness and talents just might be the key to save or destroy an invisible world.
Word Count: 85000
Summary: With the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war between humans and fae. Worse, violent attacks against her and the arrival of a fae knight on a mission force Alex to face a devastating revelation of who and what she is. To catch a killer, retrieve a dangerous artifact, and stop a war, Alex will have to accept that she’s an unregistered fae “halfer” with a unique magical talent—a talent that would change everything she believes about her past, her art, and her future. Her world is crumbling around her, and Alex will have to decide who to trust if she and the world are going to survive.
Word Count: 70190
Summary: Tucker Ferguson thought his life was moving along in a predictable fashion—working as an athletic trainer by day, clubbing and partying at night. Then he receives a mysterious plea for help on his cell phone, and he soon finds himself trapped in an alternate dimension he can’t escape. Other odd things are happening elswhere in Colville, New York, though. Wry, plain-spoken Police Officer Dean Williamson and his earnest, dedicated partner Khalil Mansour have been chasing a petty thief who has the ability to appear out of nowhere and disappear again at will. When they make the connection between Tucker’s disappearance and the thief’s antics, the situation takes a turn in a markedly sinister direction. The three men are drawn into the connections between our world and the Shambles—that mysterious, shadowy place where all the lost things go. Lost socks, lost car keys—and lost people. And when a young megalomaniac decides that she wants the Shambles to be her kingdom, regardless of whose life it costs, Tucker is jerked out of his complacency into a world where there are no rules—and Mansour and Williamson may be the only ones who can save his life.
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Summary: Mortal. Immortal. Musician. Mage. On a journey from the boroughs of New York to the heart of Tir na nÓg, from innocence to the deepest darkest crevices of her soul, Kara O’Keefe found power and strength in the discovery of self. But with that peace came a hard truth. As a bridge connecting many worlds, none of them held a place for her. She must find her own way, forge her own path. To honor a vow to Granddame Rose, a matriarch of the Kalderaš Clan, Kara joins the Romani caravan, only to find herself even more of an outsider than before. While she strives for acceptance, and to honor her vow, little does she know she has once more become a lure to an ancient and deadly enemy, drawing danger into the midst of her unsuspecting hosts. Once savior of the world, Kara must now save herself and the innocents around her. She has come into her legacy, but where will destiny take her? **** Based on the Eternal Cycle Series of Novels: Yesterday's Dreams Tomorrow's Memories Today's Promise **** Includes six bonus short stories.
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Summary: The Hunt is On! When strength becomes weakness… And hope becomes doubt… As the past collides with the future…hard… Can Suzanne—Wild Hunt biker chick and one-time member of the fae High Court—stand strong as her world falls apart? She survived an assault by redcaps, an all-out battle with the High King’s armies, and her first encounter with roller derby… but how will she fare against her inner demons? Caught in the midst of a transformation she scarcely realizes and does not understand, her hard-won convictions are tested as never before. Suzanne is left with only one question—what if they’re wrong? The truth could mean the difference between saving her sanity and losing her soul…
Word Count: 84610
Summary: Praise for Daughter of Maat: “Sandy Esene has written a real page-turner. It's Dan Brown goes to Egypt with a delightful dash of Harry Potter thrown in. A wonderful read and she's got the Egyptology right!"—Bob Brier, Author of The Murder of Tutankhamen “If you like Egyptian Mythology and the excitement of Indiana Jones adventures, this book is for you!”— Pat Remler, Author of Egyptian Mythology A to Z Alex Philothea’s quiet life as a research archeologist changes forever when she is tracked down by a secret society, the Keepers of the Holy and Noble Maat. Alex’s father died years ago during an excavation in the remote Egyptian desert. The circumstances of his death have always been shrouded in mystery. Now the leader of this obscure organization promises to unlock the answers she has been searching for; the only thing she must do is save humankind. Follow Alex into a world of myth and magic where the lines of reality blur at every turn.
Word Count: 11000
Summary: What if you staged the best haunted house in the history of the holiday, but nobody came? Brady is prepared with mounds of treats, stellar special effects, and an extraordinary welcome for the throngs of trick-or-treaters he expects in his first year at his new place—a gloriously gothic house with the reputation for really being haunted! But the trick’s on Brady: Halloween is almost over and not one person has knocked on his door. Once a top Interdimensional Law Enforcement agent, Rej was busted down to Creature Control after a run-in with his arch-nemesis. When he tracks a non-sentient construct across the dimensional barrier, he’s sure he’s about to confront Gorvenath again. But the person who bursts onto the porch in a swirl of tuxedo coattails is a monster of a very different sort—but is he Gorvenath’s accomplice or his victim? Monster Till Midnight is an 11,000-word gay romance featuring a hopeful samhainophile, a suspicious LEO, gratuitous candy corn, and a relationship that threatens to be really, really, really long distance.
Word Count: 106779
Summary: Portents of evil. Dreams of destruction, chaos, death. Feelings of terrible foreboding, heavy as the dark skies before a storm hits. Within twenty-four hours, the sudden and nearly universal presentiment of doom experienced by folks in the peaceful beach town of Furness, California is found to be horrifyingly accurate when a handful of people wake up to find that their friends, families, and loved ones—in fact, most of the inhabitants of the Earth—have simultaneously vanished without a trace. Left behind to make sense of a strange and depopulated world are an odd assortment of people. A wry and jaded psychic who knows good and well that her fortunetelling is a sham—until the day it begins to come true. A kind, idealistic registered nurse. A thirteen-year-old science nerd. A church custodian. An outspoken, pragmatic physicist. A volatile and unpredictable bakery owner. A tough-as-nails ex-Army man with a terrible secret, who is determined that he'll survive this, even if it's at the cost of the others. But they soon discover that they're not the only ones trying to find their way through the empty streets of Furness. Because the cataclysm that took 99% of the Earth's inhabitants did one other thing. It released the monsters.
