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Best recommended books and highly rated in Goodreads from 2015-2024
65
items Highly rated, wildly recommended. Your bookshelf deserves this.
Find the stories that critics rave about and readers can't stop loving!
Sections
6
Dark Academia
Young Adult
Literary Fiction
Historical Fiction
Dark Romance
Thriller and psychological
Dark Academia
Welcome to the dark side of brilliance.
In a city built on shadows, love can be the most dangerous light of all.
When a woman is drawn into the underbelly of a city that never truly sleeps, she discovers secrets that pulse beneath its neon lights; and a love as perilous as it is irresisti...
Nocticadia (Deluxe Edition) by Keri Lake, Hardcover
She gave him her heart, her body, her eternity, now she’s taking them back.
As centuries pass, she learns that devotion can become a cage and that freedom often demands blood.
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
In a world where power is taken from the many, one will is strong enough to defy them all.
When a clever young man hides his true identity to infiltrate the ruling academy, he uncovers secrets that could shatter the very foundation of the world.
The Will of the Many by James Islington, Paperback
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With ailing f...
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer BOOK #1
Learning from evil gets complicated when desire joins the lesson.
Apprentice to the Villain (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Assistant and the Villain #2)
On Wings of Blood is a dark academia fantasy romance featuring a bully villain with Draco Malfoy energy who (eventually) gets the girl, all the tension and banter, and a tantalizingly dangerous blend of court and school intrigue all set in an intrica...
On Wings of Blood (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Novel
When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize, a single wish.
Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demo...
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith, Paperback
The spellbinding new novel from one of our most fearless chroniclers of the female experience, Bunny is a down-the-rabbit-hole tale of loneliness and belonging, friendship and desire, and the fantastic and terrible power of the imagination.
Bunny: A Novel by Mona Awad, Paperback
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secr...
The God of the Woods: A Novel by Liz Moore, Paperback
Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda, because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Paperback
Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College, Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins...
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, Paperback
At Yale, the most dangerous secrets aren’t in the books; they’re in the bones beneath the campus.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Some bonds are forged by magic, others by fire that refuses to die.
The Bond That Burns (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Novel|Hardcover
Young Adult
Messy hearts. Magic moments.
Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent ten years as the healer in Zalindov, a notorious death prison. When the Rebel Queen is imprisoned and sentenced to the Trial by Ordeal; a series of deadly elemental challenges, Kiva volunteers to take her pla...
The Prison Healer (Prison Healer Series #1) by Lynette Noni, Paperback
Kiva Meridan is a survivor.
She survived not only Zalindov prison, but also the deadly Trial by Ordeal. Now Kiva’s purpose goes beyond survival to vengeance. For the past ten years, her only goal was to reunite with her family and destroy the people...
The Gilded Cage (Prison Healer Series #2) by Lynette Noni, Paperback
Kiva thought she knew what she wanted, revenge. But feelings change, people change... everything has changed.
After what happened at the palace, Kiva is desperate to know if her friends and family are safe, and whether those she wronged can ever for...
The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni, Paperback
Six of Crows introduces readers to Kaz Brekker, a brilliant and ruthless thief in the bustling city of Ketterdam, a hub of international trade and crime. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. Bu...
Six of Crows (Six of Crows Series #1) by Leigh Bardugo, Paperback
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on reso...
Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows Series #2) by Leigh Bardugo, Paperback
An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1) by Rebecca Ross
Ruthless promises can ignite the fiercest passions.
Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment #2) by Rebecca Ross
Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder, she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He...
One Dark Window (The Shepherd King #1) by Rachel Gillig
Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.
If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, the...
Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig, Paperback
Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch… is falling in love.
Heartless Hunter: The Crimson Moth: Book 1 by Kristen Ciccarelli
She is the very thing he’s spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she’s spent her whole life pretending to be.
Powerless by Lauren Roberts, Hardcover
Adena and Paedyn have always been inseparable. Fate brought them together when they were young, but friendship ensured they would always protect each other and the home they built in the slums of Loot. But now Paedyn, an Ordinary, has been selected f...
Powerful (The Powerless Trilogy #1.5) by Lauren Roberts
Paedyn and Kai battle with duty and desire in this highly anticipated second installment in the sizzling and epic romantic fantasy trilogy that’s packed with spicy tension and edge-of-your-seat betrayal.
The kingdom of Ilya is in turmoil…
After sur...
Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy #2) by Lauren Roberts
She fled as a betrayer. She returned as a bride-to-be.
Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy #3) by Lauren Roberts
Literary Fiction
Fiction that cuts close to real life.
Tova Sullivan is a widow in her seventies who works the graveyard shift cleaning an aquarium in a small coastal town. She still carries the weight of her young son’s mysterious disappearance decades ago.
At the same aquarium lives Marcellus, a giant...
Remarkably Bright Creatures (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Historical Fiction
Love, loss, and the echoes of time.
Set in 1840s Mexico during the Mexican–American War, Vampires of El Norte follows Nena, the daughter of a rancher, and Néstor, a vaquero. Their childhood friendship is shattered when a vampire attack leaves Nena presumed dead. Believing he has lost h...
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, Paperback
When Rin aced the Keju, the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies, it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s g...
The Poppy War (Poppy War Series #1) by R. F. Kuang, Paperback
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon's newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and te...
The Frozen River (GMA Book Club Pick) by Ariel Lawhon, Paperback
A haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, Paperback
An “evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism” (People) set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran, from nationally bestselling author Marjan Kamali.
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, Paperback
Dark Romance
Fall for the danger. Stay for the devotion.
When a princess is kidnapped by an alpha , war rages between the humans and the wolves. But soon, forbidden attraction starts to grow. . .
Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her.
But on the night ...
The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman BOOK #1
Brynn has spent the better part of her life waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta, the very same people who exiled the Alaha to live a life over the sea. A rite of passage for all young guards, she’s not sure what to ...
Metal Slinger: Fire & Metal by Rachel Schneider BOOK #1
Only the banished know what lies beyond the woods ...
There are whispers about what lurks in Witch Knell, the forest where sinners go to die. The villagers call it The Eating Woods because what’s taken is never given back. Only those who’ve lost the...
Anathema (Deluxe Edition) by Keri Lake, Hardcover
Feathers so Vicious is a full-length dark fantasy romance novel, and book one in the Court of Ravens duet. The two-part story features two morally gray raven shifters, a young woman at the mercy of their shadows, and a HEA. This world contains dark e...
Feathers so Vicious: A Dark Fantasy Romance by LIV Zander, Paperback
Twenty year old Temperance Verus has never been kissed. But that's what the basilisk is for.
Along with thirteen other contestants, Tem must train with a basilisk to learn the power of seduction and win the prince's hand in marriage. When Tem is mat...
Kiss of the Basilisk (Deluxe Edition): A Split or Swallow Novel
Shadows so Cruel is a full-length dark fantasy romance novel, and book two in the Court of Ravens duet. The two-part story features two morally gray raven shifters, a young woman at the mercy of their shadows, and a HEA. This world contains dark elem...
Shadows so Cruel by LIV Zander, Paperback BOOK #2
I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.
Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, ...
Lights Out by Navessa Allen BOOK #1
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive; the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to ...
Butcher & Blackbird (Ruinous Love Trilogy #1)
Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least...
Leather & Lark (Ruinous Love Trilogy #2) by Brynne Weaver
ZANDERS
Chicago hockey isn't complete without me - everyone's favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl...
Mile High (Windy City #1) by Liz Tomforde
She’s a distraction, that’s what she is.
I’m the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister’s best friend, to move into my apartment. She’s messy, emotional, and way too temp...
The Right Move (Windy City #2) by Liz Tomforde
Kai
I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team.
I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son.
Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go.
Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hir...
Caught Up (Windy City #3) by Liz Tomforde
In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of her poor village.
Her mother’s sudden disappearance, and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her...
Spark of the Everflame (Kindred’s Curse #1) by Penn Cole
An unexpected gift offers the power to change everything, but keeping it could cost Diem her life.
Glow of the Everflame is the second book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book fantasy romance series.
Glow of the Everflame (Kindred’s Curse #2) by Penn Cole
The war has begun. Both sides demand Diem’s allegiance, or her death.
Heat of the Everflame is the third book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book epic fantasy romance series that follows our fiesty, bad*ss heroine Diem Bellator in her fight aga...
Heat of the Everflame (Kindred’s Curse #3) by Penn Cole
The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.
The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you...
Gild (The Plated Prisoner #1) by Raven Kennedy
This is the captivating second book of The Plated Prisoner series. It’s an adult epic fantasy story blending romance, intrigue, and beautiful imagery. Return to the seductive story of magic inspired by the myth of King Midas, and get caught up in the...
Glint (The Plated Prisoner #2) by Raven Kennedy
King Midas made me the woman I am today. Notorious. Unattainable. His.
Gleam (The Plated Prisoner #3) by Raven Kennedy
"I was nothing but a road to Midas. A means to get to where he wanted to go, and I paved that path in gold."
Glow (The Plated Prisoner #4) by Raven Kennedy
"Find me in another life. Find me in them all."
Gold (The Plated Prisoner #5) by Raven Kennedy
Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate.
From global phenomenon Callie Hart comes a highly addictive enemies-to-lovers Romantasy with razor-sharp banter, heart-stopping action, and blistering hot romance that you won't be a...
Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1) by Callie Hart
Her words could charm a kingdom, or kill a king.
A story that blends dark magic with intoxicating romance, where every whispered promise could be a curse in disguise.
A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly (Compelling Fates Saga #1) by Sophia St Germain
Some loves don’t set you free; they set you on fire.
A story that’s raw, reckless, and impossible to look away from, exploring the thin line between love that heals and love that consumes.
Unhinged a book by Steph Macca
Some loves never fade; they just echo through time, waiting to be heard again.
Echoes (Dance With My Demons #2)
When the story starts to sound like your life, it’s already too late to close the book.
Dear Reader (Devil’s Backbone #1) by Tate James
Some hearts don’t just break; they ravage everything in their path.
Ravage (Dance With My Demons #3) by Steph Macca
An oath written in blood can never be broken; only avenged.
When a warrior is bound by an ancient vow that could cost her everything, she must decide whether to honor her oath or rewrite the fate it demands.
Blood Oath (Cursed Legacies #1) by Morgan B. Lee
An oath written in blood can never be broken; only avenged.
When a warrior is bound by an ancient vow that could cost her everything, she must decide whether to honor her oath or rewrite the fate it demands.
Blood Oath (Cursed Legacies #1) by Morgan B. Lee
Even in the darkest hearts, a single spark can start a war, or save a soul.
When a forbidden bond threatens to unravel the fragile balance of her world, she must face the shadows within herself to protect everything she loves.
Shadow Heart (Cursed Legacies, #2) by Morgan B. Lee
Some souls aren’t lost; they’re just tangled in the dark.
When past sins rise to the surface, a fierce heroine must confront the darkness she tried to bury, and the one person who mirrors it back at her.
Twisted Soul (Cursed Legacies, #3) by Morgan B. Lee
Fate may be written by the gods, but she’s ready to rewrite it in her own blood.
When a mortal defies the will of the divine, she’s thrust into a battle where love and loyalty collide with the power of fate itself.
Divine Fate (Cursed Legacies #4) by Morgan B. Lee
Thriller and psychological
Secrets, lies, and goosebumps guaranteed.
1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.
A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique t...
All the Colors of the Dark (Read with Jenna Pick)