Showing results by narrator "A. Monroe" in All Categories

Autumn brings its own haunting beauty to the sun-soaked beaches and dunes on Isle of Palms, where Olivia “Lovie” Rutledge lives in her beloved Primrose Cottage with her daughter, Cara. Looking back as summer fades, Lovie can remember many island summers, but especially one. . . .In 1974, America was changing, but Charleston remained eternally the same. Lovie had always done what was expected — marrying the son of a historic Charleston family, Stratton Rutledge, and turning over her fortune and fate to his control. But one thing she steadfastly refuses to relinquish: her family’s old seaside cottage. The precious summers spent on the barrier island are Lovie’s refuge. Here, she can escape with her children from the social expectations of her traditional Southern mother, and her overbearing husband’s ambition and philandering. Here, she indulges her lifelong vocation as a “Turtle Lady,” tending the loggerhead sea turtles that lay their eggs in the warm night sand and then slip back into the sea. This summer, however, is different. Visiting biologist Russell Bennett arrives on the island to research the loggerheads. What begins as a shared passion for the turtles changes to a love far more passionate and profound than Lovie has ever known — but one that forces her to face the most agonizing decision of her life.For Charleston’s elite, divorce is an unforgivable scandal, and Stratton’s influence is far-reaching. If Lovie dares to dream beyond a summer affair, she risks losing everything: her reputation, her wealth, even her precious children.Beach House Memories — a poignant and emotional tale of a strong, passionate woman torn between duty and desire, between the traditions of the old South and the social changes sweeping America — will capture your heart. For Lovie, it is an empowering journey of seasons of self-discovery. Until this autumn, this time of changing tides, of holding on and letting go. . . .“This luminous tale — set in the South Carolina Lowcountry that we both love so deeply — was hard to put down. Fans of The Beach House will at last discover what happened during the summer of 1974. But readers new to Mary Alice Monroe need not worry, for this emotional story of love and loss stands alone.” — New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank

"Promise me you'll love me after this?" Those were the words I asked my first love on a high school date. "Always, Vi," he told me before crushing his lips against mine. I gave him a part of me I can never get back that night. Even worse, I gave him my heart. That was four years ago. Back when I was young and naive. Back when I thought we’d always be together.

It was twenty-two years ago when Launz and Nye met at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Trenton, New Jersey. Both students, Launz played college football and gigged as a guitarist on the side while Nye was promoted from kitchen cleaner to a waitress. All due to Nye's clever prowess, it took no time at all for a passionate affair to ignite. Then, as quickly as it all began, it all ended when Nye up and disappeared.

Being the last man on Earth has its advantages...After waking up from a military experiment gone horribly wrong, Nick Dekko discovers that he’s the last man on Earth. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’s trapped inside a military base, surrounded by thousands of hungry zombies. Armed only with a battle suit and a smart-ass A.I. named Slade, Nick sets off across a post-apocalyptic America where he discovers a group of hot warrior women who are only too eager to “assist” him in battling the dead.

I was not asked. I was chosen. Every year, the creature who keeps our community safe requires a virgin as tribute, and every year, she is thoroughly ravaged and then returned ruined for any other man. No one will tell me exactly what is in store for me; I only know he's not going to be gentle. But the elders underestimated me, and when they left me in the sacred clearing, I took the chance to escape. Now, the beast hunts me, and if he finds me, I can only wonder what he'll do to me....

Here's another 25 scorching explicit erotica tales you'll be sure to love. From first-time lesbian to vampire sex, this collection is packed with hot stories that won't leave you disappointed.

Tatum is ruthless, calculated, and well-equipped to handle her own battles. Even the ones started by her husband, the man who keeps undermining her at every turn. Naeem's need to protect her only fuels the war between them, until his interference nearly gets him killed. But even then, has the lesson been learned?

Is running away to a small town the answer to a big problem? Seeking refuge from a scandal, Tilly returns to the small farm where she grew up. She expects to find an empty house. Instead, she finds a naked woman in the bathtub. A beautiful, naked woman.

What happens when first love turns to first pain? Follow the story of a young girl who was so desperate to have a boyfriend that she would do anything to keep him. Mariah is a very smart young lady, but when she meets Andrew, a football player at her high school, she is immediately stricken by the lovebug. No matter what her friends tell her to dissuade her from this relationship, she doesn’t listen.

Can love be sweeter than candy? When Adam meets Maya, he might just find out... Maya, a bubbly candy store owner, knows how to handle more than just candy canes. Unfortunately, instead of enjoying life to the fullest, she faces the financial hardships of running a faltering business. When Adam, a shy writer, stumbles upon Maya at Ember’s ‘Beginner Night,’ he’s captivated by her from the get-go. The problem is, while Maya is certainly up for some fun, she isn’t ready to commit. Adam is an introvert, and putting himself out there isn’t easy.

In this “dangerously hilarious” novel (Los Angeles Times), a trans woman reenters life on the outside after more than twenty years in a men’s prison, over one consequential Fourth of July weekend—from the author of the PEN/Faulkner Award winner Delicious Foods. Carlotta Mercedes has been...

For centuries, I've walked this earth, a vampire king with golden eyes and ancient power, waiting for the one soul destined to be mine. When I found Carla—the Mother of Spiders, feared even in Wintermoon—I knew my search was over. Her magnificent children communicate through images, showing me possibilities of a future together, while others see only monsters to fear.

The plan is simple: Get accepted into a PhD program. Though the odds seem impossibly long, an objective analysis of the deliverables yields promise. An essay, a standardized test, a handful of convincing recommendations? Certainly these are items that can be willed into existence. But let us not be fooled. We are embarking on a full year of unwavering focus and studious virtue. There can be no distractions, no digressions, no sudden feats of fleeting whimsy.

Two best friends, one reason not to be together, and a million reasons more why they should. When the welfare of two children shift Jayla and Kayne’s platonic friendship into romantic territory, will the friends take the leap...or let family keep them apart?

Dungoolee is a timeless tale with a very long tail! His life changes when he meets a kind girl who looks at everyone with her heart. She gives him a name, friendship, and shows him a way home. Dungoolee's adventures teach us the importance of looking beyond appearances and seeing individuals for who they truly are inside.

When a mysterious girl named Lucero emerges, she ignites a new wave of revelations about the Inheritance Signal—an ancient frequency connecting spirit and cosmos, culture and resistance. As Zay, Ayana, Luna, and Mateo navigate echoes from their ancestors, they must battle a force that can’t create—only mimic.

Felicity Veneto never asked to be a pawn in her family's war, but when her freedom is traded for peace, she's thrown into the arms of Khalil Bulgari, the man she hates almost as much as she craves. Trapped in his luxurious cage, she knows survival means playing the part of the dutiful fiancée… until she can find a way out. Khalil didn't become the Bulgari enforcer by trusting pretty faces and fake tears. He sees through Felicity's games. However, the more she schemes, the deeper she gets under his skin. And the more he tries to control her, the more dangerous she becomes.

In a time when voices compete for our attention and truth is often clouded by confusion, discernment has never been more vital. A Christian’s Guide to Discernment equips believers with the spiritual tools they need to distinguish God’s voice from the noise of the world.

A Very Merry Matchup Machine is a sharp, warm look at how holiday rom-coms, small towns, and well-meaning relatives turn December into a matchmaking factory—and what that does to anyone who doesn’t fit the script. Starting from the cozy chaos of a Christmas romance full of pageants, cocoa and “accidental” setups, this book opens the casing of the holiday-love machine to examine the gears underneath: the pressure to be coupled by year’s end, the way communities act like human algorithms, and the quiet shame of spending the season unresolved.

The Good Hair Day Contract starts in the mirror and follows the invisible negotiations that begin every time we ask, “Do I look acceptable enough to be seen?” Blending cultural critique with intimate reflection, the book uncovers the unspoken deal many of us absorb: on “good hair days” we are allowed confidence, desirability, and professionalism; on “bad” ones, we owe the world apology or extra effort. From family comments to workplace bias, from salons as sanctuaries to social media perfection, it shows how hair becomes a site where race, gender, age, class, and identity quietly collide.