Showing results by narrator "Caitlin Kelly" in All Categories

A collection of 13 mesmerizing stories by American master Joyce Carol Oates, including the 2017 Pushcart Prize-winning "Undocumented Alien". The diverse stories of Beautiful Days explore the most secret, intimate, and unacknowledged interior lives of characters not unlike ourselves, who assert their independence in acts of bold and often irrevocable defiance.

Astra has returned to Chicago and the everyday life of a cape: getting kittens out of trees, training, aiding the city's emergency first-responders, training, doing public relations events, training, and the occasional superhero v. supervillain fight that threatens to level neighborhoods or at least set them on fire. Then Astra takes a hard hit during a fight and very briefly finds herself somewhere else, somewhere she's only been before in dreams and in the company of Kitsune, a shape-shifting trickster fox.

Growing up in Louisiana, Gabriel’s young life is a happy one, despite the growing rift between her mother and her conniving, whiskey-drinking daddy. Her dreams for a bright future as an artist are cut short, however, when her innocence is shattered by the rich cannery owner Octavious Tate. Pregnant and desperate to spare her mother the scandal, Gabriel agrees to a shocking plan that will allow Octavious’ wife, Gladys, to claim the baby as her own and will net Gabriel’s father a huge payoff.

Lacey Luzzi is all sorts of starred, striped, and spangled as she returns in Sauced, reunited with Meg, Clay, and Anthony just in time for the Fourth of July! Unfortunately, the rapidly approaching holiday means Lacey can no longer ignore the Luzzi Family Festivities - a picnic held every year on Independence Day. Filled to bursting with limoncello, ice cream cake, and illegal Mexican fireworks, the event promises to be an utter nightmare.

At 16, Hadley Moore knows exactly who she is - a swimmer who will earn a scholarship to college. Totally worth all the hard work, even if her aching shoulders don’t agree. So when a guy dressed as Hollywood’s latest action hero, Heath Hall, crashes her swim meet, she isn’t amused. Instead, she’s determined to make sure he doesn’t bother her again. Only she’s not sure exactly who he is.

Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless, and nearly hopeless. She is trying to restart her life after false accusations landed her in prison, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret?

The city that never sleeps has something lurking in the darkness and Poet Parker can't decide if it's friend or foe. The rich history of the area comes into play when research uncovers a mine disaster more than 100 years in the past...and a tragic outcome that still haunts the locale to this day. Between dust storms bringing forth a creature with glowing red eyes, screams in the desert and Poet's increasing conviction that they're not alone, the team has their hands full. That's on top of the fact that Max decides now is the time to make his move.

Astra has finished her training and is now a full-fledged Sentinel, but things are not going well. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, and the public revelation of her relationship with Atlas has caused her popularity to nosedive. To complicate things, the Teatime Anarchist's intervention has changed the course of events - leaving her with lots of knowledge about the way the future was before the Big One, a complete future-history that is now out of date.

When artifact-hunting Princess Brielle discovers a rune stone, she unwittingly calls forth a wild dragon bent on destruction. She's ready to slay the beast up until the moment he shifts into a gorgeous man with tortured eyes. Dorin has no idea what he did wrong, but there is no doubt he is cursed. For the last month every morning he wakes covered in blood with no memory of the night. He fears the worst...and now he's trapped.

Months ago, Nicole Cassidy's life was turned upside-down when she discovered that she was a witch descended from the Greek gods. Now the Elementals must stop Typhon - the most dangerous monster in the world - from rising, and seal the portal to the dangerous prison world of Kerberos. But they won't be able to do that without facing their hardest decision yet...a sacrifice so great that it may be one they're not willing to make.

Who knew being strong meant going hungry...? After making it through the fiery Middle Stratum and evolving again, things have been a cakewalk for me-and also one of the worst times of my life. I've gotten so strong that every living thing is avoiding me like the plague. Even monsters that wouldn't leave me alone for a second are running away like their lives depend on it. I mean...all I want to do is eat them! Is that too much to ask for?! At this point, about the only thing that WON'T flee the moment it sees me is the earth dragon Araba, and I sure as hell can't have that for a meal.

I fell for Connor Drake. I didn't want to; I fought against it, but I fell in love with him anyway. With his words. With his poetry. With him. The gentleness and beauty of his soul that speaks directly to mine. He writes as if he can feel my heart, hear its cadence and compose the exact right lyrics to accompany every beat and flow.

One bloodthirsty ruler has been overthrown by another, casting the shadow of death over the Solaris Empire. Vhalla Yarl stands upon the stage of fate, prepared to do battle one final time. Fragile alliances will be tested and new bonds will be formed as the world is reshaped. She fights as the champion of peace, but when the night is darkest will she be able to pay the price of a new dawn?

Mystic Caravan Circus is heading to the West Coast, and while everyone is happy for the change of scenery, there's a pall settling over the group. Poet and Kade are in a good place and planning for a change, but it's something Poet can't focus on because she feels as if someone is watching...and whoever it is has evil in his or her heart. The festival location is different, and instead of space, the circus denizens have festival workers and artisans on every side. They're open and exposed, and hiding their secret has never been more important.

Omega Sector, an interagency task force, is made up of the country’s most elite agents. In these four classic tales by USA TODAY bestselling author Janie Crouch, they’ll be challenged like never before!

Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue. Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone. Number one New York Times best-selling author Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame's enigmatic high king, Cardan.

Meri Beckley lives in a world without lies. When she looks at the peaceful Chicago streets, she feels pride in the era of unprecedented hope and prosperity over which the governor presides. But when Meri’s mother is killed, Meri suddenly has questions that no one else seems to be asking. And when she tries to uncover her mother’s state of mind in her last weeks, she finds herself drawn into a secret world with a history she didn’t know existed.

Far, far away, in the realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is the norm and fairy tales are real. Except, fairy tales aren’t based on myths and legends of the past - they are prophecies of the future. Raised in the mortal realm, Everly Morrow has no idea she’s a real-life fairy-tale princess - until she manifests an ability to commune with mirrors. Look. See.... What will one peek hurt? Soon, a horrifying truth is revealed. She is fated to be Snow White’s greatest enemy, the Evil Queen.

Riley March and her friends are headed to ritzy, remote Palm Key Island for one last blow-out party weekend before college. It’s the vacation of a lifetime: beautiful beaches, epic nightlife, and hot guys like Riley’s crush—superstar soccer player Sebastian Ramos. There’s just one catch. Everyone on this trip is hiding something. Riley is hiding her past in order to fit in. Sebastian is hiding his feelings for Riley. And someone is hiding what really happened to Jordyn Chang, a classmate that mysteriously died last summer.

Twelve-year-old fairy Canary Mossheart knows this better than most. A few years ago, the mold took her papa, and even her famous, former-chosen-one Gran never found a cure. So when Ary's beloved mama falls ill, Ary decides it’s taken enough. Armed with only a bucket and a prayer, she sneaks out to find a magical, underground lake whose healing waters are straight out of Gran’s adventures.