Ever found yourself rooting for the bad guy? Well, you’re not alone. As a lifelong villain-advocate since witnessing Dorothy steal the Wicked Witch’s rightful property, I have found myself lured to the Dark Side of fiction. After all, a villain is the hero of their own story. They’re flawed, uninhibited, and authentic to the core. These factors make for compelling stories and even more compelling romances. It’s what drives good characters to embrace their “shadow selves,” and it forever inspires my imagination. I mean, what’s the point in world domination if there’s no one to share it with?
We’ve all heard a tale or two about a charming, ruthless cutthroat willing to do whatever is necessary to take the throne, be it through political intrigue, seduction, and even murder. The twist here? While 99.9% of these romances have a male sitting in the villain’s seat,The Shadows Between Us delivers a refreshing take by introducing us to femme fatale Alessandra. Not only that, but she’s the protagonist! If you’re looking to sink your teeth into something deliciously wicked, then look no further, because you will be treated to every devilish inner monologue and scheme as Alessandra plots to marry and kill the Shadow King.
They still haven't found the body of the first and only boy who broke Alessandra's heart - and they never will. Since then, all of her relationships have been purely physical. And now at eighteen years old, Alessandra is ready for more. The plan is simple:
1. Make the king fall in love with her. 2. Get him to marry her. 3. Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.
It's no small task, but Alessandra wants a kingdom and is going to do everything within her power to get it. She knows the freshly crowned Shadow King will be…
Taking place in a world of humans and Fae, the first book in this series is exceptional with its retelling of Beauty & the Beast. Most readers, however, will tell you the real magic begins in this second installment. Paying homage to the tale ofHades & Persephone, protagonist Feyre finds herself indebted to spend one week every month with the villainous High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. Even worse, this handsome High Lord decides to start this bargain on the day of Feyre’s wedding…as she’s literally walking down the aisle. Talk about bad timing. Or is it? Feyre may just learn that there’s more to this angel-faced villain than she was led to believe.
'With bits of Buffy, Game Of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series of total joy' - STYLIST _____________________________ Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court - but at a steep cost. Though she now possesses the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, the mesmerising High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates his dark web of political games and tantalising promises,…
Action, romance, the apocalypse, all rolled into a tale of reincarnation with a Hunger Games twist. Intrigued? You should be. After The Flash (an event that rids the planet of most water and life), the remaining survivors have more to fear than starvation and thirst. As it turns out, the characters on tarot cards actually exist, and these magically gifted individuals must compete in a match to the death until only one is left standing. The story centers around Evie, who learns she is the Empress, as she’s hunted down by the game’s most lethal player, Death. Evie may not remember her past lives, but Death certainly does, especially the part where the two were once married…and she may have tried murdering him. All's fair in love and war, right?
In this seductive follow-up to Poison Princess, #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole takes us deeper into the dark world of the Arcana Chronicles.
Shocking secrets
Evie has fully come into her powers as the Tarot Empress, and Jack was there to see it all. She now knows that the teens who've been reincarnated as the Tarot are in the throes of an epic battle. It's kill or be killed, and the future of mankind hangs in the balance.
Unexpected allies
With threats lurking around every corner, Evie is forced to trust her newfound alliance. Together they must…
Romance may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “dystopian YA meetsX-Men, but don’t be fooled, especially when the villain runs part of the corrupt government and just so happens to be obsessedwith our main character. After the United States has been taken over by the nefarious Resistance, protagonist Juliette hasn’t had things easy. Abandoned by her parents, locked away in an asylum, and cursed with an ability that will kill people with her very touch, she at last discovers hope and a blossoming romance with your run-of-the-mill “good guy,” Adam. But it’s the third corner of this love triangle, Warner, who will reshape Juliette’s life and leave fans begging for more.
Stranger Things meets Shadow and Bone in this first instalment of an epic and romantic YA fantasy series - perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas and Victoria Aveyard. Now a TikTok phenomenon.
A fragile young teenage girl is held captive. Locked in a cell by The Reestablishment - a harsh dictatorship in charge of a crumbling world. This is no ordinary teenager. Juliette is a threat to The Reestablishment's power. A touch from her can kill - one touch is all it takes. But not only is she a threat, she is potentially the most powerful weapon…
We all know the story: good girl meets bad boy (who wants to shroud the world in darkness to obtain world domination). No? Not ringing a bell? Well, you don’t get much more villainous than that, but the man at the helm is just as enticing as he is dastardly. This fantasy world, inspired in part by 19th-century Russia, follows soldier Alina Starkov as she enters the Shadow Fold—an unnatural expanse of shadows that contains nightmarish creatures who threaten to kill all who enter. This ungodly realm has quite literally split her country in half, and there is no hope in banishing it. That is, until Alina is attacked in the Fold, where her dormant sun-summoning magic is awakened. She could very well be the key to destroying the Shadow Fold…but not if our villain has anything to say about it.
See the Grishaverse come to life on screen with Shadow and Bone, now a Netflix series.
Enter the Grishaverse with Book One of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.
Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold—a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.
Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue…
What's worse than being hunted by a devil? Discovering you've been mated to one. All I wanted was a fun night out on the town. What I got was a death warrant. As it turns out, the quaint little hamlet of Mystic Harbor, Maine houses more than sandy beaches and adorable B&B’s. Beneath the New England charm rests a deadly world where dark sorcerers, shifters, demons, and angelic hunters all vie for power—power I now possess.
I was just your average seventeen-year-old girl. Now, someone wants me dead, and someone even worse wants me alive. Hell's mystifying Crown Prince of Lust has just marked me to be his Mate, and this handsome devil won't stop until he claims what is his.
I grew up a fan of an evening news segment called “On the Road with Charles Kuralt.” Kuralt spotlighted upbeat, affirmative, sometimes nostalgic stories of people and places he discovered as he traveled across the American landscape. The charming stories he told were only part of the appeal; the freedom and adventure of being on the open road ignited a spark that continues to smolder. Some of my fondest memories from childhood are our annual family road trips, and I still jump at the chance to drive across the country.
Head West in 1865 with two life-long friends looking for adventure and who want to see the wilderness before it disappears. One is a wanderer; the other seeks a home he lost. The people they meet on their journey reflect the diverse events of this time period–settlers, adventure seekers, scientific expeditions, and Indigenous peoples–all of whom shape their lives in significant ways.
This is a story of friendship that casts a different look on a time period which often focuses only on wagon trains or gunslingers.
After four years of adventure in the frontier, Win Avery returns to his hometown on the edge of the prairie and tracks down his childhood friend, Jeb Dawson. Jeb has just lost his parents, and, in his efforts to console him, Win convinces his friend to travel west with him―to see the frontier before it is settled, while it is still unspoiled wilderness.
They embark on a free-spirited adventure, but their journey sidetracks when they befriend Meg Jameson, an accomplished horsewoman, lost on the Nebraska prairie. Traveling together through the Rocky Mountain foothills, they run into Gray Wolf, an Arapaho…
