Book picks similar to
Cold Sun: Obsession by Jen A. Durand


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Dark Souls


J.N. Colon - 2014
     Hayden—Hades and hated god of the Underworld—didn't expect to fall for a mysterious beauty full of secrets when he enrolled at Northwood High School. He only came to claim the dark souls stolen from his domain that are now possessing Hartley’s friends. Somehow she’s able to see them and all the terrifyingly supernatural things about Hayden. Her friends begin to act strange—cruel with sinister black eyes—and suspicions arise in Hartley the closer she gets to Hayden. She’s determined to find out who or what he really is no matter the consequences... if she can resist his fiery touch long enough to concentrate. After having his heart broken in the past and her trying to cling to her life before death, including her perfect quarterback boyfriend, both Hayden and Hartley deny the sparking chemistry between them. But when he realizes Hartley’s secrets are darker than he thought and the evil souls are drawn to her like a beacon he vows to protect her—even if it means risking his heart. Just when they think they have it all figured out, fate deals them a blow that might set them both ablaze in Underworld fire forever. **Intended for audiences 16+**

The Variant


Justin M. Woodward - 2016
    As far back as he can remember, he has had unexplainable powers. Specifically, he has the power to prevent certain bad things from happening. Everything changes for Tyler when his son Nathan goes missing. Everyone blames him for his disappearance, while Tyler is determined to find out what happened to him. Things quickly spiral out of control in this page-turner of a thriller. This debut novel from author Justin M. Woodward will have you asking yourself, how far would you go for the ones you love?

The Eight Walls of Rogar


William Woodward - 2006
    The story unfolds in the weeks following Andaris’ seventeenth name day: Desperate to escape a life of meaningless drudgery behind the plow, he leaves the safety of his secluded valley town and ventures alone into the uncharted depths of an ancient forest, the heart of which is said to be twisted and black. Choosing to ignore the counsel of his more sensible nature, he is drawn ever onward, lured by the tantalizing splendor of distant mountains, the sheer peaks of which purportedly stand sentinel over a land long steeped in mystery. What ensues is more remarkable than anything even he could have envisioned. Andaris goes looking for adventure.... What he finds is a world in the midst of tidal change, an extraordinary place where he encounters all manner of extraordinary things—vast landscapes teeming with flora and fauna capable of firing the most malnourished of imaginations. To be sure, danger lurks around every bend, a heady amalgam of sword and sorcery which threaten to bring his young life to an abrupt end. Indeed, if not for a very fortuitous encounter, namely the crossing of paths with a band of travelers who turn out to be much more than meets the eye, it surely would have. Gaven, Ashel, and Trilla seem fated to become fast friends, the sort of companions he’d always wanted, but never thought he’d have. The Lost One and his army of shapelings are preparing to march against Rogar’s western border—the only thing standing between them and the green, fertile lands to the East. The balance of power is shifting. Despite the debt of blood owed them by their Sokerran neighbors, the Alderi Shune fear they will be made to stand alone. No one speaks of defeat, but it is on the tip of every tongue. For the first time since they were erected, more than a thousand years ago, the impossible is about to happen: The Eight Walls of Rogar are about to fall. The scales could tip in either direction, depending, oddly enough, on the choices of a rather bookish young man named Andaris Rocaren. You will forgive me, intrepid reader, if I now take the opportunity to formally invite you to join in the fun, to accompany young Andaris and his fellows into and out of the kingdoms of Nelvin, Mindere, Sokerra, and Rogar. Over hill, dell, and stream you shall go, hiking through rugged mountain ranges heavy with snow, into subterranean catacombs whose unplumbed fathoms are illumined by naught but the guttering flames of your makeshift torch, until you reach, at long last, and in just the nick of time, the battered gates of a once great civilization on the brink of war.

The City of Wizards


George Mazurek (Jiří Mazurek) - 2011
    Both humans and wizards live here in peace and harmony, four Spires shine brightly high in the skies, wizards cruise the air on their tephirs and an Arena, a place of a magic tournament, is just amazing…But within the City of Mages, something is badly wrong. What was meant to be a brief trip turns into a battle to save his brother, his new love and his own life from the most powerful of mages…An entertaining young adult novella from a unique fantasy world is just the first book of the Averot’h saga.

The Cypher


Julian Rosado-Machain - 2011
    A glimpse into a multinational company that is in reality the oldest of secret societies, one that spans close to seven thousand years of existence, weaving in and out of history, guiding and protecting humanity from creatures and forces that most of us believe are only mythology and fairy tales.The other is the story of Thomas Byrne, a young man thrust into secrets he shouldn't be aware of and dangers he shouldn't face, but that he ultimately will, for he is a Cypher. The only one who can steer humanity's future.The ultimate conspiracy theory is that Magic is real. Kept in check by technology, but every five hundred years the balance can shift and, if it does, technology will fail and those creatures we've driven into myth will come back with a vengeance.To protect the present, Guardians Incorporated needs to know the future.

Getting Wilde


Jenn Stark - 2015
    And the price had better be right, since she needs to finance her own personal mission to rescue several young psychics recently sold on the paranormal black market. Enter Sara’s most mysterious client and occasional lover, the wickedly sexy Magician, with a job that could yield the ultimate payday. All she’ll have to do is get behind Vatican walls… and steal the Devil himself. But play with the Devil and you’re bound to get burned. Pressure mounts for Sara to join the Magician’s ancient and mysterious Arcana Council, as militant forces unleashed by even darker powers seek to destroy all magic — including the young psychics Sara is desperate to keep safe. The Council may be their only hope... but it could also expose Sara’s own dark past. From the twisting catacombs of Rome to the neon streets of Vegas, Sara confronts ancient enemies, powerful demigods, a roiling magical underworld about to explode… and immortal passions that might require the ultimate sacrifice. But oh, what a way to go. No matter how the cards play out, things are about to get Wilde.

Stasis


L.D.P. Samways - 2015
    The mercenary ship is commissioned to run missions on dangerous planets. To reap great rewards from unsuspecting alien races. To take minerals, precious metals and invaluable resources for Earths galactic expansion. They do the work that no other ship in Earths fleet would dare consider. Why? Because if they get found out, then Earth abandons them. Leaves them to rot in the middle of the universe, unaided and unheard of until the very end of time itself. For Captain Flynn, he never imagined that day would come. He and his crew were more than happy with the way things were going. That’s until one day they wake up from stasis not knowing how they got there. One minute they’re back on earth, relaxing after another hair-raising, highly-illegal mission, and the next, they’re waking up from a six-year slumber, in the middle of a galaxy they don’t recognise. But not all is as it seems. They are not alone. Aliens are aboard their ship. And unfortunately for Captain Flynn and his rag-tag group, they don’t come in peace. Earth has sold them down the river. Banished them from the blue planet with no return ticket home. Now the aliens have them. And they plan on using them against their enemies. They take them prisoner on their home planet. Shackled and bound, the crew fear that their fates are sealed. But unfortunately, it is just the beginning for them. The aliens that hold them captive have far greater plans for them than death. Plans that will undoubtedly shake earth to its molten core. Prepare yourself for a journey that leaps from star system, to star system, in a space opera filled to the brim with nail biting suspense throughout. Warning: This book contains some strong language and violence. Reader discretion is advised. Destroyer of Worlds, book two in the Alpha Ship One series releases February 2016.

Bhagavad Gita For Beginners: The Song Of God In Simplified Prose


Edward Viljoen - 2012
    In “Bhagavad Gita for Beginners: The Song of God in Simplified Prose,” author Edward Viljoen uses contemporary, simplified language to bring this inspiring work to life. That which seems to be forcing people to act in selfish--even evil--ways is really the accumulation of desires coming together in a strong, irresistible appetite for self-satisfaction. These desires are rooted in the senses, and sense information can be misleading. More powerful than the senses, though, is the mind. And more powerful than the mind is the will (or intellect), and that which is above it all,--the Real Self, that part of us not deluded by the information of the sense world. The Bhagavad Gita For Beginners: The Song Of God In Simplified Prose will inspire uninitiated readers of the Bhagavad-Gita to delve into the original text, as well as bring a newly-found clarity and perspective to those already familiar with it.

Magnificence


Madison Thorne Grey - 2014
    Born with the same binds around his wrists as his Gwarda brethren, he is the chosen leader: the Gwardian. He must unite and lead the new race of cursed warriors who now live in the black forest of Surchin. He fights with the fire of a god; he kills the roaming beasts, battles the darkness, strives only to fulfill the purpose he is constantly beckoned by the gods to achieve. However, his priorities are altered the day he hears the voice of his Destoul, his soul’s destiny. She is in the forest and she is wounded. He will stop at nothing to find her, possess her, and kill whoever dares to harm what belongs to him. As regenerated souls find each other once again.. Keirah and her younger druid sisters are all marked with a gem as it magically appears embedded in their bodies. Now they find themselves without parents and forced to live with strangers. They soon flee from the fires of their new home into the forests that hold the most vile, the Karpartha gypsies, and the god of death’s minions, known as Kravens. They are held captive, victimized, and then separated. Keirah begins her journey to find her beloved sisters and, while doing so, finds the destiny of her heart. She is instantly struck by the intense attraction between the Gwardian and her. Being raised fiercely independent, she struggles to admit her need and desire for the Gwarda male, because in doing so, it threatens to destroy the shields she has built up to protect her heart. The Gwarda Warriors series Had Keirah and her sisters known what was set in motion the day their stones appeared and how personally they would be affected by it, they would have still fought the darkness, still battled for what belonged to them. Anguish had fallen upon their people as darkness encompassed their land, but through the darkness there came light. The new race of warriors would be their hope, their salvation, their loves’ destiny. But they too could be tainted. They too could be seduced by the black forces they had been created to fight against. If measuring by this earthly realm’s time then it’s been years but in the unseen realm above known as Vehaven, it has been but a moment. Love knew no bounds, knew no limitations. It looked beyond the unseen realm and reached in for a taste, for a moment of regenerated happiness, and in that moment fate was altered and the destinies of many were changed. Their land, their Northbrook, they discovered, was a very magical place... Note: Magnificence is an adult fantasy/paranormal romance

Ruled by Blood


May Sage - 2020
    She survived her wrath because she never stepped out of line.Until one night. One man. One war.Now that she's unchained, Vlari's consumed by a desire to drain the lives of all those around her. And yet her decisions shape the fate of the entire realm of the fae.Sometimes the world needs a hero. In a land of shadows, it might just need a monster.Ruled by Blood is a tale of magic, secrets, and schemes, perfect for fantasy readers who enjoy a dash of romance.This version combines both parts: Wicked Court and Shadow Cursed.

Released


Mia Fox - 2013
    After dealing with dignitaries and noblemen, however, she believes this will be a welcome break.Until she discovers the teens’ hidden powers and that one will come to possess the Amulet of Pollox, a necklace that contains the secrets from some of the greatest minds throughout history. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one who notices. The Amulet draws the attention of the two powerful and vengeful Demon Gypsies who have pursued Suki through time and will stop at nothing to snatch the girls and the Amulet. Suddenly, Suki is not just helping the girls navigate high school crushes, she’s safeguarding them from danger unlike anything they’ve ever known. To make matters more complicated, she must also fight her attraction to James - her protector through the ages - whose sudden arrival threatens her resolve and her heart.  A time-traveling Genie and her unrequited love...Demon Gypsies with an insatiable quest for power...And the teen girls whose existence threatens them all.This is the world of “Released,” book one of The Romani Realms series by Mia Fox, a Young Adult trilogy featuring elements of paranormal romance and steampunk.

Hexes & Handcuffs


Margo Bond CollinsMay Dawson - 2020
     Within these walls, you’ll find witches, vampires, shifters, fae, wizards, warlocks, and more magically incarcerated creatures, some struggling to escape, and all fighting to just to survive.