Book List N-Z

Book List N-Z

Naam: Nexus Arc by Ramez Naam – *FAVORITE* This 3-book series is urban fantasy like others on this list, but it’s more science fiction than fantasy. I loved it. It is available on Kindle Unlimited and Audible. This series changed my thinking about the future. For years, I’ve watched humans and technology become more integrated. Naam has taken that vision and run with it. I think the future depicted in Nexus is entirely possible, though I’m not sure how “near” that future is. Just read it. See what you think. 

I found this series difficult to describe, so here’s a quote from Amazon, “Mankind gets an upgrade. In the near future, the experimental nano-drug Nexus can link humans together, mind to mind. There are some who want to improve it. There are some who want to eradicate it. And there are others who just want to exploit it. When a young scientist is caught improving Nexus, he’s thrust over his head into a world of danger and international espionage – for there is far more at stake than anyone realizes.” 

Peckham: Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti – This is an urban fantasy series that’s probably written for young adults but I don’t recommend giving it to your teens without reading at least one of the books (there are 12) yourself first. The sex scenes are explicit and sophisticated. It resembles the Hannaford Prep series also on this list. The books are available on Kindle Unlimited which is how I started reading them. The stories are entertaining and the writing is adequate but won’t win any awards (of course, neither has mine). I haven’t read the whole series yet, but I probably will. If you have Kindle Unlimited and you’re looking for a free book, give it a try and see what you think.  

Rice: The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by Anne Rice – If you want to explore some BDSM, take my advice and skip the Fifty Shades of Grey series. Instead, read this classic series by a good writer. It’s quite imaginative and won’t disappoint. And if you’re into BDSM and haven’t read these books, read the series. You’ll enjoy the stories. 

Rice:The Mayfair Chronicles by Anne Rice – Yes, I have read many of Rice’s vampire books and enjoyed them. I haven’t read them all, though, and got bored with a few. I loved the 3 books about the Mayfair witches. Other than taking place mostly in New Orleans, there’s no overlap between these books and the vampire stories. The Mayfair witches make some appearances in later vampire books, but those are not part of this series. Try this urban fantasy series; it’s good, and Rice’s talent as a writer far exceeds that of many others on this list. 

Riddle: The Extinction Files by A.G. Riddle – I have 3 series by A. G. Riddle on this list. I’ve enjoyed them all. Here’s a link to his author bio on Amazon. In addition to enjoying a good series, I enjoy a good free series, and these are available on Kindle Unlimited. The Extinction Files is a 2-book series about a pandemic, and very interesting. 

Riddle: The Long Winter Trilogy by A.G. Riddle – This 3-book series falls into the science fiction category and is a little out of my wheelhouse, but I enjoyed it. I probably would not have read it if it hadn’t been on Kindle Unlimited but I’m glad I did. As you can tell from looking through my book list, I like sexy stories. Riddle’s series contain a smattering of romance but nothing sexy. The stories are, however, innovative and interesting. 

Riddle: The Origin Mystery by A.G. Riddle – I am a scientist, so these stories about genetics captured my imagination. There’s plenty of action and adventure mixed in this e-book urban fantasy series. 

Vaughn: Kitty Norville Series by Carrie Vaughn – This urban fantasy series is about Kitty, a DJ and a werewolf. She’s a tough, strong female lead. Werewolves in this series have limited magic, but Kitty is a good fighter with many friends. To date, there are 14 novels and a short story collection in this series. It is one of the first series about werewolves I ever read and Kitty remains a favorite. 

Vincent: Menageries Series by Rachel Vincent – This e-book urban fantasy series features a distinctive world, characters and magic.  The ending surprised me, too. The writing was good, and the stories stayed with me long after I finished the books. I noticed there’s another series by a different author with the same name but I don’t know anything more about it. If you want to read this fantasy series about shifters, be sure you have the one by Rachel Vincent. 

Yarros: The Empyrean by Rebecca Yarros – This is a new fantasy series that has 3 books so far. Book 3 was published in 2025 and is not the end of the story, so there will be more. According to Amazon, there’s a TV series in development. Given the nature of this fantasy series featuring many dragons in a medieval-type world, it would require a lot of special effects and be expensive to produce. We’ll see if it happens. Meanwhile, read the books so you get all the details in the backstory. There are good reasons the books have been so popular.