Book picks similar to
Awakening by S.J. West


angels
fantasy
paranormal
favorites

The Hidden


Ivy Asher - 2019
    Or so I thought.Then life as I knew it changed in a flash—or more accurately, an electrocution.I’ve woken up in a strange place, surrounded by strange people who hate me. They’re in the middle of a war, and I look like I belong on the wrong side of it. If that’s not enough to qualify as a really bad day, I now have wings and a strange animal to figure out, because it turns out that there’s not a damn latent thing about me. If I want to live, I have to prove that I’m not the spy I’m accused of being. Then I need to figure out how the fuck to get back home before all hell breaks loose. Too bad my animal has zero interest in working with me unless it has to do with the two hot assholes that lead this rebel group.I’m on my own, in a place I’ve never even heard of, with threats I don’t know how to defeat. And lucky me, I might as well have a rotisserie chicken living inside of me for all the help my newly discovered gryphon is. Perfect. Just fucking perfect.

Runes of Truth


G. Bailey - 2018
    Runaway. Assassin. What happens when your rumoured name destroys your life? When the very runes engraved on your skin since birth, are a death sentence? Evie doesn't remember a life before she was on the streets, a life before thieving to live and killing to stay alive. When a royal family she didn't know anything about go missing, Evie finds herself thrown into the royal court of the protectors, and they demand her help. Help in exchange for a chance at freedom and the name that's haunted her, forgotten. A name she can’t even read, a name she doesn’t understand. But when three Royal protectors are tasked with helping her, her demon ex who is literally from hell, stalking her...will Evie ever be free? 17+ Reverse harem romance.

Shifter Wars


Kelly St. Clare - 2020
    Apparently, Mum’s other family play laser tag every Wednesday. Not even joking. Laser tag.What the hell is this place?In hindsight, the massive guy with honey irises was my first major clue. Unusual eyes for a human, right?Perfect eyes for a werewolf.But sexy supernaturals, thongs, and mounting financial strain aside, Mum’s past is buried somewhere in this valley, and I need to dig up the truth or find a way to live with her lies.What do you do when neither option will leave you unscathed?

Descendants Academy


Belle Malory - 2020
    Monsters. Super sexy gladiators. Welcome to Arcadia, where bloodlines are divided and power reigns supreme.It all starts after I try to kill my sister…I know, I know. What a terrible thing to do. I have issues, okay? The magical kind. AKA, I'm cursed. I'm also a descendant of Ares, the God of War. Except he wasn’t really a god, just a regular dude with supernatural powers.Since my family no longer trusts me, they ship me off to a place called Arcadia, or the academy for descendants. Full of booby traps, plotting professors, and conniving students, this place is not for the faint of heart. This one gladiator, Xander, is sort of, almost nice to me, but even he wants to keep our friendship or whatever it is a secret. The worst part? In order to manage my violent bloodlust, the Fates decide I’m better off in House Aphrodite. Yep, the Goddess of Love. Eck. My soul craves something more, something fierce, and love magic is not it. If I’m going to survive this place, there’s a lot I need to learn. Starting with figuring out where I belong. Choose a side.Choose a house.Choose a magic.Descendants Academy is an upper Young Adult Fantasy series with a slow-burn romance. This is Book One of three: Descendants Academy, Deviant Descendants (September 2020), and Eternal Descendants.

Reliquary


Sarah Fine - 2016
    But when her fiancé, Ben, is violently abducted the next morning, her desperate quest to find him rips her away from small-town life and reveals a shattering truth: magic is real—and Ben is hooked. It’s not the stuff of storybooks. It’s wildly addictive, capable of producing everything from hellish anguish to sensual ecstasy almost beyond human endurance.Determined to find out who took Ben and why, Mattie immerses herself in a shadowy underworld and comes face-to-face with the darkly alluring Asa Ward, a rogue magic dealer, infamous hustler…and her missing fiancé’s estranged brother. Asa has the power to sense magic, and he realizes Mattie is a reliquary, someone with the rare ability to carry magic within her own body, undetected. Asa agrees to help find Ben on one condition: Mattie must use her uncommon talent to assist his smuggling operations. Now, from magic-laced Vegas casinos to the netherworld clubs of Bangkok, Mattie is on a rescue mission. With Asa by her side, she’ll face not only the supernatural forces arrayed against her but the all-too-human temptation that she fears she can’t resist.

The Princess Must Die


Everly Frost - 2018
    DESTINED TO BE TORN APART.In an Elven city beneath the streets of Chicago, the perfect storm rages, kept under control only by Marbella Mercy, the Storm Princess. Now she is of age, champions from each of the elven houses will play a game of wit and strength to fight for her hand – and for the chance to control the forces of nature.Baelen Rath, a warrior and leader of the feared House of Rath, is the only male Marbella has ever trusted. He'll risk everything to be her champion. But what he and the others don't know? The princess is fighting too.Because she's discovered that the winner is cursed to kill her, not marry her, and the only way to save herself is to win.But Marbella is fighting a power greater than herself, because someone believes that the perfect storm should be unleashed and for that to happen – the princess must die.

Carnival of Secrets


Melissa Marr - 2012
    And at the heart of The City is the carnival, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures—if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.All Mallory knows of The City is that her father—and every other witch there—fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable.While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the carnival.From Melissa Marr, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series and Graveminder, comes a brand-new tale of lush secrets, dark love, and the struggle to forge one's own destiny.

Revelation


Randi Cooley Wilson - 2014
    From bestselling author Randi Cooley Wilson comes a darkly romantic twist to an epic paranormal romance story about a divine secret, a loyal protector, and a forbidden love.Eighteen-year-old Eve Collins started college unaware that one revelation would challenge everything she’s believed to be true about her family, life, and future. Around every corner, danger, secrets, and lies quickly become her new reality. And holding all the answers is the very attractive Asher St. Michael. Dark and mysterious, Asher is appointed to protect Eve at all costs. Bound by his oath of loyalty to mankind, he is forbidden from loving her.Drawn to one another by their forbidden attraction, they descend into a world filled with treachery, deceit, and darkness. A world where they find themselves caught in the middle of a centuries-old war. A world where they are forced to decide what they will sacrifice for love.Revelation is a journey of self-discovery, love, and sacrifice. It is the first full-length book within the Revelation Series, which is meant to be read in release order. Intended for mature readers.

Sacrificed to the Dragon


Jessie Donovan - 2014
    Being a sacrifice means signing a contract to live with the dragon-shifters for six months to try to conceive a child. Her assigned dragonman, however, is anything but easy. He’s tall, broody, and alpha to the core. There’s only one problem—he hates humans. Due to human dragon hunters killing his mother, Tristan MacLeod despises humans. Unfortunately, his clan is in desperate need of offspring to repopulate their numbers and it’s his turn to service a human female. Despite his plans to have sex with her and walk away, his inner dragon has other ideas. The curvy human female tempts his inner beast like no other. NOTE: This is the entire first story arc of the Stonefire Dragons, complete with a HEA and no cliffhangers.

Kissed


Kimberly Loth - 2014
    With uncut hair, denim skirts, and only roses for friends, Naomi seldom questions why her life is different from other kids at school. Until the day her abusive father, who is also the cult’s leader, announces her wedding. Naomi must marry Dwayne Yerdin, a bully who reeks of sweat and manure and is the only one person who scares her worse than her father. Then she meets Kai, the mysterious boy who brings her exotic new roses and stolen midnight kisses. Kisses that bring her a supernatural strength she never knew she had. As the big day approaches, Naomi unearths more secrets of about her father’s cult. She learns she has power of her own and while Kai may have awakened that power, Naomi must find a way to use it to escape Dwayne and her father—without destroying herself.

Edge of Magic


Jayne Faith - 2019
    Professional thief by night. Haunted by what could have been . . .Between paying off a debt to a Fae mob boss, working as a professional thief, and keeping up with her busy three-generation household, Tara Knightley barely has time to eat and sleep. But thieving supports her family, and her mother’s life depends on the Fae mobster’s magic, so Tara can’t quit either job. She’s used to the juggling act, but sometimes it feels like she’ll never really have a life of her own. Then she learns of a bounty for a mysterious magical skull. The reward would bring her close to paying off her debt to the Fae mob, finally freeing her from the grip of her powerful, manipulative boss.She decides she must get her hands on that prize.But just as Tara is ready to go after the skull, her childhood best friend and crush, wolf shifter Judah McMahon, shows up unannounced and begging for her help. It’s been a decade since the falling out that ended their friendship, and Tara knows she shouldn’t get involved. She doesn’t have time for side projects or distractions. But Judah’s life is threatened, so Tara gives in. The deeper she gets, the more her orderly existence unravels. Suddenly, she stands to lose everything—her family’s home and security, her shot at freedom from the Fae mob, and a chance to make things right with Judah. How will she pull through?

Spectra


Ebony Olson - 2017
    Seeking out Spectra for her special abilities the last thing he expected to find was a Balance strong enough to withstand his potent energy. With her heart and soul already claimed, could there be room for another in her life? When Bay’s infatuations bring Spectra to the attention of Essence and put her life at risk, he must learn that sometimes sacrificing the ones you love is the only way to save them.

Angel in Training


C.L. Coffey - 2015
    There's no denying the attraction between Angel and Joshua, only Michael has pretty strict rules: no drinking, no drugs, and certainly no relationships with humans. Thankfully, she's got other things to deal with, like trying to convince Joshua New Orleans has a serial killer who is preying on other angel potentials like herself.Angel must quickly learn that when keeping someone safe, doing the right thing is not always the easiest, especially when you've got an archangel looking over your shoulder.

The Bringer


Samantha Towle - 2011
    Max was her next job. She got his name just before he died and it was for her to lead his soul to heaven. She was a Bringer. Then Max started pleading (as they often do), but not for himself, for his son, James. Would she look after him, would she comfort him as he grieved for the loss of his father? James was a sensitive young man. He would take his father's death very hard. Well, Bringers don't do that sort of thing; their exclusive role is to usher souls to heaven. They are not allowed to get involved in earthly affairs. However, when she saw James, she felt something she had never felt before - an emotion, a shock. She was a Bringer. Bringers do not have emotions. Yet she couldn't help herself. She found herself being drawn inexorably towards James and his life, against every instinct she had ever had, against every law of the universe. And she fell in love. For a Bringer, that is a terrifying fall.

Alight


Emma L. Adams - 2017
     Two years ago, when the faeries attacked the mortal realm, all supernaturals were dragged into the open. Unfortunately for dragon shifters like Ember and her sister, dragons are still hunted by humans and supernaturals alike. Keeping a low profile is difficult with monsters roaming the streets, but Ember and her band of rogue shifters have managed to survive. Until their oldest enemy, the supernatural-hunting Orion League, emerges from the shadows and captures Ember's sister. To get her back, Ember is prepared to walk into the depths of London's magical underworld, even if it means kidnapping a lethal ex-hunter who'd like nothing better than to add her name to his kill list. His inside knowledge of the League is the key to saving her sister, but with their allies turning on them, Ember must choose who to trust or meet the same end as the other dragon shifters.