Showing results by narrator "Hollis McCarthy" in All Categories

In this Regency-set short story, widowed Lady Diana Waverly finds love and passion in the most unlikely of places when a new piano tutor arrives at her door.

Caina Amalas is a nightfighter of the ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through cunning and valor she has cast down both proud lords and mighty sorcerers. But a power darker than any she has ever faced is awakening. When a mad assassin armed with a sorcerous blade rampages through the Emperor's capital, Caina must track the weapon to its origin, a ruined city blighted by the folly of sorcerers, a city that holds weapons far more potent than mere blades. Weapons that can resurrect an ancient empire of dark sorcery to enslave the world anew....

Caina Amalas is a Ghost nightfighter, one of the elite agents of the Emperor of Nighmar, and she has defeated both corrupt lords and mighty sorcerers. As the Padishah of Istarinmul prepares to make peace with the Emperor, the Ghosts must keep the Padishah’s ambassador safe from assassins. But when an escaped slave begs for Caina’s help, she finds dark plots stirring in the shadows. Plots that threaten to devour the Empire and unleash terrible horrors.

Caina Amalas is a Ghost nightfigher, a spy, and an agent of the emperor, and time and time again she has overcome mighty foes through boldness and cunning. But even her boldness might not be enough to stop the coming destruction.

Caina Amalas is a Ghost nightfighter, an assassin and spy of the Emperor, and her cunning saved the city of Marsis from a brutal invasion. Now she must keep the war from becoming worse. The nobles of the Imperial city of Cyrioch plan to revolt, and assassins stalk the high lords of the Empire. Only Caina stands between the Empire and a ruinous civil war.

Caina is a ghost nightfighter, one of the emperor’s elite spies and assassins, and few enemies of the empire ever escape her cunning. Yet all Caina’s wit and skill might not be enough to save her from a terrible fate. Sent to hunt down a cruel slave trader, Caina encounters something far darker. An ancient evil, a thing of legend and terror. A creature that wants to corrupt her, heart and soul....

Owen Manning has perfected the art of keeping his distance. His passion is limited to intellectual pursuits and running his internationally renowned engineering firm in Alaska. Ivy is his newest recruit - brilliant and beautiful, she takes his breath away and tempts him beyond reason. Considering that reason and intellect are what drive his life, losing control isn’t something he does. Ever.

Jessa Hamilton has nowhere else to go. So she's packed up her little blue truck and driven to Alaska, seeking refuge at Last Frontier Lodge, where at least she has family on which she can count. A fender bender lands her in the path of Eli Brooks, a man of pure, well, manliness. Rugged and handsome with a smile that sends sparks flying through her, Jessa has no idea what to do with the way Eli makes her feel. While Jessa tries to put the pieces of her life together, a surprise from the past forces Eli to question just how much running from the past has gotten him.

Jane Gallows isn’t much of a witch. Her spells only work when she has a mouthful of chocolate, which can be downright awkward at times. That’s why she makes her living as a private investigator. Of course, being a P.I. has its difficulties too, not the least of which is her lazy, sarcastic cat who insists he’s the brains behind her sleuthing skills and the ghost of a 1940s gumshoe that haunts her office and wants in on the case-solving action. When old-timer Bud Saunders hires her to get rid of a ghost in his barn, she figures it will be a piece of cake.

There's a serial killer on the loose, and Lexy Baker’s grandmother, Nans, could be the next victim. The bodies are piling up at the Brook Ridge Falls Retirement Center. Healthy people are dropping like flies. And yet no one believes a murderer is on the loose... except for Lexy Baker and the troupe of iPad-toting grandmothers who live at the center. When Lexy's detective boyfriend, Jack, refuses to believe that foul play is involved, Lexy has no choice but to find the killer on her own.

The man she couldn't forget....

Beautiful, talented lingerie designer Lina Cornaro sits on the cusp of major success. After her fiery affair with tough Formula One driver Ivo Zanardi ended in heartbreak, she's learned to keep her focus on her career. Nothing could make her return to Ivo. Nothing, except the public revelation of her darkest secret: Lina is the illegitimate daughter of Sarcaccia's King Carlo, one of the most famous men in the world.

If there's anything Joy "Rocky" Rookwood loves more than the plants she tends to at Tenwick Abbey, it's a challenge; that's precisely why she's agreed to become the latest spy in Morgan Graylocke's household. When she's tasked with going undercover as gardener in another house to ferret out a high-level traitor she jumps at the chance. The only fly in the ointment is that she has to take fellow botanist, and also newly minted spy, Edgar Catterson III with her as backup. Rocky and Catt rarely see eye to eye.

When things don't go as planned, Felicia and Gideon have to not only fight their unwanted, growing attraction but also the evil-doer who seems intent on sabotaging their work. Even worse, it can only be someone within Tenwick Abbey that is trying to subvert their mission. Someone in their midst is an enemy spy. With their research in shambles and their lives in danger, Gideon and Felicia realize they can only trust each other. Will they be able to perfect the serum in time to protect England...and themselves?

Designer Marly West has one reason for taking the job at Draconia Fashions...and it's not to come up with the latest clothing trends. But when she blurts out a good idea in a corporate meeting, she gets exactly what she didn't want...an opportunity of a lifetime. Too bad taking advantage of it might reveal the secret she desperately needs to keep hidden. But it's too late to get out of it now, and she soon finds that she's in over her head with a boardroom full of resentful executives, a hot CEO, and an assistant that wants to make sure Marly doesn't succeed.

Well-mannered women don't have careers in 1806 so Philomena St. Gobain disguises herself as a man to attend the Society for the Advancement of Science meetings where she sells her inventions to a select, chosen few. The handsome Duke of Tenwick is not one of those chosen few, so when he corners Phil in the hallway during a clandestine meeting with one of her suppliers, she slips away as quickly as she can.

Just This Once is a friends to lovers story between a brilliant prosecutor who's sworn off love and a Navy SEAL who's been hiding his feelings for too long. Becca Hamilton is a busy prosecutor who's dedicated and passionate about her work. After being left high and dry days before her wedding several years ago, she promised herself she wouldn't let her heart become vulnerable again. Yet, she didn't count on temptation in the form of Aidan McNamara.

Prince Alessandro Barrali is known for his wild ways. After he's compelled to stand in for his staid identical twin, all Alessandro wants is to escape the fishbowl of palace life and indulge himself. When he awakens aboard the royal yacht awash in hedonism, yet bored out of his mind, he decides a new quest is in order.

The Barrali family has seen its share of scandals. But what of those who work for the famous royals? This collection of three romantic holiday tales takes you to the Barrali Winery, to an elegant royal yacht, and through the palace's secret garden to experience the passions of those who serve.

Raised on a farm, Tabitha Salt, the daughter of Irish immigrants, leads a bucolic and sheltered existence. When tragedy strikes the family, Tabitha and her mother are forced to move to the notorious Five Points District in New York City, known for its brothels, gangs, gambling halls, corrupt politicians, and thieves. As they struggle to survive in their new living conditions, tragedy strikes again. Young Tabitha resorts to life alone on the streets of New York, dreaming of a happier future.

Rocco Cornaro dedicates his life to creating innovative, life-saving medical devices...and in the process has become a wealthy man. However, he harbors a deep secret: his mother was once the lover of Sarcaccia's King Carlo Barrali, and Rocco is the product of their illicit affair.