Book picks similar to
Nightmare in Steam by Lexi Ostrow


steampunk
fantasy-romance
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Angelbound


Christina Bauer - 2013
    She’s not your every day quasi-demon, part-demon and part-human, girl. For the past five years, Myla has lived for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory’s arena. When souls want a trial by combat for their right to enter Heaven or Hell, they go up against her, and she hasn’t lost a battle yet. But as she starts her senior year at Purgatory High, the arena fights aren’t enough to keep her spirits up anymore. When the demons start to act weird, even for demons, and the King of the Demons, Armageddon, shows up at Myla’s school, she knows that things are changing and it’s not looking good for the quasi-demons. Myla starts to question everything, and doesn’t like the answers she finds. What happened seventeen years ago that turned the quasi-demons into slave labor? Why was her mom always so sad? And why won’t anyone tell her who her father is? Things heat up when Myla meets Lincoln, the High Prince of the Thrax, a super sexy part-human and part-angel demon hunter. But what’s a quasi-demon girl to do when she falls for a demon hunter? It’s a good thing that Myla’s not afraid of breaking a few rules. With a love worth fighting for, Myla’s going to shake up Purgatory.

Society of Wishes


Elise Kova - 2018
    That is, until the day she and her best friend are gunned down in a government raid.With her dying breath, Jo uses magical lore passed down from her grandmother to summon a wish-granter. Her wish? To save her friend’s life. Except wishes have costs, and for Jo, the price is the erasure of her entire mortal existence.Now, as the most recent addition to the mysterious Society of Wishes, Jo must form a new “life” alongside the seven other members, one of which being her savior himself. Living as an occupant of the Society’s lavish mansion should be quite the perk, but while it is furnished with everything its inhabitants could possibly need, it lacks one thing—freedom.Her otherworldly identity crisis takes a backseat, however, when Jo learns that the friend she sacrificed everything for is headed down the same path to ruin. Jumping in head-first, Jo uses her newfound magical abilities to protect him, only to realize that the ripples of her actions have far-reaching consequences. When the Society’s aloof leader Snow decides to give her a taste of his own ancient magic, Jo discovers that there are threads woven into the tapestry of her new reality that reach far beyond the wishes she is now required to grant. Ones that, if tugged on, could mean the unraveling of the world itself.

Before the Broken Star


Emily R. King - 2019
    The lone survivor of her family’s unexplained assassination, she was saved by an ingeniously crafted clockwork heart. But the time she was given won’t last forever. Now, every tick-tock reminds her how fragile her existence is and hastens her quest to expose Killian Markham, the navy admiral who shattered her world and left her for dead. But Everley’s hunt for justice will be a long and hard-won voyage.Her journey takes her to a penal colony on a cursed isle, where she will be married off and charged to build the new world. It is here, and beyond, that hidden realms hide, treasures are unearthed, her family secrets are buried, and young love will test the strength of her makeshift heart. When Everley discovers Markham may not be who he seems, her pursuit for truth is bound to his redemption, her tragic history, and her astonishing destiny.

Stone Cold Magic


Jayne Faith - 2016
    . .Demon patrol officer Ella Grey was pronounced dead after an accident on the job. Eighteen minutes later she woke up on a gurney bound for the morgue. But she didn’t return to the living alone. The soul of a reaper followed her back from the grave, and it’s not just along for the ride. The reaper gives her glimpses of the brother she feared was dead, but it's also trying to use her for its morbid work. The reaper could be her biggest ally in her battle for her brother, if it doesn't eat her soul first.Perfect for fans of Kim Harrison, Seanan McGuire, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, and Jim Butcher!Ella Grey Series (series is complete):Stone Cold MagicDark Harvest MagicDemon Born MagicBlood Storm Magic

Toward a Secret Sky


Heather Maclean - 2017
    It confirms that her parents were employed by a secret, international organization that’s now intent on recruiting her. As Maren works to unravel the clues left behind by her mother, a murderous madness sweeps through the local population, terrorizing her small town. Maren must decide if she’ll continue her parents’ fight or stay behind to save her friends.With the help of Gavin, an otherworldly mercenary she’s not supposed to fall in love with, and Graham, a charming aristocrat who is entranced with her, Maren races against the clock and around the country from palatial estates with twisted labyrinths to famous cathedrals with booby-trapped subterranean crypts to stay ahead of the enemy and find a cure. Along the way, she discovers the great truth of love: that laying down your life for another isn’t as hard as watching them sacrifice everything for you.

The Vine Witch


Luanne G. Smith - 2019
    Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.

Wolves and Daggers


Melanie Karsak - 2018
    Can she trust him to help her chase down the monsters they’re hunting?Wolves and Daggers is a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale set in Melanie Karsak’s bestselling steampunk universe.

A Breath of Frost


Alyxandra Harvey - 2014
    Now, beyond the manicured gardens and ballrooms of Regency London, an alluring underworld available only to those with power is revealed to the cousins. By claiming their power, the three cousins have accidentally opened the gates to the underworld. Now ghouls, hellhounds—and most terrifying of all, the spirits of dark witches known as the Greymalkin Sisters—are hunting and killing young debutante witches for their powers. And, somehow, Emma is connected to the murders…because she keeps finding the bodies. Can the cousins seal the gates before another witch is killed…or even worse, before their new gifts are stripped away?

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century: A Sweet YA/Time Travel Romance


Rachel Harris - 2012
    So even though Cat knows the family's trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual magical tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

The Bloodline War


Tracy Tappan - 2013
    Ward, you have to read this new series by Tracy Tappan!”~ Fan review Vârcolac warriors kidnap a woman with a unique bloodline for their town’s repopulation program, but the willful doctor incites a mutiny, and the leader of the Warrior Class has his hands full containing the revolt…and his burning attraction for the exasperating woman.Dr. Toni Parthen never knew she carried a unique, supernatural gene until the night she was kidnapped for it. Imprisoned in a secret underground community, she is asked to do the unthinkable: procreate with a vampire male in order to save their dying race. Headstrong and independent, Toni doesn’t cower in the face of her new, sinister reality. Instead she incites the other captured women to mutiny. But danger lurks around another corner. A ruthless demon faction is also after her powerful DNA, and she is suddenly thrust into the middle of a bloodline war. As her world explodes into violence, her only hope of survival lies with the dark, formidable vampire who wants nothing to do with her.A rare half-vampire, half-demon, the leader of the Warrior Class, Jacken Brun, has vowed never to allow his tainted bloodlines into the community. Already a heavy burden, this oath becomes nearly impossible to bear when Toni’s special scent and infuriating troublemaking ignite a voracious hunger in him. Avoidance is key. But when war wages around Toni, led by the man who devastated her years ago, Jacken must choose between honoring his pledge or claiming a forbidden love.Content guidelines: contains profanity, violence, and adult situations.

Fates Divided


Jules Barnard - 2015
    Suddenly susceptible to a deadly disease, the Fae believe Elena--a mere half-breed--can cure them. And they'll harm the last of Elena's loved ones unless she helps them by using the magical ability she inherited from a mother she never knew.Her only shot at pulling that off? Enlisting the help of her brooding, though brilliant, chemist neighbor Derek, who rivals the Fae in masculine beauty. Derek has seen the Viking-looking man following his neighbor's every move. When Elena comes to him for help, he hesitates. Derek has secrets of his own, and this business Elena’s involved in could ruin everything. But when Elena and Derek get together, more than chemicals spark fire. They soon discover how complicated physical attraction can get when they find themselves on the other side of the portal, enemies by birthright, and fighting for survival.Fates Divided is a captivating twist on forbidden love, with unique world building, seductive romance, and a deadly war among Fae that will make your heart pound.*Each Halven Rising book is a standalone romance with an overarching story that connects the series.Fates Altered (Halven Rising, Prequel) -- Alex & ThedaFates Divided (Halven Rising, Book 1) -- Derek & ElenaFates Entwined (Halven Rising, Book 2) -- Keen & ReeseFates Fulfilled (Halven Rising, Book 3) -- Garrin & Lex

Lumière


Jacqueline Garlick - 2013
    One resourceful boy. One miracle machine that could destroy everything. After an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt—her father’s arch nemesis—discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum. Pursued by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her quest but by the allure of the stranger—Urlick Babbit—who harbors secrets of his own. Together, they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same prize, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.

Releasing the Demons


L.D. Rose - 2015
    Five years after being maimed and tortured by vampires, Blaze is still picking up the pieces of his shattered life. As a genetically engineered hybrid mercenary, his mission is to protect what's left of humanity. When his tormentors return to the Bronx gunning for Blaze’s blood, he’s forced to face the demons of his past. Hell-bent on revenge, he seeks the help of Valerie Medeiros, an NYPD detective who manages to steal his heart and save his life in more ways than one. Motivated by her sister's gruesome death, Valerie’s life goal is to bury every vampire in the ground where they belong. She has a hard time trusting anything with fangs, yet she falls headlong into Blaze's life, a life full of darkness and horror she can't even begin to fathom. The bodies are stacking up, but Valerie can't let go of this hybrid, a beautiful monster filled with pain, rage, and passion unlike anything she's ever known. In a world where the line between good and evil is blurred, Blaze and Valerie will find danger at every turn, risking everything they’ve come to know and love, including one another.*2016 PRISM contest First Place WINNER in Dark Paranormal and FINALIST in Best First Book!*

The Will and the Wilds


Charlie N. Holmberg - 2020
    When one tries to kill her to obtain an enchanted stone, Enna takes a huge risk: fighting back with a mysting of her own.Maekallus’s help isn’t free. His price? A kiss. One with the power to steal her soul. But their deal leaves Maekallus bound to the mortal realm, which begins eating him alive. Only Enna’s kiss, given willingly, can save him from immediate destruction. It’s a temporary salvation for Maekallus and a lingering doom for Enna. Part of her soul now burns bright inside Maekallus, making him feel for the first time.Enna shares Maekallus’s suffering, but her small sacrifice won’t last long. If she and Maekallus can’t break the spell binding him to the mortal realm, Maekallus will be consumed completely—and Enna’s soul with him.

Haven


A.R. Ivanovich - 2011
    Outside the safety of her homeland’s borders, Katelyn meets Rune, a young soldier who will die without her immediate aid. She never considered that helping him would lead to her capture. While being held prisoner by the handsome Lord Dylan Axton, she learns that the outside world is rife with war and controlled by people with extraordinary powers. It becomes clear that there was a very good reason the founders of Haven locked their people away from the rest of the world. The depth of her peril reaches a fever pitch when a ruthless Commander wants Katelyn dead. Her only hope is to return to Haven, but can she survive long enough to find her home? HAVEN is an exciting young adult fantasy novel, set in a unique, rural steampunk world, by debut author A. R. Ivanovich.