Showing results by narrator "Ann Gideon" in All Categories

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.

After Jemma Nox's mother left, what was left of her family's world fell apart. Jemma knew she and her dad needed a change, but really? Jemma would follow her dad anywhere. She never would have guessed that anywhere included the likes of Kalhoun County. Planted squarely in the heart of Appalachia, this new home feels like anything but. Jemma is strong, adaptable, and smart. She's not going to let a little culture shock scare her. But this place is different.

June Westwood is devastated by the news the father she never met has died. Now the truth about why Jasper abandoned her as a child will be buried forever. Escaping to the secluded beach house she's inherited, June hopes to spend time bonding with her two little daughters, away from her hectic job and failing marriage. On the wild shores of the Pacific Northwest, her father's hideaway leaves June breathless. But it's his oil paintings decorating every wall that surprise her most.

Winsome Lake, Wisconsin, is postcard-pretty, but for chef Jessica Keaton, it’s also a last resort. Fired from her dream job, Jess is starting over as a live-in cook and housekeeper. When she arrives, she finds her new employer is in rehab after having a stroke, and Jess expects she’ll be all alone in Elaine Haviland’s quaint house. A chef with no one to cook for. But instead, she encounters a constant stream of colorful visitors who draw her back into the world.

Following her "marvelous" (Wall Street Journal) first novel, Caitlin Horrocks returns with a much-anticipated collection of short stories. In her signature, genre-defying style, she explodes our notions of what a story can do and where it can take us.

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.

A Vegas cocktail waitress. An Indian herbalist. A British chemistry professor. An Italian-American widow. Four unique women with one thing in common: Each is haunted by a tragedy from her past. Cynthia, Rohini, Jane, and Angela meet on a food blogging site and bond over recipes. On impulse, they decide to open The Secret Spice, an elegant cafe on the magnificent ocean liner, the RMS Queen Mary, currently a floating hotel in Long Beach, California. Rich in history and tales of supernatural occurrences, the ship hides her own dark secrets.

In 1932, New York City, top reporter Lorena "Hick" Hickok starts each day with a front page byline - and finishes it swigging bourbon and planning her next big scoop. But an assignment to cover FDR's campaign - and write a feature on his wife, Eleanor - turns Hick's hard-won independent life on its ear. Soon, her work, and the secret entanglement with the new first lady, will take her from New York and Washington to Scotts Run, West Virginia, where impoverished coal miners' families wait in fear that the New Deal's promised hope will pass them by.

The final trial of the Faerie Race has arrived: a head-to-head battle through the streets of Elfame city. Jacq and Orin should be ecstatic to have made it this far - but tragedy overshadows them both - leaving the pair wondering if the cost to continue is too high. Only the unexpected reappearance of her long-lost sister keeps Jacq in the game, but Cass's presence comes with troubles of its own. The ancient Brotherhood is closer than ever to carrying out a twisted plot that would mean an end to modern human civilization.

A gorgeously told novel in verse written with intimacy and power, Audacity is inspired by the real-life story of Clara Lemlich, a spirited young woman who emigrated from Russia to New York at the turn of the 20th century and fought tenaciously for equal rights. Bucking the norms of both her traditional Jewish family and societal conventions, Clara refuses to accept substandard working conditions in the factories on Manhattan's Lower East Side. For years, Clara devotes herself to the labor fight, speaking up for those who suffer in silence.

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.

Gwen Robbins loves her job waitressing at the Pine Valley resort restaurant, and as a single woman, she has no trouble turning down any offers of dates from the restaurant patrons. Even when her boss, Seth Owens, shows interest in her, she's not tempted in the least, no matter how strong their attraction. But when Seth helps her through a crisis, she begins to see him in a different light. He's not the rich and privileged business owner she first makes him out to be but a man who's making huge sacrifices to follow his own dreams.

When Alicia moves back to Pine Valley to help her mom through a serious addiction, the last person she wants to see is her teenage crush, Jeff Finch, who destroyed their friendship in one single disastrous night. Alicia is determined to not let anything about Jeff affect her, especially since she hasn't seen him in 10 years. All she knows is that he's living a successful and charmed life, and she is more than happy to keep anything between them in the past. But when he shows up with a date at the restaurant where she works, Alicia realizes she's still not over her feelings.

Halloween is coming and everyone knows what that means: costume party! For Brooklyn Prescott, the best thing about being the new school liaison was supposed to be planning the Halloween dance. Who doesn't want to escape themselves, even if it's just for one night? But The Rosewood School for Academic Excellence has banned costumes and now Brooklyn's faced with the possibility of her first event being a total flop. Not to mention that she's planning the dance with Dave, the sexy and neglected boyfriend of her roommate, Emmie. Awkward!

They say you can't have your cake and eat it too. But who would want a cake they couldn't eat? Just ask Emma Rae Travis about that. A baker of confections who is diabetic and can't enjoy them. When Emma meets Jackson Drake, the escapee from corporate America who is starting a wedding destination hotel to fulfill a dream that belonged to someone else, this twosome and their crazy family ties bring new meaning to the term "family circus". The Atlanta social scene will never be the same!

As a wedding planner, Sherilyn Caine should have the perfect wedding experience.... After all, she just landed her dream job at the wedding destination hotel The Tanglewood. The rest should be a piece of cake for Sherilyn's type-A personality. But while everything else goes smoothly, her own wedding plans start to sink right before her eyes. One way or the other, Sherilyn is determined to make this wedding work - until the latest development threatens to call the whole thing off. Is it possible that Sherilyn is allergic to her fiancé?

What would you do if you were going to die soon? What wisdom would you impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance? Sara Frankl's eventual death was indeed tragic, but the vignettes she presents are unforgettable. Choose Joy is a must-have for those searching for meaning and beauty in a world full of tragedy. Her words breathe with vitality and life, and her stories will inspire smiles, tears, and the desire to "choose joy".

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.

When Daisy Fitzjohn's mother leaves their crumbling Gothic home early one morning and doesn't return, Daisy, with no one to help her but her imaginary friends, must fight to save her home and her life from a dangerous and mysterious stranger.