Showing results by narrator "Cris Dukehart" in All Categories

Jackie has a map of the city on the wall of her bedroom, with a green pin for each of her trees. She has a first-kiss tree and a broken-arm tree. She has a car-accident tree. There is a tree at the hospital where Jackie’s mother passed away into the long good night. When one of them gets cut down, Jackie doesn't know what to do but she doesn't let that stop her. She picks up the biggest rock she can carry and puts it through the window of a car. Smash. She intends to leave before the police arrive, but they're early.

When the Faction returns to Creel Creek, Constance thinks it's to help solve the mystery surrounding her missing mother. But they have other priorities . . . like the spike in attacks coming from the shadow realm. It doesn't help that Constance has her own demons to face—the kind from hell. Can they work together to rid the world of these threats? And will Constance finally find out what happened to her mother?

In a league full of troublemakers, Cold Fury defenseman Roman Sýkora stands out - at least when it comes to negative publicity. When he's not chilling in the penalty box, the sizzling Czech skate demon is racking up tabloid headlines for his scandalous behavior with the ladies. But now Roman's feeling the burn from management to clean up his act, or else. Luckily he's got an enticing distraction: a fun-loving barista who plays the ukulele.

Marek Fabritis is used to delivering blows, not receiving them. But when he gets tipped off by an anonymous email about his ex-girlfriend, the news leaves him ice cold - and it's not because Gracen Moore is getting married to a total jerk. It's the fact that Marek has a three-year-old daughter he never knew about. Now he's going back home, not to play knight in shining armor but to make damn sure that no man takes what's his. For the first time, there might be something more important than hockey.

It's in His Forever: Flight medic Langston Brooks has built a good life for himself in his hometown of Red River. His secret lover for the past decade isn't a forever kind of girl. Not with a tarnished reputation over something she didn't do, and it's still following her. It's in His Song: Hailey Hicks left Red River six years ago with a secret. When she comes face to face with her ex, Dylan McCoy, sparks fly. Can they mend the damage done because of how they parted ways? Or will her secret cause them both to get burned again?

The fae queen has been making her own plans, none of which involve us surviving the next ten days. When we can't seem to stay ahead of her magic or her mercenaries, the only chance to save the people I love is a potentially deadly gamble—where a single mistake could bring disaster not only for us but for every Idrian refugee on Earth.

The bodies of seven women have been discovered in Skull Valley, Arizona. Jonah Young, a private security operative from Department six, has been hired by the Yavapai County sheriff to assist in solving these murders. But Jonah’s not prepared for the complications that arise when he’s forced to work with a woman from his past, private investigator Francesca Moretti. Jonah betrayed Francesca 10 years ago. She hasn’t forgiven him and she’s pretty sure she never will. But the woman she was hired to find has been murdered in exactly the same way as the seven in Skull Valley, so, Francesca has to work with Jonah.

Dylan Morrissey forgoes the Shifters’ traditional Yule celebration, to his family’s dismay. Instead, he joins Ben at the haunted house in New Orleans, planning to meet with potential, if dangerous, allies in the Shifters’ constant struggle for freedom.

Christmas is a hot button for Kimberly Perez, and not in a good way. Having grown up in the foster system, she's as frugal as she is smart and can't abide the materialism of the holidays. In an effort to use precious funds to help children in need instead of wasting money on meaningless commercialism, she pitches a new city ordinance to Red River's town council that would cut all holiday decorations and festivities from the budget.

When Texas Ranger Faith McClellan is called to investigate a series of gruesome small-town murders, she doesn’t expect to find a slaughtered pig - but she agrees to take the case, suspecting the latest murder was targeted at Kelsey Marie, the teenage handler of the victim. Kelsey Marie is smart, pretty, and successful, supporting her family’s lavish lifestyle with her highly lucrative YouTube channel. She’s also the target of massive online hate, with dozens of threatening messages sent to her channel each day.

Cooper Lee and her friends in the Hope Street Bible Study Group are enjoying a glorious summer day in the park, complete with a picnic, hiking, swimming, and a local bluegrass band. But Cooper knows that no good day goes unpunished, and when a man turns up dead in the nearby woods - and the sister of Cooper's fiancé is named as the prime suspect - the group may have to trade in their prayers of thanks for pleas of divine intervention.

The Rangers are running an active shooter simulation in an empty mall when they find a young woman’s body, wrapped in plastic in a mechanical closet. When the medical examiner discovers that this woman is missing several organs, it is Faith’s first clue that this is not your average murder. Soon, Faith discovers a trail of bodies matching the killer’s M.O., all stored in remote indoor locations, all with organs removed, each one closer to the last. With the missing organs affecting the decomposition timeline, it’s almost impossible to pinpoint the time of each murder.

It's the most picturesque time of the year in Santa Fe, and Chef Rita Lafitte of Tres Amigas Café hopes the twinkling lights and tasty holiday treats will charm her visiting mom. Rita is also planning fun activities, such as watching her teenage daughter, Celia, perform in an outdoor Christmas play. What she doesn't plan for is murder. Rita discovers a dead actor during the premier performance but vows to keep clear of the case. Sleuthing would upset her mom.

No-nonsense jewelry designer Iris Fortune yearns for a normal life. But life as Vegas magician Cosmo Fortune's daughter is anything but normal, especially since dear old Dad is also a scam artist. When Cosmo's latest scheme goes awry and he pulls a real-life disappearing act, Iris is left holding the bag.

When Melissa Francis was eight years old, she won the role of lifetime: playing Cassandra Cooper Ingalls, the little girl who was adopted with her brother (played by young Jason Bateman) by the Ingalls family on the world’s most famous prime-time soap opera, Little House on the Prairie. But behind the scenes, her success was fueled by the pride, pressure, and sometimes grinding cruelty of her stage mother.

While on special assignment to the bank fraud unit, Texas Ranger Faith McClellan accidentally stumbles upon a raging fire consuming the back of a nearby house. When partially cremated remains are pulled from the ruins, she finds herself back on homicide - and on the trail of a ruthless killer. As she races to identify the victims, the sadistic murderer strikes again - this time against state politicians with ties to Faith’s father, a former governor of Texas.

Adelaide - heiress to the wealthiest man in the Ceithren Empire - has felt a void since her sister's death. Just as she's resigned herself to the empty life her father chose for her, a relic from a world that shouldn't exist plunges her into chaos. Clark - son of the greatest terrorist the empire has ever known - is still reeling from his father's death. Since then, his life has boiled down to two things: his brothers and his next mission. When his mission to bring back a mystical artifact goes awry, he's forced to choose between getting the job done and saving the life of a socialite.

In a culture obsessed with parenting formulas, it's easy to miss the fact that science and lived experience have proven that human development and thriving are a matter of relationship. Drawing on decades of psychological research, neuroscience, and their own experience as parents and people of faith, the Olricks present six relational needs for human growth that will transform the way you think about your child - and yourself. Together, the needs form a trustworthy compass to guide you and your child to a path of purpose and relational wholeness.

Originally published in an 1896 edition of The Home Monthly, "The Burglar's Christmas" tells the story Crawford, a homeless man in Chicago who has not eaten recently and considers stealing food on Christmas Eve. Reminiscent of the parable of the prodigal son, this tale reflects on the nature of forgiveness. This recording of "The Burglar's Christmas" was recorded as part of Dreamscape's Classic Christmas Stories: A Collection of Timeless Holiday Tales.

Aaron thinks genre fiction is an affront to the fiction-writing craft. He often quotes the essayist Arthur Krystal, who says literary fiction "melts the frozen sea inside of us". Ironically Aaron doesn't seem to realize that he's emotionally frozen. The vivacious Laurie, lover of flamingo-patterned attire and all things hot pink, is the one person who might be capable of melting him.