Showing results by narrator "Sean Crisden" in All Categories

Grounded proposes a new approach that's designed for actual humans who must grapple with these forces. This new paradigm speaks to our better selves. Based on the author's "Healthy Leader" model, it focuses on the six personal dimensions that fuel- and refuel - the world's top leaders: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, vocational, and spiritual health.

Leo Byrne is a cop, Jason Banks is an ex-con. Even after one stolen kiss, something has to give before Leo can convince Jason that falling in love is even an option. Adopted at a young age, Leo is part of the sprawling Byrnes family. With his dog Cap, three siblings and a whole mess of nieces and nephews, he is never lonely, and his life is full.

The last thing Alex Shepherd expects is to be attracted to his new boss, hotel-mogul Scout Turner. Being the man’s personal assistant means spending long hours with him in both public and private settings. The public side of things Alex can deal with. The private? Not so much. Knowing Scout had fired his last PA for being a jealous stalker, Alex is doing his best to hide his growing feelings for the man and maintain his professionalism. That is until Scout makes an unexpected confession that changes everything. Will Alex lose the job of his dreams or gain the love of his life?

Knowing that the strongest alliances are forged through mating, long ago, the King of Regha asked for my help. So when I came collecting on his firstborn, he gave her to me. I am nothing but a glorified thief. She is the Regha Princess. The jewel of her people. And now, she is mine.

"I'm darkness, Maddie. Stay away from men like me. You'll only get hurt." At one time my life was simple. Easy. But that was before the war. Now I was no longer an average college student. I was a survivor. A woman living in a ravaged world. My future was not bright and my life was far from perfect. The war had taken so much from me . . . but it wasn't finished yet. It wanted more. It wanted my heart. My soul. The one person I couldn't live without.

Fifty years after he coined the iconic phrase "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee", Drew "Bundini" Brown remains one of boxing's most mysterious and misunderstood figures. His impact on the sport and the culture at large is undeniable. Cornerman and confidant to two of the greatest fighters ever - Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali - Brown lived an extraordinary American life.

Ever since his longtime lover decided he'd seen the "heterosexual light", Matt's life has been in a nosedive. Six months of too many missed shifts at the hospital, too much booze, too many men. Matt knows he's on the verge of losing everything, but he's finding it hard to care. Then Matt meets Aaron. He's gorgeous, intelligent, and apparently not interested in being picked up. But newfound happiness is threatened when Matt begins to suspect Aaron is hiding something - or someone....

Ray Studevent grew up between two worlds. Born to a white, heroin-addicted mother and Black, violently alcoholic father, the odds were stacked against him from day one. When his parents abandoned him at the age of five, after living in a world no child should experience, he was saved from the foster-care system by his father's uncle Calvin, who offered him stability and a loving home. When Calvin tragically died two years later, it was up to his widow, Lemell, to raise Ray. But this was no easy task.

Ian Silverstein returns to the magical land of the Hidden Ways in search of some of the "Brisingamen" gems that can shape or destroy the universe - and to keep them out of the hands of the likes of the trickster god Loki. Many surprises ensue, and Ian must make some tough choices and survive the deadly intrigues of the powerful lords in Tir Na Nog. Sorcery and swordplay as well as psychological depth are present in this series that Booklist called an "excellent and intelligent fantasy adventure".

Spurned by his father and driven from his home, Stone Hillyard is struggling to find shelter in the Michigan winter when he lucks upon the horse farm run by Geoff Laughton and his partner Eli. They take him in, warm him up, and give him a job working with their No Boundaries therapy riding program. A drunk driver left Preston Harding unable to walk, and after months of hard work, his therapist recommends Geoff and Eli’s program. But Preston’s anger and arrogance nearly get him kicked out until Stone intercedes on his behalf.

Jack and Riley want to extend their small family of three. Their first choice is surrogacy with Jack as the father, and when all this begins smoothly both men can't help but contemplate at what point would things go wrong. After all, their lives are far from normal, and nothing is ever smooth. Add a small four-year-old boy in foster care into the mix, and suddenly things become a whole lot more complicated.

In the secret city of Sobek, Domin Thorne is making his way as the newly chosen semel-aten, the leader of the werepanther world. He aspires to make sweeping changes - he's set goals for himself and the people he chose to bring with him, modeling his reign after that of his friend, Logan Church. But Domin may have set too lofty a goal: His normal leadership style isn't working.

Joe is every dirty-talking bad boy she’s ever daydreamed about, and he seems more than willing to make her fantasies reality. But he’s not about to let her use him without getting something in return. Joe drives a hard bargain, and Kelly has to decide how far she’s willing to go to keep him in her bed.

Austin Conrad has never taken his personal life seriously. As a Navy SEAL, he spends all of his time in dangerous, life-threatening situations. The only way to leave behind the horrors he's seen throughout his career is to turn it all off when he gets home. He's too much of a playboy to settle down; even if he did find a woman he could stand to be around for more than one night, he would never taint her life with the demons of his past.

Raine Baumer is living the party life in Chicago, indulging in short relationships with little emotional commitment. But after he’s severely injured in a gay bashing, close friend Geoff arrives to take him to the country to recuperate. There, Geoff and his partner, Eli, treat him like part of the family, and Raine meets Jonah, Eli’s brother, who is exploring life in the world outside his Amish community. Jonah and Raine’s mutual attraction draws them together, but they may not have a chance to explore it.

In the literary world, the debate around writing and commerce often begs us to take sides: either writers should be paid for everything they do or writers should just pay their dues and count themselves lucky to be published. You should never quit your day job, but your ultimate goal should be to quit your day job. It's an endless, confusing, and often controversial conversation that, despite our bare-it-all culture, still remains taboo.

Losing his brother has shaped Drew to become the man he is today - heartbroken, alone, but determined to make a difference in the world. Joining the military, fighting battles in places that he's never even heard of, is his attempt to make amends for telling his brother to go to hell. After his brother disappeared, he'd clung to the hope Casey was out there living his life. Of course, he'd be furious at Drew, and probably hate his brother, but at least in Drew's head, Casey was safe.

Can a person’s life change in just one day? How about seven? This is the story of seven pivotal days in Evan Donaldson’s life. Evan was a teenage street hustler when Father Valentin talked him into coming to Saint Bartholomew’s Academy. In that one day, Evan’s entire life changed. That’s the day he met his roommate, Clay Mueller, and the day Evan began to live. But Evan’s life would change again and again, from abuse to first love, to separation and heartbreak, and eventually to starting his own family.

Twelve Years a Slave is the autobiographical account of Solomon Northup, an African American who was born free in New York in the early 1800s. In 1841, Solomon Northup was captured and forced into slavery for a period of twelve years. Northup's account is detailed in its account of life on a cotton and sugar plantation and the daily routine of slave life during the first part of the 19th century.

Young Daniel Arabus and his mother are slaves in the house of Captain Ivers of Stratford, Connecticut. By law they should be free, since Daniel's father fought in the Revolutionary army and earned enough in soldiers' notes to buy his family's freedom. But now Daniel's father is dead, and Mrs. Ivers has taken the notes from his mother. When Daniel bravely steals the notes back, a furious Captain Ivers forces him aboard a ship bound for the West Indies - and certain slavery.