Showing results by narrator "Jennifer Jill Araya" in All Categories

Can love overcome the tragic past between an FBI agent and a bridesmaid-for-hire? Chloe Romano is a good FBI agent even though she fights a deep attraction to her team leader, the gorgeous Liam Esposito. Fraternizing with her boss is strictly forbidden, so their feelings have to remain a secret longing. When an FBI sting operation goes horribly wrong, Chloe's love for Liam become tangled with grief when she learns that he was the one that left her best friend behind to die. Quickly, Chloe resigns from the FBI and launches a bridesmaid-for-hire business.

They'll squeeze out every last clue.... A new juice bar in Stoneybrook has the town on a delicious health kick. When a woman is found strangled outside the shop, the townspeople swear they've never seen her before. But someone among the locals is lying. They not only recognize the woman but had motive to silence her. Hadley and her twin have three mysteries to solve. Who is the mysterious woman? Why did someone want her dead? And will finding these answers put their lives at risk too?

The annual River Run is a fall favorite in Stoneybrook. Participants end the race win a commemorative mug from local potter, Josie Cobb. But when one of the mugs is shattered over Josie's ex-husband's head and he's found dead along the riverside trail, the sheriff is sure the potter finally snapped.

Taylor Lipin has made it her life's mission to leave her hometown and its ridiculous, century-old feud with the Porters behind. But when her sister needs help running the family inn, Taylor agrees to return to Helen, Alaska on a temporary, definitely not longer than two weeks, basis. Or so she thinks, until she's quite literally swept off her feet and into enemy territory by three happy huskies and their drool-worthy owner, Dr. Josh Krane. Though Josh didn't grow up in Helen with the rest of his Porter cousins, he's heard the stories: Porters rescue huskies. The Lipins are cat people.

Hope Taylor is ready to start her new life as the first female pastor of Faith Chapel Episcopal Church in Apple Springs. The Northern California town's quaint cottages, bungalows, and shops promise a fresh start. But where is Father Christopher? The kindly old rector who hired Pastor Hope was supposed to meet her upon her arrival, but he's nowhere to be seen. Hope's faith springs eternal, so she explores the little white church hoping to find Father Christopher. But when she enters the columbarium, she instead finds church elder Stanley King - his skull crushed by a fallen burial urn.

Glaciers have nothing on Kelsey Porter when she decides to freeze someone out. After getting burned once, she's not about to let it happen again. And right now all that icy contempt is focused on one annoyingly attractive and entitled interloper: Ian Roth. Not only is he looking to take advantage of her quaint, coastal community, tainting the small-town charm of Helen, Alaska, but he has committed the one crime she can never forgive - he doesn't like her dogs.

Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every 16-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages' Exam. Disadvantaged by her parents' low standing, Rocio Lopez has dedicated herself to expanding her considerable talent to earn a place in the Confederation. Their rejection leaves her reeling - and determined to fight to keep her magic.

Ann Hackstetter first met Jackson Martinez while vacationing at Lazy M Dude Ranch with her husband and teenage son. Part of the "dude" package was a night of fun at Boot Bustin' Barn. At the time, Ann suspected that Sage Tanner, owner of Lazy M, bribed Jackson to ask her to dance as a way of making her inattentive husband jealous. On a whim, she danced with him. Little did she realize he would awaken emotions long suppressed. Of course, she ignored those emotions. Now, five years later, she's a widow--a destitute widow. Over the years, her son's friendship with Sage's daughter, Julie, has blossomed, and now they're getting married. Wedding responsibilities have temporarily taken Ann's mind off her desperate situation. At the reception, Jackson asks her to dance again--reawakening those emotions. He makes her feel twenty-one, instead of forty-one.

In the early 2000s, a string of abductions rocked the small upstate town of Reine, New York. Only one girl survived: Alex Salerno. The killer, Ken Parsons, was sent away. Life returned to normal. No more girls would have to die. Until another one did. It’s been seven years since Kira Shanks was reported missing and presumed dead. Alex Salerno has been living in New York City, piecemealing paychecks to earn a livable wage, trying to forget those three days locked underground and her affair with Sean Riley, the married detective who rescued her....

Emmaline Novak just wants to forget she ever loved Colt. When he broke her heart, she swore off men and gave up on her dream job as a physical therapist for the football team for which he plays. But when a second chance at her dream job comes along, she reevaluates her life decisions. Why should she give up the career of her dreams because of a man? It will be hard, but she’s up for the challenge.

Callie and the Gulls Nest are back in the spotlight when a high-profile guest books a room at the bed-and-breakfast. When the man doesn't show up for his reservation, Callie thinks it was too good to be true. Everyone is shocked when his body washes up in a dinghy the next morning.

The people of Stoneybrook are worried when billionaire Victoria VanFranken moves to town. They know that much money usually brings trouble. And they aren’t wrong. After less than a month in the valley, Victoria is found murdered in her mansion. The most surprising part is that the main suspect is one of their own: Suzanne, a local artist and Hadley’s best friend, was the last person to see Victoria alive. The evidence overwhelmingly points to Suze, who was hired to paint a portrait of the billionaire and argued with Victoria hours before her death.

Now, I really did mean to keep my mouth shut. I was going to be the perfect, quiet, well-heeled fiancé. But since I am neither well-heeled nor a fiancé, it was only a matter of time before I would mess up even with the best intentions. Breakfast with the Somersets was about as much fun as Russian roulette. Between the evil sneers, rotten barbed comments, and just plain condescendence, it was hard to get my good eat on, despite the lavish spread.

The moment Chloe Romano meets Liam Esposito, sparks flare like lightning between them. But the handsome stranger disappears without so much as asking for her number. Shaking off her disappointment, Chloe continues on to the Quantico Training Academy with her best friend Jenna so they can pursue their life-long dream of becoming FBI agents. Once she begins training, Chloe is shocked to find herself face to face with Liam again. Just when Chloe begins to hope they can have something more than a professional relationship, a covert mission goes wrong....

In 3035, Lt. Ian Campbell, Spartan Defense Forces (SDF), discovers a strange anomaly on his corvette's sensors...and realizes the wait is over. The Spartans must convince the Terrans of the cost of subduing their nation. If they succeed, the Republic survives. If not, the SDF will be forced to paint the stars red with their enemies' blood.

When Aunt Wendy decides she is selling Laurel Springs Inn, Phaedra faces losing her beloved home. In a last-ditch attempt to drum up more business, Phaedra convinces Wendy to host an immersive Persuasion-themed murder-mystery weekend. It is a foolproof plan to draw attention to the establishment in the hopes of saving it. Until make-believe becomes reality and one of the participants winds up dead.

Cassie Alberta is loving her new life in Little Leaf Creek. She is getting over the sudden death of her husband, appreciating what small town life has to offer, and enjoying getting to know the locals and their secrets. She is slowly learning how to live next to two cheeky goats and has fallen in love with her neighbor’s endearing dog. But life becomes a whole lot more complicated when she finds the dead body of an orchard owner. Will the murderer be caught in time so that Cassie can have the Thanksgiving she longs for?

A young American woman arrives in Florence from Boston, knowing no one and speaking little Italian. But Hannah is isolated in a more profound way, estranged from her own identity after a bout with starvation that has left her life and body in ruins. She is determined to recover in Florence, a city saturated with beauty, vitality, and food - as well as a dangerous history of sainthood for women who starved themselves for God.

Rocio Lopez and Finn Lockwood are finally reunited - but under desperate circumstances. Magic is raging, and the mage community is in chaos as the Confed struggles to hold onto its secrets. Rocio believes exposing those secrets is the key to saving the world's magic. She never wanted to become the leader of a revolution, but with her unique understanding of the crisis, taking charge may be the only way to see her mission through.

Return to Pebble Cove with this fun follow-up novella which takes place after book 8, FOR ALL ETERNI-TEA.