Showing results by narrator "Mary Jane" in All Categories

All I needed was a date. One measly date to go with me to my company’s Christmas party to show my ex—and current boss—that I was over him and had moved on. It wasn’t like they had to love me—heck, they didn’t even have to like me. They just had to show up. When I got stood up on ANOTHER blind date, I was starting to panic until a gorgeous stranger swooped in and pretended to be my boyfriend. Luckily for me, my ex and his new girlfriend just happened to be there to see it.

Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. The stories comprise a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle-class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. The stories were written when Irish nationalism was at its peak, and a search for a national identity and purpose was raging; at a crossroads of history and culture, Ireland was jolted by various converging ideas and influences.

You are the high spirited 19-year-old daughter of a penniless widow, born and brought up on an isolated, windswept South Atlantic island, a girl with virtually no prospects, when out of the blue the most famous man on earth falls into your lap. Still smarting from his defeat at Waterloo, still the hero of Liberals everywhere, Napoleon has been exiled to tiny Saint Helena, because it is the remotest and most easily defended island in the British Empire. But far from being broken by defeat, Napoleon’s fertile imagination seethes with escape schemes.

Paris, 1940. Three years ago, talented art restorer Sophie fled to Paris to escape the horrors of the Nazi regime. But now, with her beloved adoptive city under occupation, Sophie is forced to work at the renowned Jeu de Paume, restoring the art ruthlessly stolen from Jewish families. Fabienne was a rising star of the glamorous Parisian art scene, until the Nazis put a stop to her craft. Mourning the loss of her husband, she's a shadow of her former self - until her estranged sister-in-law Sophie arrives at her door with a stolen painting in hand.

Eve Arden stars as the tart-tongued Constance Brooks, a dedicated English teacher at Madison High School. Before and after the bell rings, Miss Brooks turns her thoughts from language to love. Indulging in her perpetual pursuit of bashful biology teacher Philip Boynton (Jeff Chandler), Connie finds herself making his favorite stew, conspiring to make him sick, and pretending to be his mother! She even considers compromising her principles (and her principal)!

With a song, Lucy can control the wind and the water; she can bring castles and kingdoms to their feet. Since Lucy mastered her powers, King Henry has kept her close. And now he's called her to investigate attempted murder - by a mermaid. All Lucy can glean from the creature they’ve captured is a warning: The sea is coming. We are coming. And we will drown you all.

Sadie Dawson's mother goes into labor hours before her great-grandfather's 100th birthday party and Mom refuses to cancel the festivities! Now it's up to domestically-challenged Sadie to host the dinner party - only she hasn't a clue how to cook a turkey. This could be the mother of all culinary disasters, but with the help of her two best friends, Sadie is determined to pull off the best dinner party in a hundred years. And maybe land Mr. Right, too.

Lucy is the last Chantress, the only remaining girl who can sing magic into the world. Since she defeated the evil Lord Scargrave, England has changed—and not for the better. With crops failing and the people rebelling, Lucy is called urgently back to King Henry’s court. His Inner Council is convinced that making gold through alchemy will save England. But a critical element to the alchemical process has been stolen. Lucy is tasked with finding it with her magic…or else. And until she succeeds, the castle is on lockdown.

The characters in Sudden Traveler walk, drive, dream, and fly, trying to reconcile themselves with their journeys through life, death, and love. Science fiction meets folktale and philosophy meets mortality. A woman with a new generation of pacemaker chooses to shut it down in the Lakeland, the site of her strongest memories. A man repatriated in the near east hears the name of an old love called and must unpack history’s dark suitcase. From the new world - waves of female anger and resistance, a mythical creature evolves.

Bowen Penhallow has always been a loner, studying dark and ancient magic on a mountaintop in Wales. When his friend Colin - who happens to be a ghost - asks him to attend a wedding at a grand estate deep in the Welsh countryside, Bowen reluctantly agrees. As a procurer and seller of magical items, Tamsyn Bligh's business is not always above board, but she's been trying to fix that (mostly.) Bowen is an occasional customer - as well as the star of several of Tamsyn's dirtiest dreams - but she's been around enough witches to know that getting involved with one is not the smartest idea.

When Xue Saunders is murdered in her home, the police have little to go on. The mystery deepens as she is discovered next to an unidentified man also shot to death. An unknown bot lies destroyed in her home, its memdrives a ruin. Missing from the home is Xue's young daughter Fa, along with her nanny bot. Desperate for answers, and fearing for the child's safety, the police turn to Lenore and Tick. The human and her robot partner are the best robot mechanics, or botdocs, in Denver. The pair agree to help in an attempt to salvage the damaged memdrives, but it comes with a risk.

After Dominic Kilburn left Lady Willa Ransome at the altar she vowed never to reveal how badly she was hurt. Determined to move on with her life she accepts an invitation to a friend’s house party on an isolated Scottish isle. The perfect escape, until she comes face to face with the man responsible for her humiliation.

Britain, 1961. A beautiful blonde baby is born to Viscount Althorp, heir to the Spencer earldom. But Diana grows up amid the fallout of her parents’ messy divorce. She struggles at school. Her refuge throughout is romantic novels. She dreams of falling in love and being rescued by a handsome prince. In royal circles, there is concern about the Prince of Wales. Charles is nearing 30, and the right girl needs to be found fast. She must be young, aristocratic and completely free of past liaisons. Pure and innocent.

Rebecca Griffin has everything she could ever want - or so says her big-hearted, opinionated Italian-American family. But now her marriage is unraveling and her teenage daughter is hurtling toward self-destruction. While Rebecca struggles to hang onto her husband and save her daughter, she learns of the mysterious death of a young woman long ago at a local prison. As Rebecca's mother, Eva, reveals their family's connection to the girl, Rebecca is drawn into the story - it haunts her.

Virgin Husband & Wife features Annika is a 25-year-old Russian doll who is trapped in the grip of tradition. No sex before marriage, and no marriage unless her parents approve of it. Virgin Annika wonders if she will ever leave home and experience what it is like to have sex....

Tess Hardy thought she had put Luke, her violent ex-husband, firmly in her past. Then he calls from Cambodia, where he is working as a mine clearer, and there's something in his voice she hasn't heard before: fear. Two weeks later he's dead.

In the year 2162, a young boy named Jal Valhyn is caught in a maelstrom of violence and conflict. His country is at war and the world government based on humanistic principles that had fulfilled its promise of a halcyon peace for over a century has fallen.

The biggest problem with being trapped on a jellyfish isn’t what you’d expect. You get over the fear of death (because you start looking forward to it) and the smell of fish (because it quickly becomes your breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Boredom is an issue, sure, but it’s not the main one; the biggest problem is not being able to get away from everyone.

First, we learn that Queen Silver-Bell has lost her fairy, Temper, and that Fairyland has begun to melt away. How will it end? Then we hear that Mother Rook has abandoned her nest. A little girl, Winnie, comes to the rescue. What will happen next?

Punk, the dog; Ponk, the duck; and Pink, the pig help Mrs. Tubbs after she is forced to leave her home. This charming story was written by Hugh Lofting, the Newberry Award-winning author of the Doctor Dolittle series.