Showing results by narrator "Carolyn" in All Categories

Blayze Shaw could sum up his life in one word, fulfilling. He grew up in the shadow of his famous father, Brock Shaw, a multi-year PBR champion, but chose not to follow in his footsteps. Instead, choosing to work on the family's cattle ranch in Montana. Everything in his life was exactly how he wanted it, and he was the happiest he'd ever been. When a woman from his past resurfaces and is given the task of diving deep into his world for the answers he isn't willing to share, Blayze's perfect world is thrown into a tailspin.

For years, fiercely independent Gwen Cully has worked as the village blacksmith, keeping her family’s business going. But when a local rival threatens her livelihood, Gwen has nowhere to turn ... until a devastatingly handsome fugitive takes shelter in her shop and sparks fly. Unrepentant rogue Kellan Fox’s entire existence has been a dangerous game of deception that leads him into a fight for survival—and straight into the arms of a tall, fiery beauty.

With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor Rebecca Roanhorse, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2022 explores the ever-expanding and changing world of contemporary science fiction and fantasy.

Thanks to her best friend, Reagan, Mallory Moss knows the rules of middle school. The most important one? You have to fit in to survive. But then Jennifer Chan moves in across the street, and that rule doesn’t seem to apply. Jennifer doesn’t care about the laws of middle school, or the laws of the universe. She believes in aliens—and she thinks she can find them. Then Jennifer goes missing. Using clues from Jennifer’s journals, Mallory goes searching. But the closer she gets, the more Mallory has to confront why Jennifer might have run . . . and face the truth within herself.

Young Lerris yearns to find a place in the world better suited to his skills and temperament. In Recluce, this means taking one of two options: permanent exile from Recluce or the dangergeld, a complex, rule-laden wanderjahr in the lands beyond. Many do not survive. Lerris chooses dangergeld. Lerris will need magic in the lands beyond, where the power of the Chaos Wizards reigns unchecked, and he must learn to use his powers in an orderly way before his wanderjahr, or fall prey to Chaos.

A gunshot wound has robbed Audubon, Texas, of its top lawman at the worst possible time. Clete Lanagan and his band of outlaws have hatched a scheme to plunder the town bank of a small fortune in railroad money. When the acting sheriff, Dalton Conyers - half-brother of Smoke’s niece Rebecca - is unable to raise a posse to hunt down Lanagan’s gang, he calls on Smoke for help. But with so much cash at stake, Lanagan won’t go down without a fight.

You've got the basics covered. But can you raise your leadership level to be a boss who develops trust with their employees? You can meet the basic requirements of your job as leader and rise above to motivate the people on your team to do more—and be more—than they thought possible. Whether you're a first-time boss or you've been managing people forever and are looking for some new insights and inspiration, the HBR Guide to Being a Great Boss collects a variety of expert voices to share their advice on being a boss who sparks creativity, engagement, and collaboration.

After narrowly escaping the devolved prison community of Ispville, the companions make their way on foot for the arduous 200-mile trek to the ruins of Chicago and the redoubt that holds the nearest known gateway, as winter sets in. This is only the first stage in their journey to the intended refuge of Ryan’s home ville of Front Royal, and hopefully a safe haven for the birth of Krysty’s child. To make matters worse, they’re the reluctant guardians of fellow former prisoners, a mother and three young daughters, none of whom possess the companions’ survival skills.

With a thriving parahuman accounting practice, a steady relationship, and a circle of trusted friends, Fred’s undead life has become more enjoyable than his normal one ever was. Unfortunately, it also seems that he’s no longer the only vampire to appreciate the up-and-coming city of Winslow, Colorado. A new clan of vampires is moving in, and they aren’t well known for tolerating outsiders in their territory.

Mother can’t kill me. Not that she hasn’t tried. I’m the heir to a modern-day magical dynasty, daughter of the most powerful mage in existence. From day one, Mother made it apparent that she never wanted me - never wanted an heir at all. That’s why she’s forced me into the shadows, where I remain invisible. Nobody even knows what I truly look like. Locked away, I dream of ordinary things. You know. Friends. A boyfriend. A purpose for my existence...But I’ve got secrets too. Things she can’t find out.

After his father, a Song patriot, was murdered, Guo Jing and his mother fled to the plains and joined Ghengis Khan and his people. Loyal, humble, and driven, he learned all he could from the warlord and his army in hopes of one day joining them in their cause. But what Guo Jing doesn’t know is that he’s destined to battle an opponent that will challenge him in every way imaginable and with a connection to his past that no one envisioned.

How to forgive the unforgivable and stop suffering because of what other people have done to you, even when you can’t forget. Have you ever felt like you have been stuck in a vicious cycle of unresolved pain, hoping that it would just get better with time? In her most vulnerable writing yet, Carolyn reveals her unimaginable journey of not only losing her mother but losing almost everyone she had ever known all at the very same time through a series of painful events that left her breathless, betrayed, and broken.

It's been a long time since Casey Tresscott has felt like her life was her own. After the car accident that nearly cost her everything, she's used to her family's coddling and the relentless whispers at school, no matter how much they sting. After all, she's found a safe harbor in her budding relationship with Sandover's golden boy, Fenn Bishop...or so she thinks.

Liya and Kai had been best friends since they were little kids, but all that changed when a humiliating incident sparked The Biggest Misunderstanding of All Time—and they haven’t spoken since. Then Liya discovers her family's wishing lantern store is struggling, and she decides to resume a tradition she had with her beloved late grandmother: secretly fulfilling the wishes people write on the lanterns they send into the sky. It may boost sales and save the store, but she can't do it alone . . . and Kai is the only one who cares enough to help.

The Homelander enacts his plan only to realize his motivations are unfounded. Butcher confronts him and makes the one who raped his wife and caused her death pay with his life. Butcher’s true desire for destruction is then revealed in the form of a WMD crafted for supes but will kill many others, and to be stopped, Hughie must face Butcher alone. As the dust settles the long-lasting damage and betrayals are still affecting the survivors.

Each night, the world is overrun by bloodthirsty demons. For centuries, humanity survived only by hiding behind defensive wards - magical symbols with the power to repel the demons. Now, the rediscovery of long-forgotten combat wards has given them the magic they need to fight back. In Tibbet’s Brook, the fighting wards have brought change, but the factions and grudges of a troubled past remain. Selia Square, the woman they call Barren, has long been the force that holds the Brook together. As a terrifying new threat emerges, she rallies her people once again.

After several years as a vampire, starting a business, founding his own clan, and proposing to his girlfriend, Fred is finally beginning to settle into life as an undead accountant. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy about his continued survival, or the dangerous friends he's made along the way. The Blood Council has dispatched a representative to determine if Fred is fit for the position he currently fills as head of a clan, and the stakes for failure are deathly serious. Worse, Fred will have to muddle through without the help of Krystal, who is off on a mysterious task of her own.

Scarlet Campbell’s friends had all coupled off, and it had happened this year. All five of them had found love while Scarlet had continued to go back and forth about coming out to her family, and on top of that, she still couldn’t talk to women. Every time she tried, she choked. She got nervous. She said something stupid. As a result, she was still a single nerd who worked as a data analyst and did coding on the side.

Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove's confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland. Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be...anywhere but Spindle Cove. These unlikely partners have one week: to fake an elopement to convince family and friends they're in love to outrun armed robbers to survive their worst nightmares to travel four hundred miles without killing each other. All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.

Mila: The six-foot-three, two hundred pounds of lean muscle, disgustingly defined by his white tee hugging . . . all that, with a backpack slung over his bulging broad shoulder is far from innocent. He's Max Steel. He's all sorts of grown up. And he's my enemy . . . even though he doesn't know it yet.