Showing results by narrator "Lu Banks" in All Categories

Much to their surprise, the Peaches had a great summer running their food truck business selling their pies across the Mid-West, but they're happy to be back home in Duluth, Minnesota, where they can settle back into a routine just in time for the new school year. That is until Great Aunt Lucinda wants to gift them her historic mansion. But there are conditions: they're to turn it into a cozy bed-and-breakfast, something the Peach kids' mom always dreamed of before she passed away. And they only have until Thanksgiving to do the renovations and prove they can make the business work.

I’ve always been the wingman. The great buddy. The teddy-bear guy women lean on. In elementary school, I was the kid passing notes between infatuated classmates. In high school, I was the guy telling a pretty girl that somebody liked her. In college, I was the icebreaker, initiating casual conversation with women in the bar, so that my buddies could ultimately take them home.

Nia has one rule—don’t date neighbors. Simple, except the guy next door is single, handsome, and not inclined to close his blinds while naked. When her car dies, Conn takes “being neighborly” to a new level by offering a ride to her long-distance destination. Nia has resisted his looks and charm for months. Surely she can handle a few hours in his truck...For months, Conn has blatantly put himself on display, hoping his pretty blonde neighbor would tire of secretly watching and come knock on his door for a cup of sugar—or more.

After a tough year, Lucy, Freddy, and Herb Peach are ready for vacation. Lucy wants to read all of the books on the summer reading list. Freddy wants to work on his art projects. Herb wants to swim every day. Then their dad makes a big announcement: One of the inventions their mom came up with before she passed away has sold, and now they're millionaires!

Too smart to be “just” a racehorse, too talented to hang out with other lesson horses, and too proud to believe in fairy tales, Milo chose a lonely path in life. He didn’t want cuddles, treats, friends, or even love until the day he met Claire. Her love opened his heart, but it would take nudging from a very special horse to finally open his mind.

What can I do? How can I work towards a solution? How can I be a change agent? How can I be an ally? How can I effectively change my mindset to get to a place of total healing and racial reconciliation? These questions are often asked in response to tough discussions or events relating to race, racism, racial injustice, or systemic racism, both historical and current.

Helen has opened a door that cannot be closed. The excitement of camp has changed her...and now she hungers for the novel, for the deviant, for the total surrender of bondage and multiple partners. She has grown more attached to the super-sexy Hayden, but how can she be exclusive with one man and continue to participate in the sexual adventurous Camp? And now there's a twist....

Penny May would do anything to forget her past, even traveling all the way to the Colorado Territory to become a Gilbert Girl. Learning to be a good waitress wasn't easy, but Penny is happy with her new life and friends at the Crest Stone Hotel. At least until the handsome and infuriating county sheriff arrives in search of his kidnapped sister.

Fifteen years ago, Summer Cole ran away from home, but home never really left her. Even all these years later, she has nightmares about her time there. Her past is even stopping her from being honest with the man that she loves. As an accomplished attorney, she commands the courtroom, but a phone call from her past brings her back to the girl that she was. Faced with the death of her beloved mother, she goes back to Lexington, Texas, and faces the family that almost destroyed her.

When Layla walked into Giovanni’s shop two years ago, all he could think about was having her tied to a St. Andrews cross. After a couple of conversations, he learned that she was all he ever wanted, but his life wasn’t ready for her yet. One year ago, he was ready to claim her as his own, but then she walked in with the ugliest ring in history, declaring her off the market. Tonight, she walked in with no ring and no reason for him to stop. He can finally show her that he is more than a master in chocolate - he is a master in the bedroom, as well.

When Penny Sue Paine got Lucky, everyone was in an uproar. Because Lucky was the sweet-faced dog who had inherited the Paine millions! Now somebody wanted Lucky dead. So Penny Sue hired herself a tall, well-muscled hunk of a bodyguard . . . When Vic Noble found out his latest client was a dog, he nearly lost his cool. Then he got an eyeful of Miss Penny Sue Paine, a brunette with a body to die for and an innocence that could do a lesser man in. Good thing Vic was about as tough as they made 'em. But the tougher they are—the harder they fall!

Nothing comes easy. Nothing is given but must always be earned. The problem is I'm too tainted and broken to have anything good. That was a lesson I was taught early. A lesson I carried throughout my life, and into every relationship I had.

I stopped believing in the good a long time ago. My childhood was stripped from me one dark night and I was forever changed. Everywhere I looked I saw evil. Everyone I met, I looked at them as the enemy. It took a long time for me to open up and when I did I found my family. The only people I could count on. I never imagined I'd have a family. Because having a family gave me something to lose and I never wanted to feel that pain again. I never wanted to feel weak.

The only mistake I made was walking away instead of facing the man whose heart I broke. I ran away from the life I wasn't ready for, and in the process, lost everything I wanted. I tried to move on and failed epically. There's no moving on from Jake Findlay. Even if he thinks I have. Now that I'm home, I've got to fight my own battles and prove that I'm all grown up. Even if it means letting him in to break me all over again.

Ryland Johnson has embraced the single life, dedicating himself to raising his son on his own. Sutton with her blonde hair and soft smiles is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Despite his own baggage, Ryland can't help but be drawn to the pretty waitress. He wants to protect her from her struggles, and when he discovers she's been hurt, everything changes. He's no longer willing to sit back and wait. Ryland is determined to show Sutton how he truly feels.

Trey Johnson's longing for his best friend's younger sister, Sienna, has always been a source of heartache. He let her go to chase her dreams and spent every waking moment regretting his decision. Now that Sienna is back, Trey is ready to make his move. Determined to win Sienna's heart and keep her by his side forever, Trey is prepared to risk it all. He's going to prove that his love is more than just words—it's a promise he intends to keep.

Tory Baker presents Book 4 in the Rowdy Johnson Brothers series.

When Jane, a wealthy young widow, complains of her sexual frustration in her online support group she gets a little more than she bargained for. Beverley, another widow, suggests that what Jane really needs is a change of scene and she knows just the place. Within a month, Jane has sold her house in Florida and moved upstream to Winchester Drive, an expensive, gated community in Massachusetts. On the outside it looks like anywhere else, but this charming seaside community holds myriad secrets.

I've never been the kind of girl to take the easy way out. Happy endings never came to people like me. The tarnished ones. I'm surrounded by a group that knows sadness too well. We know what it's like to lose and be tossed away like last night's trash. We are easy to blame for all the wrongs, because when others look at us, they see our scars. Most of our stories are told in the ink we bear, but we wear those tales proudly.

Edie Dutton left Kansas with nothing but a few pieces of clothing, a handful of stolen bills, and a forged letter of reference. Since then, she's found a home as a Gilbert Girl at the Crest Stone Hotel. Even despite her transgression at the hotel last fall, she has a second chance to live the life she wants. But Edie Dutton is not her real name, and arriving along with all the newcomers to town comes word that her past may be on its way to put her future in jeopardy.