Book picks similar to
Unlocking Adeline by J.D. Hollyfield


fantasy
romance
skeleton-key
paranormal-romance

War of Hearts


S. Young - 2019
    Young.Thea Quinn has no idea what she is. All she knows is that her abilities have been a plague upon her life since she was a child. After years of suffering at the hands of a megalomaniac, Thea escaped and has been on the run ever since.The leadership and protection of his pack are of the utmost importance to Conall MacLennan, Alpha and Chief of Clan MacLennan, the last werewolf pack in Scotland. Which is why watching his sister slowly die of a lycanthropic disease is emotional torture. When Conall is approached by a businessman who offers a cure for his sister in exchange for the use of Conall’s rare tracking ability, Conall forges an unbreakable contract with him. He has to find and retrieve the key to the cure: dangerous murderer, Thea Quinn.Thea’s attempts to evade the ruthless werewolf are not only thwarted by the Alpha, but by outside dangers. With no choice but to rely on one another for survival, truths are revealed, intensifying a passionate connection they both fight to resist. At war with themselves and each other, Conall and Thea’s journey to Scotland forces them to face a heartrending choice between love and betrayal.War of Hearts is a standalone paranormal romance.

The V Girl: a Coming of Age Story


Mya Robarts - 2015
    Lila Velez desperately wants to lose her virginity before the troops visit her town and take it away by force. She makes plans to seduce her only friend. Lila does not love him, but he is the only man who has shown her true affection, an affection she is willing to take as a substitute for love.Lila hides a secret that will bring her closer to Aleksey Fürst, a foreign, broody man who she distrusts because of his links to the troops and his rough, yet irresistible appearance. He offers Lila an alternative to her plans, a possibility that terrifies her…and tempts her in spite of herself.With threats looming at every turn and no way to escape, Lila fears that falling in love will only lead to more heartache. The consequences of laying down her arms for Aleksey and welcoming hope might destroy more than her heart. They might force her to face the worst of her nightmares becoming a reality. Is love possible in a world that has forgotten what the human touch is?

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…

Dragon Actually


G.A. Aiken - 2004
    Men tend to either cower in fear—a lot—or else salute. It's true that Annwyl has a knack for decapitating legions of her ruthless brother's soldiers without pausing for breath. But just once it would be nice to be able to really talk to a man, the way she can talk to Fearghus the Destroyer.Too bad that Fearghus is a dragon, of the large, scaly and deadly type. With him, Annwyl feels safe—a far cry from the feelings aroused by the hard-bodied, arrogant knight Fearghus has arranged to help train her for battle. With her days spent fighting a man who fill her with fierce, heady desire, and her nights spent in the company of a magical creature who could smite a village just by exhaling, Annwyl is sure life couldn't get any stranger. She's wrong...

Mechanical Hearts


Nicole Blanchard - 2016
    Endless Adventures.https://skeletonkeybookseries.comCaroline Abernathy has lost her mind. Perhaps it was the bump on the head she took when an afternoon sailing expedition cruised right in the middle of a violent storm or maybe the stress of grad school has finally proven to be too much. Whatever the cause, she finds herself alone in a strange underwater world and at the mercy of a ruthless pirate.Everyone has a price, at least according to the Pirate Prince, Ezra Castle. In order to purchase the fare needed to bring her home, Caroline agrees to spend the remainder of the voyage on his ship, helping him locate the priceless artifact she cost him.What starts as a simple journey turns deadly when their ship is attacked by a band of assassins. Stranded, wounded, and without transportation, Caroline and Ezra will have to rely on each other to make it back alive.Life and love are on the line and time is running out. Tick Tock.

Drink of Me


Jacquelyn Frank - 2010
    . . "Drink of me, " she whispers, her silver eyes trusting, pleading. What female dares speak such words to one of the Sange? His people are scorned by every race for their fierce sensuality, their fearful rituals. And as Prime, Reule is the most telepathically gifted of them all. But nothing has prepared him for the intensity of emotion radiating from the outlander rescued by his Pack. Terrified, tormented, but beautiful beyond measure, Mystique shatters his legendary control. As she reaches for him in the steamy heat of the healing baths, he knows this blind need can have but one end. . . In blood, in knowledge, in ecstasy.

Pathfinder's Way


T.A. White - 2016
    Deep in the remote expanse where anything can happen, it pays to be on a pathfinder’s good side.Nobody ventures beyond their village. Nobody sane that is. Monstrous creatures and deadly mysteries wait out here. Lucky for the people she serves, Shea’s not exactly sane. As a pathfinder, it’s her job to face what others fear and find the safest route through the wilderness. It’s not an easy job, but she’s the best at what she does.When the people she serves betray her into servitude to the Trateri, a barbarian horde sweeping through the Lowlands intent on conquest, Shea relies on her wits and skill to escape, disguising herself as a boy to hide from the Warlord, a man as dangerous as he is compelling.After being mistaken as a Trateri scout during her escape, Shea finds herself forced to choose between the life she led and the possibilities of a new one. Her decision might mean the difference between life or death. For danger looms on the horizon and a partnership with the Warlord may be the only thing preventing the destruction of everything she holds dear.

Angels' Blood


Nalini Singh - 2009
    Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option…even if the task is impossible.Because this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other…and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break…

Into Elurien


Kate Sparkes - 2016
    Endless Adventures.https://skeletonkeybookseries.comWhen Hazel Walsh discovers a strange key in the attic of the Old Brook Inn, she doesn’t imagine the door it unlocks will lead anywhere special. Though superstitious, she’s never bought into the local stories of fairies, ghosts, and demons. But when she opens the door, she discovers just how wrong she was.Hazel is dropped into a world in the midst of a revoloution, where monsters have overthrown the humans who once enslaved them. All of the humans, that is, except for Verelle, the cruel sorceress who vanished at the moment of Hazel’s arrival. If Hazel wants any chance of surviving and making it back to her own world, she’ll have to join forces with the amalgus Zinian—horned, winged, and monstrously attractive—to unravel the mystery of Verelle’s disappearance. If they can’t, the fates of two worlds will be at stake.(New Adult Fantasy Romance)

Four Psychos


Kristy Cunning - 2017
    Like everyone else, I have life goals. Goal #1: Become a real girl instead of this invisible ghost thing I currently am. Goal #2: Convince the four men I've been haunting for the past five years to pick me to be their new toy after goal one is complete. Goal #3: Figure out who/what I am and why I can't remember anything past the five years I've been haunting this quad. Goal #4: Eat popcorn. See? Perfectly normal. Sort of. Gotta start small, after all. It's not like anyone else is perfect either. **Sexual situations **Reverse Harem **Dark humor galore **Language warning

Equal Parts


Emma Winters - 2012
    For years now, she’s been ‘gifted’ with the ability to collect and transfer happiness to anyone at will. Well, everyone except herself.That is until Achilles - renowned criminal mastermind with a face painted like Death and enough charm to cause hormonal riots – crashes into Felicity’s world and makes her feel … something.Determined not to let such a coveted superpower slip beyond his reach, Achilles kidnaps Felicity, hoping to use her ability to brave his own skeletons. Felicity is only a half-unwilling prisoner though, forgoing escape to learn more of the man behind the mask and pursue the inexplicable spark between them.As the lines between hero and villain begin to blur, Felicity finds herself wondering if Achilles might be the key to her own happiness at long last. Is it possible to be so happy with someone so dangerous?But Achilles isn’t the only villain in the town, and the pursuit of happiness can be a deadly hunt…Equal Parts is a 78,000-word, standalone New Adult romance. No cliffhangers, and a HEA guaranteed. It is recommended for readers 17+.

Immortal Matchmakers, Inc.


Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - 2015
    Behaving nicely hasn’t made him the deadly assassin he is today. But is that really the reason he’s still single?The Goddess Cimil—owner of Immortal Matchmakers, Inc.—thinks yes. So when she foresees a mate in Andrus’s near future, she’s determined to make the match happen. That means hiring aspiring actress Sadie Townsend to help the barbarian “act” a little more civilized.But are seven days really enough? And why does the idea of seeing Sadie everyday excite him more than meeting his mate?

Crane


Stacey Rourke - 2014
    Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep. What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse. But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides?

Soul in Darkness


Wendy Higgins - 2019
    Their adoration for the mortal woman is so all-consuming that citizens begin to shower her with the very gifts and offerings they once left at the alter of Venus, goddess of love and beauty. But gods are known for their jealousy.Cupid, the god of love, takes pleasure in causing strife and mischief in the lives of humans. He uses love as a weapon, humoring in the weakness of people at the whims of their feelings. When his mother Venus approaches him about punishing the human girl who dares to steal her offerings and affections from the people, Cupid gladly accepts. Psyche's punishment is to be given to a mysterious creature who only comes to her in the dark of night under the pact that she will never lay eyes on him. She is terrified of this stranger, who the oracle described as a serpent. Her mate, however, is masterful in his dealings with his bride. He takes his time, morphing her fears into different sensations completely. Based on the Roman/Greek mythology of Cupid and Psyche by Lucius Apuleius, New York Times bestseller Wendy Higgins brings the tale to life, weaving layers that show exactly how a sacrificial lamb can be enchanted by an unseen monster.Adult Historical Fantasy. Standalone.

Can't Fix Cupid


Raven Kennedy - 2019
    Being a cupid is hard work. Love Matches, Lust Breath, Flirt Touches, not to mention having to meet my quotas every month. And hitting your target with arrows? That shit is not easy. But all of that I could handle. Gladly. If only my cupid powers would actually work. But nope. Turns out, I’m a dud. Unless I want to get sucked out of existence, I need to spread some love around fast. The clock is ticking, but I have the perfect candidate to start with. Warren Knight. Smart, hot as hell, rich, bachelor-dud extraordinaire. No matter how many dates he goes on, he just won’t seal the deal. It’s time I fix him. And fix me too. Of course, the asshole doesn’t want to fall in love, so I have my work cut out for me. They say there’s no rest for the wicked. Well, they should try being a cupid, because this shit is exhausting. Here goes nothing. Author's Note: This is a contemporary paranormal romantic comedy intended for ages 18+.