Book picks similar to
Secondhand Shadow by Elizabeth Belyeu


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Glass Houses


Rachel Caine - 2006
    When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?

Moved


Melissa Haag - 2014
    But, he goes too far when he exiles Gillian to a house in the middle of nowhere. Her new landlord, Racer, is more like a cute jailer who has strict orders to keep her safely trapped.Battle lines between independence and obligation are drawn as Gillian decides just how far she's willing to go to win back her freedom. And Racer needs to decide what he's willing to endure to keep her close.

Chosen


Lauren Chow - 2017
     Clara Evans’ needs a fresh start. Exhausted from the taunts of her classmates and the neglect of her careless foster parents, she is counting down the days until graduation when she can move away and leave her miserable life behind. When swoon-worthy Jay Woods transfers to Ford High School, Clara’s eyes are opened to a universe she never knew existed. As the life she once knew shatters and ancient secrets are revealed, Clara must learn to control her newfound powers while defeating a raging darkness that will change the world forever. Could “The Freak” from Ford High be the key to saving the human race?

The Mod Code


Heidi Tankersley - 2015
    One modified, one not.The girl they both love.A gene code their fathers want to force into the world.Sage is kidnapped from her Kansas farm and held for ransom on a remote Pacific island. If she wants to survive, she must sort out truth from the lies of her past.Jack and Beckett have lived with their dad’s obsession of the mod code ever since the day they were born—and now he’s taking captives in attempt to get the mod code back.Beckett will do anything to save the girl.Jack will stop at nothing to destroy the code. But doing either may require that the brothers let go of the one person they’ve both come to love.

Cruel Magic


Eva Chase - 2019
    Then mages barge into my family’s home, murder my parents, and whisk me off to a university known to the rest of magical society as Villain Academy. It turns out I’m Persephone Bloodstone, the long lost heir to one of the five royal families of dark magic. I’m destined to learn how to manipulate the world with fear—and to stand beside the four other scions: the scorching-hot, arrogant young men who rule this school. Unfortunately, I’m having trouble locating my supposedly wicked skills. I don’t want to use a power that feeds off people’s pain, but I have to tap into my talents fast if I want to survive. I’ve got no time to grieve for my family. The students here are even more vicious than the teachers, and my fellow scions are worst of all. The four of them crush anyone who doesn’t kowtow. No way will I bow to any villain, no matter how brutally alluring. They can turn on the charm or tear me down, but they can’t break me, even if I can barely get my magic working. They’ve never met anyone like me before. I don’t care about ruling. I just want to avenge the people I loved. It doesn’t matter what kind of power runs through my veins. I’m taking Villain Academy down. *Cruel Magic is the first in a university-age paranormal academy series. Expect magical villainy, a tough heroine who bends to no one’s will, a dollop of steam, and a slow-burn reverse harem romance where there'll be no choosing required.*

Kiss of War


Clara Elroy - 2021
    His eyes fostered demons solely reserved for me. They craved to own my soul.And for the longest time, I took it, I bore his cruelty alone.But then... then I grew thorns of my own.And now?Now it's time for his torment to taste my kiss of war.Kiss of War is a complete standalone and a part of the City of Stars series.

Midnight Fae Academy: Book One


Lexi C. Foss - 2020
    Even if it kills me.Except Headmaster Zephyrus is one step ahead of my every move.Prince Kolstov won't stop cornering me.And Shadow--the reason I'm in this damn mess to begin with--haunts my dreams.My affinity for the earth is dying and being replaced by something more sinister. Something powerful. Something deadly.The Midnight Fae believe this is my fate.They claim that I was "recruited" for a purpose.To battle a rising presence.Or to die trying.I don't owe them a damn thing. But if I have to pass their trials to find my way home, then so be it. I survived a plague and far worse in the Elemental Fae realm. An ominous energy? Please. What a joke.Give it your best shot.I'm waiting.And don't you dare bite me.Or I'll make you regret it.Author Note: This is a dark paranormal reverse harem romance, and despite Aflora's opinions on the matter, there will definitely be biting. Shadow, aka Shade, guarantees it.

The Kiss of Death


Auryn Hadley - 2018
    It wasn't. Four years later, I can still remember the exact shade of his skin: a blue so pale it looked like moonlight. I dream of his touch. Mostly, I paint the man under the heavy cowl, including those perfect lips which ruined mine for anyone else. I'm obsessed with him. The doctors say he's nothing more than a hallucination caused by a mixture of head trauma and emergency pain medications. I think he's a really sexy figment of my imagination. I mean, who besides an artist would dream up the Grim Reaper for their hero? Now, something's changed and my drawings are taking on a life of their own. As if college wasn't hard enough, trying to keep this a secret is going to be impossible. Keeping my sanity might be worse. And that's not the worst of my problems. Death is back. He wants another kiss. And he's not alone. The Kiss of Death is a 156,000 word, full-length novel with NO cliffhanger ending. This is a Reverse Harem series which includes multiple love interests, some m/m themes, and graphic scenes of sex, violence, and language. Be warned: everything you thought you knew about the world, religion, and death will be pulled apart, twisted around, and put back together in ways you will not expect.

Promise Me Darkness


Paige Weaver - 2013
    We couldn't exist without each other."For me, life was simple. I went to school and studied. I spent time with my friends and stayed out of trouble. I didn't drink or swear and I only dated gentlemen. I was the typical good girl with a bright future. My world seemed perfect. But that was about to change.Ryder Delaney was the one imperfection in my life. He was the bad boy, the black sheep, the one your mother always warned you about. He had only one hard-and-fast rule - Don't fall in love. But some rules were meant to be broken.We were best friends, inseparable since childhood despite our differences. I knew the real man hiding behind the tattoos and bad attitude. He knew all my secrets and dreams. But he didn't know there was one thing I wanted and couldn't have...him.But sometimes Fate has a way of intervening. Soon our world collapsed. War erupted. Darkness prevailed. Alone and on the run, our only goal was to survive and to ignore the feelings we had for each other. But love is powerful...and so is the darkness.word count: 100,285

Enchanted Hearts


Belinda Boring - 2012
    . . Two honorable men . . . One important choice . . . An unforgettable Midsummer Night's Festival. ** This novella is approximately 35,600 words and part of the A Midsummer Night's Anthology with authors Lacey Weatherford and Kamery Solomon **Blurb: How do you choose between mere moments and a lifetime?Aithne was raised on fairytales, spending hours daydreaming about meeting one of the elusive Fae. Little did she know, hidden in the shadows, a Fae Prince stood watching. All it took was one glance and Hadrian became enchanted, unable to stay away. Revealing his presence, Aithne's life was forever changed as her childhood fantasies of magic became a reality.With each encounter, Aithne fell deeper in love and even though she knew Hadrian couldn't offer her the future she craved, it was enough. That was until William, the local blacksmith's son and friend, stepped forward. Wearing his own heart on his sleeve, and eager to claim Aithne as his wife, there was nothing William wouldn't do for the girl he loved. Even if it meant risking it all at the Midsummer Night's festival.

Bring Me Their Hearts


Sara Wolf - 2018
    Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly.Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat.So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all.Winner takes the loser’s heart.Literally.

Smothered


Autumn Chiklis - 2018
    Just a few minor problems: she has no job, no prospects, and she’s moving back into her childhood bedroom. Lou is grimly determined to stick to a rigorous schedule to get a job and get out of her parents’ house. Shelly “Mama Shell” Hansen, on the other hand, is ecstatic, and just as determined to keep her at home. Who else will help her hide her latest binge-shopping purchases from her husband, go to SoulCycle with her, and hold her hand during Botox shots?Smothered is a hilarious roman à clef told via journal entries, text messages, emails, bills, receipts, tweets, doctor’s prescriptions, job applications and rejections, parking tickets, and pug pictures, chronicling the year that Lou moves back home after college. Told from Lou’s point-of-view, Smothered tells the story of two young(ish) women, just trying to get it right, and learning that just because we all grow up doesn’t mean we necessarily have to grow old. (After all, what is Juvaderm for?)

Trouble in Mudbug


Jana Deleon - 2009
    The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana. Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit.DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into – especially as it seems someone wants her dead. Keeping his secrets while protecting Maryse proves to be easier than fighting his attraction for the brainy beauty. (Note: This book is part of the author’s backlist, originally released in print in 2009 by Dorchester Publishing)

Fang Girl


Helen Keeble - 2012
    Not sure which.Being an undead, eternally pasty fifteen-year-old isn't quite the sexy, brooding, angst-fest Jane always imagined...Helen Keeble’s riotous debut novel combines the humor of Vladimir Tod with Ally Carter’s spot-on teen voice. With a one-of-a-kind vampire mythology and an irresistibly relatable undead heroine, this uproarious page-turner will leave readers bloodthirsty for more.

Legacy Series: An Urban Fantasy Boxed Set


McKenzie Hunter - 2018
     Double-Sided Magic I am Levy Michaels. Once my kind were the hunters—now we are the hunted. Supernaturals are out of the closet but I have to stay hidden because of the type of magic I possess. I’m a Legacy. It sounds like the title should come with reverence, a trust fund, or at the very least a cool backstory—instead it comes with a death sentence. I have to hide in plain sight and pretend to be just human. I’m pretty good at it. I live a simple and somewhat normal life, and I work in antique acquisitions. Everything’s going fine until a dangerous and enchanted dagger that was once in my possession is stolen. I didn’t think things could get any worse until I woke up next to a dead shifter, fae, and mage, without any memory of the past twenty-four hours. Considered guilty of murder by most of the magical community and humans, I must work with Gareth, the sexy and dangerous leader of the Supernatural Guild. If he’s as good as rumored, it’s only a matter of time until he discovers the truth about me—then being found guilty of murder is the least of my worries. Obsidian Magic The only thing standing between me and death is my secret. I’m a Legacy—a secret I’d planned on taking to my grave. Gareth, the enigmatic leader of the Supernatural Guild, knows it, but can I trust him to keep it? When mysterious deaths occur as a result of magic that mimics my own, I no longer have to worry about Gareth exposing me – it will be one of my own that does. Another Legacy is causing the chaos, and I’m forced to hunt my own kind. It seems simple, but we’ve existed for as long as we have because we’re better hunters than prey. I’m forced to work with Gareth to clear my name and find the Legacy responsible. Not only is my secret about to be revealed—so is his. Gareth is much more dangerous than I expected. Is he my friend or my enemy? Renegade Magic Secrets have consequences—and so do truths. I’ve been outed as a Legacy and there’s nothing I can do but deal with the aftermath. I thought I could handle it—I was wrong. The city is in chaos, and I have more enemies than allies. Some that I once called allies have quickly become my betrayers. Just when I didn’t think things could get any worse, Conner resurfaces and he’s ready to make everyone pay. Especially me. He’s the least of my worries: a supernatural assassin has been brought in to kill all the Legacy—and he’s good at his job. One by one we are being killed off. Gareth, my only true ally, has his own problems dealing with another group that is set on ridding the world of supernaturals. Unless I can get the assassin before he gets me and Gareth can stop an organization bent on xenophobic destruction, we don’t stand a chance in hell of surviving this. Rogue Magic No one said life was going to be easy, but mine just keeps getting harder. My best friend has been abducted by a madman who seems to have returned from the dead with the sole goal of seeking revenge against me. She’s my friend, but she’s also essential in finding a cure for a virus that has the potential to destroy the supernatural world.