Book picks similar to
The Unlikely Savior by Tammy Seley Elliott


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Kids at War


E.A. Lake - 2014
    Times have worsened as the remaining fuel and valuable resources – fresh food and water – are long gone. Chances of recovery have all but disappeared; chances of survival seem grim. In a plan so backward, so unlikely to have any success, the militia of the Milwaukee area take a young nun, five teens, and a set of five “special packages” into the barren farmland of south-central Wisconsin. There, with little more than themselves for support, they are to live, to grow, and perhaps even prosper. Or maybe the militia has just removed a problem they chose not to deal with. With the help of new – yet strange – friends, their journey begins. But trouble finds them, even against their greatest hopes and fervent prayers. Worse, the militia has purchased help from a drunken recluse who may prove to be their greatest trouble of all. The second book of our greatest war, our battle for survival, begins: WWIV – Kids at War.

The Reluctant Witch: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery


Amelia Hopegood - 2020
    

The house between time: The past lives here


Rhona Whiteford - 2020
    Her husband was abusing her; her job no longer fulfilled her. She was fearful, isolated. When the chance came, she escaped. She sought refuge in the only place she could, a cottage that had stood for centuries overlooking the sea. It offered more than four walls. The spirit of her ancestor travelled through eight hundred years to give her the strength and guidance she needed to face her enemies, and to save her life.Two women, bonded by blood, reach across time to one another. Forces of darkness from the past and the present work against them both.Can they find their courage?

The Scourge


A.G. Henley - 2012
    She's never been able to see her lush forest home, but she knows its secrets. She knows how the shadows shift when she passes under a canopy of trees. She knows how to hide in the cool, damp caves when the Scourge comes. She knows how devious and arrogant the Groundlings' tree-dwelling neighbors, the Lofties, can be. And she's always known this day would come—the day she faces the Scourge alone. The Sightless, like Fenn, are mysteriously protected from the Scourge, the gruesome creatures roaming the forests, reeking of festering flesh and consuming anything—and anyone—living. A Sightless Groundling must brave the Scourge and bring fresh water to the people of the forest. Today, that task becomes Fenn's. Fenn will have a Lofty Keeper, Peree, as her companion. Everyone knows the Lofties wouldn’t hesitate to shoot an arrow through the back of an unsuspecting Groundling like Fenn, but Peree seems different. A boy with warm, rough hands who smells like summer, he is surprisingly kind and thoughtful. Although Fenn knows his people are treacherous, she finds herself wanting to trust him. As their forest community teeters on the brink of war, Fenn and Peree must learn to work together to survive the Scourge and ensure their people’s survival. But when Fenn uncovers a secret that shatters her truths, she’s forced to decide who and what to protect—her people, her growing love for Peree, or the elusive dream of lasting peace in the forest.

The Last Blog


Rob Blackwell - 2015
    14, 2010, and was never seen again. The only clues to his fate were a series of blog posts he left behind, allegedly recounting his final hours inside one of the most haunted houses in the world. But what started as an investigation into the mysterious occurrences inside Madison Manor also revealed shocking truths about Sean’s own past. “The Last Blog” is a 10,000-word short story that includes Sean’s final blog postings, as well as additional analysis and insight provided by noted supernatural expert Soren Chase. It’s the perfect treat for Halloween!

Broken Elements


Mia Marshall - 2012
    In Lake Tahoe, she only finds more trouble. An estranged best friend, a dangerously attractive landlord, and a couple of FBI agents are determined to complicate her life…and for the first time in years, she doesn’t mind a few complications.As the killer grows increasingly fixated on Aidan, her past and present begin to collide. To defeat the killer, she must learn to control her power—before her broken magic fails her for the final time.BROKEN ELEMENTS is the first book in the award-winning Elements urban fantasy series.

Flux


Mark R. Faulkner - 2012
    In this disturbing, yet darkly funny novel, Iain’s near death experience is not a vision of exquisite godliness with light at the end of a tunnel. Instead he experiences a place of darkness and heat, inhabited by foul creatures, the sounds of suffering and a beast. During a long recovery Iain becomes plagued by nightmares and premonitions, shadowy apparitions, a magpie, and a vile old man. They all have a message, that something wants Iain and it won't give up easily. Iain’s friends do their best to cheer him up in ways they know how, until the unexpected events of one sunny afternoon mean that he is on his own, caught up in the age old battle of good versus evil.

Scream Angel


Douglas Smith - 2011
    Imagine a drug that flips the valleys and makes them peaks, too. You react now to an event based not on the pleasure or pain that it brings, but solely on the intensity of the emotion created. Pain brings pleasure, grief gives joy, horror renders ecstasy.Now give this drug to a soldier. Tell them to kill. Not in the historically acceptable murder of war, but in a systematic corporate strategy--of xenocide.They will kill. And they will revel in it.Welcome to the world of Scream.Jason Trelayne is a Screamer, a soldier forced to take part in the destruction of entire races. But when Trelayne falls in love with a beautiful Scream Angel, an alien who produces the addictive drug, he sets off a chain of events that pits him and a small group of followers against an empire.An award winning novelette of rebellion, love, and an unlikely hero."A dark and powerful story with a first line that sets the tone for what is to come: 'They stopped beating Trelayne when they saw that he enjoyed it.' (A++)" --Fantasy Book Critic"A visceral work. A true pearl of the fantastic literature. Breath-taking." --Café de Ontem"...the book's most skillfully crafted story...quickly becomes one that holds the reader's attention until the very end." --SpecFicWorld"...remind me of the reasons I love the author's writing: his characterization, attention to detail and recurring themes of love, faith and redemption." --SF Crowsnest Reviews"The story has so many layers that I'm still sorting them out. And like an onion, I'm not sure if I'll ever find the final layer." --Tangent Online"One of those rare ideas that seems at once so perfect and so natural that someone must have come up with it before; but if someone has, I haven't heard about it, and regardless Smith exploits the potential of the idea extraordinarily well here." --Strange Horizons

Medium Dead


Chris Dolley - 2011
    Finally, a new author as witty and sassy as Janet Evanovich." -- Lark SusakMedium Dead is a fun urban fantasy chronicling the crime fighting adventures of Brenda - a reluctant medium - and Brian - a Vigilante Demon with an impish sense of humour. Think Stephanie Plum with magic and a dash of Carl Hiaasen. Brenda Steele is smart, funny and out of her depth. A Vigilante Demon called Brian wants her to find murdered spirits and help him track down their killers. But Brian doesn't just catch criminals, he likes to play with them first, and make the punishment fit the crime. As he tells Brenda, "if all you did was turn up, capture the bad guy then leave - century after century - you'd die of boredom."He's also reckless - his last partner died during one of his takedowns.Along the way, Brenda discovers that Brian isn't as old, or as powerful, as he led her to believe. He might even be human. Whereas the murderer they're hunting, and the child he's holding prisoner, might not. REVIEWS"I was hooked by the end of page one and laughing out loud by the middle of page two. Finally, a new author as witty and sassy as Janet Evanovich." -- Lark Susak"Yes, yes, yes you will want to read Medium Dead by Chris Dolley. Yes, if you enjoy your mysteries with stumbling heroines and heroes trying to exercise detective skills they may not actually have. Yes, if you don't mind laughing out loud as you read. And yes, if you enjoy your terror without horror," -- Kathleen Kempa"This was a very entertaining story. I enjoyed the characters and humor. Nothing better than a good belly laugh. Can't wait for the next installment," -- Stephanie Robert

Blades of Magic


Terah Edun - 2014
    War is raging between the mages and seventeen-year-old Sara Fairchild will be right in the middle of it.She just doesn't know it yet.Sara is the daughter of a disgraced imperial commander, executed for desertion. Sara is also the best duelist and hand-to-hand combatant in Sandrin. She lives quietly with her family’s shame but when challenged about her family’s honor, her opponent inevitably loses.On the night she finds out her father’s true last actions, she takes the Mercenary Guilds’ vows to serve in the emperor’s army. Using her quick wits and fierce fighting skills, she earns a spot in the first division. There she discovers secrets the mages on both sides would prefer stay hidden. Dark enemies hunt her and soon it's not just Sara questioning the motivation behind this war.While fighting mages, blackmailing merchants and discovering new friends, Sara comes across something she’s never had before - passion. The question is - can she fight for her empress against a mage who might unwittingly claim her heart?This is year one of the Initiate Wars. Sara is hoping it doesn't become the year she dies.

Singularity Barbecue


David Delaney - 2017
     Life sucks for Sebastian Stevens and it's not his fault. He had plans, a perfectly mapped out career as an award-winning journalist, leading to fame and fortune. Then digital killed the newspaper star and Sebastian ended up as the Events and Food reporter for a free Los Angeles magazine – a FREE magazine. If there is a journalism Hell, he is in it. But Sebastian's luck may be changing, when he discovers Singularity BBQ, a food truck run by three of the sexiest women he has ever met. The food is incredible and the women seem to have an almost cult-like hold over their customers. Even Sebastian can't help himself from getting caught up in their flirty, seductive games. But who are they? Why a food truck? And what's up with the whole Singularity thing? Sebastian has questions but the answers may lead him into a living nightmare because the ladies of Singularity Barbeque are cooking up something wicked and if Sebastian isn’t careful he may just end up on the menu. SINGULARITY BARBECUE is a stand-alone novella that introduces readers to the quirky-cool world of the Paragon Society David Delaney’s new supernatural thriller series. Check out SINGULARITY BARBECUE today.

The Immolation of Eve


Helen Sarah Fields - 2011
    When Eve finds out that she was adopted, the search to find her birth mother spirals her into a world of darkness and myth. A trip to Krakow to defend a soldier in a disturbing rape case brings Eve face to face with the demon incubus Perun. Intent on seducing her for his own purposes, Perun is dangerous and uncontrollable and yet he's the only who can tell Eve what she wants to know. When Eve follows the trail to San Francisco a local ranch hand intervenes to protect Eve from Perun and in the process stops her from finding her mother. Eve, caught between two men with their own agenda, becomes a pawn in a battle for power between her own family and the demons who seek to control her. Only the greatest sacrifice can save her and the people she loves. First she must learn to master her emotions to survive. From the courtrooms of London to the Dragon’s Cave in Krakow, from the Slovakian Mountains to the wilds of Yosemite, Eve’s journey will keep you entranced to the very end. A scorching fantasy with a strong, believable heroine...this is the start of an epic adventure of seduction, loss, love and revenge.

Forgotten Soul


Sandra Edwards - 2010
    Also available in the Soul Searchers Omnibus.Rio Laraquette thought the legend was nothing more than an enchanted tale about star-crossed lovers who left behind a fortune. That is, until she figures out that she—in a past life—was the culprit who stole a shipment of gold and silver and buried it somewhere in the hills of northern Nevada.While searching for the treasure, Rio's heart begins to ache for a man who's been dead more than one hundred years. They say time heals all wounds, but what if it doesn't...?

The Book of Paul


Richard Long - 2012
    The sole repository of ancient Hermetic lore, it contains the alchemical rituals for transforming thought into substance, transmuting matter at will...and attaining eternal life.When Rose, a sex and pain addicted East Village tattoo artist has a torrid encounter with Martin, a battle-hardened loner, they discover they are unwitting pawns on opposing sides of a battle that has shaped the course of human history. At the center of the conflict is Paul, the villainous overlord of an underground feudal society, who guards the book's occult secrets in preparation for the fulfillment of an apocalyptic prophecy. The action is relentless as Rose and Martin fight to escape Paul's clutches and Martin's destiny as the chosen recipient of Paul's sinister legacy. Science and magic, mythology and technology converge in a monumental battle where the stakes couldn't be higher: control of the ultimate power in the universe--the Maelstrom.NA best-selling novel, The Book of Paul is the first of seven volumes in a sweeping mythological narrative tracing the mystical connections between Hermes Trismegistus in ancient Egypt, Sophia, the female counterpart of Christ, and the Celtic druids of Clan Kelly. "Long's prose is deft and clear, transporting the reader from one character's psyche to the next...this tale is a compelling one. A psychological thriller for readers who are bored with run-of-the-mill horror...Those who embrace the genre will eagerly anticipate a second installment in the series." - Kirkus Reviews "Intelligent, self-aware, and often amusing...hitting all the markers for sadistic, salacious, and scary. Long is doubtless going to build a large and loyal fan base composed of people just like him: literate folks with a bizarre sense of humor who prefer a bucket of blood to a bath filled with rose petals." - ForeWord Clarion Reviews "Totally absorbing! The Book of Paul is moving, profound, funny, terrifying and never lets you go. The prose is swift and sharp...at times, even poetic. Masterful storytelling. Hats off!!" - Henry Bean, writer/director of The Believer

Gnome for Christmas: A Festive Short Mystery (Coffee Break Cozies)


Celia Kinsey - 2020