Showing results by narrator "Ryan Lee" in All Categories

Am I happy? How would I know? What is the measure of happiness? Deep thoughts to indulge on my birthday, while at a funeral. As I stare down into my grandfather-in-law’s grave, it’s all I can think about. When was the last time I felt truly happy with my life? Those questions linger long after the funeral, eating away at my tranquility like a necrotic wound, until one night I finally ask my husband if we can open our marriage to "live a little." Surprisingly, he says yes. I throw myself headlong into an adventure through the bars and bedrooms of Austin, Texas.

Duy, Phong, Minh, and Edmond have been best friends since childhood. Now, as young men running their families’ formidable businesses, they make up Saigon’s most powerful group of friends in 1928 Vietnam’s elite society. Until one of them is murdered.

Harlow Dawson went through something terrible while working a case in Los Angeles. She fell in love. To be fair, the love part wasn’t so bad, but the betrayal left her devastated and in police custody. She returned home to decide how to move forward. One thing was for certain. Her life wouldn’t include Jensen Wiley.

Everyone fears the dragons that live in the ice mountains, beyond the edge of our kingdom. Fierce creatures that can either take the shape of a man, or that of a terrifying beast. Accused of practicing witchcraft, I’m sentenced to death by my Uncle—the King. Tied to a stake and sentenced to burn, he offers me as sacrifice to the fierce Dragon King.

Beatrice "Betty" Hughes has only ever wanted two things: to leave Cole County and to be with Nash Donovan. Obsessed with the stars, she studied astronomy, convinced that it would be her ticket out of her small town, but she never left. She couldn’t. When her best friend convinces her to run the new B&B at Boulder Ranch, she agrees. It's the first step to doing something more with her life and one that could bring her closer to the only man she has ever loved. Nash Donovan leads a quiet life. He works, goes to the gym, stays home alone, and works some more.

Nate Hanover’s future was set. The perfect girlfriend, the perfect career.... He’s the perfect man with the perfect life—until he lost it all this summer. Now he’s not sure about anything, except that no one can know the truth lurking behind his “perfect” façade. Especially not at this week’s high-stakes corporate circus known as Tele-Con.

Talk about making a bad first impression. The rookie at Waterford's fire station literally hauled me out of my own home, over his shoulder. Was my kitchen on fire? Yes. Did I have it nearly contained? Also yes. And now he's been tasked with making up for his overzealous rescue attempts by showing up to my bakery to grovel daily. And beg for my donuts. Don't get me wrong, the man is built like a redwood, has the personality of a golden retriever, and eyes you could get lost in for days. But I'm not dating. Not after my last serious boyfriend left town without looking back.

Audrey Nouel didn’t swap Manhattan’s Michelin stars for Maine’s whoopie pies just to fall for a man who wears thousand-dollar suits like pajamas. She’s got a bakery to run, a cease-and-desist letter threatening her business, and zero chill for the city-boy Grinch who strolls in looking like he wrote the naughty list. Jack Lourd didn’t plan on spending Christmas in a postcard-perfect harbor town—or partnering with a feisty baker who swears she doesn’t need his help. He’s here for his movie-star client, not to trade legal briefs for frosting bags.

When I asked for volunteers to help with our small town Christmas festival, I should have been more specific. Griffin McBride—the arrogant blast from my past who barges in like he's taking over the project—isn't who I had in mind. I want my gossip-fueled town to whisper about my successes instead of my failures for a change. To do that, I need someone to build my dream of a life-sized Christmas village in the town square, not push all my buttons until I totally lose my cool.

When I’m captured by the dark elves and taken before their king, my first thought is of escape. The moment our eyes meet, King Varys claims I am his fated one—his Khio’ri. Humans and elves have been enemies for centuries, but his people believe that a soulbond woven by fate cannot be undone.

Sometimes it feels like every step I take leads to a mistake that is painful or embarrassing, or painful and embarrassing, and it's pretty remarkable that natural selection hasn't taken me out yet. The point is, I have a lot of experience in cleaning up my own messes. Even with all that practice, though, inheriting my dad's failing laser tag business might be a little much.

My new neighbor, Waylon Stryker, is Jepsen's most eligible bachelor—gorgeous, built, and kindhearted. I stick out like an LA-shaped thumb in this small town after inheriting a dilapidated house and a tiny dog. But when I need my ex to back off and he needs his family to stop pressuring him to settle down, Waylon comes up with the perfect solution—a fake relationship. It would have been perfectly transactional if I hadn't drunkenly told him about my spicy bucket list. I prayed he'd forget about it. Instead, he vows to help me check off each task.

Gwen Elsmere fell in love with Sebastian Kirkwood when she was 16, but a dead frog stole her chance to land the guy of her daydreams. Ten years later, when Gwen makes a desperate 911 call, Sebastian reenters her life as the first paramedic on the scene. Unfortunately, she’s smeared in blood, and he’s engaged to another woman. The awkward rescue is far from the passionate reunion she’d secretly hoped for. Still, Gwen’s brief transformation from postal worker to neighborhood hero has her reevaluating her cautious nature.

This is a story about an unwanted mate and a werewolf who'd rather be something else. Samantha has patiently waited for her mate ever since her first shift. After finding him, she discovers that he has a pregnant human fiancée he's been with for the last four years. Now Samantha needs to make some difficult decisions about the rest of her life. She must also unlearn all that she's been taught about mates, life, and herself, in order to survive and move on.

Jack appeared at my door last night after six months of no communication wearing a Mets jersey and holding a dozen red roses. He told me he was sorry, that he loved me, and that he would earn my trust again. It took everything in me to not fall apart at the mere sight of him. I wanted to take him back into my life, but I needed to know that this time it would be forever.

Cutting-edge advice on how to achieve your personal best, for everyone from casual runners to ultramarathoners. In 80/20 Running, respected running and fitness expert Matt Fitzgerald introduced his revolutionary training program and explained why doing 80 percent of runs at a lower intensity and...

ISABELLA LAWSON is the happiest she's ever been, simply because ALEXANDER WALKER loves her. With him by her side, Bella begins to understand her worth. The only problem? Not everyone wants to see her in Xander's life. Schemes, betrayals, and secrets lead to the shattering of two hearts, and Bella's best option is to leave Boston and focus on herself for a change. She puts rules in place to keep from getting hurt again, and when she returns to Boston, she's stronger than ever.

For over three hundred years, Arden's very existence has been hidden. Until one night, when the latest assassination attempt fails and the third Killian blade makes its appearance. A powerful witch with little knowledge of her heritage, Arden's first step on the path of destiny is The Abbey. A...

Beth Brockington thought she had everything figured out until her marriage fell apart just before the holidays. Now she's navigating twin five-year-olds, a bustling family store, and trying not to think about the empty space where her husband used to be. The last thing she expects is to feel her heart skip when Brett shows up looking like the man she fell in love with instead of the stranger they'd both become.

Ender: When I first met Gabe—a month after our best friends started dating each other—I expected awkward small talk and polite smiles. What I don't expect is the way he looks at me . . . like I'm important. Like he sees something worth knowing behind the walls I've built over the years. No...