Showing results by narrator "Amanda Ronconi" in All Categories

Last Request is a brand-new story set between the second to last and last chapters of With All My Soul. Told between Tod and Nash's point of view, as they try to grant the last request Kaylee never had a chance to ask for.

Remy Billodeaux is the king of his kitchen, master of all he surveys. He is accustomed to praise and accolades, to female patrons lining up to be his "flavor of the evening". He is not accustomed to celebrity chefs, food critics, and wannabe chefs intruding on his kingdom. And Sabine Devereaux is just the cherry on the sundae of a bad night. She can't be intimidated. She can't be outsmarted or outcooked. And she's not falling for his usual flirty tricks.

Novelists Jonathan Moss and Sage Merriweather should be a perfect match. They share not only the same publisher but also a deep friendship full of mutual respect and encouragement. But when an ill-fated attempt at taking their relationship to the next level fails in spectacular fashion, it appears as though that once-treasured bond is doomed for good. One year later, however, the duo gets a chance to salvage their relationship when Jonathan invites Sage on a do-over road trip from Phoenix to Tacoma.

All Jason Parker wanted was to do was throw a nice anniversary dinner for his parents at Facile, just one nice dinner that his parents didn't end up planning, cooking, or funding. It's too bad that his family seems hell-bent on ruining it. Between his older brother stealing credit for the planning, his uncle stealing the silverware, and his sister' stealing everyone's joy, it's enough to send Jason running for the comfort of Facile's bourbon supply.

Kate Ravineux expected her romantic dinner at Facile to end in a proposal from her boyfriend, Scott. She did not expect to open that sacred little blue box to find a keychain. A keychain. Stinging from the realization that her boyfriend considers her a "fixer upper" worthy only of cohabitation he has to hide from his mama, Kate ditches Scott at the table and makes a run for the elevator.

Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater—until her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's decades-old deli. Yes, she loves the place, but she’d always thought she was meant for more exciting things than stocking the right tinned fish. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, the very existence of Greco’s Deli is suddenly in jeopardy.

Publicist EJ Lasher is not thrilled to hear that her ex-boyfriend, celebrity chef Morgan Jeffries, is visiting Facile, the latest restaurant she's promoting. She and Morgan did not leave things on a good note - well, technically, she left the note is his knife case, and he didn't notice it for weeks. And she doesn't look forward to facing Morgan's famous profanity-driven temper when he realizes she works for Facile.

Travel writer Jill Curtis loves her job, but she desperately needs a break if she's to achieve her dream of becoming an investigative reporter. Sent to Kentucky by her boss to find out why thousands of tourists flock to Bourbon Country every year, Jill's dream seems to be slipping further away. After all, nothing interesting ever happens in small-town America...does it? Staying at an estranged relative's B&B, Jill's plan to uncover what makes the state's bourbon tours so popular goes awry when she trips over a body at one of the distilleries.

"Me? A leader? Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion—between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again—while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside...."

Twenty-something Allie Simon is used to playing by the rules - until Chicago's most sought-after, up-and-coming culinary genius, Benji Zane, walks into her world and pulls her into his. The only thing more renowned than Benji's mouthwatering masterpieces and equally luscious good looks? His struggle with addiction and his reckless tendency to live life on the edge, no matter the havoc he wreaks along the way. But loving someone means supporting him no matter what, or so Allie tells herself.

The spunky heroine of Romancing the Dead returns in this utterly bewitching series. Witch Garnet Lacey is ready to walk down the aisle with the super sexy vampire Sebastian. Besides the fact that he has no pulse, things couldn't be more perfect. Until plans for the wedding start falling apart, and Sebastian's zombie-slash-vampire-slash witch ex-lover decides that both of them should be six feet under. It's just a matter of time before Garnet-who's already sharing her body with a short-tempered goddess-morphs into Bridezilla.

With a charming voice, a wonderfully dry sense of humor, and an abiding gift for spinning a yarn, best-selling author Lisa Alther makes an impartial, comprehensive, and compelling investigation of what actually happened in the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, masterfully setting the feud in its historical and cultural contexts, digging deep into the many causes and explanations of the fighting, and revealing surprising alliances and entanglements. Here is a fascinating new look at the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud.

Olivia Vincent dreams of stand-up comedy stardom. Bustling around a busy Manhattan office by day and hustling from club to club by night, she can’t catch a break. Work is falling through the cracks, and after ditching a major client to make a performance, Olivia gets the boot. Determined to pursue her dreams, she snags an audition in Los Angeles for a coveted spot on late-night TV. But the only way to get there is to join seasoned stand-up Nick Leto on a cross-country road tour. She agrees on one condition—no funny business.

In a southern Virginia coal-mining town in October 1942, Bone Phillips is learning to control her Gift: Bone can see the history of a significant object when she touches it. When her best friend, Will Kincaid, asks Bone to "read" the history of his daddy's jelly jar—the jelly jar that was buried alongside his father during the mine cave-in that killed him—Bone is afraid. Even before Bone touches it, she can feel that the jar has its own strange power. With her mother dead, her father gone to war, and Aunt Mattie's assault looming over Bone, she can't bear the idea of losing Will too.

Hello, grown-ups of all ages! Eclectic, bite-size bursts of advice abound in this playful guide to feeling like the grown-ups we all wanted to be as kids. From thoughts on the best way to open a champagne bottle to a short list of the kitchen tools you actually need, these tips and tricks reveal secrets that are attainable, not intimidating. Anyone can make a life upgrade using these insights alongside the traits they already have - their wits, creativity, and enthusiasm.

Can you stand the heat? It's just another night in the French Quarter's newest restaurant. And, of course, at Facile that means complete chaos - a distracted head chef, a private party full of family dysfunction, and a visit from a celebrity chef trying to poach the best in the kitchen. Served: Facile Restaurant Omnibus, Volume 1 offers a range of hot heroes.

Tall, Dark & Dead introduced Garnet Lacey, a bookstore manager/witch who accidentally unleashed the dark goddess Lilith on Vatican assassins. Now she has other things to worry about-like pesky frat boy zombies, a gorgeous FBI agent hot on her trail, love spells gone wrong, and keeping her vampire boyfriend a safe distance from her vampire ex-boyfriend. There's just no rest for this Wiccan...

It’s been one heck of a week for Garnet Lacey. The Vatican witch hunters finally think she’s dead, the FBI has closed their file on her, she’s co-founding a new coven - and the gorgeous vampire she loves has just asked her to marry him. How lucky can one girl get? Then, her fiance goes missing and Garnet’s worried sick. Has he been kidnapped? Or could he have run off with that blonde from the coven?

Jerica and Jesse settle into Summerleigh and count themselves lucky to start their family in the beautiful old home. With the renovations nearly complete, Jerica uncovers Loxley Belle's name carved into a wooden desk in a forgotten shack near the old home. Along with the discovery comes the feeling that the last Belle girl needs her help. Jerica and Jesse do their best to piece together the past and find that the youngest Belle had secrets of her own.

Last night I made out with a gorgeous, funny, quirky older woman. Today I learned she’s the new executive chef at my restaurant. AKA my new boss. Yep, that’s the hot mess I’m in at the moment. But the chemistry between Natalie and me is even hotter. The problem? She’s a single mom focused on helping her little girl adjust to life in the big city. Dating right now—especially a co-worker—is asking for trouble. So, what’s my next move? Seduce the hell out of the woman, of course.