Showing results by author "Melissa" in All Categories

As children mature, it’s important for parents to prepare for the unique changes and challenges of adolescence. With so many cultural pressures and influences vying for teens’ attention, parents need a secure foundation for creating an environment where faith can flourish.

Ryxander, Warden of Gloamingard, has failed. Unsealed by her blood, the Door hidden within the black tower has opened. Now, for the first time since the age of the Graces, demons walk the world. As tensions grow between nations, all eyes - and daggers - are set on Morgrain, which has fallen under the Demon of Discord’s control. When an artifact with the power to wipe out all life in a domain is stolen, Ryx will do whatever it takes to save her home from destruction. But success may demand a larger sacrifice from Ryx than she could have imagined.

Actress Bree Leake doesn't want to be tied down, but just when it's time to move on again, Bree's parents make her an offer; hold steady in Abingdon for one full year, and they will give her the one thing she's always wanted — her grandmother's house. Her dreams are coming true...until life throws her some curve balls.

Lucy and Ethel. Laverne and Shirley. Dorothy and Sophia and Blanche and Rose. It’s the women around us who make us who we are, and Chicken-Fried Women is a celebration of them. It’s about the women who raised us, made us, taught us to cook and clap back. It’s the ones who prayed for us, raged at us and humbled us a notch or two when we needed it.

The youngest daughter, Aster always keeps her head down and lets her siblings stand in the spotlight. She sells her gourmet doughnuts from Hole in One, the small drive-through stand in sleepy Homer’s Bluff, Kansas, and daydreams about seeing the big beautiful world. Love is never going to happen, especially when the only other lesbians in town are already married to each other.

Anastasia Mikhelson is the rising star of the New York City Ballet. She's sacrificed creature comforts, a social life, as well as her own physical well-being for perfection in dance. Even her reputation as the Ice Queen doesn't faze her. Though Ana's at the peak of her career, competition from a new and noteworthy dancer puts all she's worked for in jeopardy.

If there is one city that Scarlett Bernard hates, it's Las Vegas. But when the cardinal vampire of Los Angeles convinces her to go investigate a new vampire-themed stage show, Scarlett quickly finds herself shoulder-deep in sequins, slot machines, and Old World intrigue. The show's creators are vampire celebrities Arthur and Lucy Holmwood, who once inspired characters from the original Dracula. Now, however, they have no qualms about announcing their true status to the human world.

Trixie Jericho is on a mission to start her own miniature horse business. She’s sick of being told her idea is cute and wants nothing more than to be taken seriously. When rancher and sought-after freestyle-horse-trainer Nick Braden offers an opportunity she can’t refuse, Trixie jumps on it. The problem is she also wants to jump on him, but the bullheaded, big-muscled, motorcycle-riding cowboy doesn't mix business with pleasure. Little does he know, Trixie has never backed down from a challenge, especially one she wants more than her next breath.

Orphaned and concealed by her neglectful family, Elizabeth's true identity and inheritance are squandered. Reconnecting with Fitzwilliam Darcy in adulthood, they navigate courtship amidst revelations of her heritage and his role as a trustee. Facing societal expectations and familial deceit, they confront manipulative family members and triumph over obstacles, ensuring justice and personal happiness.

A traitor in search of redemption. A king’s champion on a mission. He wants to free his people, but she’s determined he’ll never succeed. The moment Griffin crossed into the prison realm, every fae he’d ever known forgot he existed. Left with nothing - not even his magic - he’s had to survive in a land of eternal darkness where a ruthless king terrorizes his subjects. Now, he must return to his homeland with one purpose - destroy the magic binding the Dark Fae to the prison realm - or suffer the consequences.

I'm the bad boy of the NHL. The enforcer with a mean punch and bad attitude. The ladies don't seem to mind and my stick is always ready to go. So, I have a few scandals. Who doesn't? Everything was fine until she clicked into my life with her hot pink Barbie heels. After one too many tabloid exploits, my career is in jeopardy, and she demands I clean up my act. I can't not say no. Even if I want to. The stakes are too great. Turns out I'm not so good at behaving and even drag Miss Perfect into the mud when we wake up naked, hungover, and wearing matching wedding bands.

Melissa Maker is beloved by fans all over the world for her completely reengineered approach to cleaning. As the dynamic new authority on home and living, Melissa knows that to invest any of our precious time in cleaning, we need to see big, long-lasting results. So, she developed her method to help us get the most out of our effort and keep our homes fresh and welcoming every day.

A short, angst-free novella that occurs in the months after Hunsford. Darcy, realizing his mistakes, confesses his misdeeds to Bingley earlier, even before Elizabeth has the chance to visit Pemberley. As a result, Bingley returns to Hertfordshire in June, while Darcy retreats to Pemberley to reflect on his actions.

If you're the White parent of a transracially or internationally adopted child, you may have been told that if you try your best and work your hardest, good intentions and a whole lot of love will be enough to give your child the security, attachment, and nurturing family life they need to thrive. The only problem? It's not true. What White Parents Need to Know About Transracial Adoption breaks down the dynamics that frequently fly under the radar of the whitewashed, happily-ever-after adoption stories we hear so often.

Dinero, drogas y cárteles: eso es lo que el novato agente del FBI esperaba tener cuando lo enviaron al pueblo fronterizo de Laredo; pero en cambio, se encontró con una tarea sedentaria, redactando reportes de inteligencia acerca de la guerra contra el narcotráfico. Hasta que, un día, le piden a Lawson que chequee una pista anónima: un caballo que se vendió en una subasta en Oklahoma por un precio mucho más elevado de lo usual, y el comprador fue Miguel Treviño, uno de los líderes de los Zetas, el cártel más brutal de México.

In The Two-Parent Privilege, Melissa S. Kearney makes a data-driven case for marriage by showing how the institution's decline has led to a host of economic woes—problems that have fractured American society and rendered vulnerable populations even more vulnerable.

Have you ever wanted to quit your soul-sucking hell of a day job, tell your supervisors exactly what you think of them, set the office on fire, jump in your slightly used spaceship and scour the galaxy for lost treasures? Of course, you have. And Reggie, Maddy, Ed, and Harold are no different.

Thirtysomething Flores and her mother, Paula, still live in the same Brooklyn apartment, but that may be the only thing they have in common. It’s been nearly three years since they lost beloved husband and father Martín, who had always been the bridge between them. One day, cleaning beneath his urn, Flores discovers a note written in her mother’s handwriting: Perdóname si te falle. Recuerda que siempre te quise. (“Forgive me if I failed you. Remember that I always loved you.”) But what would Paula need forgiveness for?

“I'm pregnant. It’s yours. I’m having it, and unless you want it, I’m putting it up for adoption.” Those were the words that changed Levi Steele’s life before he was even legally allowed to drink. There was never any question about whether he would keep his daughter, and eight years later, he doesn’t have a single regret. He owns a successful contracting company, he’s part of the Dark Knights motorcycle club, and Joey’s happiness is his top priority. None of that would be possible without the help of Joey’s beautiful and selfless aunt Tara.

Cendrillon de Louvois was poised to be the most eligible maiden in all of France. But the death of her father, the king’s favorite advisor, has left Cendrillon at the will of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters.