english romantic novels for beginners Audiobooks

Howard Andrew Jones' powerful world-building brings this epic fantasy to life in For The Killing of Kings , the first book of his new adventure-filled trilogy. Their peace was a fragile thing, but it had endured for seven years, mostly because the people of Darassus and the king of the Naor hordes believed his doom was foretold upon the edge of the great sword hung in the hall of champions. Unruly Naor clans might raid across the border, but the king himself would never lead his people to war so long as the blade remained in the hands of his enemies. But when squire Elenai’s aging mentor uncovers evidence that the sword in their hall is a forgery she’s forced to flee Darassus for her life, her only ally the reckless, disillusioned Kyrkenall the archer. Framed for murder and treason, pursued by the greatest heroes of the realm, they race to recover the real sword, only to stumble into a conspiracy that leads all the way back to the Darassan queen and her secretive advisors. They must find a way to clear their names and set things right, all while dodging friends determined to kill them – and the Naor hordes, invading at last with a new and deadly weapon.

A closed room in her newest fixer-upper leads Indiana house-flipper Jazzi Zanders to reopen a chilling cold case involving a high school girl . . . Jazzi, her cousin Jerod, and her husband Ansel are preparing to renovate a charming house that reminds her of an English manor. Before purchasing it, they had inspected the house for structural issues, but now when they do a more thorough walk-through, they discover a teenage girl's bedroom that clearly hasn't been touched in years. Dust covers the pink canopy bed, clothes still hang in the closet, and a hope chest remains full of journals and memorabilia. They've stumbled on a shrine to a dead girl. They learn Jessica was killed in the middle of her high school graduation party. The murderer was never identified, but the brother-in-law of Jazzi’s friend, who went to school with Jessica, was suspected and never lived it down. He implores Jazzi to review the cold case and finally prove him innocent. Now it’s up to the house-flipper to nail a killer who will do anything to close the door on the past . . .

For a Pennsylvania Amish family whose faith has been tested, the blessings of marriage, home, and togetherness seem impossible. Patricia Johns brings her trademark warmth to this story of love's powerful redemption. With her preacher father in prison for fraud, Elizabeth Yoder's life in the community of Bounti-ful has been painfully uprooted. Mindful of wearing out her welcome with her family, she jumps at the chance to stay with elderly Bridget Lantz while the woman's daughter is away. Elizabeth has secret plans to leave for another Amish community where she might get a fresh start, but here with Bridget, she feels comfortable--until Bridget's strapping grandson, Solomon, returns from eight years with the English, and inspires feelings that shake Elizabeth's resolution... Solomon has had his own trouble with the law, after falling in with some bad influences. He's paid the price, despite his innocence, but the Amish are even more wary of him than they are of spirited Elizabeth. With good reason, he supposes--he's not sure he's ready to commit to this way of life again, especially since the Englishers are the ones offering him solutions. The only thing that seems certain is his attraction to Elizabeth. As they strive to find their places in the community, and with each other, can they open their hearts to the blessing of love?

Who said a one-night-stand can’t last forever… Self-appointed hall-monitor of life, Milly Smartt is ready to take some chances and live life balls-to-the-wall. After all, it was her sister’s dying wish for Milly to chase happy, which is the only reason she accepts a dare to kiss a random stranger in a bar. Only the stranger isn’t a stranger at all—in fact, she’s pretty sure it’s her childhood crush, Lucas Macintyre. And when one kiss turns into apassion filled night, Milly couldn’t be happier—until she discovers she slept with Jaxon Macintyre—Luca’s playboy of a twin brother. Professional snowboarder and self-proclaimed bachelor, Jax Macintyre has a gold medal in one-night-stands. No fake promises, no morning after, and definitely no meeting the family. Only when Milly’s parents stage a surprise visit, he’s caught with his pants down—literally. He’s ready to climb out the window if necessary, when Milly introduces him as his twin brother, Lucas. Even worse, she panics and, rather than come clean about their no-strings fling, she tells her parents that he’s her boyfriend. Jax isn’t looking for a plus-one in life, especially a too peppy, too sunshiny, hopeless romantic who wears Mr. Darcy lingerie. But when he finds himself in a logistical nightmare heading up a snowboarding competition for his family’s lodge, he approaches her with a proposition. He’ll go along with this faux-mance until her parents leave town and, in exchange, she’ll help him plan the perfect competition. How hard can it be? A few appearances, maybe a date or two, easy-pesy. Only once word gets around that they’re dating, everyone has an opinion. Will they abide by the original agreement, or will they chase happy?

“I couldn't put down Inherit the Bones . Small town Colorado police detective Gemma Monroe is a human and fallible heroine I can't wait to meet again, and Littlejohn's prose is lyrical and gripping―the book is a sure bet for one of the finest debut novels of the year.” ―Deborah Crombie Secrets and lies can’t stay buried forever in Cedar Valley. In the summer, hikers and campers pack the small Colorado town’s meadows and fields. And in the winter, skiers and snowboarders take over the mountains. Season by season, year after year, time passes and the lies, like the aspens and evergreens that surround the town, take root and spread deep. Now, someone has uncovered the lies, and it is his murder that continues a chain of events that began almost forty years ago. Detective Gemma Monroe’s investigation takes her from the seedy grounds of a traveling circus to the powerful homes of those who would control Cedar Valley’s future. Six-months pregnant, with a partner she can’t trust and colleagues who know more than they’re saying, Gemma tracks a killer who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets buried. Beautifully written with a riveting plot and a richly drawn cast of characters, Inherit the Bones is a mesmerizing debut from Emily Littlejohn.

Dee Ernst's Lucy Checks In is a delightful work of romantic comedy about a disgraced hotel manager who travels to Rennes to rebuild a hotel and her own life in the process. Lucia Giannetti needs a fresh start. Once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel’s owner, Lucy had her entire future planned out. But when the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy's life as she knows it falls apart. Two years later, forty-nine years old and unemployed, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis. She pictures fur quilts and extravagant chandeliers, but what she finds is wildly different. Lucy is now in charge of turning the run-down, but charming hotel into a bustling tourist attraction. Between painting rooms, building a website, and getting to know Bing, the irritatingly attractive artist, Lucy finds an unexpected home. But can she succeed in bringing the Hotel Paradis to its former glory? Witty and heartfelt, Lucy Checks In is an inspiring and feel-good novel about reclaiming your life, finding love, and creating a home in places you never thought possible.

From Susannah Marren, author of A Palm Beach Wife , comes her next book set in the exclusive, glamorous world of Palm Beach. Marren follows two sisters as one offers the ultimate selfless act to the other, proving the very meaning of family in this novel of artifice and intrigue. Veronica and Simon Cutler and their dazzling adult daughters, Elodie and Aubrey, strike an enviable pose, the ultimate Palm Beach family. In a town where social aspirations, wealth and charm prevail – they are transcendent. While the sisters are polar opposites, they are fiercely loyal to one another. When Elodie receives the shocking news that she is no longer able to conceive a baby, she turns to Aubrey. Aubrey, a free spirit, isn’t interested in marriage or children, yet when her sister asks her to carry her child, she can’t say no, despite her mother’s warnings. And then one stupefying secret, meant to be buried forever, is unearthed and no one in the Cutler clan is able to turn back. As the family is shaken to their core, Aubrey and Elodie must realize their places in the world and the lives they want to lead. In the midst of the unforgiving opulence of Palm Beach, A Palm Beach Scandal is a story for our times. A captivating tale of discovery, sisterhood and love for others where you least expect it.

A Unique Leadership Book Tao and the Four Pillars of Influence stands apart as a business book. It speaks ancient wisdom to the modern-day leader, while providing practical and tangible actions that lead to high levels of sustainable influence. The book is an easy-to-follow roadmap to creating lasting change in your workplace, community and family, while navigating chaotic and demanding environments. Make an impact and positively influence others to create much needed change. As the “old world” influence of manipulation, hidden agendas, control and greed crumble, people are seeking a replacement. They want to be part of the solution. Tao and the Four Pillars of Influence is this replacement: it fills the gap between old and new world influence through the teachings and application of the Tao Te Ching, a 4000-year-old wisdom book written by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu. The greatest power is in understanding the use of power. Karen McGregor is an international keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and a guide to thousands of entrepreneurs and professionals seeking to become more influential leaders. In the Tao Te Ching, the Tao represents masculine creation and Te represents feminine nurturing. Tao and the Four Pillars of Influence speaks to both the feminine and masculine within, using words and concepts that are in keeping with the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, and that don’t rely on having to force, beat or defeat anything. Each chapter begins with a quote from the Tao Te Ching that connects with that chapter’s theme. Then concludes with reflections and recommended action. Learn how to: Handle challenges, including difficult people End the dynamic that heightens power struggles and destroys influence Create stillness and space to generate more presence and authentic power If you have read books such as Weconomy , Leaders Eat Last , or Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth , you will want to read and learn from Karen McGregor’s Tao and the Four Pillars of Influence .

The night that Greta thought of the opportunity to turn her life around, a strong and icy wind from the north was lashing the sea, she could still remember it. she made her mind up: she was going to run away.<br><br>Thus begins ”The long shadow of a dream”, lives intertwining, pride, recurring stories, emotions and passions… destinies. Greta is a girl who decides to take her life in her hands but then realizes that she has never really broken away from her native land; she understands that a wound to be truly healed must be painfully cleaned up to get to the heart of the problem. You need to go to hell and back in order to see the sky again. Of course, nothing will ever be the same again, but this is the way to go if you want to live and not exist. These are the strengths of this novel, it is well-structured, and easy to read. A romantic novel which is not too romantic. It conceals countless ideas which are open to a number of interpretations, but which is above all the analysis of a man seen as a human being, at the mercy of an unpredictable life.

Give your best friend more purr and pounce with this whiskers-to-tail guide to the good life! One reason we’re wild for cats is that our cats are still wild at heart. On our laps, they’re purring lovebugs, but on the prowl, they’re fearsome hunters—with territorial instincts to match. The Handbook for a Happy Cat takes us inside the feline mind to decode what our cats really want in life and how they try to tell us. You’ll learn: Why a bigger water bowl does away with “whisker stress” How to move like a mouse for maximum fun at playtime Skills to teach your kitten for a lifetime of easy vet visits, grooming, and more Subtle signs of stress such as excessive scent-marking and lip-licking How to tell frolic from fighting in the multi-cat household (and how to give frenemies a fresh start) What makes a scratching post so tempting that your sofa will be spared How to reassure a spooked cat with the “slow blink” Why it’s pointless to “punish” a cat—but training is possible! Certified behaviorist Liesbeth Puts traces every feline mystery to cats’ natural behavior and needs. A happy cat is a cat who can be herself!