Showing results by narrator "Jessica Almasy" in All Categories

In the grandfathers' time, when few yet living had been born, the People worshipped the horse, and served him, and took the gifts that he gave them: his meat, his hide, the milk of his mares. But he had not yet granted to men the greatest gift of all: the gift of riding on his back, and racing the wind. Sparrow is a shaman's daughter in a tribe that forbids women to be kings, to be shamans, to be anything but silent and tractable servants to the all-powerful men.

For a long, brutal century, the Kingdom of Lower Egypt has been occupied by the "Vile Asiatics", the conquerors called the Shepherd Kings. With their horses and chariots, they overwhelmed the armies of Egypt and swept over the Delta and the sacred cities. Iry, daughter of an old noble house, the Sun Ascendant, has been enslaved by the bearded conquerors. But her new master is born of a different blood, son of the priestess of an ancient rite, the cult of the Horse Goddess and her avatar, the White Mare.

Long years after the White Mare came to the people of the Mothers, bringing the wild horsemen from the sea of grass and changing the world forever, the world is changing again. The Mother of Lir is dead, her heir cast out amid dire omens. War is coming - such a war as the people have never seen, fought with a new and terrible weapon: the chariot. Rhian, potter's child and White Mare's chosen, ventures with Emry the prince of Lir into the sea of grass and undertakes to steal the enemy's weapon.

Seventeen-year-old Winnie Flynn, a closet horror fan with a starkly realistic worldview, has never known her maternal aunt Mona: a high-profile reality TV producer. Winnie's mom allegedly committed suicide several months ago, and her father has checked out in the wake of the tragedy. When Mona recruits Winnie to spend a summer in their family's home state, working as a production assistant, Winnie figures that she has nothing to lose.

Eve Moran has always wanted "things" and has proven both inventive and tenacious in getting and keeping them. Eve lies, steals, cheats, swindles, and finally commits murder, paying little heed to the cost of her actions on those who love her. Her daughter, Christine, compelled by love, dependency, and circumstance, is caught up in her mother's deceptions, unwilling to accept the viciousness that runs in her mother's blood. Eve's powers of seduction are hard to resist for those who come in contact with her toxic allure.

Alice LaPlante's acclaimed psychological thrillers are distinguished by their stunning synthesis of family drama and engrossing suspense. Her new novel is an affecting foray deeper into the creases of family life - and the light-and-dark battle of faith - as LaPlante delves into the barbed psyche of a teenager whose misguided convictions bear irrevocable consequences.

Roseline Enescue has always been a warrior, the fiercest of her kind, but when she is stripped of her strength and left teetering on the edge of insanity, she is forced to rely on the one person she trusts the least. As Fane and Nicolae fight to save Sadie's life, they find themselves pulled into a tremulous truce between hunter and immortal when a string of gruesome murders break out. The lines have been drawn, and the battle preparations have begun, but only Gabriel can save them all....

If only reality could resemble the fantasy of what pregnancy is supposed to be like - the brimming excitement, the feelings of significance, a healthy glow. But for Jenny, a young mother-to-be recently relocated from NYC to the suburbs, pregnancy hasn't done a thing to cure her incessant self-doubt and loneliness.

In a single night, everyone Roseline Dragomir has ever loved is slaughtered before her eyes. Alone in the world and bound by a solemn marriage vow to a vicious murderer, she must find a strength buried deep within her to keep going or risk completely losing herself.

Maisie Danger Brown just wanted to get away from home for a bit and see something new. She never intended to fall in love with a boy at space camp. And she certainly never intended to stumble into a frightening plot that just might destroy everything and everyone she cares about. But now there's no going back - Maisie's the only thing standing between danger and annihilation. She must become the hero the world needs, before she loses her heart... and her life.

If someone had told me a year ago that I was about to fall in love, go on an epic road trip, ride a Triceratops, sing on a bar, and lose my virginity, I would have assumed they were on drugs. Well, that is, until I met Beckham. Beck was mostly to blame for my recklessness.

Leaving behind her strict Mennonite upbringing, Kathryn has moved west. America has just won victory in Japan, and a charming older man begins visiting the diner where Kathryn works, taking her out dancing and around town. With her old soldier boyfriends now scattered, and the country flush with postwar happiness, Kathryn takes a chance on her mysterious admirer and moves to Los Angeles with him. But how much does she really know about this new man?

The squirrels Jed, TsTs, and Chai are the very best of friends. So when Jed is snatched up by a hawk and carried away to another realm, TsTs and Chai resolve to go after him. New communities are discovered, new friends are made, huge danger is encountered (both man-made and of the fox and bobcat variety) and mysteries are revealed. Nuts to You is wholly original, funny, lively, and thought-provoking.

The Kaufmans have always considered themselves a normal, happy family. Curtis is a physics teacher at a local high school. His wife, Kathleen, restores furniture for upscale boutiques. Daniel is away at college on a prestigious music scholarship, and 12-year-old Olivia is a happy-go-lucky kid whose biggest concern is passing her next math test. And then comes the middle-of-the-night phone call that changes everything.

When Soul Divider was on the top of the world, so was Ryder Maddox. When the band faded into obscurity, Ryder's luck plummeted with it. In a last ditch effort to rekindle the band's heyday, Soul Divider teams up with powerful vampire clan leader, Talis de Rancourt. In return for her services, the band pays the ultimate price for never ending fame. Now on the run, Melanie meets Ryder in a middle of nowhere hotel. She never expected her teenage rock star crush to be as lost and as in need of a companion as she is.

Lys and her family win a chance to be a "real family" on reality TV. That means real money, desperately needed in the rotten economy these days, but they only get that money as long as they stay on the air. What can they do to be real enough to please the viewers?

Callie Chabot would stop at nothing to save her ex-boyfriend Blade Bennett from the clutches of vampire clan leader Talis de Rancourt, even if means becoming immortal herself. What she doesn't know is that Blade has already defeated Talis, and he's waiting for Callie in the afterlife. Now Callie only has her creator, Tristan Trevosier, to turn to for guidance. But he's too wrapped up in the debauchery of the Las Vegas rock scene to give a damn about the particulars of being undead.

Immortal Dilemma is the hottest band in the Las Vegas vampire rock scene. They draw insatiable fans from around the globe, thanks to a supernatural attraction called Bloodlust. Tristan craved such an opportunity to fill his empty mortal life, and now he has eternity to earn his place among the legends of rock 'n' roll debauchery. Callie always feared that Tristan’s excesses would get him into trouble, but she never thought they’d lead him to immortality. To reconnect with him, she must weave her way through a world not only that she had no idea existed, but that does not welcome her.

Stephanie Vaughn is a writer’s writer, one whose debut collection of stories, Sweet Talk, was published more than two decades ago to critical acclaim. Fans have come to these stories over the years through word of mouth, posting glowing reviews to their Goodreads pages and on their blogs - unanimously agreeing that this collection is a modern classic that deserves to be in print. Crafted in graceful, honest prose, Vaughn’s stories go straight to the heart of how people live, grow and survive.

Landing the PR contract for North Carolina's new soccer team could take Holly Taylor's career to the next level. Her task? Make Kepler "Killer" de Klerk, an athlete with a party-hard reputation, a star. But revamping the sexy footballer's image, while battling her unwanted attraction to him, is easier said than done.