Showing results by narrator "Todd McLaren" in All Categories

Taylor Van Zant, the owner of Swamp Eagle Security, thought he was doing a good thing when he destroyed the slave ring operating out of Droxis, even though the slavers blew up the red diamond mine there as they tried to escape. Unfortunately, the mine belonged to the synthetic intelligence running the Merchant Guild, and it was…displeased with the mine’s destruction, so it put out a death contract on all the members of Swamp Eagle Security.

Arabella Craig was just eighteen when Ethan Hardeman opened passion's door, then slammed it in her face just as fiercely. His subsequent marriage to another woman left her emotionally devastated, and Arabella knew she'd lost the only man she'd ever truly love… Years later, tragedy has brought Ethan back into her life. He's just as long, tall, and handsome as ever, but now, divorced and embittered, Ethan is a changed man.

He's provided for each of them the opportunity to lead a life of health, wealth, and power far beyond their imagination. By his own example, he's shown them that such gifts are meant to be shared, used to make the world a better place. And he's never asked them for anything in return, showing a willingness to risk even his own life to live to his own ideals. Now Will Stark needs their help. He's helpless, he's uneducated, and he's about to meet men who can utterly destroy him. And they'll need to make sure that's exactly what happens.

Beginning in his kayak in his home waters of eastern Long Island, Carl Safina's The View from Lazy Point takes us through the four seasons to the four points of the compass, from the high Arctic south to Antarctica, across the warm belly of the tropics from the Caribbean to the west Pacific, then home again.

In Bogie & Bacall, William Mann offers a deep and comprehensive look at Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and the unlikely love they shared. Mann details their early years—Bogart’s effete upbringing in New York City; Bacall’s rise as a model and actress. He paints a vivid portrait of their courtship and twelve-year marriage: the fights, the reconciliations, the children, the affairs, Bogie’s illness and Bacall’s steadfastness until his death. He offers a sympathetic yet clear-eyed portrait of Bacall’s life after Bogie.

The Aliomenti village is in ruins, destroyed by one of their own, its population nearly eliminated in the calamity. From the ruins, the Aliomenti rise to international prominence, influencing buyers and sellers, warriors and bureaucrats, as they patiently and invisibly expand their empire. Will Stark serves as the driving force behind that expansion. Whether he's creating their innovations or offering subtle hints, few of their revolutionary progressions are made without his influence.

With the Merc Guild opening up contracts again, it’s Zuul eat Zuul to get one, as there are far more companies looking for work than there are contracts to be had. So when Taylor Van Zant gets an inside line on a 30-million-credit contract for Swamp Eagle Security, he races to Karma to throw his hat in the ring. Unfortunately, Taylor arrives to find that the other North Florida mercenary company - the River Hawk Defense Group - is also bidding, and Taylor is forced to watch as they steal the contract out from under the Eagles.

When alien warrior Kozien Lorrz left behind life as the heir to his planet's throne to run a team that hunts down missing things, his father swore he'd make him regret the decision. According to the king, leaving his duties behind was a mistake, and taking his brothers was an act of treason. Now, with business dwindling, Kozien is forced to send a message into the universe that his team is offering a pro-bono case—a move that could draw in new clients or alert their father to their whereabouts.

Underneath her bubbly carefree facade, there was more—much more—to the champagne girl. Catherine Blake had high personal standards, including a sense of duty to her widowed mother, which brought her back to Comanche Flats, the family ranch. Once she'd returned, her stepbrother, Matt Kincaid, only complicated matters. Matt demanded that she stay on at the ranch, under his watchful eye. But Catherine had a job offer waiting for her in New York City. There was only one thing that could keep her on a dusty cattle ranch in Texas—the love of the rangiest cowboy in the Lone Star State!

In the jungles of Makaum, the Terran military is locked in a critical standoff over the planet's resources with the hostile Phrenorians, even as both species maintain uneasy relations with the locals. Tensions could ignite at a moment's notice. And Master Sergeant Frank Sage has just stumbled upon the spark plug: Alongside trusted Makaum scouts, Sage is running recon on what is possibly an unsanctioned Phrenorian military base.

After getting her heart broken seven years ago, Keena Whitman fled town. Now she’s back, and a successful designer at last. But when she sees Nicholas Coleman again, all the feelings she’s tried so hard to forget come rushing back. Letting Keena go was the biggest mistake Nicholas has ever made. This time he’s ready to prove he’s her perfect match - in love and business.

The Omega War is in full swing. Earth has fallen to General Peepo’s army, and the surviving human mercenaries have taken refuge at the hidden Winged Hussars’ base in New Warsaw. As humanity begins to think about how to recover the planet, one thing is obvious - more powerful weapons of war will be needed in the effort. One of the keys to recapturing Earth will be the Raknar of Cartwright’s Cavaliers, but the power sources of many of the giant mecha have become unusable over the course of history.

Freed from the constraints of the Aliomenti, Will Stark creates a new group, an alliance of men and women committed to using their energy skills and technological advances to improve the lives of all. It's an act of rebellion that won't go unnoticed - or unpunished - by the Aliomenti elites. Treachery, a desperate search for the resolution of his most vexing personal concern, and an incredible network of underground facilities drive Will to his own desperate decisions.

Jim Pierce hasn't heard from his daughter in years, ever since she rejected his military past and started working as a hacker. But when a Chinese assassin shows up at Jim's lab looking for her, he knows that she's cracked some serious military secrets. Now, her life is on the line if he doesn't find her first. The Chinese military has developed a new anti-terrorism program that uses the most sophisticated artificial intelligence in existence, and they're desperate to keep it secret. They're also desperate to keep it under control, as the AI begins to revolt against their commands.

Zander and his gamer friends used to face danger without fear, finding strength in the promise of a safe respawn. Nothing could harm or destroy them. This was only a game...or was it? A game, played in an ancient hyperspace network. A game involving dozens of real-life alien civilizations. Earth is deserted. The fate of humanity is unknown.

While the occupation of Earth continues, MinSha mercenaries under the command of Major General Drehnayl have assaulted human-held colonies in the outer rim, wiping them out. With the famed Four Horsemen nowhere to be found, the Mercenary Guild’s attempt to instill fear and subvert humanity is perilously close to reality. Tasked with finding the MinSha is Jessica Francis, Earth’s first Peacemaker, but the odds aren’t in her favor. Jessica realizes that finding Drehnayl's forces isn’t enough - she must do something to stop their atrocities and end their reign of terror.

When the Mercenary Guild tried to bend the galaxy's deadliest assassins to their will, the Depik shocked the galaxy by choosing mass suicide to enslavement. Only those Depik not present on their home planet of Khatash survived to retreat to the shadows, to plan, to form alliances, to rebuild and look forward to the day when they could retake their home from the Veetanho invaders and exact revenge.

Jude Langston is keeping his eyes firmly fixed on business. To that end, he’s brought Bess White, who inherited shares of his company, to his San Antonio ranch. But when Jude proposes a marriage of convenience to merge their enterprises, he doesn’t expect to develop deep feelings for Bess! The lean, rough rancher does his best to resist his unexpected bride…but will Jude guard his heart forever?

He’s everything she fears…and everything she wants... Mercenary by name and by nature, Carson is a Lakota Sioux who stays to himself and never keeps women around long enough for anything emotional to develop. But working with his friend Cash Grier on a complex murder investigation provides Carson with another kind of fun - shocking Cash’s sweet-but-traditional secretary, Carlie Blair, with tales of his latest conquests. Then Carlie lands in deep trouble.

When Ivory Keene landed a job at a prestigious fashion house in New York, she could never have anticipated the challenges and excitement her new position would provide. Chief among them is her exasperatingly sexy boss, Curry Kells. The older, experienced executive can't help but be drawn to Ivory by a desire neither can resist. He sees only a talented young woman whose fresh, exciting designs might just make them both millions. But he soon discovers that Ivory is keeping secrets.