2016 has been a crazy year from beginning to end, full of ups and downs. But the one constant has always been great new books. Here are some of my favorite reads this year–a number of them are available via pre-order, as I got advance copies. I promise, they’re well worth the wait!

Sail by Lindsey R. Loucks

Nineteen-year-old Absidy Jones is a ghost magnet, a sensitive person spirits flock to when they can’t cross over. After her brutal past escaping the hordes of ghosts vying for her attention, she spends her reclusive existence melting down iron into bite-sized pieces. Whether alloy or wrought, ancient paper clips or nails, consuming iron is the only thing that keeps the ghosts away.

But when Absidy’s sister goes missing in deep space, a dangerous place brimming with rogue planets, ship-eating nebulas, and vicious aliens, Absidy vows to find her. She leaves her safe haven and boards the first ship she can that’s on a direct route to deep space—a ship that turns out to be haunted.

To keep the malicious ghosts from killing her, the alluring bad boy pilot gifts her a small bundle of all the iron on the ship. But their growing relationship is tested with the crew’s prying eyes and hidden secrets.

While the ship sails into deep space, it’s not just her sister’s life that Absidy fears for. It’s her own, as well. Especially since her stash of iron has shrunk to zero.

 

Something Like Voodoo by Rebecca Hamilton

High School can be a witch.

A teen girl with the ability to predict deaths through her drawings shouldn’t need to lie constantly to make her life sound interesting. But that doesn’t stop Emily from spinning stories faster than she can keep up.

After transferring to a new school, Emily’s ‘dull’ life is shaken by the appearance of a boy who seems unfazed by her far-fetched stories. A too-handsome-for-his-own-good senior, Noah has some secrets of his own. He needs Emily’s special gift to save him from Sarah, queen bee of the school’s It Girls, whose own supernatural abilities have forced him into a life of silence and solitude.

But when Emily tries to free him from Sarah’s voodoo curse, things go belly up, landing Emily on Sarah’s hit list. Soon, Emily and Noah are on a collision course with the It Girls, leading to a shocking revelation that ties them together in unimaginable ways. If their powers remain unchecked, this teenage popularity contest could spell the death of them all …

Romantically charged and eerily chilling, Something Like Voodoo weighs the choice of saving your life versus fighting for a life worth saving. This young adult paranormal romance will put a spell on you.

 

The book I read in 2016 was Redemption by Laxmi Hariharan–but it’s not even up for pre-order yet, so I’m going to tell you that I think Laxmi’s books start out great and get even better, and send you to the first book in that series:

Feral by Laxmi Hariharan

MAYA
He’s all I’ve ever wanted, but I can’t possibly let myself love him.

LUKE
Loving her means letting her go, knowing she may never come back.

When your destiny is staring right at you and you just can’t see it…

Maya Iyeroy must find her blood family to discover who she really is. But leaving shifter Luke Cabot means she’s walking away from her destined mate. As Maya searches for herself, she uncovers secrets about her past that will change her forever. Can she accept herself and her new place in this world, while still falling in love with the one man she’s fated to be with?

 

The Soulwood Series by Faith Hunter

Set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, an all-new series starring Nell Ingram, who wields powers as old as the earth.

When Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she was almost alone in the world, exiled by both choice and fear from the cult she was raised in, defending herself with the magic she drew from her deep connection to the forest that surrounds her.

Now, Jane has referred Nell to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell’s doorstep. His appearance forces her out of her isolated life into an investigation that leads to the vampire Blood Master of Nashville.

Nell has a team—and a mission. But to find the Master’s kidnapped vassal, Nell and the PsyLED team will be forced to go deep into the heart of the very cult Nell fears, infiltrating the cult and a humans-only terrorist group before time runs out…

Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

(If you haven’t read these, you should pick up the first in the series: Written in Red)

New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop returns to her world of the Others, as humans struggle to survive in the shadow of shapeshifters and vampires far more powerful than themselves…
 
After a human uprising was brutally put down by the Elders—a primitive and lethal form of the Others—the few cities left under human control are far-flung. And the people within them now know to fear the no-man’s-land beyond their borders—and the darkness…

As some communities struggle to rebuild, Lakeside Courtyard has emerged relatively unscathed, though Simon Wolfgard, its wolf shifter leader, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn must work with the human pack to maintain the fragile peace. But all their efforts are threatened when Lieutenant Montgomery’s shady brother arrives, looking for a free ride and easy pickings.

With the humans on guard against one of their own, tensions rise, drawing the attention of the Elders, who are curious about the effect such an insignificant predator can have on a pack. But Meg knows the dangers, for she has seen in the cards how it will all end—with her standing beside a grave…

***And if you’d like to check out my own books, be sure to pick up Siren’s Kiss and Beach Blanket Bridesmaid for free when you join my newsletter!***