Book picks similar to
Trial One by Annabel Chase


fantasy
urban-fantasy
tbr
first-in-series

Blood Claws


John P. Logsdon - 2021
    Bethany Black is a rookie cop in the New York Paranormal Police Department (PPD). She's fast as hell, tougher than nails, and she's got no problem with blowing up stuff. She also turns into a ferocious tiger when she gets sufficiently pissed off.New York City is where the supernatural mob snagged its foothold back in the day. Goblins had poured in from the Netherworld and taught locals how to properly manage the criminal climate. They sold protection, rattled cages, and raked their fingers across the back of honest society.It took years and tons of Paranormal Police Department officers to gain back control.But now the city is on the brink of falling apart.The PPD lost half its uniformed cops during an all-out war with a nasty mage, and the latest mob boss is looking to capitalize.Translation: Blood, blood, and a bit more blood.Too bad the mafia decided to kidnap Bethany's best friend. He's only one of two remaining weretigers in existence. She's the other.Remember what happens when Bethany gets pissed off?Yeah, well, she's seriously pissed off...If you like Jim Butcher, Michael Anderle, K.F. Breene, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, or Steve McHugh...you will love the first book in the New York Paranormal Police Department.

Obsidian


Kimberly Loth - 2016
    If she knew who he was, she might act differently. But to her, Sid is just a reminder of a past she’d rather forget.Sid won’t leave Aspen alone, because she’s the one girl that might be able to help save him and the rest of the dragons.He hadn’t planned on falling love…

The Bone Witch


Ivy Asher - 2020
    I was counting on it.But now my Grammy Ruby is gone, and here the bones sit on my kitchen table.I thought bitter relatives would be my biggest problem. But I’ve barely had time to find a familiar before trouble comes a-knocking. The kind that possesses smoldering green eyes and a smile that can turn any woman dumb.His name is Rogan Kendrick, and he’s certain that someone is hunting down and taking my kind.According to him, I’m next.This is a world that I never wanted to be a part of, but magic gives no fucks and takes no prisoners... At least we have that much in common.I don’t know what my ancestors were thinking when they chose me, but I’m going to give them a run for their money. My name is Lennox Osseous, but you can call me the Bone Witch.

Gifts of the Blood


Vicki Keire - 2010
    Her parents are four years dead; everyday she watches her brother Logan fight his cancer diagnosis. Things get worse for Caspia the day she draws an angry stranger framed by planes of light and violent, bloody images. That exact same stranger walks up to her out of nowhere mere hours later knowing things he shouldn't, like her name, her brother's illness, and her strange ability. That's when Caspia discovers her hometown is a refuge for supernatural beings both Light and Dark, and she and her brother find themselves caught up in a war between the two that predates their very birth. In order to protect herself and her brother, she turns to the one who seems to have started it all: the man who walked out of her sketchbook calling himself Ethan. But Ethan has his own agenda, Logan's getting sicker fast, and Caspia finds that drawing the future isn't the only strange thing she can do. Meanwhile, someone really wants all of them dead. In a town where Dark doesn't equal Evil and Light isn't always Good, Caspia and Ethan find themselves making strange alliances and even stranger sacrifices in order to protect those they love.

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!.

Saved by Blood


Sadie Moss - 2018
    To save me, they had to turn me… When I moved to New York after a bad divorce, I planned to re-invent myself… I just had no idea the ‘new me’ would be a vampire.Or that the three (yes, three!) vampires who turned me would be the hottest, most frustrating men I’d ever met.Now creepy shadow monsters are stalking me, and I don’t know why. But teaming up with these dangerously sexy brothers may be my best chance for survival, even though being around them does weird things to my heart.The old me was too scared to even start dating again.The new me?She wants to devour all three of them.This is the first book in The Vampires' Fae Series, a medium-burn reverse harem story intended for ages 18+. This book contains strong language, sexual situations, and a heroine who doesn't have to choose between her men.Book two coming December 28.

Staying Dead


Laura Anne Gilman - 2004
    Normally her job is stimulating, challenging and only a little bit dangerous. But every once in a while...Case in point: A cornerstone containing a spell is stolen and there's a magical complication. (Isn't there always?) Wren's unique abilities aren't enough to lay this particular case to rest, so she turns to some friends: a demon (minor), a mage who has lost his mind, and a few others, including Sergei, her business partner (and maybe a bit more?).Sometimes what a woman has to do to get the job done is enough to give even Wren nightmares....

The Night Universe Collection


Selene Charles - 2018
    I’m one of the seven deadly sins, they call me Lust, but you can just call me Pandora. This is a story of darkness. Redemption. Hope. And betrayal I never saw coming. A reaper’s found me—deadly to my kind—and though I know I shouldn’t be I’m as drawn to him as a moth is to flame. But I don’t have time to indulge in my fantasies of stripping him down naked and having my dirty, dirty way with him. Because there’s a prophecy going round. Real end of the world type stuff. And somehow this little demon is at the heart of it all. I’m thousands of years old, but I’m starting to feel like my numbers finally come due...Book 1: Crimson NightMy name is Pandora, and I'm a Nephilim-half demon-what's my other name? Lust. I'm the dark craving that drives you mad, makes you reckless and stupid. But I'm not all bad. I fight for light. People are starting to disappear and lately I've felt a dark presence lurking around me. I think it might be a death priest. And before the night is through I'll be betrayed by the one person I thought I could trust.Book 2: All Hallows NightSecrets and truths, lies and red herrings… which is which? That’s what Pandora’s trying to figure out. And there's no better time to do it than during Mexico's annual Dia de Los Muertos festival. There's just one problem... Zombies. Book 3: Howler’s NightLies. Half-truths. A zombie Queen. And a really freaking dark entity known only as the Triad. The more Pandora learns the worse things seem to get. "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him..." Book 4: Red RainWelp... this is it. The end of the world. Somehow, I don't think I made anything better, only worse. But now I've got allies, people I call friends and maybe, just maybe I might come out of this nightmare alive... or maybe I'll turn into something darker than anything the world could ever imagine. Guess, you'll just have to wait and see.The Night Series was originally written as Marie Hall, now writing as Selene Charles.

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.

Blood Oath


Raye Wagner - 2017
    Dragons. Intrigue. Romance. More than anything, I crave adventure. But in the disease ridden land of Verald, life is mapped out much like the well-established rings of our kingdom. At the very heart reigns our vicious king and Lord Irrik, an invincible dragon shifter, at his side. Their power poisons the land and the people, leading to a steadily mounting number of enemies. But change is coming. When the rebellion surges, the king strikes back. Captured by Lord Irrik, I'm suddenly embroiled in a deadly game. One where I'm desperate to understand the rules. Because I'm not only fighting for my life... but also a love that could be the very key to my freedom.

Fairy-Struck


Amy Sumida - 2015
    Long ago, there was a war between humans and fairies, and we nearly destroyed the world with it. Now, we have a truce in place to prevent that from happening again. Both sides enforce the truce; we have the Extinguishers and they have the Wild Hunt. Humans don't remember the truce anymore; they don't remember the Fey anymore. A fact that the Fey use to their advantage. I hate that. After they killed my mother, I even started to hate them. But that hatred doesn't seem to matter when I look at him. Fairy hunter. Deadly. Beautiful. Intent on sliding himself into my life. We'll just see about that.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone


Laini Taylor - 2011
    She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Smoke Rising


Craig Halloran - 2015
    The unexpected begins ... Agent Sidney Shaw is one of the FBI’s finest. Tough as nails with a calculating mind, she thought she was ready for anything. Enter John Smoke. His spirited arrest methods landed him hard time in prison. The decorated veteran, now branded an ex-con, just wants to serve his time in peace. The powers that be have other plans. When Sidney is assigned to be Smoke’s handler, both of their lives are turned upside down. She plays by the rules. He trusts his instincts. Fighting to control him, she finds herself chasing him down a secret, dark, supernatural path where a vast criminal network rears its head in the heart of Washington, D.C.

A Dance With Darkness


Jenna Wolfhart - 2018
    Until my eighteenth birthday, I didn’t know how true that was. First, I started seeing strange things. Then, the tips of my ears began to shift. Now, even touching something made of iron makes me sick. Am I losing my mind?When four mysterious fae males corner me in the street, they bring terrifying news: I’m not human. I’m a changeling, a fae swapped at birth. Under their powerful yet infuriating guidance, I return to Otherworld to train at their academy and determine to which of the four faerie courts I belong. But there’s something much more dangerous than the four fae vying for my attention. And if I don’t unravel the fae’s secrets, none of the changelings will survive. Including me.

Whispers in Autumn


Trisha Leigh - 2012
    They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots. Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone. Then she meets Lucas, everything changes. Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race. It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.