Book picks similar to
Shadowborne by Matthew Callahan


fantasy
dnf
action
speculative-fiction

Inside the Hollow Tree


Laurel Veil - 2018
    Her one glimmer of light in her gloomy existence is a wise beyond his years, fiver-year-old foster named Jackson, who also lives with them. Falon longs for the day her mom wakes from her coma, so she can leave, take Jackson with her and begin a new life. Whenever Ty, the smart and brave new foster shows up, Falon realizes that the three of them just might get their chance. Little do they know, a better life awaits them, just inside the hollow tree...

Beyond McCarron's Corner: Sassy's Story


Sharon K. Middleton - 2018
    After her husband dies unexpectedly, Sassy struggles to find new meaning in her life. When she goes exploring in the Cohutta Wilderness, she falls through a hole in time, and finds herself in the Indian Territory in 1778, falling in love with Big Sexy Will Selk.Will Selk, one of Washington’s spies, falls in love with the spunky widow who came to live at McCarron’s Corner after her husband’s death. When he learns she came from Beyond, both Will and the Commander-in-Chief are eager to pick the historian’s knowledge of the American Revolution – and in the process, Washington identifies the Culper Ring’s Madame X, who turns the tide for the patriots to win the war when Sassy provides vital information.

Recreance


H.G. Chambers - 2017
    What is left of humankind now live out their lives in New Arcadia, under the ever watchful eye of the Ministry.Seventeen-year-old Oren Hart is on the run. Ministry authorities have shattered his once unremarkable life, forcing him to flee into the deadly Miralaja desert. With sharp-taloned predators soaring overhead, and Ministry assassins close behind, can Oren survive long enough to discover the disturbing truth behind his exile?Clementine has gotten over Oren's disappearance...or so she tells herself. A born survivor, she relies on her ingenuity and cunning to carve out a life on the unforgiving streets of New Arcadia. When she reluctantly agrees to infiltrate a Ministry defense building, she too must flee with a dark secret too big to ignore.As Ministry forces quietly converge, Oren and Clementine find themselves caught up in a centuries-long battle for the survival of humanity itself.

Flower Among the Ashes


Genevieve St-Yves - 2020
    This was the Elven Kingdom’s most ironclad rule. They are about to defy that law.When her parents cast her out for possessing a power they could not understand, Arshé learned the world was cruel. When her lover betrayed her, it taught her happy endings were a lie. On the run with a bounty on her head, the elven oracle vows never to let anyone exploit her ability to see the future—or her heart—ever again.As her enemies close in, Arshé finds an unlikely ally in Rekki, an ogre mercenary on a mission to retrieve a priceless treasure stolen by the elven king. Offering protection in return for her aid, Arshé has no choice but to accompany the handsome warrior on his perilous quest.But Rekki has no intention of parting ways with her when the treasure is back in ogre hands. For he was born under a prophecy foretelling he will become king of the ogres and unite his people’s fractured clans. When Rekki looks at Arshé, he sees the queen destined to rule at his side. If he cannot teach her reluctant heart to trust again, they will not survive the dangers ahead.

The Witch Born to Ignite


Tanya Milne - 2019
    A growing evil. To save her family, she'll have to embrace her magical destiny…Seventeen-year-old Eva hopes she can find a normal life at her new school. But when a mysterious book reveals she and her brother are powerful witches with an ill-fated destiny, she's angry at her parents and terrified for her future. And the one boy who seems able to comfort her may be the last person she can trust.With the tyrant mayor going to extreme lengths to crack down on witchcraft, Eva is forbidden to practice magic. But when his evil spreads into her family, Eva may have no choice but to unleash her powers laced with darkness.Can Eva protect her loved ones without sacrificing herself?The Witch Born to Ignite is the first book in the spellbinding Inferno YA witch fantasy series. If you like forbidden magic, simmering chemistry, and page-turning paranormals, then you'll love Tanya Milne's compelling supernatural tale.

The After Days


Amy Ginsburg - 2019
    No lie. This is seriously good. It’s fresh, entertaining, and thought-provoking.” –Kathryn Johnson, author and writing teacher Middle-aged suburbanites Rachel and Zach team with their friends to battle not only the predators and scavengers who lurk around every corner but also empty pantries, boredom, despair … and sometimes each other.  How far are they willing to go to survive the Big Blackout? “I was drawn in immediately and swept away by the story. A real page-turner” –Pamela Gates, literary festival organizer This gripping dystopian twist on contemporary fiction about a woman who must find within herself the strength and ingenuity to endure a world suddenly without electricity is both terrifyingly real and astonishingly tender.Perfect for book clubs, The After Days explores the ethical quandaries and logistical problems of ordinary suburbanites – people whose most recent problems were dodgy Wi-Fi and cranky bosses – in their struggle to survive in the increasingly treacherous suburbs of Washington, DC.

Magician's Heir


D. Bruce Cotton - 2019
    He’s trapped in the tiny town of Elliston, and excitement’s not exactly knocking down his door. Until it does. A cryptic peddler, peculiar merchandise, and insatiable curiosity combine to tear Adam away from the mundane safety of his everyday existence… and into the impossible world of Tantris: a land of giants, mages and the magic Adam’s hoped for his entire life. But is this a world of sanity or madness? A dream or nightmare? Adam must answer these questions, and soon. Because Tantris has a mortal enemy—ruthless, evil and hungry for the souls of the innocent. And the Dark Mage just chose Adam as his next victim.

Demon Child


Kat Cotton - 2017
    Get in, use my sex thrall to dust pesky incubi and get paid the big bucks. A girl’s gotta do what a girl's gotta do.Now there’s a Demon Child on a feeding rampage. I’ll get all the kudos if I kill him but no one’s fronting up with the cash -- and you can't eat kudos. Then the most infuriating vampire I’ve ever met wants to hire me. By the way, working for a vampire is strictly taboo.So, how do I kill this one? Can’t use my sex thrall when he looks like a kid, silver doesn’t hurt him and stakes don’t work either. This time, I have to rely on my wits, my skills and, worst of all, teamwork! We might all be doomed.If you like snarky vampires, snappy dialogue, and hot-blooded team dynamics, then you’ll love this fiendishly fun adventure.

Yesterday's Thief


Al Macy - 2016
     Although he reads only the conscious thoughts of the people he interviews, it usually gives him enough of an edge to overcome his inexperience as a PI. But mind reading is hell on relationships. Trusting comes hard when you know what people are really thinking. The case of his life lands in his lap when a beautiful woman materializes during a televised baseball game. She floats in midair, then drops to the ground, comatose. Beckman is at her bedside when she wakes up. From the moment she opens her eyes, she has him under her spell. He vows to figure out where—or when—she came from, even if it kills him. The stakes increase when she disappears without a trace. Worse, she holds the key to a worldwide energy catastrophe. If Beckman can’t find her and unlock her secrets, economies will collapse, and the world will spiral down into chaos.

Kiss of the Demon Girl


Eddie R. Hicks - 2018
    That’s me on a good day. Just imagine what I’m like on a bad day.My name is Reika. I don’t know who I am anymore other than the following facts:I’m unlikeable.I used to be a member of the Yakuza.I think a succubus has a thing for me.The police shot me six times.After my discharge from the hospital I learned that I had the unique talent to control fire. That’s right, a modern day pyromancer. I have no idea where these powers came from, the doctor that worked on me upped and vanished, along with all records of me ever being admitted to the hospital.That’s when shady people from the shadows began to stalk me, some even had the balls to attack me. Don’t worry, I flambéed them all, I can take care of myself. What I am worried about are the people of New York City. Who’s going to defend them when my war with these shadow people reaches a boiling point?I don’t want to be a heroine. I just want my life back.

Marked by Hell


Erin Bedford - 2017
    Mary's no different. Los Angeles isn’t just a playground for those searching for a new start. It’s darker and more dangerous than they’ll ever know. So, when the L.A.P.D. comes knocking on Mary’s door with a case that could give her a chance at revenge on the demons that took her wings, she is hard pressed to say no. Mary has her hands full trying to play human while looking for a way back home. Throw in an irate ex-client's spouse and exorcised demons wanting payback, and she will be lucky to find time to polish her halo. With a mysterious half-demon who has his own secret agenda for her new case, her life becomes infinitely more complicated. If Mary wants to get her revenge and save the friend she lost her wings for, she’ll have to put her angelic morals aside and start playing by their rules. But how far will she fall before she becomes too tainted to return to heaven? And does she even care?

Earth's First


M.J. Caan - 2013
     Maura Riley learns this the hard way after a fateful first contact with an alien being that literally fell from the stars. She finds herself thrust into a world of shadowy government operatives, vengeful alien factions, and mutated human beings that suddenly have the ability to act on their darkest, most deprave desires. War is coming to Earth. War in the form of an invading alien horde known as the Anisari, that is bent on dominating or destroying our planet. They are seeking their lost property, the very being that fell to Earth and caused the massive genetic changes occurring on our world. After first contact, human beings are evolving into something that can either save our world, or hasten its destruction. Maura and her friends have to decide if they want to be Earth's defenders or give into the savagery and lust that their newfound mutation allows them to explore. Book one in the dark and gritty science fiction series Earth's First is not to be missed. All three books in the Earth's First saga are available for purchase, or read for free in Kindle Unlimited!

Dawn of the Overlords


Kevin Potter - 2018
    When that failed, she helped establish a pact that forced Dragonkind into the shadows.When she awakens after millennia of slumber, she finds the Earth a very different place than she remembers. To make matters worse, upon exiting her lair she finds herself stripped of all her draconic power and left to freeze, in human form, on the icy heights of her mountain home.Someone doesn’t want her to rejoin the rest of her kind. Someone sabotaged her from the moment she awakened. Someone wants nothing more than to begin a full-scale war between humans and dragons with the fate of the Earth in the balance.Somehow, Dauria has to find a way to overcome every obstacle placed in front of her and make her way to the Dragon Council. Who will prevent the coming war if not her?But how can she do that with no power and not even the strength of her dragon form to aid her?

Unstolen: You can steal, but you can't hide


Tony Batton - 2018
    Almost.
 He returns stolen items to their rightful owners.
 For a price.

 A man has to make a living, and Jake more than most. Because he's still paying for mistakes made a long time ago. And they weren't even his.

Arrival of the Traveler


A.L. Tyler - 2011
    Some rooms even seem to have been walled off completely. No one will talk to her. It's been a difficult year for Abilene Collins. Since her father's death, her whirlwind life of adventure and travel has come to an end. Now, she's living with her mysterious uncle. He's a man with secrets, living almost alone in a ridiculously large mansion that he doesn't own. He doesn't like questions, and when Lena starts asking about his job, it isn't hard to tell that he's keeping some family secrets from her. The young and ambitious groundskeeper has become her only friend, and one day he tells her that she was stolen from her mother years before. Lena's family are all telepathic, and that isn't all...they're a religious pillar of the Silenti society. Her grandfather has used his standing to gain political power, decimating his rivals along with anyone who gets in his way. Suddenly thrust into a life of political plots and religious fanatics, Lena finds herself struggling to navigate her own life. Some people aren't fond of the Darays, and the family has nearly died out through assassination. It appears Lena is the latest target.