Showing results by narrator "Krystal Hammond" in All Categories

Untamed and wild, Cynda is an outdoorswoman holed up in the Appalachian backcountry. Her solitary existence is shattered when Kadija, a fierce freedom fighter, tracks her down. Kadija demands Cynda return to civilization to face the consequences of an out-of-control project Cynda worked on years ago.

“Forgiveness, friendship, and vulnerability all shine as brightly as holiday lights in this snow-sprinkled romance.” —Booklist (starred review) ‘Tis the season for holiday hijinks in this “swoon-worthy” (Kirkus Reviews) sapphic rom-com about a rising star and a small town girl going...

Rachel Peng misses the army. Her old life in Criminal Investigation Command hadn’t been easy, but she had enjoyed it. Now, as the first cyborg liaison to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police, Rachel is usually either bored senseless or is fighting off harassment from her coworkers. When she and her partner, Detective Raul Santino, stumble into a murder investigation with ties to Rachel and the other cyborgs, she realizes their many enemies will not allow them to quietly pick up the pieces of their lives.

In Nebula Award-winning author Sam J. Miller’s devastating debut short-fiction collection—featuring an introduction by Amal El-Mohtar—queer infatuation, inevitable heartbreak, and brutal revenge seamlessly intertwine. Whether innocent, guilty, or not even human, the boys, beasts, and men roaming through Miller’s gorgeously crafted worlds can destroy listeners, yet leave them wanting more.

Retired master florist Kate Willow moved to remote Serenity Springs for one thing: peace. All she wants is a glass of wine, her creaky rocking chair, and the company of her horse, Moose. Her effervescent neighbor Margot Reed is sunshine and glitter-soaked chaos who just won't leave her alone. Worse, Margot's wild, messy garden ruins Kate's tranquil view and chafes her fraying nerves. Their simmering rivalry ignites every year at the Rose Festival. Margot has won for five years straight—a crown Kate is determined to reclaim.

When nature lover Ivy inherits a plot of land in the rugged interior of British Columbia, she sets off to escape city life and build her dream homestead. She instantly clashes with her beautiful but frosty neighbor, Annie, who wants to buy Ivy's land to solve a centuries-old Gold Rush mystery.

Sidney has one goal for their junior year. Well . . . two, if they’re being honest. Number one: become president of their school’s Queer Alliance club. And number two: keep their self-diagnosed anxiety in check so their grades don’t tank like they did last year. But when the election results in a tie with none other than Sidney’s arch nemesis, the class clown Forrest, the two are forced to share the presidency until a revote at the end of term. Sidney expects Forrest to be insufferable, but it turns out that working together is . . . kind of nice?

In her second collection from Trepidatio Publishing, award-winning author Gemma Files takes her listeners on journeys out beyond safe borders—from the trackless depths of the sea, to the empty desert frontiers of the Weird West, even to the edges of cracks between worlds. Here, in these narrow spaces between the known and the unknown, behind the paper-thin curtains of reality, lurk monsters both human and ancient: selkies and avenging revenants, voodoo priestesses and pirate sorcerers, ghosts and vampires, and the most famous murderer of all time.

Three starred reviews! From USA TODAY bestselling author Christen Randall comes a cozy, “authentic, and affirming” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) queer romance about self-discovery, finding your person, and carving out a space for yourself in unexpected places—perfect for fans of...

Winter Holliday is devoted to her friends, her career, the quaint town of Anneville, and Christmas—though not necessarily in that order. Romance is not on her agenda, no matter how much her friends, coworkers, and neighbors try to convince her otherwise. As the cochair and vice president of the Anneville Special Events Committee, she can't imagine abandoning her duties for a fling with her high school crush, Avery Sumner.

Taika Turunen has no magic. Despite coming from a long line of powerful Finnish mages, and their name literally meaning magic, Taika can't perform the simplest of spells. Forced to attend Myrskyjärvi International School for the Magically Gifted on account of their mom being principal, Taika has a hard time fitting in. Sometimes, they wonder if not having magic has something to do with the fact they're neither a girl nor a boy and if they're fated to be "Taika the Talentless" forever.

Five sisters share one business like no other. Warded by fae magic, this shop’s inventory shifts to meet the needs of its customers, summoning the sister whose expertise is required. With Lily behind the counter, it’s a candle boutique. Aster manages the bookstore. Crystals are Iris’s specialty. Fern sells flowers and herbs. And Daisy tends to the apothecary and oils.

On a sunny September morning, the creatures first appear. Shur sees one of them hovering outside the window in history class: it looks like a giant butterfly, at first too beautiful and strange to seem like a threat. But when emergency alerts light up everyone’s phones around her, she realizes something very, very wrong is happening outside. These … things are everywhere. By the time Shur makes it back to her house with her brother, Keene, and their two best friends, it’s clear they must face whatever comes next on their own.

On prom night, Hannah MacLaren sits in the headmaster's office in her fanciest dress, soaked to the bone. She pulled the fire alarm right as the queen was about to be crowned, and she's in huge trouble. But Hannah had her reasons for ruining the biggest night of everyone's lives. One year ago, her cousin Sophie, who was also her best friend and the person she loved most in the world, died of an overdose. Drowning in grief, Hannah became obsessed with one question: Who gave Sophie those pills? Then she concocted a plan.

We all want our colleagues to feel safe, heard, and free to be their authentic selves at work. But being an inclusive colleague doesn't happen overnight—it's an evolving process that involves growing, learning, and intentional effort. This book will teach you how to address and understand your biases, how to get better at noticing and responding to microaggressions, and why being an inclusive colleague will spark more productive and rewarding relationships with your coworkers and boss.

Science fiction often focuses on future technology and science without considering the ways social structures will change as tech changes—or not. What will relationships look like in a complicated future of clones, uploaded intelligences, artificial brains, or body augmentation? What stories emerge when we acknowledge possibilities of new genders and ways of thinking about them? The Reinvented Heart presents stories that complicate sex and gender by showing how shifting technology may affect social attitudes and practices.

Eve has a carefully curated online life, works occasionally, and texts constantly with her best friend, Ezra. Basically, she is an archetypal LA millennial. She has also been carrying on a year-long conversation with her deceased friend Miggy over text. But when Ezra goes missing on the anniversary weekend of Miggy's death, Eve feels like her world is shattering. Over a frantic weekend Eve investigates Ezra's disappearance, scouring social media for clues, while drowning her anger and anxiety in drinks, drugs, and spiritual cleansing.

Victoria’s a necromancer, fairy, Blood Queen…hot freaking mess. Her identity is so twisted up in supernatural nonsense that all she wants to do is go back to embalming bodies and coffin brochures. Being in love should make things easier, but when your beau’s a bear and you’ve got a fairy suitor waiting in the wings, romance is just another complication. While preparing the victims of a tragic fire for their funerals, Victoria discovers that their deaths were not accidents, as the police have ruled. Soon, she’s hot on the trail of a Firestarter.

The year is 1912. When doctors in India are unable to treat her baby brother’s illness, Ruth’s missionary parents decide there is one solution: move her mother and the children across the world - to Michigan. But India is the only home Ruth knows. In a matter of days, she must leave Papa and all she loves behind, abandon her dream of one day playing violin in the Calcutta Orchestra, and embark on a rollicking, four-week journey across the Arabian and Mediterranean Seas, followed by the voyage to New York aboard the luxurious, ill-fated RMS Titanic.

A dark and twisted fantasy stand-alone romance where hate and love collide in a world filled with snarky witches and vengeful gods. Grieving being torn from her beloved sister, who remained behind in the human kingdom, Elle makes it her life purpose to become a keeper in her cursekeeper coven. But this calling won’t be an easy one. The magic possessed by her small coven of four casts them as outsiders throughout the kingdom. Yet when witches are found murdered in the woods, the cursekeepers quickly become the town’s only hope.