Books like 'Tainted'
Readers who enjoyed Tainted by Vanessa Nelson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
fantasy paranormal urban fantasy dark romance fae demons mystery high fantasy magic horror
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Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsSet in the same world as Faith Hunter’s New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the third, thrilling Soulwood novel stars Nell Ingram, who draws her powers from deep within the earth.Nell Ingram has always known she was different. Since she was a child, she’s been able to feel and channel ancient powers from deep within the earth... -
![Ascension Day by Vanessa Nelson]()
Ascension Day by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsCaught in the middle of two powerful forces, can Thea find a way to survive?The Archon has ordered a day of celebration to mark her ascension to power. While most people in the city are looking forward to a day off and an excuse to drink and eat too much, Thea and the rest of the city's Watch are on high alert... -
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![Witches Brew by Shayne Silvers, Cameron O'Connell]()
Witches Brew by Shayne Silvers, Cameron O'Connell
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 23 ratings***OVER ONE MILLION READERS HAVE BEEN PLEASURED BY THE TEMPLE VERSE NOVELS. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN…*** Fae are missing all over Boston, and apparently, no one else is suicidal enough to look into it. Good thing Quinn MacKenna—black magic arms dealer and Fae half-breed—has been searching for a way to earn back some of Boston’s goodwill after almost destroying the city…twice... -
![It's a Matter of Midlife and Death by Robyn Peterman]()
It's a Matter of Midlife and Death by Robyn Peterman
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsMidlife is madness—magical, messy and one freaking crisis after another.With a new job I didn’t apply for and an extended family I didn’t know I had—midlife has become somewhat problematic. Gluing ghosts back together is easy compared to my new celestial occupation.The Grim Reaper wants to put a ring on it. Tim wants to be a father... -
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![Salty Dog by Shayne Silvers, Cameron O'Connell]()
Salty Dog by Shayne Silvers, Cameron O'Connell
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAbductions rarely go as planned…but this is just ridiculous. Torn from the Faeling Games on the beaches of Scotland, Quinn MacKenna suddenly finds herself doggie-paddling in a turbulent sea of blood with no land in sight.And that’s the highlight of her day so far, because her abductors seem perfectly content to simply leave her in this strange Otherworld... -
![The Sundering by Vanessa Nelson]()
The Sundering by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsNowhere and no one is safe. Stripped of her rank and her calling by some of her most trusted friends, Yvonne is left shocked and bleeding. Worse is to come. Not only are children still going missing, but she learns that the death of an old friend might not have been natural. With old friendships torn apart, Yvonne must work out who she can trust if she is to find the truth... -
![Chosen by Vanessa Nelson]()
Chosen by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsDemons on the loose. Ritual murders. An ancient vampire breathing down her neck.Some days Max just doesn't know where to start. The problems facing her city are piling up, and there seems no end or solution in sight.Max's job used to be dealing with supernatural creatures... -
![Hunted by Vanessa Nelson]()
Hunted by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsUnsolved murders, supernatural creatures and civil unrest. Just another day.Problems keep piling up around Max. No sooner has she dealt with one set of supernatural creatures, than she's called to the city's mortuary to an unusual death. The city's most senior spiritual leader is also trying to get hold of her. On top of that, Bryce cancelled their date and hasn't been seen for days... -
![Bound by Benedict Jacka]()
Bound by Benedict Jacka
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsMage Alex Verus is caught between a rock and a hard place in the eighth urban fantasy novel from the national bestselling author of Burned.Right now I wasn’t seeing Richard as the teacher out of my nightmares, he was just another Dark mage, and I looked into the future to see what would happen if I turned that knife on him instead.. -
![Kelpies Don't Fly by Kim McDougall]()
Kelpies Don't Fly by Kim McDougall
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsCritter wrangler rule #15: Always look a gift horse in the mouth. And if it has sharp teeth, never, never get on its back.For ten years, Kyra Greene thought she was the only Valkyrie this side of the rainbow bridge. Until she gets a stunning message from her cousin, Gunora, asking for bail money.But facing the ghosts of her past isn’t on Kyra’s to-do list... -
![Forged by Vanessa Nelson]()
Forged by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsBlood may be thicker than water, but not all families are meant to stay together.Struggling to maintain her independence, and the life she has fought so hard to build, Max finally learns the truth about her own origins and her family.Max has no time to absorb the shocking news... -
![Dead Wrong by Annie Anderson]()
Dead Wrong by Annie Anderson
Never make a deal with a demon.There are two things Darby Adler wants more than anything: to take a vacation, and to find who is responsible for the rash of witch abductions in Knoxville.With an ancient vampire in town and a slew of fugitives on the loose, her suspect pool is vast. But Darby has a sneaking suspicion she knows the culprit all too well... -
![Deadbeat Druid by David R. Slayton]()
Deadbeat Druid by David R. Slayton
The living cannot be allowed to infect the dead.Adam Binder has lost what matters most to him. Having finally learned the true identity of the warlock preying on his family, what was supposed to be a final confrontation with the fiend instead became a trap that sent Vic into the realm of the dead, where none living are meant to be... -
![Double or Nothing by Craig Schaefer]()
Double or Nothing by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsDaniel Faust – sorcerer, thief, and newly-minted Las Vegas crime boss – has debts to pay. One of those debts has just come due, an IOU to be paid in the form of a high-risk heist, and it’s a job he can’t refuse. The mark? Daniel’s arch-nemesis, a man with a Cheshire smile and the powers of a living god... -
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![Tangled Echoes by Meghan Ciana Doidge]()
Tangled Echoes by Meghan Ciana Doidge
Rated: 4.52 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsI never got involved in the dirt and the details of an investigation. I never let my preconceptions muddy a reconstruction. And I steadfastly refrained from ever allowing my past to dictate my future.At least until the one person I couldn’t lose went missing... -
![Moon Cursed by McKenzie Hunter]()
Moon Cursed by McKenzie Hunter
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBetween life and death, there’s magic.Our secrets have been exposed and now we have to deal with the consequences: Friends of the Midwest Pack are missing. Alliances are forming between enemies whose sole intent is to destroy the pack. And a mysterious group is trying to make a power grab using any means possible... -
![Idols and Enemies by Meghan Ciana Doidge]()
Idols and Enemies by Meghan Ciana Doidge
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsI knew that opening the letter from the sorcerer Azar would have deadly consequences.So we had prepared.We’d planned.We knew we might have to defend ourselves, our freedom. And that I might finally get a chance to exact the revenge I kept telling myself I wasn’t interested in exacting... -
![Walking in the Dark by Donna Augustine]()
Walking in the Dark by Donna Augustine
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsSome people find power in the light. Others are meant to walk in the dark. Ollie Wit left it all behind: a new home, friends who saw her as something more than a fragile shadow walker and a budding relationship with Kane. She did it all in an effort to shield Asher, who should’ve never been able to escape the Shadowlands... -
![Cloaked by Vanessa Nelson]()
Cloaked by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe world itself in peril. Arrow’s sleep is being disturbed by nightmares that she cannot remember when awake. Her days are spent trying to build her new, simple, life in the human world and helping the shape-changers track down the last conspirators that tried to destroy the Erith. But the Erith want her help one last time... -
![Marked by Benedict Jacka]()
Marked by Benedict Jacka
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsMage Alex Verus is hanging on by a thread in the ninth urban fantasy novel from the national bestselling author of Burned.When Mage Alex Verus ends up with a position on the Light Council, no one is happy, least of all him. But Alex is starting to realize that if he wants to protect his friends, he'll need to become a power player himself... -
![The Neon Boneyard by Craig Schaefer]()
The Neon Boneyard by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDaniel Faust has clawed his way from the gutter to a penthouse suite, carving a bloody swath across the Las Vegas underworld. He's buried his enemies and more than a few friends along the way. If there's one thing a modern-day sorcerer knows for certain, though, it's that the past never stays buried forever... -
![Came Back Haunted by Karina Halle]()
Came Back Haunted by Karina Halle
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsA lot can change in three years.For Perry and Dex Foray, it’s been a step in the right direction, a step toward living a normal life. They’re happily married, they have their own media company, they’ve done what they can to leave their sordid and scary past behind them.But something has changed recently. Perry’s biological clock is ticking.Her sister, Ada, is going down the same path she once did... -
![Driven by Kelley Armstrong]()
Driven by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsCains are known for being big, brutish and not-too-bright. The mutt clan embodies all the supernatural world’s worst stereotypes about werewolves. But not even the Cains deserve to be hunted down and skinned like animals.When young Davis Cain comes to the Pack for help, Alpha Elena Michaels can’t refuse him. It isn’t about morality or justice... -
![The Castle Doctrine by Craig Schaefer]()
The Castle Doctrine by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsOut of prison and back on the streets, Daniel Faust returns home to a city on fire. The Chicago mob is making their play for control of Las Vegas, with an army of gunmen and a lethal shapeshifter on their side, while Daniel's friend Jennifer marshals the forces of the Vegas underworld... -
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![Catching Echoes by Meghan Ciana Doidge]()
Catching Echoes by Meghan Ciana Doidge
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsI preferred it when life came in tidy packages. When it didn't -- when something went awry -- I was exceedingly skilled at packaging it back up. It was my job to do so after all. I was a reconstructionist. I collected the puzzle pieces, then I gave those pieces to an investigative team to sort out. I didn't ask questions. I didn't offer answers. I saw. I recorded. I moved on... -
![A Broken Contract by Vanessa Nelson]()
A Broken Contract by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsA promise broken. Her future torn up. But she still has a job to do.Betrayed by her blood family, all Hallie's plans for her future are in ruins. She has no time to lick her wounds as Special Investigator Girard wants her help looking for some members of the elite who have gone missing in Hallie's territory... -
![A Usual Suspect by Vanessa Nelson]()
A Usual Suspect by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsShe can see the truth, but when she's accused of murder, no one believes she's innocent.Hallie works as a skip tracer - hunting down people wanted by the law, for one reason or another. It's not glamourous, and it doesn't pay all that well. But it's legal work, and that's hard to come by in the cramped quarters of old town... -
![Betrayed by Vanessa Nelson]()
Betrayed by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA missing war mage. Death in the heartland. Settling into her new life in the human world, the last thing Arrow expects is a request for aid from the Erith. The Erith’s favourite war mage is missing and Arrow is asked to investigate. For the first time in her life, she is allowed into the Erith’s fabled heartland... -
![Hellcrossed by McKenzie Hunter]()
Hellcrossed by McKenzie Hunter
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMy rules for survival: Never trust a demon or make a deal with one. But trapped in the demon realm, I have no choice but to break both rules if I want to escape.What’s waiting for me on the other side? A bloodthirsty god who wants to kill me—did I mention it’s my mother? An unforgiving fae who doesn’t care that we’re related and wants me gone, at any cost... -
![The Last Witch: Vol 3.5 by M.J. Lawrie]()
The Last Witch: Vol 3.5 by M.J. Lawrie
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsIt's been six months since Lilly Hooper reunited with her family, friends, and magic.The Arcane Realm offers freedom and safety for all the witches who are rebuilding their lives and healing.But things are not as straightforward or as easy as they all hoped they would be... -
![Concealed by Vanessa Nelson]()
Concealed by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA fragile peace, a suspicious death, and secrets that could destroy everyone. Oath-bound to the arrogant Erith in exchange for her life, Arrow's freedom is days away when they set her one last task; investigate the death of a high-ranking shape-changer, one of their old enemies. The shape-changers suspect the Erith of murder and Arrow nearly becomes the first victim in a new war between races... -
![The Killing Floor Blues by Craig Schaefer]()
The Killing Floor Blues by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsNobody has ever escaped from the Iceberg. It's a privately-owned prison deep in the Mojave Desert, staffed by brutal guards and surrounded by desolate wasteland. Inside the walls, gangs and predators are constant threats; outside the walls, there's nothing but a sniper's bullet or a slow death in the desert heat... -
![Daughter of Souls & Silence by Annie Anderson]()
Daughter of Souls & Silence by Annie Anderson
A Council full of Ethereal Elders wants me dead. Yep, it’s a regular Tuesday.When you kill a demon there are consequences. Centuries-old witch, tattoo artist, half-demon… none of those titles are going to save me this time. The only way I’m going to get out of my death sentence is to take down the biggest, baddest demon there is… My father.And I thought being burned at the stake was bad.. -
![The Bonds of Blood by Becca Andre]()
The Bonds of Blood by Becca Andre
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsBorn without a heartbeat or a soul, James Huntsman has never felt part of the mortal world. It’s an insecurity his abusive brothers reinforced daily, and with his very existence bound to theirs through the alchemically altered blood they share, James has always been at their mercy. All that changed when James found a home within the magical community and fell in love... -
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![Revealed by Vanessa Nelson]()
Revealed by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA killer caught, the mastermind still at large, and an exile growing into her power. Arrow’s freedom from the Erith is finally in her grasp. But there is a rogue magician at large. Ruthless, determined, skilled in unclean magic, the powerful rogue threatens everyone and everything, including the life Arrow wants to live... -
![Sworn to the Night by Craig Schaefer]()
Sworn to the Night by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsMarie Reinhart is an NYPD detective on the trail of a serial killer. When she sleeps, though, she dreams of other lives; she dreams of being a knight, in strange wars and strange worlds. On the other side of the city, Nessa Roth is a college professor trapped in a loveless marriage, an unwilling prop in a political dynasty... -
![The Nowhere Witch by Donna Augustine]()
The Nowhere Witch by Donna Augustine
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGetting back to Xest was the easy part. It’s staying here that seems to be the problem.I have three hags, also known as Xest Immigration, hot on my tail trying to deport me back to Salem. The wall I built in the Unsettled Lands is in jeopardy. Hawk, a man who was once my ally, can’t decide if he wants to lead the horde trying to drive me out or kiss me... -
![Wicked Hex by Megan Montero]()
Wicked Hex by Megan Montero
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsSome powers come with a price… My life is unrecognizable. I’ve never been in more danger. I thought I was safe at Evermore Academy. I thought we were finally making progress in this war. I thought I had people I could trust.I thought I could always count on Tucker…I thought wrong. But now all that’s changed. Alataris is coming for me with everything he's got, and no one is safe... -
![A Plain-Dealing Villain by Craig Schaefer]()
A Plain-Dealing Villain by Craig Schaefer
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIt's hard to make a dishonest buck in Sin City, especially when a rogue FBI agent is gunning for your head. Flat broke and one step ahead of the law, Daniel Faust flees Vegas and lands in Chicago, where a risky heist promises to fill his pockets with cash... -
![Welcome to Heathen Row by Logan Jacobs]()
Welcome to Heathen Row by Logan Jacobs
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsNo one knows why it started, but the monster invasion all began right here, in Heathen Row.Ever since, men all over the world have been on the menu. And women have been at the frontlines, hunting the predators.But in a world where women are over-armed, over-paid, and under-satiated, Chris Hart isn’t staying safe inside while the monsters come out to feast... -
![Hexes and Hijinx by Annie Anderson]()
Hexes and Hijinx by Annie Anderson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsI went against the Coven. What’s the worst that could happen? When your dad is the head of the most notorious arcane crime family in the country, telling him no isn’t really in the cards. My rebellion has brought a war to our doorstep, and the last thing Savannah needs is my mob boss father in the mix... -
![Tethers by Claire Farrell]()
Tethers by Claire Farrell
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAva’s been protecting her shifter friend from the alpha for months, but now he’s managed to come up with a brand new excuse to take Esther, and the Senate have turned their backs on her completely. While Ava works to find a way to keep Esther out of Mac’s reach for good, a series of violent murders put everyone in the cul-de-sac under suspicion... -
![Five Down by Stacia Kane]()
Five Down by Stacia Kane
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe Downside Ghosts series has been called "gripping and brilliant," "a must-read," and "one of the best paranormal fantasy series available." Now all four previously published short stories set in this world are collected in one place, plus one new, never-before-seen novella... -
![The Most Wanted Witch by Donna Augustine]()
The Most Wanted Witch by Donna Augustine
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsA darkness has settled over Xest, as roaming hordes of grouslies prey on the vulnerable. Witches and warlocks fear walking the streets, as lines are being drawn, and sides are taken. There’s only one way to stop the destruction coming, but tracking down an evil that doesn’t want to be found isn’t easy... -
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![Red Rain by R.S. Black]()
Red Rain by R.S. Black
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRed Rain Pandora has been through hell and back. Literally. She’s been kidnapped and tortured, found freedom, and then lost it all over again. She’s now the newest pawn in the age-old war between Heaven and Hell. The Triad owns her mark, Asher owns her heart, but the demon Wrath might just own her soul. Death—aka Dean—is her constant companion in these final days... -
![Destiny by K.N. Banet]()
Destiny by K.N. Banet
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThis fight has always been my destiny.In a previous life, I had run from it, and that choice was the death of me. That mistake went down in history, becoming a story that haunted my people for centuries.I won’t run this time. I’ve regrouped, collected my allies, and sheltered my people. Now, I go hunting. I can’t rest until my people are safe. I can’t stop until the ones we lost are avenged... -
![The Raven Song by Luanne G. Smith]()
The Raven Song by Luanne G. Smith
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFleeing Victorian London, a witch finds her newfound independence comes with all-new perils—both mortal and immortal.Forever untangling the branches of her strange family tree, Edwina Blackwood is at a turning point. Her parents’ disappearances still strike her as unaccountably odd. Her sister’s questionable life and untimely death have left her shaken... -
![Howler's Night by Marie Hall]()
Howler's Night by Marie Hall
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Priest was back. Her home was safe. And Pandora had even managed to secure a powerful ally in the Zombie Queen. But in one fell swoop none of it mattered. She’s been abducted by a secret organization known only as the Triad, and they’re conducting experiments, treating her like a lab rat: cutting her open, dissecting her, and keeping her hostage. And she’s slowly going mad... -
![The Dread by Gail Z. Martin]()
The Dread by Gail Z. Martin
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn the epic conclusion to the Fallen Kings Cycle, set in the world of The Chronicles of the Necromancer, war has come to the Winter Kingdoms. Summoner-King Tris Drayke takes what remains of his army north for a war he is ill-prepared to fight, as reports from spies confirm Tris's worst fear... -
![Kissed by the Dark by Donna Augustine]()
Kissed by the Dark by Donna Augustine
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsLife with Kane is wonderful, right up until it’s not. People like me, Shadow Walkers, who know that monsters are real and nightmares don’t only happen when you’re sleeping, are always waiting for the worst. But no one believes me when I tell them disaster is looming, not even Kane, the man who has seen more than I can imagine. When the worst does happen, I’m not prepared...
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