Showing results by author "Ruby" in All Categories

Sometimes you just have to say "Stuff it"! Life is too short not to live it to its best. With that in mind, Stuff it! - Vanderlust is a compilation of stories, musings, and memories from campervan adventures.

The man with allergies never gets the girl, at least according to the movies - and Portland restaurateur Ian Zamora wants to be the guy who gets the girl. So to rid himself of the sensitivities brought on by his sometimes-girlfriend's cat, he makes an appointment with allergist Petra Lale. But he suddenly finds himself acutely attracted to the very woman who is supposed to be helping him take care of his problem.

Andrew P. Cohen, a professor of comparative culture at New York University, is at the zenith of his life. Adored by his classes and published in prestigious literary magazines, he is about to receive a coveted promotion - the crowning achievement of an enviable career. But the manicured surface of his world begins to crack when he is visited by a series of strange and inexplicable visions involving an ancient religious ritual that will upend his comfortable life.

As an a'ani warrior, my life matters little. Cloned from the same matter as thousands of others, I am but one of many. Here on the ice planet, though, I can start over. I can become my own person, have my own needs, my own wants. I know what I want. I have known since the moment I arrived. Her name is Angie. She is human, with sad, lonely eyes, and a very pregnant belly. To her, I am not just another clone. I am Vordis, the one who laughs at her jokes, tends to her needs, and makes her smile. But my brother and fellow clone Thrand thinks the same way....

All I want is Hannah. We've resonated, but she avoids me. She has made it very clear that she wants no mate, whether he has two arms or four. But when others leave the Icehome beach camp for a getaway to a fruit-filled cave, Hannah wants to go, and she needs a companion.

They think they won. The Elite thought it would end at the battle, but I'm taking them to war. I will topple Landon, Michael, and Cole off their thrones, even if it means bringing the system to its knees. Tensions are boiling beneath the surface of Breakbattle Academy. Protests are erupting, the lower classes are fighting back, and the Elites aren’t as invulnerable as they thought. The school is ready to blow. All they need is the right girl to light the match.

When Fergus tells Diana he's taking her on a flower-arranging retreat for her birthday, she should have been more suspicious. Especially when he announces that he's coming with her. After discovering the whole truth about the retreat, Diana is still considering how to murder Fergus...when one of their fellow flower arrangers is found dead - stabbed in the back with a mystery weapon. With the retreat on complete lockdown, Diana and Fergus have a mystery to solve that wasn't part of the itinerary. Will they find the killer before the clock runs out?

Scarlett McKennon’s life in the big city is a big flop. Her cupcake bakery went under, her roommate at her expensive apartment left her high and dry, and her girlfriend just reacted to “I love you” with “No thanks.” Her sophisticated metropolitan dream has crumbled all around her, and the only thing left to do is pull up stakes and return to the small town where she grew up. What could be worse than limping home in defeat? The minute she steps off the train, Scarlett finds out: her first love, Joan, is waiting there to drive her into town, looking quite sexy.

Kalish has been a successful treasure hunter for years, relying on only herself to deal with deadly predators, impenetrable jungles, and diabolical booby traps. But with her father kidnapped, and a notorious pirate demanding an ancient alien artifact that may or may not exist, Kalish needs help. She hires a mercenary company because she needs their combat experience and their piloting skills - the intelligence officer with the background in translating alien hieroglyphics could come in useful, too.

Matt & Eileen Grant's saga continues.... What will happen this time?

As a database programmer from Arizona and a fan of sedate, indoor activities, Indi Smith doesn't belong in outer space. Certainly not in a star system with a broken wormhole gate and no way home. But through no fault of her own, that's where she's landed, and nobody on the ship, not even the genius chief engineer, Hierax, knows how to repair the gate. The only clue that could help is an untranslatable transmission coming from an uninhabitable planet with no atmosphere.

My sister was good, kind, loving, and the Royals of Regalia bullied her 'til she killed herself. I set foot on campus ready to right some wrongs when the most handsome bunch of stone-cold weirdos asked if I needed a little help. These four are as determined to make up for not protecting my sister as they are to protect…and keep…me. They’re freaks. Weirdos. Psychos. But damned if they’re not taking my heart like they do everything else—without mercy or permission. It’s the five of us against the most untouchable of Regalia. No one thinks we can win, but I like my chances.

Drugs flooding campus. Tensions brewing between the factions. Old enemies reappearing. New secrets taking over my life. Love awakening a soul I long thought was dead. Cassius, Clay, Hiro, and Royal have named me one of them, but sharing a title is easy. Can we share all that comes with it? I’ll be tested in ways I’m not prepared for — by enemies and loves alike. There’s more going on with the academy, the Horsemen, and my parent’s disappearance than I knew. What I do know is following that path will be dangerous.

They broke me. Ryder, Maverick, Ezra, and Jaxson didn't think I would come back for my second year. The coldly cruel knights of Evergreen believed the Mark would be all it took to get rid of me. To keep me quiet. But now, I've got a whole new reason to stay. Those four will know a pain far worse than what I've endured. They tore me apart until there was nothing left...and now, I'm going to return the favor.

Charlotte Morgan knows how it feels to desperately want a baby. As a child, seeing her mum devastated by losing her longed-for babies, Charlotte wished another woman could give her mother what she so craved. Now Charlotte’s a mum herself and knowing how much love her daughter, Alice, brings into her life, she vows to help others achieve their dreams of becoming a parent. When she meets Malcolm and Brenda on a surrogacy website, it seems she's found the perfect couple. In their late 40s, they have wealth and an enviable life, but there’s one thing missing – a child of their own.

Angela left her parents' lavender farm with dreams of becoming a professional dog trainer. Getting kidnapped by slavers from outer space was not part of the plan. Fortunately, Angela and a few dozen other women were rescued by Star Guardians. She isn't quite sure how she's going to get back to Earth, but these Star Guardians aren't looking too shabby, especially a hunky one named Treyjon. He trains svenkars, 400-pound predators that make pit bulls look like squeak toys. Angela is curious about the animals - and about him.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Evergreen Academy was meant to be my fresh start. My hair was on point. My skin was flawless. And now, I wore the hell out of my clothes instead of hiding them. Even running into Ryder hadn't thrown me. So what if the silver-eyed devil who tormented me for years now ruled my new school with a band of boys everyone called the Knights. The four of them were devastatingly rich, enviously handsome...and heartbreakingly cruel.

From no-frills butter cake to galaxy buns, Ruby will provide careful and clear instructions that explain what each step should look, feel and smell like. And if you're worried about keeping up, don't! In the pauses between steps, those moments where your fingers are enmeshed in dough or batter, she'll talk you through the emotive quality of food and its place in our lives.

The Brotherhood has us in their sights. The attacks are coming from everywhere and nowhere from a seemingly invisible enemy. When we discover how the Brotherhood manages to stay five steps ahead, it’s up to me to find and stop the traitor. But it requires me to revisit a place I swore I’d never go: my past. The battle for the city we love is heating up. The Brotherhood challenges the Merchants’ right to rule, and Genny and the Savage Princes don’t give a f--k. Cinco is theirs and they’ll fight to the death to protect it. And me…well, I just might be their secret weapon.

Dr. Tala Matapang thought the most challenging part about getting kidnapped by slavers from another planet would be escaping, not butting heads with the obstinate Star Guardian captain who rescued her. She’s been working in his sick bay, and it's refreshing not having to deal with the politics and bureaucracy she faced as a surgeon back home, but Captain Sagitta is as infuriating as he is handsome.