Showing results by narrator "Lyssa Browne" in All Categories

After a harrowing Tracker assignment in Scotland, Jess Ballard is finally home and ready to celebrate her twin sister Hannah’s long-awaited wedding—and with Milo at the helm, it promises to be the event of the Durupinen season. But even as they turn their attention to dress fittings, tastings, and last-minute preparations, a cloud looms over them. Tensions in the upper ranks of the Durupinen are coming to a boiling point, and it becomes clear that the wedding itself could well be the crucible in which it all comes to a head.

It started with a crush. The best stories always do. Our story sounds predictable, short-lived, and destined for failure. Lincoln Beckett is the star wide receiver at Brighton University—smart, funny, and, like many would guess, heartbreak shines in his dark eyes and is etched across his jaw. He's popular, a guaranteed draft pick, and, worst of all, my brother's best friend. I tried not to like him. I have an entire list of reasons. Reasons that have become my rules for dating. Rules that Lincoln continues bending.

A series of brutal murders has the homicide division of San Francisco's Hub 9 working overtime. But as the bodies mount, they begin to question whether the attacks are random or somehow connected. When one of their own falls victim, Detective Salvi Brentt and her homicide team join forces with the narcotics and cyber divisions to track down those responsible. They soon discover that a volatile new drug-tech experience, involving black market neural implants, has hit the streets, causing the epidemic of violence and missing persons.

Eleven-year-old Lydia Green doesn’t want anything to change. She lives happily in Mulberry Glen with her mismatched family of a fairy guardian, a philosopher, and twin troublemakers known as the Zs. But now, rumors swirl about The Darkness, a powerful force that dwells in the forest Tenebrae. Lydia knows The Darkness is nothing to be trifled with, but when a foolish choice by the Zs puts her family in danger, she must leave home and face the strange magical world of The Valleylands.

Vacations can be murder, especially when you're Mercy Watts. She's trying to get away from it all, including her godmother's lawsuit and a certain situation with the mafia. So she heads to Roatan, Honduras, a place known for scuba diving and lawlessness. Mercy's on the island less than 24 hours when she discovers that she hasn't gotten away from anything. Her problems hitched a ride and increased tenfold. The deeper she dives, the more dangerous her vacation becomes.

Summer, set in New England, is a novel by Edith Wharton, published in 1917. The novel details the sexual awakening of its protagonist, 18-year-old, Charity Royall, and her cruel treatment by the father of her child. Only moderately well-received when originally published, Summer, has had a resurgence in critical popularity since the 1960s.

Once every five years, the Northern Clans of the Durupinen gather at Fairhaven Hall. There, at the ancient castle, surrounded by the very spirits they are bound to protect and serve, the clans settle disputes and shape the laws that govern the Gateways to the spirit world. For the first time, Jess and Hannah Ballard have to represent their clan. It is an awesome responsibility - a great honor...and they are sure it's going to be the most boring week of their lives.

"A Hunger Artist" is a short story by Franz Kafka first published in 1922. The protagonist, a hunger artist who experiences the decline in appreciation of his craft, is typically Kafkaesque: an individual marginalized and victimized by society at large. "A Hunger Artist" explores themes such as death, art, isolation, asceticism, spiritual poverty, futility, personal failure, and the corruption of human relationships.

There’s something about Meredith.... Meredith is a young underachiever, living in a squalid apartment, struggling to stay one step ahead of her landlord and the law when she meets a man from her past who offers her a way out and a chance to start over. Having worked her way into the lives of the rich and privileged, Meredith will do just about anything to preserve her new lifestyle. But just how far is she prepared to go?

Thirteen-year-old Evan Hanson is always the last in her family to know what's going on. Her father, Gene, who's been meaner since he began serving in Vietnam, isn't around much, and she likes it better that way. But then her brother, Adam, gets drafted and her anti-war mother, Endura, takes him across the border to Canada, leaving Evan alone with Gene and her younger, special needs brother, Teddy. When he realizes Endura isn't returning, Gene takes Evan and Teddy to Eat and Get Gas, his mother's cafe and gas station.

You can call me Ella. Whenever you come to a crossroads, I’m that perpendicular track. My bad rap comes from the fact that the choice I offer is always, unapologetically, carnal. After making the courageous decision to leave her abusive husband, Perdie and her three young children start over and finally find the safety and love they all deserve. But years later, when tragedy strikes, Perdie is left wondering if the choice she made to leave has led them to this moment. If she were given the opportunity to take it all back and stay, would she?

Folly Beach, South Carolina, has survived despite hurricanes and war. But it's the personal battles of Folly Beach's residents that have left the most scars, and they are why a young widow has been beckoned there to heal her own. To most people, Folly Beach is simply the last barrier island before reaching the great Atlantic. To some, it's a sanctuary for lost souls, which is why Emmy Hamilton's mother encourages her to buy a local bookstore, Folly's Finds, hoping it will distract Emmy from the loss of her husband.

Spurred by the injustices that nearly destroyed their family, Jess and Hannah Ballard are preparing to win back a seat on the powerful Durupinen Council. The odds are stacked against them, but that's never stopped them before. But as Hannah faces the harsh realities of political intrigue, Jess must face a frightening new reality of her own.

An on-stage attack left Honor Blackwood with more scars than just the one on her face. It’s been 10 years since she left her spot as Nashville’s brightest country music star. Is now the time to return? And is she brave enough to do it? Country rebel and rock star Jared ‘Jed’ Marshall is hot property on the Tennessee music scene in more ways than one. But when he sets his sights on Honor, is it pure attraction or just distraction on his mind?

Do you feel like you are the only one struggling while raising your teenager? Academic stress, mental health, tech usage, competitive athletics, self-esteem issues, adolescent apathy, disrespectful behavior—it's tough to be a teen these days, and just as tough to parent one. If you're in the thick of it with your adolescent—or if you're getting a jumpstart on this difficult time—this book can help you untangle the complex challenges and improve your relationship with your kids.

Nemo Frisby used to be a detective. Now he drives an Uber between billionaire mansions in California. But he never lost the nose for the case - and when his housecleaner, Trinity Fox, discovers a young woman lying dead in her neighbourhood, she persuades him to help her prove it wasn't suicide. Their investigation leads them to the Bel Air home of a wealthy movie producer, who built his mansion over a Native American burial site. Ancient mythology tells of a demon who, if unearthed, can imbue evil men with terrible power.

Event planner Lexi Mannis has a busy life in Chicago - too busy to have a boyfriend. For special occasions, she has her stand-in boyfriend, Mac Northrop. Mac offers (almost) all the perks of a real boyfriend - furniture assembly, a date to big events, and someone to cook for. But they've never been "with benefits"...until one wickedly hot night crosses the line.

When Tessie King inherited the Royal Palace Hotel, Lake Tahoe's biggest resort, she inherited a cranky board of directors along with it. A board that is demanding higher revenues, or Tessie's out. Faced with the possibility of losing her father's legacy, Tessie turns to her staff to help her come up with a plan: film the season finale of Battle Buffet, the hottest cooking competition show on TV, at the resort. It's a scheme sure to bring in the big bucks. But is also brings big trouble.

Three Wise Cats is an inspirational tale about three cats and their journey to witness the first Christmas. The old Siamese Ptolemy was alongside his master when a star of unusual brightness was seen in the heavens, indicating an event of momentous significance, and leading to a great place and fulfill the prophecy: The three shall find the one.

American author Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" was written in April of 1894 and originally published in Vogue in December of that year. The title refers to the time elapsed between the moments at which the protagonist, Louise Mallard, hears that her husband is dead, then discovers that he is alive after all. The short story is a mainstay of feminist literary study.