Showing results by narrator "Lu Banks" in All Categories

With the sudden deaths of both of her parents, Mallory McDuff began to research sustainable practices around death and dying. For McDuff, an educator and environmentalist, what started as a highly personal endeavor expanded into a yearlong exploration and assessment of green burials, aquamation, green cemeteries, home funerals, and human composting. In Our Last Best Act, McDuff bridges the gap between environmental action and religious faith by demonstrating that when the two are combined, they become a powerful force for the greater good

As a mother and a professor of environmental education, Mallory McDuff wanted to give her two daughters and her students a roadmap to engage in climate justice in their communities, rather than be left feeling paralyzed by the enormity of the problem. She set out to find women of diverse ages, backgrounds, and vocations—one from each of the fifty US states—as inspiration for a new kind of leadership focused on the heart of the climate crisis.

Cashing in on his family's recent good-luck streak, ten-year-old Freddy Peach has been entering his family in a bunch of sweepstakes, but he doesn't really expect to win. And then he does—a free family trip to the Ice Hotel in Sweden! Since the Peaches are now the proud owners of their own bed-and-breakfast, they decide they can't pass up on the opportunity. It's research. They'll learn more about what it takes to operate a successful hotel from one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world.

Much to their surprise, the Peaches had a great summer running their food truck business selling their pies across the Mid-West, but they're happy to be back home in Duluth, Minnesota, where they can settle back into a routine just in time for the new school year. That is until Great Aunt Lucinda wants to gift them her historic mansion. But there are conditions: they're to turn it into a cozy bed-and-breakfast, something the Peach kids' mom always dreamed of before she passed away. And they only have until Thanksgiving to do the renovations and prove they can make the business work.

Too smart to be “just” a racehorse, too talented to hang out with other lesson horses, and too proud to believe in fairy tales, Milo chose a lonely path in life. He didn’t want cuddles, treats, friends, or even love until the day he met Claire. Her love opened his heart, but it would take nudging from a very special horse to finally open his mind.

What can I do? How can I work towards a solution? How can I be a change agent? How can I be an ally? How can I effectively change my mindset to get to a place of total healing and racial reconciliation? These questions are often asked in response to tough discussions or events relating to race, racism, racial injustice, or systemic racism, both historical and current.

Fifteen years ago, Summer Cole ran away from home, but home never really left her. Even all these years later, she has nightmares about her time there. Her past is even stopping her from being honest with the man that she loves. As an accomplished attorney, she commands the courtroom, but a phone call from her past brings her back to the girl that she was. Faced with the death of her beloved mother, she goes back to Lexington, Texas, and faces the family that almost destroyed her.

In 1988, Sloan Hadfield's brother Ridge went fishing with their father and never came home. Their father was arrested and charged with murder. Ridge's body was never recovered, and Sloan's mother slowly descended into madness, insisting her son was still alive. Now, twenty years later, Sloan's life is unraveling. In the middle of a bitter divorce, she's forced to return to her rural Texas hometown when her mother is discharged from a mental health facility. Overwhelmed by memories and unanswered questions, Sloan returns to the last place her brother was seen all those years ago.

I learned one lesson early in life: Trust no one. This isn't the first time I've woken up with a stranger looming over my bed. But unlike last time, this dangerous man swears he means me no harm. For some reason, I believe him. But I never expected to fall for him. He's more deadly than the men who kidnapped me, yet I've never felt safer. But is it all an illusion, or is this dark prince truly my white knight?

When Penny Sue Paine got Lucky, everyone was in an uproar. Because Lucky was the sweet-faced dog who had inherited the Paine millions! Now somebody wanted Lucky dead. So Penny Sue hired herself a tall, well-muscled hunk of a bodyguard . . . When Vic Noble found out his latest client was a dog, he nearly lost his cool. Then he got an eyeful of Miss Penny Sue Paine, a brunette with a body to die for and an innocence that could do a lesser man in. Good thing Vic was about as tough as they made 'em. But the tougher they are—the harder they fall!

Nothing comes easy. Nothing is given but must always be earned. The problem is I'm too tainted and broken to have anything good. That was a lesson I was taught early. A lesson I carried throughout my life, and into every relationship I had.

I stopped believing in the good a long time ago. My childhood was stripped from me one dark night and I was forever changed. Everywhere I looked I saw evil. Everyone I met, I looked at them as the enemy. It took a long time for me to open up and when I did I found my family. The only people I could count on. I never imagined I'd have a family. Because having a family gave me something to lose and I never wanted to feel that pain again. I never wanted to feel weak.

Life is good. I have great friends, a supportive family, and a job I love. Sure, there are ups and downs, but nothing could have prepared me for the return of Mac Evans—the one man who has always gotten under my skin. I haven't spoken to him since overhearing a conversation I wish I could forget. I would never fall for a professional athlete. Mac isn't my type, and I'm definitely not his. Or at least, that's what I've always believed. But now he's back, and everything feels different. I keep reminding myself he won't be here for long, and he'll be out of my life for good.

No females of my kind remain. Humans have the closest physiology to my species, but our reproductive urges are very different. For their safety, direct contact with human women has always been strictly forbidden. When my time ends, so will countless generations of Gallo lineage. The chains in my dungeon will never have to contain another mating-frenzied beast. I will have done my part to bring a peaceful end to my species while protecting the nearby human population.

Ryland Johnson has embraced the single life, dedicating himself to raising his son on his own. Sutton with her blonde hair and soft smiles is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Despite his own baggage, Ryland can't help but be drawn to the pretty waitress. He wants to protect her from her struggles, and when he discovers she's been hurt, everything changes. He's no longer willing to sit back and wait. Ryland is determined to show Sutton how he truly feels.

I didn't realize I was hooking up with my student, but once I saw his hockey-player body, I couldn't help myself. If anyone finds out, I'll be out of a job. Unlike most college boys, he's mature in all the right ways and completely knows how to turn on a woman.

The mob boss meets his match in Silver Spoon Falls. At first glance, the curvy little doll turns my entire world upside down and inside out. The only thought on my mind is making Dr. Annabelle Girardi mine. Forever. The emergency room doctor drops into my world and turns things upside down. I might have my work cut out for me but I'll do whatever it takes to win her heart. Because walking away from Belle isn't an option. There isn't any price I won't pay to spend the rest of my life with my soulmate.

Silver Spoon Falls was supposed to be an easy mark. Instead, I'm up to my ears in cartels and complications. I waltzed into enemy territory to investigate...and waltzed back out with a new mission in life. Protecting Snow Buchanan from her stepmother and her cartel of henchmen. Her seven furry friends doubt me. Her stepmother wants to kill her. And all I want is to lay siege to her heart. This curvy little princess will be mine.

I've never been the kind of girl to take the easy way out. Happy endings never came to people like me. The tarnished ones. I'm surrounded by a group that knows sadness too well. We know what it's like to lose and be tossed away like last night's trash. We are easy to blame for all the wrongs, because when others look at us, they see our scars. Most of our stories are told in the ink we bear, but we wear those tales proudly.

He's a grumpy bad boy with a chip on his shoulder the size of the state. He's dark, broody, sexy as hell, and he knows it. I shouldn't want him so badly. He barely knows I'm alive. Until nature decides to throw us a curve ball. Mother nature...or fate. Once the clothes come off and secrets are revealed...there's no going back. We both know we're careening toward a disaster by falling into bed again. But one taste wasn't enough. It's more like an appetizer for a meal with an endless number of courses. And I'm a starving woman.