Showing results by narrator "Brenda Wlazlo" in All Categories

Daughter and heir to the throne, Mancella Cliff yearns for a life without bloodshed. But as a child, she emerged from the Broken Citadel with the power to summon animals—only after killing them first. Her magic is a constant reminder of the horrors her father, the ruler of the realm, has forced upon her to strengthen their power. Silver is a charming thief struggling to survive in a world torn apart by Mancella’s father’s reign. When a mysterious benefactor recruits him for the heist of a lifetime, a chance to rob the castle, Silver relishes the opportunity for a real future—and revenge.

Crown Princess Ioanna of Xytae has kept her truthsayer blessing a secret for twenty years. In any other nation, her powerful magic would be cause for celebration. But Xytae’s patron is the war goddess Reygmadra, and the future empress is expected to be a brutal warrior. Reserved and peaceful by nature, Ioanna knows the court sees her as a disappointment.

Fallon Monroe, mother of one, self-help book junkie, and budding chocolatier, has always relied on her mom friends in the Chicago suburbs to get her through the trials of adulthood. So when her bestie Beatrice inexplicably starts ghosting her and takes all their mutual friends with her, Fallon’s left wondering how everything went so wrong. Pushing down a lifetime of insecurities, Fallon doubles down and decides to win them back.

Being restrained isn't what anyone wants. Not emotionally, anyway. But Elliott is shackled by guilt. ensnared by grief, tethered by dark and taboo secrets, and immured by wicked desires. But Jonah is the only man who has been able to rid her of the emotional ropes she's wrapped herself up in. After learning about Jonah's responsibilities, though, she becomes convinced that he is caged by expectation and constrained by belief.

After her husband's devastating betrayal and divorce, Lilah is trying to put her life back together. A good job, a charming cottage, and a darling dog help, but they don’t fill the hole in her heart. Crashing into a mysterious stranger on a dark rainy night awakens a spark that will turn her life upside down, but is she ready to trust again?

For over fifteen years, researchers have described a crisis in our nations' early learning classrooms. Hundreds of children are expelled from childcare and preschool every day; a rate nearly three times that of kindergarten-twelfth grade students. Each child's expulsion is symptomatic of a larger crisis—an overburdened, underfunded, undervalued, and fragmented early education system. No Longer Welcome starts a critical conversation between and across sectors of the early childhood field.

Lacey always dreamed of a trip to Pompeii but never thought it would happen, until her cousin calls out of the blue, asking if Lacey would like to replace their photographer on their archeological dig. Sebastian wasn’t expecting Lacey to be, well … Lacey. But he’s intrigued from the start, and then he sees what she can do—even before she does.

Meredith Anderson left her difficult past behind to create a new life for herself in Tall Pines - where she can be the independent, confident woman she always dreamed of being. Now she's a partner in her sister's wedding planning business, helping brides realize their happily-ever-afters...even as she promises herself to never fall in love.

Return to the sweet small town of Maple Hill with the second book in Victoria James's series. May is back in her beloved hometown of Maple Hill, but this time with an adopted baby and way too many secrets in tow. Austin was always the one who got away, but now his own past mistakes threaten to break the fragile trust they start to build together as adults.

In the shadows of ancient Benin, a demonic presence stalks an innocent girl on the cusp of womanhood. Seduced by this sinister stranger's fatal charm, the girl's soul descends into eternal damnation as she becomes one of the undead - a vampire slave to the merciless Promise Keeper. For centuries across continents, the Promise Keeper haunts his victim's every move, invading her mind with violent commands in an unholy pact sealed in blood. Just as she dares hope his reach cannot extend to the glamour of New York City, an ill-fated romance once again shackles the reluctant asiman to her master.

In a ruined world, choices are a thing of the past. What happens when a Creation seizes hers anyway? Nearly a century ago, an extraterrestrial attack destroyed the majority of the world and decimated humanity. In a time of war, protection is needed. Designed to fight for their country, twins Kylie and Luke Alexander are Second Generation Creations, emotionless genetically altered fighters. They have one mission. Fight and live to fight again. But these twins are hiding impossible feelings and deadly secrets.

Seventeen-year-old Vega Volante was almost done with her mandatory service to the Axis government. Everyone had told her it would be easy - in and out. Then, the hostile aliens invaded. Now, she slaves away training and retooling a mining ship for war as part of the Star Defenders. All Vega wants is to get home to her family. So, when a chance at officers training opens up, she jumps at the opportunity for more freedom.

Meghan McGlinchey is the most superstitious girl in her family—and probably in the entire state of Delaware. When she receives a chain letter from a stranger in Ireland, Meghan immediately passes it on, taking only a tiny shortcut in the directions. But after a disastrous day, made complete by losing the election for class president and embarrassing herself in front of the entire school, Meghan realizes that tiny shortcut was a big mistake.

With a touch of her hand, Octavia Hollows can restore life. Yet, she couldn’t save the man she loved from the horrific accident that stole him from her. Octavia thought she could outrun the pain, but ghosts from the past refuse to be silenced. Seattle, Washington: Octavia blew into town in search of information, only to get swirled up in a paranormal predicament even she couldn’t fathom. A neonatal nurse is dead, and her young patient is aging at an alarming rate.

Reggie's dreams... aren't dreams. Visions of the future flood her mind like shards of broken puzzles. Caged in her cell, every morning begins the same. She's drugged, tortured, and images are torn from her memory by Public One. Until the morning everything changes. The vision is different. The future's never been about her, and now she knows they're coming for her: Nomads. How will she convince them to keep her alive when Nate, their leader, doesn't like or even trust her? To him, she's a science experiment. A machine.

Audra Tadlock is bored with life in Hopeville, Texas, until she befriends handsome photographer McKenna Smith, who brings more excitement than she bargains for. Being kidnapped and traipsing across the countryside looking for her thought-to-be-dead brother is not the adventure she had in mind. Nothing is as important to McKenna as receiving a pardon from the State of Texas. His luck changes for the better when he recognizes Audra, the twin sister of the man who shot him. But falling in love with the one person who can exonerate Smith may prevent him from winning his freedom. Will the search for Audra's brother bring him the independence he desires or will she imprison his heart with her love?

A princess of elves on the run, a changeling lost in the Realm, and a dragon preparing for war. Anhedonia is a thrilling young adult coming of age fantasy novel set in a land where men and magic are at war. Azlana is a runaway princess who believes in uniting the kingdoms of men and magic. She wants is to be rid of the Amasai, Anhedonia before it harms someone she cares about; but the Dragon Fiora cannot take her burden even if she wasn’t holding Azlana captive.

Amasai Rising is an enchanting young-adult coming-of-age fantasy novel set in the Kingdom of Aythia. Azlana is a half-human, half-elf princess on the run, forced from the only home she has ever known and shouldered with the responsibility of uniting men and mystics. But an ancient darkness has taken hold of Azlana’s mind, flooding her thoughts that horrify her.

After my fiancé ditches me on my wedding day, I'm determined to pick up the pieces of my broken heart and move on. Taking on an assignment at my magazine seems like the way to do just that. Until I find out my colleague is the sexy-as-sin Jackson Taylor. The tall, dark, and handsome Jackson Taylor.

Brooke’s treetop city is a charred husk of its former glory. Her people demand revenge against the Emberhawk tribe, blind to the larger threat: the ravenous Malaano Empire. Determined to subvert a bloody war, Brooke accepts a marriage alliance she knows she’ll soon regret. Meanwhile, an Emberhawk prince is seeding a rebellion, and if Brooke’s secret support can reforge the Tribal Alliance, they might stand a chance against the Imperial threat. Lysander is a former slave who feels he has nothing to live for…unless he can convince Brooke to teach him the magic of thought-speak.