The Featured List - Winter 18'
- Shay Spencer
- Nov 14, 2018
- 10 min read
Welcome one and all to one of my favorite times of the season - and say hello to our official Shay Writes Smiles Featured List for Winter of 2018! I would like to thank you all for your patience, and for your incredible submissions. I have a feeling that each and every one of the following books will soon be topping the charts!
For those who are unaware, I've taken a note from Wattpad and have created my own version of The Featured List to help bring attention to those otherwise undiscovered authors and their stories. The three most recent featured authors are promised spots, as well as our resident Featured Author of The Year (shout-out to Misty Hayes and her incredible vampire-thriller, The Outcasts!). The featured list is updated every three months!
Thank you all for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the following books as much as I have!
Our first pick is coming to you straight from a published author, Misty Hayes. After finding it's popularity on Wattpad, our resident Featured Author of The Year self published! This one is definitely living up to the hype!
A full review (spoilers and all) will be coming to the website on December 15th, along with a catch-up feature so you can all get to know our author of the year!
Eighteen-year-old Corinth Taylor didn't sign up to become a Watcher-an elite warrior destined to restore balance to the human race-he was chosen.
Corinth can barely control his own hormones... much less the deadly blade. And to make matters worse, his best friend, Larna, just so happens to be the very thing he's supposed to eliminate.
But when vampires and slayer find a common enemy, Corinth knows it's his innate calling to hunt evil down. And evil has a name: Gabriel Stanton.
When the line between good and evil gets crossed, devastating consequences start to happen. As Watcher and vampire worlds collide, Corinth must decide where to place his trust: with his old allies or his killer instincts. An upstart slayer. A clan of vampires. What could go wrong?
It's only the end of the world.
The Watchers is the second book in The Blood Dagger series, a high-octane paranormal YA thriller. If you like witty heroines, unconventional relationships, and friendships that can withstand the grave, then you'll love Misty Hayes' high-stakes story.
Our second featured novel is coming to you from our Featured Author of September 2018, Maxwell!
Would you really give the world for the ones you love?
An ancient god returns to destroy what little is left of the land of Solestia. Humanity finds itself as merely pawns in a game whose outcome determines their fate. As puzzle pieces are put together and with imminent doom seeming to be their only future, one princess sets out to save the world. Amidst all this, a feline boy finds himself lost and unsure of his existence or the purpose thereof.
Our third pick is coming to you from our Featured Author of October 2018, Suzie!
Alexi White has always wondered whether she was really related to her family or if she was adopted. Being the quiet girl, she could never really tell her parents no. She did everything they told her, only it led to the current situation she was in now:
Penniless, jobless and homeless.
Having had enough of her helplessness she went for an interview at the most prestigious business in London. She didn't expect her life to make this unexpected turn, but would it be for the good or the bad?
After all, you only find love once...or in her case twice.
Fourth Featured Novel? Well if it isn't our very own Featured Author of November 2018, Kaye!
Another inexplicable cliche/romantic and paranormal story that will thrill, chill and send goosebumps throughout your skins not because of something horrifying.
"Love will always live in sorrow, for it lies not today but tomorrow."
The book is not what you think it is so better read and find out!
Our third pick is coming to you from our Featured Author of June 2018, Xanabanana66x!
Amelia Harris is trapped. As the prison cell taunts her and the cuffs rub her wrists raw, only her memories are still alive. The face of a boy with chocolate eyes still haunts her dreams.
A few kilometres away, a boy travels down the highlands, a small girl held tightly in his grip. He too remembers the girl he tried to seduce.
But as tensions arise between the two, a familiar enemy must be faced. Will they be able to set aside their differences or will the world be thrown into chaos?
An ongoing story about love, betrayal and sacrifice.
Our first non-featured-author pick from Shay Writes Smiles newcomer, Thomas (@thomaseng)!
❛During World War I, a black baseball player gets a second chance to play ball on an all-white steel mill baseball team, an action that shocks and divides an entire town.
Targeted by opponents, his own team, and mysterious vigilantes, Henry Louis finds himself facing levels of anger and racism that threaten both his baseball career and his life.
When Henry meets Sarah, a free-spirited girl with the dream of becoming a writer, things get even more complicated as they fall in love.
Sarah ignites Henry's heart to keep fighting for his right play the game he loves. But by refusing to back down, Henry will pay the greatest price.
And in his suffering, Henry Louis will unite a town torn apart by prejudice and war ... not because of the color of his skin but because of the color of his dreams.
Our sixth pick comes from incredible horror author, @inkedlimerence!
❝ thus, sinners are in need of salvation. ❞
when serena keller winds up being expelled from the local public school, her parents enroll her in the worst place possible: st. andrew's boarding school, the terrifyingly perfect catholic school two hours away. st. andrew's is well accomplished in all its field, and specializes reforming past "sinners." everyone has their secrets, and the students at st. andrew's aren't exempt from this principle; all of them have committed one sin or the other.
the hard part however, is distinguishing the still-sinners from the saints.
This is one of my personal favs - our seventh pick comes from @EPrescott!
In a small Northern town, whenever someone about to die, a strange woman appears.
Dressing in a black fleece cloak and wearing a ram skull on her head, she's the omen of young death, treated like a goddess.
Our next pick comes from another SWS newcomer, Bluemin (@Blue_The_Bard)!
Ever wished for something you knew was impossible?
Ever longed for something so badly that you just wanted it back, no matter what?
And what if someone offered you to turn it all back to how it used to be? You don't pay attention to the condition. Your vision is tunneled. But will it be worth it? Will it be real - or would you realize you've made a grave mistake soon enough?
Would you sacrifice the future for the past?
Our next pick comes from a wonderful author and great friend of mine, Sophi (@xoxSohpixox)!
"Would my brother do this?" He bent down and captured my lips with his. I responded instantly hand trailing over his chest. He pressed me into the window and my legs wrapped around his waist for support.
"No, I guess he wouldn't," I breathed into the kiss.
Sophia Jenkins is lonely with no family so she throws herself into work in the hopes that one day she will become a successful journalist. The debt left by her dead, alcoholic, gambling father has always been a burden to her that is until she is given the opportunity of a lifetime.
Noah Mckenzie is rich, successful and a ladies man but with a dark secret weighing heavily on his shoulders. He will stop at nothing to keep it safe. Until he meets her that is.
The classic billionaire CEO book but with a twist! Life isn't always as simple as falling in love and having your happily ever after. Huge obstacles are always in the way but will they overcome them and finally be together?
Our tenth novel comes from an incredible author, not only on Wattpad but Radish as well, Agatha Lambert, (@aggie23FF)!
20-year-old Ashley Fisher lived in the moment. To her, the future was a foreign concept and that instead, one should focus purely on the one-time opportunities that life was handing her every day.
One reckless decision changed all that.
Now, three years later, Ashley finds herself all alone and under Sean Traylor's-her brother Collin's best friend-protection with nothing more than regrets.
Struggling to make a living and to find her place in the baking world, she discovers that there's only one thing she can do to leave the past behind and make peace with herself: proving to Sean that she is worthy of his forgiveness-and maybe more than that-even though she was the woman who ruined his life.
Our next pick comes from a wonderful author and great friend of mine, Julia (@Fondness_Fantasies)!
In this retelling of Beauty And The Beast, Elaina must find her true love before she turns 22 - or she will be forced into a marriage that will make her queen. But Elaina doesn't feel like she deserves true love; all she can see in the mirror is the things she doesn't like about herself. Can Jack, the boy in Elaina's math class, help her see herself as beautiful or will she be consumed by her own negative thoughts?
Our next pick you ask? Say hello to Caroline (@Caroline_Wissa)!!
He killed his wife, took his daughter and disappeared.
Everyone used to be envious of how happy this family was. However, one day it was all gone.
Adam always did everything he could to protect his family, but what happened?
Our twelfth novel comes from Brianna (@_wannabe_writers)!
"I'm infatuated with the color, smell, and taste. All of it takes me to a whole nother' level of euphoria. I get blinded by its enchanting features and at the end I almost always give in to the temptation. It gets so bad I feel the life being squeezing out of me slowly when I deny myself the chance to engage in this shameful act."
He looked out of the large glass window and sighed while rubbing the back of his neck. I could see the beaconing pained expression on his face illuminated by the suns rays.
"I see, so your problem is temptation? We get that often. What exactly are you entranced by?"
I spoke to him softly while scribbling notes into my medical journal. "
You see doc, I'm addicted to blood." He said slowly while turning his head towards me bearing his fangs and looking at me with his glowing red eyes.
What the hell?!
Our next pick comes from SWS newcomer, Dawn Marie Drake (@DawnMDrake)!
The Handsome, intriguing bachelor Skyler Pennington, is back with his own Story... We were first introduced to him, as a character in The House of Carrington. Now we have an opportunity to meet the real, Skyler Pennington.
He becomes the CEO, of his father's International Shipping Company, Pennington Inc. He meets the beautiful, complex woman, that popped up in his life, momentarily. He accidentally encounters her as he attends his friend's wedding, and pretends she is his "Plus One".
Nicole Dunbar, is brilliant, determined, bi-racial and absolutely gorgeous. But she doesn't realize that her beauty, is without bounds. Skyler, finds out one year later, after running into her, that she had been working for Pennington Inc. for four years, without his notice.
The company is moving from Dallas, Texas to Savannah, Georgia. When Nicole hands in her resignation, Skyler doesn't want her to quit, now that he has found her, again. She decides to visit Savannah, after finding out that her true identity is related to the historical city. She may need Skyler's help once again... Follow the journey that leads Nicole, to meeting her family for the first time. Will it possibly lead her to, Skyler? Find out...
Our next pick comes from Aura Nightshade (@SouthMarie)!
"You don't fall in love with a hurricane and expect to keep her in a box. You fell for her winds, let her be the force she was born to be." J.iron word. Sam Laurent.
The girl that her light turned to darkness due to a series of events. Everyone could see her frown and sense the pain but could never understand it. A true phantom of the opera, a storm wrapped up in a dress unleashed from time to time. They seem to fear the labyrinth known as her fearing her without question. Except for him.
Bryan Cassano.
A boy who came crashing into her life rekindling the fire she put out years ago. He wants to know wants to see behind the mask that she wears. But, we all know that you don't go out into the storm for fear of being struck down to ashes.
"What are you so afraid of? " He asked. Time seemed to have stood still as his breath fans my cheek making me shiver all over and in the dim light of the alley, we stood in caged by his hands on either side of my body that seemed to have gotten hotter by each minute.
Bringing my eyes up to him, I tried my best to keep it together before answering. "I'm not afraid of anything." I'm the girl born in a storm.
Usually, it's the boy who has a dark perception of life and the girl who is the ray of sunshine that sees the positive side of everything. Here, it's a topsy-turvy altogether.
Our thirteenth pick comes from Sarah W. Martin (@Whittyisi)!
In the Land of Drachen, War rules... The Count controls it all and he has a personal vendetta against one of his gladiators.
Cassius is a skilled Gladiator like none other, but houses a dark secret. This fighter is really Celaena, a woman of 18 years who would rather fight than be used as a play thing for sexual pleasure.
Lucius is a Tamer, a dragon tamer at that, of 23 years, and with the help of his dragon Kalta, he and Cassius will jounrey across the land on a mission for The Count himself.
The mission: to recover an ancient sword belonging to a powerful Tamer and her dragon, Maïka. Who is said to be the Mother of all Dragon's. The sword is rumored to give the owner renound powers.
As their journey unfolds will Lucius discover Celaena's secret or will Celeana be able to control her undeniable attraction to the arrogant Tamer? And in the midst of it all will Celaena finally discover her true power in the realm of Drachen...
Closing out the list, we've got @UnravelingHaSi !
We often underestimate the power of three things : The stars The ocean And love.
Grief pulls us into the depths of despair. Our existence becomes a torture drowning us in darkness, which, we have created for ourselves. In the midst of this anguish, when we're on the verge of being called crazy, a sliver of hope is all that we need, to keep us going. A sliver of hope to be loved, cared and understood. A hand to use as a crutch and learn to love again.
With secrets of his own Maaz holds Zara's hand with the intention to capture her heart with his ardent love. To be the crutch she is looking for, to break down the walls she has built around herself and to revive her to the girl she was, who he once knew.
I for one can't wait to delve further into these incredible reads! Thank you all for reading!
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