Showing results by narrator "Erik Bloomquist" in All Categories

Twenty-one-year-old Vancouver student Elisa Lam was last heard from on January 31, 2013, after she checked into downtown LA's Cecil Hotel - a 600-room building with a nine-decade history of scandal and tragedy. The next day, Elisa vanished. A search of the hotel yielded nothing. More than a week later, complaints by guests of foul-smelling tap water led to a grim discovery: Elisa's nude body floating in a rooftop water tank, in an area extremely difficult to access without setting off alarms.

June Mabee is a lot of things. She's the girl next door. She's the best friend I ever had. She was my first kiss. And she's the last person I should have feelings for. Two years ago, I cut all ties with her because I had no choice. No more late-night phone calls, no hellos or goodbyes, not even a passing smile. I left her to wonder what happened to the us we used to be. We were best friends, and then suddenly . . . we weren't. And I know it hurt. But the truth would have hurt her more, and being anything with June would have destroyed my family.

I'm done. Getting ditched at the altar is nothing compared to being humiliated there in front of three hundred shocked guests. Apparently I'm no good at spotting the signs your man's a cheating liar. So I set off solo on my honeymoon to Hawaii, where I realize I've got this life thing down just fine on my own. Friendships and laughter? Yes. Adventures? Absolutely. But relationships? Hell no. Never again.

Finding out Ares, the god of war, is my father was a shock. Finding out I'm destined to lead his troops out of the aether and overthrow Cronus himself? Hades, Loki, and Fenrir are the last three people I'd want to be stranded with, but the only way we're getting out of this hellscape is by working together. If they think I'm going to forget all their wicked games just because we have a common goal, they're dead wrong. The Queen is taking her throne back, and these three gorgeous jerks are going to have to grovel if they want forgiveness.

Gloria Mayor, better known as Glow, is on a deadline. If she can't tap into her magic soon, she'll be kicked out of Lunar Academy. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and in this case, that means accepting help from the talented and sexy Lionel...Lionel Daniels is being punished for the actions of his father, a man he barely knows. When finds himself on magical probation, he chooses to focus his attention on helping Glow tap into hers. So what if he jumped on the opportunity because he wanted a way to get closer to her?

I knew who was meant to be mine as soon as I was old enough to understand what the definition of "want" was. Some would say it is an obsession. They may even whisper that I am . . . crazy. But when I set my mind on something, I don't stop until I have it. And what I want is him. Elias Reid. No one knows how twisted my mind has turned for him. How tangled up my heart has gotten over the older, sexy biker.

The beautiful, ethereal creature ran across the road on my way home one night. I nearly hit her and ended up wiping out in the process. A little dazed, I ran after her . . . And found her in the woods. Dirty and cold from living on the streets for weeks—but still so breathtaking, I was sure I was dreaming her. Delaney is deaf, scared, and on the run from her uncle. But now that I've found her, I won't let anything hurt her ever again.

I'm the quiet one. The one everyone respects . . . but secretly fears. They should. I've seen the darkness in the world—and it has slowly bled into me until not even a glimmer of light remains. The women who come to Sanctuary are in need of someone to rescue them. It's my job to protect them. To send the monsters who terrorize them back into the abyss they slithered out of.

Some go through their entire lives without an arch-nemesis. I had two. The first one was my stepbrother, Manuel. His goal was to beat me into submission, until I was nothing more than a cowering wraith. Luckily, I had a guardian angel who saved me. The second was none other than my angel's brother, Garret Hannigan. In my teens, I'd had a crush on him, and I'd even fantasized about him saving me from Manuel. Until I saw the disgusting and scary things he wrote, and that crush faded fast.

If high school has taught mathlete Jade Aaron anything, it's that nerds never get the guy. So when rock star Lennon Pryor starts pursuing her, it's not rocket science. This doesn't add up. I mean, sure, he's hot. And charming. And a god on the guitar. But he's also the world's biggest player. Being with him would be a bigger mistake than 2+2=5. Until graduation night, when a reckless moment leads to a reckless kiss. And now Jade's falling for the one guy destined to break her heart.

Hollis Taylor is allowed to break the rules. She's coach's little girl. And she's good. If that means she gets to bump one of the guys for the starting catcher's job on the Public High baseball team, then the others on the squad better suck it up and deal. But breaking rules has taken Cannon Jennings far in life. One of the nation's top pitching prospects, he came here to throw to his cousin and show college recruiters everything he could do on the mound. Taking his signs from a girl was not part of his blueprint, especially one that screwed over his favorite relative and best friend.

Jack Sullivan is a man of few words. His cold emotionless countenance shields any glimpse of the human being within. If he didn't hire me to help his daughter, I'd suspect the man sold his soul for success. He's classically handsome. Confident. Scratch that. He's one cocky mo-fo. Admittedly, I don't have the best track record at picking decent guys, but I'm pretty positive this brooding billionaire with a massive ego is one flashing red warning light.

We belonged to each other. Now and always. He slid that promise ring on my finger and made me his for the first time. But we had to keep it a secret from our fathers. Because mine would murder him, and his would help bury the body if they found out. Now, we don't have to keep the secret any longer. We just have to tell the dads . . . Unfortunately, that isn't our only obstacle.

Sure, I'm bored out of my mind at times—boring job, boring dates . . . boring life. But I'm over Nolan Krenshaw. At least . . . I've tried to move on and get over him. When Nolan's career is suddenly on the line, I'm the one he turns to. I tell myself the only reason I'm helping him is so I can officially put him behind me. Of course, it's a lie. He was all I ever wanted, until he broke my heart. This time, I'm not stupid enough to believe that he would ever put me first.

Zoey Handler is ready to put an end to her decade-long rivalry with Gordon Meyers. They've traded top spot between valedictorian and salutatorian for years, but all that's over now. Right? But after a crazy graduation speech prank gets out of hand, suddenly their rivalry turns into all-out war. Time to make peace with a little friendly payback. Step one? Make him believe they're now friends. Step two? Show him the time of his life at an epic graduation party. Step three? Don't fall for his tricks. Step four? Absolutely, positively, do not kiss him again.

The moment I set eyes on Gabbi Sterling, I know she's mine. Unfortunately, she doesn't agree. Her brother owns my team. Her best friend told a little white lie. And my girl is giving me nine kinds of hell. Right up until we get lost in the woods together. Now, it's up to me to get her out safely. There's just one problem. I have a concussion and no clue where we are.

If anyone had told me that coffee would change my life, I would have laughed. Right up until I set eyes on Aspen Whatley at the local coffee shop, anyway. She's everything right in this world. But she's a little spitfire, hellbent on taking on the world by herself. Knowing her brother wants me to keep an eye on her doesn't earn me any points. Until her life is on the line, and she has nowhere to turn. Now, she's looking over her shoulder, and I'm pissed about it. No one threatens what belongs to me. But I've been playing defense my entire life. I'll protect this goddess and make her mine.

Time is the ultimate scarce resource and thus quintessentially a topic for economics, which studies scarcity. Starting with the observation that time is increasingly valuable given competing demands as we have more things we can buy and do, Spending Time provides engaging insights into how people use their time and what determines their decisions about spending their time.

Sometimes, beauty covers a whole lot of ugly. That was one of the many valuable lessons I learned the summer I lived in Creswell Springs with the Angel's Halo MC. They taught me about responsibility and respect—not just for others, but, more importantly, for myself. I liked to think I came home a better person. Someone who wasn't just pretty on the outside anymore. And then I met Zak. Golden eyes. Chiseled jaw. That deep, gravelly voice mixed with a slight Russian accent that did something to me no man ever had before.

He calls me his heart. Tells me the only reason he closes his eyes at night is so he can see me in his dreams. Our months apart are torture for both of us, but at least I get to hear his voice every day. Each summer, he's all mine. Every minute he can spare, I'm right beside him, and our families just smile knowingly. Ryan has responsibilities, though. One day, my mafioso prince will be the king. And I will be his queen . . .