Showing results by narrator "Ann Marie Gideon" in All Categories

In the center of the verdant Monarchy lies Dreadwillow Carse, a black and desolate bog that the happy people of the land do their best to ignore. Little is known about it except for one dire warning: If any monarch enters Dreadwillow Carse, then the Monarchy will fall. Twelve-year-old Princess Jeniah yearns to know what the marsh could possibly conceal that might topple her family's thousand-year reign of peace and prosperity.

Merry Strand spent all her days in a rural North Carolina mountain town before being lured to the Atlantic coast by the promise of an inheritance from the biological father she never knew existed. The windfall could save her adopted family from financial ruin, but in order to receive it she must earn it by completing a series of tasks.

This metaphysical novel incorporates mystery and problem-solving, but also adds a dash of spice. The prologue introduces an era just before Hitler has just been made the ruler of Germany, when Queen Mary of Teck christens her ship of the same name, and where a baby born in Louisiana faces an uncertain future without her mother. Fast forward to 2020, in the first chapter, some hours before a predicted apocalypse, when kindergartner Alana Miceli falls into a trance for the first time. In her vision, she's wrenched out of her familiar school setting and into the ship's Secret Spice Cafe.

Overcome by despair after a trauma when she was 16, Sarita Taylor has spent the past 10 years isolated and lonely aboard her beloved RMS Queen Mary. Fearful of outsiders, she dedicates her time to managing The Secret Spice Cafe, now an award-winning restaurant. Until Luca Miceli, a man with a dark past, steps on board. Patricia V. Davis deftly spins past and present, mystery and magic, into a potent story of passionate longing and family tragedy all at once. 

Catherine Pine is hoping her Christmas is a bit more jolly than last year's. That one was her first without her husband, and with her kids and their families absent this year, she's worried. But things change when her good friend invites her on a Christmas cruise to lift her spirits. Suddenly every day is an adventure and she's making a bunch of new friends, including the lovable Sophie Miles.

Suzanne Quinlan has been through a lot lately, so nothing sounds better than a peaceful winter in her cozy cottage on Summer Island. The last thing she wants is a massive lifestyle adjustment - especially when it comes in the form of an injured Zack Sheppard, who is sullen, angry, and completely dependent on her. Zack values his independence above all else. But when he falls down his icy steps, he finds himself with a serious leg injury and in need of round-the-clock care. The only person available to help is his ex’s best friend, Suzanne.

Lila Sloan wonders why she ever thought house-sitting for her sister Meg on the remote Summer Island was a good idea. And to make matters worse, local real estate developer Beck Grainger is trying to cut down the beautiful trees that line the property. Lila can’t let this happen; Meg will never forgive her. Beck can understand Lila’s anger - sort of. The trees are actually on the neighboring property, and the land was zoned for development months ago, so his plans were no secret. But he dislikes being at odds with his friend’s sister.

Summer Island has always been home to Meg Sloan. She runs the Summerbrook Inn, like her grandmother did, and she loves the laid-back pace of life and the close-knit community the island offers. Meg also loves Zack Sheppard, but what she doesn’t love is Zack’s refusal to commit to an exclusive relationship. Seth Darden arrives on Summer Island in search of summer work but also in search of something else - his past. There are secrets buried at the Summerbrook Inn, secrets that forged the path of Seth’s life. But he wasn’t counting on falling for the lovely innkeeper, Meg.

Evelyn Peters is desperate. Desperate for a way out of McNair Falls, the dying Southern town that's held her captive since the day she was born. Desperate to protect her little sister from her mother's terrifying and abusive boyfriend. And desperate to connect with anyone, even fallen golden boy Ashton Harper, longtime boyfriend of the girl Evelyn can never stop thinking about - beautiful, volatile, tragically dead Reid Brewer. Until a single night sends Evelyn and Ashton on a collision course that starts something neither of them can stop.

Everyone has their own idea of romance- a candlelight dinner, a stroll on the beach or a sprinkling of rose petals on a bed. Now, Chicken Soup for the Romantic Soul brings brand new inspiration to expressions of romance.

When her estranged uncle attempts to sabotage her family’s reindeer ranch, K-9 team assistant Katie Kapowski heads home to help save it—and becomes his target. With their rocky past, Alaska State Trooper Brayden Ford and his furry partner are the last team Katie wants assigned to protect her. But with the ranch under siege, they must work together…or risk falling victim to a killer.

After months of searching for Violet James, Gabriel Runyon and his K-9 partner finally track her down—just in time to rescue her from her ex-fiancé. Now they must safeguard the single mother and her newborn daughter. Leaving Violet’s Alaskan hideout is the safest option, but with a winter storm rolling in, it’s not just a murderer they have to escape.

It was a match made in champagne-soaked heaven, but all too soon the bubbles dried up and divorce papers were issued just in time to ring in the end of the Great War. Jewel thieves and ex-lovers Jasper and Esme find themselves circulating among the elite of British aristocracy where the diamond-lined pockets are ripe for picking. But when the last Valkyrie tiara ever created becomes the talk of the season neither will stop to obtain it, not even when they inadvertently find themselves in the middle of a game of cat-and-mouse where their lives are suddenly at stake.

When Chelsey Glasson landed her dream job at Google, she was thrilled to join what she viewed as a progressive and inclusive organization. But from the moment she received her job offer, she began to experience instances of discrimination and harassment—eventually culminating in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. Friends, family, and even lawyers told Chelsey to move on, but she knew holding Google accountable was the path to proper healing. Although Google would spend significant resources to discredit and silence her, the truth eventually prevailed.

Karissa Newcomb is ready for a new start in a new neighborhood, as far away as she can get from Seattle, where her husband cheated on her with the neighbor who was supposed to be her best friend. She and her nine-year-old daughter are moving on to the city of Gig Harbor on the bay in Puget Sound. She even has a new job as an assistant at a small publishing company right in Gig Harbor. Her new boss seems like a bit of a curmudgeon, but a job is a job, she loves to read, and the idea of possibly meeting writers sounds fabulous.

Sebastian Whitcombe, Viscount Willowthorpe, comes to America to experience the great Wild West for himself before it disappears for good. The adventure comes with a convenient bonus—it postpones his father’s edict that he take a wife from the British aristocracy. Sebastian isn’t so much against marriage as he is an arranged marriage to the wrong woman.

Maeve Meriden stays busy, between her career as a drama teacher, and acting for fun at the community theater. Her favorite playwright is Shakespeare, with his mistaken identities, enemies-to-lovers plots, and especially his themes of unrequited love. It mirrors her life because she—along with everyone else—has a crush on Mick, their Bohemian director. And then, she and Mick are approached with an improbable mission by the Ladies of the Labyrinth.

Jemma Nox has learned that she is not the only witch in the family, but it's far from a prestigious pedigree. And she's not the only one whose past is coming to call. Mama B has been many things, guardian and mentor being foremost, but perfect isn't one of them. Since her tutelage began, Jemma has learned that Mama B's history is streaked like a polecat with tragedy, but things are about to get quite a bit more interesting. The sins of the father may be visited upon the third and fourth generation, but what about the sins of the mother?

Jemma Nox, holler witch in training, has discovered that there's more to Kalhoun County than meets the eye. Could things be about to get even stranger? Old hurts and buried skeletons refuse to stay in the shadow of the past. Buckle up, darling. It's going to be a bumpy ride. The county is divided when company men start crawling over the Mountain, but that's not the worst of it. Illness sweeps through the younger residents, while everyone else in town takes sides over whether this is their big break or the beginning of the end for their way of life.

It's three weeks until Christmas, and Lucy Gable is not in the holiday spirit. She’s the assistant to bestselling romance author Brynn Dixon, who’s been suffering from major burnout. Hoping to reduce Brynn’s stress, Lucy’s organized an intimate book tour—one that includes a charming little Christmas tree farm. And they're still hoping that no one discovers that Lucy was the one who finished writing Brynn’s last book… But Lucy’s carefully planned book tour is going completely awry.