Showing results by narrator "Michael Ryan" in All Categories

I know it shouldn’t matter what people say about me. But when my parents told me that I would never find love because I liked guys, I was willing to do anything to prove them wrong. So, when the most romantic guy ever asked me to marry him, I had to show him to them immediately. Was I moving too fast? Because as soon as I scored him an invitation to one of our obnoxious family get-togethers, he called things off. Now, I need a fiancé to replace the one I thought I had or my parents will think they were right about me all along.

Wyatt and Biz, two gay guys married and living in New York, are having a baby together via surrogacy. And they’re freaking out. Not only are they about to change their whole way of life, they also can’t seem to get along at all. But time is running out: they have under a month until the baby is here. So in a desperate attempt to get their relationship back on track, the pair take a make-or-break roadtrip across America, to California, to pick up their new baby.

A moving, inspiring and thought-provoking collection of 50 coming-out stories from around the world. From the good, the sad, the surprising and the funny, no two stories are the same, yet all are by people who share the courage to be vulnerable, take huge risks to find love and acceptance and are brave enough to be their authentic selves. Whether you have any experience of coming out or not, these stories are incredibly powerful and moving.

In the realm of Imphallion, there once was a nightmare - a living nightmare known only as the Terror of the East. Nigh invulnerable in his magical black armor and aided by unholy minions, he laid waste to all in his path on his all-consuming quest to bring order to the land. His order. Then, at what should have been his moment of triumph, his will failed. And his army fell. Taking a young noblewoman as hostage, he escaped, vanishing into darkest memory.

In the realm of Imphallion, there once was a nightmare - a living nightmare known only as the Terror of the East. Nigh invulnerable in his magical black armor and aided by unholy minions, he laid waste to all in his path on his all-consuming quest to bring order to the land. His order. Then, at what should have been his moment of triumph, his will failed. And his army fell. Taking a young noblewoman as hostage, he escaped, vanishing into darkest memory.

Awarded the Albert Medal for bravery in 1913, Crean's heroic exploits are legendary yet have remained little known outside of those in the Polar community. Accompanied by sound effects, the story is brought to life as you travel with Tom on the historic journeys he made during his lifetime. His is a story of hardship, escape, and triumph over adversities in the most unforgiving terrain on our planet.

The five members of an elite commando group nicknamed “the Stone Wolves” once raged against Creterakian rule. Now, four decades after their heyday, they each try to stay alive and eke out a living. But a friend from the past won’t let them move on, and neither will their bitterest enemy. Hopscotch, RedWire, the Killer, Lulz and Recoil will soon wish their pasts could stay dead.

As sleepy as Buffalo Peak's been, legendary marshal, Elwood "Firestick" McQueen, and his deputies "Beartooth" Skinner and "Moosejaw" Hendricks never expected a couple of drifters to wake it up—by kidnapping two lovely ladies in town. Hardly the sharpest quills on a cactus, these dim drifters call it courtin'. Firestick doesn't see it that way. Now the woman snatchers are heading for West Texas with their reluctant brides-to-be—and unwittingly plunging trackers Firestick and Moosejaw headlong into a rescue.

Preacher and Hawk ride out of the Rockies and into St. Louis, loaded with furs. It’s Hawk’s first trip to civilization and the moment he lays eyes on young Chessie Dayton, he’s lost in more ways than one. When Chessie unwisely signs on for a gold-hungry expedition into the lawless mountains, Hawk convinces Preacher to trail the outfit because they’re all headed straight to the sacred Indian grounds known as the Black Hills — a land of no return. To come out of it alive a lot of people will have to die.

In The Great Dechurching, Jim Davis and Michael Graham along with renowned sociologist Dr. Ryan Burge examine the largest and most comprehensive study of dechurching—the largest and fastest religious shift in US history—to drill down to exactly why people are dechurching with respect to beliefs, behavior, and belonging.

The necromantic armies are on the warpath and nowhere is safe—even the sanctuary of the flying dungeon has been threatened. The leadership of nearly all the sentient races has been wiped out, and only the people most suited to repelling the advancing darkness have an intact monarchy. Cal learns quickly that the primary threat is not the far-off war, but the actions of those entrusted with protecting the population. As it turns out, the idea of using a flying dungeon as a war machine is very tempting indeed.

When I was bitten, I was thrown into a supernatural world I knew nothing about. Stuck in the moment with nowhere left to go, I followed my instincts and chose to trust a complete stranger. It brought me to Bloodborn Academy: an elite university that was designed specifically for lycans. However, I learnt very quickly that werewolves and lycans alike are being hunted. So, the school opened their doors to the werewolves as well, hopeful to keep both species safe.

Reborn after near nuclear eradication, humanity struggles in a world defined by a secret history of conspiracy, rivalry and inhuman domination. As an ancient powerful race attempts to retake planet Earth, a courageous and sophisticated band of freedom fighters, the Cerberus rebels, leads the resistance in a daring battle to free humanity from the grips of an alien power struggle. In the Middle East's legendary Fertile Crescent, millennia-old artifacts are unearthed. Shockingly, they appear to belong to one of Cerberus's own.

I thought it was a joke. Some pompous high-society game meant to play with the children of the elite. But then people started dying. Including the one who invited me to attend. Now I’m the one they all suspect. Because I have blood on my hands. Their blood.

Powerful necromancers are on the move, and the dungeon has become a battleground. Without his faithful Wisp, Cal's mind slips—he begins creating traps and monsters that go against his already loose morals. A direct threat from an unexpected force causes Cal's mind to stabilize, but he doesn’t know for how long. Using every resource at his disposal, he works to keep his mind clear while he funds a search for his lost companion. When others fail him again and again, Cal takes matters into his own hands.

Sold to the highest bidder? Check. Swept away by a dangerous silver fox? Check. Surprise pregnancy with a side of danger? Oh, honey, you bet. I thought I could fix our problems by giving up my most precious gift. Instead, I landed in a world of trouble, with a target on my back. Meet Valentino Barrone: tattooed kingpin, walking red flag, and now... my baby daddy. He says he's protecting me, but his eyes scream "mine" louder than any mob hit.

Why Shakespeare? What explains our continued fascination with his poems and plays? In Living with Shakespeare, Susannah Carson invites 40 actors, directors, scholars, and writers to reflect on why his work is still such a vital part of our culture.

When Vampire Hunter D entered the town of Sedoc, it was in search of answers to the meaning of a dying vampire's last words: "Find Muma." But when he meets Mia, the daughter of the local fortuneteller, he learns the mists emanating from a smoking crater on the outskirts of Sedoc have reanimated thousands of corpses, compelling them to crawl from their graves and hurl themselves into the smoking chasm.

Mint-addicted aliens. Talking horses. Little girls in wheelchairs who get the chance to pilot starships. Odd little jade carvers who save the last great Mayan city by magic. A sexy wolf girl who saves a teddy bear boy and her clown boyfriend's heart. A famous director who cloned herself and now is dying of cancer, only she's raised her clone like a normal child. Guys at the end of the world who discover they're not the world's greatest poet, they're about as bad as it gets.

When Alex takes on a mission to reclaim stolen Bedouin land, he finds himself imprisoned and branded a criminal. Meanwhile, Caitlin faces her own dangers, becoming the target of an extremist plot. But the rules of warfare change forever when Caitlin condenses an electromagnetic pulse into shootable ammunition and deploys an AI chatbot–quantum computer that can use the internet to control secure Israeli communications and provide strategic intel.