Showing results by narrator "Shannon McManus" in All Categories

Attempted murder? Inexplicable accident? Either way, a PTA mom struggled for her life in an elementary school cafeteria, poisoned by a wolfsbane-laced smoothie at the fifth-grade graduation party. Now all eyes are on the accused, the victim, and a woman hired to look deeper. Ambitious defense attorney and single mother Allison Barton is anxious to escape the shadow of the low-down dog of a marquee partner carrying their renowned Virginia law firm. A win for her high-profile new client will give Allison the career she deserves. And PTA president Kira Grant certainly appears innocent.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the - gasp - wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

Taylor Bell comes from a long line of Beta Zeta sorority sisters, all of whom expect her to pledge upon starting at the university. However, Taylor is determined to destroy the rich tradition they hold so dear by eschewing sorority life altogether. Taylor's resolve soon melts, though, when she falls in with a group of hilarious, ultra-saucy girls who introduce her to all things Greek and soften her to the idea of joining.

When sheltered artist Julia Castillo flees her hometown, she has just one goal: to prove to her overbearing family once and for all that she can make it on her own. After she moves to Sanctuary, West Virginia, her horse paintings take the art world by storm. Yet Julia finds her courage tested as never before - by her love for a handsome country lawyer, by her bond with a dangerous black stallion, and by the secret she is so desperate to keep…

Women are missing and dying in the Triangle area of North Carolina. One woman holds the key to why. With the conclusion of the Y-Man murders nine months ago and her resignation from the FBI, former Special Agent and Behavioral Analyst Rainey Bell has finally found peace and contentment she never thought possible - even if she remains a bit paranoid. Her wariness is justified when a monster from her past rears his demonic head. Rainey has faced death and evil before - alone. Now it’s different - she has a family to protect, her own. Only Rainey can keep them alive. Or can she?

At 15 Amanda Grace was abducted on her way home from school. Seven hundred and thirty-eight days later, she escaped. Her 20/20 interview is what everyone remembers - Amanda describing the room where she was kept, the torn poster of TV heartthrob Chase Henry on the wall. It reminded her of home and gave her the strength to keep fighting. Now, years later, Amanda is struggling to live normally. Her friends have gone on to college while she battles PTSD. She's not getting any better, and she fears that if something doesn't change soon she never will.

When Claire Parker left Sanctuary, West Virginia, she thought it was for good. But now she’s back, reeling from an ugly divorce. Readjusting to small-town life is harder than Claire expected, so she’s surprised, and grateful, to find companionship in Willow, an abused Thoroughbred mare. Willow is Claire’s "whisper horse", and they share a special, rare bond. Except Willow isn’t the only one helping Claire heal; Willow’s ruggedly handsome veterinarian, Dr. Tim Arbuckle, is sympathetic…and secretive.

Not much happens in Adams Grove, Virginia, where the worst crime to hit the small town in a decade was hunters bagging too many deer. So when word gets out about a break-in over at Pearl Clemmons’s place, the townsfolk go on high alert, locking their doors and firing up the rumor mill. Pearl’s granddaughter Jill certainly has enough on her plate, what with tending to Pearl’s estate and coming face-to-face with sexier-than-sin Garrett Malloy. Also known as: The Man Who Broke Her Heart.

My name is Gemma Lucas, and my life's a mess. Alex is gone, my dad's trapped in his own mind, and my mom's working for the dark side. Not to mention that Nicholas refuses to quit haunting me. The world has also entered apocalyptic mode. Every day more vampires, witches, and fey run the streets. Innocent people are dying, the Mark of Malefiscus is showing up everywhere, and I'm the only one who can stop it.

In this fun, illuminating book, cannabis journalist Amanda Siebert delves deep into the latest research to separate marijuana fact from fiction, revealing 10 evidence-based ways this potent little plant can improve your life. She speaks with some of the world's top researchers, medical professionals, and consultants to answer questions such as: Can cannabis help you get a full night's sleep? Does it aid in exercise and weight loss? Can it really cure cancer? She also offers practical advice for maximizing its benefits-including easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions.

Just when Piper begins to accept her new role as demon slayer, a fresh threat rises. People are disappearing, and Piper is sure a sinister, otherworldly force is at play. Add to that, ghosts who show up out of thin air, warning her of a danger she won’t be able to outrun, and a freaking bevy of supernatural creatures hiding in the background, and Piper suddenly has her hands full.

Fleeing professional scandal and a broken engagement, veterinarian Hannah Linden abandons Chicago for the mountain town of Sanctuary, West Virginia, hoping to put her troubles with men and the media behind her. But when she encounters world-famous chef Adam Bosch, she finds herself increasingly drawn to the charming but darkly complex man and his troubled teenage son, Matt.

Megan Howard used to be a successful painter - but that was a long time ago. These days she's struggling to move forward, convinced her heart is permanently broken after her last relationship and grief stricken over the loss of her father. Clinging to memories of happier times, she holds tight to her father's most cherished possession: a 1958 DeSoto Adventurer. Though she needs the money, she'll never sell it - even loaning the prized automobile to her best friend on the day of her wedding stirs up painful memories.

Gemma thought that she was trapped, that Stephan had finally won - but then time resets, and she's given another chance. The clock is ticking as Gemma tries to figure out how to change the vision that ends the world in ice. If she can, then maybe she can save the world from Stephan and give her and Alex a chance at a real future. But changing visions can be dangerous, and sometimes one small mistake can lead to disastrous results.

Beneath her innocent façade, Gabriella Bertucci has her reasons to be standoffish with guys. Especially guys like Landon Taylor, a star defenseman on the minor-league Detroit Pilots and the object of a serious crush since he first walked into her family's market. But when Landon comes through for her in a moment of crisis, Gaby starts to wonder if there might be more to Landon than hard muscles and fast skates. Landon isn't afraid of telling Gaby that he's got it for her bad.

How far would you go for someone you love? Would you die? Would you kill? After a three-year prison sentence, Bell Elkins is back in Acker's Gap. And she finds herself in the white-hot center of a complicated and deadly case - even as she comes to terms with one last, devastating secret of her own.

From the small towns of Appalachia they came, the young men who joined the fight for liberty in World War II. Now they are elderly, and some of them - like Harmon Strayer, father of prosecutor Bell Elkins's former law school classmate - suffer from Alzheimer's. When Harmon dies in an Alzheimer's care facility from what appear to be natural causes, Bell confronts a mystery that brims with questions about memory, grief and the lethal cost of burying the past.

Deep in the woods just outside Acker's Gap, West Virginia, rises a ragged chunk of what was once a high stone wall. This is all that remains of Wellwood, a psychiatric hospital for the poor that burned to the ground decades ago. And it is here that Bell Elkins - prosecutor turned private investigator - makes a grim discovery while searching for a missing teenager: A dead body, marred by a ghastly wound that can only mean murder.

Linden Meadows doesn't back down from anyone, especially if her family's involved. So when her little brother's new hockey coach benches him in the middle of a game, Linden lets him have it. She also notices that the coach is way hotter than she expects, but Linden won't let herself get burned by another athlete. Been there, done that - and had a kid at 17 to show for it.

With her two younger sisters heading for the altar, will Samantha Castle exchange old dreams for new ones? Lately she’d rather be on the North Carolina coast with family than in New York with agents and actors. Though she vows not to let her teenage crush on Ethan Cole influence her decision, it’s hard to ignore her feelings for the local war hero. Ethan lost more than his leg in Afghanistan. He lost his belief in love.