Have you, perchance, wandered through every page of Patricia Briggs’s magnificent Mercy Thompson tales and found yourself bereft—that peculiar ache one feels when a beloved story ends? Take heart, dear reader, for I have ventured far and wide through the realms of urban fantasy to bring you stories of equal wonder. Herein lie eleven series featuring fierce heroines who navigate hidden supernatural worlds, each one a doorway to fresh adventure.
Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews
In a world where magic and technology wage eternal war—rising and falling like the tide—there lives a mercenary named Kate Daniels, possessing both a sharp sword and sharper wit. Atlanta lies transformed into something altogether stranger, where vampires serve as puppets to necromancers and shapeshifters roam in organized packs. Kate’s investigations lead her through dangers most extraordinary, uncovering secrets about her own mysterious bloodline. The husband-and-wife team writing under the name Ilona Andrews has crafted something rather special here—fast-paced action tempered with wry humor and a slow-burning romance that readers find most satisfying. Begin with Magic Bites and prepare yourself for quite the journey.
Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong
Kelley Armstrong has spun a tapestry of supernatural wonder across thirteen novels, each narrated by a different woman of extraordinary ability. The adventure begins with Bitten, wherein we meet Elena Michaels—the world’s only female werewolf, mind you—struggling to balance her human life in Toronto with the wild call of her pack. What makes this series particularly delightful is its rotating cast: werewolves, witches, necromancers, and half-demons each take their turn at center stage. One finds here the same sense of supernatural community that makes Mercy’s world so compelling, though Armstrong paints her creatures in distinctly different shades.
Jane Yellowrock Series by Faith Hunter
Here is a heroine whose origins prove as mysterious as any fairy tale’s foundling. Jane Yellowrock is a Cherokee skinwalker—one of the very last—who shares her soul with a mountain lion called Beast. She emerged from the wilderness at twelve years of age with no memory and no language, raised thereafter in a Christian children’s home. Now grown, Jane hunts rogue vampires in New Orleans, a city practically dripping with supernatural intrigue. Faith Hunter weaves Native American mythology throughout these adventures in a manner that should feel quite familiar to those who appreciate Mercy’s coyote heritage. Library Journal itself has suggested that readers eager for more Mercy Thompson may wish to give this series a proper chance.
October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire
October “Toby” Daye exists betwixt and between—a changeling daughter of fae nobility and mortal blood, belonging fully to neither world. She works as a private investigator and knight-errant in San Francisco, where the fairy courts hide in shadowed places humans never think to look. Toby’s gift lies in blood magic, able to read memories and truths from a single crimson drop. Hugo Award-nominated author Seanan McGuire has crafted nineteen books (and counting!) exploring themes of identity, belonging, and resilience. The series rewards patience most handsomely, growing richer with each installment, much as fine things ought to do.
Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris
In the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, there works a waitress with an inconvenient talent—Sookie Stackhouse can hear the thoughts of everyone around her. When vampires reveal themselves to the world and one particularly handsome specimen walks into her bar, Sookie’s quiet life transforms into something altogether more dangerous and romantic. Charlaine Harris wrote thirteen novels in this series, which proved so beloved that it became the HBO sensation True Blood. The first book, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award, and many credit this series with helping establish urban fantasy as we know it today. If Mercy’s blend of supernatural mystery and complicated romance appeals to you, Sookie’s adventures shall feel like coming home.
Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill
Merit was merely a graduate student until the night a vampire attack changed everything—and Ethan Sullivan, the impossibly attractive Master of Cadogan House, saved her life by making her one of his own. In this version of Chicago, vampires have revealed themselves publicly and live in organized Houses, navigating politics both mortal and immortal. Chloe Neill brings a lighter touch to urban fantasy, seasoning her thirteen novels with humor and wit alongside the action and romance. Charlaine Harris herself has called Merit a fine vampiric role model, which strikes me as rather high praise indeed. There exists also a companion series for those who cannot bear to leave this world behind.
Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh
Nalini Singh—whom Booklist has crowned “the alpha author of paranormal romance”—presents a world divided among three races: the cold and powerful Psy, the passionate animal-shifting Changelings, and the humans caught between them. The Psy have suppressed all emotion through a protocol called Silence, while the Changelings embrace their dual natures with fierce devotion. When these worlds collide, as they must, the resulting romances burn quite hot indeed. Beginning with Slave to Sensation, Singh has built an intricate mythology across fifteen main novels and a continuing Trinity series. Those who appreciate Mercy Thompson’s pack dynamics shall find much to love in these loyal, passionate shifters.
World of the Lupi by Eileen Wilks
Detective Lily Yu investigates murders in San Diego with the sort of determination that makes excellent heroines. When her cases lead her into the hidden world of the Lupi—werewolves who live by ancient laws and mystical bonds—she finds herself entangled with Rule Turner, a prince among his kind. What follows is a delightful blend of police procedural and paranormal romance, as Lily navigates not only supernatural threats but also cross-cultural relationships and FBI politics. Eileen Wilks has woven fifteen books of intricate mythology involving the Lady who rules the Lupi and the demons who threaten their world. The series combines the investigative elements one finds in Mercy’s adventures with deeply developed werewolf culture.
Seven Series by Dannika Dark
USA Today bestselling author Dannika Dark introduces us to Austin Cole and his brothers, shifters forming a pack in modern America while rather determinedly avoiding the complications of finding mates. Naturally, fate has other plans entirely. Each book focuses on a different brother’s journey toward love, with titles counting down from Seven Years through One Second. What sets this series apart is its emphasis on brotherhood, family bonds, and second chances—themes that resonate beautifully for those who appreciate the pack dynamics surrounding Mercy. Dark promises no cliffhangers and a satisfying conclusion to each tale, which strikes me as a rather generous gift to her readers.
Shifters Series by Rachel Vincent
Faythe Sanders is a werecat—not a wolf, mind you, but something sleeker and rather more feline. She is the daughter of her Pride’s alpha and one of only eight breeding females in existence, which brings expectations she finds most tiresome. When she escaped to college seeking normalcy, the supernatural world followed her there regardless. Rachel Vincent’s six-book series explores themes of duty versus independence, family obligation versus personal choice, in ways that mirror Mercy’s own struggles. The werecat society operates quite differently from werewolf packs, offering fresh perspectives on shapeshifter politics and the bonds that hold supernatural communities together.
Rylee Adamson Series by Shannon Mayer
Rylee Adamson possesses a singular gift: she can Track the lost. Specifically, she finds missing children—the ones ordinary humans cannot locate—and brings them home. At twenty-six, she has spent a decade searching, driven by the disappearance of her own sister years before. Shannon Mayer has created a heroine as fierce and protective as Mercy herself, surrounded by a found family of supernatural beings including a werewolf companion. The series spans ten main novels plus epilogues, following Rylee’s evolution from tracker to something far more significant in the supernatural world. Those who appreciate Mercy’s loyalty and determination shall find a kindred spirit here.
Finding Your Next Favorite Series
Each of these series offers something precious: strong heroines navigating worlds where magic hides in plain sight, where supernatural creatures form communities as complex as any human society, and where romance develops alongside adventure rather than replacing it. Whether you crave the mystery-solving satisfaction of Kate Daniels, the pack dynamics of Kelley Armstrong’s wolves, or the fae politics of October Daye, your next obsession awaits among these pages.
The door stands open, dear reader. You need only step through.
