best graphic novels for middle school Audiobooks

It's said that only in our darkest hour do we find light. That may be true for the lucky ones. When your light has been extinguished and pitch-black bleakness has taken hold, you could be excused for doubting that it will ever be reignited. In the past when people mentioned Joel O'Brien, they talked about "the quiet one". The boy who was the family's voice of reason and their go-to guy for wisdom well beyond his years. Nowadays, they whisper about the "crippled one". The man who radiates darkness, who wallows in his self-pity, and refuses to find a way to deal with the injuries he sustained at the beginning of the war that's threatening to engulf the Black Shamrocks MC. Sascha Koswalski is the light of her family's life. With a smile that could brighten the day of the most hard-hearted, the single mother's innate exuberance lessens the pain of her physiotherapy clients. She's yet to find a patient who doesn't respond to her sunny nature and skilled hands. Until Joel. The stubborn, angry man might be the one patient she fails. Unable to crack his protective shell, Sascha is on the verge of giving up when Joel shows her another side of himself. Buoyed by the knowledge that there is a man filled with hope hiding beneath his cold veneer, can she rehabilitate more than his broken body? Will she be the light that reignites his belief in himself and sets them both on the path to FINDING NIRVANA? DISCLAIMER: This book contains depictions of graphic situations and is not suitable for all readers.

All signs point north for Not-So-Saint Nick After too many mugs of mulled wine, introverted accountant Holly North lets her best friend guilt her into filling in as Mistress Christmas at Sugar Plums, a Christmas-themed strip club. The combination of a velvet mask and a Mrs. Claus-meets-dominatrix costume gives Holly the courage to approach the hot-bodied man across the room who is as lickable as a candy cane. Detective Nick West is working undercover to find the sexy vixen who supposedly robbed his buddy at Sugar Plums. His interest in the pole dancers vanishes faster than a flying sleigh upon his introduction to Mistress Christmas—a leggy brunette with smoky eyes and a lush mouth that begs for hours beneath the mistletoe. One lap dance and their attraction flares hotter than a fireplace on a cold winter evening. And Nick is only too happy to oblige when Holly blurts out her secret Christmas wish…a night filled with sweet and dirty carnal pleasures that will land them both on the naughty list.

Two twentysomethings struggle to let go of their idea of a perfect world on and off the ice in this emotional third book in the Nashville Sound series. Ambitious, smart, and straightlaced, Nashville Sound forward Jarrett MacPherson is determined to walk in the footsteps of his All-American hockey-playing grandfather. He prides himself on doing the right thing above all, with ethics so sharp they could cut the heart out of a saint. Hard-working Merry Sweet toils by day in a paper shop and coffee bar in Sound Town and at night at the arena, cleaning, selling concessions, and taking tickets. Jarrett notices and admires Merry’s determination and believes her when she says she needs money for law school, even offering to help solve her financial problems. When she refuses him, his esteem for her only grows. But when the public catches wind of their budding relationship, a surprising secret from Merry’s past comes to light. Now, Jarrett must decide if he’ll let his image take precedence over his heart and cost him the chance at something perfectly real. Sensuality Level: Sensual

Facing the loss of a loved one in a death-avoidant culture can be excruciating. Grievers may be expected to put on a brave face, to “move on” quickly, and to seek medication if they are still grief-stricken after an “acceptable” amount of time. Psycho­therapist Judy Heath draws on extensive experience as a grief specialist in private practice to help those struggling with the anguish of loss. Addressing the myths and misinformation about mourning that still abound today, Heath gently coaches readers to understand that coping with loss is a natural process that our society tends to avoid and hurry people through, often leading to unresolved, lasting grief. No Time for Tears offers practical advice for both short- and long-term recovery, including how to manage rarely discussed physical and emotional changes: feelings of “going crazy” and inability to focus; feeling out of sync with the world, exhausted and chilled, and crushingly lonely. This updated second edition includes new information about medication and discusses various types of loss including that of a parent, child, spouse, friend, or pet. Helpful not only to grievers but also to those who care about, counsel, or employ them, No Time for Tears is an essential resource for grief management and recovery.

Howard Andrew Jones' powerful world-building brings this epic fantasy to life in For The Killing of Kings , the first book of his new adventure-filled trilogy. Their peace was a fragile thing, but it had endured for seven years, mostly because the people of Darassus and the king of the Naor hordes believed his doom was foretold upon the edge of the great sword hung in the hall of champions. Unruly Naor clans might raid across the border, but the king himself would never lead his people to war so long as the blade remained in the hands of his enemies. But when squire Elenai’s aging mentor uncovers evidence that the sword in their hall is a forgery she’s forced to flee Darassus for her life, her only ally the reckless, disillusioned Kyrkenall the archer. Framed for murder and treason, pursued by the greatest heroes of the realm, they race to recover the real sword, only to stumble into a conspiracy that leads all the way back to the Darassan queen and her secretive advisors. They must find a way to clear their names and set things right, all while dodging friends determined to kill them – and the Naor hordes, invading at last with a new and deadly weapon.

A closed room in her newest fixer-upper leads Indiana house-flipper Jazzi Zanders to reopen a chilling cold case involving a high school girl . . . Jazzi, her cousin Jerod, and her husband Ansel are preparing to renovate a charming house that reminds her of an English manor. Before purchasing it, they had inspected the house for structural issues, but now when they do a more thorough walk-through, they discover a teenage girl's bedroom that clearly hasn't been touched in years. Dust covers the pink canopy bed, clothes still hang in the closet, and a hope chest remains full of journals and memorabilia. They've stumbled on a shrine to a dead girl. They learn Jessica was killed in the middle of her high school graduation party. The murderer was never identified, but the brother-in-law of Jazzi’s friend, who went to school with Jessica, was suspected and never lived it down. He implores Jazzi to review the cold case and finally prove him innocent. Now it’s up to the house-flipper to nail a killer who will do anything to close the door on the past . . .

Rylee Hale is having a hard time. As a new business owner just starting out on her own, she’s struggling to attract new clients to her paralegal business. Then she attracts two that are way more than she can handle. Drace and Lucian are Denarins—a race of the Twelve Peoples where two males bond together in order to join with a single female. An Alpha and a Beta make the perfect pair to attract and care for a woman in every detail of her life. But what happens when two Alphas get wrongfully bonded? That’s the dilemma Lucian and Drace are in and only a Pure One from Earth can help them. When they see Rylee helping a couple with their divorce in the AMI viewscreen, they decide she’s exactly the female they need to break the bond between them. Nobody asked Rylee what she thought about being abducted from her life on Earth and caught in the middle of a conflict between two huge, muscular alien males. It's okay though--she’s a smart girl—she can handle herself. But once she gets a taste of being bonded to two sexy men who want to please her in every way, will she be able to stand by and watch them be…Severed?

“Small town Colorado police detective Gemma Monroe is a human and fallible heroine I can't wait to meet again, and Littlejohn's prose is lyrical and gripping.”―Deborah Crombie In Emily Littlejohn's follow-up to her acclaimed debut Inherit the Bones , a twisted killer stalks his prey in the dead of winter. On a cold dark night in February, as a blizzard shrieks through Cedar Valley, police officer and new mother Gemma Monroe responds to an anonymous report of a prowler at the local private high school, The Valley Academy. In her idyllic Colorado small town, Gemma expects the call was just a prank by a bored teenager. But there in the snow lies the savaged body of a man whose presence in town was meant to be a secret. And a disturbing message left by his killer promises more death to come. This is only the beginning . . . Nothing is as it seems in Cedar Valley and stories, both fact and fiction, ensnare Gemma as her investigation moves from the halls of an elite academy to the forests that surround Cedar Valley. Against a backdrop of bleak winter weather, stymied by those who would lie to protect what is dearest to them, Gemma hunts a ruthless killer before he strikes again in A Season to Lie .

I’m more than a single mom running from the cult that held me captive– I’m a woman carving out a life for myself. It’s harder than I expected. After solving the murder of my best friend, I’m hoping my run-ins with the law are over. Then my youngest daughter goes missing. The local detective, Boone, is on the case, and the neighborhood is determined to help find my little girl alive. But the clock is ticking. And hope? It’s running out. A kidnapped child is a mother’s worst nightmare. I will search until she is found, even if it means confronting my past. My sister wives might have the clue I need and I’m no longer scared of them. I’m a mother on a mission, and losing Ruthie isn’t an option. The Sister Wife’s Secret is the second book in a new suspense series.

Revenge or the love of his life? Her soul mate versus her family? Whatever they chose, someone loses. Mik and Maddi. Mad Dog and his Angel. Mikhail Kennedy and Madelaine O'Brien. One without the other just doesn't seem right. They're made for each other; soul mates who've survived every obstacle thrown in their way. It should be smooth sailing from now on. Mik taking his rightful place as the President of the Black Shamrocks MC with his woman by his side. Maddi free from the demons that plague her, finally back in the tender embrace of the love of her life. Revenge. That dish best served cold. The need for it is eating Mik up inside. Filling him with hatred and blinding him to Maddi's struggle. He wants to avenge every wrong done to them while she wishes to forgive and forget. A life filled with love and happiness ought to be their destiny. A future filled with pain and regret appears to be the actual outcome. With the love they've fought so hard to protect at stake, can they let go of the past and stop TEMPTING FATE? WARNING: This story contains triggering content and is not suitable for all readers. Tempting Fate is the fourth book in the International Bestselling Black Shamrocks MC Series. If you enjoy gritty, authentic, and sexy MC reads, then you’ll love Kylie Hillman’s unique take on MC romance. Continue the wild ride today!