Showing results by narrator "Lu Banks" in All Categories

She stepped up to my side in a dark club and ordered a whiskey. My go-to drink. I didn't know her name, I knew nothing about her, but every part of me came alive. For more than a year my life had been turned upside down. I'd hit a wall at every turn, but suddenly the weight had lifted. And the...

One of the perks of being one of the best wide receivers in the league was having my pick of cleat chasers looking for a good time. Unfortunately, the only one to hold my attention was the feisty brunette who wanted nothing to do with me. Did I still try to flirt with her—you bet I did. Did she fall for my charms? That would be a hard no. Instead of laughing at my jokes, she pretended I didn't exist. The girl was trouble with a capital T. She was also smart, gorgeous, and all wrong for me—just ask her brother. My best friend.

In 1988, Sloan Hadfield's brother Ridge went fishing with their father and never came home. Their father was arrested and charged with murder. Ridge's body was never recovered, and Sloan's mother slowly descended into madness, insisting her son was still alive. Now, twenty years later, Sloan's life is unraveling. In the middle of a bitter divorce, she's forced to return to her rural Texas hometown when her mother is discharged from a mental health facility. Overwhelmed by memories and unanswered questions, Sloan returns to the last place her brother was seen all those years ago.

Edie Dutton left Kansas with nothing but a few pieces of clothing, a handful of stolen bills, and a forged letter of reference. Since then, she's found a home as a Gilbert Girl at the Crest Stone Hotel. Even despite her transgression at the hotel last fall, she has a second chance to live the life she wants. But Edie Dutton is not her real name, and arriving along with all the newcomers to town comes word that her past may be on its way to put her future in jeopardy.

Elizabeth Hartley Campbell arrives at the Crest Stone Hotel, widowed and searching for the brother she hasn't seen in seven years. Distraught to learn he's left, she takes a job as a Gilbert Girl at the hotel's restaurant. She quickly befriends the other girls and finds comfort in helping the hotel prepare for Christmas—until a wayward cowboy wanders in from the snow and sits at her lunch counter.

Dora Reynolds is just another Gilbert Girl at the Crest Stone Hotel, and she needs it to remain that way. If anyone found out who she truly is, she'd lose her friends and her position. But when money begins to disappear from the hotel's safe and a handsome new desk clerk arrives, she finds her security-and her heart-under threat.

Penny May would do anything to forget her past, even traveling all the way to the Colorado Territory to become a Gilbert Girl. Learning to be a good waitress wasn't easy, but Penny is happy with her new life and friends at the Crest Stone Hotel. At least until the handsome and infuriating county sheriff arrives in search of his kidnapped sister.

The Crest Stone Hotel is the perfect place for a man like Thomas Drexel to hide. Wanted for crimes he didn't commit, Thomas hopes he can blend in as a handyman at the newly opened hotel. But his past threatens his future when one of the hotel restaurant's waitresses discovers his identity. Caroline Beauchamp ran from Boston to escape an arranged marriage to a despicable man. She's safe in the hotel, hidden from those who want her to return home. Yet she finds herself drawn to Thomas and compelled to help him prove his innocence, even if she risks her position as a Gilbert Girl to do so.

As a mother and a professor of environmental education, Mallory McDuff wanted to give her two daughters and her students a roadmap to engage in climate justice in their communities, rather than be left feeling paralyzed by the enormity of the problem. She set out to find women of diverse ages, backgrounds, and vocations—one from each of the fifty US states—as inspiration for a new kind of leadership focused on the heart of the climate crisis.

Cashing in on his family's recent good-luck streak, ten-year-old Freddy Peach has been entering his family in a bunch of sweepstakes, but he doesn't really expect to win. And then he does—a free family trip to the Ice Hotel in Sweden! Since the Peaches are now the proud owners of their own bed-and-breakfast, they decide they can't pass up on the opportunity. It's research. They'll learn more about what it takes to operate a successful hotel from one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world.

Much to their surprise, the Peaches had a great summer running their food truck business selling their pies across the Mid-West, but they're happy to be back home in Duluth, Minnesota, where they can settle back into a routine just in time for the new school year. That is until Great Aunt Lucinda wants to gift them her historic mansion. But there are conditions: they're to turn it into a cozy bed-and-breakfast, something the Peach kids' mom always dreamed of before she passed away. And they only have until Thanksgiving to do the renovations and prove they can make the business work.

Too smart to be “just” a racehorse, too talented to hang out with other lesson horses, and too proud to believe in fairy tales, Milo chose a lonely path in life. He didn’t want cuddles, treats, friends, or even love until the day he met Claire. Her love opened his heart, but it would take nudging from a very special horse to finally open his mind.

What can I do? How can I work towards a solution? How can I be a change agent? How can I be an ally? How can I effectively change my mindset to get to a place of total healing and racial reconciliation? These questions are often asked in response to tough discussions or events relating to race, racism, racial injustice, or systemic racism, both historical and current.

Fifteen years ago, Summer Cole ran away from home, but home never really left her. Even all these years later, she has nightmares about her time there. Her past is even stopping her from being honest with the man that she loves. As an accomplished attorney, she commands the courtroom, but a phone call from her past brings her back to the girl that she was. Faced with the death of her beloved mother, she goes back to Lexington, Texas, and faces the family that almost destroyed her.

Life is good. I have great friends, a supportive family, and a job I love. Sure, there are ups and downs, but nothing could have prepared me for the return of Mac Evans—the one man who has always gotten under my skin. I haven't spoken to him since overhearing a conversation I wish I could forget. I would never fall for a professional athlete. Mac isn't my type, and I'm definitely not his. Or at least, that's what I've always believed. But now he's back, and everything feels different. I keep reminding myself he won't be here for long, and he'll be out of my life for good.

When Penny Sue Paine got Lucky, everyone was in an uproar. Because Lucky was the sweet-faced dog who had inherited the Paine millions! Now somebody wanted Lucky dead. So Penny Sue hired herself a tall, well-muscled hunk of a bodyguard . . . When Vic Noble found out his latest client was a dog, he nearly lost his cool. Then he got an eyeful of Miss Penny Sue Paine, a brunette with a body to die for and an innocence that could do a lesser man in. Good thing Vic was about as tough as they made 'em. But the tougher they are—the harder they fall!

Ryland Johnson has embraced the single life, dedicating himself to raising his son on his own. Sutton with her blonde hair and soft smiles is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Despite his own baggage, Ryland can't help but be drawn to the pretty waitress. He wants to protect her from her struggles, and when he discovers she's been hurt, everything changes. He's no longer willing to sit back and wait. Ryland is determined to show Sutton how he truly feels.

Trey Johnson's longing for his best friend's younger sister, Sienna, has always been a source of heartache. He let her go to chase her dreams and spent every waking moment regretting his decision. Now that Sienna is back, Trey is ready to make his move. Determined to win Sienna's heart and keep her by his side forever, Trey is prepared to risk it all. He's going to prove that his love is more than just words—it's a promise he intends to keep.

No females of my kind remain. Humans have the closest physiology to my species, but our reproductive urges are very different. For their safety, direct contact with human women has always been strictly forbidden. When my time ends, so will countless generations of Gallo lineage. The chains in my dungeon will never have to contain another mating-frenzied beast. I will have done my part to bring a peaceful end to my species while protecting the nearby human population.

When Jane, a wealthy young widow, complains of her sexual frustration in her online support group she gets a little more than she bargained for. Beverley, another widow, suggests that what Jane really needs is a change of scene and she knows just the place. Within a month, Jane has sold her house in Florida and moved upstream to Winchester Drive, an expensive, gated community in Massachusetts. On the outside it looks like anywhere else, but this charming seaside community holds myriad secrets.