Audiobooks narrated by Melissa Connell

Mixed Roots: Writers on Multiracial Identity & Both/And Belonging

"29 personal essays exploring mixed identity, belonging, family, racism, community and the paradoxical ways of being in the world "An unprecedented ode to the wide range of mixed-root experiences and what is shared across difference. Required reading for anyone who has ever been asked what are you? I want everyone to read this." -Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood and The Dry Season Multiracial people are everywhere-but so often their stories are oversimplified, overlooked, or left out of the narrative altogether. Mixed Roots: Writers on Multiracial Identity & Both/And Belonging collects 29 voices from different generations, geographies, and mixes of race and ethnicity. Combining powerful personal narratives with community-oriented perspectives, Mixed Roots explores themes of inherited belief systems, racism, whiteness, migration, language, trauma, ancestry, and healing. When society so often wants to divide us into either/or categories, Mixed Roots reminds us that multiracial experiences are complex and can be told in different ways. This anthology engages with the familiar questions of "what are you?" or "where do you belong?" with nuance, dispelling the idea that there is ever one right way to identify. In a time of increased polarization, Mixed Roots invites more of us to examine the historical legacies and harm caused by racism within ourselves and our communities. With compelling, intimate, lyrical and conversational prose, the voices in Mixed Roots honor the realities we've inherited around race, while pushing against old assumptions- encouraging readers to embrace paradox and non-binary belonging."

Anne Liu Kellor (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

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Faith, Family, and Flag: Branson Entertainment and the Idea of America

"Sons of Britches. The Great American Chuckwagon Dinner Show. The Haygoods. The Grand Jubilee. These are just a couple of the many shows performed in Branson, MO, a popular tourist destination that has played a role in the nation’s culture wars for over one hundred years. Branson, Missouri, the Ozark Mountain mecca of wholesome entertainment, has been home to countless stage shows espousing patriotism and Christianity, welcoming over ten million visitors a year. Some consider it “God’s Country” and others “as close to Hell as anything on Earth.” For Joanna Dee Das, Branson is a political, religious, and cultural harbinger of a certain enduring dream of what America is. She takes Branson more seriously than the light-hearted fun it advertises—and maybe we should too. For Das, Branson’s performers offer visions of the American Dream that embody a set of values known as the three Fs: faith, family, and flag. Branson boosters insist that these are universal values that welcome all people; the city aims to capture as many tourists as possible. But over the past several decades, faith, family, and flag have become markers of contemporary conservatism. The shows and culture of Branson, for all their fun and laughter, have been a galvanizing political force for white, working-and-middle class, Christian Americans. For social and economic conservatives alike, Branson is practically proof-of-concept for America as they want it to be. Faith, Family, and Flag is a comprehensive history of the Branson entertainment industry, within the context of America’s long culture wars. Das reveals how and why a town known for popular entertainment, a domain associated most often with the political left (“Hollywood liberals”), came to be so important to the political right and its vision for America."

Joanna Dee Das (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

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Do You Hate the One You Love?: Strategies for Healing and Saving Your Relationship

"Many of us experience heartbreak, abuse, and a variety of 'unmentionable' challenges in trying to make our relationships successful. For many couples, these challenges are daunting, especially when your partner becomes someone you despise as much as you adore. If that happens, what do you do, and how do you take good care of yourself? That's what Do You Hate the One You Love? is all about, and though it's written primarily for women, men should read it too, first to understand their partner better and then to learn a few lessons for themselves. As a professional therapist specializing in couple's therapy, Joan E. Childs has learned that the core problems and causes behind relationship strife can be traced back to childhood. This book is an adventure in intimacy, exploring universal issues that crop up in any relationship, and it describes rituals and principles that can heal a contaminated space. As Marcel Proust famously said, 'The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.' That's exactly what is provided here!"

Joan E. Childs (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

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Operation Superglue

"A little glue goes a long way. Or at least that’s what thirty-five-year-old single mother Lina Rivera hopes for when she finds herself smack dab in the middle of an undercover operation as a high school senior. Best-selling young adult crime novelist Lina Rivera is strikingly beautiful and can’t even purchase a scratch ticket without being carded. With her twins Luciana and Max beginning their freshman year of high school in the fall, she has never felt closer to understanding her target demographic: teenagers. But when the reviews of her newest release fall short and negative feedback taunts her from every angle, it becomes clear that teenage life in 2024 is nothing like her high school experience back in 1999—and people are starting to notice. Despite that, Lina is desperate to continue writing young adult books. So, when her ex-husband, Jon Cote, who is a private investigator, invites her to join an undercover operation at Emerson Academy, she can’t say no. She agrees to join “Operation Superglue” and is shocked beyond belief to discover that Jon has been posing as the school’s substitute art teacher for months and without any leads in a case of several missing teens. Now an undercover high school senior, Lina learns that today’s society is worlds away from anything remotely familiar. And, with her ex-husband back in her life in more ways than one, Lina soon realizes that the choices she made in the past may not be as permanently stuck as she had once assumed."

Stacy Lee (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

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Assumed Killer

"Since their marriage ten years earlier, Ayla Cruz and Bailey Morrow have built an incredible life together. After Ayla chose journalism over music, she became one of the country’s most respected investigative reporters. Bailey, on the other hand, stayed with music and teamed up with Ayla’s friend Lindsay to become a Grammy-winning writing duo. With a mansion in Miami’s most expensive neighborhood, it seems nothing can curtail their happiness… But, as it often does, tragedy strikes. Bailey’s greedy, fame and fortune seeking family falls to pieces when the truth about Bailey’s half-brother from his father’s longtime affair is revealed. The family crumbles and nearly takes Ayla and Bailey’s marriage down in the process. Amidst the family turmoil, a devastating car accident leaves Ayla unable to remember anything about her life. Not her parents, her past, or her husband. Deep inside, the investigative journalist begins to emerge. Evidence all around her points to her own husband, Bailey, as being a prolific serial killer that she and dear family friend Detective Vanessa Jones painstakingly investigated before the crash. A crash that occurred with Bailey behind the wheel… Did Bailey attempt to kill Ayla to prevent her from finding the truth? Is he sleeping with her best friend Lindsay? Is he the killer stalking the muggy south Florida nights, searching for his next victim? Ayla must relearn the details of her life and the case to bring this killer to justice before it’s too late. Even if it turns out to be her beloved husband. Her own life may depend on it…"

James Alan Ross (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

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Marriage Killer

"Sandra and Charles Durro defied the odds and found love a second time. Together, they’re raising their high schooler Ayla and enjoying part time duties with their grandson Michael. Sandra continues operating Simply Splendid Proposals while volunteering at Michael’s preschool inside the church she’s attended since Preston was little, while Charles steps in as head of Cruz Development. Life is complete; life is wonderful. That is until Sandra hurts her back at the preschool and meets Victoria’s chiropractor—the sexy, promiscuous, and troubled Isabelle. Isabelle seamlessly infiltrates the Durros’ lives and invites them to join her at her favorite late-night spot Secret Sins. In this place, successful Miami couples fulfill their wildest sexual desires. When Sandra and Charles reject Isabelle’s physical advances and her bold offer to join them in their bedroom, things quickly derail. And when Isabelle realizes she can’t have the Durros, she’ll stop at nothing to destroy their healthy, loving marriage by tearing their lives apart. Marriage Killer is a seductive, sexy thriller that will leave even the most stable couples wondering if something—or someone—could be strong enough to come between them."

James Alan Ross (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

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Dream Killer

"Ayla Cruz longs for stardom. Years of playing in front of the guests at Cool Beans beside her boyfriend and songwriting partner Bailey prepared her for the ultimate opportunity: a chance to perform in front of pop superstar Fasa. After Ayla wins the talent show judged by Fasa, she earns a spot to record with him. But not everyone is excited for her. Her best friend Lindsay, and more importantly Lindsay’s mother, Ellen, are jealous of Ayla’s success and will do anything to bring Ayla’s shooting star crashing back to Earth… including murder. Ayla’s sudden fame, however, has another more personal downside. Her behavior and attitude toward her loved ones become unbearable. Just when it seems her mother, Sandra, has lost the once strong connection to her only daughter, Ayla needs Sandra’s support more than ever. With Ayla facing criminal charges that she swears are false, Sandra must find a way to clear Ayla’s name. Even if it means going toe to toe with a killer…"

James Alan Ross (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

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Patient Killer

"Dr. Victoria Cruz’s career reached its pinnacle. Her psychiatry practice thrives as one of Miami’s most highly regarded, and her recent publishing deal proves she’s one of the area’s most respected therapists. Victoria’s new self-help book Mental Soul Food propelled her to celebrity status, whisking her away for book signings, speaking events, and appearances. Coupled with the relationship she’s built with her boyfriend Jason, things couldn’t be better. Until she meets Blaire Bennett—a fan of Victoria’s book and a troubled new patient. Convinced it’s the only way to remedy Blaire’s problems, Victoria returns to her area of expertise: hypnotherapy. Previously, she’d ceased deep exploration of patients’ subconsciouses after extended hypnosis treatments of a patient went terribly wrong. Victoria’s haunted past resurfaces through Blaire’s treatment, causing her to dive into her own subconscious to the point where she can no longer be sure what’s real and what’s only happening in her mind. Is Victoria a danger to herself? To others? Have her methods of hypnosis caused more damage than good? Is she building irreversible fantasies in her patients that lead to dangerous sexual obsession, physical trauma, and even murder? Worse yet, has Victoria herself unknowingly transformed into a Patient Killer?"

James Alan Ross (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Girlfriend Killer

"Enduring the turmoil after her son Preston’s passing prompts Sandra Cruz to evaluate her life. Although she’s loved building Cruz Development into one of Florida’s most successful businesses, she decides that time spent in her office has pulled her away from what truly matters: family. Joining with Charles—her ex-husband and new boyfriend—Sandra has combined her business skills with her passion for romance. Together, they created Simply Splendid Proposals, a company men hire to stage and film elaborate marriage proposals. It seems nothing could be better than documenting the happiest moments of people’s lives. But then again… not every proposal ends with a ‘yes.’ And when a broken-hearted Emerson Banes mistakes Sandra’s thoughtful consoling for something more, his darkest secrets quickly turn her and her family’s life into a living nightmare."

James Alan Ross (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Killer Island

"Life is unpredictable. Sandra Cruz never imagined she’d once again go by the name Sandra Durro. Until now! Newlyweds Sandra and Charles head out for a much needed—and much deserved—romantic honeymoon on the island where Sandra and her sister Victoria vacationed in their youth. The island holds special meaning for Sandra, and she can’t wait to share it with Charles. She also plans to confront her past by visiting the beach where her younger sister Abbey drowned years earlier. There, she can also reflect on another more recent loss: the death of her son Preston. Fishing, snorkeling, and sipping cold beverages at The Key Lime High make for the relaxing and enjoyable escape the Durros desperately desired. But when the body of a young woman washes ashore, things take a wild and perilous turn."

James Alan Ross (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Baby for the off Limits Boss Daddy

"I never thought I'd break the bro code and HR rules in one fell swoop. Rowan Headley tops the list of people I never wanted to see again. She shattered my best friend's heart, turning him into a shell of his former self. I hate her for what she did. But guess who my company's new hire is? Yep, the last person I expected - Rowan Headley. It's awkward, it's tense, but we have to put up with each other. Except the longer I'm around her, the less I feel like avoiding her. Rowan is fire, sass, and brains all combined into one. Before I know it, I give in One steamy night together changes everything. Sleeping with her is a mistake, but its a mistake we can't undo. I crossed a line I shouldn't have, and now there's a baby to prove it too..."

Callie Stevens (Author), Melissa Connell, Scott R. Smith (Narrator)

Audiobook

Boyfriend Killer

"News of her son’s tragic death ushered in the worst moments of Sandra Cruz’s life. After his father abandoned them, Sandra alone had raised Preston into the man he became. Now, trudging through the difficult task of setting Preston’s affairs in order, Sandra begins learning new things about him. He was a star on a recreational beach volleyball team, he’d recently reconnected with his estranged father, and he was engaged to Krystal… a girl Sandra thought he’d broken up with. Before long, Sandra wonders if she really knew Preston at all. Krystal’s erratic behavior and strange claims cause Sandra, her sister Victoria, and Preston’s father Charles to begin questioning if Preston’s motorcycle crash was an accident or something more sinister. But each time they think they’ve figured out the truth, they’re met with another shocking surprise. After all, how well can any mother truly know her son? Boyfriend Killer will keep you guessing, with twists, turns, and surprises all the way to the chilling final moment."

James Alan Ross (Author), Melissa Connell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Melissa Connell

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