Showing results by narrator "Emily Durante" in All Categories

Who you are and who you want to be don’t always match up. Like most teenage girls, you’ve probably spent lots of time in front of the mirror wondering what you’ll be when you grow up—or dreaming of who you’ll become. Is it a supermodel, an actress, a dancer, or is it a businesswoman, a mom, or even a pastor? Brooklyn Lindsey grew up dreaming of being a supermodel....

When Evie Johnson started at Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, her life changed in ways she couldn't possibly have envisioned: the discovery of her link with Lady Agnes, her special bond with Helen and Sarah, and their sisterhood in the astonishing secrets of the Mystic Way. Above all, Evie's love for Sebastian has turned her world upside down.

Twenty-seven-year-old Kara Larson is bogged down in the stress of planning her elaborate wedding to a professional golfer. Still, to fulfill the requirements of the Palmetto Pointe Junior Society, she makes time in her busy schedule to visit an elderly woman at a nursing home facility. Soon she finds herself mesmerized by the singsong Irish lilt of 96-year-old Maeve Mahoney as Maeve recounts the rambling story of her first love back in Ireland.

Quinn thinks hooking up with Ben over summer vacation will be nothing more than a quick fling. She can't even commit to a nail polish choice, much less some guy. Unfortunately for her, Ben is not just some guy. Ben gets her - the real her, flaws and all - and that scares the hell out of her. When Ben does the unthinkable - tells Quinn he's in love with her - she pushes him away. Ben can only watch from a distance as Quinn lashes out and punishes him for daring to care about her.

Strange things have always happened in Seavy County, the most rugged stretch of Oregon's coastline. Violent storms spring up like magic, even when the rest of the state enjoys sunshine; unearthly beings are sometimes glimpsed in the twilight; and those who live there understand that a rare enchantment still lives in the world, although they seldom speak of it. For Seavy County is home to not just animal life, but to fantasy life as well: mythical creatures long vanished from the rest of the planet.

A gripping story about a young woman whose soul-eating guilt and desperation for a family drives her into the arms of an abuser--and about the struggling widower and women's shelter director who fight to save her in the midst their own battles.

Mia’s ordinary life is disrupted for good in the most horrifying way possible when she is possessed by a hungry and powerful demon - and saved only by the arrival of relatives from Italy, the country her grandfather fled many decades ago. Now her cousins, the charming and gorgeous Emilio, and stern, elderly Giuliano, say the only way to keep Mia safe is for her to come back with them to Milan - to live, to learn Italian, to fall in and out of love, and to master the family trade: fighting all demons with the ancient lore of bell, book, and candle.

How often have you seen a teenage girl pretend to be perturbed, but secretly smile, when she is told that she acts or looks just like her mother? Fathers, brothers, and friends sometimes shake their heads in wonder as girls "turn into their mothers". This new collection from Chicken Soup represents the best stories from Chicken Soup's library on the special bond between mothers and daughters, and the magical, mysterious similarities between them.

She was of American blood, born in the islands. He was a native islander. Their love bridged two worlds that would one day threaten to tear them apart. As a child, Jana Rutherford played barefoot on the sparkling Hawaiian beaches with her friend, Akela, and Akela's handsome cousin, Kimo. But that carefreeness would change as Jana grew... and the quality of her and Kimo's friendship grew as well into something deeper, stronger.

When beloved Christian writer and speaker Savannah Trover becomes gravely ill, she has to face the sham that her faith has become. Days before her heart transplant, she vows to change her ways and she renews her relationship with Christ. But when she awakens from the surgery, Savannah discovers that her faith has left her completely. Savannah's husband, Shaun, is concerned about his wife's odd behavior - and even more concerned about the secret he's keeping from her. If she doesn't bring down their ministry, then he might, losing his family in the process.

With the death of her father, Jo-Beth, her brother, and their mother, Johanna, move in with relatives in town. There, Johanna makes a living sewing her exquisite quilts and Jo-Beth discovers a special friend. Kind, thoughtful, and deep, Wesley Rutherford draws Jo-Beth like a magnet... and their attachment to one another becomes strong - strong enough to endure separation while Wes studies in Philadelphia. Strong enough to make their future together seem certain... until the Civil War forces a decision.

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.

How often have you seen a teenage girl pretend to be perturbed, but secretly smile, when she is told that she acts or looks just like her mother? Fathers, brothers, and friends shake their head in wonder as girls “turn into their mothers.” This audiobook contains the 101 best stories from Chicken Soup’s library on the mother-daughter bond. Mothers and daughters will laugh, cry, and find inspiration in these stories that remind them of their mutual appreciation.

Kate and Michael, twenty-something housemates working at the same Trader Joe’s supermarket, are thoroughly screwed when people start turning into zombies at their house party in the Oakland hills. The zombie plague is a sexually transmitted disease, turning its victims into shambling, horny, voracious killers.

When She Was Electric is an evocative portrait of a family and a small town torn apart by losses. At the heart of this subtle, textured novel is a wrenching disruption - the death of a young girl in a sleepy town. The book tells the story of three generations of women: the resourceful grandmother who turned unwanted land into a thriving enterprise; the daughters, ethereal Min and bold Nellie, who grew up challenging polite conventions; and Ana, the granddaughter who embodies the hopes - and secrets - of this formidable matriarchy.

After surviving Halloween at The Zone, Candace feels like she can do anything—but working as one of the elves during their huge Christmas celebration may still be a challenge for reasons beyond screaming kids and endless candy canes. Elf work proves more dangerous than expected, and Candace realizes she may not know her boyfriend Kurt as well as she thought she did—making finding the perfect present for him almost a full-time job. At the same time, she finds herself getting closer to her good friend Josh.

Jess enlisted in the Marines immediately after graduating from high school in 2001, and in 2004 she volunteered to serve in the Marine Corps' first officially declared Mortuary Affairs unit in Iraq. Her platoon was tasked with recovering and processing the remains of fallen soldiers. With sensitivity and insight, Jess describes her job retrieving and examining the remains of fellow soldiers lost in combat in Iraq, and the psychological intricacy of coping with their fates, as well as her own.

Johanna Shelby could never have anticipated where that 'fateful encounter' would lead her. She could not have known then how love for the young, rough-hewn, mountain doctor would cause her to turn her back on her privileged lifestyle, threaten to estrange her from her family, and bring her to the wild mountains of Appalachia. If she had known... But no! Nothing could hold her back. Not her adoring, worried parents. Not her snooty, so-called 'friends.' Not even her own flashes of doubt and fear. No, this love would not be denied.

Everything is connected. We weave in and out of one another's lives, like circles within circles, and everything is for a purpose. Helen has always been the "crazy" one among the girls of Wyldcliffe, scarred by her bleak past and her troubled relationship with her mother, the former headmistress and leader of the Wyldcliffe coven, Mrs. Hartle. But Miss Scratton promised Helen that a love "beyond the confines of this world" is waiting for her. Could this be Lynton, the mysterious music student who visits Wyldcliffe?

In a world made nearly perfect by man's enlightened progress, an ancient, hungry apocalypse slithers from the shadows and onto the clean, brightly lit streets. Though few realize anything is wrong, it's already too late: too late for the authorities to face this new threat, for science to discover a cure, for the world's warriors to gear up to fight. It is humanity's swan song, and the fat lady is on the stage and clearing her throat.