Showing results by narrator "Natalie Naudus" in All Categories

From the vulnerable and disenfranchised to the educated and privileged, the characters in this extraordinary collection embody the diversity of the Chinese diaspora past and present. In these deeply affecting stories, Jack Wang subverts expectations as he captures the hope, pain, and sacrifices of the millions who journey into the unknown to create better lives, and he explores the shifting boundaries of morality, the intimacies and failings of love, and the choices circumstances force us to make.

Karda rule the skies over Adalta. The powerful hawk-headed flying horses have been the protectors of their world for millennia. Now they are called to do battle again to save Adalta from an ancient enemy. On Adalta for her first solo undercover mission, Marta Rowan is awed by the sight of these beautiful, fierce creatures. She wants more than anything to fly one. As cover for her mission, she applies to join their riders. Sidhari, a majestic bay Karda with shining copper colored wings chooses her, and Marta is caught in a soul-deep bond she never expected.

People who complicate my life earn the business end of my hook. Funny how that never seems to stop them. Think I’m exaggerating? I stand accused of colluding with Fomorian raiders who are abducting young mermaids. And one of the lost boys I rescued from Neverland is being terrorized by a faerie nightmare. A dark menace connects the two things.

Every day on her way home from work, Dove Damiani drives past her ex-house, where her ex-husband lives with her ex-dog and her ex-yoga instructor, next to her ex-neighbors and the ex-life she once affectionately described as “frighteningly perfect.” To outsiders, Dove is bitter and resentful. So when the lifeless body of her former husband is discovered in the birch grove outside Dove’s apartment on what would have been their fifth wedding anniversary, investigators waste no time making Dove a person of interest.

A dagger that burns instead of drawing blood. A family secret too dangerous to repeat. A promise to save someone she loves. Nova is flung into a world of magic, secrets, and sky pirates. Now, she must depend on two men to help her find the way out. One wants her dead, the other would follow her anywhere. But there's legendary magic in the mix, and it's dangerous. They must work together in order to survive, but which one is planning to betray them all?

In the heart of the singing desert, the people are fading from the world. Mothers bear few live children, the warriors and wardens are hard-pressed to protect those who remain, and the vash'ai - the great cats who have called the people kithren for as long as there have been stories - bond with fewer humans each year. High above, the Sun Dragon sings a song of life and love while far below, the Earth Dragon slumbers as she has since the beginning of time. Her sleep is fitful, and from the darkness of her dreams come whispers of war...and death.

The conclusion of the Floating World segment of Scions of the Black Lotus. The ringleader of a rebellion has holed up with his allies in an unassailable castle, and it is up to Jie, Tian, and other members of the Black Lotus clan's Floating World cell to assassinate him.

Akiko "Jane" Thompson, a half-Japanese, half-Caucasian woman in her mid-30s, is attempting to forge a quietly happy life in the Bay Area with her fiance, Shiro. But after a bizarre car accident, things begin to unravel. An intruder ransacks their apartment but takes nothing, leaving behind only cryptic traces of his or her presence. Shiro, obsessed with government surveillance, risks their security in a plot to expose the misdeeds of his employer, the TSA. Jane's mother has seemingly disappeared, her existence only apparent online.

Sam is a charismatic actress with big plans for her future. Rosalyn Shew is the smartest girl in school - but she’s a loner and likes it that way. Then there's Christian Powell, the darling of the soccer team. He’s not the best at communication, which is why he and Sam broke up after dating for six months, but he makes up for it by being genuine and kind, which is why they're still best friends. When Christian falls for Ros on sight, their first interaction is a disaster, so he enlists Sam's help to get through to her.

Pirate life aside, all I have ever wanted was a safe place for the Lost Boys I rescued. Ambition may have led me to overstep my bounds. When my theft was discovered, the dwarves launch a devastating sneak attack against my island nation home.

When a virus sweeps across the globe, Ash and Jack must each face their fears. Married and isolated in one small apartment, each woman grows restless, claustrophobic, and paranoid. As the horror outside their door ramps up to apocalyptic levels, inside Jack is unraveling. She shuts herself away and fears everything. Fears the virus has crawled its way inside, down her throat, into the lining of her stomach. Ash is afraid, too - afraid of what her increasingly erratic wife will do to her. In a pandemic none of us are ready for, should we fear the outside world or what's waiting within?

Join mother and daughter as they wade through the trenches of flowers and favors, grueling gown decisions…and the cold, cruel realities of a budget. With luck, love and loads of patience, they come out on the other side, bloodied but unbowed, replete with life lessons - and closer than ever before.   

The Dragon Singers of old summoned typhoons and routed armies, liberating mankind from the orcs before fading into legend. Now, with the world again facing a new cataclysm, the power of music stirs in Kaiya, an a naïve misfit with the perfect voice. Without a master to guide her, she must rely on Hardeep, a disgraced foreign paladin, to help awaken her latent magic. His motives might not be entirely noble. When he leads her to the fabled Dragon Scale Lute, which only a Dragon Singer can wield, it is up to Black Lotus Clan to intervene.

Lacy Purdy loves her new town, her new job, and her old cat, Meatball. And she loves to run. This summer, she'll be running for her life. A phantom lurks in the shadows of Run For It, the local running store, terrorizing an unpopular run group leader with an arsenal of sharp, shiny scissors. Lacy can't stand mean-girl Marlene and everybody knows it, so when she mysteriously disappears in the middle of a run, Lacy suspects foul play. Everyone else suspects Lacy.  

Jasmine Tran has landed herself behind bars - maple bars that is. With no boyfriend or job prospects, Jasmine returns home to work at her parents’ donut shop. Jasmine quickly loses herself in a cyclical routine of donuts, Netflix, and sleep. She wants to break free from her daily grind, but when a hike in rent threatens the survival of their shop, her parents rely on her more than ever. Help comes in the form of an old college crush, Alex Lai.

“And, at the center of it all, am I actually nice or am I just performing a role I think I’m expected to play?” Mia Mercado is a razor-sharp cultural critic and essayist known for her witty and hilarious dissections of the uncomfortable truths that rule our lives. In this thought-provoking collection of new essays, Mercado examines what it means to be “polite,” “agreeable,” and “nice.” She covers topics from the subtleties of the “Bad Bitch” and why women dominate the ASMR market, to what makes her dog an adorable little freak and how you know if you’re shy.

When a number of scientists are mysteriously killed on an insignificant scientific outpost on the planet of Loria and no alarm is raised, Commander Rickets of the Galactic Space Arm (GSA) is angered that no one can explain why. Rickets orders Lieutenant Amanda Bostick, along with two armed Guardians, to investigate. All three have faced setbacks in their careers, and time is against them: The GSA is demanding answers within 10 days. But they have no idea what to expect as there are few reports on the planet.

Life was good for Zack Moore until his trustee managed to con him into signing up for DaEvo. Now, the buggy app has taken over his life, forcing him to leave his condo, interact with people in the real world, and eat healthy to gain any gaming time. Problem is, Zack has the biggest tournament of his life coming up. The Star Fury tournament is Zack and his team’s chance of going pro and making a name for themselves.

With her thirties rapidly approaching and a mountain of student debt looming over her, Violet Luciano’s dream of finishing design school and working in fashion has cost her everything. So when she lands an internship at an up-and-coming fashion brand in Rome, she brings her A game to Italy. With nothing left to lose, Violet plans to win the competition among the interns for the ultimate prize—a job at a New York label. But when a coffee run goes wrong and Violet accidentally destroys a stranger’s laptop, all of the apology Americanos in the world won’t help her.

Samantha Newman desperately needs a new job, a place of her own, and a fix for her rocky romance with cyber-security expert Carter Chapman. But with a dead man next door, and his missing wife hiding in Samantha's apartment, Sam gets dragged into the investigation. To make matters worse, a stalker is haunting her balcony. Could it be the real killer? When suspicion ruins her chance for a great new career and a happy future with the man she loves, she risks everything to try to solve the mystery herself.