Showing results by narrator "Natalie Duke" in All Categories

How far could society fall without data? Account balances, property lines, government ID records - if it all vanished, if everyone’s scorecard reset to zero, how might the world look? The Blind Mice are going to show us. Molly McGill is fighting it. Her teenage son has come downstairs in a T-shirt from these “hacktivists” dominating the news. Her daughter’s bus is canceled - too many stoplights out - and school is in the opposite direction of the temp job she’s supposed to be starting this morning.

I believe in living my best life, and if surviving cancer taught me anything, it’s exactly that. I wake every day in the most beautiful city in the South, I’m a chef at my own restaurant, and everything is just the way I want it: easy, calm, and in perfect harmony - that is, until my best friend shows up with his wounded heart, smoldering gaze, and adorable dimples. Now, things are changing - we are changing - but with the promises I’ve made to myself, I don’t want them to.

I love food. I love everything about it. My dream has always been to land a job with the Food Network channel, and I’ve spent years as a food critic, blogger, and chef, tasting my way across the South to develop recipes that are a twist on the classics and uniquely my own. When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes calling, I’m shocked to discover I’ve been paired with him, the worst blind date ever - bless his heart, and I’m determined not to let anyone get in my way.

One thousand years after a cataclysmic event leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, the descendants of the chosen survivors take refuge in 13 contingency shelters buried deep underground, at the bottom of the ocean, and in the far reaches of outer space. In the underwater 13th Continuum, 16-year-old Myra Jackson has heard rumors and whisperings all her life of a magical place called The Surface” where people could breathe fresh air, feel the warmth of something called sunlight on their skin, and see things known as stars and trees and mountains.

Pie isn’t just a dessert, it’s a way of life. Pies, fillings, jams, jellies, honey, they’re all a part of my award-winning business, Firefly Kitchen. After being left behind, by everyone, I was determined to make it all on my own, and I have. I love what I do, I love what I’ve created, and I love who I’ve become. Yes, it’s small, but it’s mine, and nothing or no one can stop me now. Not even Bryan Brennen. He may have returned, but it won’t be long before he leaves. And regardless of how you slice it, some things can’t be forgotten, no matter how sweet the taste.

I thought I was a goner after my old frenemy Odin dropped a Ragnarok-sized truth bomb on me at an Asgard Awakening (terrible show - don't watch it) fan convention, but the situation is contained for now, and I'm heading west to search for the runes that make me immortal. Dying is counterproductive, and I, the great god Loki, enjoy living in the twenty-first century, even if I have to do it in a body that prefers men over women. What can I say? Gunnar Magnusson is, as the cool Midgardian kids say, hot AF. We all make sacrifices.

Ever wonder what kind of impression you’re making? Good modern manners can help you make a splash, elevate your self-esteem, enhance your personal brand, and lead to what we’re all looking for - greater success in every part of our lives. Nita Patel’s debut book, Boss Vibes is authority, class, and edge all in one unique package. Her witty, fresh voice and clever, take-no-prisoners observations make it fun to stop and think about how we’re really coming across to the world and where we want to go in our careers and personal lives.

Nina Rodriguez has become the most lethal weapon in the world. A blood mage trained by werewolves to hunt and kill with no remorse, no morality, and no hesitation. All that matters is the thrill of the kill, and the danger that comes with it. When she's given orders to infiltrate and observe the vampire court, she couldn't turn it down anymore than she could cease to breathe. The sweet taste of danger was enough to tempt her, and that only doubles when the vampire king chooses her as his own personal thrall.

Nina Rodriguez would rather die than submit, but that choice isn't hers. Because whoever kills her will take her death curse, a fate worse than death, and no one is willing to risk that. When she saved the lives of the vampire king and his mother, she didn’t do it for glory, but she’d be a liar if she didn’t think it would mean freedom. Instead, all it did was reveal her for who she is - a blood mage, the most feared creature in the world. Now, the vampires who rule the world have taken her as a slave to use her as a weapon. With her under their thumb, there’s nothing they can’t do.

Five years after an alien invasion, the Earth is unrecognizable. The human race has been decimated and the sun completely blotted out by dark clouds that bring constant rain. All indigenous plant life has been killed off and replaced by vegetation that has proven to be as deadly as it is invasive, and the aliens that have taken over the planet are seemingly invincible. Living in a crowded building with other survivors, Diana Foster wants nothing more than to forget what she lost the day the aliens arrived. But an incoming platoon brings a familiar face.

Falling in love, baking a magical cake, fighting an evil necromancer: It's all in a day's work for Audrey Oliver, 17-year-old witch in training. When her mother goes missing, and her mysterious "cousin" shows up out of the blue, Audrey knows something's gone horribly, dangerously wrong. Now it's up to her to get her own magical powers up to speed before everyone she loves is destroyed by the sorcerer intricately connected to her mother's secret past.

MacKenzie Rivers seems like she has it all figured out. She has great friends, she's doing well in school, and her handsome ex-boyfriend is desperate to win her back. But something is missing from her life in Windsor, Colorado. And as much as she hates to admit it, that something might be Jaden Hunter. A year ago, she was falling fast for him and his crooked smile. Twelve months later, everything has changed. A tragic accident has destroyed Jaden's family, and Kenzie has no idea how to talk to him anymore.

Bob Fiske - the 74-year-old dinosaur who's taught Honors English and coached varsity football for five decades - is missing. To his Winners, class favorites Fiske designated over the years for their potential to "Live Big," it's heartbreaking. Fiske did more than inspire with soaring oratory; he supported their ambitions into adulthood. Four of his brightest former stars reunite to find him, putting high-octane careers on hold, slipping police barricades, racing into the wilds of Northern Michigan for clues about the fate of their legendary mentor.

Thirty-three-year-old music therapist Kate Randolph is at the top of her professional game. Her life is happily on track, until she receives a phone call announcing the death of the man who abandoned her when she was eight years old. Kate has no interest in going to her father's funeral, but soon realizes she must confront the past to move forward. While in Oregon, Kate discovers why her scientist/father disappeared, and what she learns will set her on a path that will change her life forever.

Caroline Chapman is reeling from a broken engagement. Determined to start again, she moves cross-country for her dream job of planning events in the historical mansions of Newport, Rhode Island. Just as her life is getting back on track, she gets an email that shakes her very foundations. Linda Riley's life looks picture perfect- a wonderful husband, two great kids, involved in church and the community. Then comes the diagnosis that shatters the facade. In order to save her son's life, she must reveal secrets that can rip everything apart.

In December 2013, an ice storm buries Toronto as realtor Laura Keys prepares to sell a one-of-a-kind house on behalf of its comatose owner. Haunting Laura, and longing to be invited in, is a mysterious teenage girl with a Scottish terrier tucked into her coat. As Laura readies the house for showing, she learns more about its owner, Edna "Eddie" Ferguson. Leading up to the Great Snowstorm of 1944, Eddie, a brickmaker, enters into a passionate yet ill-fated affair with her boss's daughter. While uncovering the past, Laura navigates both the death of her mother and a troubled marriage.

The mighty chicken Thundercluck is in trouble. He and Brunhilde have run a-fowl of the gods of Asgard, and the best friends must fly the coop. But when a seasoned foe serves up more danger, it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for these plucky heroes. Can their friendship handle the heat...or will they both be cooked?

Eighteen years ago, Jaynee Monroe married the man of her dreams, became the mother of four, and fulfilled her career goals. About to turn 40, she senses something is missing from her idyllic life. While Googling her name in an attempt to find herself, she unearths something so impossible, she contemplates her own sanity. Seeking answers, she embarks on a journey to discover the truth, only to end up abducted by a deranged stranger who insists on calling her Caycee.

The Gallaghers and Pruitts have dominated the American political landscape dating back to Revolutionary times. The Yale University class of 1996 had one of each, and as the 20-year reunion approaches, the families are on a collision course. Owen Gallagher is coasting to the Democratic nomination for president. Rock Pruitt - the brash maverick whose career was derailed two decades ago by his association to a tragic death - is back, ready to reclaim the mantle of clan leader. And fatefully in between lies Samantha Lessing.

Growing up in the city of Stillwater, Oklahoma, thirteen-year-old Liberty Justice has learned how to cook, clean, and care for her heroin-addict mother. But at school, Liberty struggles to fit in, and a fight with her rival gets her suspended. Frustrated, she turns to writing poetry—her only escape. When a drug dealer shows up at their house with wild accusations, a fight breaks out, and the dealer ends up dead. To save her mother from arrest, Liberty flees the scene with her mom in tow.