Book picks similar to
Queen of Swords by L.A. McGinnis


paranormal
fantasy
urban-fantasy
paranormal-romance

The Scarlet Thread


D.S. Murphy - 2016
    After I saw my little brother’s death but failed to stop it, my parents abandoned me to a juvenile detention facility. I don’t let people touch me anymore. Not my fingertips, not my skin, not my heart. I make my own clothes by stitching together the donations we get; usually a bunch of crap that fits like a parachute. My sweater is a patchwork of different shades of inky, dark squares. I make plain gray skirts that hang to my knees, with cute or funny T-shirts sewed in. They clash ironically with my unsmiling face. My Allstar high-tops are black and frayed, like my soul. I also wear a chunk of brightly colored legos around my neck. My little brother was working on it the day he died. The day I failed to save him. It’s unfinished, so I’ll never know what it was meant to be. Most days, I just try to get by. But then I got a visit from a cute guy, who tricked me into giving up my secrets. He said I was special. That he needed me. For a while, I believed him. But once I found out what I could really do, I learned everybody wanted the power I possessed. The power to destroy deities. To kill gods. To end the world... or to save it. My heart is torn, and those I loved most betrayed me. I'm trying so hard to do what's right, but nobody can tell me what that is anymore, and the moral boundaries I'd always let define my life have been shattered. Whose rules should I obey now? Or do I have to make my own? The Scarlet Thread is a dark fantasy for fans of Greek mythology and Gothic romance. Fans of Fallen and Percy Jackson will be captivated by this mashup of fallen angels and forgotten gods.

Blessed Fury


C.S. Wilde - 2018
    But her peaceful existence ends when she’s assigned to Liam Striker, a supernatural detective with no memory of his past.Liam might be Ava’s biggest challenge yet. Stubborn and dangerously captivating, he’ll stop at nothing to find the demon who murdered his father. Even if it costs him his life.Keeping death away from her new partner is an impossible task. And even if their investigation doesn’t destroy Ava, succumbing to Liam’s smoldering touch just may.

Cursed by Fire


Danielle Annett - 2015
    The victims are innocents, chosen to pit the shifter Pack and the vampire Coven against one another.If war breaks out, humanity won’t survive.But controlling fire is my thing, and I won’t let that happen.I’m a mercenary, but this is about so much more than money. It’s my city and someone is threatening it. I won’t stop until I find them.When the good guys start to look more like villains, I have no choice but to question everything I knew, including the people I thought I could trust.It turns out the humans might not be as helpless as they seem, and I'm in more danger than I realized.If you like K.F. Breene, Annette Marie, Patricia Briggs, McKenzie Hunter, CN Crawford, Leia Stone, or Linsey Hall, then buckle up buttercup, and get ready for a fast paced adventure you won't be able to put down.

Echo in Time


Lindsey Sparks (Fairleigh) - 2013
    The revelation sparks a change within Lex, and her dreams become far too real. She sees things she shouldn’t be able to see…knows things she couldn’t possibly know. Terrifying things. Deadly things.To distract her from the surreal changes taking over her life, Lex leaps at the chance to join an Egyptian excavation run by Oxford’s enigmatic Professor Marcus Bahur. But the distraction might be more than she bargained for. While deciphering the secrets of a mysterious stone tablet, Lex falls headlong into a prophecy created by a dying god over four millennia ago. She must rely on her frightening new psychic powers to dig up the truth. And it doesn’t take long for her visions to convince her that both Professor Bahur and his excavation are much more than they seem…The past clashes with the present in this paranormal tale of ancient prophecies and warring gods. If you like Egyptian mythology, steamy romance, and headstrong characters who won’t give up until they discover the truth, then you’ll love the first installment in author Lindsey Fairleigh’s sprawling time travel adventure.

Dead of Night


Emily Goodwin - 2019
     Never trust a vampire. I might have learned that lesson the hard way. But when I find myself in a vampire-owned bar, I don’t have much of a choice. With vampires still trying to assimilate into mainstream society, I’ve done Lucas King a favor by stopping one of his patrons from draining a human dry in the basement of his bar. A favor he'd prefer to repay in bed than in kind. Vampires and witches have had more than a jaded history, and when witches start showing up dead in surrounding covens, all signs point to something old and powerful. Something that knows the ways of the witches. Something--or someone--like Lucas.  What's worse than trusting a vampire? Falling in love with one.

Death Cursed


Sara C. Roethle - 2015
    A touch from her, even accidental, can kill, and she’s haunted by the victims she never meant to hurt. Alone, isolated, and remorseful, she thinks life can’t get any worse--until she’s kidnapped in the middle of the night and thrown into a secret world more twisted than her darkest nightmares.The Vaettir claim to be the children of the gods, created by the fates themselves, and tell her she’s one of them--and that they can help her control her abilities. But not everything is as it seems, not all gods are good, and the dark powers surrounding Madeline are no exception. She finds herself in the middle of an ancient search for a dangerous and all-powerful charm, one that has the power to kill all humans and bestow its bearer dominion over all. Amid the secrets and danger is Alaric, a deadly cat shifter, who’s as mysterious as he is alluring.When the Vaettir’s plans come to light and Madeline is betrayed, she embarks on a quest to find the charm herself, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Her dark gifts may just be the key to everything, but will she be able to accept them in time, or will the Vaettir destroy mankind, and inherit the earth?Find out in Death Cursed, the first book in a series sure to please fans of Bella Forrest’s Shade of Vampire and Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniels series.Discover the underworld of the Vaettir, gods and monsters, secrets and lies, and a temptation equal parts irresistible and deadly...

Marked


Sarah Fine - 2015
    What most don’t know—including her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis—is that while Cacy works to save lives, she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife. Once humans are “Marked” by Fate, the powerful Ferrys are called to escort the vulnerable souls to either eternal bliss or unending fire and pain.Unaware of Cacy’s other life, Eli finds himself as mesmerized by his fierce and beautiful partner as he is mistrustful of the influential Ferry clan led by the Charon—who happens to be Cacy’s father. Cacy, in turn, can no longer deny her intense attraction to the mysterious ex-Ranger with a haunted past. But just as their relationship heats up, an apparent hit takes the Charon before his time. Shaken to the core, Cacy pursues the rogue element who has seized the reins of Fate, only to discover that Eli has a devastating secret of his own. Not knowing whom to trust, what will Cacy have to sacrifice to protect Eli—and to make sure humanity’s future is secure?

Changed


Heather MacKinnon - 2016
    She wakes up to her new life and has to figure out how to navigate her enhanced abilities and heightened senses before someone catches her doing something supernatural. Thankfully, Nicholas, another vampire, finds her and offers to help her adjust and learn what it means to be a vampire. And if all that weren’t enough, the man who attacked her shows up claiming she’s his property. Now, she’s on the run from a centuries-old vampire who’s determined to make her his wife. Can Adrienne outrun and outsmart the man who Changed her? If she sticks with Nicholas, she might have a chance. As long as their budding romance doesn’t get in the way.

The Trickster's Lover


Samantha MacLeod - 2016
    The next morning, she's convinced it was a dream--until she sees her clothes on the floor, cut in two.When Loki's appearances stop as suddenly as they began, concern for her lover forces Caroline to risk everything in an attempt to reach Val-Hall, the ancient home of Óðinn's army. Once there, she must put all she has learned to the test.  If she fails, there's far more than Loki's life at stake...

Blood & Ash


Deborah WildeDeborah Wilde - 2020
    Long-lost magic. Can one determined private eye topple a dark conspiracy?​​​​​​​Detective for hire, Ashira Cohen is having a no-good, very bad day.When Ash was thirteen, her con artist father disappeared, leaving her with emotional scars and a limp she can't hide. But she toughened up, determined never to be played again. Is history repeating itself?First, she’s hit on the head during a stakeout, revealing a mysterious tattoo on the back of her skull. Even worse? It’s a now-broken ward unleashing dangerous magic that as a Mundane, she shouldn’t possess. And the icing on this crap cake? Her unruly powers nearly kill her long-time nemesis, Levi, the uptight leader of the magic community. One word from him revealing her forbidden abilities, and everything she’s built will be taken from her… by force.The only bright spot is that Levi requires her supernatural skills to solve a spree of abductions. After years of being underestimated by him, it’s Ash’s chance at payback and she’s going to enjoy bringing him to his knees—or stuffing him in a body bag.Crackling with humor and suspense, Blood & Ash features a headstrong heroine tackling paranormal mysteries and an enemies-to-lovers romance. Get this complete series now!"Wilde combines hardboiled noir and Jewish folklore in this action-packed, perfectly paced paranormal romp. ... the real star is Ash's hilariously snarky narrative voice which is archly sarcastic but never mean. ... Wilde balances exuberant wit with deep compassion and handles Ash's chronic pain and fragmented family with care. This giddy, sexy series launch is a delight." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Blaze Ignites


J.L. Madore - 2013
     "Destiny my ass." Jade Glaster refuses to believe the Fates rule her life. Orphaned after an attack by Scourge soldiers, a young Jade vows never to be powerless again. Once grown and strong, wielding the affinities of fire and healing, Jade protects innocents as an enforcer for her world's elite policing agency—The Talon. When an emissary mission to reinstate a race of exiled Elves brings Galan into her life, Jade finds herself overwhelmed by new passions, some welcome, some not. Although Galan's antiquated views on women offend her to her heated core, when the Scourge attack his family, she helps him navigate the outside worlds he knows nothing about—the magical Realm of the Fair and, stranger still . . . the modern streets of Toronto. Through their sensually charged pursuit of justice, Jade discovers that when dealing with the Fates—destiny is never random.

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?

Demon Princess


Kassandra Lynn - 2018
    She gets summoned into enemy territory instead.With her father gone and her brother missing, Demon Princess Adriana has to assume the throne, temporarily becoming the Demon King. The procession is underway, and the princess is nervous yet determined, until the unthinkable happens and she is summoned. Aldric, a mage-in-training, has summoned the princess into the human kingdom. Now trapped, Adriana must hide her identity and escape before she loses her life in the hands of her mortal enemies.Demon Princess is the first book in Demon Kingdom Fairy Tales series for fans of sword and sorcery epic fantasy and forbidden love romantic fantasy.

Fury Unleashed


N.J. Walters - 2020
    Seems being an assassin might be catching up with him. Now, Heaven, or Hell, has sent a beautiful assassin to kill him. Lovely. She's pretending to seduce him, and he's okay with that. She's smart and snarky – but she has no idea what she's walked into. And he's more than peeved that they only sent one person. They're going to need an army if they want him dead.Morrigan Quill is one of Hell's bounty hunters. She sold her soul to keep her sister safe, and now she's working off her contract by catching bad guys and dragging them back to hell. When Lucifer makes her a new offer – that's definitely too good to be true – she can't say no. All she has to do is kill a powerful and crazy-hot fallen angel, who will totally kick her ass in battle.Good thing he won't see what's coming next.

Frozen


Meljean Brook - 2014
    But when Olivia finds herself snowbound with Erik on the winter solstice, she discovers that the man who set her body aflame is cursed by abominable needs — and a desire that might destroy them both…