Showing results by narrator "Wendy King" in All Categories

Ivan thought the world was through giving him second chances. Who'd want a rough ex-con with a savior complex and a bad habit of bringing home helpless strays? Everyone in Blackwood, Virginia, knew he wasn't good enough for the fine things in life; they knew he was too damaged to save. He just needed to keep his head down, work himself to the bone, and pretend he was content with the lot he was given. Until she came into his life.

With a wedding on the horizon and her father tucked safely away in prison, the future is looking bright for Lily Locke. Unfortunately, life on The Isle is never calm for long. When a Ranger is killed brutally in plain sight, Lily and her fiancé - the renowned Ranger X - find themselves hunting a murderer more ruthless than any they’ve ever encountered before.

He's no Tony Soprano. Still, local crime boss Giustino "Tino" Fabrizio is one shady character that Tara would love to see behind bars. He operates a security business - or so he claims on his tax forms - but his clients don't feel so secure when it's time to pay up. Problem is, no one can get close enough to nail this wiseguy for extortion. No one, that is, except Tara. Going undercover, Tara lands a waitress job at Benedetta's Bistro - which is owned and operated by Tino's wife.

A childhood chant turns near deadly for Lily Locke when she's swept into The Faction's latest triumph - the overthrowing of the hidden, magical city of Wishery. When Ainsley and her team at MAGIC, Inc., beg Lily for her help, she agrees, taking on a load of problems that pile up faster than she can say abracadabra. A new revolution in black magic stumps the island's burgeoning mixologist, while a haunted house, a surprise birthday party, and rising familial troubles back on The Isle compete for her already-limited time and attention.

Tourist season is approaching, and the Edna is busier than ever, between baking with her Amish Cookie Club friends and running her business serving meals to Englische tourists. You wouldn't think she'd have time for matchmaking....

Do you wake up every night and see 11:11 on the clock? Or 3:33? 4:44? Does the same number sequence seem to appear throughout your life over and over? Did you know that millions of people all over the world experience the same phenomenon? These mysterious number sequences are known as "time prompts", and show up on digital clocks, cell phones, receipts, billboards, advertisements, and other places.

Over the past 10 years, urban planners, technology companies, and governments have promoted smart cities with a somewhat utopian vision of urban life made knowable and manageable through data collection and analysis. Emerging smart cities have become both crucibles and showrooms for the practical application of the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and the integration of big data into everyday life. Are smart cities optimized, sustainable, digitally networked solutions to urban problems? Or are they neoliberal, corporate-controlled, undemocratic non-places?

A decade ago, developers built information-sharing software by writing a lot of custom code in a single code base, then adding layers of caching. Now we build information systems: interdependent software and services, data platforms, and event streams. Many of our software-to-systems initiatives fail, though, and when they do, we double down on traditional linear approaches. But linear thinking cannot resolve systems challenges. We need to shift to systems thinking.

From foraging and hunting for food to (more recently) finding solace and peace in a beautiful vista, humans have long interacted with the natural world. Though a connection to nature runs deep in our DNA, however, people of the modern age are indoors almost 93 percent of the day. With that said, there is a growing evidence suggests that the natural world promotes mental and physical well-being, including stress relief, improved mood, and neurological benefits.

Ghosts were never something Shelby thought were real, but now, she’s not so sure. Shelby Nichols has a new client. But finding a missing woman might lead to something more sinister and deadly than she ever imagined. Add to that a mob boss with a dangerous business arrangement, and Shelby finds death at every turn. Can she escape the danger in time? Or will she be the next to die?

Diamonds aren’t always a girl’s best friend. Murder and secrets are never a good combination. But with Shelby Nichols on the job, finding the guilty party should be a piece of cake. Unless they’re dead. Add missing diamonds to the mix, along with an unsolved homicide, and Shelby has her hands full.

Shelby in Paris with a spy? What could go wrong? Shelby Nichols is no stranger to danger. She’s been shot at, framed for murder, and targeted by a serial killer. Now it looks like the government needs her help in Paris to confront a rogue agent with ties to a known terrorist. How does a mind reader who doesn’t speak French help with that? Will she find the cold-blooded killer before his next attack? Or will this be the end of the line for Shelby Nichols? Listen to it now and find out.

Human brains and behavior are shaped by genetic predispositions and early experience. But we are not doomed by our genes or our past. Neuroscientific discoveries of the last decade have provided an optimistic and revolutionary view of adult brain function: People can change. This revelation offers hope to therapists and to couples seeking to improve their relationship. Loving With the Brain in Mind explores ways to help couples become proactive in revitalizing their relationship.

The time has finally arrived! The Trials are in full swing and celebratory parties fill the Isle as Candidates go head-to-head to prove themselves worthy of the coveted Ranger title. Drinks, dances, and masquerade balls set the stage for a glamorous series of events until suddenly, it all changes. The most dangerous criminal on the island escapes from prison. Tragedy strikes. The Isle is thrown into chaos due to old, forbidden black magic, and only one person can help.

Humanity is currently facing a series of interconnected emergencies that threaten our very survival—from climate change to economic inequality and beyond. And yet, at the same time, a global shift towards harnessing our collective power to create a life-affirming future is flourishing. Featuring chapters by forty-three leading-edge contributors, Our Moment of Choice provides eye-opening and inspirational visions for a unified, peaceful, and thriving world.

Life for Lily Locke has not been normal ever since she learned of her witchy heritage, but now more than ever, her world is spiraling out of control. When a series of strange events begin to tear her beloved island apart, it's up to the famed Mixologist to seek out the most powerful wizard in the world and spare him from death. However, as Lily begins the hunt for the Master of Magic, she encounters a prophecy that could destroy everyone she's come to know and love.

Marine Logan Hughes uses humor like a shield because the twists and turns his life has taken have led him far from the path he was supposed to tread. He's no priest, and despite his parents' continued hope, he has no desire to become one. Still, he's no devil, either. So when his attempt to protect an innocent person lands him with two choices - the brig or marriage to a woman he doesn't know - he chooses marriage. Which means denying his family's plans for him once and for all.

Jack Sanders built his career as an army intelligence operative on his uncanny ability to anticipate what the enemy will do next - but he never anticipated the trouble he's landed in. Removed from duty, his future on the line, he'll have to accept a truly unusual mission to redeem himself. His orders are clear: head to Montana, marry General Reed's daughter, and secure the family's ranch once and for all from the drug cartel trying to get a toe hold in Chance Creek.

Too often, writing about social security turns the noteworthy details of the benefits into boring details about regulations or biased political arguments that would put even a diehard bureaucrat to sleep. Social Security 101, 2nd Edition, cuts out the tedious explanations and instead provides a hands-on lesson that keeps you engaged as you learn all you need to know about the federal program that’s been around since the Great Depression.

Undercover cop Clay Navarro left the Sultans biker gang a changed man. Its ringleaders may be awaiting trial, but he wears the memory of every brutal act he was forced to commit tattooed across his skin. He doesn't have space in his messed-up life for anything gentle - not now, maybe not ever. When the Sultans return looking for revenge, Dr. Georgette Hadley finds herself drawn into the dirty underbelly of a life forged in violence...that not even her touch may be able to heal.