THE SWORD & SHIELD SAGA

A Dark Fantasy of Found Family, Magic, and the Fight for Survival

When everything falls apart, magic is just the beginning. When heaven declares war, survival becomes everything.

Joshua Daugherty has lost everyone. His mother to cancer. His father to prison. Sylvia, the woman who raised him, to time. As a theology student at NYU, he's spent years hiding from the world and from himself, untethered and alone.

Then a red-haired girl with black eyes crashes into his life, and everything changes.

Joshua discovers he's descended from a powerful line of Irish witches, and dormant magic is waking inside him. Suddenly, he's thrust into a hidden world of watchers, witches, Nephilim, and vampires. With Caleb, a charming necromancer who becomes his best friend and chosen family, and Enoch, a belligerent seven-foot Nephilim guardian, Joshua begins to understand his power. But mastering magic is only part of the journey. He must also confront the abandonment he's carried since childhood and the questions about his identity he's never answered.

Then Archangel Michael descends with heaven's army, determined to impose divine rule and eradicate every monster who refuses to bow. When Fiona, a punk vampire claiming to be his great aunt, offers both danger and answers about his bloodline, Joshua faces an impossible choice: What kind of man will he become? What kind of witch? And will he stand with monsters fighting for survival against angelic tyranny?

In Book 1: Tale of the Four Winds, Joshua discovers his magic and his family. In Book 2: The Witch and The Necromancer: Monster's Fate, he fights to keep them alive.

The war has begun. Heaven's army is relentless, and monsters face extinction. With Caleb at his side, Joshua stands against impossible odds, two friends against an army of angels. As his power grows, so do the stakes. He's learning that magic isn't just about spells and strength—it's about sacrifice, choice, and what you're willing to lose to protect the people you love. Michael's crusade shows no mercy. Allies fall. The casualties mount. And Joshua must decide: How far will he go to save a world that angels want to claim?

This is urban fantasy where angels are the enemy, monsters are the heroes, and found family is worth fighting for. A story of survival, identity, and becoming who you need to be when everything is falling apart.

Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Deborah Harkness, and Cassandra Clare.