Showing results by narrator "Amanda Friday" in All Categories

Why does the Twilight saga continue to inspire both passionate fandom and heated critique? In Why We Love (and Hate) Twilight, Sarah Elizabeth Gallagher unpacks the cultural obsession with Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and the supernatural love story that redefined YA literature and pop culture forever.

Soren Stapley is a professional thief. He is prepared for every scenario and has a plan for every situation. But he never planned for her. The painting he needs? It’s being guarded by the woman he once loved and the nine-year-old terror she’s nannying. What’s worse? He’s not the only one hunting it down. Christmas is about to get complicated…

They say don’t ruin the friendship. But honestly? I’ve never been great at following advice—or avoiding his smile.

Elijah and I were childhood best friends turned totally love-struck teens who swore we’d elope the summer after graduation. It was supposed to be forever. Then came the photos of him with other girls—posted all over social media. And his sudden refusal to talk about our wedding in public? Yeah, I panicked. So when a mysteriously convenient out-of-the-country internship landed in my lap, I took it. Oh, and I left on our wedding day.

Nash Carter is devastated when a skiing accident leaves his wife with severe memory loss, erasing him and their three-year marriage from her mind. Not only is Nash a stranger, but Sadie remembers being in love with her ex-boyfriend and can't understand how she ended up living in a new city, estranged from her family, and married to a man she doesn't know. It's up to Nash to win back his wife and prove that their love is worth fighting for. Can Nash's unwavering devotion help Sadie rebuild what was lost, or will he lose her love forever?

An anthology of writings for the Christmas season from the pen of Charles Dickens.

Catia Roday has learned the hard way that love always disappoints, so when she finds herself falling for Josh Rideout—the handsome, charming, seemingly-perfect guy she just met on vacation—only to find out they hail from neighboring towns, she has one question: what's the catch?

Vanity Fair centers on the young Becky Sharp and her dear friend Amelia Sedley during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Rebecca Sharp is the daughter of an art teacher and a French dancer, being ambitious, intelligent, and strong willed in order to get what she wants out of society. She is often touted as amoral and an anti-heroine. Alternately, her friend Amelia is kind, good natured, and born into wealth. The interwoven fortunes of the two women play out among a backdrop of social skirmishes and human afflictions of pride and ego.

She lived the life they gave her. Then she found the one they took. A hidden room. A ghost in the mirror. A girl unraveling everything she was raised to forget Emily was raised to obey. To pray. To forget. For as long as she can remember, her family has been her whole world. Her safe place. Her calling. But when late-night noises lead her to a hidden room inside her bedroom wall, Emily begins to see things she can't explain. A destroyed teddy bear. A scrap of pink fabric. A girl in the mirror who isn't her.

This collection includes the remastered Online Stage productions of Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys as well as Comic Tragedies by Jo & Meg. Little Women is the story of four sisters growing up against the background of the American Civil War. Alcott wrote the book at the urging of the publisher, Thomas Niles, who was seeking a story about girls that would have popular appeal.

Walter Hartright, a struggling art teacher, is stopped for directions while traveling on a dark road by a mysterious woman in white. Thus begins Walter's deep dive into the twists and turns of stolen identities, fraud, spies, conspiracy and death. Along the way, he meets the lovely Laura Fairlie and her emboldened half-sister, Marian Halcombe. Marian is brazen and assertive in her search for the truth, a strong female during a time when women were simply viewed as the weaker sex. She joins Walter on his journey to untangle the web of lies and deceit that has been spun so expertly.

World-famous detective Hercule Poirot has retired to the English village of King's Abbot, determined to dedicate his little grey cells to the growing of vegetable marrows. But when Roger Ackroyd, a local businessman and former acquaintance, is stabbed to death, the man's niece begs Poirot to investigate. Poirot enlists the local doctor to be his assistant and scribe, and the two of them sift through clues to try to discern the ones that will lead them to the killer.

Mark Ablett is hosting all his friends at his English country house when he receives a letter from his estranged brother, Robert, announcing Robert's intention to arrive from Australia. Not long after his arrival, Robert turns up dead, his body found with a bullet wound to the head, and Mark is nowhere to be seen. Antony Gillingham and his friend Bill Beverly play Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson to solve this whodunnit mystery. This is Milne's only mystery novel.

I live for happily ever afters. And I'm finally meeting my favorite romance author in person! Only, all this time, I thought author, Amelie De Pierre, was a woman. It turns out, Pierre Toussaint is the man behind the books that make me weak in the knees. He could be the consummate book boyfriend with his dreamy hazel eyes, strong jawline, and those black-rimmed glasses. Not to mention that accent. Oh, that French accent. When Pierre speaks, I feel like I’m curled in his arms on a riverbank being fed chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Endymion is the largest work by John Keats and was composed between April and November 1817. It was published in April 1818, and the critical reception was almost universally hostile. The plot is built around the ancient Greek legend of Endymion, the young shepherd whose beauty was such that the goddess of the Moon entreated Zeus to cast him into a permanent sleep so that she could gaze on him without interruption. Keats expands this story into an epistle on beauty and love, and weaves into it elements from several other Greek legends.

Severin is a passionate man who falls head over heels in love (or maybe lust?) with the beautiful young widow Wanda, begging her to treat him as her slave. Torn between pleasure and the fight against his own self-esteem, Severin submits to his mistress while Wanda discovers her own pleasure in her domination, an action that previously made her scoff. Deemed scandalous at the time of publication, this novel is a classic that opens a dialogue about human attraction and gender power struggles.

Emily Starr is sent to New Moon Farm on Prince Edward Island following the death of her dear father. She lives with her two aunts and her cousin Jimmy. Emily has a hard time getting along with Aunt Elizabeth but has great plans to become a writer.

In Oedipus at Colonus, the banished king, after years of wandering, accompanied by his faithful daughter Antigone, finds himself in Athens. Receiving a warm if guarded welcome from Theseus, King of Athens, he prepares to settle himself to spend his last days in peace. However, unwelcome visitors from his tortured past continue to haunt him until the very end.

Just days after the wedding of Valeria Brinton and Eustace Woodville, a series of strange incidents causes Valeria to believe her husband is hiding a dark secret. She discovers he has been living under a false name, and when questioned, Eustace refuses to discuss it. Upon further digging, Valeria finds Eustace had been on trial three years ago for the murder of his wife. However, the verdict had come down as the scotch verdict of not proven. This implied his guilt, but there was not enough evidence for a conviction nor did it exonerate him.

Is Idina Moorfield going crazy or has an ancient magic found its source? Her family says she's not a true Moorfield and will never be good enough for the family business. Sometimes what looks like the worst day ever is the beginning of our best adventure. Idina takes that first step into a new life and gets the hell away from them to forge her own future. But her calling is the one thing they are the most against. She joins the military just like Uncle Rick. The other family outcast. What is everyone in the Moorfield family so afraid of?