Showing results by author "M. C." in All Categories

Murder happens in Houston, but when the most recent murders take on disturbing similarities, local law enforcement officers fear a serial killer is roaming their streets. Former sheriff’s department sergeant Jade Monroe has just graduated from the FBI’s serial crimes unit in homicide and is called to Houston with her partner, J.T. Harper, to take on her first assignment—apprehending the person responsible for these gruesome crimes.

In a fascinating tour of creativity and the brain, Nancy Andreasen, professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa and the winner of the National Medal of Science, explores how the human brain achieves creative breakthroughs--in art, literature, music, and science--the role of genes and environment, extraordinary creativity vs. ordinary creativity, and the question of genius and insanity.

Annabelle Carruthers can only dream of being kissed by a man as dashing as Lord Darkwood. She remains locked in misery - married to a rakish drunk who gambles their lives into financial and social ruin. His sudden death - and rumours of spies and treachery - only make matters worse. Burdened with her dead husband's gambling debts, Annabelle fears that she is on her way to the poorhouse. The only solution Annabelle can see to avoid this is to offer herself up as mistress to the mysterious Lord Darkwood!

Rangers take their promises seriously, and when a squad with the 75th Rangers makes a solemn vow to their gravely wounded platoon sergeant, they will move heaven and earth to honor it. When the political structure of the US shifts, the former Rangers will have to go to great lengths to keep their vow.

"I do not think I want to be married at all. I want to be rich. Very rich...." When Henrietta Bascombe opens a confectionary shop in order to turn her pittance of an inheritance into a fortune, her friends are shocked to hear of such a well-bred lady going into trade. The earl of Carrisdown is both drawn to and repelled by her shopgirl status.

The Beast; that was what they called her. With her plump body and rough tomboy ways, she felt more like a clown. It was hopeless. Poor penniless Tilly could only sit among the chaperons as a paid companion to the spiteful Lady Aileen. The best she could do was sit; sit and dream. But suddenly Phillip, Marquess of Heppleford, the most eligible bachelor of all - decided he wanted her for himself, to be his wife, and they were married. His intent was to keep his freedom, fulfill the conditions of his father's will, and shock his aunts.

A cinquant’anni, Agatha Raisin ha deciso di cambiare vita: chiude la sua società londinese di PR e si trasferisce nei pittoreschi Cotswolds, nel cuore dell’Inghilterra. Tuttavia, se a Londra non si era accorta di non avere amici, giunta nel villaggio di Carsely la solitudine le sembra intollerabile. Così decide non soltanto di farsi conoscere, ma di diventare anche popolare. Come? Per esempio partecipando a una gara culinaria. E se non si è capaci di cucinare? Basta un rapido viaggio a Londra per procurarsi un’ottima quiche. E se poi il giudice della gara muore mangiando la quiche?

Dopo il fallito matrimonio con James, Agatha non sa più che fare. E, come spesso accade, sceglie di fare la cosa più sbagliata in assoluto. Segue James a Cipro, dove lui è andato per cercare di riprendersi dallo smacco, e conosce un piccolo gruppo di turisti inglesi, del genere che ha “adottato tutti i modi peggiori dell’aristocrazia, e nessuno di quelli migliori” e che tuttavia pare aver stretto amicizia con altri tre turisti, che sono il loro esatto opposto.

Poor little Susie. A beautiful dreamer, she imagined herself happy in a rose-covered cottage, only to find herself mistress of a great damp castle and wife to the elderly Earl of Blackhall. Luck, not the lecherous earl, contrived to spare her, and by her wedding night she was transformed to a wealthy young widow. But her trials had just begun.

Nervous, scared, and completely unqualified. That's the way I walked into Jack Shaw's office building. I walked out with my stomach in knots for a completely different reason. My heart is pounding like I had actually went running. My head and heart war with quitting or working through the fiery desire he stimulates through me. At the end of the day, I leave the decision to him. The problem is I can't tell if he wants to toss me over his desk or out on my rear. I guess by the dark look in his eyes, I'll soon find out.

I could have my own bakery if I wanted, and my older brother would have it set up for me in a heartbeat. The problem is that I have something to prove. I'm not a spoiled girl who gets everything her brother throws her way, but people have always assumed it, so I've worked tirelessly to get perfect grades in my pastry program. Now, to show off my skills in a bakery. The only problem is everyone believes I got the job by sleeping with my new boss. And I am.

Isabella Beverley is blessed with unparalleled beauty but, unfortunately, has been raised in the most snobbish and haughty of families. And when her father gambles away their fortune - including Mannerling, the exquisite family mansion - Isabella discovers that there is very little sympathy for her plight. As the eldest, Isabella is chosen to court Mr. Judd, the roguish bachelor who won Mannerling. Surely no sacrifice is too great to regain Mannerling? But tempting her away from Mr. Judd is Lord Fitzpatrick....

As scandal and intrigue swirl around her, Jessica must discover where the heart finds true happiness. Mannerling, the splendid family estate gambled away by Sir Beverley, remains the passion of his daughters. Beverley himself has died; the eldest daughter, Isabella - having failed in her bid to reclaim the family home - is blissfully wed. The mantle of saviour now falls to the next eldest daughter, Jessica. How fortunate then that the new owner of Mannerling had a marriageable son.

No young lady can be more devoted to the teachings of the infamous blue stocking Mrs Waverley than Felicity, her adopted author. Yet Felicity leads a secret life: that of an author of a scandalous new novel - the tale of a lady 'rake' and her passionate exploits. Yet there is one titled gentleman who is intrigued with this mysterious, headstrong young woman who is taking Society by storm - and Felicity soon learns that real life is infinitely more interesting than fiction!

We have reputations for a reason. His? Spencer Beckett: Princeton Charming. Ivy League Playboy. Rich AF. Hers? Charlotte Hayes: Campus sweetheart. Virgin. Working her booty off to get through this last semester. When a bet pushes these two together, it's fire and ice...and Charlotte is melting. Fast. But Charlotte has a chip on her shoulder. She doesn't believe that fairy tales exist in the real world.

FBI Agents Jade Monroe and J.T. Harper are on the trail of their most recent serial killer, but they know his whereabouts only by the carnage left in his wake. By the time they reach his most recent location, he’s long gone. Without a clear description of the man, they’re chasing a shadowy figure that people see from a distance—a ghost—that’s killing at an alarming rate.

Modern notions were all well and good - but where did one find a man to share them? Though Frederica chafes at the restricted life she lives as the adopted daughter of an infamous bluestocking, she does agree with the philosophy: until men learn to appreciate women as intellectual equals, Frederica is better off without them! But her sister’s recent elopement sparks fires of romance in Frederica’s well-educated head.

It would seem that even a pretend engagement cannot keep Lady Rose Summer from trouble. Bored with endless parties, teas and balls, she befriends Dolly Tremaine, a beautiful young girl newly arrived from the country and overwhelmed by the demands of the Season. Their friendship is cut tragically short, however, when Dolly is found dead in the river, with flowers in her hair and blood on her breast.

After 10 long years, the earl of Devenham has returned to wed Mary Anstey, only to find that their feelings for each other have cooled off considerably. Nevertheless, they both put on bright faces for the benefit of family and friends. But Mary's younger sister, Emily, sees through their masquerade and would sacrifice anything rather than see her retiring sister married to the now-haughty earl.

Join the adventure through dystopian worlds, to outer planets and into a speculative future. Welcome to the Future Days Anthology. Seventeen authors imagine a future with thrilling tales, starships, unlikely heroes, and exotic aliens, all of which combine to make Future Days a must-listen sci-fi fantasy short story collection.