Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea


April Genevieve Tucholke - 2013
    River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

A Kingdom of Exiles


S.B. Nova - 2017
    Serena Smith is unusual. Growing up in a backwoods village, her life is lonely and dull. Then, on her eighteenth birthday, she's gifted a magical heirloom only to be snatched by fae and condemned to a lifetime in chains.Dragged to Aldar, a fae kingdom ruled by a tyrant witch, Serena discovers a forbidden love, and meets fellow outcasts, each with their own dark secrets. As the lives of warriors, rebels, and witches clash, they find a shared destiny. For only together, and with Serena's unique gifts, can they survive long enough to build the flames of a revolution. Only together can they go to war ...

Kiss of Fire


Rebecca Ethington - 2012
    and it very nearly ended my life.Secrets are dangerous, and sometimes they can kill.My secret may not be that bad, but it sure has put a wrench in my high school plans. I am in love with my best friend. I know, I know. It's every teenage girls big confession, but most of them at least have a chance. Cute boy next door and all that.Not me, I just so happen to have a crush on a guy that is way out of my league. Ryland LaRue is insanely hot, insanely rich, and way too nice for his own good. It's clear I can't have him, and not just because his evil overlord father hates my guts. My crush on Ryland is not my only secret. I'm hiding something bigger than that. It's the reason my dad left, and I am pretty sure it's why his 'magical' cult is now following me around.The only problem? Ryland has a secret too, and his just happens to have all the answers I need.Which brings us to that kiss…

Dark Thoughts


Cynthia Sax - 2017
    Kralj, its leader, reigns over the remote outpost with terrifying ease, ruthlessly squashing any rumors of rebellion, killing anyone who breaks his rules. Primitive, deadly, powerful, he’s a monster, scarred both on his face and his soul. He has never met a being he couldn’t control. Until he meets her. Dita has one mission—to kill the three targets claiming sanctuary within the Refuge. Or so she claims. For the first time in his long lifespan, Kralj isn’t certain of another being’s intentions. The tiny assassin is immune to his powers, her thoughts unreadable. He can’t predict her movements, can’t control her, can’t stop wanting her. Dita is rare, as unique as he is, and, to keep the residents of the Refuge safe, Kralj will have to kill her. But first, he’ll touch her, taste her, show her how passionate the beast inside him can be. Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance. The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance. He’s truly a monster. This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities.

A Villainous Introduction


Candace Wondrak - 2020
    It’s not that I’m running from my past, it’s just…well, some things are better left forgotten. An academy for lost souls and criminals? Not exactly what I signed up for, but as I’m about to learn, once you step within the halls of Grimmstead, you can never leave. As the days wear on, I find out that no one is innocent here. Not me, not the ruggedly attractive headmaster, and certainly not its dangerous, handsome students. Me coming to Grimmstead was like a lamb running into a den of lions, only these lions are just as likely to attack each other as they are me. Mysteries lie within the heart of Grimmstead Academy, and I just might be the key to it all. The walls of Grimmstead are painted with three things.Depravity.Insanity. And blood. If you can’t trust your own mind, who can you trust? GA: A Villainous Introduction is the first book in a planned RH trilogy. There is graphic violence in this book, along with steamy scenes.

A Curse of Sparks (Fae Academy Book 3)


Sophia Shade - 2018
    Powerful creatures. Deadly artifacts. Just another year at Callador, School for the Fae. For Imogen, this year at Callador brings harder challenges, higher stakes, fewer truths, and even more lies. Her elders are urging her to choose her future path in the Fae world...but Imogen's distracted by other things. Her mom is acting strange. Her best friend isn't speaking to her. And just as she realizes what she wants from her love life...she learns it's something she can never have. Imogen wants to keep her head down and focus-but her enemies have other plans. The forests surrounding Callador hold more than just exotic plants and beautiful creatures, but a terrible, unleashed sorcery. As Imogen's list of allies shrinks, the threats that hunt her continue to grow. To prevent a deadly disaster, she'll need to navigate ancient ruins, steal an ancient Fae artifact, and risk her own life to overcome its power. In the end, all the answers point to only one villain. But what will Imogen do if that ultimate villain turns out to be herself?

The Hollow Gods


A.J. Vrana - 2020
     Black Hollow is a town with a dark secret. For centuries, residents have foretold the return of the Dreamwalker—an ominous figure from local folklore said to lure young women into the woods and possess them. Yet the boundary between fact and fable is blurred by a troubling statistic: occasionally, women do go missing. And after they return, they almost always end up dead. When Kai wakes up next to the lifeless body of a recently missing girl, his memory blank, he struggles to clear his already threadbare conscience. Miya, a floundering university student, experiences signs that she may be the Dreamwalker’s next victim. Can she trust Kai as their paths collide, or does he herald her demise? And after losing a young patient, crestfallen oncologist, Mason, embarks on a quest to debunk the town’s superstitions, only to find his sanity tested. A maelstrom of ancient grudges, forgotten traumas, and deadly secrets loom in the foggy forests of Black Hollow. Can three unlikely heroes put aside their fears and unite to confront a centuries-old evil? Will they uncover the truth behind the fable, or will the cycle repeat?

Rise of the Fallen


Donya Lynne - 2012
    Vampire enforcement agency, All the King’s Men (AKM), is charged with maintaining the truce, but when volatile enforcer Micah Black loses his mate and falls into the biological agony that results from the broken bond, he tests the boundaries of the truce by seeking out Apostle, a leader in the dreck community. Micah wants Apostle to kill him, a request Apostle is more than happy to fulfill. When ex-Army medic Samantha Garrett inadvertently disrupts the plot and saves Micah’s life, a chain reaction sets Micah’s heart on a collision course with Sam’s, but he will have to protect her from Apostle and her obsessive ex-husband, Steve, if they will have a chance at forever. Can Micah hold his emotions together to keep Sam alive?

Of Light and Darkness


Shayne Leighton - 2011
    Raised among a secret society of Witches, Shifters, and Elves, human-born Charlotte Ruzikova finds that she is the freak in her world of magic and monsters. When she stands before an army of impossible obstacles, the likelihood of survival in this coming-of-age modern fairy tale is slim. After Charlotte captures the attention of the young Elven prince, her scorn results in an all-out war between light and darkness.Charlotte knows no other home than the one nestled deep in the woods of the Czech Republic, where Witches draw spells of enchantment, Shifters throw tea parties, and Elves are the closest in kin. But as genocide and war threatens life as she knows it, Charlotte will fight for what she believes in...truth, bravery, and most importantly...love. Fighting with a coven of rogue monsters is tougher than it seems, but she will stop at nothing to save them...and she'll do it before the sun comes up and light takes over forever.Filled with Slavic folklore, Of Light and Darkness is the first part of an epic series not to be missed!.

Dollhouse


Anya Allyn - 2012
    A dollhouse, filled with life-sized toys. A doorway into other realms. And girls who keep disappearing...When Cassie’s best friend, Aisha, vanishes during a school hike, Cassie sets off with Aisha's boyfriend and their friend Lacey, determined to find her. Instead, the three teens fall into a carefully-laid trap—deep into the surreal nightmare and dark secrets of the Dollhouse.Now, Cassie must uncover the mysteries of the Dollhouse and her own connection to it-- before it's too late.With the horror and otherworldliness of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and the gothic romance of A Great and Terrible Beauty, Dollhouse is a tantalizing start to The Dark Carousel series.

Hex on the Beach


Gina LaManna - 2016
     Lily Locke has never believed in witches and wizards, ghosts and magic, shifters and vampires—especially cute blonde vamps with blood-intolerance issues. A rising star at a hotshot marketing agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, all Lily knows is that she’s a PowerPoint guru, an Excel ninja, and a coffee-maker extraordinaire. Not to mention she’s next in line for a huge promotion. All that changes when Lily’s assistant delivers a strange quiz to her, one titled A Magical Assessment for Normal Folks. With it comes the promise of a land she's never known existed. A land where Lily not only discovers her biological family for the first time, but a place where she can make a difference, change lives, and step into the role she’s destined to fulfill. But first, Lily must admit she’s a witch. Then, she has to acknowledge that the tall, dark, and mysterious man who offers his help is strictly focused on business...at least, for now. When a body turns up dead and the next target is Lily, she must trust her powers and accept the help of her newfound friends. Otherwise, she'll never survive the trials of the magical island tucked far, far away in the frigid waters of Lake Superior. Welcome to The Isle. ** ** This novel is a full-length, humorous cozy mystery featuring a splash of magic, a handful of witches, and a dash of romance. It's rated PG-13 due to mild language and some romance.

Wild


D.D. Prince - 2020
    One minute, she’s faced with a giant black wolf and the next, he’s transformed into a naked man before her eyes. And he insists – she's coming home with him.Tyson hasn't been in man form for years, for very specific reasons. Instead, he’s chosen to stay a wolf, deep in the forest. He didn't grow up with his pack and he doesn't have a solid understanding of human or shifter nature. All he knows is Ivy is meant to be his.A sexy shifter romance.This is a DD Prince book, which means you get a BIG book (nearly 500 pages) with lots of kindle-melting sexy times, some laugh-out-loud moments, some angst, and a whole lot of feels.This isn’t one of DD’s typical dark romances, there’s mostly light here, but it does have some darker subject matter. If you’re not a dark romance lover or are sensitive to triggers, this might not be your thing.

Juliet Immortal


Stacey Jay - 2011
    She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, who made the sacrifice to ensure his own immortality. But Romeo didn't anticipate that Juliet would be granted eternal life as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light.For seven hundred years, Juliet has struggled to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent, while Romeo has fought for the dark side, seeking to destroy the human heart. Until now.Now Juliet has found her own forbidden love, and Romeo, O Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy their happiness.Secrets unfold and surprises abound in Stacey Jay's powerfully dark romance, which reunites literature's most tragic couple.

To Love a God


Evie Kent - 2020
    Today, I’m a toy, a plaything, a distraction…An offering.A sacrifice to a caged god, to the Norse trickster.Loki.Trapped in a cave for the sins of his past, he waits for the end of days. Modern worshippers curry favor with gifts and trinkets, spilled blood—and women like me.Women who resemble his long-dead wife. We all have that look, you see. I’m supposed to be flattered that I remind him of a goddess in an age gone by.Fuck that.I’m furious.The ones who came before me were sweet, docile, compliant—just like her. But I’m not sweet. I’m not docile, and I will never be compliant. I am resilient. I am determined.I am—not—drawn to him.I will survive this.I will survive him.My name is Nora Olsen, and I will not die here.To Love a God is a full-length standalone dark paranormal romance novel set in the Lily of the Valley universe. Each book in the series can be read on its own, but characters will occasionally pop up in other stories. No cliffhangers. Always a happy ending—because even villains deserve a happily-ever-after.

Luminosity


Stephanie Thomas - 2012
    When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since. The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me. But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I’ve already helped them win.