Book picks similar to
Halcyon by Demelza Carlton


sci-fi
fantasy
paranormal
science-fiction

Tiger of Talmare


Nina Croft - 2010
    But this particular job she would gladly take on for free because Captain Zachary Knight has been a thorn in her side ever since she stole his starship ten years ago.Back then he was a genuine hero and poster boy for the army's hybrid breeding program. Now things have changed. Zach has been accused of a massacre on the planet of Talmare and is being shipped home to stand trial. But certain influential people want to make sure Zach never reaches Earth and Mel and her crew on The Revenge have been hired to intercept him and return him to Talmare.It should have been easy money. The problem is, Zach is impossible to resist and once Mel gets her hands on him she doesn't want to let him go. Now those same people are also after Mel.

Abducted


Cassandra Logan - 2015
    She has a career she loves, an apartment that, while small, meets her needs, and a best friend that is helping her find someone to spend the rest of her life with, or at the very least someone to have a good time with. Zeke is only on Earth long enough to make repairs to some salvaged equipment and relax with the local natives. Just a few, short weeks and then he, and his shipmates are on their way back to their home world. Then he catches Anika's scent and his wolf is gone. Unable, and unwilling, to fight the instant attraction Zeke soon finds himself head over heels, but will the secret he's keeping cause him to lose his mate? Meanwhile, Anika has a secret of her own that could end up having a huge impact on the couple’s future. Disclaimer: This story has several graphic sex scenes and some mild language.

Bound


C.K. Bryant - 2011
    Knowing the truth, and accepting it, will change Kira's life forever and thrust her into a world of ancient curses, magical objects, and savage enemies. What happens next will challenge everything Kira knows about her world, herself and the shape-shifting warrior she's falling in love with. No longer the timid mouse her mother accused her of being, but a woman who finds the mental and physical strength to endure and survive. BOUND is a heroic tale of true friendship, infinite sacrifice and untamed love.

Vados


Erin Tate - 2015
    But that was then. This is now. As a marine biologist, Maris Xayer is used to observing all types of marine life, but she never imagined she’d come face to tail with an Ujal. In the middle of a hurricane, Maris and Vados came together—ahem—and then he disappeared. She figured it was a one-storm stand with an Ujal and moved on. Except Vados hadn’t really gone anywhere and now the sexy as sin, red-skinned Ujal is back. For her. **This is a stand alone 37 page SHORT STORY.**

First World


Jaymin Eve - 2013
    An epic journey. If the Seventine are released, will anyone survive?Abigail Swish might not love her life, living in gang-ridden New York in 2035 and training to fight and survive with Compound 23. But she is grateful for a few things, especially her no-filter-between-brain-and-mouth best friend Lucy and her escape each night into a dream world far different from her own. In fact, sometimes she lives for the fleeting moments she spends at night with the man who fuels every romantic fantasy she’s ever had. But each morning reality returns. She could just cry. But she won’t of course; tears don’t change a damn thing.Then without any warning, a month before her eighteenth birthday, everything does change. A guardian finds her. He explains, in a strangely familiar accent, that she was stashed on Earth for safekeeping and has been lost to her family ever since. And it is time to return home. To the First World; a land of unimagined beauty. Abigail and Lucy find themselves escaping New York, ending up on another planet and traversing through an unforgiving wilderness. Yeah, because that sort of thing just happens every day. Luckily an unexpected saviour arrives; the man from her dream-world. Brace is six-and-a-half feet of gorgeous perfectness, wrapped in an arrogance like no other. Unable to trust his assistance, and unsure which of her instincts to follow - kiss him or punch him in the mouth - Abigail eventually accepts his help to find her family. And what a family. Enter Josian, her father; larger than life and apparently not even human. He is Walker, a planet-less race revered as gods, causing mischief and mayhem through-out this star-system. Unfortunately, there is no time for a cosy reunion, since no one explained that by returning to First World her half-Walker genetics would act as a catalyst setting forth a chain of events which could spell disaster for not only her existence but that of all worlds.First World is book one in the Walker Saga, a seven-book paranormal fantasy series.Spurn - A Walker Saga Book Two release date set for September 2013.

The Girl In Between


Laekan Zea Kemp - 2012
    Afflicted with Klein-Levin Syndrome, she suffers episodes of prolonged sleep that steal weeks, and sometimes even months, from her life. But unlike most KLS patients, she doesn’t spend each episode in a catatonic state or wake up with no recollection of the time she’s missed. Instead, Bryn spends half her life in an alternate reality made up of her memories. For Bryn, the past is a place, until one day a boy she’s never met before washes up on the illusory beach of her dreams with no memory of who he is.But the appearance of this strange boy isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Bryn’s symptoms are worsening, her body weakening as she’s plagued by hallucinations even while awake. Her only hope of finding a cure is to undergo experimental treatment created by a German specialist. But when Dr. Banz reveals that he knows more about her strange symptoms than he originally let on, Bryn learns that the boy in her head might actually be the key to understanding what’s happening to her, and worse, that if she doesn’t find out his identity before it’s too late, they both may not survive.

Land of Shadows


Jeff Gunzel - 2012
    But the virtually lawless cities contain no shortage of darkness and greed. A land where daily survival in the harsh realm takes priority over all else. But the world is about to change. The ancient prophecies, written during a time long forgotten, just might be true after all.Join in as unlikely companions from completely different worlds set out on the adventure of a lifetime. A search for answers. A search for the truth. This book is intended for mature audiences.

Releasing Rage


Cynthia Sax - 2015
    Half Machine. All Hers. Rage, the Humanoid Alliance’s most primitive cyborg, has two goals — kill all of the humans on his battle station and escape to the Homeland. The warrior has seen the darkness in others and in himself. He believes that’s all he’s been programmed to experience. Until he meets Joan. Joan, the battle station’s first female engineer, has one goal — survive long enough to help the big sexy cyborg plotting to kill her. Rage might not trust her but he wants her. She sees the passion in his eyes, the caring in his battle-worn hands, the gruff emotion in his voice. When Joan survives the unthinkable, Rage’s priorities are tested. Is there enough room in this cyborg’s heart for both love and revenge?

Stronger Than Magic


Melinda VanLone - 2012
    In a world of magic, hidden away from those who have no power, Tarian Xannon commands the natural forces of water, air, and fire. As heir to the Dolphin Throne, her job is to learn what it takes to lead—but she'd much rather forget the heavy weight of responsibility in the waves of the ocean. When Tarian is brutally attacked, she faces the shocking reality her talent, while strong, is no match for the demon-like creature. This power play for the throne ignites the Succession Ritual, forcing Tarian to make hard choices about the future of her unborn child, House Xannon, and the very fabric of magical society. As her defenses wane, his attacks grow bolder. All she knows and loves hangs in the balance. Tarian fights not only to keep the throne she thought she hated, but to accept her true place in the world. Will her power be enough? Or are some things stronger than magic?This is an alternate cover for ASIN B00AOSF6T8.

Exes and Goals


Heather C. Myers - 2017
    She has one.Harper Crawford is a big fan of the Newport Beach Seagulls, despite their abysmal previous season. It's been a year since Ken Brown's murder and Seraphina Hanson, Ken's youngest granddaughter, just survived her first year as the new owner and manager of the national hockey team. Barely. The last year was dismal to the point where Seraphina is making drastic changes. Like hiring Harper as their official blogger. Harper gets to travel with the team, write character pieces, critiques, game summaries, and the like. It's her dream job.Another change? Putting together practically a new team, including Zachary Ryan, first line center. At six foot four and two hundred and twenty pounds, he is tall, dark blond, and solid muscle. He's arrogant and direct and the minute he sees Harper at Taboo nightclub during a team bonding session dressed in a plaid shirt and converse sneakers, he has to get to know her better.Except there's a problem from her past that won't go away. Harper has an ex that won't stay in her past - where he belongs. He starts showing up at her place, reminding her of all the wrong choices she made, bringing up things she wants nothing more than to forget. When Zachary gets involved, things get heated and his notorious temper flares.Harper doesn't want to get involved with a hockey player - especially with an overzealous ex who won't leave her alone - but Zachary plans to change her mind. No matter what the cost.

The Visitor


Mark Lawrence - 2018
    The only thing you need to know is that Wild Cards is set in our world, and an alien virus has been infecting people in rare outbreaks. It kills 90% of victims, makes ugly monsters of 9% (Jokers) and gives 1% random superpowers (Aces).A very personal short story that I'm proud of and want to find a wider audience for.There is a sequel story free on the Tor website, The Visitor: Kill or Cure.

Her Alien Priest


Michele Mills - 2021
    I spend my days in quiet contemplation, keeping my flame-throwing banked and nursing my war wounds. And I take my vows of silence and celibacy very seriously.Very. Seriously.Then one day a mouthy, gorgeous human female is dumped onto the stone steps of the main altar. And suddenly I’m tempted like never before. Warning: This is a ‘Monster Bites’ novella, a spin-off from the Monsters Love Curvy Girls series. Only read if you enjoy a taste of the profane, satanic-looking heroes and curvy-girl heroines.

Breakwater: Leo


Becca Fanning - 2016
    White kinetic fabric dress, the latest grav-heels and a sea of her loved ones all blinking away tears of joy. But this wasn't a dream: it was a nightmare. Instead of her father giving her hand in marriage, he's lost it in a game of poker to the galactic war criminal Strathmore. But if fate had dealt her a bad hand, it was time to flip the damned table and run. Captain Leo Ingram. Smuggler. Bear Shifter. Lover. Or at least that's what his business card said. Not that the mewling merchant in front of him cared about any of that. This was a quick hand-off, merchandise for credits. Then he and his crew would be back aboard the Breakwater and off to the nearest trade port to drink and piss their ill-gotten gains away. But before they could finish the deal, a young woman stumbled out of the underbrush into their illicit business deal. Was that... a wedding dress? This 15,000+ word novella has hot Science Fiction Space Opera Bear Shifter action, a Happily Ever After, no cheating and no cliffhangers! I've attached some free stories afterward as my thanks to you.

Charming The Alpha


Liliana Rhodes - 2013
    One night while visiting her grandmother, she's startled by a wolf and everything changes. In the forest investigating a recent rash of murders and missing shifters, werewolf Alpha Caleb Overstreet doesn't expect to run into a human, let alone a witch. Especially not one whose scent tells him she is his other half…or is she? As the secrets of her ancestry are revealed, Caleb and Hannah are unable to stay away from each other and Hannah finds herself in danger. A rival pack believes her to be at the center of a curse that would enable them to control other shifters. But is Hannah the wolf charmer they believe her to be? Or is she really Caleb's fated mate?

The Institute


Kayla Howarth - 2015
    Always looking over your shoulder. The source of your fear? The Institute.Allira Daniels will do anything to keep her Defective brother safe from the Institute. They claim to protect Defectives, but it’s human nature to fear the unknown. Defectives are dangerous, they possess abilities that no human should be able to. To Allira and the rest of her family, the Institute seems more like a prison than the safe-haven they promote themselves to be. Protecting Shilah from that fate is their number one priority.When Allira stumbles across a car crash involving two of her school classmates, she ignores all of her father’s warnings of laying low and not drawing attention to herself. By doing so, she may have just caught the eye of the Institute. She’s not Defective, but what seventeen-year-old girl has the ability to pull two teenage boys away from a fiery rubble and walk away without a scratch? It would definitely be seen as suspicious.Allira and her family need to make decisions. Do they stay, or do they flee again? Will they be coming for her? Will her whole family come under investigation? Will they discover Shilah and his ability to predict the future?Are you Defective? The Institute is coming for you.