Showing results by author "Vanessa" in All Categories

My father was ruthless. Cold. Calculated. Formidable. Every decision. Every step. Every thought. Every breath he controlled. I never thought anyone could despise him as much as I did. I was wrong. So wrong. There was one person. He wanted revenge. I was the willing pawn. He was dangerous, beautiful, broken, and most of all a way to get back at my father. But there’s one thing I didn’t count on...falling in love.

Acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti’s Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society.

Despite being the illegitimate daughter of a prince, Gillian Dryden is happily ignorant of all social graces. After growing up wild in Italy, Gillian has been ordered home to England to find a suitable husband. And Charles Valentine Penley, the excessively proper, distractingly handsome Duke of Leverton, has agreed to help transform her from a willful tomboy to a blushing debutante.

Rachel wants one thing in life, a family of her own. But she's not going to get it without a man. Or can she? They may have ruined their chances in the past, but Matt and Trevor know Rachel's the woman for them. When they discover her plans, they tell her they'll give her exactly what she wants...the old-fashioned way. Because once they get their hands on her, they'll hold her close and never let go.

When Vanessa Williams was growing up, she had a plan: She'd go to college and major in musical theater; afterward she'd get her MFA from the Yale School of Drama, and then she would embark on a successful career on Broadway. But her life took a detour and she wound up the first black Miss America in September 1983 (an accomplishment that she never planned for or desired), only to be forced to resign ten months later due to a nude photo scandal - much to the shock of her mother, Helen, who had told her, "never pose nude for anyone."

Being thrown over by the man she expected to marry was humiliating enough. Now that Donella Haddon, grandniece of the Earl of Riddick, has also proven a failure as a nun, she has no choice but to return to her family's estate. The brawny Highlander sent to escort her is brash, handsome, and the only thing standing between Donella and a gang of would-be kidnappers. But the scandal in her past can't be so easily outrun....

I stole my trophy wife I need a mother for my two kids. A wife to warm my bed. A lover to break. That's Carmela. I thought my only battle would be between us...in the bedroom.…but marrying her incited a war I never saw coming. If I don't win…I lose everything.

A powerful new theory of human nature suggests that our secret to success as a species is our unique friendliness. For most of the approximately 300,000 years that Homo sapiens have existed, we have shared the planet with at least four other types of humans. All of these were smart, strong, and inventive. But around 50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens made a cognitive leap that gave us an edge over other species. What happened?

She’s the law in town. Holds the handcuffs. The beautiful deputy can put them on me. Anytime. One look, and I’d do anything for the woman. Even help her break every rule she’s vowed to uphold. Because sometimes doing things wrong is the only way to make it right.

In this book, her follow-up to the best seller Discipline Without Damage, Dr. Lapointe advises new parents how to put their child on a path to optimal development during the crucial early years. The baby and toddler years are the most important period for any child's emotional and psychological development. Parents naturally want to do what's best for their kids, but they often struggle to know what that is, especially when dealing with the big "battlegrounds" of sleep, feeding, and managing aggression.

Sisters Margaret and Evelyn Justice have grown up in the prosperous Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma—also known as Black Wall Street. In Greenwood, the Justice sisters had it all—movie theaters and entertainment venues, beauty shops and clothing stores, high-profile businesses like law offices, medical clinics, and banks. While Evelyn aspires to head off to the East Coast to study fashion design, recent college grad Margaret plans to settle in Greenwood, teaching at the local high school and eventually raising a family.

Better known as the Italian Mastiff, the Cane Corso is a large dog with a lot of love and affection for the family. However, they are also one of the best guard dog breeds. Like other guard dogs, their appearance is part of what makes the Cane Corso so intimidating. Its regal appearance hides the fact that this is a breed that can be incredibly playful. They also loath to be away from their family.

I’m twenty-four, and ahem … inexperienced. When a blind date doesn’t change that status, Theo volunteers for the task. Who’s Theo? Just the guy I’ve been crushing on for six months. Yeah, him. Tall, broad, and handsome and gah, now he’s even got a beard! He’s diligent. Very focused. Skilled. And impossible not to fall for. Except he’s only up for a fun time. A wild romp or two. No way would he have any romantic interest in someone like me. Why would he? He’s an intense, brooding doctor—and, oh yeah, a billionaire—and I’m a goofy first grade teacher barely making ends meet.

Discovering a body on her property presents Lady Abigail Worthing with more than one pressing problem. The victim is Juliet, the wife of her neighbor, Stapleton Henderson. Although Abigail has little connection with the lady in question, she expects to be under suspicion. Abigail's skin color and her mother's past have earned her a certain reputation among the ton. And she can't divulge that she was attending a secret pro-abolition meeting at the time of the murder. To her surprise, Henderson offers her an alibi.

In this easy-to-listen-to, science-based book, parents, caregivers, and adults of all kinds discover how discipline affects children’s development, why intervention should reinforce connection not separation, and why the disciplinary strategies that may have been used on us as children are not the ones that children really need. As a practicing child and family psychologist and advisor to the British Columbia ministry of children and families, Dr. Vanessa has seen it all, and she has navigated hundreds of tough situations with families.

Dive into the depths of hidden scriptures with "Apocrypha for Beginners: An Introduction to Non-Canonical Scriptures," a captivating exploration of texts that, while not included in the official canon, offer a profound glimpse into early Christian and Jewish beliefs. If you've ever wondered about the books that didn't make it into the Bible, this is the perfect guide to begin your journey. Discover Hidden Gems: Venture beyond the familiar to explore works like the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Enoch, and many others—texts that have influenced religious thought just as deeply as the books ...

I crave her scent. I can’t stay away. Nothing can keep me from claiming the new waitress at the diner. Except for her other mate, the scent match I didn’t know existed. He’s a stranger to me and our pack, but now we must work together.

We see a female, we want her. But she’s a wolf biologist prepared to expose us to the world. We scent a female, we claim her. Except we can’t claim the one who could destroy our pack. We touch a female, we give her two marks. Yet we can’t mark her without sharing everything. Because in the Two Marks pack, shifters share. Two cowboys for every mate. If she can ever be ours.

A young woman fights her arranged marriage to her late sister's fiancé, a ruthless mob boss who demands three things from her: marriage, loyalty, and a baby. As their wedding date approaches, Mia struggles with a decision that once seemed easy--escape his control or surrender to her heart?

She's spent thirty-five years in the public eye: 'Vanessa's Friends Say She's Drinking Custard!' Vanessa seizes her chance to set the record straight in this warm, witty, intensely human story. She spares no one's blushes, including her own. How could someone so clever make such cataclysmic mistakes? Vanessa's often wrong, but always relatable. She puts the 'Oh my goodness, I can never unread that paragraph!' into celebrity autobiography.