Recommendations based on "The Labyrinth Beckons"

An “exciting, fast-moving” (School Library Journal) middle grade fantasy about a girl who must participate in a deadly game with a ragtag team of players to save her grandfather from a terrible fate—perfect for fans of James Riley and Shannon Messenger!In the opulent, sinking city of Dantessa, the Great Game rules all. Pia Paro believes that so long as you follow the rules, you always have a chance at winning. But after her beloved Gramps is sentenced to a life of servitude, Pia accepts a dangerous offer and joins a team of players seeking to win the most perilous game of all: Noctis.The Seafoxes—Pia’s new teammates—are unlike anyone she’s ever met. There’s brash, bold Carlo; macabre Serafina; kindhearted Pasquale; and their dashing ringleader, Vittoria. Each has their own reason for playing, and soon, Pia begins to question all her long-held beliefs. Maybe the rules Pia once trusted to lift her up have only been keeping her—and thousands of others like her—down.As she struggles with these revelations, Pia must survive a gauntlet of clockwork soldiers, perilous underwater adventures, and even a game against Death herself. But with Pia’s grandfather’s life at stake, Pia must finally decide whether she’s brave enough to not just break the rules, but to change the very nature of the Game.

From the author of the Bargainer series comes the prequel to Bewitched. Two thousand years before there was Selene, there was Roxilana. Her love fated, her life doomed, and her story forgotten-until now. When Roxilana hears a voice inside her head, she believes she's gone mad. This voice, Memnon, claims he is her god-touched soul mate, one who has the ability to wield magic. Not only that, but he believes Roxilana possesses magic too. Wild though his claims are, Roxilana realizes Memnon speaks the truth. First, her power Awakens. Then, Memnon, King of the Sarmatians, shows up at her door in Rome, proclaims her as his wife, and takes her to his homeland. Roxilana's fate is everything she hoped for. But there are things Memnon didn't tell her-about his magic, life as a Sarmatian, and what she, as queen, will have to endure. And as she soon learns, nothing is as dangerous as love and power. While the combination can build empires and legacies, it is capable of destroying everything and everyone in its path. And if Roxilana and Memnon are not careful, it could destroy them along with it.

“You make it sound so formal,” she said. “Like I won’t actually be your sex slave.”It was just a simple job transfer interview, but it was far from simple. After the most mind-blowing ‘interview’ of Melody’s life, she signs a contract with a gorgeous man named Skye, who she believes isn't really human. Neither is his assistant. The sweet, blond Garen is every bit as enticing as his boss. He's even more inhumanly gorgeous and just as hungry for what Melody has to offer. And she's supposed to work for these two? Within the first week, everything goes south when she finds herself falling for both elusive men and their otherworldly charms. In spite of the unconventionally intimate ‘position’ she now holds, Melody never considered the possibility of love. She rejected romance for most of her life, because love was her enemy. Love left her mother wanting and left Melody nothing but loneliness for two decades. The realization that she has to choose between two men she loves beyond all understanding sends her running scared. She refuses to choose, but the only other option is to lose them both and risk even worse heartbreak. Will she follow her heart or lose it all? Garen and Skye follow, too consumed by love to do anything but compromise for Melody's sake. They forsake their own complicated romance in Melody’s favor, believing only one of them can have her, but she is the one who is burdened with the final choice. Once in their embrace, she makes her choice—the choice Fate intended all along.

Rock bottom is just a pit stop.In the aftermath of a devastating showdown thousands of miles from home, Bird sinks into an abyss of despair.Powerless, abandoned by hope, and plagued by defeat, she faces a moment of reckoning. But when a shocking revelation exposes a sinister plot that jeopardizes the very future of humanity, Bird realizes she can no longer wallow in defeat. The lives of those she loves hang in the balance, and in order to save them she must confront the darkest corners of her soul.Bird is forced to make a pivotal choice. Will she start down a path of redemption and transform her deepest vulnerabilities into extraordinary strengths? Or will she succumb to the engulfing darkness that threatens to swallow her whole?From the author: For fans of the Hunger Games, ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, Gideon the Ninth, and Waterworld, this series is a spicy, (very) slow burn adventure romance with the following tropes: - forced proximity- opposites attract- friends-to-lovers- first love- trainwreck FMC- cinnamon roll MMC with crispy edges- one bed (in book two)- who did this- found family- animal companion- fast-paced, high-stakes adventure- mental health rep (and addiction)- LGBTQ+ rep

Zara and Nick are soul-mates - they're meant to be together for ever. But that's not quite how things have worked out. For starters, Nick is dead, and has been taken to Valhalla, a mystical resting place for warriors. If they can find the way there, Zara and her friends will try to get him back. But even if they do, Zara has turned pixie - and now she's Astley's queen! Meanwhile, more teenagers go missing as a group of evil pixies devastates the town of Bedford. An all-out war seems imminent and Zara and her friends need all the warriors they can find . . .

After the loss of a friend and a false imprisonment in an Eleysian dungeon, Cyrene has no interest in destiny. Her heart was shattered, friends scattered, and her home is nothing but a pretty illusion. Even her magic won't cooperate. Only desperation can turn her to the last person she should trust: Prince Kael. His darkness mirrors a growing force lurking within her. A struggle she never imagined threatens to consume her. And as friends and foes begin to show their true colors, she starts questioning whether anyone is who they seem. Even herself.

DELUXE EDITION--a deluxe hardback edition, featuring gorgeous sprayed edges, a foil case stamp, beautiful endpapers, a detailed map, and deliciously moody art throughout. From New York Times bestselling author RuNyx comes the highly anticipated prequel to Gothikana: Arkana—a tale of lush, suspenseful, dark gothic romance. A rumored sorceress. A villainous scoundrel. An ancient castle. What could go wrong? A woman in hiding, Lenore Emmeranne finds herself at Verenmore after a series of unfortunate events, hoping it will be a clean slate for her. She plans to keep her head down and blend into the shadows. A man in power, Draven Constantine knows every crack and crevice of the castle. So when he finds Lenore, it breaks his ennui and piques his interest, and their descent into doom begins. Set in 1872 at the University of Verenmore, death, deceit, and darkness invade the mountain. Something beyond the understanding is at play, slithering down the spine as Lenore and Draven weave through lies, sink into lust and hold onto life. Arkana is a gripping tale of the deliciously gothic, the grotesque, and the gravest flavor of love in the unlikeliest of places.

Who knew sleeping around could save the entire species? I'm a simple dragon. Give me knowledge, give me research, give me rings for my hoard, and give me athletic men who want to get sweaty between the sheets... or anywhere else. Those things make me happy. Other things... well, who cares about those? Turns out, I should have cared. Or at least paid attention. Because I somehow signed up for a scientific study run by a shy, nerdy sorcerer with the body of a god. And the study just happens to be about my favorite form of exercise.It doesn't take long for me to know I want to do more than science with Rhys. Although I've never been the kind of dragon to mix feelings with fun, Rhys could be the one person who meets all my needs, even if he won't wear a ring on every finger. But when his research becomes more important than any of us could have imagined, our relationship enters a new phase. Now it's up to me to show Rhys how much he's worth... both to me and to the future of his species.

Mira's always up for a good hunt, but things get complicated when she goes undercover as her partner Ty's plus one for his sister's upcoming wedding. Her job? To confirm whether a dangerous paranatural has infiltrated Ty's family.As a PTF agent, Ty Williams has faced down powerful fae, hungry demons, and worse, but he never expected to find a threat in his own home. Haunted by the past and unable to trust those around him, Ty needs Mira's help to protect those he loves.Unfortunately, Mira's brought troubles of her own to town, and her skills are proving unreliable. Adding to her misery is her less-than-warm welcome from Ty's family. All too soon she's ready to get the hell out of Boston...but that would mean abandoning more than just her partnership.Mira and Ty are facing something new, and nothing will be the same after.Praise for The Rifter Series: 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner - Paranormal, Demon Riding Shotgun"...a one of a kind book...[a] dangerous and well-realized fantasy world."-John L. Rak, Jr., Next Generation Indie Book Awards"I'm dying for more of this world. It is incredibly compelling, with vivid world-building and fascinating well-developed characters!"-Witch-at-Heart, Amazon Review"I started this book 3 hours ago, and it's now 5 a.m. I will go to Bed AFTER I find the next Book in the series."-Marie C, Amazon ReviewAbout the Author: L.R. Braden is the bestselling author of the Magicsmith urban fantasy series, the spin-off Rifter Series, and several works of short fiction. Her writing has won the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Sci-fi/Fantasy, the First Horizon Award for debut authors, the Imadjinn Award for Best Urban Fantasy, the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award, and the CAL Award in both the Fantasy and Paranormal categories. She was also honored to be a finalist for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2021 Writer of the Year award. She and her family live in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies.

What else are friends for, but to rescue you from a deranged reincarnated dark Viking shaman serving a lazy lesser Celtic god? Ex-Angel Tyrel Hanson is cursed. He must send all demons back to Hell before he can be with the woman he loves. The mission is enough to drive him to darkness.Elizabeth McAllistar discovers she is magic-blind. A dangerous condition which could end up killing her and her best-friend Madison. Madison Porter is a scientist. When she suddenly discovers she has magic and a past-life with Tyrel her world is thrown into chaos. Her magic might be the only thing that can free Tyrel from his cursed destiny and keep them all alive.