Book picks similar to
Death's Handmaiden by Niall Teasdale
science-fiction
lgbt
sci-fi
fantasy
The Changeling
Jennifer Lyndon - 2016
The only constant of her childhood was transience, as she was continuously fleeing, at the insistence of her guardians, and usually in the quiet of night, from one end of the Vilken realm to the other. As a child, Lore never understood the need for caution and secrecy, or the actual threat to her survival. In her adolescence she learns of the royal blood in her veins, and the horrific fate of her parents at the hand of her uncle, the false King. The Changeling is the tale of Lore's rise to power, and the journey she takes to find the love she needs to survive.
bound together
Corinn Heathers - 2015
Karin Ashley lives a lonely life that feels hollow, with a job she hates and a family she loves but can't quite figure out. Called in late one night to respond to an electronic break-in at a branch office of the Records & Licensing Agency, she is introduced in the most terrifying way to a hidden world of legends, supernatural beings and plenty of corruption, both literal and metaphorical. Behind corporate and political veils, evil spirits are summoned and bargained with for power. Fantastic powers and reality-bending magic lurks beneath the successes and conquests of modern corporate dynasties, descended from ancient arcane Houses that have influenced human history for centuries. Karin is thrust headlong into a world suddenly gone mad, but she won't have to fight alone. Mystically bound to an ancient spirit within the sword through a capricious twist of fate, will the new bonds they forge together prove to be the strongest yet?
Leviathan
Erik Schubach - 2019
The preternatural races step out of hiding to work with the humans to save what they can from their dying world. With the aid of the Fae, shape shifters, Vampires, and other creatures of supernatural lore, the Worldship, Leviathan, is complete one thousand years later. Lotteries are held and only twelve million souls are selected to make the ten thousand year journey to the new world aboard the multi-generational starship. The Worldship Files follow the cases of Knith Shade, a human law enforcement officer of the Enforcers Brigade aboard the Leviathan, five thousand years into her journey. Knith must investigate a series of grisly murders, where the victims organs are harvested in the back halls of the bulkhead decks of the massive habitation rings of the Leviathan. Where others have failed, she has discovered leads that lead her to the unthinkable, when all signs point to a Fae Lady, and not just any lady, but the daughter of Queen Mab herself. Driven to solve the murders and bring the perpetrator to justice, even though she knows that merely even suggesting a Fae could have anything to do with the crimes would cause retaliation against Knith's habitation ring, as the magic of the Fae is what is keeping everyone alive on the Worldship. It could be more than simply career suicide. Enforcer Shade finds herself almost irresistible drawn to her main suspect, the Winter Maiden, Princess Aurora herself. Secrets are revealed and treachery uncovered, while even more mysteries and questions are unearthed.
Birthright
L. Fergus - 2019
She's an undefeated sword duelist and risen to underboss in the Shadow Guild, but her family keeps dragging her back to her life as a duke's daughter—and no one will explain why.
What Kita doesn't know is her future was written before she was born.
When the Commander of the Legion of Yorq arrives to recruit a member of the noble family, Kita's mother informs Kita of her destiny: a powerful role in Arcone, a place Kita's never heard of. This is the opportunity Kita longs for—it will take her far from home and give her protection from her father.
But nothing's free.
To claim her birthright, Kita must win the harrowing Proving Ritual but the deadly challenge may be more than Kita can handle. She would rather die than live with failure. But to win, she may be forced to reveal her darkest secret.
Awards
Best Overall -- The Pearl Awards
1st Place Science FIction -- The Lilac Awards
1st Place Science Fiction -- LGBT+ Wattys
1st Place Science Fiction -- The Blue Rose Awards
1st Place Science Fiction -- Eminence Awards
Angel of Yorq BONUS STORY NOT INCLUDED! GET IT WITH THE PAPERBACK VERSION
The Sovereign of Psiere
K. Aten - 2019
The Makers built massive pyramids on each continent and filled them with encrypted texts and advanced technology. The two suns, Archeos and Illeos shine down on a mostly undiscovered planet with a psionic race of people living on land, and violent sea people below the water. The Queen seeks to make the world a better place for all Psierians but her daughter, Royal Sovereign Connate Olivienne Dracore, seeks only to solve the Divine Mystery.The connate makes her living as a historical adventurist and wants the answer to two important questions. Who were the Makers and where did they go? Because she is the heir, Olivienne travels with a security force and resents it every moment. Every one of her captains has either quit or been injured trying to keep up with the risk-taking woman. That’s where Commander Castellan Tosh comes in. Capable, confident, and oh-so-dashing, she is forced to switch career corps to take charge of Olivienne’s team. Sparks fly from the moment they meet and things only get hotter as they chase down the clues to the greatest mystery of all time
The Avatar's Flames
Benjamin Medrano - 2018
Talented in magic, the young elven woman didn’t fit in in her hometown, but was scheduled to attend the most renowned academy of magic in the kingdom, and was even building up the courage to confess her love in the hope that it might be returned. That all ended in a dragon’s fire. Resvarygrath the Gilded, lord of the Golden Dominion, destroyed Ruethwyn’s village, killed her parents and teacher, and stole away the young women of the village. Maimed by the dragon’s flames, Ruethwyn was spared by a curious dark elf, who gave her a chance; she had two years to rescue her beloved, or risk losing her forever. Now, Ruethwyn has little time to recover as best she can. Missing an eye and an arm, her magic half-crippled and her wounds impossible to heal due to a curse, Ruethwyn’s prospects at the academy are limited, but she refuses to give up. No matter what challenges she may face, she is determined not to surrender. She’s lost too much and refuses to lose another. First, though, she needs to survive long enough, which proves more challenging than Ruethwyn expects.
Outlier: Rebellion
Daryl Banner - 2014
Poor, starved, and armed with only their lowly powers, an unlikely crew of slum-born form a secret rebel group with the sole purpose of assassinating the Banshee King, who rules from the Lifted City above where those born rich—and with great powers—live in luxury. When all seems hopeless, the rebellion discovers that their newest member—a boy who CAN sleep and dream—just might be the key to their victory.*THIS IS BOOK #1 IN THE OUTLIER SERIES**It is recommended to read this series in order**Some portions of the book end in cliffhangers*OUTLIER: REBELLION (#1)OUTLIER: LEGACY (#2)OUTLIER: REIGN OF MADNESS (#3)OUTLIER: BEYOND OBLIVION (#4)OUTLIER: WEAPONS OF ATLAS (#5)OUTLIER: GIFTS OF THE GODDESS (#6)
Beast Caller
Brea Alepoú - 2019
Every day the same routine; going to class and hanging with her best friend, Denelle. Then, suddenly, everything changed. While investigating a flash of light she was transported to another realm. The harder she tries to return to her world and forget about it, she's dragged back into this foreign world. Zola's world. Zola is an esteemed unicorn general. One of the highest ranking warriors of the forest. She vowed to protect the forest and all its inhabitants. While fighting against a pack of wild ghouls, she meets a beautiful witch. It's been drilled in her head from a young age that Witches and magical creatures don’t mix. Witches aren't to be trusted, yet she can’t fight the attraction she has toward this stranger. This beautiful soul. Itsumi is indebted to the queen and must follow her orders. One of her missions is to help capture a powerful witch. When she does, she can't understand, nor can she fight the attraction to the sarcastic beauty. One witch and two magical creatures, fireballs fly and screams will be heard. Everything could be ripped away in a flurry of blood and pain. The start of the Witch Queen has begun.
The Eldritch Heart
Matthew S. Cox - 2017
Oh, did I mention assassins? Seers foretold the conflict would end by her hand. From the moment she drew her first breath, the neighboring kingdom has been trying to kill her so she could not grow powerful enough to destroy them. Fearing for his daughter’s life, the king has kept her confined to the castle grounds for most of her sixteen years. With the tide of war turning against them, the burden of her crown becomes too much to bear, yet one thing lifts her spirits amid the gloom. Her servant girl, Kitlyn. Alas, in a kingdom obsessed with the god of purity, she is terrified to confess her forbidden love. When her father makes a demand she cannot abide―marry a prince to forge a military alliance―Oona panics. He is handsome and honorable, but he’s not Kitlyn. Unable to admit why she cannot obey, Oona does the only thing she can think of, and runs away. Alone and unprepared in the wilderness, she prays the gods will let Kitlyn find her—before the assassins do.
The Raging Ones
Krista Ritchie - 2018
Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday. Until the day she does. Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him. Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny. With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.
Subjection
Alicia Cameron - 2015
Thrown into a harsh, unyielding world where slaves are treated as less than animals, Sascha struggles to come to terms with everything he knows being ripped away from him, but a life of success could never prepare him for his life as one of the Demoted. Sinking lower and lower, Sascha begins to lose hope, but the whim of a mysterious, wealthy man has the potential to change all that.Cashiel has a dark history that he guards carefully. Between family and business and politics, he rarely has time for a slave, much less a lover. But when he sees a young man who reminds him of the very history he is trying to escape, he makes an impulse decision that he’s not sure whether to regret or not. The slave could expose everything, or he could be the most valuable asset that Cashiel has ever acquired.Cashiel and Sascha share desires, hopes, and a home. Each man is limited by status, hindered by history, and desperate to succeed. The question is, will that be enough? (M/M - For content labels and excerpt, see details on publisher's site.)
Wild Hearts
Bridget Essex - 2020
It's three o'clock in the morning, and she decides to duck into a gas station to get warm, and perhaps buy a cup of tea. But when the power cuts out, Ella's life is changed forever.Because, that night, she should have died. And she would have, were it not for the mysterious, white-haired woman who saves her life: Silver.Silver is more intriguing—and attractive—than any woman Ella's ever known. She insists that she knew Ella's mother, and that she can help Ella find out “who she really is.” But, while Ella is deeply attracted to Silver, how can she possibly believe what Silver says?After all, there's no such thing as werewolves.Ella's life is in danger, and the woman who holds the key to her survival is as mysterious as she is intense. Ella can't predict what's going to happen next... All she knows is that this gorgeous, wild woman might just change her destiny...
Perilous Waif
E. William Brown - 2017
When I was little I used to climb up to the highest branches of the housetree at night, and watch the starships docking at the orbital stations high above. Forty meters off the ground, watching ships thirty thousand kilometers overhead, with senses that could pick out radar pings and comm chatter as easily as the ships themselves. It all seemed perfectly natural at the time. There were other kids with mods at the orphanage, but nothing like that. I learned fast to downplay my abilities, keep my mouth shut and try to blend in. Even as a kid I knew not to trust the Matrons. What would they do, if they realized the Adjustments that were supposed to make me a meek little herd animal didn’t do anything? Then I messed up, and gave myself away. Now I’m on the run, hoping against hope that the Matrons won’t try too hard to find me. Hoping to survive all the awful things that can happen to a girl on her own in space. Kidnappers, slavers, pirates and yakuza - no matter where I go, trouble always seems to find me. Good thing I’m not as helpless as I look.
Shadows of Aggar
Chris Anne Wolfe - 1991
Her mission: Rescue a downed pilot and spy from Aggar's badlands. But Aggar is not part of the Terran empire and before Aggar's Council will allow the journey, Diana must be bonded to a Shadowmate. That's when things get interesting. Shadows are exceptional guides, field companions and fighters. However, Elana is also something more -- she's gifted with the magic of the Blue Sight, a sixth sense that allows her to read and manipulate intentions through the shifting colors of an individual's amarin. She's also been gifted with dreams. Dreams of a certain Amazon. Aided by friends and flying eitteh, haunted by Changelings, madmen and laser guns, Diana and Elana cross the vast and varied lands that are Aggar. In their race against time to prevent an all-out intergalactic war, the two women become erotically entangled. But all too soon they discover that when the stakes are this high, nothing is ever easy and choices are never simple.
Signal to Noise
Talya Andor - 2012
Their distress calls have gone unanswered, and they are running out of supplies. They have no one but each other. And when the long-awaited rescue finally arrives, it brings with it complications that make being alone and forgotten look easy.WARNING: Please note that this story features incest.