Book picks similar to
Vesta Exiled by Sterling R. Walker


science-fiction
fantasy
romance
well-crafted

The Retreat


Kelly St. Clare - 2016
    Humankind destroyed. And it’s old news. Romy’s life is simple—for a genetically enhanced space soldier; pick up space junk with her four friends, and stave off the invaders fixated on stealing Planet Earth. It isn’t much. But it’s temporary—only another 850 years to go, give or take. When her crew tangles with a gulp-worthy alien mothership, Romy’s return to Earth is brought forwards at hurtling pace. Strength comes from the unlikeliest of quarters. As does leadership. …As does betrayal.

Break Out


Nina Croft - 2011
    Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they're called, rule the universe. Two-thousand-year-old Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and rogue pilot of the space cruiser, El Cazador, can't resist two things: gorgeous women and impossible jobs. When beautiful Skylar Rossaria approaches him to break a prisoner out of the Collective's maximum security prison on Trakis One, Rico jumps at the chance. Being hunted by the Collective has never been so dangerous–or so fun!

The Magic Wakes


Charity Bradford - 2013
    Each time it ends abruptly with Talia’s death in the capital city Joharadin, a city that she has spent her life desperately avoiding. Talia keeps these dreams a secret, hoping they are nothing more than childish nightmares. But when she is unexpectedly transferred to Joharadin she is convinced that the conflict, and her own death, is at hand.As Talia’s nightmares occur with increasing frequency, they reveal the imminent invasion of a half-dragon, half-human race called Dragumon, bent on the annihilation of her world.In Sendek, magic is dead and science rules, forcing Talia to keep another secret, one that could cost her everything if it were known. Now, in order to save her planet, Talia must awaken the powers within her and rely at last on the magic that is her true inheritance.

Lost in the Shadows


Kyra Wheatley - 2016
    In Kyra Wheatley's intriguing novellas, you'll discover the answers to mysteries and secrets that began within the game itself. Find this riveting series on Amazon and iBooks … and prepare to get hooked! Nicole has no idea what brought her to an ordinary door in an ordinary office. After opening it and taking just one step, she falls onto the damp cobblestone of a deserted town square at night. Men in dark cloaks suddenly begin to hunt her, but Gumshoe, an old resident of the City, comes to her defense. Nicole has yet to figure out why she is so important to the dark ruler of the City’s catacombs. She is the key to everything happening here. The key to the City itself.

Galdoni


Cheree Alsop - 2011
    Kale, rescued by three high school students and nursed back from the brink of death, is given the chance to experience life as a human. When he is captured, he has to use what he learned in the world outside the Academy in order to free the other Galdoni and return to the human girl he loves. Dark and exciting, Galdoni pushes the boundaries of love in a world of violence.

Eros


K. Cantrell - 2017
    But when the Intergalactic Dating Agency matches her with a sexy alien willing to play pretend in exchange for her help assimilating to Earth culture, she gets way more than she bargained for: Eros is seductive, pushy and has no intention of faking anything, least of all their relationship…**********If you enjoyed this story, read the other books in the Olympia Alien Mail Order Brides series, and check out the multi-author Intergalactic Dating Agency collection (see the official series website).

Runaway Alex


Natalie Keller Reinert - 2020
    She’s been told again and again: stick to horse shows, stick to riding lessons, stick to the relative safety of the suburban equestrian center where she has been a working student since grade school.But Alex can’t shake the conviction that the Thoroughbred life is her destiny.When her unstable trainer cuts her off from horses, Alex finally has to obey her instinct to run away from the safe version of life. She heads to Ocala, where horse racing is king, with no plan and no leads on jobs. When she meets handsome, successful racehorse trainer Alexander White, she feels an instant connection with him. Could this be her dream come true?Falling for Alexander and learning to stay on young racehorses all at once: that’s risky business. But it’s a risk Alex is willing to take — until a storm of emotion threatens to founder her new life. Nothing at Alexander’s gorgeous Thoroughbred farm is as simple as it seems, and she’s not the only one lining up for Alexander’s affection — or his horses.How many times will Alex obey her urge to run away when things get too real? And what happens to her dreams if she can’t stay the course?

Talented


Sophie Davis - 2012
    Talia Lyons has one goal at the McDonough School for the Talented: learn to use her Talent as a Mental Manipulator to kill the man who murdered her parents.Block out pain. She'll deal with anything. The brutal physical demands. The emotional toll. Whatever it takes to reach her objective.Block out friendship. With only one year left in the program, though, seventeen-year-old Talia is suddenly finding it harder than ever to ignore the rest of her life.Block out love.Even worse, she can't seem to turn off her psychic connection to her first love...or quit thinking about her fascinating new teammate.Feel only vengeance.Ian Crane. The man who destroyed Talia's life. The one she's determined to eradicate.Now focus.It's time to kill.THE TALENTED SAGA is a #1 Bestselling Dystopian Romance series about the life of a girl with extraordinary psychic powers, and what happens when a heart is torn between love and rage...

The Dragonslayer's Sword


Resa Nelson - 2008
    Her happiness is shattered when her lover-the dragonslayer-disappears without a trace, and the life that she knows and loves implodes without warning. Astrid lives in a world of shapeshifters whose thoughts have the power to change not only themselves but others. Everything Astrid knows to be true is called into question when she learns the truth about her past and the mysterious family from which she was separated as a child. Reality turns inside out as Astrid gradually learns the truth about the people she loves as well as those she disdains. With the fate of dragons, ghosts, and slaves in foreign lands resting on her shoulders, Astrid faces the challenge of deciding who she is and how she will stand up inside her own skin. Will she withdraw and hide from the world that has disappointed her so much... or will she rise to lead others to freedom and peace? AUTHOR'S NOTE: This series is written for adults but appropriate for ages 14 and up.

The Discovery


K.C. Neal - 2011
    Things take a strange turn when she uses her late grandmother’s food dyes for a bake sale, and her customers suddenly find her irresistibly alluring. Then she discovers she and Mason are haunted by the same dreams of a dark force that consumes everything in its path. Pursued by shadowy figures and a crazy woman with secrets from the past, Corinne must find out who her grandmother really was. In her quest to unravel her family’s history, she learns she is destined to protect this world--and the dark world of her dreams. She races to find the answers she seeks before her nightmares break free.

Anathema


Megg Jensen - 2011
    Make your own destiny. Reychel is a slave girl surrounded by magic, lies, and manipulation. Her best friend disappears in the middle of the night leaving Reychel to face her fifteenth birthday, the day her master burns his brand into the back of her bald head, alone. Sheltered from the outside world and without any hope for escape, can Reychel learn to believe in herself?

Wicked Fate


Tabatha Vargo - 2012
    Those around me want to see me burn—make me explode underneath their accusing glares—but I won't. There's only one person that gets me hot, and we've never spoken to each other. He's clueless to my fascination, but knows too much about secrets I've never whispered. He's different from the rest. The black sheep... Adam. I want him in my future, but my past threatens everything I've longed for. I won't run, I'll fight. I don't know what destiny has planned. I only know love can be cruel, and fate is truly wicked **16+ Some strong language and sexual situations**

Wander Dust


Michelle Warren - 2011
    In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love.

A Dragon's Heart


Jan Dockter - 2017
     His friends Cade and Becca who lived with him in his castle in Scotland are mates and watching them has made him realize how alone he really is. Needing to get away, an opportunity presents itself for him to go to the United States to bring Becca’s sister Tori to Scotland to get her away from an abusive relationship. When he meets her, much to his surprise, he realizes she is the soul mate he has been waiting for; his one true love. Aldain wants to take things slow with Tori, the relationship they have is intense. He knows why, but Tori can’t understand why she feels like she has known him her entire life. He is determined to make her his and as their love grows, Aldain feels it won’t be much longer until he tells her what they mean to each other. Then the unthinkable happens. Tori suffers a devastating accident that puts her on the brink of death. As she teeters on the abyss, finding herself in a place between life and death, Aldain suffers such intense pain he is wasting away. Becoming a shell of the man he once was and without his mate; life means nothing to him. Tori can feel his life force leaving him. She needs to find a way to let him know she is alive and trying to find her way back to him. Will she make it back in time to save him or will he succumb to the soul searing pain? All books list: The Dragons of Paragon Series A Dragon's Heart - 1

Beneath the Fallen City


Jamie A. Waters - 2014
    But, the rarest artifacts are found in the most dangerous ruins—those under control by the OmniLab traders.Carl is one of those traders—and Kayla’s invaded his district. He’s determined to stop her and the best way to do that is to recruit her. The only problem?Kayla hates traders.When a powerful man intent on revenge starts hunting her, Kayla realizes the only way to save herself may be to accept Carl’s offer. But that would mean surrendering to OmniLab and giving up everything she knows. Only everything isn’t quite what it seems.Including OmniLab.And Kayla’s in a lot of trouble.Beneath the Fallen City is an exciting post-apocalyptic fantasy series with romantic elements and shocking twists. Join Kayla as she unearths the secrets of the past and discovers a hidden world no one thought was possible.