Book picks similar to
Of Goblins and Gold by Emma Hamm
fantasy
romance
fae
fantasy-romance
An Enchantment of Ravens
Margaret Rogerson - 2017
These immortal creatures cannot bake bread or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and they trade valuable enchantments for Isobel’s paintings. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—Isobel makes a deadly mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes, a weakness that could cost him his throne, and even his life.Furious, Rook spirits Isobel away to his kingdom to stand trial for her crime. But something is seriously amiss in his world, and they are attacked from every side. With Isobel and Rook depending upon each other for survival, their alliance blossoms into trust, perhaps even love . . . a forbidden emotion that would violate the fair folks’ ruthless laws, rendering both their lives forfeit. What force could Isobel's paintings conjure that is powerful enough to defy the ancient malice of the fairy courts?Isobel and Rook journey along a knife-edge in a lush world where beauty masks corruption and the cost of survival might be more frightening than death itself.
The Hundredth Queen
Emily R. King - 2017
He got a revolutionary.As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her.
The Flame and the Arrow
Emigh Cannaday - 2008
His eyes were no longer bright and charming but dark and intense, yet they still twinkled. He was tempting, but was he harmful?Aspiring rock star Annika Brisby thinks she knows where her life is going until she steps through a broken portal that leaves her stranded in a realm of fairies, vampires, and other mythical beings. Unable to return until it's repaired, she's rescued by wood nymphs who believe her sudden arrival is no accident. After being taken in by a prominent family of elves, Annika finds herself struggling to resist the seductive spell of their youngest son, Talvi. Equal parts arrogant and alluring, the notorious heartbreaker seems like the perfect distraction for her homesickness. Her new friends warn her that she'll probably regret ever laying eyes on him, and what begins as a casual fling quickly burns too hot to handle. By the time Annika learns the consequences of their forbidden trysts, Talvi's already under her skin and dangerously close to her heart. But on the journey home she discovers that there's a mountain of secrets that he's not telling her, and Annika can't help wondering who's really in danger.* Previously titled Balkan Magic, The Misadventures of Annika Brisby
On These Black Sands
Vanessa Rasanen - 2021
A troubled pirate captain. Is she the key to his quest or will she be his ruin?Aoife wants nothing more than to fulfill her duty and serve on the Council. But a spilled secret reveals a deadly truth she never suspected. Plagued by guilt and wanting no part in the Council’s methods, she panics and runs, stowing away on a pirate ship.Declan doesn’t have time to deal with an irritating stowaway, and this job is already dangerous enough without having her underfoot. With less than a month to bring the enchanted dagger to the rebels, he needs to find a way past the bloodthirsty creatures guarding it.In a world of secrets and legends, a lost dagger may be the key to saving a nation. But it will take far more than wit and a cutlass to retrieve it. Can an heir and a pirate work together--or will their secrets drown all hope?
The Wrath and the Dawn
Renée Ahdieh - 2015
Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
Half-Blood Dragon
K.N. Lee - 2017
Lee presents Half-Blood Dragon, the first epic fantasy adventure in the Dragon Born Trilogy.*Revised & lengthened with a bonus chapter!*Pirates, dragons, mermaids. Embark on a coming of age journey that will leave you breathless.A lady-in-waiting's job is to follow orders. For Rowen, it is to execute her stepfather's plan to elevate the family's station by an advantageous marriage to the crown prince. Intrigue and seduction fill Rowen's days, but the prophecies that haunt her dreams at night warn her that death awaits.The taunts of her sleepless nights are realized when she is framed and sentenced to death for the prince's murder.For a human, there’s nowhere to run and no one to turn to in a kingdom where power is tightly held by full-blooded dragon shifters.It will take a stranger from the shadows to save Rowen from execution and reveal a truth full of terrifying potential. It is time for Rowen to find the courage to accept her fate, awaken her gift, and set the world on fire.Change is coming. So is a new prophecy that threatens the fate of the entire world.
Heartless
Anne Elisabeth Stengl - 2010
She dreams of a charming prince, but when her first suitor arrives, he's not what she'd hoped. Prince Aethelbald of mysterious Farthestshore has travelled a great distance to prove his love--and also to bring hushed warnings of danger. A dragon is rumored to be on the hunt and blazing a path of terror. Una, smitten instead with a more dashing prince, refuses Aethelbald's offer--and ignores his cautions with dire consequences. Soon the Dragon King himself is in Parumvir and Una, in giving her heart away unwisely, finds herself in his sights. Only those courageous enough to risk everything have a hope of fighting off this advancing evil.
Curse of Shadows and Thorns
L.J. Andrews - 2021
A curse without an end. A love that will bring a kingdom to its knees.Long ago, Elise's ancestors stole the crown from the fae king. As the niece of the brutal, current king, her purpose is to do whatever is asked to ensure her family keeps the throne for centuries to come. The trouble is, Elise would rather sneak into gambling halls with the servants than be a silent princess at a ball.Soon reckless games are ended when her uncle forces her into negotiations for a marriage. If she refuses, her deathly-ill father will pay the price.Trapped by her sense of duty, Elise is given to the charge of Legion Grey, the handsome and mysterious dowry negotiator. But Legion holds more than her future in his hands. He incites her anger and a forbidden passion.When a coup upends the kingdom, Elise flees with Legion, only to discover he holds more secrets than anyone. Unknowingly, Elise sets in motion a beastly curse Legion has endured as long as he can remember.As secrets unravel about Legion's vicious past, questions rise over who has the true right to the throne. When answers come, more lives are put at stake, and Elise is forced to make an impossible choice: avoid a bloody game by leaving Legion to the beast within, or end his curse and restore magic to the land by sacrificing a life--hers.For fans of Court of Thorns and Roses and The Shadows Between Us, this tale of a rebellious princess and cursed rogue is seductively romantic. Part Viking, part Beauty and the Beast, one-click to preorder a dark, swoon-worthy slow burn romance with the perfect amount of sweet and steam.
The Black Witch
Laurie Forest - 2017
But while she is the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is a treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.As evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of rebels…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to fear.
Awake
Jessica Grey - 2012
Alex has always been more interested in rocks and science than stories about princesses and magic. Now she's far too busy with her summer internship at the Gem and Mineral Museum to think about children's stories. Between avoiding her former best friend and high school baseball star, Luke Reed, and trying to hide her unrequited crush on her mentor at the museum, the real world is occupying all of her time. ...Until she walked into one. It turns out fairytales aren't all fun and games. A curse has turned her neat and orderly world upside down, and to break it, she bands together with a fellow intern and a recently awakened princess who's been asleep for almost 900 years. Can this trio of unlikely heroines put an end to an ominous enchantment, discover true love, and keep an ancient and evil magic from being unleashed on modern-day Los Angeles?
Thief of Cahraman
Lucy Tempest - 2018
FIFTY CONTESTANTS. ONE PRINCE. AN IMPOSSIBLE HEIST. You have been summoned to Sunstone Palace to compete in our search for the future Queen of Cahraman. After years on the run, Adelaide thinks her lonely and dangerous life as a thief is finally over. But her world is upended when a witch steals her away to a faraway kingdom, to perform an impossible heist. If Adelaide fails, her newfound family would be sacrificed to a beast. To complete her mission, she’s forced to assume the role of a noblewoman and enter a royal competition. The prize is the hand of the elusive Crown Prince. Elimination means certain death. As the witch’s literal deadline approaches, Adelaide has one last gamble to save the day, and to escape to a new life with Cyrus, the handsome and mysterious fellow thief who stole her heart. But everything falls apart when the prince finally reveals himself…
Fairytales of Folkshore is a series of interconnected fairytale retellings that starts with the Cahraman Trilogy. Ada’s story continues in PRINCE OF CAHRAMAN.
Alice
Christina Henry - 2015
In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside. In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood… Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago. Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful. And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.
Shardless
Stephanie Fisher - 2018
Magic will save her. Magic will lead her home.
On Tempris, time magic is outlawed, and suspected time mages are hunted. Humans are second-class citizens, shunned by the immortal fey that live on the island. They even have a name for their kind: Shardless.Taly is one of the lucky humans. Taken in by a fey noble and his family, she's lived a good life, surrounded by people she loves. But when an accidental brush with magic causes her to see things -- ghostly apparitions that give her small glimpses into the future -- it has deadly consequences. The Sanctorum has returned to the island, and if they find her, they'll kill her. And anyone that tries to protect her.This includes her best friend, Skye. He was the boy that saved her. The man she knew she could never have. And when he refuses to let her go, their actions might hold the power to reshape the world.An ancient evil is rising, and in order to protect those that she cares for, Taly will have to sacrifice everything.Including her heart.
Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black, this action-packed fantasy romance will have you captivated from page one!
The Fairy Godmother
Mercedes Lackey - 2004
But breaking with "The Tradition" was no easy matter--until she got a little help from her own fairy godmother. Who promptly offered Elena a most unexpected job...Now, instead of sleeping in the chimney, she has to deal with arrogant, stuffed-shirt princes who keep trying to rise above their place in the tale. And there's one in particular who needs to be dealt with...Sometimes a fairy godmother's work is never done...
Imposter
Tate James - 2018
Three weeks. Three Royal Princes. It should have been an easy task, for a skilled mercenary like Rybet Waise. Simply break into the royal palace, and rescue her friend from the executioner's block. But when Rybet accidentally qualifies for the Trials, she finds herself with little choice but to see them through. A thin veil of etiquette, elegance and glamour hides the true nature of the Trials. Behind closed doors, they are brutal and bloody, and to fail means to forfeit her life. Thrust into the limelight and forced to compete with the Kingdom's elite sweethearts, unlikely allies emerge and bonds are formed. But someone will stop at nothing to see her fail. After all, she's nothing but a dirty pond-dweller. Rybet will do whatever it takes to survive until the Golden Ball, Princes be damned.