Showing results by narrator "Kate Forbes" in All Categories

Jeanne Madison has earned her PhD at 26 and secured funding to find and excavate a treasure-laden 18th century caravel off the Yucatan coast. With her mentor and a handful of graduate students in her corner, she'll find the Luna Azul - or blue moon--by hook or by crook. When a tight budget forces her to hire Captain Gabriel Avery and his rust-bucket, "Fallen Angel", the comely PhD's not sure it won't be the latter.

In a time when the traditional ways of medicine are constantly being questioned by new doctors fresh from medical school, midwife Martha Cade tries to balance her life's calling with the demands of her family. Recently reunited with her estranged 17-year-old daughter, Martha finds herself torn between guiding her child and allowing her to be an adult. At the same time, she must decide whether she'll risk reopening the heart she'd long closed off to love.

Award-winning author Patricia Polacco based this story on her own childhood and the heroic teacher who helped her overcome her learning disability. Even though she is a wonderful artist who makes beautiful pictures with her crayons, Trisha can’t figure out how to read. The other kids make fun of her, calling her terrible names like “Dummy.” Then one day, a new teacher arrives. Mr. Falker doesn’t think Trisha is dumb at all. He knows he can help her read.

A precocious and idealistic poet, Adelaide Piper can't wait to escape her tiny, South Carolina mill town for the freedoms of a prestigious, far-away university. But she's unprepared for the party-school reality that soon leaves her devastated, demoralized, and desolate. And then she remembers the "Jesus freak" who'd been her best friend - until her spiritual transformation.

At age 55, Meg's life is too filled with loss for her to remember what magic feels like. All she has left is a yard brimming with plants that are wilting in the scorching Iowa summer - and a bone-deep feeling that she's through with living. Meg has something else too: a bottle of mysterious pills, given to her years ago by an empathetic doctor. He promised that they would offer her dying mother a quick, painless end in exactly 20 days. Though her mother never needed them, Meg does. But a strange thing happens after Meg swallows the little green pearls....

1797: Rachel Taylor lives a rather mundane existence at the way station her family runs along the Wilderness Road in Tennessee. She attends her friend's wedding only to watch it dissolve in horror as the groom, Wiley Harpe, and his cousin become murderers on the run, who drag their families along. Declaring a "war on all humanity", the Harpes won't be stopped, and Ben Langford is on their trail to see if his own cousin was one of their latest victims. How many will die before peace can return to the frontier?

Former Fish and Wildlife officer Charlotte "Charlee" Tanner still carries the guilt of a tragic drowning accident that occurred on her watch. She hoped moving back home to the wilds of Central Florida would provide a safe haven - until she learns the death was no accident, and she's the intended target.

The exciting continuation of the Rocky Mountain Legacy series focuses on trusting in the Lord. After a vicious fire brings injury and devastation to Monte Farrell's western home, he feels fearful and protective. The dreams he shares with his betrothed, Abbie Martin, are going up in smoke. When the fire proves to be intentional, and the sabotage against the property escalates, Monte desperately wrestles with his need for revenge and his sense of honor.

The popular Rocky Mountain Legacy series follows the adventures of Abigail Martin, a spirited young woman who sees God's splendor reflected in the majestic landscapes of her Colorado homeland. After Monte Farrell's sister dies, Abby and Monte take her orphaned child into their home. The couple is even more joyous when Abby becomes pregnant. But their happiness is quickly overshadowed when disaster sweeps across the ranch.

Abigail Martin feels at home in her rough western town. After she visits Montgomery Farrell at his nearby ranch, however, she is intrigued by his civilized manner and well-appointed house. Montgomery is attracted to Abigail, too, and begins courting her. But a deathbed promise will soon separate them. Can Montgomery be strong enough to bear the burden of his honor? And can Abigail understand the importance of his pledge?

Virginia native Lee Smith has won two O. Henry Awards, the Southern Book Critics Circle Award, and the Robert Penn Warren Prize for her engaging works. A collection of 14 tales - both new stories and previously published favorites - Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger is sure to delight listeners with its warm humor and unforgettable characters.

In 1955, 13-year-old Lyric, her older sister Summer, and their widowed father pack the car. Poor yet hopeful, they move from the hills of Virginia to Flint, Michigan, where "Poppy" plans to find factory work. Once they are in Michigan, Lyric and Summer love the excitement of the city. Lyric makes friends at her new school, but Summer feels like an outcast. Soon, the close bond between the two sisters begins to dissolve. Lyric always knew that Summer was a bit odd, but now Summer withdraws more and more into a fantasy world.

Before the great Disaster, the country of Maynor was known as the "state of Maine." People were free to travel, and there were no birmbas (dangerous mutant animals) to fear. Now the people are walled inside their villages and forbidden to leave without armed guards. Because of her webbed hand, the young orphan Leora is an outcast in Village Three. Even though her hand enables her to draw the visions that haunt her, she fears it will land her in the Institute with the other "defectives."

The last thing Ruby McGavin thought she would be doing after her husband, Cole, died was meeting his family. He had claimed his relatives were all dead, and she didn't know him long enough - they were only married one year - to think otherwise. But it turns out that members of Cole's family, from a small ranch town in California, are very much alive, and they show up on Ruby's doorstep with the news that she has inherited some land from her husband.

Talented author Patricia Sprinkle pens this heartfelt tale about four women struggling to hold on to their hope. Billie never minded taking care of her disabled daughter alone, but now her ex-husband’s checks have stopped coming. Her sister Margaret’s marriage is disintegrating. Mimi’s retirement is being put on hold. And Emerita is a stranger in a new land. Tough times are surely before them, but they won’t have to face the difficulties alone.

Lee Smith, one of today's finest writers in the Southern literary tradition, has been compared to Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor. This collection of nine stories, ranging from poignant ballads to delightfully inventive forms, showcases Smith's celebrated talent. The stories will make you chuckle and leave you with a satisfying sense that no matter how unruly or warped life may seem, equilibrium can be found after all.

Though Alice and Greta live on the same mountain, they are about as different as two witches can be. Alice’s outlook is always rosy, just like her clothes. Greta always dresses in poison green, a color as putrid as her personality. Alice uses her magic to help people, while Greta uses hers to make people miserable. Steven J. Simmons’ delightful IRACBC Children’s Choice award winner teaches children some valuable lessons about getting along with others and accepting the consequences of their actions.

Amid a landscaped dotted with farms, trailers, and genteel homes, there lives a talented baker who desperately needs to win a cooking contest but must team up with a down-on-her-heels society matron to do it...the Bramble sisters, whose husbands tend to be short-lived and wealthy but whose latest prospect arrives with complications...a widow who becomes dangerously obsessed with a snake-charming televangelist...and a lonely florist who will do anything for the sake of a ruthless local mechanic.

In a seedy bar in the shadowy corners of Daharia, Jessop comes to the rescue of young Hunter Kohl O'Hanlon. Impressed by her remarkable sword-wielding skills, the Hunters invite her to their training facility, the Glass Blade, though not all are pleased with the intrusion. But they soon discover that Jessop learned to fight from the rogue leader of the Shadow City of Aranthol - and escaped. Now they want to use her intimate knowledge of their enemy to destroy him.

Charlotte is not very excited about the doll her aunt Edme sends her. It has a prim painted mouth and is dressed in lace and silk. Besides, Charlotte has never really wanted a doll. “We like climbing trees,” Charlotte tells the doll. Much to Charlotte’s surprise, the new doll doesn’t seem to mind her rough way of playing. By the time they are finished, Charlotte’s new doll is muddy and torn, but her prim mouth has softened into a warm smile. But what will Aunt Edme think when she comes to visit?