Book picks similar to
Westward to Strange by Ray Litt


mermaids
fantasy
first-reads
paranormal

Tempest Rising


Tracy Deebs - 2011
    Surfing the killer waves. Taking care of her brothers and dad. Loving her longtime boyfriend, Mark. But the weight of her secret is pulling her under, toward the ocean's ever-growing call.Among the waves...Tempest's secret? She is half mermaid, a legacy left by her absent mother, who returned to the ocean many years ago. And now Tempest has her own choice to make. Complicating matters is Kona, an enigmatic newcomer whose otherworldly abilities hint at a shared passion and common secrets.Beyond the sea...But there is more at stake besides Tempest's heart and her identity - her life may be in danger too. Because the waters hide a mysterious and dark secret world of their own, one full of sweeping romance and thrilling adventure - but one where nobody, least of all Tempest, is safe.

Amethyst


Heather Bowhay - 2012
    Premonitions dictate her every move, compelling her to rescue strangers day and night. After years of self-sacrifice, she decides to ignore one, but innocent people die. So, when the next premonition depicts her own death, Lexi is faced with the decision of a lifetime. As if an ill-fated future isn’t enough to deal with, a series of strange illnesses and murders devastate her small town, and co-worker Jessica Nelson insists Lexi can help. According to Jessica, everyone is born with an inner energy called Essence. Only a select few, Amethysts, can control Essence and heal people. Jessica claims to be an Amethyst and asks Lexi to join her and a group of her friends as they track the murderers. Despite her personal plight, Lexi considers joining them.Then again, Lexi discovers secrets run deep among Jessica’s friends. Not only do they have a hidden agenda, but they also harbor extraordinary abilities. And they have connections with the Ray-pacs – the sadistic killers who are preying on human Essence. Ultimately, Lexi must decide if life, not death, equals salvation. And if so, is she willing to make certain sacrifices and join her friends in eradicating the Ray-pacs?Amethyst is the first novel in the Guardian series, a spellbinding, young adult, urban fantasy series. One that wouldn’t be complete without a love triangle at the heart of the story.

Deathly Still


Elizabeth A. Reeves - 2015
     Antigone Baehr is almost eighteen when her life takes a bizarre turn. All those feelings she'd had her whole life that she was different from all of her peers were actually true-- she is something called 'unlife'. Now forced to face Death face-to-face, Annie finds herself caught up in a future she never wanted for herself-- is she fated for Death? Or to be Death?

Phoenix Rising


Lisa C. Morgan - 2011
    Maggie has lived the last ten years with a woman who isn't her mother and carrying the label "Daughter of John Henning", a man sentenced to live out his days at Sunnyview Psychiatric Hospital after his conviction of fire bombing a church...and killing the 8 people inside.What Maggie learns will change her life.She is the last of a race of creatures known as "The Phoenix", a race of supernatural beings with the ability to wield and control fire.And she will need that power now...Revenants- walking, living, skeletal creatures who have waged a war against an unseen, parallel world known simply as The Realm- need Maggie's blood to bring them to a full power...a power that will give them an unbeatable edge and offer the deciding weapon in this war.Maggie is not alone as she learns not only what she really is, but what it is her destiny to become...

Dreams and Echoes


Patti Larsen
    But with a witch for a mother and a demon for a father, her dream of being normal and like everyone else has its difficulties. When Syd lands a job in a hair salon, she finally feels like her wish to be just folks could be coming true. That is, until the ghost haunting her house wakes to ask her a favor...

A Class Apart


Stephen Henning - 2011
    Many of their friends are killed. When the twins wake up in hospital, their lives have changed forever.The doctors are amazed at the speed with which James and Sam recover from their injuries and, when the twins begin to exhibit extraordinary powers, it is obvious that something incredible has happened.As James and Sam attempt to overcome their fears and embrace their new abilities, a series of murders and disappearances start plaguing the hospital. The twins aren’t the only ones with special abilities and it becomes apparent that someone is coming for them.Will James and Sam be able to survive the nightmare into which they have been plunged? Who, or what, is behind the murders at the hospital? And was that terrorist incident quite so random after all?

Vampire Origins - Project Ichorous


Riley Banks - 2013
    Exploring the origins of five very different vampire tribes - Strigoi, Cambion, Strix, Nosferatu and Bretonnian - the series opens with Book 1 of the Strigoi series; Project Ichorous. He slaughtered 30,000 in one night in Jerusalem and impaled 100,000 more in Romania in the 1400s. Now Vlad has discovered a way to enslave humans and rule the world - and this time, the death toll will be catastrophic. Only one thing can put an end to his plans - a Strigoi human. And Vlad will stop at nothing to eradicate every last one. Scarlett Fraser has no idea she's the very thing Vlad is hunting, or that the castle her dad is renovating is ground zero for Vlad's Ichorous Project and his plans for world domination. She can stop Vlad and save the world but she must stay human long enough to do so. As Scarlett is about to discover, staying human is a lot easier said than done.

Forsaken


Kristen Day - 2012
    Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her. Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and a dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity. Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her,’ Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendants of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love. She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesied to be a part of. The fate of all the descendants will forever depend upon it.

Wolf Admirer (Paranormal Shadows Book 2)


Minna Lune - 2016
    Given the lack of time left, the task seems to be impossible. What about her secret admirer, who prefers to remain unknown? What about her friendly physician, Dr. Stenson? What if she went alone? No one knows much about the good Dr. Andrew Stenson. No one, including his fellow shifters, knows about his past, and he’s not sharing that info with anyone. His wolf shifter side sees Mindy and thinks she may be the perfect match. But he’s not interested in a relationship, so why can’t he stop thinking about her? A BBW Wolf Shifter Romance Second book in the Paranormal Shadows Series This book stands alone

Love's Catalyst


L.M. Lacee - 2018
    It can be read alone although the story concentrates on characters that are present throughout the entire series so would probably be better read between book two, (Sharm and Edith's Story) and book three (Storm and Charlie's Story). A Daddy that can fly! Lars and Claire met because Kammy, Claire's adopted daughter wanted her own daddy that can fly and her new awakening instincts as a Tiger cub lead her to Lars. Lars Axton, Prime to the Dragon Lord, decides to visit the vibrant town of Dragon's Gap and finds, not only a good cup of coffee but a hesitant shadow and a tiger cub who informs him he is her new daddy. What is a dragon to do? three day old baby bear that no one wants. Claire Nash Kammy's mama, a half cougar, mostly street wise liaison for Dragon's Gap who trusts no one least of all wealthy males who seem to have rich tastes, finds herself not only mated to a dragon but adopting a lonely three day old baby bear that no one wants.

Follow the Crow


B.B. Griffith - 2014
    Six years ago his little sister Ana vanished without a trace. His best friend saw what happened, but he refuses to speak of what he knows, and so was banished from the Navajo tribe. That was the day the crows started following Ben. Caroline Adams is a nurse with a special talent: she sees things others can’t see. She knows that Ben is more than he seems, and that the crows are trying to tell him something. What the crows know will shed new light on the mystery of Ana’s disappearance, and throw Ben and Caroline into a race against time to find out what happened before they end up vanishing just like she did.

Lies Beneath


Anne Greenwood Brown - 2012
    To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love - just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

All Things To Everyone


Aldred Chase - 2014
    This time however, things are different because he reveals to her an ability to see the supernatural. She wants to train him but she is not the only one who is keen to help him develop his talents. He soon realizes that he can't be all things to everyone and he will have to make some difficult decisions. His choices will lead him into a terrifying fight for survival that will test his skill and courage to the limit.All Things to Everyone is the first book in the Sinister Sydney Series: stories where the supernatural pierces the thin skin of modern life in Sydney.

Ashes on the Waves


Mary Lindsey - 2013
    Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever.With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make awager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed.Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem, "Annabel Lee," Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.

Moonlit (Moonlit #1)


Jadie Jones - 2013
    She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can't be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods.When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn't.But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself?