Showing results by narrator "Emily Rankin" in All Categories

Nora, the owner of a diner, is happy serving up apple cider donuts. But her life is soon shaken when she discovers she and her younger sister Kit stand to inherit the home and land of the town's beloved cake lady, Peggy Johnson. Kit, an aspiring - and broke - filmmaker thinks her problems are solved when she and Nora find out Peggy was in the process of selling the land to a big-box developer.

Picking her battles is a luxury Amber never has. Still reeling from her brutal duel with the Queen of Diamonds, Amber must win over the Assembly. The price of failure? Her own execution and the utter destruction of Emergence. Traditionalist Athanate are calling her an abomination and baying for her Blood. When those who should be her allies attack her, she must bind enemies to her cause.

Into the darkness within; or else the light.... When Margaret Atwood wrote these words, she left open the possibility that even our darkest tales may harbor a glimmer of hope. In Or Else the Light, the third and final entry in the Dystopia Triptych, more than a dozen of the best minds in science fiction conclude their stories with a descent into darkness, or perhaps a ray of light.

In this powerful debut novel set at the US Military Academy at West Point, three women - a nationally ranked point guard, the granddaughter of an Army general, and a rebellious homecoming queen - are brought together in an enthralling story of friendship, heartbreak, and resilience. On the eve of 9/11, as Dani, Hannah, and Avery face four grueling years ahead, they realize they’ll only survive if they do it together.

“Imparting some piece of yourself—any part—is arduous and warrants some kind of commendation,” writes guest editor Wesley Morris in his introduction. Both personal and personable, the essayists in this volume use their own vulnerability to guide listeners on excursions that unfold on uncomfortable edges. From contemplating the nuances of memory to exploring the complexities of family, romance, gender identity, illness, and death, Morris’s selection of essays presents a roundup of the thinkers who masterfully grapple with the issues of our time.

On a summer day in 1988, two extraordinary things happen to 12-year-old Maeve Donnelly. First, she is kissed by Daniel, the boy of her dreams. Then, she is attacked by a blacktip shark. Eighteen years later Maeve is a world-travelling marine biologist studying and swimming with the very animals that once threatened her life. Maeve is fearless in the water. On land, however, Maeve is haunted by painful memories and indecisive about the path her life will take.

Esme Cahill thinks she has failed spectacularly: fired from her New York City publishing job, divorced from her husband, and possessing little more than a broken-down car and a pile of unfinished manuscripts, she drives home to Asheville at the request of her late grandmother, Adele, who had begged her, just before she died, to return to the place she grew up. There she discovers the once-charming lakeside retreat run by her family is sliding toward financial ruin.

In her new memoir Swimming for My Life (She Writes Press, October 11, 2022), Fairley tells the riveting true story of what she—and many other elite and female swimmers—endured on their teams. From abusive coaches and workouts that stretched the limits of what the body could endure to daily weigh-ins and extreme dieting, her journey brought not only triumph, but also trauma. And the trauma was not limited to the pool.

Shooting Out the Lights unravels like a mystery novel, but Kim Fairley's memoir wrestles with the very real secrets we keep from each other and the roles we play to protect ourselves. Centered around her marriage to a man 32 years older who had lost his son from his first marriage in a gun accident, the story explores the taboo of wide-age-gap love.

With divorce looming, Paige MacInnes isn’t sure what to do with herself. She’s spent so much time being everything to everyone else that she’s pretty sure she’s forgotten how to just be Paige, the woman. Maybe, she’ll be able to find herself again in Magnolia Bloom.... With the help of loved ones and lifelong friends (and maybe even a sexy Scotsman), Paige will need to figure out how to preserve the legacy of the MacInnes estate - all while learning the importance of trusting her heart, the power of second chances, and ensuring her own happily ever after.

It began with a quarrel over which newborn should be the baby Jesus in the town's Christmas pageant. Decades later, two scientists arrive to study small-town genetic patterns, only to run up against the invisible walls that split the leading citizens into two congregations that can only be joined by love and forgiveness - and maybe a little deception, because there might be some things people just don't need to know.

Now the struggle between the Andro-Francine Order of the Named Lands and the Y’Zirite Empire has reached a terrible turning point. Believing that his son is dead, Rudolfo has pretended to join with the triumphant Y’zirite forces—but his plan is to destroy them all with a poison that is targeted only to the enemy.

An addictive literary puzzle that introduces an unforgettable young heroine plunged into the twisted world of a secret society with a dark agenda. Lee Cuddy is 17 years old and on the run, alone on the streets of Philadelphia. After taking the fall for a rich friend, Lee reluctantly accepts refuge in the Crystal Castle - a cooperative of homeless kids squatting in an austere, derelict building. But homeless kids are disappearing from the streets in suspicious numbers, and Lee quickly discovers that the secret society's charitable façade is too good to be true.

The second volume of the best stories from legendary hard science fiction writer Ben Bova, the creator of the New York Times best-selling Grand Tour science fiction series, a six-time Hugo award winner, and past president of the National Space Society. The stories included in this volume span the five decades of Bova's incandescent career at the center of science fiction and space advocacy. Here are tales of star-faring adventure, peril, and drama.

An ancient prophet, witness to unspeakable sorrow, is called to deliver a message of hope. A barren couple learns they will have a child in their old age, a child who will prepare the way for the coming lord. A virgin conceives a miracle. As Zacharias goes about his duties in the temple, a visit from an angel brings unexpected but welcome news. The same angel appears to newly betrothed Mary, and his words will change more than her life.

Ellie Larrabee’s life is perfect. She’s thriving at work, living in a fabulous apartment, and engaged to the man of her dreams. To all appearances, Ellie and Rob Beauman are a golden couple—blessed with good looks, success, and romantic chemistry that’s off the charts.

Raisa was just a child when she was sold into slavery in the kingdom of Qilara. Before she was taken away, her father had been adamant that she learn to read and write. But where she now lives, literacy is a capital offense for all but the nobility. The written language is closely protected, and only the king, prince, tutor, and tutor-in-training are allowed to learn its very highest form.

For fans of The Future of Us comes an engrossing story of two teens, whose love for each other is tested by time and fate. Lucas and Juliet couldn’t be more different from each other. But from the moment Lucas sees Juliet, he swears he remembers their first kiss. Their first dance. Their first fight. He even knows what’s going to happen between them - not because he can predict the future, but because he claims to have already lived it. Juliet doesn’t know whether to be afraid for herself or for Lucas.

Writing under the pseudonym A. M. Barnard, Louisa May Alcott wrote a series of what she called "blood and thunder" thrillers for a weekly pulp magazine. In the first, Pauline's Passion and Punishment, she explores the unfair roles of men and women, as well as the societal expectations and forbidden desires that play an important role in this story of love and vengeance.

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie Diehl is happy toiling away as a criminal law associate at an old line New England firm where she very much appreciates that most of her clients are behind bars. Everyone at Traynor, Hand knows she abhors face-to-face contact, but one weekend, with all the big partners away, Sophie must handle the intake interview for the daughter of the firm's most important client....