Book picks similar to
Darlings by Ashley M. Swisher


mythical-creatures
parellel-worlds
1st-in-series
discoveries

I Wish...


Wren Emerson - 2011
    She travels the country with her secretive mother and bestselling author grandmother in a pink RV going from book signings to crazy research trips. She's never been to public school or had a boyfriend, but she can pick a lock and hotwire a car. One day the phone rings and they set a course to a tiny town that's not on any maps. Suddenly, Thistle finds her whole life changing.She's finally found the home she's been searching for.Thistle soon realizes that Desire isn't like other towns and she's not like other girls. The family she trusted has lied to her about everything her entire life and the things she doesn't know about herself could cost her everything. Her legacy as one of the most powerful witches the town has ever seen has made her enemies that have been waiting patiently for a chance to destroy her. Thistle needs to learn to use her powers to protect herself before they succeed.Be careful what you wish for.Thistle has a power unique even among the magic wielding witches of Desire. She can wish things into existence. At first she enjoys the freedom of having everything her heart desires, but she soon realizes that her power comes at a terrible price. She's losing her grip on her sanity at a time when she can't afford any weakness. Her enemies are closing in quickly, but she might not have the strength to save herself.

Exiled


RaShelle Workman - 2011
    DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. ONLY LOVE WILL SAVE THEM.Venus isn't from Earth, she's from Kelari. On her planet she's next in line to rule, but there are those who will go to great lengths to make sure that doesn't happen. Including frame her as a traitor.Accused and sentenced, the gods of her planet exile her to Earth. They've given her one week to help a human find his true love. If she doesn't succeed, she'll die, but if she does she might lose her heart. Praise for this series:  "Michael and Venus have probably been the best pairing/couple that I've read about this year! GO READ THIS BOOK! You will love it. Seriously." Nancy, reviewer Tumbling Books"Writing that moves readers to ponder their hearts is good writing, and that's what readers will find with Workman. Her protagonist is strong willed, her antagonist is easy to hate, and her mentor is easy to love." Kathleen Brebes"What a ride!" Taffy Lovell Books in the Immortal Essence Series: EXILEDBANISHEDDISPLACEDBEGUILEDTEMPTEDMERGEDUNITED

The Human


Janine K. Spendlove - 2011
    Eirnin's silver eyes, now showing hints of bright yellow, widened in astonishment as he stared, transfixed, at the red blood dripping from the wound on Story's foot."What are you?"A simple question with a not-so-simple answer for seventeen-year-old Story, who finds herself, a lone human, thrust in the middle of a war between creatures she once thought only existed in faerie tales.

The Guardian of Threshold


A.A. Volts - 2012
    Unfortunately, so does hate.When Mark wants to see his dead mother again… he gets his chance. But, like everything else in life… it comes with a hefty price.While normal sixteen-year-old boys are out chasing girls, Mark is floating outside his own body being chased by a nefarious demon.Death itself can't keep him from trying to see his dead mother again, but when he disturbs Phasma--the Guardian of Threshold, he may have gone too far.Forced into Threshold--the mystical world of the dead--to rescue his clumsy best friend, Mark will not only have to defeat Phasma and his army of Night Dwellers but his own demons if he's going to save his friend, find his mother and survive the night.How far would you go to see a dead relative again?• "A fantastic and unforgettable journey into the astral realm"The Guardian of Threshold is about 88,000 words or about 346 pages long.

The Iron in Blood


Jenny Doe - 2013
    A routine blood test after an accident turns her peaceful and rather mundane life upside-down, as she becomes the focus of three powerful brothers with exceptional skills and an age-old secret. As she begins to come to terms with her life as the world’s newest and most reluctant vampire, she is abducted, and must embrace her new powers if she has any hope of escape.

Spooked


Tracy Sharp - 2012
    She can steal your deepest, darkest secrets. However, using her power leaves her open to some very nasty creatures from the underworld. But then a girl from her school disappears. Then another. And another. Lorelei might be able to discover who is abducting the girls from her town if she uses her gift . . .Can Lorelei stop more girls from being taken? Or will using her gift attract the hell-things that are after her?

The Amulet


Alison Pensy - 2009
    Or so she thought... Faeries control nature. With a book, no less. But Faedra doesn't know that...yet. She is next in line to protect an ancient fae amulet that controls weather. And she's blissfully unaware of that fact, too. She also doesn't know that the book has been stolen and now the thief is after the amulet and willing to kill for it. Ignorance is bliss, and then you turn 18.

Swift


Heather London - 2012
    She was just eight years old when her family died in a mysterious car accident, taking the secret of her destiny with them. It’s not until a new family moves to town that she realizes leaving may not be as easy as she once thought. Meredith feels an instant connection towards the Harpers, especially the good-looking, mysterious Blake and his overly friendly sister, Abby. After a series of bizarre events that happen too often to be coincidence, Meredith begins to realize that she is at the center of something larger than herself—possibly the same thing that killed her parents and twin sister many years ago. Nightmarish visions and resurfacing memories push Meredith closer to Blake, leading her to discover her destiny and other buried secrets. As Meredith tries to understand her new world, she will be put to the ultimate test, and her strength and courage will be challenged more than she ever imagined.

Black Moon


Jessica McQuay - 2012
    What other explanation could there be for her hearing a conversation held barely above a whisper in the back of a classroom full of students? What about coming home to find one of those very classmates lying in wait in the darkness of her home, ready to attack her? Confused, frustrated and feeling every ounce of her social ostracism, Paige confides in the one person she's always been able to count on: her mom. But when her mom reveals a deeply rooted, unbelievable family secret, Paige discovers her world is filled with more than she ever imagined possible. A world where fairytales live alongside nightmares and secrets are the glue that binds them together. Suddenly no one is who they seem and Paige is faced with more questions than answers. Can she survive in a world filled with creatures scarier than anything she could imagine and where deceit runs as thick as blood? Or will the truth send her over the edge?

Anomaly


Jessica Gilliland - 2012
    If she doesn’t, the government is going to execute her. Deemed a threat to society by the government’s Anomaly Control Team, Liv was kidnapped from a facility for supernaturally gifted children and has been under surveillance for five years. When group of renegades lead by her first love, Jason, break Liv free from government control she gets a taste of freedom. Jason takes Liv to Hawthorn House, a secret facility that vows to educate and protect those with supernatural abilities from the government. Liv and Jason fall back into their interrupted romance, but life at Hawthorn isn’t as perfect as she’d hoped. While at Hawthorn, Liv’s powers and loyalties are tested. Her struggle to find herself and build a new life is only made harder by her insecurities and her suspicions that Hawthorn isn’t what it seems.

Slumber


Samantha Young - 2011
    Now Haydyn, her best friend and the one person she does trust, is dying and only Rogan can save her.Setting off on a journey to retrieve the plant that will cure Haydyn and subsequently the ills that will befall them all if she dies, Rogan is stuck in close quarters with a protector she distrusts above all others.Wolfe Stovia.The son of the man who destroyed Rogan’s family.At a constant battle of wills with the handsome Captain of the Guard, Rogan just knows this adventure together will be fraught with tension. She never imagined, however, that the quest would be so dangerous… not least of all when she finds herself falling for a man she could have sworn was her no.1 enemy…

Eternal Vows


Chrissy Peebles - 2012
    even if he is a drop-dead gorgeous immortal king.Never pretend to be a princess.And most importantly... never slip on an ancient wedding ring you know nothing about.Sarah Larker returns to a cave where her sister disappeared ten years earlier. She walks through a portal and is mistaken for a runaway princess on the run by a dangerous immortal king in medieval times. Her plan is bold as well as daring-become this princess, wed the king, and slip on an ancient wedding ring that will unlock the portal back home. Then find her sister and run as fast as she can out of Dodge. But taking on the identity of Princess Gloria comes along with dangerous consequences; and slipping on the ruby ring comes with an even higher price.

The Iron Butterfly


Chanda Hahn - 2012
    Their leader has chosen Thalia as the test subject for a torture device of untold power, designed to change and twist her into something that is neither human nor Denai.Escaping, Thalia finds an unwilling warrior to protect her and an unlikely Denai to befriend her. After finding a home at the Citadel as a servant, Thalia’s worst nightmare comes to life and she begins to show signs of power. Scared and unable to control her gifts, she tries to hide her past to fit in among the Denai. But the Septori want their latest test subject back and will stop at nothing to retrieve her, dead or alive.

Crimson Groves


Ashley Robertson - 2011
    Held captive while forced to deal with never-ending cravings for blood, Abby prays for a way to escape. Only when an opportunity arises, it’s with the aid of an innocent human named Tyler—except vampires are forbidden to interact with the unbitten. But Abby quickly learns this human has secrets of his own...secrets that can either help her or get her killed. Only Abby soon discovers that she is the one with the biggest secret of all.

Cry Baby Hollow


Aimee Love - 2012
    She is preoccupied with more mundane concerns, like keeping Vina's ingrate step-children from putting her in a nursing home, avoiding the advances of her handsome but dim witted neighbor, and keeping her mailbox away from the good old boys baseball bats. It isn't until Aubrey finds the body of a local boy, gruseomely murdered, that she begins to see that life in the country is anything but slow, and werewolves are far from what Hollywood had led her to expect.