Showing results by narrator "Hollis McCarthy" in All Categories

Lady Nicola Emory adored her brother’s best friend, John Randall, earl of Bainbridge, from the moment she met him. But the handsome earl, a mysterious and tormented agent of the Crown, never gave her any notice until the eve of her betrothal to another man. How was she to know that her intended betrothed was plotting to overthrow the Crown? When Nicola stumbles upon the proof of his treason, she’s suddenly on the run for her life, and John is the only one who can protect her. But in saving her life, will he put his heart at risk?

Caina Amalas is a Ghost nightfighter, one of the Emperor's elite spies and assassins. And though she remains anonymous, already legends grow around her. Whispers speak of the Ghost nightfighter who stopped the fire of the gods from consuming Rasadda, who defeated sorcerers of terrible power, who liberated slaves and threw down cruel lords.

Take your ticket and enjoy the thrills and chills awaiting those who dare journey into this exciting collection of short fiction and novellas. Savor six twisted tales, which will both delight and surprise listeners as they travel into the dark realms of supernatural and paranormal suspense.

My name is Nadia, and I’m a shadow agent of the High Queen of the Elves. I don’t have many friends, but I look after the ones I do have...and I pay my debts. So when Hakon Valborg’s teenaged granddaughter Lydia is arrested for the murder of her computer science teacher, I agree to help. But there’s more going on here than just murder.

It's the holiday season in the town of Ivory Beach. Rory Hawthorn and her new magical family are preparing for the festivities. But when a group of strange werewolves materializes in the library, it kicks off a series of bizarre events which appear to be lifted directly from her aunt's best-selling novels.

At 30, Ginger Sanders has already been married and divorced. Busy making sure all her friends find love, she's completely thrown off guard when she falls at the feet of a ski god - literally. Cam Nash is the ski god in question - a man of near physical perfection. Cam took a job at Last Frontier Lodge in the wilds of Alaska to escape the painful memories of his brother's death. Skiing has always helped clear his mind, so he's hoping he can ski enough to forget. The last thing on his mind is a relationship of any kind. Until Ginger takes a tumble in the snow and lands at his feet.

Designer Marly West has one reason for taking the job at Draconia Fashions...and it's not to come up with the latest clothing trends. But when she blurts out a good idea in a corporate meeting, she gets exactly what she didn't want...an opportunity of a lifetime. Too bad taking advantage of it might reveal the secret she desperately needs to keep hidden. But it's too late to get out of it now, and she soon finds that she's in over her head with a boardroom full of resentful executives, a hot CEO, and an assistant that wants to make sure Marly doesn't succeed.

When millionaire Regis Banks drops dead at his 100th birthday party, everyone assumes it was from natural causes...everyone except Lexy Baker’s amateur sleuth grandmother, Nans, and her three friends, that is. When it turns out Regis’ death might have been caused by more than just old age, Nans refuses to let the trail grow cold. It doesn’t take long before Nans and Lexy are up to their eyeballs in suspects, and when those suspects start dropping like flies, Lexy and Nans have to step up their game before the killer claims their next victim.

Caina Amalas cheated death and escaped certain doom. So did her mortal enemy, the sorcerer Cassander Nilas. Now the city of Istarinmul teeters on the brink of civil war and sorcerous annihilation. Unless Caina summons all her bravery and cunning, Cassander's dark spell will kill millions of people. Starting with the people she loves.

Caina Amalas is a Ghost circlemaster, leader of the Emperor's spies in Istarinmul. Yet the people of Istarinmul know her as the Balarigar, the daring master thief who challenged the corrupt lords and cruel princes of the city. And now Grand Master Callatas, the most powerful sorcerer of Istarinmul, wants her dead, and without allies Caina will not survive. So when a legendary thief offers Caina a chance to rob Callatas himself, she has no choice but to join the venture. But no one has ever escaped the dark perils of Callatas' Maze...

If there's anything Joy "Rocky" Rookwood loves more than the plants she tends to at Tenwick Abbey, it's a challenge; that's precisely why she's agreed to become the latest spy in Morgan Graylocke's household. When she's tasked with going undercover as gardener in another house to ferret out a high-level traitor she jumps at the chance. The only fly in the ointment is that she has to take fellow botanist, and also newly minted spy, Edgar Catterson III with her as backup. Rocky and Catt rarely see eye to eye.

Just when I thought I could take a break from solving murders and sort out my emotions, fate had other plans. Dean, my ex-boyfriend and local chief of police, confessed that he still had feelings for me. Unable to resist our emotional connection, we began meeting in secret around town to talk, but our meetings often led to passionate and guilt-ridden kisses.

American doctor Tara Moore wants to disappear. On the run from an abusive husband, she seeks shelter on a windswept Irish island and dismisses the villagers' speculation that she is descended from a selkie - a magical creature who is bewitching the island. But when a ghostly woman appears to her with a warning, Tara realizes it was more than chance that brought her to this island.

Brook Ridge Falls' favorite bakery owner, Lexy Baker, has everything she ever wanted. A new husband she adores. A thriving bakery business. Everything is going great.... Until a new bakery springs up across the street and tries every trick in the book to put her out of business! Lexy smells something rotten about the bakery, and it isn’t just their stale brownies. When her own bakery is broken into, she knows who did it...but what she can’t figure out is why. Could the new baker be after her great-grandmothers prize winning scone recipe, or is there another more sinister reason?

A gripping and empathetic work of reportage, Free reveals what awaits them and the hundreds of thousands of others who are released from prison every year: the first rush of freedom followed quickly by institutionalized obstacles and logistical roadblocks, grinding bureaucracies, lack of resources, societal stigmas and damning self-perceptions, and the sometimes overwhelming psychological challenges. Veteran reporter Lauren Kessler, both clear-eyed and compassionate, follows six people whose diverse stories paint an intimate portrait of struggle, persistence, and resilience.

Prince Alessandro Barrali is known for his wild ways. After he's compelled to stand in for his staid identical twin, all Alessandro wants is to escape the fishbowl of palace life and indulge himself. When he awakens aboard the royal yacht awash in hedonism, yet bored out of his mind, he decides a new quest is in order.

Aspiring chef Sarah Thomas isn't a very good liar, but when the opportunity to compete in a prestigious culinary contest presents itself, she jumps at the chance. Too bad the opportunity involves a whopper of a lie. She has to pretend to be engaged to playboy restauranteur Raffe Washburn.

When single mother Annie Malone purchases a quirky Main Street café on Heron Island, she thinks she's finally turned her dream of opening her own restaurant into a reality. Hearing rumors that a developer is about to build a five-star resort on the sleepy Chesapeake Bay island, she plans to transform the café into a premier upscale bistro. But Annie's life is about to get a lot more complicated.

Irish islander Caitlin Conner has been in love with professor of Irish folklore Liam O'Sullivan for as long as she can remember. But just when he is starting to look at her as more than a friend, a mysterious woman arrives on Seal Island and captures his heart. As Caitlin discovers the truth behind the woman's lies, she realizes Liam is trapped in a dangerous enchantment and the only way to break the spell is to uncover a secret Irish fairy tale that has remained hidden for hundreds of years.

Caina is the ghost circlemaster of Istarinmul, leader of the emperor's spies in the city. She has hindered the malevolent plans of the sinister Grandmaster Callatas, but has been unable to defeat him. Callatas has slaughtered every foe who ever challenged him, and Caina may be next. Cassander Nilas is a ruthless magus of the brutal Umbarian Order, and seeks to destroy the emperor. At last he has found the key to the downfall of the empire. All he needs to do is kill Caina Amalas, and the empire will burn.