Showing results by narrator "Andrea Bates" in All Categories

Blues-singer Maxx Maxwell is smart, talented, and gorgeous–at least since she had her nose fixed, went blonde, and bought a push-up bra. So what if she’s living in a scruffy apartment in Hackensack, New Jersey, and the waitress job she’s taken to make ends meet is driving her crazy? Her band, Maxximum Blues, is really taking off, thanks to the talents of guitarist Jimmy Nashville, a heartbreakingly handsome guy whose life is complicated by an assortment of girlfriends.

It's Halloween, one of the busiest seasons of the year for Samantha Sweet and the crew at her pastry shop, Sweet's Sweets. After baking a zillion pumpkin cookies, ghostly cupcakes, and an all-black cake for a young witch's wedding, the gang is looking forward to a gala costume party at the neighborhood bookshop. But when one of the guests is murdered and a rare book vanishes—practically in front of their eyes—the evening takes a whole different turn and Sam finds herself in the midst of another mystery.

Samantha Sweet is back at Sweet's Sweets, turning out her amazing cakes and pastries for the busy holiday season, when Emily Plankhurst, the new young librarian in town, stops in. Emily tells Sam a strange story involving a hidden niche in the library revealed to her in a vision, supposedly, by her dead grandmother. It turns out the hidden space contains a rare painting, The Ghost of Christmas, which was believed to have been destroyed in a fire twenty-five years ago at the luxury home of a hedge fund billionaire.

The brutal murder of a school teacher appears to be an open and shut case. Despite the overwhelming evidence against homeless drifter James Gaines, public defender Faith Winston makes sure she is assigned to defend him. But Faith has an agenda of her own—even if it means a guilty man will go free. Chief of Police Ryan Crosby ended his relationship with Faith in a breakup that shattered them both, but he has not stopped loving her. When Faith's representation of Gaines makes her a target for revenge, Ryan reenters her life to protect her.

Samantha Sweet is back at Sweet's Sweets, her bakery with a magical flair, while husband Beau is now a full-time rancher. When he hires a young cowboy to help out, no one suspects that Danny Flores comes with a lot of baggage until Lila, the girl he left behind, shows up. She says she has romance on her mind, but Danny finds her manipulative and domineering. He changed his number and moved out of state, but she has managed to track him down.

This adventure novel begins in an old underground mine in the North Cascades of Washington, next to the Canadian border. Danger, romance, and intrigue follow Sara and Brad through the Idaho Primitive Area and the treacherous canyon of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. They sometimes stray from their work plans to search for a lost gold mine or prospect for gemstones in the rugged Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.

Ferris Tusk has lurked in the shadows of his society since it began. His name is spoken with hushed reverence by the fug folk, and the balance of power of the whole continent is a meticulously maintained mechanism of his own design. But even the finest machine can be broken with a well-placed wrench. Until now, Cap'n Mack and the Wind Breaker crew have weathered scheme after scheme. They've fought for their lives, perpetually on the defensive. Such is the life of a hero.

Several months have passed since Nita’s last adventure in the fug, and though she has spent them back in her native Caldera, she has never been busier. After countless debates and discussion, she has finally convinced her people to give the Wind Breaker and its crew safe harbor on the shores of her idyllic homeland. Now she is looking forward to introducing Captain Mack, Lil, Coop, and the rest of the crew to the land of her birth.

It’s trouble at sea when eighty-year old Flossie and Sterling Silver, former Vaudeville magicians, are invited on a relaxing cruise. Goldie’s husband, Captain Red Pepper, has arranged for her mother and uncle to sail on his ship, the Aurora Borealis, and mingle with magicians during the Magic on the High Seas cruise. Goldie thinks it’s a great idea and her twin sister, Godiva, sees it as a chance to keep the old folks out of trouble while she spends time with her new boyfriend, Dexter Diamond.

Ever since Nita Graus left her homeland and joined the crew of the Wind Breaker, the reputation of the airship and its crew has been growing. The destruction of the mighty dreadnought, the escape from the legendary Skykeep, and the inexplicable ability to remain hidden from the ever-watchful eye of the Fug Folk have combined to make her and her fellow crew the stuff of legend. Alas, legendary heroes cannot exist for long without attracting a worthy villain. Luscious P. Alabaster strives to be just that foe.

How much physical and mental pain can a sixteen-year-old girl stand? Jeanette Connor is about to find out. It's Chicago, 1955, and she is on the brink of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a contract with the New York City Ballet. However, since she’s a minor, her mother must co-sign and she has different ideas. Jeanette's dream is smashed and instead she soon finds herself in a high-class brothel, being offered up as a little-girl-virgin type.

Dead bodies, suffering souls – Freddie didn’t mean to kill the mugger – she barely had time to think. But when it was over, her boyfriend was in the hospital and the teenaged assailant was dead. Now, trying to cope with aggressive reporters, inquisitive cops, concerned relatives, and her own nagging conscience, Freddie finds one source of solace: the strength and comfort offered by Mike Danken, an ex-cop-turned-minister.

The Bone Man is Vicki's fourth novel in the Tally Whyte homicide counselor series. A tale of suspense and mystery, The Bone Man takes Homicide Counselor Tally Whyte from Boston and Martha's Vineyard to New Mexico and Chaco Canyon in search of a dead friend's murderer and a carving known as The Blood Fetish.

Five people, two plans, but only one bank. Fate drops an ex-con into a dusty western burg where he meets a conniving bank teller plotting to relieve her business of assets. Whoa, not so fast! A brace of discarded, but dangerous, renegade agents have also blown into Fallout. Problem is, the quirky drifters are on point for a different prize.

When her cover is blown in a criminal operation to apprehend a human trafficker, FBI Special Agent Mallory Burke is put in a car destined for a mountain cabin to be tortured and killed. But a snow storm results in an accident that leaves all but Mallory dead and she finds herself in the midst of the raging storm and in the care of Police Captain Gage Broderick. Mallory's relief that Gage is a cop is short lived. He has secrets of his own. Gage is haunted by an incident in his recent past. The last thing he wants is to become embroiled in Mallory's investigation - or to feel this powerful attraction to her.

After young Richard's mother dies, he overhears the wealthy family friends, Ashton and Iris Burke, saying that they could not take him into their home. He is later adopted by the Johnsons, but hates the working class life that he endures throughout his childhood. After serving in the military, Richard goes to college where he studies architecture, the same profession as Ashton Burke.

Holding Power is a gripping story that pits America's enemies, both foreign and domestic, against Madison Tarlton barely three months into her presidential term. Not only does she inherit a chaotic, dysfunctional government in the wake of the president-elect’s assassination, but vile terrorists are determined to destroy her family. She must find out who in her administration is trying to undermine American freedom - and stop them before the republic is shattered.

When NewPro Stock collapses, Taylor and her husband Alan lose millions, forcing them to sell their home and business. But they're not going down without a fight. They're determined to track down the elusive Edward Brand, the mastermind behind the enormous fraud. Taylor and Alan are about to learn two hard facts: A man who doesn't want to be found can be extremely dangerous...and in the world of high-level scams absolutely nothing is what it seems.

Now that Samantha Sweet has a contract to provide her special handmade chocolates for the wealthy jet-set clients of Book It Travel, Sweet’s Sweets bakery is taking on a whole new dimension. It’s almost Halloween, and her pastry shop is bursting at the seams. She needs extra employees, but there is no place to put them. Right before the witching day, she comes upon a large Victorian house she can adapt for the business, but the mysterious, spooky noises at night are way more than the normal creaks and groans of an old building. Something else is going on.

When a normally meek Bay Area insurance agent suddenly turns into a voracious, homicidal maniac with an uncontrollable appetite, doctors quickly determine that the cause must be a brain parasite that can only be extra-terrestrial. Now, San Francisco Police detectives Karen Hall and Yuri Markov are on a mission to end this wave of violence before more citizens become infected.