Book picks similar to
The Orchid Farmer's Sacrifice (The Red Crest Book 1) by Fred Yu
fantasy
epic
physical
historical
Assassin's Creed: Renaissance
Oliver Bowden - 2009
To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honour, he will learn the art of the assassins. To his allies, Ezio will become a force for change, fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a threat.
Syn's Desires
J. Kearston - 2020
Those old crones are in a race with other murderous supernaturals to find the missing pieces, and I'm caught in the middle.Running out of time, forsaken by everyone; even the god who created me.But when I wash up on their shores, my fortunes might just be changing. These hunted men decided I'm theirs, that I belong with them, and they'll teach me to survive.I'm destined to be more than the gods intended. I may not make my own fate, but I’ll be damned if I’m invisible any longer.*Damsel in distress that grows with the book*Overprotective antiheroes*StandaloneThis is a standalone, 18+ RH novel, which means our leading lady doesn't need to choose between her love interests. It is set in the same universe as my Rise of the Sphinx completed series, so while you absolutely do NOT need to read those to enjoy this book, it might add to the enjoyment of character cameos and lend a bit more to the world building if you choose to start there.
The Candidate and other stories
Samuel R. George - 2019
He never expected an afterlife, and the fabled abode is nothing like the fable, which never mentioned a salmon with human arms and legs, or a flying saucer captained by lizard man.In “Harold,” you’ll meet a homunculus who is certain he is a one of a kind, a freak of nature. Imagine his surprise when he discovers an island populated by thousands of his kind. There he finds adventure, love, and danger. He must face thugs his size, sinister large people, a dangerous house cat, and a plethora of perplexing situations.Irresolute poets find their plush postmortem refuge is anything but when it soon becomes a type of Hell in “Between Life and Oblivion.”Discover the true story of Helen, the famous face that launched a thousand ships, in the tale “A More Likely Odyssey.”Within these pages you’ll be taken on journeys beyond imagining. You’ll meet characters and explore familiar worlds through different eyes. Look beyond the hedge…
Death's Collector
Bill McCurry - 2019
Sorcerers must give up things and people they love, or accept things they despise, to gain magical power. The sorcerer Bib saves his daughter by accepting a curse to murder people, and only Death knows how many Bib must kill. He tries to slay only evil people, but soon finds he's also killing people who are merely bad, or who might someday become bad. Bib chases a brutal sorcerer to help a woman rescue her boy, mainly because he expects a lot of killing. But he doesn't expect to unearth obscure magic, enslave spiteful supernatural beings, and strike ghastly bargains with the childish gods. And the last thing he expects is to face the question--is he a good man cursed to crave murder, or has he always been a murderer at heart?
Fall of Giants
Ken Follett - 2010
This is a huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.
It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to emigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution. In a plot of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, "Fall Of Giants" moves seamlessly from Washington to St Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty.
Threats of Sky and Sea
Jennifer Ellision - 2014
Until the day that three Elemental soldiers recognize her father as a traitor to the throne and Bree’s father is thrown in jail—along with the secrets from his last mission as the King’s assassin. Secrets that could help the King win a war. Secrets he refuses to share.Desperate to escape before the King’s capricious whims prove her and her father’s downfall, Bree bargains with him: information for their lives. It’s a good trade. And she has faith she’ll get them both out of the King’s grasp with time.But that was before the discovery that she’s the weapon the King’s been waiting for in his war.Now, time is running out. To save her father’s life and understand her own, Bree must unravel the knot of her father’s past before the King takes his life– and uses her to bring a nation to its knees.
Captive Omega
Eva Brandt - 2021
An Omega. Useless. When her father arranges her mating with the Alpha of the Firewolf Pack, she knows she has no choice. For her pack’s sake, she has to accept and embrace this union. But the return of the chaos shatters everything, leading her to her fated mate, Rowan Savage, the brother of her would-be bonded.Their relationship is forbidden, and there are still fragments of Luna’s past that she can’t abandon. Twin brothers Nate and Sam come back for her, claiming she is their mate as well. They’re rogues, exiles from the Wolfsbane pack, accused of murdering Luna’s brother--and yet, she can’t ever hope to let them go.How is their four-way bond supposed to work? Luna has no idea. But her blood is on fire. Their kisses taste like death. And she is not afraid. She might be an Omega, but she will be a captive no longer.Captive Omega is a why choose standalone novel, part of the Wolves of Chaos Valley shared universe series. It contains enough steam to drive your inner wolf feral, with an added dash of MM. You won't find any twincest, but there will be graphic violence, gore, and profanity.
Cobweb Bride: The Complete Trilogy:
Vera Nazarian - 2014
. . Nazarian writes clean and true prose . . ."--Publishers Weekly"Set in an alternate Renaissance Europe, this series opener by Russian-born Nazarian combines the stylistic manner of a folktale with the trappings of an epic fantasy, one driven by compassion rather than heroics.... Fans of period fantasy and those who like stories that feel like fairy tales should appreciate this skillful novel by the twice Nebula Award-nominated author of Dreams of the Compass Rose and The Duke in His Castle."--Library Journal"I really enjoyed the rich, complex and highly unusual storytelling in the Cobweb Bride. Nazarian does an excellent job of painting the Renaissance world of her alternate reality and bringing in interesting twists of fantasy to the story.... Everything about this story that was fresh and new. I loved the premise it was built on and I loved the story itself. The characters are rich, multi-dimensional, and so easy to get to know and identify with. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy when it comes out and in finding out more about what happens to the characters that still have a mission to carry out and how the story eventually resolves by the end of the trilogy. I recommend this book to readers of YA, lovers of fantasy, alternate-history, and alternate-reality. It was a terrific read."--Tracy M. Riva, Midwest Book Review"Cobweb Bride is astonishing and captivating; a lush fantasy of imagery and magical realism. The visuals are illustrated by the author's lyrical and metaphoric writing. Every chapter and scene revels in this mortal coil, surrounded by an expansive collage of characters immersed in a plot as rich and decadent as a Verdi opera.... The vibrancy of Ms. Nazarian's writing is sheer kaleidoscopic visualization. The folkloric-fable twists and turns recount shavings from the mythos of Hades and Persephone without boring you with a full-blown serving of predictability. The romance is as subtle as it is grim, with glimmers of hope taking us further to our doom--perhaps.... The overall tone is introspective, hauntingly quiet with elements of horror-fantasy that are as provocative as the works of Tanith Lee and Storm Constantine."--Patrice,
Romantic Historical Reviews
, a 5-Star Top Pick
Many are called... She alone can save the world and become Death's bride.
COBWEB BRIDE is a history-flavored fantasy novel with romantic elements of the Persephone myth, about Death's ultimatum to the world.
What if you killed someone and then fell in love with them?
In an alternate Renaissance world, somewhere in an imaginary "pocket" of Europe called the Kingdom of Lethe, Death comes, in the form of a grim Spaniard, to claim his Bride. Until she is found, in a single time-stopping moment all dying stops. There is no relief for the mortally wounded and the terminally ill...
Covered in white cobwebs of a thousand snow spiders she lies in the darkness... Her skin is cold as snow... Her eyes, frozen... Her gaze, fiercely alive...
Red Eye: Season One, Episode One
Claire C. Riley - 2019
Sam thinks the worst thing about her week was her doomed wedding, she was wrong. ** When a red-eye flight from London to Los Angeles brings two strangers together, they have no idea that it’s the
end of the bloody world!
Rose, a British runaway, is ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Her hopes are high, her funds are low, and nothing is going to rain on her parade. Except maybe the apocalypse! Sam is an American ballerina on her way home from a hellish vacation. She’s tired of culture, tired of traveling, and seriously tired of men. She can’t wait to get home. That is until everyone turns into flesh-eating zombies! Neither woman expects their exhausting overnight flight to devolve into bloody carnage of terror and mayhem. But when you’re over 30,000 feet in the air and there’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide… what else can you do but team up with as many survivors as possible and try to stay alive? * Start this epic zombie apocalypse thriller written by USA Today Bestseller Claire C. Riley and Victoria Cage Author Eli Constant. Red Eye Season 1: Episode 1 – OUT NOW Red Eye Season 1: Episode 2 – OUT NOW Red Eye Season 1: Episode 3 – OUT NOW Red Eye Season 1: Episode 4 – COMING Dec. 5th
The Sheriff's Catch
James Vella-Bardon - 2021
Once a famous sniper, Abel finds himself a survivor of the Spanish Armada shipwrecks in 16th C Ireland. Following his capture by a brutal sheriff, Abel flees torture and death with a priceless emerald ring. Dozens of English troopers hunt the Spaniard across the Irish wilds, beating every last bush in a desperate attempt to find him.Muireann is a revered Irish poetess enjoying the hospitality of a neighbouring tribe. Tragedy strikes when the sheriff’s men kill her husband during a violent night raid, with her life barely saved by the fugitive Abel. Newly widowed and shocked by her loss, Muireann must somehow reach the distant lands of her tribe, where she can be reunited with her only son.Both runaways form an unlikely bond as they flee across a strange and stunning land, pushed to the edge of their wits and endurance. Yet unknown to Muireann, the ring Abel carries bears far-reaching consequences beyond Irish shores. Can the unlikely, desperate pair escape a ruthless sheriff who will never give up the chase?Accolades for 'The Sheriff's Catch'Winner in the 'Best Novel' category - The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, 2019Winner in the 'Best Historical Fiction' category - The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, 2019Winner in the 'Best Cover Design' category - The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, 2019Finalist in the 'Book Trailer' category - The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards 2019Finalist - The Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards, 2019Finalist - The Eric Hoffer Awards, 2019Finalist in the 'Outstanding Historical' category - The Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards, 2019Winner in the 'Best Cover Design' category - The e-book Cover Design Awards, November 2018Nominee in the 'Best Trailer for a Book or Novel' category - Golden Trailer Awards, 2018
Enchantress
James Maxwell - 2012
But the elite Academy of Enchanters expects tuition fees and knowledge. Determined, Ella sells flowers and studies every book she can. Meanwhile her brother, Miro, dreams of becoming one of the world's finest swordsmen, wielding his nation’s powerful enchanted weapons in defense of his homeland.A dark force rises in the east, conquering all in its path, and Miro leaves for the front. When the void Miro left is filled by Killian, a charming stranger from another land, Ella finds herself in love. But Killian has a secret, and Ella’s actions will determine the fate of her brother, her homeland, and the world.This is the first book in the epic Evermen Saga.
Shattered Princess
Avery Song - 2020
In fact, I only made one mistake -- not counting on four Deadly Sins being transferred to my penitentiary. But they're here now, and their presence is upending my life.Meet:Sexy
Jack
of All Trades.Dangerous
Liam
of Mischievous Games.Mental
Darrell
of All Things Sinister.Lethal
Luca
of Pleasure and Torture.The only thing I know for sure about them is that all four men are delicious and deadly, and I take it upon myself to discover exactly what types of supernatural beings they are. But as I work on uncovering their secrets, they decide it's their duty to get me back out into the world.As a shattered princess, being in the depths of prison never bothered me, but now that four thrilling men are fighting their hardest to get me out, I have a feeling the outside world is where I'd love to start a new adventure.Many people mistakenly believe I hide out of fear. Oh, if only they knew just how dangerous an innocent little royal can be. Then again, they'll find out soon enough.
It's time for me to show the world what it really means to be a shattered princess.
The Wolf of the North
Duncan M. Hamilton - 2016
Many have made the claim, but few have lived to defend it. Timid, weak, and bullied, Wulfric is as unlikely a candidate as there could be. A chance encounter with an ancient and mysterious object awakens a latent gift, and Wulfric’s life changes course. Against a backdrop of war, tragedy, and an enemy whose hatred for him knows no bounds, Wulfric will be forged from a young boy, into the Wolf of the North. This is his tale.
The Secret Life of Violet Grant
Beatriz Williams - 2014
Vivian Schuyler, newly graduated from Bryn Mawr College, has recently defied the privilege of her storied old Fifth Avenue family to do the unthinkable for a budding Kennedy-era socialite: break into the Mad Men world of razor-stylish Metropolitan magazine. But when she receives a bulky overseas parcel in the mail, the unexpected contents draw her inexorably back into her family’s past, and the hushed-over crime passionnel of an aunt she never knew, whose existence has been wiped from the record of history.Berlin, 1914. Violet Schuyler Grant endures her marriage to the philandering and decades-older scientist Dr. Walter Grant for one reason: for all his faults, he provides the necessary support to her liminal position as a young American female physicist in prewar Germany. The arrival of Dr. Grant’s magnetic former student at the beginning of Europe’s fateful summer interrupts this delicate détente. Lionel Richardson, a captain in the British Army, challenges Violet to escape her husband’s perverse hold, and as the world edges into war and Lionel’s shocking true motives become evident, Violet is tempted to take the ultimate step to set herself free and seek a life of her own conviction with a man whose cause is as audacious as her own.As the iridescent and fractured Vivian digs deeper into her aunt’s past and the mystery of her ultimate fate, Violet’s story of determination and desire unfolds, shedding light on the darkness of her years abroad . . . and teaching Vivian to reach forward with grace for the ambitious future––and the love––she wants most.
The Notice
L.L. Frost - 2020
But the demonic higher-ups have other ideas, and Adie soon finds herself landed in the hot seat. Will she be able to answer for her actions, or will she see everything she’s fought for taken away?
Part 1 of Succubus Trials.
Join Adie on her (mis)adventures toward achieving a quasi-normal life among humans.