dark and twisted romance books audiobooks Audiobooks

Wedding bells are ringing… Or is it a death knell? Rosemary Grey, professor of history at Paperwick University, and amateur sleuth, has never been busier. She and her best friend Jack Stone are hosting an exhibit on campus, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and on Saturday, Rosemary is marrying the love of her life, Seth Maguire. A monkey-wrench is thrown into the works however, in the form of a long-lost uncle, a long-guarded secret, a robbery, and a murder. Rosemary and her friends will quite an adventure as they work together to solve the mystery before it’s time to say I do. Come spend the holidays in Paperwick, Connecticut, and be sure to enjoy the recipes and keepsakes included at the end of the book!

With the constant connectivity of today’s world, it’s never been easier to meet people and make new friends—but it’s never been harder to form meaningful friendships. In Frientimacy, award-winning speaker Shasta Nelson shows how anyone can form stronger, more meaningful friendships, marked by a level of trust she calls “frientimacy.” Shasta explores the most common complaints and conflicts facing female friendships today, and lays out strategies for overcoming these pitfalls to create deeper, supportive relationships that last for the long-term. Shasta is the founder of girlfriendcircles.com, a community of women seeking stronger, more fulfilling friendships, and the author of Friendships Don’t Just Happen. In Frientimacy, she teaches readers to reject the impulse to pull away from friendships that aren’t instantly and constantly gratifying. With a warm, engaging, and inspiring voice, she shows how friendships built on dedication and commitment can lead to enriched relationships, stronger and more meaningful ties, and an overall increase in mental health. Frientimacy is more than just a call for deeper connection between friends; it’s a blueprint for turning simple friendships into true bonds—and for the meaningful and satisfying relationships that come with them.

Interactive stories about the adventures of two mice that discover the world and let their imagination run. Delicious stories that children will love and that come full of activities in which they will be able to help the protagonists and learn at the same time: coloring, counting objects, following the dotted lines or guessing riddles... And now available in several languages! A great adventure for the whole family!

Achieving and sustaining success is difficult. Why do some people struggle to get started or stay the course? Why do others seem to sabotage their hard-earned victories? What makes some people stumble and fall, when they seem to possess the requisite skills to soar? Most importantly, what can be done to change these patterns and their outcomes? Based on years of research, Mastering Fear answers these questions and many more with its surprising perspective on stress, fear, and the single most important skill necessary to achieve maximum results. Studies worldwide have tracked the lives of hundreds of individuals over decades in search of the foundations of excellence. Dr. Maurer has culled and refined this data, dispelling current myths and revealing practical strategies to maximize passion and performance in any individual, team, or organization.

A Cornucopia of the Best New Mysteries If you're a fan of The Best American Mystery Stories series, Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales by P. D. James or Her Body and Other Stories by Carmen Maria Machado, you’ll love The Book of Extraordinary Amateur Sleuths and Private Eye Stories . Collected by one of the genre's eminent editors, Maxim Jakubowski: One of the best mystery books of the 21st century, this volume features outstanding new stories of crime, derring-do, fast-paced adventures, and puzzles, featuring hardy amateur detectives ranging from young to old and grizzled private eyes whose patches cover the city streets, all in the hallowed tradition of Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and Philip Marlowe. Never-Before-Seen Stories from Your Favorite Mystery Authors: Jakubowski’s many anthologies, like The Book of Extraordinary Historical Mystery Stories , have attracted plenty of attention and awards. His newest collection, The Book of Extraordinary Amateur Sleuths and Private Eye Stores , features never-before-seen stories by some of the most renowned American and British crime and thriller authors of today. Whether the victim was done in at the party uptown or discovered in the other room of a particularly difficult woman or man, these mysteries will have you reading at the edge of your seat.

" You are no one to me, you are nothing, and don't ever expect anything from me. You were bought here to play the part of a Luna and gratify my sexual desire," My Mate and new alpha said, with no remorse or any kind of affection in his gaze, tears well in my eyes but I refused to cry for the man who beds other women in my presence. I look him in the eyes and answer; " Yes," " No," He growls " Yes, Alpha," I repeat and he walks past me, once he's out of my sight, my legs give up just as tears roll down my cheeks. ... " You're pregnant, Luna, congratulations," My world stopped as I looked at the doctor, she was happy that the pack would have an heir, but I wasn't, you can't be when you've suffered so much at the hands of your fated mate. I ran, I ran and ran but it wasn't far enough for the mighty alpha.

William MacGregor will lie, spy, and happily die to protect his clan from their greatest enemy. But when he kidnaps the wrong woman, he triggers the very events he’d been working so hard to prevent. And puts everyone in danger. Rose Thatcher will do anything to protect her lady and return them both safely to English soil. But the damn Highlander who snatched her off the docks has done nothing but get in her way. She’d love to ditch the bastard, but if they want to save their respective loved ones, they are going to have to stay together. Somewhere along the grueling journey to Scotland, their constant bickering turns into something more. Something worth fighting for. But how can an English lady’s maid, who longs for the safe, comfortable life she had in London, find love with a Highlander who can’t wait to wipe England’s dust off his feet? If they can’t defeat the enemy they accidentally led home, they might not live long enough to find out. Each book in the MacGregor Lairds series is STANDALONE: * How to Lose a Highlander * How to Ensnare a Highlander * How to Blackmail a Highlander * How to Forgive a Highlander

"The perfect combination of sweet, sexy, and make-you-grin moments." - Lyssa Kay Adams, author of The Bromance Book Club "An ode to everything we love about rom-coms." - Alexis Daria, author of You Had Me at Hola In her trade paperback debut, Melonie Johnson brings her signature humor, sexy romance, and strong female friendships in this hilarious romantic comedy about finding perfectly imperfect love, Too Good to Be Real . She plans to prove there's a dozen reasons why life isn't like a romantic comedy, only to discover the one reason it is… While her friends wish for meet cutes worthy of their favorite rom-coms, Julia is ready to give up on love. Swiping right has replaced getting swept off your feet and good old-fashioned romance has become, well, old-fashioned. A writer for a popular website, love becomes the last thing on her mind when impending layoffs threaten her job. As Julia searches for the ultimate pitch to impress her boss, she stumbles upon a resort offering guests a chance to live out their romantic comedy dreams. Real life dating is so bleak, who wouldn't want to spend a week in a fantasy rom-com world with your best friends? At the resort, Julia literally falls into a not-quite-meet-cute involving an aggressive seagull and an adorably awkward guy named Luke who is also participating in the rom-com experience. Julia hides the fact she is there to do a story, but Luke harbors a few secrets of his own. Among further encounters with thieving seagulls, a gaggle of corgis, kisses in the rain, and even a karaoke serenade, their feelings deepen quickly. But could their love be real when they haven't been honest about their true identities? Once the fantasy is over, can they have a relationship in the real world?

The night I meet Stella, everything changes. Somehow in the course of an evening, this sexy city girl not only gets my mountain man c*ck, but she captures my heart. I have to have her. But the next day, it all comes to a crashing halt. Literally. My life isn’t just mine anymore—now I have my brother’s babies to think about. Our lives were already going in different directions … I have to show her this mountain is the place she belongs. Darling Reader, This story has true love written all over it. It’s dirty, sexy, and WILD(ER) than the last. The cast from TIMBER and BUCKED are back in this novella that was written with you in mind. Treat yourself, sweetie! xo, frankie

Ayahuasca is a powerful tool for transformation, that more and more Westerners are flocking to drink in a quest for greater self-knowledge, healing and reconnection with the natural world. This formerly esoteric, little-known brew is now a growth industry. But why? Ayahuasca is a psychoactive tea that has a long history of ritual use among indigenous groups of the Upper Amazon. Made from the ayahuasca vine and the leaves of a shrub, ayahuasca is associated with healing in collective ceremonies and in more intimate contexts, generally under the direction of specialist – an ayahuasquero . These are experienced practitioners who guide the ceremony and the ‘drinkers’ experience. Ayahuasca has gained significant popularity these days in cities around the world. Ceremonies happen nightly and Hollywood stars, Wall Street players and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs now drink the brew. Why? What effect might ayahuasca be having on our culture? Could it be the LSD of our time? Does the brew, which seems to inspire environmental action, simplified lifestyles and more communitarian behaviour, act as an antidote to frenzied consumerist culture? In When Plants Dream , Pinchbeck and Rokhlin explore the economic, social, political, cultural and environmental impact that ayahuasca is having on society. Part 1 covers the background; what ayahuasca is, where it is found, and its cultural origins. Part 2 explores the role and practices of the ayahuasquero in both Amazonian and Western cultures. Part 3 examines the medicinal plants of the Amazon, looking particularly at the ingredients in ayahuasca and their therapeutic qualities, covering the most up-to-date biomedical research, psychedelic science and psychopharmacology. Part 4 looks more closely at how ayahuasca is perceived and used today, covering law, the drug wars, media and money. Lastly in Part 5 Pinchbeck and Rokhlin question the future of ayahuasca. When Plants Dream is the first book of its kind to look at the science and expanding culture of ayahuasca, from its historical use to its appropriation by the West and the impact it is having on cultures beyond the Amazon.