Book picks similar to
Valcoria: Children of the Crystal Star by Jason James King
fantasy
review-requested
first-reads
arcs
Wicked Sense
Fabio Bueno - 2012
Things get complicated when Skye meets a charming new classmate, Drake. Skye’s job becomes even trickier when she clashes with Jane, an intimidating rival witch.Drake falls for the mysterious Skye, but odd accidents, potion mix-ups, and the occasional brush with death kind of get in the way of romance. Once he discovers Skye is a witch, he goes to war for her, even though his only weapons are a nice set of abs and a sharp sense of humor.Fighting off wicked Jane and the other dark forces hell-bent on seizing the Singularity's immense power, Skye and Drake will risk everything to save the covens.Going on a date has never been harder.
The Beautiful Ones
Silvia Moreno-Garcia - 2017
But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina—and himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins. The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.
The Cavalier
Jason L. McWhirter - 2012
An evil that threatened the lands long ago, now stirs deep in the Black Lands of the North. Cavaliers, the guardians of the righteous, have long been the protectors of Kraawn. Trained in combat and blessed with the powers of the gods, these warriors roam the lands using their skills to fight back the power of the Forsworn, a trio of evil gods whose ultimate goal is to blanket the world in a mist of darkness. But something has been slaying these warriors and now the lands of Kraawn are at risk, the path of invasion paved by the deaths of the only guardians capable of combating the dark powers of the Forsworn. But not all is lost. A young boy, a cripple raised in a small mountain town, will become Kraawn’s only hope. Jonas Kanrene thought his life was limited to helping his mother survive in the desolate Tundren Mountains. Then one night a stranger arrives, a powerful cavalier, bringing with him hope, life,…and death, and becoming a catalyst for all the change that was about to dismantle Jonas’s world. Can the powers of good fight back the horde of evil amassing in the north? Can Jonas grow into the man, the warrior, the cavalier capable of stopping the Forsworn? One thing is certain. The lands of Kraawn will never again be the same.
Your Perfect Year
Charlotte Lucas - 2016
He’s going to enjoy the day…
For hyper-particular publishing heir Jonathan Grief, the day starts like any other—with a strict morning fitness regimen that’ll keep his divorced, easily irritated, cynical, forty-two-year-old self in absolutely flawless physical condition. But all it takes to put a crimp in his routine is one small annoyance. Someone has left a leather-bound day planner with the handwritten title Your Perfect Year in his spot on his mountain bike at his fitness course!Determined to discover its owner, Jonathan opens the calendar to find that someone known only as “H.” has filled it in with suggestions, tasks, and affirmative actions for each day. The more he devotes himself to locating the elusive H., the deeper Jonathan is drawn into someone else’s rich and generous narrative—and into an attitude adjustment he desperately needs.He may have ended up with a perfect year by accident, but it seems fate has set Jonathan on a path toward healing, feeling, and maybe even loving again…if only he can meet the stranger who’s changing his life one day at a time.
About the Night
Anat Talshir - 2014
Elias is a Christian Arab living on the eastern side of the newly divided city, and Lila is a Jew living on the western side. A growing conflict between their cultures casts a heavy shadow over the region and their burgeoning relationship. Between them lie not only a wall of stone and barbed wire but also the bitter enmity of two nations at war.Told in the voice of Elias as he looks back upon the long years of his life, About the Night is a timely story of how hope can nourish us, loss can devastate us, and love can carry us beyond the boundaries that hold human beings apart.
How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch
D. Bryant Simmons - 2014
Perfect for book clubs!
In the wake of her father's sudden death Pecan marries the up-and-coming boxing sensation Ricky Morrow. When she begins to doubt that desperate decision she finds herself on the receiving end of Ricky's violent temper. Scared for her life, she hunkers down in this marriage of convenience as the babies and fists keep coming. Will the abuse ever stop? Will Pecan and her girls live happily ever after?Literary fiction that packs a punch and plenty of surprises.It's not the typical domestic abuse storyline. In How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch, you will find the story of a girl who grows into a woman before your very eyes.A story so moving, it will stay with you long after you put it down.This true to life story walks a careful line between fiction and reality. With characters as real as you and me, it will break and mend your heart a hundred time because it has just the right amount of honesty and love. And anyone who wants a true underdog story will be captivated until the very end!DON'T WAIT! ADD IT TO YOUR SHELF TODAY.
The Choosing
Rachelle Dekker - 2015
But she never expected the moment she’d spent a lifetime preparing for—her Choosing ceremony—would end in disaster. Ripped from her family, she’ll spend her days serving as a Lint, the lowest level of society. She knows it’s her duty to follow the true way of the Authority. But as Carrington begins this nightmare, rumors of rebellion rattle her beliefs. The whispers contradict everything she’s been told; yet they resonate deep within. Then Carrington is offered an unprecedented chance at the life she’s always dreamed of, but she can’t shake the feeling that it may be an illusion. With a killer targeting Lints and corruption threatening the highest levels of the Authority, Carrington must uncover the truth before it destroys her.
On the Road (Life After War, #2)
Angela White - 2010
All society and civilizations fell, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves. Few made it. In Book OneSamantha:After being taken from her Seattle office at gunpoint during the apocalypse, Samantha's chopper crashes and she is taken hostage by the Cruz brothers. Abused and hurting, to get her life back, she has to take theirs and learns a harsh lesson in survival.Kenn/CadetKenn and the cadet were missed in the evacuations and instead of heading home for the boy's pregnant mom, the Marine heads them for NORAD, sure the timid little woman he'd controlled for so long, couldn't have survived the end of the world. These two are picked up by Safe Haven Mobile Refugee Camp and the Marine quickly begins building himself a place among these strong survivors.Angela/BradyAngela lost her baby in the war and that pain forced her to face the awful truth. Without using her gifts, those forbidden powers that have kept her chained to Kenn for more than ten years, she will never see her teenage son again. Forced to wait for her body to heal before she can start her quest, Angie calls out to her son's real father, Brady. They are reunited in the post apocalyptic remains of Indiana and it's clear that the sparks are still there.AdrianAdrian has a secret that no one knows and he struggles to keep it hidden even as he risks everything to gather his flock. He is a Leader, a Patriot, and there's nothing he won't do in his quest to keep some of his Country alive. Even kill.Cesar/RickRick is a traitor. He belongs to the leader of a group of Mexican Guerilla's that are intent on destroying what's left of the post apocalyptic United States. Cesar leads these ruthless killers, sending Rick into camps of refugees as his spy, before murdering the men and taking the women hostage. Cesar hates America and heads up Interstate 25 like an end of the world plague. He thinks he is unstoppable but already, there's a nagging worry that the forces of fate have something planned. For now, though, his reign of terror goes unopposed.Mother NatureAngry at the callous indifference of humans, Mother Nature has called her creatures together for the apocalypse. Animal attacks and ambushes become common place and add yet another adventure these brave souls must face in their quest for survival. In Book TwoMore of the same adventure, romance, and danger that made book one so addictive. Are you ready to return to Safe Haven? Adrian and the others are already there, waiting to tell you what happened next. Won't you join us?
The Starter Wife
Nina Laurin - 2019
Local police have announced that they're closing the investigation of the suspected drowning of 37-year-old painter Colleen Westcott. She disappeared on April 11, 2010, and her car was found parked near the waterfront in Cleveland two days later, but her body has never been found. The chief of police has stated that no concrete evidence of foul play has been discovered in the probe.I close the online search window, annoyed. These articles never have enough detail. They think my husband's first wife disappeared or they think she is dead. There's a big difference. My phone rings, jarring me away from my thoughts, and when I pick it up, it's an unknown number. The only answer to my slightly breathless hello is empty static. When the voice does finally come, it's female, low, muffled somehow. "Where is it, Claire? What did you do with it? Tell me where it is."A woman. A real flesh-and-blood woman on the other end of the phone. She's not just in my head.A wave of panic spreads under my skin like ice water. It's Colleen."Laurin knows how to ratchet up the suspense." --Publishers Weekly
Circus of Wonders
Elizabeth Macneal - 2021
In a coastal village in southern England, Nell picks violets for a living. Set apart by her community because of the birthmarks that speckle her skin, Nell’s world is her beloved brother and devotion to the sea.But when Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders arrives in the village, Nell is kidnapped. Her father has sold her, promising Jasper Jupiter his very own leopard girl. It is the greatest betrayal of Nell's life, but as her fame grows, and she finds friendship with the other performers and Jasper’s gentle brother Toby, she begins to wonder if joining the show is the best thing that has ever happened to her.In London, newspapers describe Nell as the eighth wonder of the world. Figurines are cast in her image, and crowds rush to watch her soar through the air. But who gets to tell Nell’s story? What happens when her fame threatens to eclipse that of the showman who bought her? And as she falls in love with Toby, can he detach himself from his past and the terrible secret that binds him to his brother?Moving from the pleasure gardens of Victorian London to the battle-scarred plains of the Crimea, Circus of Wonders is an astonishing story about power and ownership, fame and the threat of invisibility.
Love Gone Mad
Mark Rubinstein - 2013
Strange and frightening events begin happening to each of them; someone is after them both--and the stalker is not only brilliant and crafty, but vows to exact revenge for the ultimate betrayal. As things spin out of control, Megan and Adrian fight for their lives.
Violet Midnight
allie burke - 2011
Meet sexy artist Elias, who moved to Hazel Grove, California to get away from the rain, his parents, and everything that was taken from him in Hayward, Washington. But he thinks he may be losing his mind when he starts seeing purple glitter in the air, the scent of rosemary is everywhere, and he is hearing a beautiful voice.But all is not flowers and ease for the newly joined couple. With a woman who prefers night to day and a man with heartache from his past, they must learn how to create their own new world with grace and the occasional water feature. Written with humor and intensity, book one of the three part trilogy will leave you yearning for more and daydreaming shades of purple.
And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
Stephanie Marie Thornton - 2020
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy knows no other choice. With the eyes of the world watching, Jackie uses her effortless charm and keen intelligence to carve a place for herself among the men of history and weave a fairy tale for the American people, embodying a senator’s wife, a devoted mother, a First Lady—a queen in her own right. But all reigns must come to an end. Once JFK travels to Dallas and the clock ticks down those thousand days of magic in Camelot, Jackie is forced to pick up the ruined fragments of her life and forge herself into a new identity that is all her own, that of an American legend.
A Lullaby for Witches
Hester Fox - 2022
A history of witchcraft. And a deep-rooted female power that sings across the centuries.
Once there was a young woman from a well-to-do New England family who never quite fit with the drawing rooms and parlors of her kin. Called instead to the tangled woods and wild cliffs surrounding her family’s estate, Margaret Harlowe grew both stranger and more beautiful as she cultivated her uncanny power. Soon, whispers of “witch” dogged her footsteps, and Margaret’s power began to wind itself with the tendrils of something darker. One hundred and fifty years later, Augusta Podos takes a dream job at Harlowe House, the historic home of a wealthy New England family that has been turned into a small museum in Tynemouth, Massachusetts. When Augusta stumbles across an oblique reference to a daughter of the Harlowes who has nearly been expunged from the historical record, the mystery is too intriguing to ignore. But as she digs deeper, something sinister unfurls from its sleep, a dark power that binds one woman to the other across lines of blood and time. If Augusta can’t resist its allure, everything she knows and loves—including her very life—could be lost forever.
NightDrake
Lara Adrian - 2012
It is a lesson Nisha learns all too soon - one that puts her on a journey with a dangerously sexy, enigmatic man who will force her to confront the nightmares of her past, and risk her heart for a future she never dreamed could be hers....(Originally published in the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance 2; Constable & Robinson, 2010.)