best fantasy novels of 2016 Audiobooks

All signs point north for Not-So-Saint Nick After too many mugs of mulled wine, introverted accountant Holly North lets her best friend guilt her into filling in as Mistress Christmas at Sugar Plums, a Christmas-themed strip club. The combination of a velvet mask and a Mrs. Claus-meets-dominatrix costume gives Holly the courage to approach the hot-bodied man across the room who is as lickable as a candy cane. Detective Nick West is working undercover to find the sexy vixen who supposedly robbed his buddy at Sugar Plums. His interest in the pole dancers vanishes faster than a flying sleigh upon his introduction to Mistress Christmas—a leggy brunette with smoky eyes and a lush mouth that begs for hours beneath the mistletoe. One lap dance and their attraction flares hotter than a fireplace on a cold winter evening. And Nick is only too happy to oblige when Holly blurts out her secret Christmas wish…a night filled with sweet and dirty carnal pleasures that will land them both on the naughty list.

I’m not the kind of man an innocent girl should fall for. But Marley River says she knows what she wants. And she wants me. She says she can handle a mountain man, after all, this freckled face slice of sunshine grew up in Alaska. But I’m more than a feral mountain man. I’m an ex-drug lord, reformed con-man, an exonerated criminal. Her brothers are the River Boys and they want me off Whiskey Mountain. I want to turn a new leaf, but not if it means giving up what I want. I love Marley more than life itself. But is that enough when the world is dead set against it? It’s high time we find out. Because I’m not going down without a fight. I’ll be here, on Whiskey Mountain, defending what — and who— is mine. With guns blazing.

Can a marriage of convenience heal a wounded hero and a beautiful soul with scars of her own? Confirmed bachelor Cameron McKay has found his purpose in Wyoming. His deputy sheriff job—and the injury that ended his military career—keep him right where he wants to be: off the McKay ranch and away from his meddling family. He holds his emotions on lockdown, along with his darkest memories of the war that left him feeling less than whole. Until he meets her. Orphaned at a young age, Domini Katzinski has been fending for herself since immigrating to the U.S. So when it comes to intimate relationships, she prefers a take-charge man to whom she can relinquish total control. Brooding Cam fits the bill: powerful, dominant, and beautifully scarred, with a gentle side he hides from everyone but her. Once Cam gets over his shock that the sweet and shy Domini wants to surrender to his every fantasy, he lets go of his shame and inhibitions. Their passion burns as hot as a rocket-propelled grenade, and soon Cam wants more than a fun, no-strings attached fling. So when tragedy strikes, leaving Domini responsible for the care of a young boy she desperately wants to adopt, Cam seizes a chance at forever by proposing a marriage of convenience. Will sharing their traumas and secrets bring them together? Or are their damages too deep for even love to heal?

Howard Andrew Jones' powerful world-building brings this epic fantasy to life in For The Killing of Kings , the first book of his new adventure-filled trilogy. Their peace was a fragile thing, but it had endured for seven years, mostly because the people of Darassus and the king of the Naor hordes believed his doom was foretold upon the edge of the great sword hung in the hall of champions. Unruly Naor clans might raid across the border, but the king himself would never lead his people to war so long as the blade remained in the hands of his enemies. But when squire Elenai’s aging mentor uncovers evidence that the sword in their hall is a forgery she’s forced to flee Darassus for her life, her only ally the reckless, disillusioned Kyrkenall the archer. Framed for murder and treason, pursued by the greatest heroes of the realm, they race to recover the real sword, only to stumble into a conspiracy that leads all the way back to the Darassan queen and her secretive advisors. They must find a way to clear their names and set things right, all while dodging friends determined to kill them – and the Naor hordes, invading at last with a new and deadly weapon.

In 1994, Lizbeth Meredith said good-bye to her four- and six year-old daughters for a visit with their non-custodial father only to learn days later that they had been kidnapped and taken to their father's home country of Greece. Twenty-nine and just on the verge of making her dreams of financial independence for her and her daughters come true, Lizbeth now faced a $100,000 problem on a $10 an hour budget. For the next two years fueled by memories of her own childhood kidnapping Lizbeth traded in her small life for a life more public, traveling to the White House and Greece, and becoming a local media sensation in order to garner interest in her efforts. The generous community of Anchorage becomes Lizbeth's makeshift family one that is replicated by a growing number of Greeks and expats overseas who help Lizbeth navigate the turbulent path leading back to her daughters.

I’m more than a single mom running from the cult that held me captive– I’m a woman carving out a life for myself. It’s harder than I expected. After solving the murder of my best friend, I’m hoping my run-ins with the law are over. Then my youngest daughter goes missing. The local detective, Boone, is on the case, and the neighborhood is determined to help find my little girl alive. But the clock is ticking. And hope? It’s running out. A kidnapped child is a mother’s worst nightmare. I will search until she is found, even if it means confronting my past. My sister wives might have the clue I need and I’m no longer scared of them. I’m a mother on a mission, and losing Ruthie isn’t an option. The Sister Wife’s Secret is the second book in a new suspense series.

Revenge or the love of his life? Her soul mate versus her family? Whatever they chose, someone loses. Mik and Maddi. Mad Dog and his Angel. Mikhail Kennedy and Madelaine O'Brien. One without the other just doesn't seem right. They're made for each other; soul mates who've survived every obstacle thrown in their way. It should be smooth sailing from now on. Mik taking his rightful place as the President of the Black Shamrocks MC with his woman by his side. Maddi free from the demons that plague her, finally back in the tender embrace of the love of her life. Revenge. That dish best served cold. The need for it is eating Mik up inside. Filling him with hatred and blinding him to Maddi's struggle. He wants to avenge every wrong done to them while she wishes to forgive and forget. A life filled with love and happiness ought to be their destiny. A future filled with pain and regret appears to be the actual outcome. With the love they've fought so hard to protect at stake, can they let go of the past and stop TEMPTING FATE? WARNING: This story contains triggering content and is not suitable for all readers. Tempting Fate is the fourth book in the International Bestselling Black Shamrocks MC Series. If you enjoy gritty, authentic, and sexy MC reads, then you’ll love Kylie Hillman’s unique take on MC romance. Continue the wild ride today!

"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!" --Vampirebooksite.com {regarding Turned} RESURRECTED is Book #9 of the Bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, which begins with TURNED (Book #1)--a FREE download! In RESURRECTED, 16 year old Scarlet Paine finds herself changing in mysterious ways. She is becoming sensitive to light, able to read peoples’ thoughts, and is faster and stronger than she’s ever been. She doesn’t understand what’s happening to her, and tries to ignore it. But she can only dismiss it for so long. Caitlin Paine, her mom, knows too well what’s happening to her daughter. She underwent the same transformation to vampire once, centuries ago. But now, in the present day, as a mere human, she has no memory of it. All she has is the journal she found in the attic—her mysterious vampire journal—telling of her exploits in another time and place, and of the vampire race being eradicated. But was there one exception to the rule? Could it be that Scarlet, her daughter, is the last remaining vampire on earth? As Scarlet tries to fight who she’s becoming, she also tries to fight her intense feelings for Blake, a boy in her grade who she has a crush on. She can’t tell, though, if he’s into her, and with the big Halloween dance just days away, the pressure is on. She would do anything for Blake to ask her. But Vivian, the meanest of the popular girls, is also on Blake’s radar, and she’ll do anything to make Blake hers—and to make Scarlet’s life a living hell. Luckily Scarlet has her own clique of friends to back her up, including her best friends Maria and Jasmin. They, too, have guy troubles—but it isn’t until Sage appears, the mysterious new boy, that her friends become obsessed. Scarlet finds herself attracted to him, too—and is surprised when it is her, of all the girls in the school, that he pays attention to. But her mind is set on Blake, at least for now, and she continues to hope he’ll ask her to the dance. Just when it seems that Scarlet has what she wants, her body changes. Soon it may be impossible for her to be near her fellow humans. Soon, she may have to choose between her desire to live and her desire for love. Books #3--#11 in THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS are now also available! Morgan Rice's new trilogy, THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post apocalyptic thriller, is now also available for sale. And Morgan's new epic fantasy series, the #1 Bestselling THE SORCERER'S RING, comprising 10 books and counting, is now also available--with the first book, A QUEST OF HEROES, as a FREE download!

Falling for my best friend’s sister was something I never thought I’d do. Not only have I known Violet for almost her whole life, but Renzo was sure to give all his friends the don’t touch my sister speech as soon as she became a teenager. After a drunken night when we were snowed in at a cabin, I may have been too flirtatious. I think I freaked her out, because she’s refused to talk about what happened since then. But after a weekend away with friends, me and Violet end up alone, and confessions are finally made. She’s too good for me—sweet, pure, and innocent. I’m tainted with a reputation that does me no favors. Renzo knows I’ve never committed to anyone. He knows everything about me and the many women I’ve been with, and that’s why I know he’ll never be okay with me and his sister being together. After a taste of Violet, I know I’ve finally found something worth fighting for, even if I have to fight my best friend. This series is an interconnected stand-alone series, taking place in a fictional town in Michigan. They’re all gonna be hot, quick reads that feature some of your favorite tropes.

“I couldn't put down Inherit the Bones . Small town Colorado police detective Gemma Monroe is a human and fallible heroine I can't wait to meet again, and Littlejohn's prose is lyrical and gripping―the book is a sure bet for one of the finest debut novels of the year.” ―Deborah Crombie Secrets and lies can’t stay buried forever in Cedar Valley. In the summer, hikers and campers pack the small Colorado town’s meadows and fields. And in the winter, skiers and snowboarders take over the mountains. Season by season, year after year, time passes and the lies, like the aspens and evergreens that surround the town, take root and spread deep. Now, someone has uncovered the lies, and it is his murder that continues a chain of events that began almost forty years ago. Detective Gemma Monroe’s investigation takes her from the seedy grounds of a traveling circus to the powerful homes of those who would control Cedar Valley’s future. Six-months pregnant, with a partner she can’t trust and colleagues who know more than they’re saying, Gemma tracks a killer who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets buried. Beautifully written with a riveting plot and a richly drawn cast of characters, Inherit the Bones is a mesmerizing debut from Emily Littlejohn.