Showing results by narrator "Vanessa Johansson" in All Categories

Loving the holiday season but hating its commercialism, Mallory coordinates an old-fashioned family Christmas of baking and trimming that attracts media attention, but Mallory begins to fear that the chaotic film crews will spoil her plans.

It starts innocently enough. Julie Hayes and her husband have just returned to Manhattan from a month in Paris. Julie looks forward to spending quality time with Jeff, whose career as a journalist takes him away from home for months on end. Now if they could just find the perfect work of art to hang over their mantel. Julie's quest takes her to a trendy SoHo gallery where she meets an itinerant artist named Ralph Abel.

When you’ve already died, there should be nothing left to fear… When Adam Ramsdell pulls Elle’s half-frozen body from the surf on a lonely California beach, she has no memory of what her full name is and how she got those bruises ringing her throat.

Julie Hayes has come up in the world. Her days as a starving actress behind her, she is married to a globe-trotting journalist, keeping up with her friends from her fortune-telling days, and celebrating a year of gainful employment at the New York Daily. But one of her colleagues is found shot dead in his office - and Julie may have been the last person to see him alive. With a reporter's nose for a scoop, Julie investigates the violent death of one of New York's most infamous - and despised - gossip columnists.

One evening, Carolina says good night to her partner, Aksel. Things have been tough for both of them recently, especially with an eight-month-old son to raise. So when Aksel dies unexpectedly in the night, Carolina’s world is turned upside-down. Based on the author's own experiences, Let’s Hope for the Best details the small moments of life before and after tragedy. It’s a story about motherhood, family and the difficulties of loving someone who is distant, and then who is gone.

On the coal-choked island of Luisonn, the tyrannical Stav Regime breeds rebellion among the working class. Firin, a face-changing con artist trained by her domineering father, dances between fake lives to escape punishment for her crimes—until armed rebels topple the regime. With freedom finally within her grasp, she discovers one of the heroes is her former lover, Bregan, who introduced her to her second love: the theater.

During the Midsummer Night's Festival, Allie decides to take her bichonpoo, Mal, home to spare her furry little ears from the sounds of fireworks. But on her way back, Allie spots a body in the lake. Just minutes ago, Winona Higer was crowning the event's Queen—could the competition have really been that deadly? While she ponders the mystery the next morning, Allie prepares her favorite dark chocolate cherry fudge recipe. But she's soon recruited to sub for the late Winona and serve as parade float judge, among other duties.

Being a "total spaz" in gym is bad enough, but now Mallory's worst nightmare has come true. Gym class has gone co-ed! Pre-teen girls are sure to relate to this latest book in the phenomenally popular Baby-Sitters Club series.

Aspiring fashion designer Samantha Fremont has put her love life on hold to focus on herself. She certainly doesn’t need a complication, like her new neighbour, turning out to be a sexy, brooding English professor. He might be dreamy, but he’s also rude. But keeping her distance proves difficult when his two children wind themselves into Sam’s heart. Combined with a litter of cute puppies, Sam might just have found what she was looking for.

Mallory lands a job as part-time assistant to her favorite children's author and discovers some troubling things about the author's past.

Dani Capelli has never truly belonged anywhere. And from her earliest days as a foster child in Queens, she would have been lost if it weren’t for her love of animals. Until high school, when she fell hard for the wrong boy, and found herself pregnant - and married - by graduation. Two daughters later, Dani realized her mistake and filed for divorce, and with the help of scholarships and loans - and a lot of macaroni and cheese dinners - she enrolled in vet school. Things were finally looking up, until her ex-husband became her late husband, in the most notorious way possible.

Jessica Clayton has made a career out of helping others downsize—because she’s learned the hard way that the less “stuff,” the better, a policy she applies equally to her relationships. But a new client is taking Jess back to Cape Sanctuary, a town she once called home…and her little sister Rachel. While Jess couldn’t wait to leave Cape Sanctuary Rachel put down roots, content for the world—and her sister—to think she has a picture-perfect life.

Natalie Shepherd grew up in Shelter Springs. But worn down by too much heartache in her life she needed a fresh start, and when her older brother Jake dies in a tragic accident, Natalie has suffered all the loss she could stand and she leaves. But when her sister calls her needing help running the family inn, Natalie has no choice but to return. Back in Shelter Springs Natalie starts to see more than the tragedy she left behind as she helps her sister prepare for Christmas. The reappearance of her brother’s friend, Griffin, Natalie’s first crush, offers a happy distraction.

When Veronica and her friend, Kirk, decide to investigate why, they stumble upon a more sinister plot than they ever could have imagined. One of Veronica’s high school teachers is crippled by the fact that his dead daughter has never returned as a ghost, and he’s haunted by the possibility that she’s waiting to reappear within a fresh body. Veronica seems like the perfect host. And even if he’s wrong, what’s the harm in creating one more ghost?

Ever, Lindsay, and Josie have ushered their daughters—Bea, Olive, and Savvy—through years of dance classes. They've tended bloodied feet, stitched ribbons to countless pairs of pointe shoes, and forged friendships that seem to transcend rivalry. But now Etienne Bernay, enfant terrible of French ballet, has come to their conservatory. Not only will he direct this year's production of The Nutcracker, but he's brought along a film crew to document his search for one special student who will receive a full scholarship to the Ballet de Paris Academie.

Luke Rivers is a man of his word. He agrees to marry Kate Logan when she foolishly proposes to him - after one glass of champagne too many - at her former fiancé's wedding reception. And Luke, stubborn rancher that he is, refuses to renege on his promise.

Samantha Goldstein and David Fisher have been friends ever since they met on their town’s Little League baseball team. But when a new kid named Luke starts hanging out with them, what was a comfortable pair becomes an awkward trio. Luke’s comments make Sammie feel uncomfortable - but all David sees is how easily Luke flirts with Sammie, and so David decides to finally make a move on the friend he’s always had a crush on.

Damaged, Deceptive, Dangerous, Darling. When a group of teens wake up in the woods, these words are inked onto their skin. Are they labels? A warning? They must find the truth before a killer finds them. While on a mandatory senior field trip, a flash flood cuts off Sera and three classmates from their group with no way to call for help. But they're not as alone as they thought....

Hortense first experienced alignment as a competitive show-jumper. Now, in Aligned, she delivers an essential three-part guide for anyone wanting to lead with ease, joy, and impact - and to become even more successful. Alignment helps organizations reach their full potential, and people realize their personal goals. Alignment does not happen by itself, however. In Aligned, Hortense uses real-life examples to show you how to connect with who you truly are, do the work to become who you want to be, and project your aligned self from your inner world onto the outside one.

Julia Blair is hoping for a fresh start. So when she sees an apartment-for-rent sign on Brambleberry House, she can’t help but feel that it’s a good omen. Having spent summers as a teen in a cottage near the rambling Victorian home, Julia easily pictures herself and her two children starting over in the one place that’s always felt welcoming to her. When Julia walks up to inquire about the apartment, she finds her old friend Will Garrett repairing the house.