Book picks similar to
The Queen of Aessarion by Astrid Jane Ray


fantasy
virgin-heroine
anti-hero
paranormal-romance

Passionate Scandal


Michelle Reid - 1994
    Until she met Dominic Stanton.Their scandalous affair and broken engagement had sent Madeline running, crushed by a man who took his revenge in the most public of ways.But now Madeline had returned, poised and controlled, her inner fire hidden--to everyone but Dominic. And now, somehow, two passionate adversaries would try to end the bitterness that had driven their families apart. But both knew it was a dangerous game....

Courting Julia


Mary Balogh - 1993
    Yet for all the practical men who offered their hands, none could make her heart soar like Frederick, the reputed rake. Julia knows it's safer to be sensible, but how can she resist the rapturous desire she feels for Frederick? Original Regency Romance.

The Fae King's Curse


Jamie Schlosser - 2020
    As he looked in my direction with unseeing lavender eyes, I quickly realized our age was just about the only thing we had in common. He spoke with an accent, he had pointy ears, and he was so beautiful it made my heart ache. Oh, and he claimed to be a fae prince cursed by witches who stole his sight.I thought he was crazy from hypothermia. Turns out, he wasn’t, and for some reason he keeps coming back. But a day in my world is a year in his. Every time I see him, he’s older. Wiser. Hotter.Over the past six years, I’ve tried not to fall in love with him because the terms of the curse are clear: If he doesn’t wait for his fated mate in all ways, including an innocent (or not-so-innocent) kiss, he’ll be blind forever.So when Kirian kisses me and pulls me through the portal to his realm, I make it my mission to do some damage control. It’d be a whole lot easier if he wasn’t determined to marry me... And if someone wasn’t trying to murder me every step of the way.

His to Keep: A dark psychological romance


Lydia Goodfellow - 2021
    So young and achingly naïve, Ava is no match for her depraved new master, Father Mathew Aaron, a well-respected priest, and a man hellbent on consuming her innocence to the very last drop.There is no hope. No light. There is only Callum. A troubled, tormented young man imprisoned in the same room as her. As each day slips by without rescue, all that is left is this fierce, dark entity stirring between them—something far more threatening to her virtue than even Father Aaron's obsessive game. Something so powerful, it may just make her want to stay for keeps.A dark psychological romance that's full of twists and turns you won't see coming.

The Winter King


C.L. Wilson - 2014
    But though peace is finally at hand, Wynter's battle with the Ice Heart, the dread power he embraced to avenge his brother's death, rages on.Khamsin Coruscate, Princess of Summerlea and summoner of Storms, has spent her life exiled to the shadows of her father's palace. Reviled by her father, marriage to Wintercraig's icy king was supposed to be a terrible punishment, but instead offers Kham her first taste of freedom—and her first taste of overwhelming passion.As fierce, indomitable Wynter weathers even Khamsin's wildest storms, surprising her with a tenderness she never expected, Kham wants more than Wynter's passion—she yearns for his love. But the power of the Ice Heart is growing, dangerous forces are gathering, and a devastating betrayal puts Khamsin and Wynter to the ultimate test.

A Vow Of Hate


Lylah James - 2021
    We were poison together and there was no antidote.Our story began like any other fairy tale ended.With a beautiful wedding.One kiss.Two rings.Three vows.Killian Spencer became my lawfully wedded husband and I, his dutiful wife.But he was no Prince Charming. He didn’t come to save me… and he vowed there would be no happily ever after.And me?Just like the legends I'd read as a little girl, I always thought I’d be the princess in my fairy tale.Well, I was the villain of our love story.“Till death do us part…”

Wife by Agreement


Kim Lawrence - 1998
    Ethan was a man of the world, and she was his unsophisticated nanny? But Ethan knew that the practical Hannah would be a most convenient wife – until he discovered that his shy bride had hidden passions. Intrigued, he wanted their wedding agreement to be on far more intimate terms. He planned to be a real husband!

Dark King


C.N. Crawford - 2019
    Once, I was a fae princess with sea-magic at my fingertips. Now? I’m a hunted supernatural in a squalid shop, stripped of my power. My only comforts are stale cookies, Elvis records, and my hula-hoop. Until a lethally sexy fae king arrives and rips even those away. After the brutal king throws me in prison, I strike a bargain with him: my freedom in exchange for helping him find a magic blade. What Lyr doesn’t know is that the blade might restore my stolen magic.But as we journey, the gorgeous jerk is starting to make me feel things I’ve never felt. When Lyr touches me, desire ignites. I see raging passion in his eyes, too. If I give in, I risk losing my chance at reclaiming my power. Even worse... I could be forfeiting my life.

Swallow it Down


Addison Cain - 2020
    The unquestioned leader of this ship.A ship I wish to be free of. A man I want to be as far away from as my legs might carry me.The society he’s designed, the rules, the endless battle of wills...Yes, I’ve seen the way he looks at me.I’ve felt his fingertips brush my skin. Heard his laugh. Experienced his smile.One that’s only for me, and only in secret.And I know what he wants.He told me himself that everyone has to pay; that all who survived the fall of civilization were culpable. That’s how he justifies the decisions he’s made, the necessary evils he allows to take place on this ship… all in the name of a greater good. And it’s why I resist the starved way his gaze drinks me down. Why I can’t be had at any price. SWALLOW IT DOWN is an angst-ridden, enemies to lovers romance, boasting a strong female lead and a swoon worthy hero. This standalone features an HEA that will keep you turning the page all night.

Coerce


Candice M. Wright - 2021
    After witnessing its devastation, I’ve shied away from it,Until Atlas.I never thought I’d ignore the red flags and wave a white one.Surrendering to Atlas in the most delectable way,I didn’t realize he’d been playing me all alongUntil I found myself at his mercy.They say love can heal all wounds,But what about the scars left behind?AtlasI don’t know what love is. I’ve never been touched by its light or fallen into its depths,Until Ivy.When I see something I want, I take it.And right now, all I want is her.Each move I make is calculated and methodical,Until I have her exactly where I want her.By the time she realizes it’s a trap, it will be too late.She’ll never forgive me, and I’ll never set her free.But I feel no guilt, nor remorse.Not when I’ll own every inch of her; body, heart, and soul.And not even Ivy herself will stop me.Author note: If you’re looking for a White Knight, you might want to look elsewhere. Atlas is an Antihero in every sense of the word.This book plays with the darker side of love such as obsession, infatuation, and the power plays made to obtain it.*Coerce is a complete standalone novel*Triggers: It goes without saying that this book contains dark elements that some readers may find uncomfortable including offensive language, graphic violence, and sexual situations. All readers should be over 18 so I don’t have to answer any awkward emails from your parents or dodge pitchforks when I’m doing my weekly shopping.

Little Fire


Hollee Mands - 2021
    He's scarred from a past he can't forget.Declan can kill with a blink of his eye. Jaded and cold, he rules his kingdom the same way he does his heart—with merciless pragmatism. So why does he risk all to protect a little mortal during a slave-trade uprising? Now stuck in the Shadow Realm, the loss of his powers are the least of his troubles. The woman may have a frustratingly tender heart, but she has enough fire in her soul to thaw the ice in his veins.He could take her by right, but he wants more than acceptance. He wants her willing surrender...Evangeline is chained by a past she can't remember. Her fractured memories keep her shy and single. When she is thrust into a demon realm in the arms of an indomitable archmage, he becomes her only chance of survival. But soon, she realizes her unnerving protector may not be as callous as he appears, and her heart may be as much at risk as her life. His desire for her is no secret, but she wants more than scalding lust. She wants his icy heart...Can they survive the Shadow Realm long enough to break down each other's walls?Author's Note: Little Fire is Book 1 in The Warriors of the Five Realms fantasy romance series. If you love the works of Laura Thalassa, Sarah J Maas and CL Wilson, then you will love this.Little Fire is a standalone, with a guaranteed HEA. Mature themes and possible triggers of sexual abuse. Intended for readers aged 18+.

Pestilence


Laura Thalassa - 2018
    Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all.When Pestilence comes for Sara Burn’s town, one thing is certain: everyone she knows and loves is marked for death. Unless, of course, the angelic-looking horseman is stopped, which is exactly what Sara has in mind when she shoots the unholy beast off his steed.Too bad no one told her Pestilence can’t be killed. Now the horseman, very much alive and very pissed off, has taken her prisoner, and he’s eager to make her suffer. Only, the longer she’s with him, the more uncertain she is about his true feelings towards her … and hers towards him. And now, well, Sara might still be able to save the world, but in order to do so, she'll have to sacrifice her heart in the process.

The King's Spinster Bride


Ruby Dixon - 2018
    Now, she is a forgotten spinster in a quiet temple, living her days out in solitude. The last of her line, she exists in the hope that she has been forgotten, for to be remembered by the enemy is to be certain death. One person has not forgotten her. Mathior, now twenty-four, is the fierce warrior king of the Cyclopae. Yshrem is in turmoil and his advisors have a suggestion – kill the last remaining member of the royal line, and there will be no rivals for the throne. Mathior has a different idea. He’s loved Halla for sixteen long years, and it’s time he claimed her as his wife. But a barbarian’s wedding customs are unlike any other…

Land of the Beautiful Dead


R. Lee Smith - 2015
    Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favored Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.

Stolen by an Alien


Amanda Milo - 2017
    And they didn’t bid on me out of the goodness of their hearts.FML.Then this nice alien showed up in the nick of time, but he keeps referring to me as “Princess” and I’m starting to worry what he’ll do when he finds out that there’s been a little case of mistaken identity, that I’m not royalty - see, I’m not even whatever alien he mistook me for…I’m just a human.***Note to readers: This was previously titled ABDUCTED, AUCTIONED, & STOLEN BY AN ALIEN.