Showing results by narrator "Vanessa Johansson" in All Categories

Claire and her brother Jake have always been close. But after a devastating accident, Jake went through a downward spiral, losing all touch with reality and his family. Claire's found family and small-town bakery have become her sanctuary, but unfortunately, Jake's circumstances have taken a turn for the worse, and he finds himself at rock bottom, with a looming 15-year prison sentence. And now, she finds herself in a desperate battle to save the brother she loves.

Cari Porter has just woken up in a motel room. She doesn’t remember anything about her past - how she got there, where she’s going, or even who she is. But she does have a list of names that she has a burning desire to kill. But those aren’t her only problems. There are also people after her. She doesn’t know them, either. But they’re coming...and they plan to kill her.

Who would’ve thought that beneath the lush landscapes and beautiful backdrops of Hawaii, there could lie such danger? Taylor, a single mom, faces the daily struggle of balancing responsibilities and providing for her son, Jax, all on her own. Little did she know, her world would shatter in an instant when she witnesses her own son being kidnapped. Faced with the terrifying sight of her 12-year-old child being forced into a van, Taylor's instincts kick in, propelling her into the relentless pursuit to get him back.

Stella and Violet are best friends and from the moment they met in college, they knew their roles. Beautiful, privileged and reckless Stella lives in the spotlight. Hardworking, laser-focused Violet stays behind the scenes, always ready to clean up the mess that Stella inevitably leaves in her wake. Stella might be the one with the rich family and the right friends, but Violet isn't giving up so easily. As she and Stella strive for success, each reveals just how far she'll go to get what she wants – even if it means destroying the other person along the way.

In her debut novel, Let's Hope for the Best, Carolina Setterwall recounts the intensity of falling in love with her partner Aksel, and the shock of finding him dead in bed one morning. Carolina and Aksel meet at a party, and their passionate first encounter leads to months of courtship during which Carolina struggles to find her place. While Aksel prefers to take things slow, Carolina is eager to advance their relationship - moving in together, getting a cat, and finally having a child.

"Families and Other Enemies": Can Kellen Adams triumph against the greatest challenge of her life - her family? "Hard to Kill": All Kellen has to do is break a code and find a long-lost fortune...or die trying. "Hidden Truths": His new bride, Kellen, hovers between life and death. A convicted serial killer threatens their child. Max Di Luca goes on the hunt....

In 1908, 16-year-old Bridey runs away from her small town in Ireland with her same-age sweetheart, Thom. But when Thom dies suddenly of ship fever on their ocean crossing, Bridey finds herself alone and pregnant in a strange new world. Forced by circumstance to give up the baby for adoption, Bridey finds work as a maid for the Hollingworth family at a lavish, sprawling estate. She cares for the Hollingworth children as if they were her own, until a mysterious death changes Bridey and the household forever.

An editor at a small Manhattan publishing house, Frances Girard, is plagued with the curse of self-awareness. She knows she will never write a book and is resigned to living a dull, sensible life in which people like her "are not allowed to have a nervous breakdown". But she secretly envies those with creative aspirations. When she meets Paul Treat - the man fated to change her life - the avant-garde theater director is clad only in a towel. Frances is instantly attracted to his unpredictable, larger-than-life persona. They act out scenes from plays and embark on an erotic relationship like nothing Frances has ever known.

Past skeletons have a way of resurfacing despite our most diligent attempts to bury them away. Thirty years have elapsed since Adán and Eva reveled in their first love amid 1980s union strife in the Mexican port of Tampico. Flash forward to the present. Tampico is engulfed in yet another war, this one brought on by the drug trade. The former lovers find their way into each other’s arms again as the setting shifts from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, New York to Costa Rica and the Guatemalan jungle.

A moment can change everything...Charlotte Gates is tired of being Charlie Rae. She loves the lake she was raised on, their rental cabins, and spending her nights under the stars…but inside she yearns for more. After his freshman year, Nathaniel Chase’s family spends their first summer at The Village. From the beginning Charlotte intrigues him. She’s the girl who always says what’s on her mind, wins at night games, and gets lost in the sky, each time she looks through her telescope.

Here is a moving story of personal triumph - and a prescription for how to tame a disease that afflicts millions of Americans and is doubling among children. The former Miss America, a diabetic herself, offers an inspirational guide to living with diabetes, discussing the need for early detection and treatment of the disease and explaining how, with proper diet, exercise, medication, and attitude, to cope with it.

Lieutenant Sully Jax saved his unit during an IED attack, but he couldn't save his marriage. He can't even remember it. Recovered from his injuries, he's come home to the family and friends he knows-and an ex-wife who's a stranger to him. Lucy Crabtree was heartbroken last Christmas when Sully announced his plan to go on one last tour of duty, and devastated when he asked for a divorce after he awoke in the hospital with no memory of her.

With a POP! and a puff of smoke, the Willows' lawn mower calls it quits. A new mower will cost their parents a lot of money, money Derek had hoped to borrow for a train ticket to visit a friend. Luckily Derek and his brother and sisters find a rusty push mower tucked away in the shed. It doesn't look like much, but it turns out that it's been soaking up magic for years. And it's hungry for grass!

Nanette O'Hare is an unassuming teen who has played the role of dutiful daughter, hardworking student, and star athlete for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bugglegum Reaper - a mysterious, out-of-print cult classic - the rebel within Nanette awakens.

Chicken? Abner is not a chicken, no matter what his brother Derek says. But when it comes to giving a speech in front of the whole town, Abner is...well...he's more than a little nervous. Then his sister Tate has an idea - bravery lessons. And the first one? Eat a roasted grasshopper. But Abner forgot something important. There's magic in the ground under his family's house and grasshoppers hatch from eggs laid in the ground. So what, exactly, would happen if a kid ate a grasshopper that had been soaking up magic all year long? BOING!

When Nathan Isaacs walks suddenly back into Jaci Williams's life, she wonders if she ever knew her ex at all. Because it turns out he was a government-trained killer...and the only thing standing between her and death. Nathan gave everything to his country - his life, his family, even the one chance he had for happiness with the woman he loved. Then the agency he worked for betrays him, and they're targeting Jaci, too. Now their only chance of survival lies in finding out why someone wants them dead.

Celia Willow is the baby of the family, and she’s sick of it. She's sick of being younger and smaller. She's sick of never being taken seriously. So when Celia's hamster surprises the Willows with his wish-granting powers, she blurts out her deepest desire. The problem? Celia didn't exactly wish to be furry. Her big brothers and sister can't let their parents see her like this, but they only have one night to fix things. How can Abner, Tate, and Derek reverse something as powerful as hamster magic...before breakfast?

In an effort to cure an ailing relative, Dr. Kat Odgers makes a revolutionary new drug - and powerful new enemies. She has no idea what her latest concoction is capable of, but Jake Isaacs knows. And Jake must get to Kat before someone else does. Her safety is his mission, but the assignment gets complicated when a strong mutual attraction threatens to throw him off course.

Valerie would never do anything to hurt her sister, but when the man of Valerie’s dreams turns out to be her sister’s new boyfriend, remaining loyal to her family becomes increasingly difficult. Valerie knows nothing can ever happen between her and Jake, but that doesn’t prevent her from growing hopelessly fond of him.

Clothilde has lived her whole life in the shadows with her (sometimes) thieving and (always) ailing father. But when he fails to meet her one morning, sending her instead a mysterious ticket of half-paffage, Clo finds herself journeying across the sea to reunite with him. The ticket, however, leaves her on a sunless island inhabited only by creaking fishermen, a rumpled old woman, a piggish cat, and a moon-cheeked boy named Cary.