Showing results by narrator "Lauren Ezzo" in All Categories

In a stratified society where contact with the sun is a luxury reserved for the elite, those kept prisoner in the darkness will do anything to find the light. Arden - beautiful, street-smart, and cynical - is one of the citizens of the lowest Level, known as Undercity, of an off-world colony. A blackout band traps Arden in her district, but as sister to the leader of the most powerful gang in Undercity, she has access to Above.

Conversations with the Dead is a themed trio of very short stories - yes, three very short stories - perhaps better described as anecdotal tales with a spooky twist. In "Of Ghosts and Ghouls", Kelly is a very naughty girl, and her ill deeds have grave consequences. In "The Unwanted Birthday Gift", Mary discovers the unpalatable truth about her family. And in "Tomorrow Waits for No Man", Luke gets stuck in traffic with an unusual passenger.

Music means more than anything to high school student Cate Reese; it's also what unites her with Cal Woods. Devoted classical guitar players, Cate and Cal are childhood friends newly smitten by love - until a devastating car accident rips Cal out of Cate's life forever. Blaming herself for the horrific tragedy and struggling to surface from her despair, Cate spirals downhill in a desperate attempt to ease her pain.

In the tradition of Colson Whitehead's Zone One, a visionary debut novel about shelter, escape, family, violence, and dumpster diving. It's the story of a restless group of young squatters. They've run away from their families and their pasts, questing after knowledge of their most wild selves, roaming the half-empty suburbs of America, occupying the homes of the foreclosed or vacationing, never staying in one place long enough to attract attention while shoplifting beer at the local Speedy Stop.

Gavin Miller, the billionaire author of a best-selling thriller series, struggles with a grim secret: he hasn't written a word in more than a year. Writer's block is killing his spirit and jeopardizing his contracts with his publisher and his Hollywood producers. Prodded by his agent, Gavin reluctantly agrees to see Allie Nichols, a sassy physical therapist tasked with treating the novelist's severe neck and shoulder pain - and maybe his writer's block, too.

It was supposed to be a fresh start for eighteen-year-old Devon Grace and her father, but fate had other, darker plans. The Appalachian town of Millicent, Ohio, is poor and forgotten by the world - the perfect setting for a disgraced cop and his artistic "misfit" daughter to regroup after a tragic mistake upends their lives. Trouble is, the young men of Millicent are disappearing, including Devon's sole confidant and first love.

When schoolteacher Elsie Mitchell meets rugged William Benton on a train platform in Albany, it appears they have nothing in common. He isn't the sort of fellow a proper young woman of the 1890s would ever speak to, much less become involved with. But when she arrives at her small town in the Adirondack Mountains, Elsie is offered a job as caregiver for this mysterious out-of-towner's niece and nephew, who've been tragically orphaned. Heartbroken for them, she accepts.

In the wake of a devastating plague, two communities emerge as bastions of survival. One is called the City, and its people scrabble for scraps in the wasteland. The other, New Charity, enjoys the bounty of its hydroelectric dam and refuses City denizens so much as a drop of precious water. When City-dweller Cressyda inherits her father's ranch within New Charity, she becomes intent on opening the dam to all - no matter the cost.

In an isolated society, one girl makes a discovery that will change everything - and learns that a single stone, once set in motion, can bring down a mountain.

Natalie has always been the fun Grant sister: the one with the constantly packed suitcase and the zest for life. But this carefree existence is wearing on her. When her oldest sister, Olivia, invites her to Lavender Island for three months, Natalie jumps at the chance to look after her niece, prove she's not irresponsible, and take a much-needed vacation from men.

Helen believed she could escape her destiny and save her people from utter destruction. After defying her family and betraying her intended husband, she found peace with her beloved Theseus, the king of Athens and son of Poseidon. But peace did not last long. Cruelly separated from Theseus by the gods, and uncertain whether he will live or die, Helen is forced to return to Sparta. In order to avoid marriage to Menelaus, a powerful prince unhinged by desire, Helen assembles an array of suitors to compete for her hand.

This is it. Graduation. Vic is going to throw the most epic party this town's ever seen. She's going to give her friends and everyone's favorite restaurant, Happies, a proper send-off, and you better believe she's going to hook up with Jake. All she needs to do is to keep it all a secret so that Miss Thrope, the town's nightmare councilwoman and high-school economics teacher, doesn't ruin it.

Andie Marks, known as "Party Girl" in her college days, is now a whip-smart lawyer on the fast track to success. Determined to move on from a bad break-up, she joins her girlfriends for a wild bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas, promising to let her hair down just this once. Vegas is a blur of cocktails and blackjack, and in the middle of it all she meets Mack, a real-life cowboy with a winning hand and an irresistible body.

In a future United States where those who control technology control the wealth, 17-year-old Marguerite's viral video propels a populist candidate to presidential victory on a platform of "tech for all". But as the mouthpiece of the new leader determined to break the elite stronghold, Marguerite finds herself on the opposite side of the divide in a new high school full of technocrat teens. When the enigmatic Percy, with his flamboyant fashion sense, sharp wit, and tragic past, takes an interest in her, she is suspicious.

Lisa and Matt can't believe their luck. They have a dream house and a dream marriage, and very soon they'll have a dream family too. But life is rarely that simple. When their beautiful life is rocked by tragedy, they are forced to make an unbearable choice. Suddenly the future they've built together looks fragile and exposed. With aching hearts and their love on the line, they set off on a road trip through the stunning Californian landscape hoping that time and distance will help them start again.

Photographer Quinn Parker is getting married in a month, and she's almost happy about it. Even though her mother is planning the whole wedding. Even though she's secretly had the hots for Simon Chase forever. But he's her best friend's brother and her coworker...off-limits even if she were single. So she's marrying the man who should be her perfect match - and that's that.

When her sister Lila and brother-in-law Gray are killed in a tragic accident, Bella is named as guardian to her two young nephews. Then she discovers that she's expected to co-parent with Gray's best friend, and grief turns to shock. Noah has always driven her crazy, and Bella's sure the arrogant, handsome Navy SEAL is the last person she wants to share a life with.

What's worse than Paige Grant getting stuck in a window while breaking into her late grandmother's Lavender Island ranch? Being discovered - and saved - by next-door neighbor Adam Mason. The Grants and Masons haven't exactly been friendly in recent decades, despite Paige's teenage crush on handsome, standoffish Adam. But the down-on-her-luck actress now needs more than saving.

Faced with challenges from an early age, Janica has learned to celebrate and enjoy every day as a gift. Her life-affirming attitude fascinates Thomas, a shy young man who begins to see the rich colors of life in a whole new light. As she reveals a world he never could have imagined for himself, Thomas falls head over heels for the strong young woman and becomes part of her quirky circle of friends and her loving family.

Following her forced departure from Fourline, Natalie Barns has been aching to rejoin the struggle to overthrow its evil dictator. With Soris and those she left behind constantly on her mind, Nat bides her time, determined to find a cure for the duozi - those infected by the terrifying Nala. An unexpected discovery propels her back to those she has sworn to protect, but her reappearance in Fourline is anything but straightforward, particularly when familiar faces appear when least expected.