Showing results by narrator "Erin Bennett" in All Categories

When sisters Ivy and Shelly Bay form a book club to help support a local bookshop on the beach, friends and guests of the old beach house inn are eager to join, although one new member harbors a potentially devastating secret. Meanwhile, a discovery in the historic beach house inn brings the past to light, and recently widowed Ivy grapples with the idea of a new marriage. But when a threat arises during a book club meeting that could harm the entire beach community, members pull together, proving that the bonds of family and friendship are more important than ever in Summer Beach.

When sisters Ivy and Shelly Bay discover crates of vintage Christmas decorations at the Seabreeze Inn, they decide to open their historic beach house to the residents of Summer Beach. From a Gingerbread Bake-off and a Santa Sprint on the beach to a mysterious guest who has an unusual effect on those around him, the Seabreeze Inn is the place to be this holiday season. Families and friends come together, and love is in the air—until a priceless discovery at the beachside inn complicates matters.

Beth Lisick has had a lifelong phobia of anything slick, cheesy, or that remotely claims to provide self-empowerment. But on New Year's Day 2006, she wakes up finally able to admit that something has to change. Determined to confront her fears head-on, Beth sets out to fix her life by consulting the multimillion-dollar-earning experts. In Chicago, she gets proactive with The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In Atlanta, she struggles to understand why "women are from Venus". She gamely sweats to the oldies on a weeklong Cruise to Lose with Richard Simmons on the high seas of the Caribbean.

In the title story, set five minutes in the future where you not only have a credit score but also a dating score, a woman who’s been banished from all dating apps attends a weekly help group with others who have been “banned for life,” and finds herself falling in love. In “Backwards,” a twist on Benjamin Button, a woman reconnects with her estranged father as he de-ages ten years each day they spend together. In “Welcome to Oxhead,” all the parents in a gated community “shut off” when the power goes out. 

Charlie has always believed that his grandfather had sold his house to his longtime tenant, Martin Hale. So when Martin dies, Charlie is surprised to discover the house was not left to Martin, but instead belongs to Charlie. As he and Diesel check out the house he remembers fondly from his childhood, he is pleasantly surprised that it is in better condition than expected. That is, until they find a literal skeleton in a closet.

Wispy Falls’ town motto is: “You’ll be safe here!” But that doesn’t seem to be true. Because in Wispy Falls, monsters live in the woods, and children go missing, and the bodies are beginning to stack up. A seventeen-year-old vlogger known as Storymancer is determined to get to the bottom of what’s wrong in Wispy Falls. A few years ago his six-year-old brother went missing in the woods and no one in town seemed to care enough to find him.

Athena College's new writer in residence is a famous native son, playwright Connor Lawton, known for his sharp writing-and sharper tongue. After an unpleasant encounter, librarian Charlie Harris heads home to a nice surprise: his daughter, Laura, is visiting and will be subbing for another professor this fall semester. It's great news until he hears who got her the job: her old flame, Connor Lawton . . .

While renovating an old beach house, Ivy and her sister, Shelly, suddenly have full occupancy after fire forces Summer Beach residents from their homes. Even the mayor, Bennett Dylan, who was Ivy’s high school crush, moves in. As the summer heats up, attractions simmer and feuds erupt. Living in the house Bennett had hoped could be a community center, he finds himself at odds with Ivy’s campaign for a bed-and-breakfast zoning change. And when valuable items disappear from the inn, Bennett’s friend Mitch, who owns the popular Java Beach coffee shop, is the prime suspect.

San Francisco, 1953: Heartbroken over the mysterious death of her husband, Celina Savoia, a second-generation chocolatière, resolves to take their young son to Italy’s shimmering Amalfi coast to meet his father’s family. Just as she embarks on a magical, romantic life of making chocolate by the sea surrounded by a loving family, she begins to suspect that her husband had a dark secret–forged in the final days of WWII–that could destroy the relationships she’s come to cherish.

Late in the 22nd century, the settling of a new world falls on the strong shoulders of young Megan. The perfect leader, she undertakes to guide her sisters to a new planet, free from the shackles of the brutal Earth regime. Negotiating politics in a society of women is second only to securing their safety. When a landing party of men and women discover their colony Megan must decide if the outsiders will live or die. And that includes Lt. Laurel Meredith, whose disturbing beauty is as dangerous to Megan as her people are to Megan's world.

As the Empress ascends her throne and Numistar Winterborn plots to gain unstoppable power, it falls to a hatchling Star Dragoness to navigate the clash between two almighty forces. Upon her tiny shoulders rests the future of all Dragonkind. Yet, does a sinister mastermind lurk behind the war convulsing the Island-World? A supremely twisted, devious foe? Islands will be toppled from their roots. Nations will be ravaged by sword and talon. Legends will rise. And the courage of a girl born to dance, born to the flame of Dragon life, must withstand the ultimate test.

Twenty-eight-year-old struggling San Francisco artist Anne McFarland is determined to get a one-woman show, even though no one, including herself, believes she can do it. But when she buys a coat at a thrift shop with a key in its pocket, strange, even magical, occurrences begin to unfold, and she is inspired to create her best work ever.

Based on true events, this gripping historical novel set in Norway and Sweden in 1940, follows one of the first female US Ministers, Daisy Harriman, and her niece as the two are unexpectedly caught up in the German invasion of Norway. Cleo Jaffray was an American. A war in Europe had nothing to...

Good friends and healthy friendships are crucial to women's well-being at every stage of life. But what happens when a friendship turns toxic? When a friend becomes hurtful or mistreats another? When a friend abandons another in a time of need? Here, Suzanne Degges-White and Judy Pochel Van Tieghem explore such toxic friendships and how women navigate the ups and downs as well as how broken friendships can be mended and bad friendships ended.

Things that Fall from the Sky is a stunning narrative that explores the unexpected and inexplicable nature of reality. Three lives are changed forever by a series of random events: a young girl loses her mother when a block of ice falls from the sky; a woman wins the jackpot twice; and a man is struck by lightning four times. Selja Ahava weaves together these unique stories in a charming, one-of-a-kind tale about just how far people will go to force life into a logical pattern they can make sense of.

Catch up with the beloved residents of Summer Beach in a heartwarming holiday novella of fun, sun, and seasonal shenanigans. As the winter chill sets in, escape to the enchanting shores of Summer Beach, where the spirit of Christmas is as bright and warm as the sun-soaked sands. The tight-knit community of Summer Beach comes together to celebrate. From festive beach bonfires to a seaside Christmas market, the holiday season is in full swing.

Eleven-year-old Lauren O'Neil vanished one sunny afternoon as she walked home from school. Six years later, her parents Rachel and Dan still tirelessly scour their Oregon hometown and beyond, always believing Lauren will be found. Then one day, the call comes. Lauren has been rescued from a secluded farm mere miles away, and her abductor has confessed. Yet her return is nothing like Rachel imagined. Though the revelations about what Lauren endured are shocking, most heartbreaking of all is to see the bright-eyed, assertive daughter she knew transformed into a wary, polite stranger.

Living only until her execution at age 17, and ruling England for less than two weeks, Lady Jane Grey is still remembered for her intelligence and steadfast defense of the gospel. Declared by the dying (Protestant) King Edward as his successor to the throne—instead of his half-sister Mary, as his father's will decreed—his quick decision caused confusion for Jane's succession, which was quickly overcome by Mary's gathering forces and Naval support.

Marty Wingate presents Book 7 in the Potting Shed Mysteries series.

Charlie Harris, Helen Louise Brady, and their feline friend Diesel find themselves hot on the trail of a conniving killer in this delightful Cat in the Stacks Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Miranda James.