31 books like Valor Novel

I loved this story because it opens your mind to another kind of justice, but justice nonetheless. 

Vicki Nelson is an ex-cop turned private investigator. One evening, she witnesses a horrific murder that is out of this world. 

She consults with her former partner, Mike Celluci. However, a knight in not-so-shiny armor appears, Henry Fitzroy. Henry is a vampire who will prove to be the best ally they could have hoped for. And there, in the dark streets of Toronto, a new kind of justice had been born. 

I first read this book when I was a teenager, and it became my gold standard on how to write engaging, imaginative worlds and the unique histories, languages, and cultures that populate them.

More than the intricate space politics and incredibly innovative anthropology present in this massive series, however, I was most drawn to how the main character, Bren (a human diplomat trying to navigate his way through the court intrigue of an alien government) eventually finds a family unlike any other in his atevi bodyguards, Banichi and Jago. 

Bren also gathers a wide collection of allies and companions on the strange world his space-faring ancestors crash-landed on 150 years ago…all while trying to avoid being assassinated or starting an interplanetary war. 

I’ve been a Trekkie—yeah, I own it—since I was a tiny child. And in all that time, my favorite race in Star Trek was the Romulans. This book has been one of my favorites since it was published in 1987; I re-read it often. The book tells two stories in alternating chapters: one is the story of Arrhae, a servant who is also a Federation deep-cover operative. The other chapters are the history of the Romulans from before their split with the Vulcan people. Duane gives us more than we’d seen in TOS, giving us a rich history and culture of a proud people. The novel also gives us a way to see forward to a time when maybe the Federation and the Romulans will no longer be enemies. This is absolutely my favorite Star Trek novel. 

In most space opera novels, humans are the absolute best. Whether they began the government they belong to, or came to it later, they’re special in a way that makes the universe better. Melinda Snodgrass’ The High Ground is different. In her series, humans went into space, met aliens, and conquered nearly everyone they met. Now the aristocrats of the Solar League spend their time on balls and dancing, while in the dark, a new menace approaches. This is an action series, but the heart of the story is the relationship between Mercedes, eldest daughter of the Emperor, and Tracy, the common-born son of a tailor, thrust together by circumstance and torn apart by the realities of their society.  It’s a great series, full of adventure, political infighting, and humans—some of them, anyway—learning to be better people. 

I love not knowing anything about a book and finding myself turning from page to page, ever more excited to be a part of the adventure.

This alternate end of life leaves me wondering, why not? Though I look forward to a peaceful Galactic future, this one sure is fun (from the reader's perspective)!

I love Tanya Huff’s style of writing as much as I like her wonderful ideas.

The heroes and heroines in her novels are so well crafted you almost feel you know them personally, which to my mind is the key to a good read. 

The Silvered has Steampunk elements. It is, however, set in an invented world that shows some resemblance to our 19th century. The book is a thrilling fantasy novel combining Steampunk with magic: I love the combination.

I will never forget this story. It’s about betrayal and street justice. Sometimes, it’s the only way to regain your soul. 

When New York socialite Jo Slater meets a French countess, they become fast friends. Shortly after, bad things start to happen.

First, her husband dies under mysterious circumstances. Next, she loses everything because the beneficiary of her husband’s will is the countess. Struggling through poverty, she comes up with a brilliant plan for justice. 

Just like that, the French countess had vanished, and Jo had regained her losses. Best of all, she had regained her smile; it was a certain kind of smile, like that of a Cheshire cat

Set in an alternate history environment in England, the Lord Darcy stories superbly combine the flair of an – albeit non-historical – “dark romantic” age with the classic whodunnit framework in a parallel world where magic is possible and can be used to solve crimes.

The archetypal characters of the highly intelligent detective and his brainy sidekick here give the reader a ‘prince-detective’ with a ‘mage-assistant’. The book is not new, but good reads do not go stale.

As a lover of both D. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey detective novels and magic wielded in bygone ages, I fell in love with these stories right away. 

In the era of Bridgerton and in the wake of 2005’s Pride and Prejudice film, my heart has been swallowed whole by regency era period pieces.

This novel has the best banter I have ever read. The female lead, Abigail, considers herself a spinster (in her *gasp* late twenties) and thus past the age of romance. She resigns herself to caring for her very high-maintenance relatives. Until she meets Mr. Calverleigh.

She is so determined to loathe him, but can’t help but be charmed by his conversation. I loved watching this independent woman learn to put herself first and reluctantly fall in love with the last person she expected.

This story is about the best: ironic, poetic justice. I personally could not stop laughing at the end.

Villain Patrick Lanigan’s career began as a lawyer and blossomed. Sadly, this only gave him an unquenchable lust for money. He was a crafty, shifty thief. 

He thought of himself as a sort of Robin Hood when he decided to steal $90 million that was not really “kosher.”  Then, he fakes his own death, which involves a dead body, not his. On and on you might experience jet lag reading this complex plot.

In the end, the love of his life took off with the money and left him rotting in jail.