Book picks similar to
The Tollkeeper by Mark R. Vickers


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contemporary
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Bound by Prophecy


Melissa Wright - 2013
    He never wanted to take Morgan’s place among council, never wanted to rule their hidden world. But when the key to the prophecy is found, a young girl named Brianna whom Morgan will destroy, Aern knows he has to take action.What he really wants, is for things to go back to normal. But now he’s kidnapped a girl, and his brother’s men are after him. His only hope is to join with the Division, but they have plans of their own, and it’s the last thing Aern is willing to do.Emily just wants her sister back. She doesn't care about the prophecy, or realize what’s at stake. But when she goes after Aern, the truth of the matter uncoils, and Brianna isn't the only one who’s in danger.Suddenly, they’re at the center of a secret war, and unless they can work together, they’ll both have a sacrifice too big to make.

Dark Siren


Eden Ashley - 2013
    When the mysterious and passionate Rhane rescues Kali from an attacker in the theater parking lot, they form an immediate, smoldering connection. But Kali doesn't remember Rhane or anything from their past. As far as Kali knows, she's just a seventeen-year-old kid coping with an insatiable hunger for the “spark” or energy of others, feeding on classmates to survive. A unique artifact—one that may hold the key to returning Kali’s memories—is uncovered by the archaeology firm where she works part-time, sending Kali and Rhane on a dangerous journey that leads them to the Forbidden City, into the unforgiving Gobi, and into the ruins of Rhane’s ancient homeland. As they fight for survival, Kali begins to discover who she really is and the true power she possesses. But Rhane still harbors a secret that could destroy Kali…unless old enemies kill her first.

Yesterday's Gold, Complete Series


Bobby Hutchinson - 1997
    But first, she's promised to take her mother, Daisy, to Barkerville, historical site of a B.C. goldrush, to search out the resting place of an ancestor. But the trip becomes impossibly complicated when her mother invites her difficult friend, Elvira, along--and insists on bringing her incontinent dog. ˃˃˃ AND THEN A BRIDGE COLLAPSES-- And suddenly Hannah and her irritating companions are in Barkerville. But it's 1868, the height of the Cariboo goldrush. They have to accept accommodation from a saloon keeper named Logan McGraw, a mysterious, handsome man who fought in the Americal Civil War, and who has a secret agenda for being in Barkerville. ˃˃˃ Hannah and her companions quickly learn that women have no rights in this time and place. But stubborn, intrepid, and imaginative, they set out to bring a semblance of woman's liberation to the primitive and harsh conditions, always hoping to return to their own time. ˃˃˃ HANNAH WAS ABOUT TO BE MARRIED--BUT NOW SHE'S FALLING IN LOVE. Logan is accused of murder, which means he'll hang. Hannah needs to find a way to free him. But as with everything else, nothing goes according to plan in this western historical time travel.

Wind Warrior


Jon Messenger - 2013
    The sleepy town of White Halls harbors a dangerous secret. On a picturesque street, two houses down from a lovely little park, in a quaint little home with a wraparound porch, lives a family that seems rather normal. Sure, their twenty-year-old son, Xander, still lives at home, but he’s going to college and dating the leader of the schools top sorority. It’s all very… normal. However, when a man is miraculously saved from being hit by a bus, Xander’s life turns in to the living embodiment of the tornadoes he can suddenly create with a flick of his wrist. Whether he wants this gift or not, Xander must learn to use his new ‘super power’ quickly if he wants to survive. For his kind is a dying race, and when this sleepy town has a sudden influx of new, blonde, fire wielders, no one is safe, especially Xander. It doesn’t help that one of these blondes happens to be the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. Xander can’t deny the instant connection he feels to her so, when she tries to kill him, it certainly makes things complicated.

The Collapse


J.S. Donovan - 2019
    Hundreds of millions are left without basic utilities, and the enemy responsible for the EMP's detonation now wreaks havoc throughout the countryside.After an EMP crisis shakes the foundation of North America, Greenhill, an insignificant town becomes the safe haven for a family.AftermathIn a flash, an EMP blast disables North America's entire east coast. Separated from her husband and daughter, thirty-nine-year-old psychologist Naomi Baxter finds herself trapped on the streets of Philadelphia. The brutal February cold gnaws at her skin as she strives to reunite with her family. Having a keen understanding of the human condition, Naomi knows that she must find her daughter before anarchy consumes the city.

The Unworthy Wife


Rachel Woods - 2019
    Accused of a murder she didn’t commit, the loving wife and mother is desperate to clear her name. Despite her violent past, there’s no way she could have beaten her co-worker, Eamon Taylor, to death with a shovel.But, the cops have good reason to suspect Noelle. The murder weapon has her fingerprints on it, the dead body was found in her car, and she was overheard threatening the victim. If she can’t figure out who wanted Eamon dead, her life could be ruined.As she gets closer to the truth, Noelle realizes the real murderer is someone seeking revenge. But, does the brutal killer want to make Noelle pay for long-forgotten sins … or recent mistakes?When her family is targeted, Noelle will do anything to protect her loving husband and two beautiful children, even if it means facing a sadistic psychopath. Can she defeat a deranged murderer, or will she lose the life she loves?

Tangled: A Southern Gothic Yarn


Phyllis H. Moore - 2016
    Twenty-one years old and Annette Roberta Randall is searching, looking for herself. The perception and sensitivity she relied on to bolster her through an isolated childhood have disappeared and with them her sense of self. Nettie also seeks the truth, information about her dysfunctional family and the mysteries that whisper to her in their eccentric family home. She receives glimpses in the alcohol induced monologues of her mother, Delores Cecelia, “DeCe”. However, DeCe lost herself long before Nettie was born, and she buried her secrets so deep, even the spirits haunting her cannot unlock her soul. Pup, Nettie’s peculiar uncle, may have witnessed the most recent chaos, but he cannot communicate what he knows for sure. Nettie’s struggles are apparent to her extended family and neighbors, but only she can resolve to overcome the pull of the notorius Kirkland family and Berclaire mansion. The secrets fester and DeCe clings to them like the neglected ivy tendrils on the shadowed side of the mansion. Slowly, the truth will unfold, but will it be enough to free Nettie, or the undoing of her mother, DeCe? Nettie believed it was possible her grandfather, Old Nate, was responsible for the hauntings at the Berclaire mansion, but the more she learns of her great grandmother, Roberta, she decides he might have been a victim, also. DeCe had been taking pills and drinking alcohol from before the time she was a teenager, attempting to numb herself to her dysfunctional family. Nettie could only guess at a history during her drunken orations about DeCe's childhood. Nettie knows she is the seventh child born to DeCe, the others gone before Nettie was born. Some would filter back into her life, but would they help her learn more about her identity, or bring more pain?

The Nowhere Stone


Steve Kaide - 2018
    Raised in a secluded valley with only his father for company, he was unable to experience the outside world. For 16 years, the jagged peaks of the Rocky Mountains were the only home he’d ever known. Lucas didn’t understand why they were hidden away, but he trusted that his father was keeping them safe. It was a happy, albeit lonely, life.Until everything changed. Lucas was torn from his sheltered life and thrust into a dangerous world, far different from that which he expected. A mysterious artifact known as the Nowhere Stone seems to defy the laws of nature, and a powerful corporation called SentiCorp seeks to unlock its power. Lucas has finally been introduced to humanity, and it’s every bit as terrifying as he thought it would be.

Swann


Ryan Schow - 2016
    You’re not your hair, your eyes or your nose. You’re not your diseases, your anxieties, or your psychosis. Welcome to Astor Academy where, with the right genetic coding and a stomach for the impossible, you can change not only your body but the very course of your life…Thrust into the sexy, ultra-elite social scene, sixteen year old Savannah Van Duyn starts Astor Academy armed with only her sarcasm, a survivalist’s wit and her father’s promise that the school’s geneticist can fix her many problems at the DNA level. The foremost expert in genetic engineering, however, is teeming with so much dark secrecy it has Savannah’s skin crawling. What begins as a bold promise of genetic therapy becomes a life-threatening search for morality in an immoral cure, and an obsession to right the wrongs heaped upon her and those students who have died before her. Swann is the first in this groundbreaking debut series of young adult novels. Prepare yourself for an unabashed, unapologetic look into today’s YA world, namely: coping with a body fit for shame, crazy mothers on meds, the notion that there’s a pill for every problem, bullying and cyberbullying, the ebb and flow of first love and all things humorous, sick and twisted. In the spirit of balance, however, Swann explores the allure of friendship, the resolve of the desperate soul to find light inside the darkness, and one girl’s path to redemption in the face of insurmountable odds. And so begins the story of the ugly duckling becoming the swan…

Salt of the Earth


Kate Moschandreas
    Jess Prentiss, a chemistry student, starts her day with a jog through the hills – only to realize that she is being chased. Over the course of three days, she barely stops running. Fleeing from one narrow escape to another, Jess learns that it's her own scientific discoveries that are at the crux of a massive power struggle involving water, salt, cut-throat capitalistic contracts, worldwide famine, the Governor of California and a radicalized populist environmental group. With time ticking, Jess must discover which players are the good guys -- and whether 29-year old Matteo Wu, the man who appears out of nowhere to help her, is someone she can trust with her life and heart.

The Viscount's Son


Aderyn Wood - 2013
    As the diary entries become darker and more mysterious, Emma meets a handsome stranger, and her personal life takes on uncanny parallels to her secret online translations. When her love life grows even stranger, Emma wonders if she should end the blog, but is it too late?The Rise of the Dark Ones Trilogy is perfect for fans of vampire and paranormal mysteries, psychic investigator thrillers, occult suspense, angels, demons, and lovers of a good twist.Alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

Rock Wolf Investigations: A Paranormal Romance Boxset


Dee Bridgnorth - 2019
    But when someone starts picking the pockets of the tourists in the theater, Olivia Houghton has to call in an expert. When Duke Dunbar first gets the assignment to catch a theater pickpocket, he figures it’s a slam dunk. But they can’t catch this thief the old fashioned way. There’s something funny going on in the old Moonrise and Duke and Olivia realize that the answer isn’t going to make them laugh. PART II Kari Jo Mounds is the hottest young up and coming country singer on the Branson music scene. When she starts receiving threatening notes from an admirer, her manager Adam Cathcart calls Rock Wolf Investigations for help. Ellie Pierce has no patience for the woes of angsty young singers, but she sure knows her way around a security detail. Adam and Ellie must untangle the twisted trail of broken hearts Kari Jo has left behind before someone breaks her instead of her cheating country heart. PART III The Branson Landing is full of stores for shopping, restaurants for eating, and even a light and water show down by the edge of Lake Taneycomo. When the Landing suddenly becomes full of skateboarders pestering the tourists, Laurie Talcott calls Rock Wolf Investigations for reinforcements. Younger Adair figures this is going to be just another job dealing with bored teenagers. Then Laurie and Younger start to dig for clues. The story they uncover proves the bored teenagers are really a distraction for something else. Now it’s time to act fast before Laurie winds up taking the blame. PART IV Mindy has had it raising her younger brother. He’s a problem child for sure. Then he comes home one night from his shift at the go cart track high as a kite and with a wild excuse to boot. The local police won’t listen and then Mindy meets Ash. She isn’t so sure if he’s a good guy or a bad guy, but he’s willing to help and that’s all that matters. Mindy and Ash will have their hands full sorting dirty cops from clean ones as they try to shut down the drug ring ruining everyone’s Branson vacation. PART V Kylie Overton knows that there is something odd about her neighbor Titus Holbrook. Lately though, odd just doesn’t cover it. Titus has been acting paranoid. Coming and going at all hours of the day and night and making excuses. Kylie thought she had a totally hot, but really weird neighbor. She didn’t realize she was getting sucked into a world of blackmail where reporters go crazy and werewolves are real. To make matters worse, Titus Holbrook is her only ally in this strange alternate reality.

Interesting Times


Matthew Storm - 2013
    In English. And that was before things got really strange. Now he is on the run, hunted by an inhuman assassin who will stop at nothing to kill him. His only hope for survival rests with a trio of unlikely new allies: A werewolf with a fondness for Hawaiian shirts, a strange little girl who just might be immortal, and a gunfighter with an anger management problem. Oliver always wanted a little excitement in his life, but now he finds himself living in Interesting Times... From the Back Cover:"You see that house?" Tyler pointed at the building they had just left. "It exists at a single fixed point in time. From its perspective the outside world never moves and never changes. So we use it as a safe house. It's a great place to hide for a while.""A fixed point in time?" Oliver asked. "So...is this the past? Or the future?" Oliver was beginning to think he'd need a physics textbook to understand all of this. Or possibly some LSD.

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.

Half-Blood Descendant


Natasha S. Brown - 2018
    and more. Jax never stays anywhere long enough to put down roots. He’s a shapeshifter—the only one of his kind, or so he thinks. While prowling on his landlady’s property, he is stunned to find a man feeding on her neck. Although he frightens away the blood-sucker, Jax leaves behind a paralyzed woman and a trail of blood in his wake. Aerilyn teaches high school and doubles as a guardian for the Genus Society, an ancient underground shifter organization. After learning of a cougar attack in her own mountain neighborhood, she suspects a rogue shifter is to blame. When the Society accuses Jax of the “animal attack,” he is ordered to stick around until he can clear his name. Desperate to regain his freedom, he must put his trust in his beautiful guardian. Their forbidden attraction leads Aerilyn to wonder if the blue-eyed drifter is innocent. And if he is, the Society has an even bigger problem on its hands—one that feeds on blood. The next in the series, Half-Blood Secrets coming December 2018