Book picks similar to
The First Wave by Lana Melyan


magic
sci-fi-fantasy
waiting-for-the-sequel
tbc

Immortal Ties


Jane Hinchey - 2018
    Fall for my best friend and SIA partner, Carter.Despite the growing attraction between us, I was determined to stay focused on the job at hand. Hunting rogue paranormals.Until I became the hunted.With an unknown enemy intent on my demise, human bodies dropping around us, and the realization that the threat is closer than I could ever imagine, my only hope lies with overcoming my emotionally scarred past and putting my trust in Carter. Would he be my salvation…or would he lead the Wolves to my door?

Surviving Magic


Chloe Garner - 2019
    In high school, she was popular, smart, happy.But all that changes when her mother's former life - a life kept hidden from Valerie - collides into Valerie's reality.Forced to walk away from everything she's always known, Valerie finds herself in a magic school where she may be protected, but she certainly isn't liked.Facing classmates who resent her for being there and a faculty who are caught up in the same secret war that threatened her mother, Valerie is going to have to flourish or perish in her new reality.

Marked by Dragon's Blood


N.M. Howell - 2017
    Condemned to death. Driven underground.Andie Rogers is no stranger to secrecy. After watching her dragonborn mother get taken away at a young age, she has had to learn to use her sorcery inherited from her father to disguise all trace of her own dragon's blood magic. Now, no longer a child, Andie must attend The University, center of all magic and government in Arvall City, to learn to wield her magic and become a fully-fledged sorcerer.But Andie has another goal in mind.Dreams of her tormented ancestors calling out to her have haunted her since she was a child, and Andie knows she must answer their call and discover the truth. But she must do so in the magical capital in the world, surrounded by powerful sorcerers determined to uphold the lie at all cost. If they discover that she carries the blood of the dragonborn, death with be swift and her people will never get a chance at redemption.Will Andie risk everything to shatter the lies that the world has been fed for so many years? Can she set her people free?

Wolf's Howl


Juniper Hart - 2020
    A gorgeous stranger with mesmerizing eyes. This is a recipe for disaster.I was recruited for a very important mission.After nine months of intense training, I am committed to the cause.I have a crucial role in saving the world.However, relocating to the middle of nowhere was not supposed to be part of the plan.Of course, Iceland is gorgeous.But it’s also dangerous—just like my current situation.Things have gone from bad to worse so fast that I don’t know if I’ll ever recover.Will I ever be safe again?Nicoy did save my life once.He’s irresistible with that perfect body, rustic good looks, and smoldering eyes.Can I truly trust him, though?This mission is unraveling fast and I have to make a decision.I just hope it’s the right one…Author’s note: Explicit love scenes, naughty language, and lots of sexy shifters. Intended for 18+ audiences.

Silver Moon


Amanda Lynn - 2018
    One that some vampires would kill her for.Problem is...she doesn't know it yet.Riley was a normal twenty-four-year-old girl. She lived in the city, worked as a private investigator, and went home each night alone. All that changes with one missing person's case.On the hunt for a missing girl, she's thrown into a world of supernaturals she never imagined existed. And with the discovery of her unique ability, her life is now in danger.Luckily, she has two new men in her life who are desperate to keep her safe. Lucian, a vampire with devastatingly good looks and old school charm. And Aiden, her new live-in werewolf bodyguard with his boy-next-door appeal and laid-back attitude. But will they be enough to protect her?With people continuing to disappear around the city, it's becoming obvious there's something bigger going on...something none of them could have anticipated.As Riley tries to navigate the ever-growing threat against her life, her deepening feelings for Lucian, and the idea that maybe she never was normal after all, she's beginning to wonder if she'll survive this.And to top it all off, she still has a missing person's case to solve.

A Gift of Magic


Julianne Berokoff - 2020
    Vienna is sick of her bloodthirsty, throne-stealing parents. So when she's Chosen by an advanced academy she's never heard of, she thanks the gods above. When she realizes the school isn't supposed to exist, and that it's in fae territory...Well... bring it on.--Tavi is oath-sworn to keep his powers secret. And for most of his life, he's done so.But once the Carthian Princess invades his world, the walls he's built so high begin to crumble.Vienna is reckless, and trouble clings to her like perfume. No sooner does she arrive at the Fae Academy than a cloud of darkness threatens to sweep them all away.If not for her stubborn spirit, battle skills, and a group of powerful new friends, she wouldn't stand a chance.--This is Book 1 of a complete series (trilogy). This story is full of friendship, epic adventure, and the trials of finding your true self - a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers academy fantasy for young adult & new adult readers. Includes some adult language and intimate scenes later on in the series.

Scarlet Huntress


LeAnn Mason - 2019
    Where, for years, I was held captive by evil shape-shifting witches. I thought it was for my Shaman abilities. I was wrong.But their ritual failed. Instead of dying, I survived, while another’s blood stained the forest floor.In my escape, I discovered Grimm Hollow—a place deep in the forest in which I hoped to hide. The secret town teems with magic and a Shifter who wants to help me hone my skills. But the big, bad witchy-wolf is hot on my scarlet tail, and he won't hesitate to destroy everyone and everything to get me back—or kill me.Hiding is no longer an option. Instead, I must become the hunter. Bring on the big, bad wolf.*Grimm Hollow books are loosely based on the Grimm Fairy Tales in a modern paranormal setting.*

Vengeance and Vampires: The Complete Series


Alicia Rades - 2020
    I’m Rachel Collins, low witch and raven shifter in hiding. I spend my days tending the cash register at a local magic shop and my nights patrolling the streets for vampires with a death wish. Until the night I spot the mark of the Soulless on some lowly vampire’s wrist.The Soulless answer to Valkas, the original vampire and the most ruthless of them all. They’re the same bloodsuckers who murdered my parents and kidnapped my sister. I want answers—and maybe a little revenge.Along comes Venn, a handsome, protective wolf shifter who takes my breath away. We’re both after the same guy, and as much as it kills me to ask for help, I kind of need it.Heaven help me. The dark, dangerous road we’re traveling together will either free my sister or get me killed.

Atlantis Academy: The First Element


Autumn Kalquist - 2019
    The children of Atlantis use magic to keep us safe. If they make it through the Academy. Hi, I’m Lyric. And I’m kind of a mess. ADHD, that’s me. I’m a high school drop-out, late everywhere I go, and one screw-up away from being homeless. I’m a loner, and I like it that way. Who needs friends when you have a Redwood forest nearby? Trees never bully me like the kids did at school. Or get drunk and throw things at my head. After my mom died, I figured life couldn’t get much worse. I thought it might even get better. Ha. The universe has a great sense of humor. I should’ve listened to the rumors about evil spirits. About the angry, ancient magical creatures haunting our small Oregon Coast town. But did I? No. That was my first mistake. And it might be my last. ‘Cause now I’m in a battle for my life. A whole new world has opened up… a magical world I don’t understand. And the blood in my veins says I belong here. But I have to prove myself to save myself. And when have I ever done that? Atlantis Academy is a unique new series that weaves together an elite college of magic with the ancient myth of Atlantis. If you love quirky characters, magic, fantasy, and a story filled with plenty of mystery, thrills, and a romance, you’ll love going on this adventure with Lyric!

The Good, The Bad, The Cursed


Heather Killough-Walden - 2018
    Read… and step into a universe of unrelenting desire and uncompromising passion, where the inhumanly cursed share a love both frightening and forbidden. Enter a world of Men, Motorcycles, and Monsters, and ultimately submit to the warm, possessive embrace of your most torturous dream, and your most tantalizing nightmare. Give yourself to him. Stay with him forever. Leave the mortal world behind…. Monsters, Book One excerpt: Cain was quiet while Jake filled his own gas tank. Jake could feel his eyes on him. It was unnerving to be scrutinized by such a perceptive man, even after all this time. Cain was thinking. And Jake had the sinking feeling he knew what about. "She knows what we are?" Cain finally asked point blank. Jake didn't have to reply. Cain knew damn well Angel had found out about their true nature. She'd neither set him on fire nor chopped off his head. Given she was a warden, he was considering it a win. Jake braced one arm on the seat of his bike as he filled the tank. "So, you baptize this union yet?" Cain asked as he took the fuel pump from Jake's hand and inserted it deep into his own gas tank. Jake stiffened. He turned and leaned back on the seat of his bike, crossing his arms over his chest and his legs at the ankles. "You serious right now?" "I've met your girl, Jake," Cain said. No need to remind me. Even that made Jake mad with jealousy. "She's one in a billion," Cain continued, "and I'm betting she's under your skin. So if she knows what you are, then what's the hold up?" Jake looked at the ground and sighed. "I'm not having this discussion with you." But he probably was. Because no one said no to Cain. Sometimes they begged it… but that was different. Cain replaced the fuel nozzle in its casing at the pump. "Jake, a member of my team is driven to the point of distraction, and I can't have that." His voice was steady and calm as always, but stern. "Angel wants you, right?" Jake recalled her hitching breaths, the hammering of her heart, and the scent of her arousal as he'd pinned her to the shining black paint of his car. That, at least, she couldn't hide from him. "That isn't the problem," he ground out. "Well, I know you want her. Hell, we all know that much. So, take her already." "Damn it, Cain…." Cain recapped his tank. He studied Jake in silence, and finally draped his muscled forearm across the left handlebar of his bike. "I get it. You're scared shitless. You think you'll lose control and turn her." No, I don't think I will. I know I will. "Would that be such a bad thing, Crow?" If Jake had been drinking, he would have choked. His head snapped up, and his green eyes met eyes of powerful blue. "I wouldn't let her go, Cain." If he turned her, he would keep her. Because there was no way in hell he would let her sink her little fangs into another man's throat. "I know," said Cain. Jake's gaze narrowed. "What are you telling me right now?" Cain straightened, coming around his bike to mount it. Once in the seat, he kicked up the stand with the heel of his boot and rolled the bike backward with strong legs until he was parallel to Jake. Cain stopped flush with him and looked him in the eye. "Jake, this isn't Neverland. Boys grow into men. And men need women." He nodded at Jake's bike. "That saddle is big enough for two.

Initiate


Jon Auerbach - 2018
    [Author's note: If you're visiting this page looking for Guild of Tokens, entered in SPFBO5, go here instead: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...Initiate was released last year and only contains the first section of the book.]

Forbidden


Selene Charles - 2014
    Where the guys are hot. The girls are sweet. And nothing is what it seems... Flint DeLuca is sick and tired of moving. Her and her dad have moved three times in the past year. But that's the life of a carnie. Even an ex-carnie like her. Her father swears this is the last move. All Flint wants now is to graduate from High School and put the carnival life behind her. Unfortunately, one of the two ain't gonna happen. So now not only is she back in the life she can never seem to get away from, she's also met this guy who pushes all her "I totally hate you" buttons.Cain. No last name. Wears shades in school. Dresses entirely in black. And only speaks to her when he's insulting her. She hates him. Hates him. And yet... there's something about the Goth boy that draws her like a moth to flame. God, she can't wait to graduate and get away from Whispering Bluff, only problem is she's pretty sure her high school is infested by vampires. Cain might be one of them. And for some reason, she seems to be on their menu.Sometimes High School really sucks...

Alive & Hexing


Shay Cabe - 2019
    Except when you neglect to call your four furry best friends after being gone for five years. So, they decided to pay me back, Hazard style. I wanted to deny that they could be cruel to me. It even took me awhile to admit it - but it's a fact - The Hazard Boys Suck. They're not the only ones. A mysterious romeo is leaving me presents of the dead kind. Now, I need to show all of them that girls aren't just made from sugar, spice and everything nice. Especially me. We're also made of something better... Mean. *This is a slow-slow burn Young Adult, Reverse Harem with some mature content and cursing*

First Project


Jennifer Rose McMahon - 2019
    Keeping the strange Mystic Academy a secret within her prep school was the second. Competing against the strongest student, Dom, a stunning boy with a dark secret, was the unexpected twist.FIRST PROJECT: Explore Hell's Gates.Brynn must learn how to use her psychic gifts in time to uncover the mystery of a local urban legend. The town woods behind her school is where children become lost with no memory of where they'd gone, and its tales of burned witches smother the town in shame.Can this ancient myth be debunked, while fighting the maddening distraction of Dom, in time for the project deadline? Or will the sinister truth hidden within legend awaken, creating unhinged chaos within the academy? One-click to start the epic adventure of the Urban Mystic Academy: First Project.

Mortal Scream


L.B. Carter - 2020
    It's the most important lesson... and I failed.Living life on the move and under the radar, you'd think I'd know not to scream when witnessing a murder. It should be a no-brainer, but my mouth didn't get the memo, drawing the cops to the wrong conclusion: me. And the deaths don't stop there.When I foresee the demise of one of the officers, my open trap catches the attention of one of the scariest gangs in the whole prison. But they're not concerned with me -- they want the guard.They say they're a supernatural team tasked with overseeing the mortal sentence of convicted criminals... and apparently, I'm just like them. A Harbinger of Death.I thought getting locked up was the worst my life could get. Lesson learned.***For fans of Dannika Dark, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Burn Notice comes a gritty NA tale of self-discovery, mysterious pasts, and slow-burn romance with snarky shifters, gorgeous Egyptian gods, and quirky creatures of Greek and Celtic mythology.***