Showing results by narrator "Jannie Meisberger" in All Categories

Mary Rose has one goal for her mother’s annual Christmas Eve party: Convince her childhood friend Julian Mayes to marry her. With her mother wasting away and the doctor refusing to deal with a young lady like Mary, she needs the power of a husband. She has always admired Julian. Surely one moment under the kissing bough will convince him they were meant to be together. Newly hired by a prestigious London law firm, Julian Mayes is ready to shake the dust of the countryside off his polished boots. But he’s always had a soft spot for Mary.

Twists and turns, dead goblin armies and giants, cracks in the universe, phantasms, wishing wells, and tons of high adventure, carry Colleen and Frederick far apart and back together again. Through time and space and between worlds they travel until they encounter the ancient Witch that has ruled the Strange Land into which they have fallen. They find her to be someone totally unexpected.

The strangeness of the McGunnegals continues to unfold as Colleen begins to glimpse the latent power of the ancient bloodline that runs true in her veins. Frederick also has something within him - the poison of the Goblin Phage that threatens to transform him into one of the hideous creatures of the night. He must leave Colleen in this strange land in order to save himself, and to seek the help of a long-dead king back in the world of Men.

The McGunnegals are all strange, and it has been that way for generations. They are too strong, or too fast, or too smart, and odd things happened when they are around. The neighbors say they are witches or devils, or have been snatched by changelings. Mothers hold their children close when they walk by, fearing they might catch the McGunnegal strangeness. But misfortune besets them when their mother, Ellie, disappears, followed by their crazy grandfather, but not before he reveals a family secret to Colleen...

Merliss is no ordinary cat. She's far more. She's a young girl's spirit trapped in a cat's body. While the magic that banished her has snatched away her human speech, it has given her a life spanning millennia. For centuries she has lived with the cunning folk, assisting their efforts to heal the sick and ward off malevolent creatures. Now, a bleeding sickness has thrown the community into chaos. The cunning man and his apprentice are in danger from the disease. The life Merliss has worked so long to build is in jeopardy. But disease isn't her only nemesis.

Something nasty has come through one of the ley gates. It walks upright. It talks. And it looks like an oversized cat, but as Merliss can attest, it doesn't smell like a cat.

The morning after the Netherfield ball, Elizabeth Bennet refuses an offer of marriage, setting off a row in the Bennet household that ends tragically. Faced with homelessness and untenable poverty, Elizabeth receives a different sort of offer - from quite an unexpected quarter - and finds herself considering the once-inconceivable prospect of going into trade.

There is a magical land just beyond our imaginations called Jirvania, where stories grow. Muse faeries harvest these "pearls" and bring them to our world. In the heart of Jirvania stands The Great Library, home of every book ever written, and a portal to other times and places where one can step into stories and experience them firsthand. Homework has never been such fun.

It is 1819, and Cornwall is agog at the daring of the two young lady aeronauts who, earlier in the summer, flew nearly to France and back in their homemade air ship. Much more is riding on Loveday Penhale and Celeste Blanchard’s new and improved vessel—they plan to win the Tinkering Prince’s prize, offered to anyone who can help England win the war against Napoleon.

When the thoroughly poised Charlotte Worthington requests that Miss Thorn and her cat, Fortune, find her a position, she never dreams the savvy employment-agency owner would reunite her with Matthew Bateman, her brother’s former bodyguard. Matthew is about to be knighted for an act of valor, and he and his sisters could use some polishing if they’re to enter Society after his elevation. Yet how can Charlotte maintain her calm, cool demeanor as their sponsor when she harbors a secret love for him?

The perky Lydia Villers is determined to leave behind her life as a social butterfly and do what she’s always dreamed of doing, pursue a career in natural philosophy. A shame the only scientist available to assist her is the one man she had once hoped to wed. The brilliant Frederick, Viscount Worthington, Worth to his friends, has been betrayed once too often, including by the bubbly beauty who now wants to work at his side. How can he believe Lydia’s intentions are true this time? After all, someone is intent of sabotaging his efforts.

This first book by Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Steinbach is an intimate, personal collection of essays, remembrances, and columns that follows in the creative non-fiction tradition of Anna Quindelen and Mary Sarton.

It's the autumn of 1848 in Ireland, and something in the world of Men has changed. Fairies have been seen, strange creatures dance under the moon on the bogs. The Dark Others have grown bold, and have plans to bring in an age of darkness. Colleen is sent on a journey after Fafnir, back to his ancient forge in the depths of time, where he intends to create a final relic to deal with the Fomorians once and for all. Frederick discovers the location of the same forge in the present, and goes there with an unlikely set of allies to find and retrieve that same relic.

It's December, 1846, and the insane dwarf, Fafnir, has returned and has convinced Colleen and Frederick to help him revive his ancient work that he began five thousand years ago, but which now lies in ruins. They must succeed, or the dragon and the terrible Fomorians in Ireland will rise and sweep across all the worlds.

After their daring adventures behind enemy lines in France, Loveday Penhale and Celeste Blanchard cannot settle into everyday life at home. Has the Tinkering Prince forgotten them entirely? What of the prize he promised? Then, with the flourish of a royal messenger’s hand, their lives are changed. Not only have they won the prize, they are to join the Prince’s Own Engineers in London!

Bee-shifter, bear-shifter, Forest spy and woman-lover; what's second nature to four unlikely friends is a death sentence in the Citadel. Take a wild flight with Mielitta into the forbidden Forest in this highly original epic eco-fantasy series. As she grows from despised servant to Queen of the Warrior Bees, Mielitta discovers that evil can wear a friend's face and an unlikely alliance is her best chance of healing the rift between sterile Citadel and vibrant Forest.

Exiled in the Forest, Mielitta, queen of the Warrior Bees, could be happy but for her responsibilities to the very people who think her a freak and a traitor. Her hopes for change in the Perfect society of the Citadel rest on one man. Trapped in a society he loathes and fears, Mage Smith Kermon's mission becomes a test of survival. Can he remain loyal to Mielitta in the double life he leads as her spy in the Citadel? He is quickly embroiled in deceit and subterfuge, forcing him into actions that make him doubt himself and everything he values.

Polished Jesslyn Chance has one of the most enviable positions in the little Regency coastal village of Grace-by-the-Sea. She is the hostess of the spa, arranging introductions and entertainments and playing matchmaker to the ladies and gentlemen who come to take the waters, promenade through the shops, and dance at the assembly. But when a rogue returns from her past, Jess finds herself suddenly at sea.

It’s time for Georgiana to get married - but who will she choose? Darcy’s choice is Kettering Corby, marquess of Somersea, an old schoolfellow with a fair shot and an excellent seat, not to mention a fine title and a very fine fortune. Elizabeth favors Mr. Drake Midwinter, a local clergyman of neither rank nor fortune, possessing no recommendation but one: He loves Georgiana. More importantly, Georgiana loves him. As wealth and connections outweigh considerations of love and happiness, Elizabeth has to wonder: Has Fitzwilliam’s intractable pride returned?

It is 1815. Elizabeth Darcy returns to Hertfordshire to see her family at Christmas, but a silly quarrel between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley threatens everybody's pleasure. The war is over, but Meryton is anything but peaceful. The neighborhood ladies are each determined her cook will win first prize in the Beau Bon-Bon charity baking competition, and Mrs. Bennet is determined to get the new tenant of Netherfield Park for Kitty - but Commodore Harrington might have other plans.