Showing results by narrator "Ross" in All Categories

Stefan Sabbioni showed up uninvited in my bedroom on my 16th birthday. He stood in the shadows, smelling of whiskey and death and wrapped a broken, blood-crusted necklace around my neck. I thought he’d strangle me with it. That night, he left a message for my father. He said he’d be back to take something precious. I never delivered that message, though. I wonder if things would be different if I had because now, two years later, he’s back. And he’s not hiding in any shadows.

Sixteen-year-old Sage is a lonely child. Her adoptive parents watch her obsessively, as if studying her for warning signs of...something. And maybe they're right to - even she can't make sense of the strange things she sees and hears. She possesses knowledge that other teenagers don't, that her parents and teachers - no adult - could possibly have. So when Sage finally makes a friend who understands her alarming gift, he becomes her confidant, a precarious link to the truth about who she really is.

The Human Superorganism makes a sweeping, paradigm-shifting argument. It demolishes two fundamental beliefs that have blinkered all medical thinking until very recently: 1) humans are better off as pure organisms free of foreign microbes; and 2) the human genome is the key to future medical advances. The microorganisms that we have sought to eliminate have been there for centuries, supporting our ancestors.

Scott survived hell serving his country. After more than two decades of service, the man honorably discharged from the army isn’t the same man who went in. Instead, he’s angry, violent, guilt-ridden, and in agony. The only thing keeping him going is the brotherhood he’s found in the Hell’s Handlers MC. Until she shows up, ruining his safe space.

The Supreme Court has always had the authority to issue emergency rulings in exceptional circumstances. But since 2017, the Court has dramatically expanded its use of the behind-the-scenes “shadow docket,” regularly making decisions that affect millions of Americans without public hearings and without explanation, through cryptic late-night rulings that leave lawyers—and citizens—scrambling. But Americans of all political stripes should be worried about what the shadow docket portends for the rule of law, argues Supreme Court expert Stephen Vladeck.

The land was theirs, but so were its hardships. Strawberries - big, ripe, and juicy. Ten-year-old Birdie Boyer can hardly wait to start picking them. But her family has just moved to the Florida backwoods, and they haven't even begun their planting. "Don't count your biddies 'fore they're hatched, gal young un!" her father tells her. Making the new farm prosper is not easy.

Positive thinking leads to positive outcomes. Study after study proves this. Researchers have found that optimistic people live longer, live healthier, have more energy, have more successful careers, make better decisions, are more productive, are less stressed, have healthier relationships, and (not surprisingly) are much happier than pessimists. However, a lot has been misunderstood about what it means to be a positive thinker and what it takes to maintain an optimistic mindset.

The brave warrior Macbeth allows himself to be persuaded by Lady Macbeth, his wife, to slay good King Duncan and seize the throne of Scotland for himself. Macbeth achieves his ambition, but one murder proves not to be enough as he desperately attempts to eliminate all who might threaten his ill-gotten power. Descending into paranoia, Macbeth achieves his ambition but ravages his soul.

Fearful thinking is one of the most destructive thought patterns you can fall into. Whenever you find yourself worrying, procrastinating, or questioning your potential—FEAR is getting the best of you. In this inspirational fable, Mickey McGavin is a pro boxer struggling to overcome the fears that are holding him back—in the ring and in life. With the help of a former world champion who becomes his trainer and mentor, McGavin learns he must defeat the fears in his mind before he can defeat his opponents in the ring.

Baby Daddy Wanted: "Single, personable woman seeking a man for the purposes of procreation. No further interaction with the child is required, unless desired by father-to-be. Child will be created the old-fashioned way, assuming both parties agree." I wasn’t expecting much, to tell the truth. For a week, I got no bites. Then I got a reply. We started to email. Text. He was sweet. Funny. Suddenly, the idea of doing the naked make-a-baby rumba with him seemed like more fun than function. Then I found out who he was. He found out who I was. Tomorrow, I’m going to see him at work.

When Kari Baxter is assigned an essay about what she wants to be when she grows up, her mind goes blank. She doesn’t want to grow up; she wants everything to stay just like it is. But Kari comes to realize that while making time stand still isn’t possible, she can enjoy every moment with her best family ever. Meanwhile, Ashley Baxter feels the same way. She is worried her siblings are growing up too fast. When she wins the role of Wendy in her school performance of Peter Pan, Ashley gets an idea. Maybe she and her siblings can pledge to never grow up at all!

Years ago while vacationing in Scotland, Katherine St. Claire believed she'd found the love of her life. She shared a night of passion with a stranger, in a hotel castle called Duncreag. But come morning, her lover had disappeared. And she has spent the last eight years trying to convince herself it was all a dream... Living in the 15th century, Iain Mackintosh remains haunted by the memory of his greatest love. Eight years ago, she disappeared, leaving behind a cairngorm earring as the only evidence of her existence.

After her father’s death, Ellie Frasier takes over the feed store in Promise. Still in mourning, she relies on her friends for comfort. But now her long-standing relationship with one of those friends, rancher Glen Patterson, seems to be turning into something else.…

Sleep. Memory. Pleasure. Fear. Language. We experience these things every day, but how do our brains create them? Your Brain, Explained is a personal tour around your gray matter. Neuroscientist Marc Dingman gives you a crash course in how your brain works and explains the latest research on the brain functions that affect you on a daily basis. You'll also discover what happens when the brain doesn't work the way it should, causing problems such as insomnia, ADHD, depression, or addiction.

Roanna Davenport grew up a wealthy orphan on her grandmother’s magnificent estate, Davencourt. There, she wanted for nothing - except to be loved by her cousin Webb. When he marries another, Roanna is devastated, but life at Davencourt takes an even darker turn when Webb’s new wife is found bludgeoned to death. After the shocking murder, Webb leaves for Arizona, abandoning the privileged life that he had once believed was all he wanted. Years later, a grown-up Roanna walks back into his life to bring him home.

The things I knew about her, the way I watched. It was all to protect her, all to know her. She liked her tea with milk and sugar - extra sweet - just like I knew her lips would be if I were to kiss her. I was desperate for her. She chewed on her pencil when she was concentrating, her little tongue coming out and moving along her bottom lip. I was hungry for her.

My enemy’s daughter...offered to me as payment towards a debt. Now she’ll become my wife...my pet. I wasn’t always cold-hearted and vindictive. She made me that way. Charlotte Davis...the most beautiful and privileged princess there is. I’d kill for her to be mine. We met by chance at her father’s wedding...and then again years later. But she forgot about me. Ignored me. Enraged me. Then her father did the unforgivable, and I made it my lifelong goal to ruin him.... By taking her as payment towards a debt he owed. A debt she will repay by marrying me. Until death do us part.

This novel anthology, is to mark the 10th anniversary of the "Realms of..." novel anthologies. There have been eight Forgotten Realms anthologies (see below) and Wizards of the Coast are inviting FR fans to select which short stories from those anthologies should be included in this new collection. A new short story by R A Salvatore is to be included in the collection.

A blonde, a brunette, a redhead...he can have his pick of them all on any given night and he knows it. They wait, hoping he looks up and gives them his signature smirk, choosing them over the others because that’s his game. Except now he's signed the contract of a lifetime, one with a pesky little clause that says his zipper must stay up and his playboy image has got to tamp down.

My new neighbor is sinfully delicious. He’s also an elementary schoolteacher who flirts with absolutely everyone. I flirt back - all very casually - until the night he accidentally ends up in my bed. And, since I’m very in tune with the universe, I can’t look a gift di...ah, horse in the mouth, right? Caleb’s hot as heck, and he’s not all talk when it comes to his seductive charm. Let’s just say rulers have nothing on him. Cough, cough, wink. Then I start craving pickle-flavored ice cream. With peanut butter sauce and a cherry on top.