Showing results by author "Melanie" in All Categories

When he unwittingly puts an innocent woman in danger, he does something he never planned. Becomes involved. He didn’t anticipate the feelings Effie Warner brought out in him. He didn’t expect the woman he rescued to become his world. All he knows is that he’ll burn down the city to keep her safe. No matter the consequences.

The skills of poise, physical ease in public, clarity of speaking, and engaging, effective communication are well understood and can be practiced and developed in ways that will greatly improve your success in presenting yourself in any setting. Melanie Martin Long, a celebrated teacher of acting and directing, leads you in an in-depth exploration of the skills - and the joy - of performance and self-presentation. With the skills you’ll develop, you can confidently step forward as a performer or presenter, offering your best self to the world in any setting.

Just friends. That’s all Beckett Weaver and I have ever been. Sure, he’s a hot cowboy who left Wall Street behind to take over his family’s ranch. Yes, I’ve had a secret crush on him since we were 17. And who wouldn’t appreciate those strong hands, that massive chest, and the way he fills out a pair of Levis? He makes a girl sweat just looking at him...and I look. A lot. But I’m a single mom trying to move on with my life, and he’s running that ranch single-handedly while taking care of his elderly father.

England, 1381: Delia’s idyllic life as daughter of an earl is shattered when her father dies and his wife accuses Delia’s seven brothers of treason and murder. The youngest is only ten years old, but this doesn’t stop the guards from hauling them off to the Tower of London. There they await a grim fate, as child-king Richard II is executing anyone who poses a threat to his throne. Delia is their only hope for pardon and freedom.

Scotland, 1026 - Gruoch, descendant of the line of MacAlpin, should have been born into a life of ease. But fate is fickle. Her father's untimely death, rumored to have been plotted by King Malcolm, leaves her future uncertain and stained by the prophecy that she will avenge her family line. Escaping to one of the last strongholds of the old Celtic gods, Gruoch becomes an adept in arcane craft. Her encounters with the otherworld, however, suggest that magic runs stronger in Scotland than she ever imagined.

He was my first crush, my first kiss, my first everything. So when he shows up out of the blue asking me to have dinner with him "for old time's sake", I say I will. After all, it's been 12 years since he broke my heart, and I'm totally over him, no matter what my sisters say. Except, he still does something to me. He's got those eyes that make me weak, those hands that drive me wild, and a body I can't resist - especially once I see the tattoos. It doesn't take long for our trip down memory lane to go from sweet to sizzling.

From a triumph in radio serials to persevering in a burgeoning, male-dominated television industry, Abby Taylor has a million stories she’s dying to tell. The soap opera is her brainchild. Championed by her mother and sisters, nothing can stop Abby from becoming an aspirational voice for every woman in the country. Her life behind the scenes, however, is just as dramatic as any she could have invented. Stay tuned for an engrossing story of determination, grit, and love.

A Pride and Prejudice variation. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy came to an understanding while she was visiting her best friend at Hunsford. But then Darcy must rush to Scotland to be with his ill sister and a tragedy strikes at Elizabeth's family home of Longbourn. Darcy is told that his beloved died, devastating the Master of Pemberley. While Darcy is trying to put his life back together, Elizabeth is attempting to survive the injuries she suffered. Can they find each other and happiness?

Lizzy Fitzwilliam was twelve years old when her life was dramatically altered. When highwaymen caused her family's carriage to overturn, her parents and elder sister were killed. Lizzy was left injured, her legs having been broken badly in the accident. Five years later, pieces of jewelry which had been stolen that day are pawned in London. This sends the Fitzwilliam and Darcy families on a journey to discover the truth of the accident, learning that the robbery was only a cover for what they discover was a plot to eliminate Lizzy and her family. Will the culprits return and finish what ...

The bad boy and the golden girl have traded places….I’m back in Harvest Hollow after ten years to prove a point and to even a few scores. I’ve opened a new bar, and anyone expecting the old sweet and shy Jolie McGraw to be running it is in for a shock. I’m not the only one who’s changed: when the sheriff comes to tell me I’m the prime suspect in the most ridiculous crime in town history, it’s none other than Lucas Cole, the former star of my teenage stress dreams, wearing the badge.

"There is really no better indicator you're a mother than acquiring the ability to catch throw-up in a plastic bag, disinfect your hands, and immediately ask your friend to pass the beef jerky as you put on another Taylor Swift song and act as if nothing has happened." This is the type of insight Melanie Shankle offers in this quirky memoir of motherhood.

He's back. Not just back in town, but living in the flat right beneath mine. And he looks good enough to eat, which is just one more reason to stay away from him. But I can't resist. The sex is incredible (pretty sure we've shaken the house right off its foundation), but he can't fool me - not this time. A degree in marketing and five years in advertising have taught me that "true love" is a fairy tale used to sell lipstick, diamonds, and perfume. It doesn't exist. He thinks I'm wrong, and he wants to prove it. I think he's crazy, so I dare him to try.

Do you want to raise a well-trained puppy? Do you want to do it while building an amazing bond with your puppy? Do you want to do it while using modern proven methods your puppy will love? I’m guessing, like any sane dog owner would, you have answered yes to all of them questions. Of course you did! As a dog owner myself I want nothing more than to raise my puppy to be well trained, but using loving methods that don’t harm them.

I didn’t mean to see him naked - it was an accident. It had to be, right? Because Noah McCormick and I have never been anything more than friends. Until I walked in on him getting out of the shower and saw his hard, muscular body totally bare and dripping wet. At that moment I never wanted to mess with anything so badly in my entire life. He’s made it clear he’s not interested in romance. Which is fine with me because I’ve got a plane ticket back to my real life at the end of the week. It’s all in fun...or is it?

When my roommate's friend needs a place to work on his software startup, I'm happy to let him use the daytime hours to work in my nightclub. The guy is harmless—super sweet, a little nerdy. He might even be cute if not for his hoodie habit and the fact that he thinks I'm a party girl airhead.

Andry, the new Sunrunner Lord of Goddess Keep, must master potentially deadly magical knowledge before he can confront the ancient foe who nearly destroyed the Sunrunners ages ago. But the enemy is mobilizing to strike again, drawing on forbidden lore to play an ever-shifting game of treachery and betrayal.

As the daughter of shopkeepers, Elena has always known that the mysteries of reading and writing are closed to her. Only the mageborn can risk harnessing the power unleashed from putting pen to paper. Until Elena discovers an impossible new ability and joins the elite ranks of the mages. But with the kingdom at war, the authorities can't agree if Elena is an asset, or a threat they need to eliminate. Thrust into the unknown world of the Royal Academy without friends or experience, Elena will need all of her wits, strength, and new power to carve a place for herself.

Elizabeth Bennet wants the truth from Mr. Darcy. When she follows him from the ballroom to insist upon it, she becomes an unwilling witness to a scandalous scene. And for once, she cannot blame Mr. Darcy for disdaining his company, not even when he departs Netherfield in the middle of the ball.

A Pride and Prejudice variation. Elizabeth Bennet is engaged to the man who owns her heart, Fitzwilliam Darcy. All should be exciting, as they prepare for their future, until an express arrives from Lady Matlock. While on holiday, in Ireland, Lord Matlock took gravely ill. Lady Matlock pleads with her nephew to come to Ireland, to assist her. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes in a different manner, as Darcy's ship sinks and all are believed to be dead. How will Elizabeth survive the devastation, and take care of Georgiana Darcy, now left under the guardianship of Elizabeth and Colonel Richard ...

It was finally happening! Mia James was about to lead her first reality show. But when the beauty with sapphire eyes gets wind that her ex will be involved in the project, her sister suggests that she levels the playing field with a fake boyfriend. Enter Wishing Well's wild heartthrob, Travis Briggs, who's more than happy to fill the role and so much more for Mia. Ever since he laid eyes on her, the cowboy knew his world would never be the same....