Showing results by narrator "Laural Merlington" in All Categories

She is a fragile innocent haunted by memories of her past and by dreams of the man who once shared her secrets...the only man she can ever truly love. Now, in the icy chill of a desert storm, they must find the way back to love together - to rekindle the fire whose healing warmth has drawn them home.

There's a new shop on Seattle's Blossom Street - a flower store called Susannah's Garden, right next door to A Good Yarn. Susannah Nelson, the owner, has just hired a young widow named Colette Blake. A couple of months earlier, Colette had abruptly quit her previous job - after a brief affair with her boss. Now, to her dismay, he's suddenly begun placing weekly orders for flower arrangements!

In 1887, Nellie Bly had herself committed to the notorious Blackwell's Island insane asylum in New York City with the goal of discovering what life was like for its patients. While there, she experienced firsthand the shocking abuse and neglect of its inmates, from inedible food to horrifyingly unsanitary conditions. Ten Days in a Mad-House established Bly as a pioneering female journalist and remains a classic of investigative reporting.

In the 21st century, a developmental phase of life is emerging as significant and distinct, capturing our interest, engaging our curiosity, and expanding our understanding of human potential and development. Demographers talk about this new chapter in life as characterized by people - those between ages 50 and 75 - who are considered "neither young nor old." In our "third chapters" we are beginning to redefine our views about the casualties and opportunities of aging.

How often have you seen a teenage girl pretend to be perturbed, but secretly smile, when she is told that she acts or looks just like her mother? Fathers, brothers, and friends sometimes shake their heads in wonder as girls "turn into their mothers". This new collection from Chicken Soup represents the best stories from Chicken Soup's library on the special bond between mothers and daughters, and the magical, mysterious similarities between them.

Isabelle Flanders' former colleague, the conniving Rosemary, did everything in her power to ruin Isabelle, from framing her for a terrible drunk driving accident to stealing her husband and her architecture firm. Now, Isabelle's formerly lovely life is in tatters while Rosemary scoops up the spoils. It's enough to make any friend's blood boil. Rosemary may think she's flying high, but she's about to tangle with the Sisterhood.

Yoko Akia's mother was only 15 when a wealthy man swept her off her feet with promises of love. Instead, he filled her brief life with horror and misery. The Sisterhood has helped each other exact vengeance on rotten men before, but this time it's different. Their target is none other than America's favorite movie star - a brute who has conned the world into believing he's Mister Perfect. But he's about to learn that nobody - not even a powerful superstar - is above the Sisterhood's special brand of payback...

Caring for someone with dementia means devotedly and patiently doing a hundred little things each day. Few care providers are trained to meet the challenges of dementia, however - and that is where A Loving Approach to Dementia Care can help. The book offers practical, compassionate advice on overcoming caregiving obstacles and maintaining meaningful relationships with loved ones who have dementia and memory loss.

The Fernalds are an elderly couple, alone now that their children are grown and, mostly, married. But one of their sons realizes how lonely they must be and decides to bring his family together for the holidays to surprise his parents. First published in 1908, this short novel was followed by a sequel, On Christmas Day in the Evening, in 1910.

In the course of both their official careers and their top-secret missions, the Sisterhood—and their menfolk—have acquired enemies. Myra has been feeling uneasy of late, and her fears are justified when her adopted daughter, Nikki, is seriously injured. With Nikki in a coma, and Nikki’s partner, Jack, convinced that the organization’s online security has been breached, the women of the Sisterhood are more vulnerable than they’ve ever been. On their trail is a vicious felon with scores to settle and a network of accomplices willing to do his bidding, for a price.

Maggie Spritzer’s nose for a story doesn’t just make her a top-notch newspaper editor, it also tells her when to go the extra mile for a friend. When she gets a strange message from her journalism pal, Gabby Richardson, Maggie knows her services are needed.

College senior Lily Madison is on her own and desperate to pay for her last semester of school. With nowhere to turn, she makes the difficult decision to donate her eggs to a fertility clinic. Sam Parker is also a penniless student who supplements his tuition money by visiting a sperm bank. One day, Lily and Sam meet at the clinic and talk about their secret. Despite their obvious attraction, Lily and Sam go their separate ways.

While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie's anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother's untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors - avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery - but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive.

In this unabridged audio download of A Woman Called Sage, a high-energy historical romance novel set in the late 1800s by award-winning author DiAnn Mills, Sage Morrow has lost everything she loved. Now, she is a Colorado bounty hunter determined to track down and bring killers to justice - and it's personal. But when the tables are turned, will Sage become the one who is hunted?

In his early 20s, Mindy Greiling's son, Jim, was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder after experiencing delusions that demanded he kill his mother. At the time, and for more than a decade after, Greiling was a Minnesota state legislator who struggled, along with her husband, to navigate and improve the state's inadequate mental health system. Fix What You Can is an illuminating and frank account of caring for a person with a mental illness, told by a parent and advocate.

Call them Native Americans, American Indians, indigenous peoples, or first nations - a vast and diverse array of nations, tribes, and cultures populated every corner of North America long before Columbus arrived. Native American History for Dummies reveals what is known about their pre-Columbian history and shows how their presence, customs, and beliefs influenced everything that was to follow. This straightforward guide breaks down their 10,000-plus year history and explores their influence on European settlement of the continent.

For the Sisterhood, there's a special satisfaction that comes with helping a friend in need, especially when its someone as dear as Charlotte Hansen. Myra Rutledge's childhood friend has spent tens of thousands of dollars on remedies to boost longevity. But far from improving her health, the medications seem to be destroying it. Myra becomes suspicious of the trio of doctors in charge of the program, especially once the Sisterhood's investigations reveal that one patient has died and another lapsed into a coma.

On a beautiful October day in the San Fernando Valley, teenager Missy Avila was lured into the woods, beaten, tortured, and drowned. Missy's best friend, Karen Severson, publicly vowed to find the killer and even moved in with Missy's family to help. Three years later, a surprise witness exposed the murderers as Missy's two best friends—one of whom was Karen. New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers a story full of twists, turns, betrayals, and confessions.

When the call comes, the Men of the Sisterhood drop everything to help their friends. This time it’s Cyrus, their four-legged hound dog and unofficial mascot. While member Joe Espinosa is driving along an isolated country road with Cyrus in tow, he catches a glimpse of movement in the woods bordering the road and notes Cyrus pawing desperately at the car window. As soon as he pulls over to investigate, Cyrus bolts out the door and leads Joe to three children clustered together - bedraggled, silent, and scared out of their wits.

Life comes in stages. Even the Sisterhood has been content to let their gold shields gather a little dust while they enjoy their friends and family. But when a string of anonymous emails arrives at Pinewood, suggesting shady dealings at a local assisted-living facility, Myra Rutledge and her best friend, Annie de Silva, are more than ready to out-hustle a master con artist at his own game. They’ll need to enlist some new and untested allies in order to pull off their brilliant plan.