Showing results by narrator "Amanda" in All Categories

If 14-year-old Cassandra Reed makes it through her first day at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies without anyone discovering her secret, maybe, just maybe, she’ll let herself believe that she really does belong at Miss Castwell’s. Except Cassandra Reed’s real name is Sarah Smith and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical “Snipes” are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter’s favorite vase in the parlor....

Shy, studious Irene Stenson and wild, privileged Pamela Webb had been the best of friends for one short high school summer. Their friendship ended the night Pamela dropped Irene off at home - and Irene walked in to discover her parents' bodies on the kitchen floor. It was ruled a murder-suicide, and Irene fled Dunsley, determined to wipe out every memory attached to her Northern California hometown. But now she has been summoned back.

When Avery Beckett is proposed to by Jude Masters, a widowed father and the man she loves, it should be a time of great joy. Instead, Avery is on edge. She’s wary of the idea of family, doubtful of happy endings, and too afraid to take the leap. It’s the kind of fear that comes from having secrets. Before Avery commits to a new life, she must reconcile with the one she left behind.

Fifty-three-year-old Patricia Fisher is a trouble magnet like no other, a sad fact she has come to accept during her three-month around the world cruise. Wherever she goes, bodies just appear, or someone gets kidnapped, or she accidentally uncovers a plot to overthrow a government. Life certainly isn’t dull for Patricia. But when she arrives home in England, she plans to start a new chapter of her life.

Preacher and Hawk ride out of the Rockies and into St. Louis, loaded with furs. It’s Hawk’s first trip to civilization and the moment he lays eyes on young Chessie Dayton, he’s lost in more ways than one. When Chessie unwisely signs on for a gold-hungry expedition into the lawless mountains, Hawk convinces Preacher to trail the outfit because they’re all headed straight to the sacred Indian grounds known as the Black Hills — a land of no return. To come out of it alive a lot of people will have to die.

When an earthquake strikes San Francisco, forensics expert Jessie Teska faces her biggest threat yet in this explosive new mystery from the New York Times bestselling duo There’s a body crushed under a load of pipes on a San Francisco construction site, and medical examiner Dr. Jessie Teska is...

All Beulah Land wants is to play piano in her favorite honky tonk, take care of her elderly bestie, and thumb her nose at the church across the road. Life has other plans. Soon Beulah finds herself playing piano in the very place she swore she'd never enter again. The church choir goes on strike, the minister is as irritating as he is handsome, and everyone has an opinion on what Beulah should do with her life. So what's a girl to do? Create her own misfit choir out of barflies.

Maira Kanhai has had enough. Since the Green Poison epidemic hit Washington DC, her Cybersecurity degree is worthless, she can’t rejoin the US Navy, and her early efforts to secure Maryland led to a costly mistake: the death of her brother. Every day new factions emerge, trying to burn her city to the ground … until an elite unit—the Strategic Homeland Division—emerges, inspiring hope.

Thanks to house tamer Hulda Larkin, the mischief infesting Whimbrel House has calmed. But if Hulda’s job is done, what does that mean for Merritt Fernsby, inheritor of the remote Narragansett Bay estate, who’s only now coming to terms with his enchanted place in the world? Merritt has realized his own burgeoning powers, which draw the thoughts of every plant, insect, and dog. His nights are sleepless, with an uncontrollable cacophony of voices that compel a long-overdue search into his uncanny bloodline. It’s not the only puzzle uniting Merritt and his ex-housekeeper, Hulda.

Agatha is up to something, and with a witch that powerful, you can bet it won’t be good for me. She’s always wanted to dig her claws into Milo, and when he starts acting...well, odd, I can only assume her shiny new necklace has something to do with it. It reeks of enchantment, and as Milo gets lost in the depths of her spell, only I can save him. Messing with me is one thing. But messing with my men? That’s unforgivable.

FBI Agent Ella Dark, 29, is given her big chance to achieve her life’s dream: to join the Behavioral Crimes Unit. Ella’s hidden obsession of gaining an encyclopedic knowledge of serial killers has led to her being singled out for her brilliant mind, and invited to join the big leagues. But this time Ella finds herself in a cat and mouse chase with no way out, and she must wonder if she is hunting—or the one who is hunted….

Fairy tales shape how we see the world, so what happens when you identify more with the Beast than Beauty? Amanda Leduc looks at fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm to Disney, showing us how they influence our expectations and behaviour and linking the quest for disability rights to new kinds of stories that celebrate difference.

Just as Jane Jameson’s unlife seems to be stabilizing, fate sinks its fangs firmly into her butt. Despite her near-phobia of wedding planning, her no-frills nighttime nuptials to her sexy boyfriend, Gabriel, are coming along smoothly. That is, until she turns a fatally wounded teenage acquaintance, and the Council pronounces her responsible for the newborn vamp until he can control his thirst.

While at a casino to celebrate her birthday, Jess Clarke proposes a pact to her reserved sister, Liz, and their childhood friend Chloe: the three women will say yes to any adventure that comes their way. Jess is mourning her recent divorce, so the other two reluctantly agree. Twelve hours later, they awaken to the shocking consequences of their behavior.

Princess Theodora Isabella Victoria of Drieden of the Royal House Laurent is so over this princess thing. After her fiancé jilted her on their wedding day, she’s finally back home after spending four months in exile - aka it’s back to press conferences, public appearances, and putting on a show for the Driedish nation as the perfect princess they expect her to be. But Thea’s sick of duty. After all, that’s what got her into this mess in the first place.

Adelina is content to be a humble librarian with no magic, organizing ordinary books and leaving the magical section of the library to the management of the mysterious creature called a cervara . . . until she finds a misshelved spellbook that refuses to stay in its proper place. Despite warnings from the College of Magic and her superiors, she decides to return the book to the magical section, where she befriends the mysterious creature. Contrary to what she's been told, the cervara is trying to protect humanity from dangerous magic by hoarding it in the library.

With Charity's fate on the line, Devon and his pack must face the perils of the Realm in search of the elusive warrior fae. With no real experience and against some of the most powerful creatures in existence, they are fighting a losing battle. Thankfully, they don't have to do it alone. Knowing what's at stake, Penny and Emery, the magical powerhouses of the mage world, will lend their aid. Even though Emery is outlawed from stepping foot in the Realm, the pair will try to sneak Charity in the backdoor. If they are caught, they'll all be captured or worse. Much worse.

Rae-Valentine and Howard were childhood sweethearts. They’ve shared twenty-five peaceful years since they were brought together by Dolly, Howard’s larger-than-life sister. But now, on the night of their wedding anniversary, Howard reveals a shocking betrayal that leaves Rae reeling. Heartbroken, she takes Dolly on her would-be anniversary trip to Antigua and the two women drink and dance and talk like they haven’t in years.

Inspired by the passionate love affair between Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, and Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty and fertility, comes the story of one firefighter’s desire to settle down with a labor and delivery nurse whose biggest fear is commitment.

Police Chief Delaney Reed can handle the Valkyries, werewolves, gill-men and other paranormal creatures who call the small beach town of Ordinary, Oregon their home. It’s the vacationing gods who keep her up at night. With the famous rhubarb festival right around the corner, small-town tensions, tempers, and godly tantrums are at an all-time high. The last thing Delaney needs is her ex-boyfriend reappearing just when she's finally caught the attention of Ryder Bailey, the one man she should never love.