Showing results by narrator "Courtney Patterson" in All Categories

At seventeen, Charlie Coleman was on top of the world. He was captain of the football team, dating the smart and beautiful Shawna David, and on his way to becoming another pillar of his Nantucket community, just like his father before him. But all that changed in the blink of an eye. It's been thirty years since the accident, and Charlie is still overwhelmed with guilt. Why has he been blessed with so much—a gorgeous wife, three children, and two grandchildren, while Nora is left with nothing? Why did he escape that night with his life?

When her Great-Aunt Jessabelle passes away and leaves her home to Samantha, Sam and her daughters, Darcy and Rachelle, begin refurbishment on The Jessabelle House, a glorious house not far from the town of Siasconset on Nantucket. Once there, Samantha discovers her aunt's diaries, which reveal dramatic secrets from the past—and still more reasons not to trust the Colemans.

When small-town Police Chief Arly Hanks returns to Maggody, Arkansas, after vacation, she finds the population has risen to a booming 802. Among the newbies: Madame Celeste, the psychic who's holding locals in thrall with her predictions of doom; a handsome new high school guidance counselor; and a gaggle of mantra-chanting hippies who have turned the old general store into the source for cosmic harmony. Unfortunately, life in Maggody is anything but harmonious.

The Saturnalia carnival marks three years since Nina walked away from Philadelphia's elite Saturn Club--with its genteel debauchery, arcane pecking order, and winking interest in alchemy and the occult. In doing so, she abandoned her closest friends and her chance to climb the social ladder. Since then, she's eked out a living by telling fortunes with her Saturn Club tarot deck, a solemn initiation gift that Nina always considered a gag but has turned out to be more useful than she could have ever imagined.

Wedding preparations are underway, but the aisle to the altar gets rockier by the minute. Though the community's support is humbling, their enthusiasm soon hijacks the wedding. Squeeze in a suspicious death during a Texas Independence Day celebration, the needy new widow Madison befriends, and the unscrupulous politician trying to unseat Brash as chief of police, and the path seems littered with obstacles.

Madison Reynolds is looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation. Her best friend, Genny, is judging a celebrity bake-off near DC, so it's the perfect opportunity for a girl's getaway. With fun-loving Granny Bert in tow, the trio heads to the very heart of the intel community. A mix-up at the airport leaves Madison with the wrong luggage, and a last-minute change in accommodations lands them at The Columbia Inn at Peralynna. How can they know its ties to the spy world will soon spin them into its web?

Now that Madison Reynolds has agreed to be part of a reality-television home remodeling show, she barely recognizes her own life. The show is an instant success, bringing cameras and reporters right to her doorstep, eager to chronicle her every move in the small Texas town. With In a Pinch Temporary Services hovering on the thin line between prosperity and extinction, Madison takes on another quirky case, this one concerning a property dispute. Complications turn a simple mission into all-out danger, and once again Madison finds herself embroiled in an intriguing mystery.

When an old college roommate invites Claire Britten to join her on an archaeological dig at a Florida peat bog, it's an offer the renowned forensic psychologist can't refuse. Claire's husband, criminal lawyer Nick Markwood, is comforted to see Claire working on a prehistoric burial site instead of an open grave for once. But Claire's investigative instincts kick in when some of The Black Bog's perfectly preserved corpses show signs of a grisly fate. What really happened to these people?

Claire Britten's training never prepared her for this - the forensic psychology curriculum didn't cover plane crashes. Or how to help fellow survivors cope, seven frightened people huddled in two small rafts awaiting a rescue that may never come. Especially when three of them are your ex-husband, your young daughter - and the man you love, Nick Markwood, whose pursuit by a criminal mastermind forced you all to run in the first place.

An encounter with her father's goddess has not turned out to be the end for Sarah Elytharias Penn. Now, with the Imperial fist tightened around her city of Cahokia and the beastkind of the Heron King ravaging across the river, she must find a way to access the power of the Serpent Throne itself. To complicate her efforts, Cahokia's Metropolitan, a beloved and charismatic priest who despises the goddess as a demon, returns from a long pilgrimage and attempts to finalize the Wisdom-eradicating reform that dogged Sarah's father when he was king.

Madison's newest client at In a Pinch Temp Service is a suspicious wife, up against a formidable foe - the lovely Caress Ellingsworth, former soap opera queen. When the star is murdered and Madison is eyewitness to the deed, she wonders if the shadowed person she saw commit the crime might really be her client. Now Madison is torn between uncovering the truth and keeping her client's name off the suspect list. Caress is not the only star in town these days. With a little help from Granny Bert and Madison's best friend Genesis, the popular television show Home Again arrives.

Maple Valley became Amelia Bentley's haven after her heart and her dreams of a family were shattered. But her new life as a newspaper editor is shaken when the small-town paper is in danger of closing. Her one hope: A lead on an intriguing story that just might impress the new publisher...if only she knew who he was. After his biggest campaign success yet, widowed speechwriter Logan Walker now has the chance of a lifetime - a spot on a presidential campaign. But his plans are interrupted when he finds out he's inherited his hometown newspaper.

Janie Adams needs a lifeline. She’s used to taking care of herself and her nephew, Andrew, but between her veterinary school bills and the cost of raising a kid, she’s out of luck and money. When she texts her sister for help, her sister tells her to ask Aiden Rivers for money - since guess what? He’s the baby’s father. Janie has no choice but to hope that Aiden Rivers is more responsible than her sister.

Alexandra Collister came to her estranged cousins' B and B in Falls Lake, Alaska, looking for a fresh start. The surrounding forest can be harsh and unforgiving - luckily, rugged wilderness tracker Quinn Mantell offers to be her guide. Still recovering from a toxic previous relationship, Alex is wary of getting too close, but when savagely deep claw marks appear outside her bedroom window, keeping her distance from Quinn is no longer an option.

Texas socialite Delaney Cartwright knows she can't go through with her wedding. But she can't simply call the whole thing off. The nuptials to her nice, predictable childhood friend are the social event of the season (not to mention that her mother would freak). To fan the flames of this dying ember, Delaney abducts her fiancé for a night of passion - and grabs the wrong guy! A guy with smoldering eyes and an irresistible country-boy swagger...

A completely revised and updated values-based guide to navigating the first year of college that speaks to college students in their own language and offers practical tools that listeners need to keep from drinking, sleeping, or skipping their way out of college. In the four years since its initial publication, The Freshman Survival Guide has helped thousands of first year students make a successful transition to college life. However, much has changed on campuses.

Ten years ago, Bear gave up everything - his freedom and his reputation - for his mess of a family. But after years of distance and too many attempts at starting over, he finally has a new life doing noble work in Brazil...until his past catches up to him once again. Suddenly he finds himself back in Maple Valley, charged with the care of his missing brother's children, convinced he's out of second chances to make his life count. Maybe this is the fresh start he's been longing for all along.

Beckett Walker hasn't stepped foot in Maple Valley in years. There's no getting past the painful memories, and there's every chance he'll be arrested as soon as he shows his face. Which is exactly what happens when he finally returns. Suddenly his dream of adventure as a military lawyer comes skidding to a halt. Horticulturist Kit Danby has spent too much time missing home and her childhood best friend - Beckett Walker. Now she might have a shot at reclaiming both.

Sarah Turner's led a very sheltered life. So when her parents pass away tragically, suddenly she’s left in charge of the family ranch with little know-how but plenty of will to keep it afloat. Determined not to lose her parents’ legacy or her newfound independence, she needs a hero fast - not to save her, but to show her how to save herself. But she’s unprepared for the ruggedly handsome cowboy who answers her ad. “Cowboy for Hire,” the ad said, and Cade Walker's quick to respond. Betrayed as ranch manager by his former boss, he’s looking for a new place to put down roots.

From matchmaking carolers to a festive lights competition, four best-selling authors explore the magic of the holidays in these heartwarming small towns.