Book picks similar to
Holding Out for a Hero by Maria Shield


greek-mythology
ebook
contemporary
fantasy-paranormal

Cornerstone


Misty Provencher - 2011
    Nalena desperately wants something to change in her life, but when she receives a sign (and it's the wrong dang one) inviting her into a mysterious, ancient community, too much changes. What she knew of her family, what she thought of her life and what she believed about her future, is no longer applicable. Seventeen years worth of family skeletons come crashing into Nalena's life and it is the boy...the one that smiles at her like he wants to hear everything she'll ever say...that already knows her powerful secrets. But it is only Nalena that can choose between protecting the life that is already crumbling beneath her feet and the one that might sacrifice everything she could ever have.

After Obsession


Carrie Jones - 2011
    The dream rushes back to me. We were falling, clutching at each other, with twisting darkness all around us... The girl looks up at me and I realize I've stopped walking and am staring at her. I see something in her eyes, something like recognition.AIMEEAnd in that second I know, absolutely know, that something in my life has changed irrevocably. This is the guy from my dreams. Right here. And we are going to have to do something, save something, together. I just don't know what.TOGETHERAlan and Aimee have just met, but already they are bound to each other by something they can't quite name. Something that rattles the windows, haunts the waters... and threatens to tear them apart before they get a chance to find out what their connection means.

Wake


Amanda Hocking - 2012
    Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs. She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

Fury's Kiss


Nicola R. White - 2015
    At least to waitress Tara Walker, who dreams of more excitement than slinging plates of seafood for Cape Cod tourists. But as Tara learns when she is attacked and forced to fight for her life, fate sometimes has a funny way of giving you exactly what you wish for. Faced with strange new powers and embroiled in a murder investigation, Tara must now race to uncover the secrets of the ancient Fury that has woken inside of her - and of the evil that stalks her.As if Tara’s life hasn’t gotten complicated enough, she is forced to ally herself with Jackson Byrne, witness to her assault and uncle to a pint-sized oracle whose fate is intertwined with hers. Skeptical, stubborn, and oh-so-sexy, Jackson wrestles with demons of his own. He is determined to ignore the attraction rising between them even faster than the body count, but like it or not, he and Tara need each other if they are to unravel the mysteries that surround them.

Witches of East End


Melissa de la Cruz - 2011
    Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.

Null Witch


Lori Drake - 2019
    A threat to those with it. Can she unlock her heritage to save innocent lives? ER nurse Emily Davenport was born a null—a powerless witch. Ignoring the contempt of her prestigious magical family, she seeks out normalcy in New Mexico. But when a local spellcaster lands in her emergency room drained of power, she fears something evil lurks in her southwestern sanctuary.When she alerts the police, their sole Magic Crimes detective desperately needs Emily’s help in locating the suspect. But while rescuing a witch under attack, she awakens a mysterious ability that could be the key to protecting her kind.Can Emily wield her gifted birthright before more witches get burned?Null Witch is the first book in the action-packed Secondhand Magic urban fantasy series. If you like unique worlds, sassy characters, and paranormal adventures with a distinctive southwestern flavor, then you’ll love Lori Drake’s thrilling tale. Buy Null Witch to cast a spellbinding journey today!

Marked


Elisabeth Naughton - 2010
    He's the leader of the Eternal Guardians, an elite group of warriors that defend the mortal realm.From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn't exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron's duty to bring her in. But even he wasn't strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.As war with the immortal realm nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Sin & Chocolate


K.F. Breene - 2018
    Drama I happily do without. I live in a forgotten corner of nowhere for a reason: there is safety in anonymity. I have enough problems just trying to get by. But when Kieran, a sinfully sexy demigod at the pinnacle of power, crashes into my life, suddenly my whole world is turned upside down. He’s harboring a deadly secret, one that could destroy all he holds dear. He thinks I’m the key to his salvation, and he wants me to help him claim vengeance. He also wants me with a passion that burns my body from the inside out. To ignore him is impossible, but to give in to my desires, even for a night, would thrust me into danger I might not survive. Can I resist the temptation?

Dead Radiance


T.G. Ayer - 2012
    And she knows all too well what psychiatrists do to people who claim impossible powers. She's always stayed below the radar, but when she discovers the meaning of the beautiful auras, she's not sure why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead and be unable to do anything about it. But Bryn is on the brink of the unbelievable truth - she is a creature from myth. Valkyrie- a warrior maiden of the God Odin. And a Collector of Souls. Aidan Lee just can't do what he's told. Visiting Craven was not supposed to be a time to fall in love. He's just helpless when faced with the beautiful Brynhildr, but there is more to the biker dude that either Bryn or Aidan himself knows. Can their fledgling love survive the secrets and intrigue, the reality of Odin's realm of Asgard, the pressures of being a warrior of the gods, But Bryn lucks out when the Trickster god Loki sets his sights on her. Can Bryn hold her own against the charmingly manipulative god long enough to discover what Loki is really planning?

Magic of the Gargoyles


Rebecca Chastain - 2014
    But when a panicked baby gargoyle bursts into her studio, insisting Mika is the only person she’ll trust with her desperate mission, Mika’s carefully constructed five-year plan is shattered. Swept into the gritty criminal underworld of Terra Haven, Mika must jeopardize everything she’s worked so hard for to save the baby gargoyle from the machinations of a monster—and to stay alive…

Hades


Carly Spade - 2020
    As a digital forensics examiner, she fights bad guys from the technical front. When a closed cold case is dug up, she finds herself becoming consumed to set things right. No amount of eighties music or repeated viewings of her favorite movie Dirty Dancing were enough to distract her. She needed a vacation in the worst of ways.When she set foot in the gorgeous tropical resort in Greece, she had no idea she'd meet a man claiming to be Hades, god of the Underworld. And she certainly had no idea that he was telling the truth. Her Greek vacation was about to become very...interactive.A Hades/Persephone re-imagining.**The Contemporary Mythos series will feature a different Greek god in each book re-exploring their myths and combining contemporary romance tropes. Though they will all stand alone, the stories will also intersect for those that read them all.**

The Vicious Deep


Zoraida Córdova - 2012
    He was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth. His best friend Layla is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he's heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he's suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods. Something happened to him in those three days. He was claimed by the sea...and now it wants him back.

Hidden


M. Lathan - 2012
    She’d settle for stopping the voices in her head, intrusive visions of the future, and better odds of making it to her seventeenth birthday.That’s the thing about pretending to be human in a world where magic used to exist – at any moment, her cover could be blown and she’ll be burned to death like the rest of the witches.Everything changes when she loses control of her powers and flees the orphanage she grew up in. She desperately wants to be invisible but finds her face plastered on every news channel as humans panic over the possible resurgence of her kind. And now the hunters won’t give up until they find her.Making friends for the first time in her life and falling in love with one of them drives her to discover why she is unlike any being she’s ever met – human or otherwise. The dangerous powers inside of her that would repel Nathan, her new, handsome reason for living, are priceless to some. The locked up forever kind of priceless. And to others, they are too dangerous to allow her to live.Let’s hope she can stay hidden.

Coveted


Shawntelle Madison - 2012
    What does seem strange is that she’s stuck in her hometown of South Toms River, New Jersey, the outcast of her pack, selling antiques to finicky magical creatures. Restless and recovering from her split with gorgeous ex-boyfriend, Thorn, Nat finds comfort in an unusual place: her obsessively collected stash of holiday trinkets. But complications pile up faster than her ornaments when Thorn returns home—and the two discover that the spark between them remains intense. Before Nat can sort out their relationship, she must face a more immediate and dangerous problem. Her pack is under attack from the savage Long Island werewolves—and Nat is their first target in a turf war. Toss in a handsome wizard vying for her affection, a therapy group for the anxious and enchanted, and the South Toms River pack leader ready to throw her to the wolves, and it’s enough to give anybody a panic attack. With the stakes as high as the full moon, Nat must summon all of her strength to save her pack and, ultimately, herself.

Runes


Ednah Walters - 2013
    The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her. Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run. Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life