Showing results by narrator "Laurel" in All Categories

Jessica Fletcher’s favorite gin-rummy partner, Mimi Van Dorn, checks into the brand-new Clifton Care Partners, a private hospital that’s just opened up shop in town, for a simple procedure - one that leads tragically, and inexplicably, to her death. Seeking justice in her inimitable fashion, Jessica decides to pursue her own investigation of the hospital and its shadowy business dealings. On the trail of what initially appears to be medical malpractice, Jessica digs deeper and learns her friend was actually a victim of something far more sinister.

Ever since the Court of Flames banished me, I've managed to hide my true nature—Chosen One of the Fire Fae. Apparently, I'm destined to save us all. Truth is, I'm not that impressive. When I'm not hunting demons, I'm slinging drinks at Potions & Pastilles. At least, until the lethally sexy king of the Court of Ice finds me. He's been hunting me for years and wants to claim me as his fated mate. But it gets darker. He plans to sacrifice me to save his dying kingdom. One touch changes everything though, because I’m the only one who can warm him.

Just so it’s clear, I’m not the kind of woman who sleeps around. And I’m especially not the kind of woman who’d ever sell her body for money. At least, that’s not who I used to be. Now, I’m getting on my hands and knees at the orders of the stranger I suddenly call husband. I’m ashamed of what I’m doing. It’s dirty. Wrong. Twisted. And I refuse to acknowledge how good it feels. Especially in front of him.

Life has the capacity of great moments and attainment, of lives well lived, fulfilling for ourselves and for those we touch. But for others life is arduous. There is no spark to ignite the curiosity, to explore and achieve a stability and a growth to their lives. Indeed their lives, in their own eyes, become almost meaningless, their sense of themselves subsumed under a myriad of problems, whether real or imagined. Seismic events in a life might crush them; the loss of a loved one for instance. Coping is difficult, support hard to find and isolation abounds.

Laurel Braitman spent her childhood learning from her dad how to out-fish grown men, keep bees, and fix carburetors. Diagnosed young with terminal cancer, he raced against the clock to leave her the skills she’d need to survive without him. This was one legacy. Another was relentless perfectionism and the belief that bravery meant never acknowledging your own fear. By her mid-thirties Laurel is a ship about to splinter on the rocks, having learned the hard way that no achievement can protect her from pain or remove the guilt and regret her dad’s death leaves her with.

I've dealt with my share of homelessness. I've endured being the bad gal in the room. I’ve taken a lot of life’s punches on the chin. But never did I expect to be forced to attend an academy full of power-hungry delinquents. I can handle whatever threats, traps, bullying, and schemes are thrown my way, because I'm not here to be a good student. I'm here to keep my secret safe from those who will do everything to see me perish. Game on.

Parenting can be such an overwhelming job that it's easy to lose track of where you stand on some of the more controversial subjects at the playground (What if my kid likes to rough house - isn't this ok as long as no one gets hurt? And what if my kid just doesn't feel like sharing?). In this inspiring and enlightening book, Heather Shumaker describes her quest to nail down "the rules" to raising smart, sensitive, and self-sufficient kids.

Natalie Collins hasn’t heard from her sister in more than half a year. The last time they spoke, Kit was slogging from mundane workdays to obligatory happy hours to crying in the shower about their dead mother. She told Natalie she was sure there was something more out there. And then she found Wisewood.

November 1146. Gwynedd is at war with Ranulf, Earl of Chester, who seeks to gain a foothold in Wales against the day peace finally comes to England. On the eve of King Owain's counter-assault on Mold Castle, the body of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Gwen is discovered buried in someone else's grave. Even in the midst of war, murder must be investigated, and it falls to Gareth and Gwen to bring the guilty to justice.

Secrets are revealed in more ways than one. The truth always has a way of revealing itself. What happens when everyone is hiding something from the other? When relationships and bonds are tested in more ways than one. Will these relationships end before they could fully start?

Migration, terrorism, the tensions between global capitalism and nationalism, and a communications revolution: These forces shaped Joseph Conrad's destiny at the dawn of the 20th century. In this brilliant new interpretation of one of the great voices in modern literature, Maya Jasanoff reveals Conrad as a prophet of globalization. As an immigrant from Poland to England, and in travels from Malaya to Congo to the Caribbean, Conrad navigated an interconnected world and captured it in a literary oeuvre of extraordinary depth.

Professional Quarterback Austin Riley is finally seeing his dreams come to fruition - he has a ring under his belt, he is one of the league's top contenders for future Hall of Fame recognition, he is building a family legacy, and just months away, he will be marrying the woman he's loved since before he understood what love truly meant: Sommer Hayes. But it is in times of invincibility that a man's true nature is tested. His past comes back to haunt him in a way he never expected.

Lily Salt has sworn off men. After finally gaining her independence, the last thing she needs is another man telling her what to do. But the handsome railroad engineer from New York isn't at all what she expected. He's kind, gentle...and tempting. A self-acknowledged black sheep, Roen Shepard knows what it means to feel alone. Recognizing a kindred spirit in the reserved widow whose fascinating blue-green eyes have seen too much and charmed by the warmth of her ready-made family, the two begin an unlikely friendship.

Rooted in ancient Chinese culture, Feng Shui is a system that teaches people how to arrange their living space to attract health, wealth, happiness, and good energy—or chi—into their lives.

Dr. Will Montgomery had already given in to his temptations. He’d tasted the forbidden fruit again and again for months. Despite the obstacles, he claimed the beautiful Charlotte Pierce and fell head over heels in love. But a stolen love, a forbidden love, comes at a price. And in the aftermath of their affair, Will finds himself backed into a corner, desperate for an escape from the chaos. Chaos that threatens to destroy him and reveal the secrets he’d kept hidden. And if there’s one thing Dr. Will Montgomery should have learned by now, it's that the truth always comes out.

Charles Bentley was always due to inherit his late father’s fortune, and he loved to boast about it. He was the typical son of privilege with more money than sense and an appetite for partying that was rarely satisfied - although he did try his hardest. But there’s one thing standing in his way of this fortune; a stipulation that states he must marry before his 25th birthday. With no plans of settling down but every intention of the getting the money, a plan forms in his head.

Award-winning novelist Vikram Seth is renowned worldwide for his magnum opus A Suitable Boy. But his dazzling debut, though less well-known, is equally innovative, masterly and ambitious. First published in 1986 and inspired by Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, it is written entirely in verse, comprising almost 600 stanzas of rhyming sonnets. This epic poem focusses on the interconnected stories of five young professionals, as they make their way in the 'unfettered city' of San Francisco in the '80s.

Aging isn’t easy. But it can still be filled with joy—maybe even more joy than we expect. Alive Until You’re Dead offers a Zen approach to aging. Zen teacher and writer Susan Moon’s stories explore being present with what is, not turning away from what’s difficult, wishing for and working for the wellbeing of others, and being willing not to know what’s next. Moon writes of her most personal vulnerabilities in the service of connecting with everyone. These field notes from an old human being invite us to feel more alive in the final stretch, whatever it holds.

Destiny Fisher is ready to move past the guilt and shame of losing a fiancé to the war in Afghanistan 12 years ago. She never should’ve said yes to his proposal in the first place, and she's been plagued by her choices for more than a decade. She was his biggest regret. Trent Dawkins has been married to the army ever since he walked away from his brother's funeral...and from the woman he loved. Delta Team Three is his family. Destiny has avoided him for all these years. Does seeing him remind her of his brother? Can the two of them face their demons and move forward?

The first time I met Weston, he was my psychologist. I never planned to see him again. We lived in two different worlds. He was responsible. I was reckless. He was the good guy. They'd labeled me as out-of-control. He was harmony on a warm beach day. I was the hurricane that erupted through. But one night, I call him to rescue me. And he does more than that.