Showing results by narrator "Erik Bloomquist" in All Categories

Sometimes, beauty covers a whole lot of ugly. That was one of the many valuable lessons I learned the summer I lived in Creswell Springs with the Angel's Halo MC. They taught me about responsibility and respect—not just for others, but, more importantly, for myself. I liked to think I came home a better person. Someone who wasn't just pretty on the outside anymore. And then I met Zak. Golden eyes. Chiseled jaw. That deep, gravelly voice mixed with a slight Russian accent that did something to me no man ever had before.

Hollis Taylor is allowed to break the rules. She's coach's little girl. And she's good. If that means she gets to bump one of the guys for the starting catcher's job on the Public High baseball team, then the others on the squad better suck it up and deal. But breaking rules has taken Cannon Jennings far in life. One of the nation's top pitching prospects, he came here to throw to his cousin and show college recruiters everything he could do on the mound. Taking his signs from a girl was not part of his blueprint, especially one that screwed over his favorite relative and best friend.

Running into your brother's billionaire ex-hockey-playing best friend at a special kind of party should have been a red flag. Pulling one another's names from a bowl at said party was a coincidence. Having a wild night together that we said we'd forget was probably our mistake. Especially when Declan shows up weeks later as the new owner of the hockey team that practices in Lake Spark, and he has an offer for me. Meet him every day in his hotel room for a week to enjoy a little fling while he passes through town.

Faith Brooks thinks of the academy as a new beginning. It's a way for her to put a traumatic event behind her and create a new life for herself. One where she understands her wolf as much as her vampire. And, one where she doesn't repeat past mistakes by falling for a guy who's unable to love. Too bad the academy doesn't teach students to tame their wild hearts as well as their wolves. Axel Stone is a rough-around-the-edges, tattooed, bad boy. His fists are his only way at maintaining his sanity, but he's ready to learn more control over his demons.

He calls me his heart. Tells me the only reason he closes his eyes at night is so he can see me in his dreams. Our months apart are torture for both of us, but at least I get to hear his voice every day. Each summer, he's all mine. Every minute he can spare, I'm right beside him, and our families just smile knowingly. Ryan has responsibilities, though. One day, my mafioso prince will be the king. And I will be his queen . . .

This book is the definitive guide for leaders of high-growth organizations seeking to understand and execute the people-management principles that are essential to continued success. Andrew Bartlow and T. Brad Harris offer a practical toolkit that founders, functional leaders, and managers of people can use to rethink their practices to meet their organizations' needs.

The moment I set eyes on Gabbi Sterling, I know she's mine. Unfortunately, she doesn't agree. Her brother owns my team. Her best friend told a little white lie. And my girl is giving me nine kinds of hell. Right up until we get lost in the woods together. Now, it's up to me to get her out safely. There's just one problem. I have a concussion and no clue where we are.

When your bestie thinks her new boyfriend might be a bookie, you do a little digging. Which is precisely how I ended up in the Falcons' locker room. I didn't expect to find Colter Bayliss naked. Nor did I expect the crazy hockey player to be so bossy. Now, I can't seem to get him out of my hair. He's determined to solve this mystery with me. And the more time I spend with him, the less I want to solve it alone.

If anyone had told me that coffee would change my life, I would have laughed. Right up until I set eyes on Aspen Whatley at the local coffee shop, anyway. She's everything right in this world. But she's a little spitfire, hellbent on taking on the world by herself. Knowing her brother wants me to keep an eye on her doesn't earn me any points. Until her life is on the line, and she has nowhere to turn. Now, she's looking over her shoulder, and I'm pissed about it. No one threatens what belongs to me. But I've been playing defense my entire life. I'll protect this goddess and make her mine.

It didn't take me long to realize I'd made a mistake trying to regain my lost youth or something like that. I was headed right out the door when I saw her. The woman who will change my life forever. She bowled me over, and I got so caught up in making love to her, I forgot to get her name. When I wake up the next morning, ready to make her mine, I find my little tigress has disappeared.

A hockey player who loves to read? Unheard of, right? I always let their teasing roll off my back and keep my head in the game, until they send a curvy little firecracker to my door with a special delivery. And by "special delivery" I mean the filthiest books the jerks could find in Silver Spoon Falls. Now, my head is everywhere except in the game . . . and so is my heart. Both are tangled up in the smart-mouthed little goddess who thinks she can fight what's happening between us. Allie Mackenzie is wrong, and I intend to prove it to her. Repeatedly, in fact.

June Mabee is a lot of things. She's the girl next door. She's the best friend I ever had. She was my first kiss. And she's the last person I should have feelings for. Two years ago, I cut all ties with her because I had no choice. No more late-night phone calls, no hellos or goodbyes, not even a passing smile. I left her to wonder what happened to the us we used to be. We were best friends, and then suddenly . . . we weren't. And I know it hurt. But the truth would have hurt her more, and being anything with June would have destroyed my family.

In The Great Lockdown: Lessons Learned During the Pandemic from Organizations Around the Globe, expert strategists Shivaji Das, Aroop Zutshi, and Janesh Janardhanan deliver an insightful exploration of this once-in-a-lifetime event to unearth invaluable learnings for the future. Told through the experiences of CXOs at billion-dollar companies, star start-ups, and nonprofits from around the world, the book chronicles the ups and downs of sophisticated organizations as they navigated the COVID-19 crisis through initiatives impacting people, processes, and technology.

Drawing on years of investigative reporting, Wyatt Williams offers a powerful look at why we kill and eat animals. In order to understand why we eat meat, the restaurant critic and journalist investigated factory farms, learned to hunt game, worked on a slaughterhouse kill floor, and partook in Indigenous traditions of whale eating in Alaska. In Springer Mountain, he tells about his experiences while charting the history of meat eating and vegetarianism.

Gloria Mayor, better known as Glow, is on a deadline. If she can't tap into her magic soon, she'll be kicked out of Lunar Academy. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and in this case, that means accepting help from the talented and sexy Lionel...Lionel Daniels is being punished for the actions of his father, a man he barely knows. When finds himself on magical probation, he chooses to focus his attention on helping Glow tap into hers. So what if he jumped on the opportunity because he wanted a way to get closer to her?

Casey doesn't have much luck in the dating department, so when her girlfriends ditch their girls only weekend for a couple's retreat, she's forced to take desperate measures. Refusing to be the only single one, she does what any quick-thinking girl would do: She lies. It was almost too easy hiring a stranger to pretend to be her hot, rich, successful boyfriend. What she didn't plan on was him being hot, successful, and way too much trouble for her liking.

Marius Winter doesn't walk the road of the shaman-warrior alone. He has powerful allies in the Other Realms and in ordinary reality. His spirit guides are a Lakota war-chief and medicine man, First in Front; Tigre, a powerful feminine spirit who appears as a white tiger; and Burt, a spirit raven who channels an old Jewish bookie from the Bronx. Now, Marius is targeted by a powerful sorcerer. In the battle for the souls of his friends and lover, he must storm the gates of the underworld and fight through the Seven Demi-Demons of Hell to the deepest dungeons to confront Belial himself.

Tori Ballard chose to become a wolf. The problem: her wolf is impulsive and free-spirited. She relies on instincts and not much else. Tori prefers structure, schedules, and knowing things well in advance. Until she decides to give in to the sexy southern guy fate seems to be forcing her way. Holt Taylor had a solid plan for his life until it evaporated when he was attacked and bitten. Now he's part wolf and enrolled at the academy. There are only a few things that can put him back on solid ground - fight club, cardio, and Tori. Even if she doesn't know it yet.

In 2010—long before the release of Lemonade—Professor Kevin Allred created the university course "Politicizing Beyonce" to both wide acclaim and controversy. He outlines his pedagogical philosophy in Ain't I a Diva?, exploring the process of teaching Beyonce and what it means to use a superstar to blow up the canon. Allred brings his syllabus to life by pairing music videos and songs with historical and academic texts, and combines analysis with classroom anecdotes.

If high school has taught mathlete Jade Aaron anything, it's that nerds never get the guy. So when rock star Lennon Pryor starts pursuing her, it's not rocket science. This doesn't add up. I mean, sure, he's hot. And charming. And a god on the guitar. But he's also the world's biggest player. Being with him would be a bigger mistake than 2+2=5. Until graduation night, when a reckless moment leads to a reckless kiss. And now Jade's falling for the one guy destined to break her heart.