Showing results by narrator "Di Kay" in All Categories

It's been said that all great literature boils down to one of two stories—a man takes a journey, or a stranger comes to town. While mystery writers have been successfully using both approaches for generations, there's something undeniably alluring in the nature of a stranger: the uninvited guest, the unacquainted neighbor, the fish out of water. In the newest collection of stories by the Mystery Writers of America, each author weaves a fresh tale surrounding the eerie feeling that comes when a stranger enters our midst, featuring stories by prolific mystery writers.

Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste. Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape.

The Complete Fortuna Academy Series, available in one boxed set. Hayley Killoran was not ready to find out she was the daughter of Lucifer and a powerful witch. Lucifer was not ready for one of his brothers to stage a hostile takeover of Hell. Hell was not ready for Hayley. Fortuna Academy is an adult reverse harem Academy series with one snarky female and five fated mates.

The Legacy boys are Windsor Preparatory Academy’s most privileged. No one crosses the devil spawn of this town’s upper echelon, but I managed. I call one of them out my first day, and no one hears it louder than their blond prince.

Ten-year-old Manami did not realize how peaceful her family's life on Bainbridge Island was until the day it all changed. It's 1942, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Manami and her family are Japanese American, which means that the government says they must leave their home by the sea and join other Japanese Americans at a prison camp in the desert. Manami is sad to go, but even worse is that they are going to have to give her and her grandfather's dog, Yujiin, to a neighbor to take care of.

I, Charlotte Valentine, am mostly of sound mind. Typically, I make really good choices. I went to college, never did drugs...I even brush and floss every day. That’s not to say I don’t make poor decisions - believe me, I do. They always seem to involve men - everything from gluing my eye shut to falling in love with my boss. Did I mention he was famous? Oh, Drake Foster, you beautiful creature. My sister told me not to accept the position as his personal assistant. Apparently, she thinks it’s emotionally unhealthy for me to work for the object of my desire. What does she know?

Brix Ward is a grade-A prick.He's arrogant, spoiled, and self-centered. As the lead singer of A Rebels Havoc, he's used to women falling over themselves for a chance to tame the wild bad boy. Except for me. I still remember the boy I grew up with. The one who went out of his way to make my life a living hell. I did my best to avoid him at all costs. Imagine my surprise when our parents announced they had eloped, then left me to live with my new stepbrother. Alone. Now, no matter what I do, there's no escaping him. He's always there, tempting me, provoking me. Every moment of every day.

I came here expecting to face my bullies with an iron fist. I played their games and won. Now that I’ve earned my place, at the academy and in their home, I should feel safe. But with every past there is a shadow and mine is drawing closer with each step I take.

When my husband died, he left my broken heart behind. He left another heart behind, too - his.
I know it's wrong. I shouldn't be contacting the recipient of my husband's heart. I don't even expect him to reply.... But there's a desperate, twisted part of me that hopes he will. No names. No personal details. Just a conversation. The only thing I have left of my husband is inside him.

Billionaire software developer Parker Braxton knows everyone wants something from him. That's why he made a multi-million-dollar bachelor pact with his friends to never marry. But he never counted on running into, literally, the quiet but sensual Layla Fallon.

Lou Montgomery has the voice of an angel, or so her mother tells her and anyone else who will listen. But Lou can only hear the fear in her own voice. She's never liked crowds or loud noises or even high fives; in fact, she's terrified of them, which makes her pretty sure there's something wrong with her. When Lou crashes their pickup on a dark and snowy road, child services separate the mother-daughter duo. Now she has to start all over again at a fancy private school far away from anything she's ever known.

Someone wants Paige Bristow’s wolf sanctuary gone…and Paige dead. Officer Reece Campbell and his K-9 partner, Maverick, are the only ones she can turn to, but she never told him he was the father of her daughter. As the attacks escalate, Reece must uncover the perp and keep himself from falling for Paige all over again. But will the truth between them cost everything?

I never imagined my first trip to Italy would be to bury my father. But there I was in the beautiful cathedral, alone, with my father’s casket and a handful of soldiers to keep me safe. It didn’t occur to me that anyone would disrupt the sanctity of the church. Would march in, weapons in hand, and turn my world upside down. But the Caballero brothers have no regard for the church and even less for my family.

The Brotherhood of Assassins has been all but eradicated by the Chinese Emperor. Restoring the Order to its former glory is no easy feat, but it is Shao Jun's duty, and her best chance of survival. When she learns that an old foe has acquired a powerful artifact with which he intends to lure remaining assassins to their deaths, Shao Jun hastens to Mongolia. There, intrigue between Mongolian royalty, an exiled prince, and tensions between Mongolia and China draw her into their web. When she discovers an even more sinister actor, Shao Jun vows to do everything in her power to stop it.

Princess Ying Yue believed in love...once upon a time. Yet when she’s chosen to wed the crown prince, Ying’s dreams of a fairy tale marriage quickly fall apart. Her husband-to-be is cold and indifferent, confining Ying to her room for reasons he won’t explain. Worse still are the rumors that swirl around the imperial palace: whispers of seven other royal brides who, after their own weddings, mysteriously disappeared. Left alone with only her own reflection for company, Ying begins to see things. Strange things.

Something is wrong with Valerie Darkmore. She may have made it through her initiation into the Marionettes, but she’s quickly learning that was only the beginning. Everything she used to know has changed, including maybe herself. She can’t count on her partnership with a dangerous vampire prince to be enough to save her.

I live in a world where secrecy reigns—a society rooted in power, wealth, and long-held dynasties, where men are kings, and women are pawns. For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of escaping the shackles of my expectations, but it can only ever be a dream. I made a fatal mistake, and those shackles became a cage. Now, I’m trapped in a war with a man who controls my every move. He’s my brother’s best friend. My enemy, my tormentor, and my solace. His words have the power to wound me. His touch just might break me.

The root chakra is the initial step on a staircase that leads up from the base of your spine toward enlightenment. As the first book in Llewellyn's Chakra Essentials series, Root provides everything you need to know about this grounding energy center. Ten chakra experts—such as bestselling author Cyndi Dale, intuitive cardiologist Dr. Nitin Bhatnagar, and award-winning aromatherapist Margaret Ann Lembo—teach this chakra's color associations, intuitive style, physical reach, psychological influence, and more.

Five thousand years in the future, humankind has spread across thousands of worlds, and more than a dozen different governments exist in an uneasy truce. But human beings have found no signs of other life anywhere approaching human intelligence. This changes when scientists discover a sunless planet they name Danann, traveling the void just beyond the edge of the galaxy at such a high speed that it cannot be natural. Its continents and oceans have been sculpted and shaped, with but a single megaplex upon it - close to perfectly preserved.

I never thought I'd look for a woman in a strip club until I laid eyes on her—a redhead with a story. Her eyes weren't just sad; they were screaming for a way out. I could tell she didn't belong there. She's definitely hiding secrets, wrapped in pain, and I couldn't look away. When I saw some sloshed goon getting handsy with her, refusing to take a hint, I knew I had to protect her. Reaching out to help her felt like the only decent thing to do. I offered her a place to stay and a lead on a new gig—but it wasn't just her. Her kid, Sophie, with those wide, scared eyes—they got to me.