Book picks similar to
A Rose of Steel (Mechanical Kingdoms #1) by Katherine Macdonald
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A Little Slice Of Heaven
Gina Ardito - 2008
Until the night the stray on her doorstep turns out to be a man! A Devil's Bargain' With educated speech and sterling manners, Kyle Hayden isn't the average homeless man. Touched by his situation, Gianna offers him a place to stay and a job. And when he cleans up to reveal a super-hunk, he's the perfect phony, doting boyfriend to escort Gianna to her ex's upcoming wedding. Or maybe this time, love could be for real. Hell Breaks Loose' Until the truth comes out. For while Gianna dreams of happily ever after, Kyle will soon return to the life he left behind--a life that won't include Gianna. Unless he can regain her trust and show her' A Little Slice of Heaven.
This is a new release of a previously published edition.
Rebel Rose
Emma Theriault - 2020
Belle has finally broken the Enchantress’s curse, restoring the Beast to his human form and bringing life back to their castle in the province of Aveyon. But in Paris, the fires of change are burning, and it’s only a matter of time before the rebellion arrives on their doorstep.Not so very long ago, Belle dreamed of leaving her provincial home for a life of adventure. But now she finds herself living in a palace, torn between her past as a commoner, and her future as royalty. While Belle grapples with her newfound position, there are those who would do anything to keep her from power.When she stumbles across a magic mirror that holds a dire warning, Belle wants nothing more than to ignore the mysterious voice calling her to accept a crown she never desired. But violent factions of the revolution may already be lurking within her own castle, and doing nothing would endanger everything she holds dear. With the fate of her country, her love, and her life at stake, Belle must decide if she is ready to embrace her own strength--and the magic that ties her to so many female rulers before her--to become the queen she is meant to be.Rebel Rose is the first in the Queen's Council series, an empowering fairy tale reimagining of the Disney Princesses-and the real history behind their stories-like you've never seen before.
Kingdom of Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Deborah Grace White - 2021
But when protecting her father means falling afoul of the curse that has swallowed the Summer Castle, and Prince Justin along with it, her own safety is not all that’s at stake. The prince’s monstrous form is the least of her concerns—the whole castle has been trapped by his pride, and his absence from the capital is driving the kingdom to ruin.Justin was born to be a king, not a beast. Between the inhuman coldness he learned from his father, the humiliation of his cursed form, and his powerlessness against his hidden enemies back in the capital, laughter is the last thing on his mind. But even though she’s a prisoner, nothing seems to dampen the intruder’s maddening cheerfulness. Justin has to break his curse, and he needs someone like Felicity to do it. But as she begins to thaw the ice around his heart, he discovers her past is not what it seems.With time running out, not just for the castle’s inhabitants, but for the kingdom of Albury, they will need more than the help of a dragon to break the curse and prevent disaster before it’s too late. But for all Felicity’s warmth and laughter, even she could never look at Justin and like what she sees.Could she?
The Sheikh’s Wife Arrangement
Leslie North - 2019
Fatim isn’t worried—he married years earlier and had two children with his wife before she died. But there’s a catch: the law states he must be married at age 30. Two weeks from his 30th birthday, there’s no time to change it or fight it...it’s more expedient to marry. Calla Clark is out to prove her parents wrong. Instead of marrying well like her mother wanted, Calla’s in the Middle East to prove her design prowess. And what better way to do that then becoming seamstress for the royal family and getting to drape fabric over the sexy Sheikh’s rock-hard body. She can’t act on her temptations, of course. She’s got goals to crush. Still, when she watches the way the Sheikh commands his tribe, and cares for his kids, she can’t help but feel an undeniable attraction. Fatim has taken a liking to Calla, too. She’s smart, thoughtful, and good with his children. With his birthday right around the corner, Fatim offers her the position as his wife. It’s only temporary, and in return for marrying him and helping with his children, he’ll give her everything she needs for the upcoming Fashion Week. Calla agrees...so long as he helps keep her dream alive. With so many differences between them, Fatim and Calla’s powerful pairing could raise the tribe up to modern heights, or send it to the bin like last season’s cast-offs. This novel contains sexual content and profanity.
Courted
Jennifer Chance - 2015
But now I’ve got no choice.By the end of the week, I must give up my treasured military commission and take the throne. Given what my family’s already endured, I'll do it, too. There's no escape for me.Then, out on the edge of my beloved Aegean Sea, a dreamy-eyed American girl falls into my arms...and life as I know it will never be the same.Looks like we’ve got a brand new kind of fairy tale on our hands.
The Beast
Lindsay Mead - 2015
These great, fanged wolves are wild, desperate, and hungry. Only the sworn Hunters have kept them back for five long, bloody years.Since becoming a Hunter at a young age, Belle LeClair no longer remembers how many hounds she's killed or how many friends she's buried. Still, Belle leads the hunt till a tragedy forces her deep into the dark kingdom. Her heart will be turned, her loyalty tested— and fate will intervene.Amid a backdrop of Steampunk inventions and a harsh winter landscape, THE BEAST is a re-imagining of the infamous love between a beauty and a beast.Young Adult Fantasy/Adventure RomanceA Beauty And The Beast Retelling-The Hunter Legends-The BeastThe BeautyThe Curse (Coming Soon)The Crown (Coming Soon)
Beauty and the Beast
K.M. Shea - 2013
A small miscalculation sends her through the roof of an enchanted chateau. Stranded until her broken leg mends, Elle is forced to rely on the good will of the sour chateau owner —the cursed Prince Severin. Prince Severin—the commanding general and staunch supporter of his brother the crown prince—is cursed to look like a beast until a maiden falls in love with him. However, he has given up all hope of shattering the curse after several painful and failed attempts to break it. As such he has only disdain for Elle, leaving her to the devices of his bossy servants. This suits Elle perfectly as she dislikes the entire royal family, Severin included. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting pair, the chateau servants are determined to break the curse and spend the majority of their time pushing Elle and Severin together. After bonding over gardens, animals, and terrifying squirrels Elle and Severin show signs of friendship, and perhaps something more… But not all love stories can end that easily. After all, Elle is not what she seems, and Severin’s life is placed in danger when hostilities flare between his brother and the monarchs of a neighboring country. If they really want the love of a lifetime Elle, a loyal liar, and Severin, an indifferent beast, will have to use every trick they know to survive.
Roses
G.R. Mannering - 2013
Her silvery appearance is freakish to the numerous inhabitants of Sago, the cosmopolitan capital of Pevorocco in a fantasy realm. With her mother vanishing at the instance of her birth, she is sent to live with the cruel, rich Ma Dane, where she is punished daily for something, though she knows not what. Tauntingly named Beauty, she flees Sago in a violent uprising that sets out to massacre all Magics and journeys to the furthest point of the country. But Beauty cannot hide in the grassy Hillands forever. Before long, the State officials find her and threaten to take her back to war-torn Sago where death surely awaits. In a midnight blizzard she escapes them, running into a deep, enchanted forest to a great and terrible beast who will bargain for her life. But can Beauty accept Beast? Eternity is a long time.
How Beauty Met the Beast
Jax Garren - 2012
Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley "Hauk" Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He's starting to lose hope…and then he sees her.The BeautyDespite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn't see. After she's kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?38,000 words
Enemy Fiance Billionaire
L.A. Pepper - 2019
She takes a position working for the infamous and infuriating Nick Meryton. He’s charming, controlling, a world travelling, pretty boy billionaire.
Crazy rich and famous with amber eyes that would melt any woman on the spot, what Nick wants, Nick gets! But someone else is also eyeing Chloe. When he sees his brother making a move on her at the company gala, he arrogantly claims her as his fiance. Now, he’s fake engaged to his sassy work enemy. Chloe's not sure how she ended up half-naked in a broken down elevator with her boss, or why she’s agreed to play the game with her arch enemy. She's smarter than that. She graduated from Princeton for pete's sake! All she knows that her heart beats fast and her blood sings around him. The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes it’s not just an attraction to his rippled chest, but an attraction to his heart, and respect for his integrity. This love terrifies her more than anything, so she runs away, back home. Nick comes looking for her, in the middle of a snowstorm ready to get her back or let her go.
What if love doesn’t have to be a fight or trap at all? What if love is what sets you free?.
Let It Snow
Macie St. James - 2020
The handsome stranger who owns that ditch has no idea that his offer to help will lead to a holiday stranded together in the snow.Paul McKellar has retreated to a rental cabin to finish his book. While he’s on a tight deadline, he’s also trying to forget about the holiday. His mother’s surprised death happened just a year earlier, and the holidays will never be the same.But the more time he spends with Garland, the more he realizes there’s plenty left to celebrate. Once the holidays are over, though, they’ll be separated by hundreds of miles. Can their feelings for each other overcome the distance?Let It Snow is a sweet, clean contemporary standalone Christmas romance in a small-town setting.
Spare and Found Parts
Sarah Maria Griffin - 2016
In a city devastated by an epidemic, where survivors are all missing parts—an arm, a leg, an eye—her father is the famed scientist who created the biomechanical limbs everyone now uses. But Nell is the only one whose mechanical piece is on the inside: her heart. Since the childhood operation, she has ticked. Like a clock, like a bomb. As her community rebuilds, everyone is expected to contribute to the society’s good . . . but how can Nell live up to her father’s revolutionary idea when she has none of her own?Then she finds a mannequin hand while salvaging on the beach—the first boy’s hand she’s ever held—and inspiration strikes. Can Nell build her own companion in a world that fears advanced technology? The deeper she sinks into this plan, the more she learns about her city—and her father, who is hiding secret experiments of his own.
Gilded Rose
Emma Hamm - 2019
The world is plagued by creatures called the Dread, and the monster who's captured me is their king. But no matter how hard I try to get away, there's no escaping him. Not when he's magically bound to turn me into one of his creatures. When I discover he wasn’t supposed to destroy cities—that he’s one of the Celestials meant to save humanity—I realize my only hope of survival is breaking his curse. The one that turned him into a beast. But as I uncover the truth to break his curse, I begin to wonder if I’ve lost myself in the process... Can I still escape him? Or has he taken my heart forever? Fans of Robin McKinley and Grimm will fall in love with this twisted fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
A Dragon in the Ashes
Jenna Wolfhart - 2020
The king’s mages are skilled in the worst kind of torture.After taking refuge in the library, she stumbles through a portal to a hidden kingdom—and straight into the arms of a tall, dark, and incredibly rude male named Yuto, who calls himself the Lord of Dragons. He claims to be trapped but won’t tell her why. And he thinks Aradia is his key to freedom—if only she’ll take him back through the portal.But Aradia can’t return to her homeland, not without risking her own neck. She can’t stay with Yuto either. He’s so dangerous that his touch ignites fire. As Aradia plots her escape, passion sparks. But if she gives in, she risks more than just her heart. They could both lose themselves in the flames.
The Beast and the Enchantress
Camille Peters - 2021
But when an egocentric prince breaks her sister’s heart, Astrid’s only focus is revenge, and what better way to enact it than with a well-chosen curse? A simple incantation is all it takes to transform the arrogant prince's appearance to match the state of his heart. But something goes wrong, causing the spell to affect not only the prince, but its caster as well. As the curse begins to change her appearance to reflect the state of her own vengeful heart, Astrid becomes desperate to break it at all costs, even if it means entering the castle in disguise and interacting with the prince she loathes.To her surprise, Astrid encounters not a conceited prince, but one very different from the one she cursed. She soon finds her heart softening, but not in the way she expects—she’s losing it to the cursed prince she has vowed to hate. The closer they become, the more desperate Astrid is to free the prince, and herself, from the curse. But in so doing, she may lose the man she loves forever. For how could a prince ever love the woman who turned him into a beast? The Beast and the Enchantress is one of twelve short novels in A Villain's Ever After, a collection of stand-alone stories featuring villainous twists on some of your favorite classic fairy tales. Read the series in any order for magical adventures . . . and fall in love with villains as you've never seen them before. Who said villains can't have happily-ever-afters?