Showing results by narrator "Mary Helen Gallucci" in All Categories

Orphaned Carmen is sixteen, newly homeless and will do almost anything to survive and keep her and her kid brother safe, together, and out of foster care. Ollie, also sixteen, has a life that's all about parents, school pressure, friends, and dreams of summer. The two fall into each other's orbit, and one kiss changes everything. Ollie is captivated . . . but then Carmen vanishes. When they cross paths months later, everything is different.

Infertility affects about 15 percent of couples globally, yet somehow infertility and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) are taboo subjects, often hidden and un-talked about. 1000 Needles: How to Increase Your Odds and Take Control of Your IVF Journey removes the stigma with a touch of sass and an unapologetically honest voice, exploring one couple’s IVF challenges and discoveries in order to normalize the infertility conversation.

When my boss at Bluebird Pottery, Sydney, left me in charge while she went on vacation with her girlfriend, I wasn't looking forward to it. During my first few hours, a tall, stunning stranger walked in, and I could barely breathe. Of course I ruined everything by spilling coffee all over her. What I didn't expect was for her to push me up against the sink and kiss the hell out of me when I tried to help her clean up in the bathroom.

I was NOT looking forward to my sister's wedding in the fall. It's just another reminder of how single I am and how much pressure my family is putting on me to "find the one." Don't get me wrong, I'm a hopeless romantic, but all their meddling is making me feel a little murderous. Then one day a woman walks into the bookshop where I work. She's got a sleeve of tattoos, an undercut, and a smile that makes me want to swoon. Overcome by her hotness, I blurt out a proposal: how would she like to come with me to a wedding and pretend to be my girlfriend?

This book welcomes listeners to appreciate the origins of Christianity within the Roman world in which early Christianity got its first foothold. It does that by immersing listeners in the life and culture of two thriving first-century towns—Pompeii and Herculaneum. Those towns (destroyed in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE) act as showpieces of the world into which the early Christian movement was spreading.

In the vast palace of the empress lives an orphan girl called Nothing. She slips within the shadows of the Court, unseen except by the Great Demon of the palace and her true friend, Prince Kirin, heir to the throne. When Kirin is kidnapped, only Nothing and the prince’s bodyguard suspect that Kirin may have been taken by the Sorceress Who Eats Girls, a powerful woman who has plagued the land for decades. The sorceress has never bothered with boys before, but Nothing has uncovered many secrets in her 16 years in the palace, including a few about the prince.

Demons are real. They say never enter into a deal with them, but what if I had no choice? What if they are three of the most gorgeous men I’ve seen my entire life? And what if my lesson to learn here is that no matter how attracted I am to them, how much I yearn to kiss them, I’m in danger? But my life’s never been the easiest. I’ve bounced from house to house, living in foster care, with no true place to call home. And there’s an ancient darkness that follows me around wherever I go. They may be demons, but I’m no angel, and this darkness craves the Hell they give.

They say never make a deal with a demon…but what if I didn’t have a choice? On my 18th birthday, my soul was traded to three sin demons as payment for my foster-father’s gambling debts.

Charles and I were law students when I fell for him. He was handsome, charming, sure of himself—and he deigned to look at me. We had a dream-come-true courtship, wedding, and honeymoon, all orchestrated and paid for by his wealthy parents. Then he brought me home…and I woke up. Nineteen months and a baby later, I'm standing in our pristine living room, looking at Charles lying in a pool of blood.

As the danger increases around me, Sayah’s darkness grows inside me. Scariest of all…I’m starting to like it. My sin demons will risk it all to save me from eternal damnation. But my biggest enemy may not be Lucifer. It may be the monster that lurks inside me.

Between being kidnapped by a psycho dragon-shifter, influenced by ancient relics, and fighting for my freedom, I’d say my hands are full. But really, my troubles have just begun. Cain, Dorian, and Elias are wickedly dangerous, scorching-hot, and all too tempting. They’re devils in disguise. Literally. I don’t know why they’re collecting these relics, but it looks like I’m not the only one with secrets. Despite all the risks, I might be falling for the three of them. But there's a good chance this Hellish relationship ends up being the death of me.

Things were finally going right for us. We got the relics back. We defeated the dragon. I thought we’d won. But we’ve ended up losing so much more. Cain’s severely wounded, and I don’t know how to save him. Losing him shouldn’t bother me, but it does. Elias and Dorian have a plan: seek out help from people who wield the darkest of magic. We soon find that the only one with enough power to bring the Prince of Hell back from death is a master of death itself. But nothing can be done for free and the price has us traveling across the world and facing a slew of new danger.

I wasn't looking forward to finding a new roommate after my best friend, Joy, moved in with her girlfriend, Ezra. We've lived together for years, and I didn't want to start over with a stranger. Then there's a fire at the house Lark's renting and for some reason I open my mouth and offer to let her move in with me. Lark Conroy, the same woman I had one blisteringly hot night with months ago and have pretended to be normal around ever since. When it comes to love, I'm allergic to romance. I like to hit-it and quit-it and move on with my life.

Marise never expected to end up at a private school like St. James, but she understands better than most that you rarely get what you expect in life. It turns out a new school, a mysterious new roommate, and befriending a set of twin brothers is just the beginning of Marise’s journey. Aiden is determined to put what happened at their previous school behind him and to keep as much distance between himself and his brother as possible. Ethan is adrift and scared of who he’s becoming, but when a new girl arrives at school, he can’t stay away.

None of us expected a visit from the devil himself, but after Lucifer comes a-knocking, we know things are about to heat up fast. According to the demons, the only way to protect me is to bind us all together. Forever. Something I’m not sure I’m even willing to do. But with Greed’s ring still on my finger and Lucifer’s sights set on making me his next plaything, what other choice do I have? When I’m dragged to Hell against my will, I’m determined to find a way topside again. But the darkness within me is enjoying this deadly vacation a little too much.

Commander Ruby Peters' career ambitions as an astronaut take her to incredible heights, flying 300 miles above the Earth, aboard the International Space Station. Committed to her extraordinary mission, life on that little blue planet feels a bit irrelevant. That is until she meets Dr. Carter. Dr. Daphne Carter’s exemplary tenure studying astronauts has come to an exciting climax, as she prepares to venture to space for the very first time. A woman of science, Daphne is all work and no play, but while collaborating alongside the beautiful Ruby, she finds herself beginning to unravel.

Vampire gangs, Lucifer rising, hellhounds on the loose, and a shadow creature hell-bent on taking control…and no, that’s not the beginning of a bad joke. It’s a nightmare. And it’s my life. To get to Hell and stop the coming war, we need to find the last three relics and open the gates. But the greatest threat isn’t Lucifer. It’s the creature who shares my soul. Hell will freeze over before my demons let me go, but with Sayah’s influence growing, I’m not sure anyone can stop that from coming true. I’m losing myself to the darkness. And scariest of all…I like it.

In Blood and Ashes provides the first historical study of the development and dissemination of ritualized curse practice from 750-250 BCE, documenting the cultural pressures that drove the use of curse tablets, charms, spells, and other private rites. This book expands our understanding of daily life in ancient communities, showing how individuals were making sense of the world and coping with conflict, vulnerability, competition, anxiety, desire, and loss, all while conjuring the gods and powers of the Underworld.

When biologist Hanna Bjørgaas spots a fairy cup lichen in Antarctica, she is surprised to recognize it from her own backyard in Oslo. When she returns home, she embarks on a journey into urban nature, visiting city parks, cemeteries, and concrete rooftops to investigate the species that live in urban spaces. Along the way, she meets corvids, songbirds, ants, pigeons, bats, sparrows, fungi, and linden trees—and the experts who study their surprising abilities to survive, and thrive, in the city.

This is it. This is where it all ends. It’s me, my shadow, and my demons against Lucifer. With the relics stolen, the only way to get them is to go back into the hellfire--back to Hell, where Lucifer awaits. Defeating him may mean making the ultimate sacrifice, but even with so much at stake, I don’t know if I can. Things heated up fast with Cain, Elias, and Dorian, and now Maverick, but I’d sell my soul a hundred times to keep them as mine. Forever.