Showing results by narrator "Amy Rubinate" in All Categories

Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime fighter in the Twin Cities, so it's hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she's lured into the night by something human and not human - something with talons and teeth, and a wide scarlet smile. Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn't fight crime. She fights Harrowers - livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago.

It's the summer of 1939. Two Jewish sisters from Vienna—12-year-old Stephie Steiner and 8-year-old Nellie—are sent to Sweden to escape the Nazis. They expect to stay there six months, until their parents can flee to Amsterdam; then all four will go to America. But as the world war intensifies, the girls remain, each with her own host family, on a rugged island off the western coast of Sweden.

Quilter Ashlyn May has her hands full. When she accepts a spot at the FireWind Artist Retreat, she's prepared to defend her craft against the skepticism of her fellow artists, even as she struggles to rediscover her creative drive. She doesn't expect to learn a devastating family secret, or to find comfort in the arms of photographer Caleb Kendall.

For pianist Bess Stallone, a self-taught musical prodigy from the tough side of Long Island, getting into Julliard was a minor miracle. However, the only thing Bess had in common with the other Julliard students was her singular passion for classical music, which she could play magnificently. Except in front of an audience. From her first disastrous recital, Bess knew that she would never be good enough for the stage, as her bitter father had been telling her for years. But one willful, determined teacher would change everything.

Caroline kissed every frog in the swamp until she found the one that turned into a prince - only Prince Hal isn't the handsome specimen she expected to find. Unless she can learn to love the princely sum of his parts, it'll be unhappily ever after.

The triumphant return of New York Times bestselling author Sally Mandel presents an intimate multigenerational portrait of the troubles and triumphs of a 20th century family. Lily Adams is the animating spirit of those around her, even in her twilight years. Perhaps none is more touched by her presence than her granddaughter, Amy, whom Lily saves from a teenage crisis. The family saga of three generations of the Adams clan is filled with crises of identity and the pains of romance, with Lily's presence profoundly felt throughout.

Jack is spending the summer on a private island far from modern conveniences. No Wi-Fi, no cell service, no one else on the island but a housekeeper and the two very peculiar children in his care. The first time Jack sees the huge black mansion atop a windswept hill, he senses something cold, something more sinister than even the dark house itself. Soon, he feels terribly isolated and alone. Yet he is not alone. The house has visitors - peering in the windows, staring from across the shore. But why doesn't anyone else see them...? And what do they want?

The crash and burn of a helicopter mom! Soap writer Dena Higley was all things to all people. A wife, mother of four, and head writer for Days of Our Lives, Dena ably hovered over the numerous people and responsibilities in her life, eager to right every wrong and fulfill every need. But when her very “normal” family began to spiral out of control, Dena soon became the central character in her own real-life drama, and a night spent in the ER made her realize that her pursuit of perfection was backfiring big time.

Nine-year-old Cynthia Robinson's life was perfectly normal until the day she knew, without being told, of her parents' impending divorce. From there, things got stranger, and now not only does she have premonitions, but she can also read and influence the minds of those around her.

For 14-year-old Lucy Martinez, the moment when everything changes comes one night during a long road trip with her older brother, Jamie, and his friend, Kit. They’re on their way to Phoenix to visit Lucy’s father for spring break, but never quite make it. While driving across northern New Mexico during a blinding rainstorm, their car hits something - an animal, they think. But after backtracking, they find a girl, dead, on the side of the road.

Bev Tunney and Amy Schein have been best friends for years; now, at 30, they're at a crossroads. Bev is a Midwestern striver still mourning a years-old romantic catastrophe. Amy is an East Coast princess whose luck and charm have too long allowed her to cruise through life. Bev is stuck in circumstances that would have barely passed for bohemian in her mid-20s. Amy is still riding the tailwinds of her early success, but her habit of burning bridges is finally catching up to her. And now Bev is pregnant.

In Whirlybirds and Ordinary Times, author Katie Savage beckons you to join her as she embraces the mystery of faith and gently eases into the sometimes turbulent waters of contemplative exploration. She writes with honesty and humor about the uncertainty and doubt that is inherent in the life of the growing believer, finding that even in the midst of questions, bold assurances of faith emerge. You’ll find yourself falling into step with Katie as she meanders through the liturgical calendar.

When timber baron Reuben Burke finds himself at the seaside Hotel del Coronado - a forced vacation arranged by his siblings - he discovers he's forgotten how to relax. For the last ten years, he's been too caught up in raising his younger brother and sister and building up the family business in Seattle to have time for himself, much less romantic attachments. But a chance encounter on the beach with a young widow from San Diego puts his life on a new course.

In Thailand, Oy was called by her own name, but in her first school in America, the teacher renames her Olivia. Everything else is different too. The other girls leave her out of their games, and a boy named Frankie teases her. Then Liliandra, a popular girl in the class, sees a photo of Oy in her Thai dancing dress and offers to let Oy into her club if she brings the dress to school. Oy knows that would be a betrayal of her family’s traditions, but she wants so much to belong. At home, fingering the pink silk of her dress, Oy makes a decision.

Picking up where she left off in Where the Blind Horse Sings, Kathy Stevens regales us with more tales of the rescued animals at Catskill Animal Sanctuary (CAS), some touching, some hilarious, all provocative. We meet Barbie, the broiler hen found hiding under a blue Honda in Brooklyn who falls for the animal ambassador Rambo, a ram with an uncanny sense of what others need. Then there’s Norma Rae, the turkey rescued from a "turkey bowl" just before Thanksgiving.

When You Live By a River is the fictional story of a Catskill Mountains valley community soon to be flooded to create a reservoir for New York City. The drama centers on a farmer whose wife dies in childbirth and on the farmer's 15-year-old niece who comes to take care of the baby in exchange for the promise of college tuition.

The last thing Jenna Landry wants is to fall in love. The former rock musician is getting ready to start a new job and a new life in L.A., and she's only back in her hometown for the summer. Nothing could tempt her to stay any longer than that...not even the sexy doctor next door. Michael Stone has a reputation for being as cold as ice. So what is it about his free-spirited neighbor that sets him on fire?

Christmas concierge Holiday Smith, known as “the Wish Granter,” procures impossible-to-find gifts for her elite clients. But after years of granting everyone’s wishes but her own, she promises her family that this year she’ll finally make it home for Christmas. Just one tiny glitch: a favorite elderly client begs Holiday to set up her grown granddaughter on a blind date with her old high school crush, tech-world escapee Alex Sappier… who is somewhere off the coast of Maine.

In a world full of happily-ever-after, Meri Newberg feels like the last young woman on the planet to be single, at least in her Christian friend group. So when she's handed a strange present at the latest wedding—a 1950s magazine article of "ways to get a husband"—she decides there's nothing to lose by trying out its advice. After all, she can't get any more single, can she?

When a local PI's untimely death is ruled a suicide by the police, budding sleuth Nora Charles has no intention of letting sleeping dogs lie—or sleeping cats, for that matter. Certain it was a case of foul play, Nora rouses her trusty sidekick Nick and launches an investigation of her own. Then a second PI is murdered. Nora soon uncovers a plot that involves a local politician, missing campaign funds, and what could be a bogus real estate deal. But when hints of treason surface, what started as small-time thievery soon balloons into a matter of national security.