Showing results by narrator "Shaina Summerville" in All Categories

Shadows so Cruel is a full-length dark fantasy romance novel, and book two in the Court of Ravens duet. The two-part story features two morally gray raven shifters, a young woman at the mercy of their shadows, and a HEA.

Perched between branches and shadows, we watch, we scheme, fighting for a kingdom forgotten and forlorn. Until we rip her away with our claws, our prisoner, our pawn, our plaything. She’s innocent and pure, fragile and helpless…but oh so guilty by blood. She calls us beasts, wicked and evil, vicious and cruel. We are all that and worse. One of us offers her shelter beneath his wings, whispering promises of pleasure, seeking redemption. The other longs to shatter her into a million pieces, whispering promises of pain, seeking revenge. 

Apparently, conservative Midwestern voters want more than my brains, connections, and good looks to vote me in as a congressman. That's right, to appear as the all-American family man they want . . . I need a wife. ASAP. The lovely Odette Hastings seems to fit the bill. She's a wholesome small-town girl, and conveniently in need of cash. I'll give her the money to take care of her elderly parents, and she'll be the political arm candy I need. We both win, right? The only problem is Odette is a little too beautiful, a little too intelligent, and way too distracting.

For decades, performance management has been seen as an annual chore by managers and HR alike. But this process is changing, and there are ways to make it more effective for your organization and more useful for employees. If you read (or listen to) nothing else on performance management in your organization, listen to these ten articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you assess performance more accurately, have more effective feedback conversations, and encourage the growth of your employees.

I thought my invitation was a birthday present from my best friend. The dress, the limousine, the red carpet...I thought they were meant for me. That was mistake number one. Then my date arrives, all gleaming cufflinks and tousled hair, steely blue eyes, and a body honed to masculine precision. Arrogant. Charming. Panty-melting. And melt, they do. Hanky-panky with a rich hottie in the back room of the event I'm crashing? Don't mind if I do.

I'm in love with Lucas Blaze, the player grandson of the woman I take care of. I'm nothing like the women he dates, so the chances of him noticing me are slim to none. Until the day he asks me to marry him. Lucas is the youngest Blaze Brother. He works twenty-four seven, and his only use for women is to get his rocks off when he's taking a break from putting his family's liquor brand into every store in the country. I don't mingle in the same high-profile groups, and I sure as heck don't know the first thing about pleasing a man. But to make his Granny happy, Lucas is willing to marry me.

Billionaire. CEO. Single dad. And for the next seven days, this arrogant hunk is going to be my boss. Easy, right? All I have to do is be a good nanny to Leif Sorensen's adorable, hell-raising, ballet-loving daughter. Keep my head down, my hands to myself, and forget about this silly crush I've been nursing. So he's big, and blond, and he stars in all my not-so-innocent "Hot Viking Ravages Innocent Maiden" fantasies? Who cares? Certainly not me. Nope. My week-long contract is my ticket out of trouble, and I'm not going to mess it up. Except . . . Leif has other ideas.

When Naomi's daughter, Perle, starts to have nightmares about smokestacks and creepy doctors, Naomi is struck with terror—the terror of a mother who fears her daughter is in mortal danger. Naomi believes dreams are glimpses into the future. She, too, has had dreams of foreign soldiers with a strange flag invading her tiny village. She knows in her heart that evil is brewing.

Ellie Klein fled Vermont after graduating high school, and she hasn't been back since. Not to see her overbearing parents nor her distant brother, not even to visit her temperamental cat and beloved dog. And most importantly, she hasn't been back to see Theo Fox. Her first love and brother's best friend has been but a distant and painful memory for the last seven years. When Ellie's travel site lands her back where it all began, her goal is to get in and out without seeing anyone from before. But life has other plans.

Lilian always had a no-dating rule. For the last twelve years, she's been the guardian of her younger sister. She did the whole PTO, soccer mom thing. But now that her sister's a college graduate and married, Lilian is taking her life back . . . and looking for a good time. I respected her "no dating" rule even though I've wanted her since the day she started working for me. Two years later and my thirst for her has only intensified. Lily might think all she wants is a one-night-stand, but I'm determined to make her mine.

When the Aizenberg family is forced into the crowded Warsaw ghetto, they must share a small apartment with a secular Jewish family. This living arrangement will be a test for young Shoshana Aizenberg as she enters adulthood. Meanwhile, fast-rising doctor Ernst saves a man's life on the Russian front. For his heroism, Ernst is rewarded with the role of Dr. Mengele's apprentice at Auschwitz. It is an opportunity beyond his wildest dreams . . . the cost is the stuff of his worst nightmares.

He's the star player everyone loves to hate…and she's the one person who might just be able to tame him. There's nothing Lucy James hates more than arrogant men. Unfortunately, as a PR consultant for the L.A. Hawks pro hockey team, she encounters more than her fair share of them. The chief culprit? Dax Temple. He's annoyingly attractive while he cooks up one scandal after another, making Lucy's life a living hell. She has no desire to play babysitter just because management thinks it's a good idea.

I had everything I had ever wanted . . . And it meant nothing. Because the love of my life had lost everything. My career was exactly where I'd wanted it—I was on a great team, getting lots of playing time, and I'd finally won the ultimate prize. But Bailey was hurting, and I couldn't live...

It's no secret that the big-shot CEO of Got Cake? wants to buy my bakery but I declined his offer - even though it was presented to me on a notecard with a triple chocolate donut. For the record, I did not eat his overpriced donut.... I threw it in the trash. Off the record-I totally ate it, and oh my heck, it was finger-licking delicious.

Set in early 20th century New York, Edith Wharton's classic novel follows the changing fortunes of the beautiful Lily Bart, an impoverished socialite who relies on the kindness of rich friends to move in glamorous society. Lily and all her friends know that she must make a rich marriage to achieve financial security, but she is drawn to kindred spirit Lawrence Selden, a charming but decidedly middle-class lawyer. Will Lily survive in a world of predatory financiers and their ruthless wives?

We promised it was just for fun. No labels. No feelings. But now I can't imagine my life without her. Ryker Ginny Dempsey is the last woman I should want. Her family has been feuding with mine for decades, and getting involved with her would set the whole town on fire. But we've been sneaking...

Just because arts organizations are non-profits doesn't mean they shouldn't make money; it means the money they make goes back to fund the mission—whether that's music, visual arts, theatre, dance, or one of many other mediums that enrich our lives.

It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy - and her father's "law firm" - than she realized. Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation - an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons - his entire life. 

I never expected to fall for a puckboy. I certainly never expected to fall for Axel Finnegan, star of the Rush. But the hockey player charmed his way into my life, made himself indispensable, and now I was all in for my filthy puckboy. Except . . . my life had other plans. My ex was back, my...

Meet the kind-hearted Doctor Dolittle, a country physician who learns to speak with animals and sets sail on an extraordinary journey filled with exotic creatures, daring rescues, and heartwarming friendships. This classic tale invites listeners of all ages into a world where compassion and curiosity for all creatures can bridge every divide. Perfect for young listeners and nostalgic adults alike, The Story of Doctor Dolittle remains a magical celebration of understanding the natural world.