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Must-Read Urban Fantasy Series that Bring the Sexy

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Archangel's Prophecy by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter #11) // VBC Urban fantasy can be aligned with the old-school police procedural style—think Harry Dresden, early Anita Blake books, The Hollows—solving supernatural crimes. Over time the genre has expanded, and while I still love a good gumshoe urban fantasy, as the genre has grown it’s pulled in the best from other worlds. It’s slipped to the crime end, it’s sucked in small-town mysteries (hey, Charlaine Harris!), and it’s realized that a big part of human existence is romance.

That’s where my heart lies: at the crossroads of gritty and sexy.

I love dark urban fantasy with rich worldbuilding, complicated heroines, big heroes and even bigger problems.

If you love urban fantasy, but wish you could get a higher heat level and a happily-for-now, this list is for you.

1. Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh

You already know and love Nalini, don’t you? She brings the paranormal romance heat in her Psy-Changling books, and she brings that chemistry to her Guild Hunter books. The first three books, beginning with Angels’ Blood, all center on Archangel Raphael, who rules over the other angels and vampires out of New York, and a Guild Hunter named Elena. She hunts vampires, and finds herself hired by Raphael, who is legit terrifying. He’s super powerful, used to ruling everything, and the like, and Elena doesn’t back down. Their chemistry sizzles as they overcome the vast differences to fall in love.

The series revisits Raphael and Elena regularly within a HEA/HFN, but also includes offshoot books of other members of the Archangel’s team (his Seven), which are decadently romantic. Some bring high heat like Archangel’s Blade, and some go in for a slow burn that sucks you down until you’re begging for everyone to WORK IT OUT (see: Archangel’s Enigma).

Ancient Archangels, vampires hunters, vampires, murder mystery, sexy times = Guild Hunter.

2. Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane

Stacia Kane knows how to write sex scenes. She literally wrote a book on it. So it’s no surprise that her dark urban fantasy books ignite overwhelming chemistry between characters, and have prepare-to-blush sex scenes. What’s particularly interesting about the way she handles the romance in the Downside Ghosts books is that the main character Chess has a quasi-relationship with a guy named Lex at the beginning of the series, but has this instant chemistry with his rival Terrible. She provides instant heat with Lex, but over the course of the series (spoiler alert) the pop and sizzle of her relationship with Terrible takes the forefront until they finally admit their feelings to one another and act on it. She makes you wait, but holy hell is it worth it.

Sex positive + building a solid foundation + fan yourself + fresh worldbuilding = Downside Ghosts.

3. Fever series by Karen Marie Moning

I’m getting controversial here. I know that the Fever books are always shelved in romance, but that plotline is 100 percent urban fantasy. Mac goes to Ireland to investigate the death of her sister and gets pulled into a hunt for an ancient artifact that would tear the world apart. That may be the most urban fantasy sentence I’ve ever written (and I write urban fantasy for a job). The thing is the smoldering sexiness of these books automatically makes us think romance, which is exactly the kind of line blurring I love best.

Moning crafted the ultimate in alpha males in her Jericho Z. Barrons, but what’s even more perfect for thinking of this series as an ultra sexy urban fantasy is that Barrons shows his love for Mac, but doesn’t say it. He doesn’t have to. Stoic and sexy. Mmm.

The heat level in these books brings the fire, and while the first book, Darkfever, brought most sexiness in a magic-induced fashion, later books have scenes that will be forever seared in your brain. Seriously, I could probably recite some of the Dreamfever scene where Barrons tells Mac she has to say his name if she wants something.

Complicated, messy love + complicated messy sex + the world might end = Fever.

One Response to “Must-Read Urban Fantasy Series that Bring the Sexy”

  1. Fever sounds really good! 🙂

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