Showing results by narrator "Victoria Villarreal" in All Categories

Barrio Logan, one of San Diego’s oldest Chicane neighborhoods, once brimmed with families and stretched all the way to the glorious San Diego Bay. But in the decades after WWII, the community lost their beach and bayfront to factories, junkyards, and an interstate that divided the neighborhood and forced around 5,000 people out of their homes. Then on April 22, 1970, residents discovered that the construction crew they believed was building a park—one the city had promised them years ago—was actually breaking ground for a police station.

A Vietnamese mermaid caught between two worlds. A siren who falls for Poseidon’s son. A boy secretly pining for the merboy who saved him years ago. A storm that brings humans and mermaids together. Generations of family secrets and pain. Find all these and more in this gripping new collection that will reel you in from the very first word! Welcome to an ocean of hurt, fear, confusion, rage, hope, humor, discovery, and love in its many forms.

Amanda Dean would say she's an okay artist and a loyal friend, but what she’s best at is falling in love. A self-proclaimed bi disaster who has had her heart broken more times than she cares to count, Amanda can’t help opening herself up. As she gets ready on the day she's waited a lifetime for, memories of her past loves run through her mind, with one glaring red sign blinking above them—is this “the one”?

Sixteen-year-old Rumi Sabzwari has spent his entire life behind the armored walls of St. Iago, which protect citizens of the Union of Upper Cities from the outside world’s environmental devastation. But when rebels infect his father with a fatal virus, Rumi escapes St. Iago, desperate to find a cure.

Vampires and merpeople, angels and demons—the stories in this anthology imagine worlds where the only thing more powerful than the supernatural, is love. A girl in a graveyard goes on an unexpected date, a shipwrecked sailor makes a connection on a forbidden island, a piano melody summons a soul mate. Creatures of folktales and legend, of land and sea, of centuries past and life after life, all wrapped into one spellbinding compendium. Once you sink into its story, it’ll never let you go.

Mia has had a heart condition her whole life. She’s not afraid of dying but something has always stopped her from her biggest fear: tracking down her biological mother in Spain...until now. Before her next surgery, Mia wants to meet the woman who gave her away once and for all. Kyle has always been the life of the party...that was until the car accident that killed his best friend. Since then he’s been reeling with guilt and willing to do just about anything to escape his reality. After a twist of fate, Mia and Kyle meet and make the decision to travel to Spain together in search of answers.

Ava Granados will never forgive herself for being late to her beloved nana’s deathbed. But due to a flash flood that left Ava in a fender bender with a mysterious boy, she missed her grandmother’s mystical blessing - one that has been passed between the women of her family upon death for generations.

Dolores Mendoza is not thriving. She was recently diagnosed with a chronic bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. The painful disease isn’t life-threatening, but it is threatening to ruin her life. Just when things seem hopeless, Dolores meets someone poised to change her fate. Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones is glamorous, autistic, and homeschooled against her will by her overprotective mother. After a rocky start, the girls form a tentative partnership

She had been nervous about starting fifth grade after spending all summer with her little brother and baby cousins. So when her fifth-grade teacher announces a district-wide robotics competition, she jumps at the opportunity to be the class’s leader. Being in charge is better and cooler than playing make-believe, right? Many people doubt her, especially the boys in her class, but with the support of her friends and Girl Scout troop, Maven is determined to prove them wrong.

Learning any language can be difficult. Finding the time to do it is usually the first problem, and finding a place where you are free from distractions can be just as hard. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Now, with Spanish Language Lessons for Beginners: Level 1, you can learn to speak Spanish phrases, conversations, and more, while you commute to work or take other short car journeys. Chapters include: "Numbers and Ordinals", "Colors", "Days and Months", "Family Places in Town", "Food and Drink", "Clothing", and much more.

After inheriting his uncle’s lodge, Silas Matheson hopes the grandeur of the California Sierra Nevada will be a fresh start for his two young sons, and a chance to finally face his demons. It was here, fifteen years ago, that Silas and his friends Jessica, Danny, and Meg ventured into the mountain wilderness and Jessica vanished without a trace. When his boys go missing in the same dark woods, the fear and guilt that Silas has been running from ever since come crashing back.

When she was younger, “thirties” had felt so…settled. Before she’d been betrayed. But, that was then. She wouldn’t let herself be star-struck into foolishness. She wouldn’t let her dreams be shattered. Izzy would put her head down and do what she had to do until life became more than a struggle and allowed her to dream again. Gabriel Stone was not good at many things. Mainly relationships. Passionless. The word seemed harsh. But it was an accurate description of his life. Nobody cared for him and he had no one to care for. And he was fine with that.

When Lexi receives an invitation to participate in a brand-new escape room, along with her best friend Tess, she’s thrilled. They could both use the distraction after a recent tragedy. But once inside, they learn that they must compete against one another. What do you do when your best friend suddenly becomes your biggest adversary, and every choice you make puts her in danger? How far will you go to win?

In the room beneath a stage's trapdoor, Shakespeare’s dead teenage girls compare their experiences and retell the stories of their lives, their loves, and their fates in their own words. Bestselling author Joy McCullough offers a brilliant testament to how young women can support each other and reclaim their stories in the aftermath of trauma.

Claire Walker has always had her life in perfect order, including her high-powered job at one of Manhattan's top corporate law firms. Yet the one thing she cannot seem to find is a perfect love to complete it, until fate pushes Matías de León into her path. Matías is a Spanish artist who is everything that Claire is not: free-spirited and creative, chaos to her order. She falls for him, hard—and he for her. A year later, however, Claire begins to question everything about their relationship. How can they possibly work long-term when they're so different? Might it be best to end it?

The six teenagers who make up the Lit Lair have it made. A beachfront mansion, millions of followers, stunning good looks, and sponsorship deals worth more money than they ever dreamed. They live together, making videos about their perfect lives. Except it’s not so perfect after one of them turns up dead in the infinity pool. When the group TikTok account starts posting cryptic messages, the police stop looking outside the house for suspects — and start looking straight at them. Everyone in the Lit Lair had reasons why their lives would have been easier without Sydney Reynolds.

Cara Didion might be down on her luck, but her spirit is still as feisty as ever. Who needs luck, anyway, when you’ve got determination. And she’s determined not to be stuck forever. She’ll write her masterpiece. But, in the meantime, she is fine writing quick articles for her best friend’s popular online celebrity gossip site. Even if that means she has to go undercover in Charlotte’s high society scene.

When she was younger, “thirties” had felt so settled. She would be a high-powered interior designer with a handsome husband who was kind and a wonderful father to their son. No, daughter. No, she had wanted twins! Right? She couldn’t remember. That was so long ago, when he had been so lively and full of passion. Before she’d been betrayed.

Paloma Marquez is traveling to Mexico City, birthplace of her deceased father, for the very first time. She's hoping that spending time in Mexico will help her unlock memories of the too-brief time they spent together. While in Mexico, Paloma meets Lizzie and Gael, who present her with an irresistible challenge: The siblings want her to help them find a valuable ring that once belonged to beloved Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Finding the ring means a big reward—and the thanks of all Mexico. But the brother and sister have a secret. Do they really want to return the ring?

A playground for the rich and famous, a murdered Jane Doe, and a beloved celebrity. Journalist Bexley Squires might be out of her league when she’s asked to solve one of the nation’s most infamous unsolved mysteries. But she’s broke and desperate for the means to find her sister after her disappearance, and the world’s sexiest actor will pay generously to save his reputation. Only she didn’t expect the detective in charge of the case to be her old crush Grayson Rivers.