Book picks similar to
The Phoenix by Jessica McCrory


fantasy
paranormal
1st-in-series
romance

A Match Made in Spell


ReGina Welling - 2016
    To make up for her wicked heritage, she makes matches.For everyone except herself.The kind of matches that last forever. True Love is her gift, so how could Lexi possibly be wicked?Not that it matters anyway, if Lexi doesn’t find her magic before midnight on her next birthday, she will never be a true witch. Wicked or otherwise.Mackintosh Kent, Kin to his friends, wants to break Lexi’s dating dry spell. Too bad he has a gaggle of female groupies hanging off every note he sings. It’s almost as if he draws women to him by magical means. Lexi refuses to be one of the crowd. Besides, she lives with three faerie godmothers who don’t always get along. Who wants to take a man home to that? With the Beltane celebration—and her magical deadline—looming, Lexi is running out of time to take command of her magic heritage and figure out what’s behind Kin’s spell before it’s too late.

The Descent Series: Vol.1


S.M. Reine - 2012
    (Approx. 200,000 words total.)Books included:1. Death's Hand2. The Darkest Gate3. Dark UnionDEATH'S HANDElise Kavanagh doesn't want to hunt demons anymore. It's been five years since she killed her last enemy, and life has been quiet since then. She went to college. Got a job, and then lost it. Made a friend or two. Lived a normal life. Now her former partner, a powerful witch named James Faulkner, wants Elise to fight one more time. The daughter of a coven member has been possessed, and Elise is the only exorcist nearby.Becoming a hero again would mean risking discovery by old enemies. But digging into the case reveals that it might already be too late--bodies are disappearing, demons slither through the night, and the cogs of apocalypse are beginning to turn. Some enemies aren't willing to let the secrets of the past stay dead...THE DARKEST GATEWhen Elise Kavanagh retired from demon hunting, she swore it would be permanent. But an attack from a powerful necromancer forced her back into the business, and now she's trying to balance her normal boyfriend and normal job with everything supernatural.Mr. Black is a demon hunter gone rogue. He's enslaving angels and stealing ethereal artifacts in pursuit of forbidden immortality, and an old grudge drives him to make his final stand in Elise's territory. Destroying her life and killing her friends isn't the goal, but it's a definite perk.A demonic overlord offers to join against Mr. Black and protect Elise's loved ones. All she needs to do is ally with the demons she's sworn to kill, at the cost of her morals--and maybe her immortal soul. But once she crosses that line, there's no turning back.Nothing is sacred when Heaven and Hell collide on Earth...DARK UNIONEvery fifty years, the most powerful ethereal and infernal beings convene on Earth to resolve conflicts with mediation by kopides--humans born to police relations between Heaven and Hell. They're meeting in Elise Kavanagh's territory this year, and she used to be the greatest kopis in the world. But she's not invited.An old friend, Lucas McIntyre, asks her to attend the summit in his place. But when she arrives, she discovers that a human faction called The Union has taken charge of the summit, and they're not playing nice. Worse yet, someone has killed a prominent Union member... and now they're demanding blood.

Coven at Callington


Shereen Vedam - 2018
    A witch on the warpath. A church guard in crisis. In 1815, Thomas Drake Saint-Clair, Earl of Braden, a Guard of the Green Cross, is tasked by his archbishop to rescue a missing boy and return him to his warlock father. The order lands Braden in the middle of an unholy war between witches and warlocks and shoves him headlong past a sacred line he'd sworn never to cross.Newly confirmed Coven Protectress, Merryn Pendraven, rushes to rescue a witch's son. She's convinced the same evil warlock who was responsible for her younger brother's death is behind this kidnapping, too. She has no intention of letting this vile villain get away with the same crime, twice.When Merryn discovers Braden is also on the case, she's tempted to join forces. Yet, how can she truly trust him when her aunt has warned that Braden's second secret charge is to destroy their coven? Finding love in this cauldron of trouble might prove to be Merryn's deadliest mission and Braden's complete undoing.If you liked A Discovery of Witches or Dr. Strange and Mr. Norrell, you'll love Coven at Callington, an anime-inspired witchy tale that will whisk you away on a rip-roaring Regency ride. Scroll up and pick up your copy now.

Fated Souls: Aquarius (Zodiac Shifters, #1)


Bethany Shaw - 2017
    Joseph, Michigan. Then, he meets the stunning Grace. He’s an immortal dragon shifter tied to the goddess Astraea and bound to the constellation Aquarius. He can never have anything more than a passing relationship, but that doesn’t stop him from coveting her. The full moon is quickly approaching, and if he fails his mission, Grace and all the residents of the tiny town will become victims of the lycanthrope. Single mom Grace is barely getting by, living paycheck to paycheck. Luck isn’t on her side, and things only seem to be getting worse. Little does she know, her whole world is about to get turned upside down. Grace is thrust into a world she never knew existed. Lycanthrope are real, and she's got a target on her back. Determined to work with Daire to save her town, she offers to help the Zodiac guardian. He’s immortal, and she’s human. But that doesn’t stop her from craving his touch.

Of Silver and Beasts


Trisha Wolfe - 2013
    Now, a cybernetic clamp filters it, but the silver streaks swirling beneath her skin are a constant reminder that she’s different.When Kaliope is chosen as head of the Nactue Guard, she becomes the sworn protector to her empress. In the midst of an invasion on a neighboring land, Kaliope is placed in charge of guarding Prince Caben, the last heir to his kingdom. But when they’re attacked by the feared Otherworlders, Caben and Kaliope are abducted and taken below to a realm where they must fight for their life in a caged arena. Kaliope struggles to protect her princely charge, keeping him and herself alive while battling inhumanly opponents, and trying to save the stolen, sacred relic that will restore her empress’s life force and all of Cavan. And if she can somehow awaken the goddess within her, she may save what’s most important.A Dark Romantic Fantasy series.

Speak


R.M. Webb - 2015
    Like really shy. Even simple conversations with her best friend, Becca, can have her lost in her head, worrying about all the things she might have said or done wrong. But there’s this part of Zoe that’s as ferocious as a tiger, this part that paces in frustration whenever Zoe gets quiet, and urges her to do things that push her out of her comfort zone - her very small comfort zone. The tiger gets its way when Zoe meets Noah at her favorite bar, because Zoe is so not comfortable. First, Noah’s absolutely gorgeous. Second, every time he touches her, she feels these golden pings of … something … that calm her and soothe her and make her feel like the answers to all her questions are right around the corner. And third, it looks like Becca is keeping a dangerous secret, a secret that Noah is in on and isn’t happy about at all. With Noah’s help, Zoe’s gonna have to learn to speak, because her words hold power … more power than she ever dreamed possible.

The Siren


Meg Xuemei X. - 2014
    One offers life disguised as death; the other leads to death with unfathomable love. Her choice decides whether the world turns or ends.Lucienne Lam, born to rule as the last of the Sirens, is running out of time. If she fails to find the TimeDust, an ancient power, her enemies will have their wish—her head on a spike. And she’ll never know the love promised by Vladimir, a fierce warrior of the Czech royal bloodline.Except Ashburn, a genius ‘farm boy,’ has found the TimeDust first, and its power binds Lucienne to him. She must convince him to sever this forced bond so she can return to her first love. But breaking the link seems insurmountable when the TimeDust launches its own ominous agenda and the two boys prepare to duel to the death over her.

Kergulen


R.A. White - 2013
    As she struggles to stay alive in this new country, Rima must master the capacity for inner freedom and true friendship if she hopes to create a life worth living.Rima is not a typical heroine; her misadventures involve universal issues such as racism and self-doubt, but also include the occasional monster or dragon. The entire Kergulenite forest works in harmony to keep Kergulen's secrets safe from Rima and the rest of the world.Will uncovering Kergulen's mysteries give Rima the freedom she dreams of, or will she be condemned because she knows too much?

Tressa's Treasures


Belinda M. Gordon - 2015
    Her destiny is incredible. Tressa is a fae in hiding. Unable to fulfill her transcendent role in an ancient prophecy, she hides on her grandmother's estate in the Pocono Mountains. Tressa is content to work in her small shop and fake her humanity, but she knew she couldn't stay hidden forever. When she uses her powers to protect a friend, strange things begin to happen all around her. The Unseelie are nearby, the enemy of Tressa's people, and they're coming for her. As the dark fae come closer, Tressa must use the powers she's hidden for so long to keep the people she loves alive. Tressa's Treasures is the first book in a fantasy series based on Celtic mythology with a twist. If you like engaging plots, grownup love stories, and twists and turns, then you'll love Belinda Gordon's unique twist on faerykind. Buy Tressa's Treasures to see a faery find her destiny today!

The Amulet Thief


Luanne Bennett - 2015
    When she comes home to New York City, she wants just two things: a little peace, and answers about the unsolved murder and why she was abandoned in the middle of America at the age of eight.Greer Sinclair, an enigmatic stranger who knows a little bit more than he should, just might give her both–and more if she’ll let him.What is she?What is he? Who is this beguiling satyr who keeps coming between them? She attracts the otherworldly like moths to a flame. And why does every stranger on the streets of Manhattan want a piece of her and that pendant hanging around her pretty little neck?Maybe the answers are in a peculiar shop in the heart of Greenwich Village where ghosts, memories, and secrets are bursting from the walls and the books and the one person who knows her best. The line between the mundane and supernatural worlds is starting to blur. Which side will she choose? Which would you?

Beth


Jennifer Stevenson - 2017
    She’s about to jump in front of a bus when she meets Delilah, recruiter for the "Regional Office" and receives an offer she can’t refuse: become a succubus for the Second Circle of Hell. Heartbroken, Beth decides to use the powers of her new sex demon body and the remains of her thrown-away life to track down her ex-husband and find out why he dumped her. But Beth can’t get any information without help from her team, and she can’t accept their help until she learns something about what she has become—a coed demon slut—about who she’s always really been, and who she wants to be from now on. The first adventure in the Coed Demons Sluts series!

Origins


Kristen Middleton - 2012
    Seventeen year old Cassandra Wild thought living in the chaos of her mother’s home daycare and dealing with her developing feelings for Bryce, her new Martial Arts’ instructor, was a struggle, until the night her world turned upside down.When an untested vaccine kills more than just a rampant flu virus, Cassie learns how to survive in a world where the dead walk, and the living…run!

Stolen Chaos


A.C. Nicholls - 2017
    Armed with an array of magic weapons known as 'magicards', she is always eager to show trouble to the door. But when one of those cards is stolen by a ruthless mage, there's nothing she won't do to get it back.In order to succeed, Keira - along with her cowardly, middle-aged faery - must follow the trail of carnage. Stopping for a battle at every turn, any hope of locating the thief only gets slimmer... until she meets Jason; the handsome shifter with a chip on his shoulder, and the only help she will get.The war between the monsters grows greater than ever. Caught in the middle of it all, Keira must pick a side and stick with it, or risk losing her magic forever, along with anything the mage chooses to destroy.

Skin & Bones


Susan Harris - 2016
    Dr. Ever Chace wants nothing more than to be able to stand out in this crazy place she calls home. When she’s asked to consult on a case where teens are being brutalized, she relishes the chance to make a difference by helping to stop a monster. But when she’s teamed up to work alongside a sexy shifter, she ends up with more than she bargained for. Derek Doyle has been a member of the Paranormal Investigations Team since the monsters first revealed themselves to the world. Considering he believes it takes a monster to catch a monster, he’s definitely in the right place. As a lone wolf not used to letting many people in, he isn’t prepared for the effect his new partner, consultant Dr. Ever Chace, has on him. With a murderer on the loose, Ever and Derek will have to put their attraction aside while the hunt continues. Easier said than done… right?

Distraction


Tess Oliver - 2013
    When Poppy uses her magic to help a young boy, she is arrested. Angus is the only person who can help her, but, in return, she must promise her hand in marriage. In desperation, Poppy’s grandmother sends her two hundred years into the future to hide. Poppy finds herself years from home in the middle of a strange place called Montana where rooms light up without candles or sorcery, steam puffing dragons roar across fields on tracks, and cows sprout horns as long as tree trunks. And while Poppy hides from the man who turns her heart cold as ice, she discovers the man who can set it on fire. Cade Tanner has always lived fast and hard, and he prefers it that way. The last thing he needs is a girl to distract him from running the cattle ranch his father left him. But Poppy, the sweetly innocent beauty with the soft smile and dark eyes, who seemingly fell from the sky, is tough to ignore. But Cade soon finds that falling for Poppy comes with a dangerous price.