Books like 'Dark Horse'
Readers who enjoyed Dark Horse by Mary H. Herbert also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy romance high fantasy action / adventure magic animals horses epic sword-sorcery
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Memories of Prophecies by Davis Ashura
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe memories of the past may be forgotten, but prophecies linger.Cinder Shade and his fellow cadets have survived a brutal mission in the vast wilds of the Dagger Mountains. Laying to rest many of their brother warriors, they return to the Third Directorate, battered, bruised, and weary of soul.But the world turns, and new challenges press... -
The Silent Shield by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsThrust into the heart of events threatening to rip her kingdom apart, young Trynne Kiskaddon will gain new powers and see old allies fall and new heroes rise as the battle for the kingdom and the lands beyond begins.Courtly intrigue and rumors of invasion plunge Kingfountain into turmoil as the search for Trynne’s father begins in earnest... -
The Forsaken Throne by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsA devastating disaster has left the Forbidden Court in ashes, its fountains destroyed, and its magic at risk. It was destined as the site of Trynne Kiskaddon’s coronation as empress. Now, all Trynne can imagine is the roar of flames, the cries of Gahalatine’s people, and the smell of cinders in a city gone dark... -
Winterlight by Kristen Britain
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThis seventh novel of the Green Rider series follows the adventures of messenger, magic wielder, and knight Karigan G'ladheon as she fights to save king and country from dark magic and a looming war.After her capture at the hands of Grandmother and the Second Empire, Karigan G'ladheon is making halting progress towards recovery... -
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Secrets and Spellcraft by Michael G. Manning
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsNow a student at Wurthaven, Will is confronted with the truth of the present. The powerful magic embodied by wizards like his grandfather is but a distant memory, while the practice of the current day is timid and uninspired, and yet he needs the knowledge still preserved and managed by the college... -
Gold Dragon by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.49 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsNow that Trip’s siblings are safely back in the capital, he would like it if life got back to normal. As normal as possible for a half-dragon army officer learning to use his magical powers when he isn’t busy piloting with Wolf Squadron. But trouble keeps popping up, and the capital isn’t the safe haven Trip had hoped... -
The Reckoning by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMissing girls. A plea for help she can’t ignore. An ancient enemy with plans of his own. Nine-year-old girls are missing from across the lands. Yvonne has promised to find them, and she always keeps her promises. Even when she doesn’t know where to start looking. There’s more trouble around. Mercenaries are disappearing... -
Raptor by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsResponsible for her friend’s death, Lieutenant Caslin Ahn wants nothing more than to be left alone. She no longer deserves the company of comrades or the fulfillment she felt as a Wolf Squadron fighter pilot. But a summons from the king leaves her with no choice but to rejoin her teammates... -
Avian by Nicole Conway
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJaevid wants to pass his Avian year of training . . . but will he even survive it?What kind of power is lurking inside him? After a year of training to become a dragonrider, Jaevid Broadfeather has been sent home to rest during a three-month interlude. But when he returns to find the king drake has chosen Beckah Derrick as his new rider, Jaevid realizes something big is about to happen...Categorized as:
animals magic paranormal sword-sorcery action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age -
Revelations by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsPower that’s growing ever more impossible to hide… Captain Telryn “Trip” Yert is on the most important mission of his life. Accompanied by Captain Kaika, the sentient soulblade Jaxi, and Rysha Ravenwood—the noble-born scholar and officer he definitely shouldn’t be developing feelings for—he must find a way to close a portal that’s allowing more and more dragons into the world... -
Origins by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAre you still human if your father was a dragon? Even though Captain Trip always knew he was a little odd, he’s still shocked by the revelation that the elder gold dragon, Agarrenon Shivar, sired him. It’s time, however, to accept reality and learn to use his power, even if it alienates him from his magic-fearing friends—and the woman he’s come to care about... -
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 52 ratingsThis is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since the Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle... -
The Ciphers of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFrom the moment she was banished by her father, the king, Princess Maia journeyed to seek sanctuary at Muirwood Abbey, the epicenter of magic and good in the land. Now safe for the first time since her cruel abandonment, Maia must foster uneasy friendships with other girls training to be Ciphers: women who learn to read and engrave tomes of ancient power, despite the laws forbidding them to do so... -
By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsGranddaughter of the sorceress Kethry, daughter of a noble house, Kerowyn had been forced to run the family keep since her mother’s untimely death. Yet now at last her brother was preparing to wed, and when his bride became the lady of the keep, Kerowyn could return to her true enjoyments—training horses and hunting... -
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Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThe final chapter in Mercedes Lackey's spellbinding fantasy trilogy! The Herald-Mage, Vanyel, and his Companion, Yfandes, are alone responsible for saving the once-peaceful kingdom of Valdemar from the forces of a master who wields a dark, forbidding magic. And if either Vanyel or Yfandes falters, both Valdemar and its Herald-Mage must pay the ultimate price... -
Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA New Tale Is Added to this Christy Award-Winning Fantasy Saga!Submissive to her father's will, Lady Leta of Aiven travels far to meet a prospective husband she neither knows nor loves--Lord Alistair, future king of the North Country. But within the walls of Gaheris Castle, all is not right. Vicious night terrors plague Lord Alistair to the brink of insanity. Whispers rise from the family crypt... -
The Blade's Memory by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsThe king is missing.A secret organization is hunting sorcerers.The enemy has powerful new weapons to deploy, and the capital is more vulnerable than it's ever been.Worst of all, at least in Ridge Zirkander's view, someone put that jackass Colonel Therrik in charge of the flier battalion... -
Dragon Tear by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsNow that Jev is no longer obligated to marry a manipulative noblewoman, Zenia can finally pursue a relationship with him. But there’s something else she must deal with first. She’s learned that the magical dragon-tear gem she wears around her neck is linked to a living dragon, one that is being held prisoner and tortured. Zenia owes her life several times over to the creature... -
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 52 ratingsAerin could not remember a time when she had not known the story; she had grown up knowing it.It was the story of her mother, the witchwoman who enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir that would rule Damar; and it was told that she turned her face to the wall and died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son.Aerin was that daughter... -
Shattered Past by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAn elite forces officer with a dreadful reputation. A bookish paleontologist with a love for mysteries. An ancient stronghold full of secrets that will take both of them to unearth... -
King's Warrior by Frost Kay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRevolution and war come with a price in the fourth volume of USA Today Bestselling Author Frost Kay’s The Aermian Feuds Series. Returning to Aermia should’ve been easy, but nightmares and death haunt her, leaving Sage as an outsider, even in her own family... -
Unraveled by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA mission to a foreign land has left Captain Trip Yert with a responsibility he never anticipated: watching over two dozen magical stasis chambers containing half-dragon young, including eight that are half-human. As bewildering as he finds it, all of them are related to him... -
The Human Familiar by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhile Bannen had every intention of finding adventure, being yanked through a magical portal two continents away isn’t quite what he imagined happening. For that matter, being magically bound to a mage-in-training hadn’t ever crossed his mind. Being the first human familiar ever summoned in Corcoran? Not on his to-do list... -
The Searching by Vanessa Nelson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOath-sworn to help those in need, Yvonne has been framed for murder.Tracking down those responsible for the destruction of the Stone Walls was a difficult enough task, but someone has made it much harder. The King is dead, and Yvonne is accused of his murder... -
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Elven Fury by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsJev Dharrow is trying to convince his father to cancel his arranged marriage so he can wed Zenia, the woman he loves. But when elven assassins arrive in the city, all his personal problems must be set aside. They are after his good friend, Lornysh, an elf who has saved Jev's life a dozen times over the years... -
The Void Mage by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsAfter two years of training in Turransky under a new master, Rena is a proper Void Mage, supposedly ready to handle whatever the world throws at her. Which is just as well because Toh’sellor’s influence has proven it can pop shards up anywhere at any given time across all three continents, with nothing to use to predict it. Worse still, it doesn’t seem to have any real restrictions... -
Remnants by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFinally over with the wedding, managed to escape the parents, signed up with the MISD, yay! Got assigned a permanent team with Chi, Vee, and Maksohm, double yay! Toh’sellor has been stolen. Yeah, this is not going to be fun. It is, in fact, anti-fun. Oh, and monkeys. Poor Chi... -
The Society by K.A. Linde
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe fourth book in the fantasy Ascension series. War is on the horizon. All while a new power grows strong, threatening the very balance of good and evil. Desperate to save her homeland, Cyrene goes in search of the dragons that may be the key to ending this battle—and heal her dying friend... -
Fist of the Furor by R.K. Ryals
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“People die for freedom …”There is chaos in the kingdom of Medeisia. The rebels have gone into the mountains to hide, protected by the dragons... -
Tempest by R.K. Ryals
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWe must overcome and prevail ...King Raemon of Medeisia is slaughtering tattooed scribes and mages, forcing them into hiding. All marked and those associated with them are destroyed. The people are desperate. Months after challenging Raemon, the marked rebels of Medeisia must rise against their bloodthirsty king or chance being annihilated... -
Magic's Promise by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe wild magic is taking its toll on the land, and even Vanyel, the most powerful Herald-Mage to ever walk the world, is almost at the end of his strength. But when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a call for help from neighboring Lineas, both Herald-Mage and Companion are drawn into a holocaust of dark magic that could be the end of them both... -
Oathbreakers by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsWhen Idra, leader of the crack mercenaries known as the Sunhawks, failed to return from a journey to her home kingdom of Rethwellan, Tarma and Kethry, warrior and mage, set out in search of their vanished leader. Sisters of sword and spell, their fates bound together by Goddess-sworn oath, they were eternally pledged to fight the forces of evil... -
Warlord by Jennifer Fallon
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsMarla Wolfblade is reeling from the loss of her closest confidant, Elizaar the Fool, who taught her the Rules of Gaining and Wielding Power, and helped shape her into a force in Hythria. But Marla's plans for revenge are disrupted when she discovers she has a dangerous adversary... -
The Archmage Unbound by Michael G. Manning
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsMordecai’s growing power and success have made him a threat, not just to the gods and their minions, but also to the king of Lothion. An unholy bargain has been struck to bring him to heel and increasingly it seems that victory may not be worth the price, not if the cost is measured in the blood of his family. Wizard, lord, husband, father, and now archmage.. -
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Arrow's Fall by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsWith Elspeth, the heir to the throne of Valdemar, come of marriageable age, Talia, the Queen's Own Herald returns to court to find Queen and heir beset by diplomatic intrigue as various forces vie for control of Elspeth's future... -
Siren & Scion by J.D. Evans
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe was beautiful the way the ocean was beautiful. In a new way every time one looked. She is water, bright and alluring, fathomless and profound. He is a bridge between peoples, artist and criminal, vengeful and compassionate. Amara Mutar has risen to the highest ranks of Tamar society by her wits and ambition...Categorized as:
epic magic paranormal sword-sorcery action-adventure adult ancient-civilization book -
A Kingdom of Nomads by S.B. Nova
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs the darkness grows, so must the light…Branded as enemies of the fae kingdom, Serena and her friends are on the run from the witch queen, Morgan. They reach sanctuary, only to discover shocking secrets that separate them.Serena’s newfound destiny takes her to a land plagued by endless war. To survive there, she is forced to bloody her sword, escape an evil king, and confront a god... -
Haven by Joel Shepherd
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Army of the Regent Arosh advances on the forces loyal to Saalshen, homeland of the serrin people, as the serrin's friends are in full retreat. Their only hope is to reach the city of Jahnd, as 'Trial of Blood and Steel' reaches its dramatic conclusion... -
Into the Dying Light by Katy Rose Pool
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the jaw-dropping conclusion to the Age of Darkness trilogy, hearts will shatter, cities will fall, and a god will rise. "Solidifies Katy Rose Pool's status as one of the best fantasy writers of the 21st century."—Popsugar on As the Shadow RisesFollowing the destruction of the City of Mercy, an ancient god has been resurrected and sealed inside Beru's body... -
Warrior by Jennifer Fallon
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIt is eight years since Marla Wolfblade buried her second husband. In that time, she has become the power behind Hythria's throne -- as much from a desire to control her own destiny in any way she can, as to protect her son, young Damin... -
The Crystal Gryphon by Andre Norton
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe story of Kerovan, whose cloven hooves set him apart from the human folk of the Dales, as he seeks his rights as heir to the throne of Ulm at a time when strange sea invaders are shattering the old kingdoms, and equally enigmatic manifestations of the Old Ones coming to interfere with humanity... -
Chosen Champion by Elise Kova
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA princess on the run, with enemies on all sides... Vi Solaris is on the eve of getting everything she’s ever wanted—her family, her home, her throne—and to save the world she’s going to have to give it all up.The Empire sees her as their Crown Princess, returning at long last. But Vi only sees visions of fate guiding her to the world’s gruesome end... -
The Gold Falcon by Katharine Kerr
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe cholera epidemic that ravaged the city of TrevHael has left many orphans in its wake, including Neb, the scribe's son, and his brother. Sent to the desolate farm of their last living relative, they soon learn that a worse plague lurks beyond the western border of Deverry... -
The Warrior Queen by Emily R. King
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the final volume of The Hundredth Queen Series, Kalinda will risk everything to save the man she loves.Kalinda has brought peace to the Tarachand Empire, at least for now. Bhutas no longer need to hide their gifts. The last of the rebels have been banished. And Prince Ashwin is set to take over as rajah.But for Kalinda, this all came at a great loss. Her childhood home. Her best friend... -
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Advent by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“Good work, Balancer.”I frowned at the title. “All I did was transport her here, Raile.”“Yes, so you did,” he agreed in a tone that clearly didn’t agree with me at all. “Perhaps you don’t consciously realize this, Garth, but its little things like this that are restoring balance to Chahir. No task can be done in just one stroke of effort; it takes many strokes, and much sustained effort... -
The Banished of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn a stand-alone series set in the world of Muirwood, eighteen-year-old Maia is the exiled princess of Comoros and heir to the throne. As a result of her father’s ceaseless need for authority, she was left disinherited and forced to live as a servant in her enemy’s home... -
Arrow's Flight by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsSet in the medieval fantasy kingdom of Valdemar, this unique and exciting novel continues the story of Talia. Having mastered the powers necessary to a guardian of the kingdom, she faces the final preparation for her initiation as adviser and protector of the Queen... -
Duty Bound by Lindsay Buroker
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCrown Agent Jev Dharrow’s good dwarf friend Cutter is missing, as is the city’s master gem cutter. Jev doesn’t know who would want them, but he’s determined to find out. He hopes his fellow agent, Zenia, can help him locate the missing dwarves... -
Prophecy: Child of Earth by Elizabeth Haydon
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsIn Rhapsody, a fellowship was forged-- three companions who, through great adversity, became a force to be reckoned with: Rhapsody the Singer; Achmed the assassin-king; and Grunthor, the giant Sergeant-Major. Prophecy continues their powerful epic. Driven by a prophetic vision, Rhapsody races to rescue a religious leader while Achmed and Grunthor seek the F'dor-- an ancient and powerful demon... -
Destiny: Child of the Sky by Elizabeth Haydon
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA FELLOWSHIP OF THREETo stand against the F'dor-- an ancient, vile being intent on destroying the world-- a fellowship has been forged: Rhapsody, a Singer of great talent and beauty; Achmed, an assassin with unearthly talents; and Grunthor, a giant of jolly disposition and lethal skill with weapons...
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