Showing results by narrator "Petrea Burchard" in All Categories

Widow Wallis Danforth is looking for a little companionship now that her special needs daughter is becoming more independent. That’s all. Nothing complicated. Unfortunately, dating apps have yielded nothing but jerks and perverts - so many that she’s written a one-act play about her misadventures.

Even if the entire town is now accusing Aunt Pearl of murdering her guest. Even if her fiancee is acting weird and talking about seeing ghosts. Even if the town's sexy new sheriff, Tyler Gates, treats her like the most hexing of all the witches.

In Boston, as the Golden Age of Piracy comes to a bloody close, Hannah Masury—bound out to service at a waterfront inn since childhood—is ready to take her life into her own hands. When a man is hanged for piracy in the town square and whispers of a treasure in the Caribbean spread, Hannah is forced to flee for her life, disguising herself as a cabin boy in the pitiless crew of the notorious pirate Edward "Ned" Low. To earn the freedom to choose a path for herself, Hannah must hunt down the treasure and change the tides.

What does infinity hold? Does anything or anyone get buried and remain quiet for all time, or is death just a second life that lasts forever? From traversing the gnarled roots of trees reaching from the sand like claws, to the moment where one finds out the price of justice and who serves it, to a masquerade that can be murder—this collection was created to frighten, engage, entice and, worse yet, make you wonder what awaits you in eternity when your number is up.

April Davis totally has her life in order. Ha! Not really. Yes, she's the Calm Mom - a social influencer with a reputation for showing moms how to stay calm and collected through yoga - but behind the scenes, she's barely holding it all together. Raising tiny humans alone is exhausting, but that's just the chewed-up cherry on the melted sundae of her life. Her kids aren't behaving, her husband left her for his skydiving instructor, and her top knot proves she hasn't showered in days.

In the fourth century, a young man named Augustine turned his back on the church, plunging into a frenzied life of lust and dissipation. His renunciation left Monica, his pious Catholic mother, weeping and praying for his salvation...for more than a decade! Like so many Catholics today - even, perhaps, like you - Monica wrestled daily with the pain of having a loved one fall away from the faith. Like us, she often feared that her prayers and tears were of little worth, empty, futile.

Cendrine West is looking forward to a cozy Christmas Eve dinner when a blizzard blows in, bringing with it a flurry of unexpected guests. But tipsy witches and mischievous magic spell a recipe for disaster, especially when a guest turns up dead. Cen’s sleuthing exposes a Santa-size sack of trouble, and everyone’s a suspect, even her hunky sheriff boyfriend. Is it a deadly accident by a drunken witch...or something more sinister? Murder is on the menu, and only magic can uncover the truth in this witchy, wacky Yuletide thrill ride!

In 1930, as a young woman, Christa Schroeder became a stenographer for the Nazi party, before being noticed by Hitler who, in 1933, hired her as his private secretary. Schroeder remained by Hitler's side, fiercely loyal, for twelve years, living at the Wolfsschanze and even joining him and his staff in the Führerbunker in Berlin in January 1945.

Former spy Irma Abercrombie wasn't looking for drama when she invited Violet Blackheart—a brainy, sun-deprived acquaintance—for a visit at her island home. But after an armed robbery in town goes terribly wrong, Irma gets pulled into an island intrigue: Was it a simple snatch and grab, or are there darker forces at work?

Jen Silver has just moved to an affluent suburb in Pennsylvania with her partner, Dan, and their daughter. It's a picture-perfect neighborhood where residents hang out on each other's patios sipping margaritas on warm summer nights. Jen and her family blend effortlessly into the close-knit community. But Jen isn't who they think she is.

Ruby Young is slowly adjusting to her new life in Boston. A big part of that is her unexpected roommate—the ghost of the woman who lived there before. For Cordelia Graves, she may no longer be breathing, but it’s still her apartment and Ruby is the somewhat unwanted houseguest. They’re both happy they’ve managed to become friends, which is a miracle considering they struggle to communicate with each other. Cordelia even set Ruby up with her old job.

It's summertime on Lake Ontario's Beaver Island, and there's trouble on the horizon. When a remote-controlled tractor goes berserk at the ground-breaking for a new condo development—toppling some magnificent cupcakes in the process—retired spy Irma Abercrombie's finely-honed paranoia goes into overdrive. And after a beloved local is murdered, she and nerdy houseguest Violet Blackheart are drawn into another island intrigue.

Prominent Latin American historian John Charles Chasteen provides a concise history of the world, in which he explores the origins and persistence of the timeless phenomena of humanity's inhumanity to itself. Where did it come from? Why has it been so prevalent throughout our history? And, most importantly, can we overcome it? Chasteen argues that to do so, we must understand our shared past.

When darkness descends, expect sparks. The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson is a spellbinding debut for fans of The Night Circus and The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue. Welcome to the Circus of the Fantasticals . . . After World War I, a select few wake up with frightening magical abilities...

Mrs. Plansky is fresh off of winning a thrilling senior tennis championship with her doubles partner, Kev Dinardo, and is gearing up to celebrate with him on his yacht. That is, until the yacht is destroyed in a fire. Kev claims the fire was caused by a lightning strike, pure bad luck, but there's one small problem—Mrs. Plansky didn't see any lightning. Already certain there's more going on than she's being told, Mrs. Plansky's curiosity turns to concern when Kev goes missing. Her suspicion gets the better of her and leads her to break into his house, only to find it ransacked.

Ten “Doc” Low is a medic with a dark past, riding the wastes of the desert moon Factus, dispensing medicine to the needy and death to those who cross the laws of the mysterious Seekers. Cursed by otherworldly forces, she stays alone to keep herself safe, and to keep others safe from her … But when she experiences a terrifying vision of conflict and the deaths of those she once called friends, she must drag herself back to the land of the living to stop a war before it begins.

When retired nurse Frannie Greene moves into a senior living apartment, she finds a compelling friendship with her new neighbor Katherine—only to discover that Katherine is married to the judge Frannie believes is implicated in the death of her beloved granddaughter. Observing the medication cart sparks Frannie’s darkest imagination, and her desire for revenge combines with her medical expertise. In one dreadful, impulsive moment, she tampers with the medicine. However, the next day, someone is dead, and Frannie realizes the gravity of what she’s done.

Five authors, each with their own secrets, are chosen to complete a deceased novelist's unfinished manuscript. For single mom Risa Marr, the competition is the opportunity of a lifetime. At stake is a million dollars and a contract to continue the famous novelist's bestselling thriller series. Transported to the tropical paradise of Key Island, the finalists are cut off from the world and given seven days to draft their best ending for the book. But when one of them turns up dead, theories and accusations abound. Accident? Suicide? Or Murder?

Alison Jacobs needs brain surgery and places ultimate trust in her sister's husband, Grant Kaplan, a world-renowned neurosurgeon and expert in treating her condition. But Grant is hiding a dark secret which threatens the outcome: an addiction to prescription pills. As Alison struggles to rebuild her life, Grant's daughter, Sadie, spends more time with a new friend. Frustrated that her parents exclude her from the conversations about her beloved aunt, Sadie makes increasingly risky choices which could endanger not only her, but her entire family.

After her husband's death, Lexi has refused to return to the Pinecrest Estate on the Florida Keys because there are too many hard memories on that strip of land, including the memories of meeting her husband on the set of an iconic horror movie, being cast as an extra, watching herself get killed on screen, and scoffing at the rumors of the Pinecrest Estate curse...until she witnessed a cast member die that very summer. But when her daughter sneaks away to visit her grandfather, legendary horror-movie director Rick Plummer, Lexi is forced to face her past.