Showing results by narrator "Kate Rudd" in All Categories

Literature, love, and second chances collide in this beautifully crafted collection from award-winning author Katherine Reay. With heartfelt characters, classic literary nods, and evocative settings--from cozy Seattle kitchens to windswept English moors and sun-drenched Italian vineyards--these...

2025 Crystal Kite Honor Winner for Midsouth Region Twyla is far from fine. With her varsity field hockey career on the line, her friendships in shambles, and a medical diagnosis that is far from the truth, Twyla simply wants to be heard. Stronger at the Seams is a powerful coming-of-age story...

Ozzy Abramson had made a name for himself as a photographer. His specialty was portraiture, and he built beautiful scenes around the people he photographed. He had a gift for saying just the right things to get his subjects to look their best. Ozzy worked with famous actors, models, and musicians all the time. He was extremely talented and easygoing, and that only served to increase his popularity. He was obsessed with finding ways to make people look even better in photographs than they did in real life. But then he met the woman who made that task impossible.

My mother wrote a young adult novel that eventually became a Hollywood blockbuster hit. Somehow, during production of the movie, I became friends with the star. Heath Vick was Hollywood's favorite leading man—a heartthrob, for sure. We instantly hit it off, but he was in a long-term relationship, so we ended up being friends. Then, out of the blue, Heath decided to leave her and set his sights on me. He was rich and famous, and he assumed he would have my undivided attention the second he wanted it.

Mac Klein had made a series of disciplined life choices. He was now thirty years old and a successful professional athlete. He certainly would never think of looking up his childhood crush on social media so he could contact her in an effort to reconnect.

Laney King had been in a relationship with Michael Elliot since they were in high school. Everyone in Galveston assumed they were destined to be together. Michael wasn't true to her, but he never thought she’d find out he had been unfaithful while he was out of town. Things didn’t turn out like Michael planned. Laney had an unexpected hero looking out for her. Though James barely knew her, he felt compelled to set things straight. He just couldn’t sit back and watch Michael mistreat her.

Alec Abramson was a notorious player—an unapologetic ladies' man. He lived that lifestyle for years until the day he was reunited with his first love. Alec was a literal rockstar who had all the women he could handle. But after a chance meeting with Grace, he realized she was the only one he wanted. He had made a mistake by being careless with her feelings all those years ago, and now he had to begin the quest to win her back.

Ricky Dunn is the equivalent to a splinter under my fingernail. Romantic? Right. He’s the older brother of my best friend, and no matter how hard either of us try, we can’t seem to avoid each other. The problem started on the night my best friend and I graduated from high school. The party was joyous, a celebration. That night, I willingly gave Ricky a part of me—more than the kiss we told others about. Our deal was simple. No strings.

When her sister is found dead in a Baltimore hotel room, reporter Val Ritter's world is turned upside down. An empty pill bottle at the scene leads the police to believe the cause of death is suicide. With little more than her own conviction, Val teams up with Terry Martin, a retired detective who has his own personal interest in the case, to prove that something more sinister is possible.

Dawn Hildegard’s dream is to become a doctor, but for a woman in the 1920s, this is no easy task. When her best friend Rose is kidnapped by “The Dollmaker,” a crazed serial killer who creates “art” from his victim’s bodies, she drops everything to find her. With the help of a handsome new acquaintance and his mysterious brother, Dawn investigates the fascinating case: Women found dead at the scene—their limbs skillfully removed, only to later be found stitched back together, suspended in doll-like positions throughout town in a grotesque display.

After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it's a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop.

It was supposed to be another typical day at the office. Stevie Charles knew the famous rock band, Split Decision, would be staying at the hotel where she worked. But she had no idea that she was in danger of being swept off of her feet by one of the band members. Stevie didn't believe in fairy tales. She wasn't jaded, she was simply indifferent. She was too focused on her business to waste time daydreaming about all the A-list celebrities that came into the hotel on a regular basis.

Sam's mother can't wait to wed her wealthy beau, Harold Robertson. The big mystery is how they're going to pull off a lavish wedding in three weeks. Harold's snobby sister-in-law proposes a solution: engage flamboyant wedding planner Lydia Lighthouse. But their beacon of hope quickly sends everyone into a blind rage, most of all the groom-to-be. So when the maddening micromanager is strangled with her own scarf, it's a shock, but not a surprise.

Sam joins Nana Jo and her Shady Acres Retirement Village friends Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae on a weeklong trip to London, England, to experience the Peabody Mystery Lovers Tour. The chance to see the sights and walk the streets that inspired Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle is a dream come true for Sam—and a perfect way to celebrate her new publishing contract as a mystery author.

To the town of North Harbor, Michigan, MISU quarterback Dawson Alexander is a local hero. To Samantha Washington, owner of the Market Street Mysteries Bookstore, Dawson is more than a tenant—he’s like an adopted son. But to the police, he is their prime suspect after his ex-girlfriend is found murdered. It’s more than enough real-life drama for Sam to tackle, but her role as a mystery writer also calls. Returning to the English countryside between the wars, she finds Lady Daphne Marsh in quite the quandary.

The small town of North Harbor, Michigan, is just not big enough for the two of them: flamboyant phony Maria Romanov and feisty Nana Jo. The insufferable Maria claims she's descended from Russian royalty and even had a fling with King Edward VIII back in the day. She’s not just a lousy liar, she's a bad actress, so when she nabs the lead in the Shady Acres Senior Follies—a part Nana Jo plays every year in their retirement village production—Nana Jo blows a gasket and reads her the riot act in front of everyone.

After a car accident took the lives of both her parents, Mira Caine's transition to adulthood was hard and fast. Solely responsible for the welfare of her intellectually disabled younger brother, she's searching for a better life for them both when she's approached by an enigmatic woman with an offer that seems like the answer to their problems. Allison Wyndclyffe, the young heir to an enormous fortune who's suffered her own trauma, is in need of a mentor and companion.

Finding love was not on the agenda for John-Michael, but he knew there was no harm in taking a second to enjoy these warm, fuzzy feelings. As a single father, he ultimately had to put his son first, and a fleeting romance was simply not an option. Still, his heart raced as his gaze reached Sadie's mouth. He would never act on it, but he would love to kiss her. He was definitely attracted to this woman, there was no denying it.

For some, it's love at first sight. But things don't always work like that. Sometimes people take time getting to know one another before sparks begin to fly. And people can even fall in love with someone they once considered their enemy. I, Tara Castro, could for instance, get all caught up in the magic of finding a secret room and fall madly in love with someone who I initially despised.

Lines had been drawn and sides had been taken years ago. The King family did not interact with the Elliot family, and neither did the Grahams nor the Castros. The Elliots had burned those bridges decades ago, and none of the Bank Street crew made mention of them. They certainly never ate at their restaurant. The Elliots didn't shop at King's Hardware, go to Bank Street Boxing, or the ballet studio on the corner. In fact, they didn't even go to Carson's Diner. The Elliot family stayed off of Bank Street entirely. Both families had a stake in Galveston, but they lived without supporting each other or interacting in any way.