Showing results by author "Amanda" in All Categories

Cocky, reckless, and die-hard playboy are just a few of the names Gage Steele has been called since he left the Marines and moved back to the small, southern town of Berry Springs to take over his fathers security firm. On the one-year anniversary of his father's death, Gage has only two things in mind—endless whiskey and endless women. What he got was a battered, bruised spitfire stumbling through woods in the middle of the night.

Fairy tales shape how we see the world, so what happens when you identify more with the Beast than Beauty? Amanda Leduc looks at fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm to Disney, showing us how they influence our expectations and behaviour and linking the quest for disability rights to new kinds of stories that celebrate difference.

Grace and Tom Penderford are the luckiest people alive. They have a wonderful marriage, a comfortable life and a beautiful baby girl, Chloe. Then, in a heartbeat, happiness becomes despair, and their lives change forever. When three-year-old Chloe falls ill and dies, Tom and Grace's world is ripped apart. As their family of three becomes two, they must find a way to mend each other's broken hearts...and save their marriage, if they can.

Mystic Caravan Circus is heading for the Midwest...and their first stop is Michigan. Hemlock Cove, to be exact. Poet Parker is looking forward to what she believes will be a quiet time. Hemlock Cove isn’t big, after all, and Mystic Caravan is essentially serving as the centerpiece for a paranormal festival in a town where everyone pretends to be witches. There’s just one problem...real witches are afoot, and they’re unbelievably powerful.

Ever since she was adopted from an orphanage in Sri Lanka, Paloma has led a privileged Californian life: the best schools, a generous allowance and parents so perfect that Paloma fears she'll never live up to them. Now at 30, Paloma has managed to disappoint her parents so thoroughly that their relationship will never recover. Unemployed and friendless, the only person still talking to her is Arun - the Indian man subletting her spare room. That is until Arun discovers Paloma's darkest secret and the next day is found face-down in a pool of blood.

Scout Randall knows what she is, more than a witch, more powerful than she ever thought imaginable. She’s only hit the tip of the iceberg on what she can do. Now she has to grapple with another problem. When her former partner Evan was believed dead in a vampire attack, she blamed herself, mourned, and tried to move on. Now he’s back, and he’s more than anybody ever imagined, too. Unfortunately, nobody can find him.

Stormy Morgan left her hometown of Shadow Hills, Michigan, with one goal: To write the great American novel and strike it rich. Now, without a book contract, she’s back at her family restaurant in a one-stoplight town...and she’s convinced things couldn’t possibly get worse. That feeling only lasts until her first shift, when on a trip to the storage building behind the restaurant, she literally trips over a body. Stormy is a woman - or maybe a witch - lost in a sea of magic and despair...but murder might just lead her out of it.

The only witch in the world? It might feel like it to Stormy Morgan, but she knows better. Twenty minutes away, in a town called Hemlock Cove, witches have taken over. Sure, the bulk of the town is made up of frauds looking to shore up their tourism industry, but there are real witches, too. There’s a family with the last name of Winchester, and they’re notorious. Stormy wants to meet them, but she has a myriad of problems darkening her doorstep.

Hadley Hunter thinks she’s ready for what’s to come, but she’s not. Before the storms can wreak havoc on her life, though, she has something even more frightening to deal with lunch...with her boyfriend Galen Blackwood’s mother. Despite her best intentions, things don’t go as smoothly as Hadley envisioned. Before she has a chance to deal with that, though, the storms bring another surprise in the form of an unconscious woman on the beach and a yacht that keeps appearing (and then disappearing) with each subsequent storm.

Jackie loves her family. Sure, her teenage children can be stroppy. Her husband a little lazy. And providing round-the-clock care for her Alzheimer's-ridden mother is exhausting. All Jackie wants is for her children to have brighter futures than she did. So long as Martha, the eldest, gets into university and follows her dreams, all her sacrifice will be worth something...won't it?

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

Alice has moved on and is settling into a new country with a new career as a vampire hunter. Finally, she's created a stable, happy life for herself and her family, including her boyfriend Jack. Or at least as stable as her life can be, especially with a dangerous vampire cult resurfacing. But everything she's worked for is put in jeopardy when she receives a disturbing message - one that sends her on a quest that delves into a tragic mystery that has haunted Peter for years.

Poppy Day is an ordinary woman. She's a 32-year-old stay-at-home mum with two gorgeous children, while her husband Mart tours with the army. Her simplest pleasure is having her family together in a happy home. But Poppy is too busy to notice the fatigue in her body and the menacing lump growing on her breast. If there's anyone strong enough to defeat cancer it's Poppy. But does life really work like that?

Life's a witch...and then you die. It's the dying part vexing Bay Winchester these days. She may be a long-suffering daughter, thankless newspaper editor, and keyed-up girlfriend, but she's barely holding off a royal freak-out. Landon's family is visiting the inn - and they're not exactly open minded. Bay is on a mission to hide her witchy ways, but the discovery of a body - and the poltergeist that accompanies it - at The Overlook tips everything into turmoil.

Calista Langley operates an exclusive 'introduction' agency in Victorian London, catering to respectable ladies and gentlemen who find themselves alone in the world. But now a dangerously obsessed individual has begun sending her trinkets and gifts suitable only for those in deepest mourning. Desperate for help, Calista turns to Trent Hastings, a reclusive author of popular crime novels. It becomes clear that the danger may be coming from Calista's own secret past.

Charlie Rhodes is living the high life...at least for her. She lucked into a new apartment, her boyfriend Jack is attentive and sweet, and she’s about to head to the Big Easy to hunt for zombies. Yes, a multitude of dreams are about to come true. Charlie has never been to New Orleans, and she’s in awe of everything she sees. Jack is determined to make sure she has a good time, which means authentic food, music, and haunted tours. He’s happy just to be with her as she investigates the city.

Life in the Winchester household is hardly settled. That’s true for Bay Winchester more than anybody else. Her boyfriend, Landon Michaels, is away from town on an undercover assignment for the FBI, and Bay is struggling not to let worry and unease rule over her life. Halloween is approaching, after all, and Hemlock Cove is bustling with activity. Bay has her hands full even when her heart feels empty. A chance encounter with Landon while he’s undercover leaves Bay exposed...and furious.

The Winchester witches are in a tizzy. Sam Cornell’s parents are coming to town, and Clove is beside herself. Meeting her boyfriend’s parents is a big deal. It doesn’t help that her cousins can’t stop making fun of her, which is the Winchester way, of course. In addition to the Cornells' imminent visit, the Winchesters are also dealing with Sam’s new tanker. An afternoon visit knocks Bay for a metaphysical loop with ugly visions of a tragedy long since forgotten - by everyone but the dead.

Photographer by day, Ben and Jerry’s enthusiast by night, Louise Sloane isn’t known for her organizational skills or obsession to detail. But when someone from her past goes missing, she makes it her mission to solve the case - especially when the mystery becomes linked to the notorious serial killer, the String Strangler.

Bryn Aven refuses to give up on her dream of serving the kingdom she loves. It's a dream that brings her to a whole new realm...the glittering palace of the Skojare. The Skojare people need protection from the same brutal enemy that's been threatening the Kanin, and Bryn is there to help. Being half Skojare herself, it's also a chance for her to learn more about her lost heritage.