Showing results by narrator "Nicole" in All Categories

Hope is a young woman on the brink of a successful career as a jeweler. The last thing she needs right now is trouble, but trouble finds her when she's caught trespassing on private property. Bad luck is following her like a menacing cloud, and the only way to survive the storm is to walk through it.

How can we apply technology to drive business value? For years we've been told that the performance of software delivery teams doesn't matter - that it can't provide a competitive advantage to our companies. Through four years of groundbreaking research to include data collected from the State of DevOps reports conducted with Puppet, Dr. Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim set out to find a way to measure software delivery performance - and what drives it - using rigorous statistical methods.

As a Rock Chick, Shirleen Jackson lived through all the kidnappings and explosions. Along the way, she also watched the dramatic love stories that came with those rides unfold. But long ago, Shirleen made her choice. It affected who she was and would always be. She decided to settle for what she had and not want more. She had good friends. She was raising two fine young men who weren't hers, but she loved them anyway. She was good. And then Moses Richardson crashed into her life, literally...and deliberately.

After Ember Brycin finds her mother brutally murdered, her mind begins to see things that shouldn’t exist, like creatures that belong in scary fairytales. The more she feels her sanity slipping, the more bizarre and inexplicable things start happening around her, even burning down one of her schools, turning Ember into an outcast. When she and her stepfather, Mark, move to Olympia, Washington, they think it will be a new start. However, things only continue to get worse.

Kylara Diamantine has never met another dragon. Raised by her mother apart from the rest of their society without any idea why, she's always been curious about the rest of their species. She wants to get out there, to meet other dragons, to explore! To stretch her wings. Literally. Be careful what you wish for, they say. They're right. After a devastating magical attack on their home leaves Ky's mother missing, she's placed at a special school for her protection.

With Charity's fate on the line, Devon and his pack must face the perils of the Realm in search of the elusive warrior fae. With no real experience and against some of the most powerful creatures in existence, they are fighting a losing battle. Thankfully, they don't have to do it alone. Knowing what's at stake, Penny and Emery, the magical powerhouses of the mage world, will lend their aid, trying to sneak Charity in the backdoor.

Ripped from the man I’m bound to. Thrust into fresh danger. And this time I must go alone. Except the task I’m burdened with should belong to a more powerful fae—my mother. Listening to her brought me to this moment of heartache and loss. Perhaps the time has come for a new approach, no matter the consequences.

The four legendary creatures are free, the seven sins are running wild, the vampires are getting thirsty, and the Vatican is ready to enter the front lines. And Callie Penrose is at the heart of it all. The Horsewoman of Despair flicked the first domino, and the consequences are echoing throughout the various halls of power in all corners of the world. As the streets of Kansas City threaten to become raging rivers of blood, one of those closest to Callie is kidnapped, and she is forced to choose between her heart and the people who depend on her to keep them safe.

Something has always been missing from my life. A hole that I could never seem to fill. When I accidentally turn a coven of witches into nightmares, I find out what that something is. Magic. And it turns out, I have a crap load of it. As a latent power awakens deep inside of me, I'm exposed to one of the most powerful and corrupt organizations in the magical world - the Mages' Guild. Barely knowing a spell from a few swear words and luck, I won't be able to evade them alone. And that's when I meet him.

Blasphemy is a victimless crime...Callie Penrose has taken over Castle Dracula all for herself, finally feeling like she has time to take a breath and relax. But the forces of Heaven and Hell have other plans. Callie quickly learns that removing her mother’s protection of binding Excalibur to her soul had very serious consequences. Namely, that it unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins on Kansas City. But they aren’t in town for mayhem - not directly. They came for a wedding. And a very dark prophecy that could bring the age-old Angel War to the streets of the City of Fountains.

Haunted by their decisions, the King and Queen of Vesta must defend their kingdom and protect those they hold most dear—without losing themselves. With a city under siege, Emmeline and Rainier must do all they can to protect the ones they love, even if it means they might never see each other again. With Cyran and Elora safely across the continent, wounds between mother and daughter will not be mended anytime soon. The princess must learn to master her newfound abilities while also mastering her grief—and her heart, thanks to the venomously handsome prince-turned-king.

Journalist Nicole Madigan was stalked for over three years. The relentless and debilitating experience wreaked havoc in her personal and professional life, leaving her trapped in a constant state of fear and anxiety. Nicole uses her own story as an entry point to examine the psychology behind stalking behaviours and their impact on victim-survivors. Whether by a stranger, acquaintance or former partner, stalking can have a catastrophic effect on a victim-survivor's mental, social and financial wellbeing. At its worst, it can lead to physical violence, even death.

In the world of crime fighting, Raven has learned that formal affairs are a necessary evil. So when Keystone receives an invitation to a winter ball, she tries to make the best of it. The most powerful elites in Cognito are attending—a perfect opportunity to network and have a few drinks. But when a guest hijacks the party in a violent display of dark power, chaos ensues. It's a race against time as Raven searches for a way to thwart his diabolical plan. Will Keystone find the fortitude to prevent the downfall of civilization? Or will they bow to a new king to save their souls?

Mackenzie Grey is tying up loose ends before she says goodbye to the life she knows. In doing so, that means closing up all her cases that are left open at the Supernatural Investigative Unit, and nothing prepares her for the blood thirsty vampires roaming the streets of New York City. It is time to rein them in and bring order back to the city. Except Kenz is just as blood thirsty as they are.

With the bombshell that Ophelia dropped on the night of the mating ceremony, Mackenzie is struggling with her inner self. Everything she once believed her life would be just got turned upside down-and not by choice. Fae magic runs through her blood and the consequences are dire. The demon wants what Mackenzie has because of her blood and will stop at nothing until he gets it . . . even if he has to kill her in the process. But the question is, why does he want it so badly? And why is he killing so many innocent lycan in his quest?

Zoë Merrick lived an ordinary life until late one night, she was brutally attacked and left for dead. She survived, saved by a stranger who witnessed her undergo a physical transformation. That's not the only thing that's different. Zoë is unable to control an unexplainable energy coursing through her body. Justus De Gradi is a man who can teach her that control. He's handsome, arrogant, and not entirely human. He reveals that she is a Mage - an immortal made of light, not magic. She must now make a choice: Rebuild her life in the human world with the man who saved her, or live with Justus and learn how to use her extraordinary gifts. Justus has sworn an oath to protect her life, but can he guard her from the one man who has a right to claim it?

Only a week after solving their last case, Raven is itching for a new assignment. In her downtime, she's focusing on the two most important men in her life: her father and Christian. But there's no rest for the wicked. When an old friend seeks Raven's expertise on a delicate matter, Viktor reluctantly accepts the case. But without evidence of a crime, they might have no choice but to walk away, even if that means countless bodies filling the graveyard.

Quinn is a free-spirited artist who is struggling to get her business off the ground. When a prominent Packmaster commissions a piece from her, she finally sees a glimmer of hope. Creating a masterpiece for this pack is her mission, and Quinn won't let anything get between her and her dreams, not even a marriage proposal.

Despite the spoils of a solid relationship and an idyllic life at Keystone, Raven is itching for the thrill of another big case. Things begin to heat up when a dangerous assignment falls in her lap. Searching for the mastermind behind an illegal fighting ring is no easy feat, but as the weeks roll by, Raven's undercover job begins to take an unexpected emotional toll. It's a deadly mission, and if she's not careful, she could lose everything.

Transporting goods is part of the job, but when Keystone accepts the daunting task of moving precious cargo, the team splits up. Raven has orders to follow, but Christian's seductive ways draw out her violent soul. Their journey is dangerous, their enemies ruthless, and one misstep could prove fatal.