Books like 'Hard Way'
Readers who enjoyed Hard Way by R.L. King also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy urban fantasy urban witches-wizards industrial-era steampunk
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Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 87 ratingsIn the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk urban witches-wizards action-adventure angels audiobook book -
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 97 ratingsIn a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk urban witches-wizards action-adventure angels audiobook book -
After the Bridge by Cassandra Clare
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsShort Story about Tessa, Jem and what happened after that meeting at Blackfriar's Bridge at the Epilogue of Clockwork Princess... -
The Fallen Viscount by Wendy Vella
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRuined in the eyes of society, and removed from the only world they’d ever known, the Nightingale siblings vow never to be victims again. They will build their new life on what they’d once ignored. Being a clairvoyant is an excellent survival skill.Could she be the one to save him?Leopold Nightingale was a man who could find things no one else could...Categorized as:
urban industrial-era romance historical paranormal urban-fantasy fantasy action-adventure -
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Three Charms for Murder by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsIt takes more than three charms to commit murder.When an old childhood friend comes to Henri asking for help in solving his parents’ murders, Henri agrees immediately. He knows this case is not going to be easy. Mr. and Mrs. Atwood’s bodies had been found magically posed to mimic a statue, and the investigator in charge ruled it a murder-suicide... -
Scorched by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe seventh book in this action-packed, wildly original fantasy series by New York Times Bestselling Author Jasmine Walt. Home from their travels at last, Sunaya and Iannis are confronted with a threat against which even their strongest magic is largely helpless... -
Magic Outside the Box by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsHenri is quite accustomed to dangerous and unusual cases landing in his lap. Being partnered to the Shinigami Detective likely has something to do with it. What he is NOT accustomed to is the queen herself marching into his lab and handing them such a case. Former Royal Mage Joseph Burtchell was found dead in his home, all signs pointing to murder... -
Dead as a Dodo by Jeannie Wycherley
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the Amazon bestselling author of the Wonky Inn books comes a brand-new magical fantasy witch detective series.Dodo was dead. And there the matter should have rested.At least for DS Elise Liddell.Emotionally burnt out, she considers herself retired from police work... -
Going up in the Underworld by Álex Gilbert
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAs a young, up and coming apex predator of the night, Ariane needs the minions, a territory, dubious allies with unknown agendas... From Alexandria to the frozen north, opportunities and danger abound. Fortunately, Ariane has many tools at her disposal and if everything fails, there is always black powder...Categorized as:
witches-wizards steampunk industrial-era fantasy urban-fantasy supernatural female-mc humor -
Breaking and Entering 101 by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsSince Jamie and Henri agreed to be Kingsmen consultants, they’d not had much call to actually consult. Which is a fortuitous thing, as Henri is up to his neck in labwork and interviews for a new Magical Examiner due to Sanderson’s departing. He is hardly in any position to add more tasks onto his shoulders.Which, naturally, means two disasters strike at once... -
Love and Sacrifice by Tove Foss Ford
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEpic, Genre-Bending Science-Fantasy Sixteen-year-old Princess Katrin is leaving Mordania for the first time, on her way to take the Grand Tour of the Middle Continent. For the first time in her life, she will leave her title and ties to the Royal Family of Mordania behind and travel incognito with her family... -
Grimoires and Where to Find Them by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsHow do you catch an elusive thief?There is nothing more delightful than a bookfaire with his lady love. At least, until Henri learns that a grimoire belonging to the dangerous Reaper’s Set has been stolen without its protective box. When Henri and Jamie go looking for answers, they are horrified to discover more than one volume has been stolen without its protective box... -
Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!) by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA dead charm maker is only the beginning. Humanity seems determined to come up with increasingly clever ways to murder one another. They seize upon new technological advances in a way that’s alarming, their creativity and blood-thirstiness knowing no bounds...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk witches-wizards action-adventure adult alpha-mc assassins audiobook -
Claimed by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFenris and Mia's story continues in the second book of this Baine Chronicles spinoff trilogy...Now that Fenris and Mina have finally admitted their feelings for each other, for the first time, they both face something they’d thought impossible—settling down with someone who accepts and loves them for who they are...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk witches-wizards action-adventure adult assassins book fiction -
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A Matter of Secrets and Spies by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHow many ways can a marriage proposal go wrong?One: the ring gets stolenTwo: a storm destroys the beachThree: a dead body, seriously?Four: A THEFT RING?!Come hell or highwater, he WILL propose before leaving this benighted island...Categorized as:
steampunk industrial-era witches-wizards romance fantasy mystery urban-fantasy paranormal -
Taken by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJoin Sunaya one last time for this final installment in the Baine Chronicles series...Even as Sunaya's fairy-tale romance with her handsome, powerful Chief Mage is celebrated in the media, all Sunaya wants is to get past the endless duties and social engagements of her new role, and spend a bit of private time with Iannis... -
Magic and the Shinigami Detective by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsWhen the Night Foxes boldly break into the Fourth Precinct’s Evidence Building, it causes quite the stir. The break-in is daring enough, but their method shreds the magical wards and protections on the building like confetti paper. To say the police are ‘alarmed’ by this is the understatement of the century. As a Magical Examiner, Henri Davenforth is of course immediately called in... -
Limelight by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen a madman starts robbing banks the really old fashioned way, by blowing holes in them with magical explosives, the police want Alex to catch him before he kills and robs again. There are two problems with that, however, first as far as Alex knows there’s no such thing as a blasting rune, and second his friend Danny Pak is up for a promotion and that’s not Danny’s case... -
The Convent's Secret by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTo find the one man who can fix the magic in Matt’s watch, he and India are led to a convent where the nuns will do anything to keep their secrets private. Including murder? Matt and India must uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the mother superior and two babies given to her care many years ago. But sometimes, the truth is painful and its exposure can have deadly consequences...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk witches-wizards action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book crime -
Dragon Mediated by Viola Grace
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTraining to follow in her father’s footsteps goes well until she gets to the training center. Then, it all hits the fan.Kabyl has wanted to take peacekeeper training since she was six. Her dad had always tried to temper her expectations. Women didn’t usually have the physical skills required for the job. She worked hard, got strong, fast, and resilient and then…she turned into a dragon... -
Peril: Elven Alliance Collected Stories Volume One by Tara Grayce
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA dangerous mission to a foreign kingdom isn't the ideal honeymoon.Jalissa, princess of the elves, thought she knew what she was getting into when she married Edmund, the spy prince of Escarland. But a week after their wedding, they must embark on a dangerous mission to an enemy nation, putting their wits, their skills, and their new marriage to the test in ways they never imagined...Categorized as:
steampunk industrial-era fantasy action-adventure anthologies fae fiction urban-fantasy -
The Midnight Accords by Álex Gilbert
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAfter three decades of hiding, Ariane is ready to take her place as a respected member of the American vampire society, or so she hopes. The aristocracy of the night enjoys games. Schemes already abound from enemies old and new, but Ariane is not alone and she is not the naive girl she once was... -
In Plain Sight by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen a magical plague is released in a Depression-era New York soup kitchen, private detective Alex Lockerby finds himself in a desperate hunt to catch a madman before he can strike again.His investigations lead Alex to a famous thief, a daring heist, and the search for a mythic book of ancient magic, but none of that brings him any closer to finding the man responsible for the massacre...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk urban witches-wizards action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
Saved by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFenris and Mina's story concludes in the final book of this Baine Chronicles spinoff trilogy!Alerted that Sunaya and Iannis's wedding may be the target of a Resistance plot, Mina and Fenris travel to Solantha despite the very real possibility that Fenris could be recognized and thrown into prison should any of his enemies spot him...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk witches-wizards action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
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Blood Relation by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYoung women are turning up dead, exsanguinated by a killer who leaves strange and powerful symbols behind, drawn in his victim's blood. Now Alex Lockerby must stop the killer before he can complete his dark ritual and release hell on the city... -
Fugitive by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat happened to Fenris after he fled Solantha? Find out in this epic new trilogy following the events of Scorched by Magic from the Baine Chronicles… Fenris is no stranger to picking up the pieces of his life and starting over...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk witches-wizards action-adventure book fiction historical insta-love -
Twig by Wildbow
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe year is 1921, and a little over a century has passed since a great mind unraveled the underpinnings of life itself. Every week, it seems, the papers announce great advances, solving the riddle of immortality, successfully reviving the dead, the cloning of living beings, or blending of two animals into one... -
Capital Murder by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen the FBI wants to sweep the murder of a US Senator under the rug, Alex Lockerby must navigate the halls of political power and corruption in order to catch a professional killer and uncover dark conspiracy that threatens the very foundations of government... -
The Long Chain by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWhen New York is blanketed in an unnatural fog, Private Detective Alex Lockerby finds himself on the trail of a missing scientist, a stolen military secret, and a merciless killer leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.In a city the size of New York, things go missing all the time. When a Nobel-Prize winning Chemist vanishes without a trace, his granddaughter taps Alex to find him...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk urban witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Mind Games by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.53 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat do a murderous housewife and a wayward heiress have in common? If Alex Lockerby is right, someone is manipulating them against their will. Now all he has to do is unravel a dark tapestry of family, politics, wine, money, love, and murder before the people behind it put an end to him... -
Betrayed by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFor most women, being newly engaged to the love of your life is a time of celebration. But Sunaya’s happiness is overshadowed by loss. Her friends have not returned from their quest to bring back Noria, and though the Resistance has been beaten back, they are far from vanquished...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk urban witches-wizards action-adventure adult assassins audiobook -
Deceived by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIf Sunaya and Iannis thought there would be time to rest after returning from their last mission, they are sorely mistaken. The Minister sends them to face off with yet more dangerous enemies—this time in a lawless port in remote Garai, where pirates and slavers thrive, and everyone is fair game... -
Marked by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWith the rebellion now in full swing, shifter-mage hybrid Sunaya Baine has no time for distractions. She must find out the true identity of the Benefactor and pull the plug on the Resistance's funding before they succeed in their grand plans for genocide and destruction. But the heat is upon Sunaya now, and it demands to be sated...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk urban witches-wizards alpha-mc audiobook book coming-of-age -
Dragon Denied by Viola Grace
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThrown from the life she thought she knew, Zzara has to restart her existence with no mother, no father, as a dragon denied. Zzara was excited and happy on the day it all fell apart. Her father had married another dragon and the new lady of the house had no interest in his mistress living on her new property... -
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Dragon Designed by Viola Grace
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWorking out tension during some light espionage seems like the thing to do while pondering her future. Eltrinia has been progressing. She is the master of the on-loan gallery, she takes tours of all ages around, and she has been recruited for operative training at the capital. Learning combat tactics in sparring matches with Trin is bizarrely fun. It is like looking into a tinted mirror... -
Tested by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe first in a series of novellas offering a deeper look at the world of the Baine Chronicles. Life as a shifter-mage hybrid has always been tough for Sunaya Baine. Ostracized from her clan and forced to hide her forbidden abilities, she's never fit in. So when she's offered a position at the Enforcers Guild, Solantha's crime-fighting organization, she jumps at the chance to prove her worth... -
Forsaken by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA novella exploring the origins of Fenris, one of the most beloved characters from the Baine Chronicles. Lord Polar ar’Tollis has everything he wants. Wealth, power, respect, beautiful women eager to marry him—there is very little the Chief Mage of Nebara lacks in his life. Except, perhaps, compassion...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk action-adventure book fiction historical law-enforcement magic -
The Mapmakers Union by M.J. Fletcher
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsChloe Masters has a death wish, at least according to her friends. Still reeling from the loss of one of those closest to her she is living life on the edge. One by one she is pushing everyone away. Leaving her with the very person who betrayed her... Faith... -
The Impossible Engineers by M.J. Fletcher
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsChloe Masters’s world changes in a heartbeat and all she did was touch a doorknob.James Nightshade has been on Chloe’s mind since the day she met him. Arrogant and frustrating, she thought she had put him behind her when she chose Michael Slade...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk action-adventure book fiction friendship historical love-triangle -
Skeleton Key Guild by M.J. Fletcher
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHer parents dead, her sister missing, and those she loves branded traitors to the Old Kind... Chloe Masters is on the run.To fulfill a parent’s dying wish she will do anything to save the sister she has never met... -
The Mage War by Ben S. Dobson
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe nations of the Continent are on the verge of declaring war with Audland over the actions of the man who would be the next Mage Emperor, and only Tane, Kadka, Indree, and Tinga know the truth about Endo Stooke's plot. The problem is, they're on the run, blamed for the attempted assassination of the Belgrian Kaiser... -
Lastland by A.R. Ivanovich
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter a devastating attack on the Northern capital, Prince Raserion has taken everything from Katelyn Kestrel . . . everything but her will to fight back and save the people of Haven.Out of the ashes of a burning city, Prince Varion, ruler of the Northern Kingdom, resurfaces, intent on ending the seven-hundred-year war once and for all. But he can’t succeed without Katelyn’s help... -
Vanished by Nicole McKeon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Dresden Files meets The Parasol Protectorate in the first book of this clever, fast-paced Gaslamp Fantasy series about a woman ahead of her time who knows too much about magic, and not enough about self-control.Eccentric social outcast Lady Gwenevere St. James knows many secret things: magic, alchemy, artifice, and even the truth about the long-forgotten faeries...Categorized as:
steampunk industrial-era witches-wizards fantasy mystery historical-fiction fae historical -
Curse of the Phoenix (The Arcane Irregulars Book 1) by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen a trail of magical murders follow a stolen statue, Lieutenant Danny Pak and FBI Agent Buddy Redhorn have to get it back, before its dire curse falls on the city.New York Police Lieutenant Danny Pak has a problem. When one of his officers calls him out to an unusual crime scene, Danny realizes that it’s terrifyingly similar to something the department thought was dead and buried... -
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Stars Die by Jenny Schwartz
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWelcome to Caldryn Parliament. Golden Age mysteries in the Realm of science fiction and fantasy.Recalled from the frontier, the new Warden of Caldryn Parliament is well aware she’s not a popular choice, but she never expected to portal into a murder scene.Nor did she anticipate acquiring such a unique partner... -
Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCousins Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope are all dealing with what it means to be a Lovegrove. For Gretchen, it means she often feels like her head is going to explode. As a Whisperer, Gretchen constantly hears the whispers of other witches' spells...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk witches-wizards action-adventure book fiction ghosts historical -
Monarch by A.R. Ivanovich
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRune Thayer’s rebellion in Cape Hill has placed all of Breakwater in danger. Now, Katelyn Kestrel and her best friend Kyle must do something that no one in the Western Kingdom has ever attempted: travel North into enemy territory and request aid from none other than Prince Varion himself. Before they are able to depart, Katelyn is unwillingly brought face-to-face with Prince Raserion... -
Theory of Magic by Patricia Rice
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA blind marquess who detects lies…A spinster who hides behind deceit…Can even magic bring them together?“Patricia Rice weaves magical love stories” – Mary Jo Putney, NY Times Bestselling AuthorDiscover the third book in NY Times bestseller Patricia Rice’s Unexpected Magic historical romance series!Scorned by suitors for her statuesque size, Harriet Stansbury bolts when her abusive stepfather... -
The Lost Heir by E.G. Foley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNY Times & USA Today bestselling author E.G. Foley presents The Gryphon Chronicles, a new series of historical fantasy adventures that's as much fun for grownups as it is for kids!Strange new talents...Jake is a scrappy orphaned pickpocket living by his wits on the streets of Victorian London...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk urban action-adventure audiobook book children children-books -
The Shotgun Arcana by R.S. Belcher
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsR. S. Belcher’s debut novel, The Six-Gun Tarot, was enthusiastically greeted by critics and readers, who praised its wildly inventive mixture of dark fantasy, steampunk, and the Wild West. Now Belcher returns to Golgotha, Nevada, a bustling frontier town that hides more than its fair share of unnatural secrets.1870...
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