Showing results by narrator "Vanessa Daniels" in All Categories

It's June in quiet Vista Beach, the place computer programmer and tole-painting enthusiast Aurora (Rory) Anderson calls home. Decorative painters are flocking to the newly built Akaw hotel to attend the Ocean Painting Society's inaugural convention. Rory plans on shopping the trade show floor, working in her mother's booth, and connecting with other decorative painting fans. She doesn't expect to witness her childhood friend collapse in class and die. When the police find no evidence of foul play, Rory embarks on her own investigation.

In Benevolence, Washington, the Lamont family's delectable handmade chocolates are a precious tradition - and always a reason to return home. And for the most rebellious of the three Lamont sisters, they provide a chance to create a tempting new future, complete with delicious happiness....

In between scouring estate sales for her new interior design business, Cottages by the Sea, Meg Barrett visits the swanky East Hampton home of her old college roommate, Jillian Spenser. But instead of seeing how the other half lives, she learns how the other half dies. Jillian's mother, known as the Queen Mother of the Hamptons, has been murdered. Someone has staged a coup.

To keep her mind off the legal battle over the oceanfront cottage she's trying to buy, Meg Barrett agrees to help her friend inventory and clear out furniture from the massive Montauk estate of wealthy art broker Harrison Falks. But the job takes a terrifying turn when Meg discovers a skeleton in a hidden room in one of the estate's many bungalows. The remains turn out to be those of Harrison's son, who went missing nearly 20 years ago - along with one of his father's Warhol paintings.

If you are a young person, and you work hard enough, you can get a college degree and set yourself on the path to a good life, right? Not necessarily, says Sara Goldrick-Rab, and with Paying the Price, she shows in damning detail exactly why. Drawing on an unprecedented study of 3,000 young adults who entered public colleges and universities in Wisconsin in 2008 with the support of federal aid and Pell Grants, Goldrick-Rab reveals the devastating effect of these shortfalls.

Abby Harper's life has finally gotten on track - almost. Sure, she's still single, and yeah, it's a little depressing to be planning the menu for her grandmother's wedding, but romance is hardly her first priority right now. Heading up the restaurant of the Harper family's inn is the job of her dreams, not to mention her chance to show her two older sisters that she's not a kid anymore. But when a bad review of her signature brunch puts her face-to-face with the only man who ever touched - and broke - her heart, Abby is determined to redeem her reputation.

Single mom Bridget Harper has no time for romance. Her hands are full enough running her new inn. Toss in a sister's wedding to host, another sister's career to help jumpstart, and a grandmother's missing cat to find, and Bridget has little free time for anything other than taking a good book down to the beach. With troubled times officially behind her, she's perfectly content with her busy life...until a handsome guest has her questioning what may be missing.

In Kid Food, nationally recognized writer and food advocate Bettina Elias Siegel explores one of the fundamental challenges of modern parenting: trying to raise healthy eaters in a society intent on pushing children in the opposite direction. Siegel dives deep into the many influences that make feeding children healthfully so difficult - from the prevailing belief that kids will only eat highly processed "kid food" to the near-constant barrage of "special treats".

I lead a safe and snug life in a small desert town, but I have a secret—I have psychic powers that scare me. They've gone wonky before, so now I only use them for the most important purpose—listening to my dogs ask for more treats. But on an awful Monday morning, I stumble right into a vision of my friend's final moments before she's murdered.

When Dylan Newport, a high-powered attorney for the company that manufactures C'est Moi—the revolutionary fragrance that makes women irresistible to men—finds his boss, Carson Brooks, shot and nearly dead, he sets out to fulfill what may be the billionaire CEO's last wish: to find out whether a business deal he made twenty-eight years ago to start his company also resulted in his fathering a child.

In the U.S., many of the most significant social justice victories of our time have been spearheaded by women of color leaders. From the streets, to the ballot box, to elected office, no other demographic group stands up more consistently and unequivocally for human rights, democracy, and the planet. Remarkably, they’ve accomplished this despite conditions—in their fields and organizations—that make leadership uniquely treacherous for them. For women of color leaders, the game is rigged. How much more could humanity be winning if we unrigged it?

Thirty-one years ago, Cat stormed out of her home with nothing but a backpack, her songbook, and her late mother's guitar. That gave her worldwide fame as a country music star. And a broken heart. Cat Sparrow has nowhere else to go now but her home, back in Cupids Bow Ranch, Montana. Even though nothing stays the same in Big Sky country, she never expected so much to have changed. But her world is about to be shaken once more when she collides with the handsome, enigmatic cowboy, David Miller.

People born in the big cities often scatter to the country, desperate for a breath of fresh air and a sense of direction found in the stars. Those born and raised in the country long for the glitter and glamor the big cities promise. But what if the grass isn't always greener on the other side? Growing up in a small town, you soon run out of new people to meet, and the chances of falling in love with a stranger or a career are few and far between. Especially when age-old family feuds threaten to tear everyone apart . . .

After losing everything in a devastating fire years ago, Ryan Beckett is left with the only legacy he treasures: his beloved niece and his land. But when his neighbors nearly get murdered, Ryan knows the enemy of the five ranches is coming for them in full force. And yet an unexpected arrival rocks his world first.

Born and raised in Montana, Tammy has left the cowgirl lifestyle behind, but she's no stranger to hardships. And she won't let some lying soon-to-be ex-husband break her. But when he dies in an accident along with her brother, the avalanche taking those lives sweeps Tammy away. She sets course for Montana, chasing that peaceful life again . . . Only to find the Double A Ranch in chaos along with Greg Watson there. The last man Tammy ever wished to see.

As shooting concludes on the season finale of the TV mystery Mr. & Mrs. Winslow, interior decorator and set designer Meg Barrett can feel the hostility in the air. The show's new director had already alienated the entire cast and crew, and now Meg's boyfriend, Patrick, was ready to throttle him for taking liberties with the script. Meg thought the director was a very lucky man to have gotten out of there in one piece—until a few nights later when she stumbles over his dead body.

Maria Parker was never the same after her husband's death. But before she loses her life in a cloud of grief, she encounters a man she never thought she would see again. West Lockran, the city slicker, rubs Maria the wrong, irresistible way. Being near West feels to Maria like playing with fire . . . Until a very different kind of flame threatens her home. When the ongoing attacks reach Big Valley, the past resurfaces with sharp teeth and a thirst for blood. And this time, Brett, Zac, and West are in the eye of the storm.

Chelsea Hitchin has made her share of bad choices in life. The first cost her a best friend; the second, her marriage. But none had taken a toll like losing Mountain Rise Ranch did. After her mother's passing and her battle with grief, Chelsea has to seek help from the Sparrows. Despite their families' age-old feud, Chelsea and Cat Sparrow had always been the best of friends . . . Until Chelsea married Cat's older brother.