Showing results by narrator "Des Linden" in All Categories

These couples "just" work together—and not even that well—until circumstances throw them into new light and make them see one another for what they could be. More than friends. Oh, way more than friends.

The gentle spirit's sixteenth adventure is a New York Times bestseller and as "cozy and charming as a cup of Earl Grey" (Bookpage.com). After a dizzying time Down Under, Lori Shepherd returns to Finch and finds that her wealthy father-in-law, William Willis, Sr., has just purchased a splendid ten-acre estate nearby. While William fends off local ladies intent on romance, Lori oversees the painstaking restoration of a peculiar painting found during renovations. It's nothing Lori can't handle-until moving furniture, strange sounds, and the theft of the painting prompt her to call on Aunt Dimity for help uncovering the estate's shadowy past.

Jeremiah Walker moved to Three Rivers with one rule: No women. Ever. After being left at the altar, he’s sworn off love, focusing on his ranch and cooking for his brothers. But as he watches his brothers find happiness, he realizes he might be missing something.

Known to locals as the “Christmas Guy,” Nick Whittaker has delighted his neighbors with an elaborate holiday light show and his uncanny resemblance to Santa Claus. A bit of a loner, Nick has found his place and his calling as a mall Santa in the quaint Northern Michigan town of Helene. He’s the last person anyone would have suspected in the brutal beating of a local politician. But when the bloodied murder weapon turns up in his trash and surveillance video puts him at the crime scene, Nick finds himself on trial for his freedom.

Jacob has never been challenged before. Not really. Everything has always come easy for him from the moment he was born. Yes, he came into this world with a platinum spoon in his mouth, and yes, he knows that aided him in his travels, but he’s also worked hard. He may like to laugh, and make others do so at the same time, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t work for what he has. It isn’t his fault it’s all come easy to him: it’s raw talent. Of course, Navy enters his life, and suddenly he can’t do a thing right, which means he’s got a mystery to solve—and he’s not leaving her side until he does.

Deirdre Bernard has a restraining order against her, because her daughter lied about everything. She's moved across the island to Getaway Bay, where she's trying to rebuild her life one day at a time. Wyatt Gardner has been a widower for years now. He's tired of the political games and constant pressure of his job as police chief, and with his daughter happily married, he thinks it's time to start dating again. When he runs into Deirdre leaving the Sandy Singles event, he decides to be brave and ask her out. And...she says no.

Dawson Houser makes sure everyone who comes into the office knows I'm "just his secretary." Heck, I've even said it to suppliers and CEOs when they smile knowingly at the two of us during business meetings. He scowls and grumps around the office afterward, as if the two of us dating is the most ridiculous thing on the planet. Dawson can handle them. I can handle them—and him too, once they leave. And he's no picnic, let me tell you.

Ivory Osburn is a determined single mom with a six-year-old son she fiercely protects. She’s kept her child a secret from the charming cowboy billionaire, Tripp Walker, despite her growing feelings for him. Just when she thinks she has everything under control, her ex threatens to take her son away due to her unstable situation. Desperate and out of options, Ivory turns to Tripp with an unexpected proposal—a marriage on paper to provide the stable family image she needs to keep her son away from her abusive ex. Tripp, who’s been longing to bridge the gap between them, agrees.

Benjamin, Alepho, and Benson were raised among the Dinka tribe of Sudan. Their world was an insulated, close-knit community of grass-roofed cottages, cattle herders, and tribal councils. The lions and pythons that prowled beyond the village fences were the greatest threat they knew. All that changed the night the government-armed Murahiliin began attacking their villages.

Crew Anderson has been keeping a secret from his family - a huge secret that he doesn’t know how to handle. But he soon learns that he can’t face this situation alone. So he goes to Darla, the best friend of his brother’s fiancé, Daisy, who happens to be a social worker.

Working alongside his brothers to build a new veterans center, Brandon just wants to get the job done. That all changes when his uncle asks Chloe—the beautiful and confident daughter of a famous chef and food critic—to design the center’s kitchen. Brandon and Chloe have a steamy chemistry, but he struggles with allowing himself happiness, and Chloe is a perfectionist determined never to be in a long-term relationship. Now Brandon has to convince her to finish this job with him.

Lawyer Cass Leary is desperate for a break from her family drama. And when a local judge asks for help protecting his sister from domestic abuse, she sees an opportunity to resurrect her career. But the case quickly turns ugly when her client vanishes without a trace. Convinced the volatile husband is behind the disappearance, Cass doubles down on her frantic search. But she’s unprepared for the tragic twist that could upend the entire Delphi court system....

Defense lawyer Cass Leary believes wholeheartedly in justice for all. So, when her deadbeat dad suddenly reappears begging for help, she throws her better judgment out the window. But Cass’s family drama takes a back seat when a new client’s desperate search for her birth parents flips from happy to horrifying. The adoption investigation hits a dead end, so Cass gives her client a simple at-home DNA kit.

Although the citizens of Berkeley are famously tolerant, that progressive attitude disappears at the property line between the homes of Dr. Hasbrouck Diamond and Leila Sandoval. In the Berkeley hills , there are no worse neighbors than Diamond and Sandoval. What began as a tiff about garbage cans and street parking has exploded into full-blown war, drawing in the city, the press, and now—to the irritation of detective Jill Smith—the police department.

In Berkeley, people don't just disagree; they make careers out of it. And in a city where anything goes, where burned-out '60s hippies haunt the shadows along Telegraph Avenue, no one can outrun the past. Now police detective Jill Smith is plunged into a case that's pure Berkeley: a tangled tale of sins and retribution that has led to one man's disappearance, and another man's murder.

A call from an ex-husband is never welcome. For Berkeley cop Jill Smith it wins a Nobel Prize for chutzpah. Her ex wants a favor. His "friend" and co-worker, Anne Spaulding, is missing. Anne's ransacked apartment - complete with blood-sprayed walls - gives Jill the chilling feeling that her ex may be up to his arrogant neck in murder. Now Jill's out with the street people of Berkeley and the crazies of People's Park to uncover the fate of a welfare worker. But her best suspect is her ex: the former "significant other" who still pushes her buttons.

Two witnesses see the man drag the old woman into a canyon while brandishing a rifle. As night falls, detective Jill Smith and the Berkeley police department set up a perimeter. The canyon is a hostage negotiator’s nightmare - dark, rough, and full of escape routes - and when she finally opens communication, the gunman doesn’t respond. Rather than wait for dawn, Jill leads her team into the darkness. At the bottom of the canyon they find a battered old mannequin and a box of stolen parking tickets.

Salt-of-the-earth navy veteran Noah Anderson is just starting to understand what it means to be exceedingly wealthy. Since he and his four brothers received a huge payout from their long-lost billionaire uncle, they’ve been hard at work building a new veterans center - and hard at play with the lovely ladies in their lives. Noah, in charge of designing the center, has been mostly focused on work. However, coarchitect Sarah Jennings commands more of his attention all the time. Sparks fly whenever they’re together, but she’s wary - even afraid - of love.

Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She’s cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she’s won. She’s wrong.

The stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul will encourage listeners to stay upbeat, because there's always a brighter way to look at life. This collection includes 31 Stories about who's in charge, how to love a cat, and how to be your best.