Crushed


Kasi Blake - 2011
    The rules are simple.1. Use wisdom to pick your target. The boy can't be too weak or too strong-willed. 2. Blow the enchanted dust into your target's face to enchant (Crush) him. 3. Give verbal commands and assign them tasks to perform throughout the year. The more tasks completed, the stronger the witch's power grows. 4. At the end of the year, the witch with the most power wins cold, hard cash. As if being a witch in high school isn't complicated enough, Kristen picks the wrong boy to Crush. Zack is tall, handsome, and a little scary. Her Crush spell isn't working on him like it has with the others. In fact, he is behaving the opposite of every other boy she's Crushed, hating her instead of adoring her. Something is definitely wrong. After someone attempts to kill her, Kristen realizes there is more at risk than a few hundred dollars. She may be betting with her life.

Thrall


Jennifer Quintenz - 2012
    Together they’re doing a pretty good job of shrugging off the slings and arrows cast their way by the popular crowd when a new boy, Lucas, moves into the house next door. Suddenly Braedyn finds herself falling in love for the first time.But as her sixteenth birthday approaches, Braedyn discovers humankind is at war with the Lilitu, an ancient race of enticing demons that prey on human souls. Her father is a member of the Guard fighting against the Lilitu - and so are the new neighbors, including her crush, Lucas. As her world starts to unravel at the seams, Braedyn learns the right answers aren’t always clear or easy. And as for “good” and “evil” – it all depends on how we choose to act.Inspired by the ancient Mesopotamian myths of Lilith and her offspring, Thrall explores first love, strong friendships, and taking on adult responsibilities against the backdrop of powerful supernatural forces and life-and-death stakes.

Pride and Magic


Melody Raven - 2019
    Always. Samantha Harris walked away from her family, and magic, years ago. But when a string of murders rocks New York City, Sam can't help but notice that the placement of the bodies screams magic. Except no one in her family seems to pick up the connection. When she tries to give the lead detective a quick hint to send him in the right direction, Sam gets sucked further into the investigation than she ever thought possible. Now Detective Derek Pierce has to put together the half truths Sam is giving him and the facts of the case that get stranger by the second. The killer is closer to Sam than she could've imagined and Derek is the only one who can stop him from tearing her family apart, but only if he knows the whole truth. And the whole truth is exactly what could kill him.

Coexist


Julia Crane - 2011
     In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are eighteen. Against tradition, Keegan's brother Thaddeus told her Rourk's name because his visions warned him she'd need Rourk's protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves. Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan's side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known. An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan's family and the future of their society. Somehow they must find a way to thwart fate and win the battle...without losing Keegan. With war brewing, and dark forces aligning, will Keegan and Rourk ever have the life together that they both desire?

Black Swan Rising


Lee Carroll - 2010
    John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can't believe her luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things start happening. . . .That evening, the precious silver box is stolen. When Garet begins to investigate, she learns that she has been pulled into a prophecy that is hundreds of years old, and opening the box has unleashed an evil force onto the streets of Manhattan and the world at large. Gradually, Garet pieces together her true identity--one that her deceased mother desperately tried to protect her from. Generations of women in Garet's family, including her beloved mother, suffered and died at the hands of this prevailing evil. Does Garet possess the power to reclaim the box and defeat this devastating force?On her journey, she will meet the fey folk who walk unnoticed among humans and a sexy vampire who also happens to be a hedge fund manager that she can't stop thinking about. But the fairies reveal a desire to overpower mere humans and the seductive vampire has the power to steal the life from her body. Whom can Garet trust to guide her? Using her newfound powers and sharp wit, Garet will muster everything she's got to shut down the evil taking over her friends, family, New York City, and the world.

Mark of the Witch


Jessica Gibson - 2012
    William Morgan blows into Jilly's life like a hurricane, unleashing her magic and sending her out of control. Unknowingly, William brings an enemy who only wants to posses the power of the witch. Jilly must learn to harness her magic before she loses it - and everything in her life is destroyed.

Soul-Mate


Anna Santos - 2015
    Arriving in a new town with an undercover identity to protect and the mission to find a pureblood vampire to save her brother’s life, the last thing Annabel needs is to fall in love with the sexy, persistent werewolf who thinks she’s a helpless human in need of a knight in shining armor. Shane is a dominant werewolf who also happens to be the local sheriff. He has almost lost hope of finding his better half. So when his beautiful soul-mate shows up and rogue vampires try to kill her, he does what any smart wolf would do: he saves her and takes her home, hoping to convince her that they belong together. When sparks fly between them, Annabel has to decide if she tells him who she really is or runs the other way to protect her secrets.

Sucked In


Charissa Dufour - 2014
    that is, until her out-of-her-league boyfriend turns her into a creature of the night. The only problem is, real life vampires are nothing like the creatures of her imagination. Suddenly, she is trapped in in the middle of a supernatural war that challenges everything she thought she understood about the world of fiction, leaving her with the realization that being a vampire actually sucks.

Blood, Smoke and Mirrors


Robyn Bachar - 2010
     Even a bad witch deserves a second chance. Catherine Baker stopped caring about magician politics after the witches threw her out four years ago, convicted of the “crime” of using harmful magic in self-defense. Life as an outcast was nothing new, thanks to her father’s wicked reputation, but the injustice left her heart scarred. Especially since she’d been turned in by the man she loved. Alexander Duquesne has never faltered in his duties as a guardian—until now. He still suffers lingering guilt over his role in Cat’s exile, and when the old Titania is murdered, Cat is in line to be the next victim. Lex will do anything to keep Cat alive, even if she hates him for it. Hunted by a powerful stranger intent on drawing her into an evil web, Cat reluctantly accepts Lex’s protection and the resurrected desire that comes along with it. Lex faces the fight of his life to keep her safe…and win her back. If they both survive. What reviewers are saying about Blood, Smoke and Mirrors: “For a debut book, this story has an incredibly strong and funny main character ... and a strange and interesting world of characters. ... If I had to grab one word to describe this book, it would be refreshing. Not like a diet Coke or something that’s saccharine and only satisfying in the short term, but refreshing like thinking to yourself, ‘Oh, that’s new, that’s different’ while reading a plot that could have turned on a dime into well-trod cliché-land. Bachar keeps the story firmly in the present with a quick and witty narrator, and I kept reading.” –Sarah Wendell, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books “Blood, Smoke and Mirrors was a compelling read. Catherine ‘Cat’ Baker was an authentic and endearing heroine – big butt and all. ...overall, I was impressed and glad that I had the opportunity to discover Robyn Bachar. I’ll be looking forward to what she does next. But first I have to get something to eat. I have this insatiable craving for chocolate chip pancakes…” –Paul Goat Allen, Explorations: The Barnes & Noble SciFi and Fantasy Blog

Dawn of Darkness


Daniel A. Kaine - 2011
    But everything began to change the day he realised he has a psychic ability -- the power to alter the emotions of those around him.Mikhail is ushered into the Military Academy with others like him -- other Daevas -- where he does his part to help tip the scales of war against the vampires that destroyed the world and plague what remains of humanity. But after going up against his first vampire, Mikhail starts to question everything he thought to be true.To discover the truth and expose the lies he once believed, Mikhail will set out on a journey of discovery, and learn some things about himself in the process.

Godhunter


Amy Sumida - 2013
    I've trained with sword and magic to be strong enough to kill them. Except now, on the cusp of my greatest battle, everything I know has been turned upside down by one man and his offer of an alliance. One man who is also a god.

Lonely Souls


Karice Bolton - 2012
    When the Witch Avenue Coven turns their back on Triss, she realizes she’s caught in a world that is ruled by Lonely Souls. But who is controlling them? Recognizing the herbal lore she grew up learning will do little to fight against the underworld, she is relieved when her best friend from childhood, Logan, returns to help her find answers. When they begin uncovering secrets from her family’s past, she learns her mother might not have been the only target. But as Triss falls deeply for Logan, she discovers her family isn’t the only one with secrets and his may be deadly.

The Agency, Volume 1


Dianne Sylvan - 2013
    She runs far and fast to Austin, where she thinks she'll be safe, but even a new life can't protect her from the past--and before she knows it, armed men storm her apartment and she is hauled in for interrogation by a strange young man in a long black coat...a young man who doesn't seem to have a reflection. Established as an independent sister organization to the FBI, the Shadow Agency fights the kind of crime normal law enforcement can't: demon-summoning sorcerers, dealers in illegal magical artifacts, even drug lords selling the kind of Ecstasy that could bring on the Apocalypse. Sara finds herself thrown into the Agency's administrative department, but that's only the beginning for the Witch, whose career trajectory and sex life both spin wildly away from the mundane as soon as she sets foot in the Agency's base of operations. In this collection of short stories that first appeared on her website in 2008, Dianne Sylvan introduces Austin's occult law enforcement: Jason Adams, lead Agent, vampire, and violinist; his snarky twin sister Beck, who goes through more bullets than blood; Rowan, an Elf who was once a sacred prostitute, now scarred inside and out from years of slavery; Ness, the human leader of the Texas branch of the Agency; Frog, a brilliant researcher working to combine science and sorcery; Sage, a Witch and baker whose cupcakes are to die for; and of course Sara herself, who will turn all of their lives upside down as she learns how to use her psychic abilities and discovers the depth of her own strength.

Blackwater


Tara Brown - 2013
    ‎'Danger Lorelei, he's coming'Icy whispers brush against her cheeks when she's sleeping.Most nights she wakes to the voices of her ancestors, always at 2:47 am.Like all monsters, only the light keeps them at bay.Lorelei Huntington knows what it means to fall for the wrong guy.She knows what it's like to hide in the dark and wait for the light to save her.She knows how it feels to watch while everyone you love,and everything in your life, is taken.After fifty years of looking over her shoulder and running for her life, certain she could feel his breath at the base of her neck, the icy voices come back.Again their whispers find her vulnerable and exhausted, just as they used to.Fearful of seeing him again but desperate for answers, she goes home.What she finds isn’t exactly what she left.Who she finds, isn’t exactly dead or aged a dayBut then again, neither is she.Blackwater

Down These Strange Streets


George R.R. MartinConn Iggulden - 2011
    1 The Bastard Stepchild - George R.R. Martin 2 Death by Dahlia - Charlaine Harris 3 The Bleeding Shadow - Joe R. Lansdale 4 Hungry Heart - Simon R. Green 5 Styx and Stones - Steven Saylor 6 Pain and Suffering - S.M. Stirling 7 It's Still the Same Old Story - Carrie Vaughn8 The Lady is a Screamer - Conn Iggulden 9 Hellbender - Laurie R. King 10 Shadow Thieves - Glen Cook 11 No Mystery, No Miracle - Melinda M. Snodgrass 12 The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery - M.L.N. Hanover13 The Curious Affair of the Deodand - Lisa Tuttle 14 Lord John and the Plague of Zombies - Diana Gabaldon15 Beware the Snake - John Maddox Roberts 16 In Red, with Pearls - Patricia Briggs 17 The Adakian Eagle - Bradley Denton