Showing results by narrator "Abby Craden" in All Categories

Evangeline Phillips isn’t exactly a Grinch, but being estranged from her parents means Christmas is just another day for her. But when Evie meets her new neighbor—her hot, kind, and blessed-with-the-sexiest-accent-Evie-has-ever-heard neighbor—she thinks it might be just the thing to help her get past the holiday season.

Hawken Trent. So polite. So sweet. Such an upstanding young man. A virgin, too, I hear. He never gets naughty with a girl. Probably because Jesus told him not to. And now here he is, trying to be the hero by protecting another girl from me. He calls me a bully. Irrational. Unreasonable. A criminal. He can call me anything he wants, I’ve heard worse. And he can try to stand between me and my money, but he’s never had to fight for food. That rich, clean, school boy doesn’t have what it takes

Workaholic Detective Aiden Carlisle isn't looking for love - and certainly not at the law-enforcement seminar she reluctantly agreed to attend. But the first lecturer is not at all what she expected. Psychologist Dawn Kinsley has just found her place in life. After a failed relationship with a police officer, she has sworn never to get involved with another cop again, but she feels a connection to Aiden from the very first moment. Can Aiden keep herself from crossing the line when a brutal crime threatens to keep them apart before they've even gotten together?

On the other side of town are five brothers. . . Macon is the oldest. I've never seen him smile. Army is a single dad with beautiful green eyes. Iron will be in prison soon. Dallas is the one I hate. Trace used to be mine. I need to go home. Away from the swamps and these men. I’ll leave tomorrow. I'll crash on the couch tonight. Everyone is asleep. Except for one. He sees me crying. I let him wrap his arms around my body and hold me.

Neve Blackthorne, head of one of the most successful Studios in Hollywood, is the one to rule them all. Powerful, beautiful, and aloof, she's ruthless, yet irresistible. Above all, she has an unquenchable survival instinct. Surely a fleeting entanglement with one Audrey Avens, a bright, young, rising star in her company, won't bring down the Wicked Queen of Tinseltown. Or will it? Neve's public persona has no chink in the untouchable armor, but when the lights go out and the cameras stop rolling, what becomes of an Ice Queen whose heart is ruled by love and fear?

When six childhood friends get together for their annual girl's weekend at the beach in Port Aransas, none could have believed it would be for the very last time. Nina Evans had been saddled with organizing the weekend each year, pulling five of her oldest friends together for a few nights of fun and reminiscing, the one time a year they saw each other. Each year was much the same—laughter, dancing, and lots of drinking. This time was no different. That is, until Jones walked out of the dance club with a stranger.

Stockbroker Isabelle Rhodes has a lot of money, a lot of trust issues, and a whole lot of reasons to believe her ex-girlfriend was right when she said that Isabelle sucked at relationships. With that accusation stuck in her head, Isabelle throws caution to the wind and dives into her first one-night stand. Checking that off her bucket list should be something to celebrate - except it turns out that the woman she just spent an earth-shattering night with is actually her newly hired company pilot, Audrey Graham. Ms. Never-See-You-Again just turned into Ms. See-You-Constantly.

Captain Sabine Fleischer is a skilled and dedicated US Army surgeon deployed to a combat hospital in Afghanistan. She is also one of the thousands of troops who are forced to serve in silence because of the military's anti-gay policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)". Usually driven and focused, Sabine finds that battles raging both inside and outside are making it more and more difficult for her to deal with her emotions. Dealing with loss and mortality, lack of privacy, sleep deprivation, loneliness, and the isolation forced on her by Don't Ask, Don't Tell are all taking their toll.

Pro alpine skier Aspen Archer's downfall happened in the worst possible way - a career-ending crash on a gold medal run at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Aspen packed up her broken life, picked up her broken body, and now hides in comfortable obscurity at ski resorts around the world, coaching tourists and ignoring her problems. Cate Tierney knows who Aspen is, but the last place she expected to meet the former Olympian was during a ski trip to Australia. Hurt by a past relationship, and with a teenage daughter to protect, Cate's initial reluctance is quickly overcome by her attraction.

Kylie and Regan have been best friends since kindergarten, supporting each other through thick and thin. While everyone thinks they would be perfect for each other, they insist there's no chemistry between them - and Regan should know since she's a chemistry teacher.

Elise Grayson has it all. Money, looks, a comfortable home in an upscale Boston neighborhood, and the social status her family has long enjoyed. She has everything she's ever wanted. Almost. Elise's private life is her one failure. Jan Chase needs a new job and new surroundings—a place where no one will ask questions or judge her ability. Driving a limousine for Boston's privileged elite seems like the perfect answer. Being a chauffeur is something Jan is tailor-made for. At least until she meets Elise Grayson.

Jacqueline Keys was ostracized from her small hometown of Pine Springs, Texas, when she was 17, sent away because she was gay. Fifteen years later - long after she'd hitch-hiked to Los Angeles, put herself through college, and had written her first best seller - Jacqueline is persuaded to go back to the tiny town of Pine Springs after her father's death. The quick trip she'd envisioned for the funeral turns into weeks as she learns her father's business is suddenly hers to manage. And she is also again face-to-face with the woman who, as a teen, had been Jackie's first crush.

Falling stars are supposed to be a lucky sign, but not for Austen. Her new job as a secretary in an international games company isn't off to a good start. Her first assignment - decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby - results in a trip to the ER after Dee, the company's second-in-command, gets hit by the star-shaped tree topper. Dee blames her instant attraction to Austen on her head wound, not the magic of the falling star. She's determined not to act on it, especially since Austen has no idea that Dee is practically her boss.

Alone since her father's murder, Aurora has spent years hunting his killers. Battle-weary she's ready to start over where no one knows who or what she is, she just has one last mission to complete. Everything is going to plan until she discovers the beautiful winged girl caged underground. Her decision to rescue Evie and to help her get home safely, despite avians being infamous for selling out shapeshifters like Aurora to cutters and black-market flesh dealers, will put her on a perilous path.

Jodi Burkitt is alone again. Her ex took everything with her—the friends, the fun, and the daughter that Jodi had loved like her own. She's got plenty to distract her from the empty days and nights, especially her latest home renovation project. When Jodi discovers a hidden jewelry box in the walls of the home she's renovating, she turns to her ex's friend, librarian Michele Galveston, to help piece together the mystery inside the box.

Julia Maguire can't wait to spend two weeks in Hawaii with her best friends. She's been dreaming about this trip for years and all she wants is to lay on a sandy beach with an icy cocktail in her hand. But those vacation goals change the moment she meets Reed Baxter. Reed is a busy doctor with family demands. She's in Hawaii to let go, not find love, and she's not interested in any commitment. Adding a little heat to the vacation seems like a good idea as long as there aren't expectations for anything more.

While the investigations go on in Dallas and Baton Rouge after the disappearance of a senator's daughter, FBI agents CJ Johnston and Paige Riley are assigned to the sleepy backwoods of East Texas for a dead-end assignment to infiltrate an all-girls school. Random disappearances dating back 50 years and more raise red flags that point to the tiny, isolated community of Hoganville. But CJ and Paige fear there will be little distraction from the memories of the one-night stand they shared six months ago.

Used to the busy playground of Winter Park, police chief Reese Daniels is shipped off to sleepy Lake City, Colorado. She takes the job of sheriff seriously, but makes it clear to one and all: This year is just a blip in her life. When it's done, she's gone. Forest Ranger M. Z. Morgan has lived in Lake City long enough to be considered a local. The pace, the quiet and the many friends make life there well worth the lack of dating material. A girlfriend would still be nice, and the new sheriff is easy on the eyes.

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: This idea changed my life.

When professional soccer player Alex Grey goes on a vacation to the local South Carolina islands, she isn't anticipating any life-changing events. Just a relaxing weekend to prepare for the upcoming season. But that quickly changes when she finds herself the lone witness to a sailing accident and makes the decision to risk her own life to save a drowning woman—unwittingly coming to the rescue of a US senator's wife, Catharine Cleveland.