The annual Mermaid Festival is the setting for Esme Addison's sunny-yet-sinister second Enchanted Bay mystery, perfect for fans of Heather Blake and Bailey Cates. The small town of Bellamy Bay has its share of skeletons in its closet, but it isn't used to bodies turning up in the local history museum. After all, this coastal North Carolina town is much like any other...except, of course, for the mermaids. Helping to run the family business, an herbal apothecary, while keeping her supernatural secret hidden is no easy feat for water witch Aleksandra Daniels. But somehow she's still found time to help her friend Celeste, who has her own Caribbean mermaid heritage, plan the annual Mermaid Festival. As fun-seekers throng the beaches, Alex gets to know and is intrigued by renowned artist Neve Ryland, who's in town to decorate the local park with a mermaid-themed mural. Celeste, however, is less enamored with the artist, as Neve has been spending entirely too much one-on-one time with her boyfriend Jasper, director of Bellamy Bay's history museum. Then, a reception for Neve ends abruptly when the artist is found dead in his office. When the police investigation nets Celeste, Alex decides to find the true culprit. With the help of her magically-inclined aunt and cousins, Alex dives in to clear her friend's name. But there was more to Neve Ryland than met the eye...and Alex fears she may be in way too deep. Will she catch the crook or be next on the hook?

Fans of Ellery Adams and Heather Blake will be charmed by this seaside cozy mystery series full of humor and heart, mermaids and magic Aleksandra Daniels hasn’t set foot in the quiet seaside town of Bellamy Bay, North Carolina in over twenty years. Ever since her mother’s tragic death, her father has mysteriously forbidden her from visiting her aunt and cousins. But on a whim, Alex accepts an invitation to visit her estranged relatives and to help them in their family business: an herbal apothecary known for its remarkably potent teas, salves, and folk remedies. Bellamy Bay doesn’t look like trouble, but this is a town that harbors dark secrets. Alex discovers that her own family is at the center of salacious town gossip, and that they are rumored to be magical healers descended from mermaids. She brushes this off as nonsense until a local is poisoned and her aunt Lidia is arrested for the crime. Alex is certain Lidia is being framed, and she resolves to find out why. Alex’s investigation unearths stories that some have gone to desperate lengths to conceal: forbidden affairs, family rivalries, and the truth about Alex’s own ancestry. And when the case turns deadly, Alex learns that not only are these secrets worth hiding, but they may even be worth killing for.

It is a little-known fact that Ernie O’Malley, renowned for his role in Ireland’s revolutionary struggle, was also a passionate collector of Irish folklore. Centred on O’Malley’s native Clew Bay and its environs and transcribed by his son Cormac, The Enchanted Bay is a rich tapestry of tales that showcases the enduring power of the oral tradition in Ireland. From the entertaining exploits of the Gobán Saor, mythical master builder, to the Clare Island man who married a selkie, this collection offers a glimpse into the heart of Irish storytelling. A testament to O’Malley’s multifaceted legacy, several of the stories in this compilation were gathered while he travelled Ireland as an IRA organiser. The insights he gained through folklore collecting would later inform his ambitious project of recording testimonies from former comrades, solidifying his place as a pivotal figure in the preservation of Irish history and culture. The tales in these pages maintain the unique voices of local communities, conjuring an arcane, fascinating world that is slipping further from memory.

The Magic of Golden State North: 49 poems from the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. Foreword by Doug McConnell. (Host of OpenRoad with Doug McConnell & Bay Area Backroads). Cover Photo by Ron Horii - Hayward shoreline at sunset. Poetry with a delightful range of vibrant colors, scenic views and positive vibes that will revive your spirit. This uplifting collection takes you on an amazing journey - through an abundance of trees and blooms - infused with bayside and beachside romance. Discover parks, trails and hidden sanctuaries in the hills and valleys of magnificent Northern California. Fall in love with enchanting places and the environment's precious gifts illustrated through inspirational poetry. A celebration of nature by the author of California Serenade and Finding the Vista Point. - This Book of poems is a great gift for nature lovers.

Margarita is a girl from two worlds. Her heart lies in Cuba, her mother s tropical island country, a place so lush with vibrant life that it seems like a fairy tale kingdom. But most of the time she lives in Los Angeles, lonely in the noisy city and dreaming of the summers when she can take a plane through the enchanted air to her beloved island. Words and images are her constant companions, friendly and comforting when the children at school are not.

“Exquisitely written with compelling characters and romance . . . I was swept away by the enchanting and magical world Rebecca Ross crafted, and loved every moment of it.” — Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess Enter the isle of Cadence in this novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals—a Scottish-inspired fantasy brimming with enemies-to-lovers romance, magic and spirits, and a captivating mystery It starts with a letter and an ominous journey across dark waters. Ten years after being sent away to the mainland to become a bard, Jack Tamerlaine is summoned home to Cadence. Girls are going missing from the island, and Adaira, his childhood nemesis and the future leader of the clan, believes Jack is the only one who can find them. The elemental spirits that dwell in every breath of air, splash of water, blade of grass, and flicker of fire find mirth in the lives of the humans, and a bard’s music is the only way to summon them and ask that the girls be returned. Yet as Jack and Adaira get closer to solving the mystery, it becomes apparent that an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, and no harp song may be strong enough to stop it. With unforgettable characters, a thrilling plot, and a lush folklore-infused world, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and creating harmony between opposing forces. This first book in the Elements of Cadence duology marks Rebecca Ross’s brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage.

A Wall Street Journal writer’s conversation-changing look at how reading aloud makes adults and children smarter, happier, healthier, more successful and more closely attached, even as technology pulls in the other direction. A miraculous alchemy occurs when one person reads to another, transforming the simple stuff of a book, a voice, and a bit of time into complex and powerful fuel for the heart, brain, and imagination. Grounded in the latest neuroscience and behavioral research, and drawing widely from literature, The Enchanted Hour explains the dazzling cognitive and social-emotional benefits that await children, whatever their class, nationality or family background. But it’s not just about bedtime stories for little kids: Reading aloud consoles, uplifts and invigorates at every age, deepening the intellectual lives and emotional well-being of teenagers and adults, too. Meghan Cox Gurdon argues that this ancient practice is a fast-working antidote to the fractured attention spans, atomized families and unfulfilling ephemera of the tech era, helping to replenish what our devices are leaching away. For everyone, reading aloud engages the mind in complex narratives; for children, it’s an irreplaceable gift that builds vocabulary, fosters imagination, and kindles a lifelong appreciation of language, stories and pictures. Bringing together the latest scientific research, practical tips, and reading recommendations, The Enchanted Hour will both charm and galvanize, inspiring readers to share this invaluable, life-altering tradition with the people they love most.

The enchanted story of an unusual romance in a very normal time. San Francisco. 1947. The war is over and the boys are home. Nick Williams, a native of the City, served in the Navy during the war. Now he lives with his lover Jeffery Klein, Esq., in Jeffery's house. He knows he needs to move on, but he can't. Not yet. Carter Jones, a transplant from Georgia, stayed home during the war. His draft board said his job as a fireman was more important. He's living with his best friend and former lover, Henry Winters, who spends most nights across the bay in Oakland with his current beau. As hard as Carter works on his body and at his job, the lonely nights are empty. Two handsome men in one beautiful city. Can they find each other? Across a crowded room? An Enchanted Beginning is the complete back story of this wonderful love affair. Starting in 1947, this book is composed of several parts that move the reader gently through an unusual love that starts during a time when everything and everyone was supposed to be getting back to normal. From 1947 through 1950 and beyond, Nick & Carter's love is anything but normal. If you're a fan of true romance and love to see it blossom in the most unusual of times, this is the book for you. These stories are a prequel to the Nick Williams Mystery series of books, which start in 1953 with The Unexpected Heiress.

The enchanted forest is a place both terrifying and inviting, a region where monsters lurk and treasure may be found, a world peopled by evil witches and wise hermits, woodcutters and hunters, enchanted creatures and those of elfinkind. Here are 25 tales created especially for this volume by some of today's most imaginative crafters of the fantastic.

She wanted to live a normal life. He wanted to end it. Orphaned at birth and raised in a cloistered convent, Lizzie Chambers knows nothing of her parentage; even her name comes from the pages of a book. When she is forced to leave the convent, she soon finds out life is nothing like her cherished Austen novels. Trapped in an unhappy marriage and questioning her own sanity, her only solace is her beloved flower shop, Enchanted Garden. When her husband is killed and her store burns down, both under suspicious circumstances, Lizzie finds herself fleeing a demon she has no clue how to stop or even why it has targeted her in the first place. But Gideon York knows. As a member of the Order of the Triple Goddess he is charged with protecting Lizzie and others like her from the dark forces seeking to destroy these rare and powerful women. When their growing attraction tempts Gideon to break his sacred vow and Lizzie's own powers threaten her new found family in the Order, she can no longer deny her destiny. To protect the people she loves, Lizzie must find the courage to face the demon alone and risk the ultimate sacrifice...her life.