Karen Robards has 25 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 21 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 100 ratings. The most-rated is The Black Swan of Paris.
The Black Swan of Paris
Summary
An exquisite WWII novel illuminating the strength of three women in occupied Paris, for fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network, and The Lost Girls of Paris. "A truly outstanding novel...reminds us of the power of love, hope and courage." (Heather Morris, number-one best-selling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz) Paris, 1944 Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, the chanteuse’s position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance. When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve knows it won’t be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary - including assassination. But Genevieve refuses to let her mother become yet one more victim of the war. Reuniting with her long-lost sister, she must find a way to navigate the perilous cross-currents of Occupied France undetected - and in time to save Lillian’s life. In this heart-wrenching novel, best-selling author Karen Robards showcases the extraordinary lengths one goes to save their family from a German prison. A web of spies, the resistance and a vivid portrayal of Paris in wartime.
©2020 Karen Robards (P)2020 Harlequin Enteprises, Limited
The Moscow Deception
Summary
Clever, cunning and highly skilled - there's only one Bianca St. Ives and don't you dare forget it Bianca St. Ives was recently put through the wringer, but she came out the same way she always does - the way her father trained her to - hungry for a fight. Still navigating the fallout from a shocking revelation that's left a network of assassins' crosshairs trained on her, Bianca's ready to take fate into her own hands. It's kill or be killed, and she's got her finger flush against the trigger. But as Bianca races to outmaneuver her tireless pursuers, her father loops her in on a job that might just do the trick: recover King Priam's Treasure, a collection of heavily guarded, priceless artifacts stolen by the Russians during World War II, and return it to Germany. Impossible? Maybe for some, but a high-risk heist is all in a day's work for Bianca St. Ives, especially when there's intel on the line - intel that could finally bring down the shadowy forces seeking to bury Bianca for good. Faced with threats that circle closer with every move she makes, she knows the stakes have never been higher, but when you're already living on borrowed time, you have to hustle if you want to live to see tomorrow.
©2018 Karen Robards (P)2018 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
The Fifth Doctrine
Summary
With her back against the wall, everything’s on the line for Bianca St. Ives. She’s either going to save the world - or die trying.
It took one hell of an effort for the authorities to finally get the jump on master manipulator Bianca St. Ives, but now that they have, it’s far from the capture she expected. Instead of taking her in, there’s an offer on the table, a one-shot deal that would allow Bianca to walk away scot-free as if they’d never found her. And all she has to do is run one last mission - the kind she might never return from. But if Bianca wants to go back to her normal life in Savannah, it’s not like she has a choice.
An intelligence operation is already under way in North Korea, one that’s poised to end the country’s existing tyrannical regime for good. But first, the US need one of their own to go undercover as the female hacker who recently stole top secret intel from NORAD. Enter Bianca. After everything she’s seen, Bianca knows feeding fake information directly into the belly of the beast is about as dangerous as it gets. It could mean torture or endless imprisonment - assuming she survives. But it might also ignite the kind of chaos that forces a revolution. It might just change the world. Besides, if Bianca has to go down, she’s gonna go down swinging…
©2019 Karen Robards. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
The Ultimatum
Summary
"Enthralling… Readers won't want this adrenaline-rich story to end. " —Booklist (starred review) Thief. Manipulator. Con artist. Call it what you will - Bianca St. Ives is the best in the business. Growing up, Bianca St. Ives knew she was different from all her friends. Instead of playing hopscotch or combing her dolls' hair, she studied martial arts with sensei masters and dismantled explosives with special-ops retirees. Her father prepped her well to carry on the family business. Now a striking beauty with fierce skills, the prodigy has surpassed the master. She's known as the Guardian. Running a multinational firm with her father, she makes a living swindling con men out of money they stole - and she's damn good at it. She does things on her own terms. But her latest gig had a little hiccup - if you count two hundred million dollars and top secret government documents going missing as little. Her father also died on the mission. The thing is, the US government doesn't believe he's really dead. They'll stop at nothing to capture Richard St. Ives, a high-value target and someone who has been on most-wanted lists all over the world for over two decades, and they mean to use Bianca as bait. With only a fellow criminal for backup and her life on the line, it's up to Bianca to uncover the terrifying truth behind what really happened…and set it right, before it's too late.
©2017 Karen Robards (P)2017 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Hush
Summary
In New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards' latest heart-pounding romantic suspense novel, a woman must track down her husband's murderer - or risk being the next victim of a vicious killer. When Riley Cowan finds her estranged husband Jeff dead in his palatial home, she's sure it's no coincidence. The police rule it a suicide, but Riley thinks someone's out for blood - specifically someone Jeff's father ripped off in one of the biggest financial fraud cases of all time. She suspects that someone is trying to send a message to Jeff's father: Tell me where the money is, or everyone you care about will die. Riley's in-laws might be billionaires, but she's afraid that not even their dirty money can protect her from an irate investor who will stop at nothing to get his hands on his misappropriated cash. Enter Finn Bradley, Philly-based FBI agent and Riley's love interest from way back when. Finn agrees to help Riley, and the two reignite sparks they both thought were extinguished long ago. But can they discover the killer's identity in time, before he resurfaces - and strikes again? Dubbed an "exceptional storyteller" by the Chicago Tribune and "one of the most popular voices in women's fiction" by Newsweek, Karen Robards' latest action-packed novel will keep you glued to the pages until the final, shocking conclusion.
©2014 Karen Robards (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
The Last Victim
Summary
Electrifying suspense, cutting-edge psychological insight, and an unforgettably sensuous love story - these are the trademarks of Karen Robards' sizzling novels. Now the New York Times best-selling author launches a red-hot new paranormal romantic thriller series featuring the fascinating Dr. Charlotte Stone, a serial killer expert whose extraordinary powers lead her from ecstasy to terror. Dr. Charlotte Stone sees what others do not. A sought-after expert in criminal pathology, Charlie regularly sits face-to-face with madmen. Obsessed with learning what makes human monsters commit terrible crimes, Charlie desires little else from life - no doubt because when she was 16, she herself survived a serial killer's bloodbath: A man butchered the family of Charlie's best friend, Holly, then left the girl's body on a seaside boardwalk one week later. Because of the information Charlie gave police, the Boardwalk Killer went underground. She kept to herself her eerie postmortem visions of Holly and her mother. And even years later, knowing her contact with ghosts might undermine her credibility as a psychological expert, Charlie tells no one about the visits she gets from the spirit world. Now all-too-handsome FBI agent Tony Bartoli is telling Charlie that a teenage girl is missing, her family slaughtered. Bartoli suspects that after 15 years, the Boardwalk Killer - or a sick copycat with his M.O. - is back. Time is running short for an innocent, kidnapped girl, and Bartoli pleads for Charlie's help. This is the one case Charlie shouldn't go near. But she also knows that she may be the one person in the world who can stop this vicious killer. For Charlie - whose good looks disguise a world of hurt, vulnerability, and potent psychic gifts - a frantic hunt for a madman soon becomes a complex test of cunning, passions, and secrets. Aiding Dr. Stone on her quest to catch a madman is a ghostly presence with bad intentions: the fiery spirit of seductive bad boy Michael Garland who refuses to be ignored, though in his cat and mouse game they may both lose their hearts. Dr. Charlotte Stone sees what others do not. And she sees the Boardwalk Killer coming for her.
©2012 Karen Robards (P)2012 Random House Audio
The Last Time I Saw Her
Summary
In the sizzling new novel from New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards, Dr. Charlie Stone must prove the innocence of a dangerously sexy condemned man, or lose her one chance at true love. In this world, Dr. Charlotte "Charlie" Stone skillfully probes the twisted minds of incarcerated serial killers to better understand what makes them tick, and to help nab those who remain at large. But in the next world, Charlotte's ghostly lover - convicted killer Michael Garland - is facing death yet again. It seem the only way Charlie can snatch Michael from the jaws of oblivion is by proving his innocence. And this dead man's dead ringer may just be the key. A mysterious stranger has turned up in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, and Charlie is shocked to realize he could be Michael Garland's identical twin. But she suspects the resemblance is only skin deep--and that behind the handsome face may lurk the perverse mind of a killer. While using all her keen profiling gifts, Charlie risks her life to discover the shocking secret that will clear Michael's name. Then a breakout at Wallens Ridge State Prison forces Charlie to contend with a sudden swarm of psychopaths bent on spilling blood. No one has a better chance of tracking down the deadly fugitives than Charlie - unless the rampaging killers manage to find her first and make this case her last. But Michael will move heaven and hell - and even make a devil's bargain - for the chance to save Charlie's life, and feel her touch once more...if only for the final time.
©2015 Karen Robards (P)2015 Random House Audio
Her Last Whisper
Summary
Readers and listeners who relish heated passion and chilling suspense love New York Times best-selling author Karen Robards's acclaimed novels featuring Dr. Charlotte "Charlie" Stone. A heroine with a keen mind for catching killers and a soft heart for bad boys, Charlie is back in this third sizzling paranormal romance thriller. Her last whisper Madness and murder invaded Dr. Charlotte Stone's life when she was just a girl - and made her a woman determined to save others from the horror she survived. An expert in the psychology of serial killers, she's faced down more than her share of human monsters. But Charlie can also communicate with the spirits of those who die violently, an extrasensory skill that has helped the FBI bring lethal predators to justice. Now, after narrowly escaping death a second time, Charlie's ready to step away from the edge - before her luck runs out. Too bad Charlie is too dedicated for her own good - and too devoted to federal agent Tony Bartoli to say no when he asks her to ride shotgun on yet another risky mission. Of course, she already has her hands full with Michael Garland: the handsome, roguish ghost with whom she's hopelessly in love - a spirit who depends on Charlie to keep him from slipping forever into the dark side of the afterlife. But in the mortal world, beautiful single women are vanishing from Las Vegas hotels at night. All signs indicate that a psychopath is on the prowl in Sin City, and Bartoli's FBI colleague Lena Kaminsky has reason to fear that her missing sister may be just the killer's type. In a town full of fast players and few rules, flushing out a smooth-talking stalker like the Cinderella Killer might be a loser's game. But for Charlie, the only way to cage her quarry is to plunge back into the homicidal hell she vowed to leave behind - and may not leave alive.
©2014 Karen Robards (P)2014 Random House Audio
The Last Kiss Goodbye
Summary
When New York Times best-selling author Karen Robards brought her irresistible brand of hot passion and chilling suspense to the paranormal romance scene with The Last Victim, it was just the beginning. Now her all-new series cranks up the deadly danger and intense desire to the next level, as sexy serial-killer hunter Charlotte Stone returns to action in her thrilling second adventure. Dr. Charlotte "Charlie" Stone has dedicated her career as a psychiatrist to exploring the darkest territory of all: the hearts and minds of serial killers. It’s a job she’s uniquely suited for, thanks to the secret talent that gives her an uncanny edge - Charlie can see dead people, whose tormented spirits cry out to her for the justice only she can provide. This blessing - or curse - gives Charlie the power to hunt down and catch madmen and murderers. It’s also turned her love life upside down by drawing her into a hopelessly passionate relationship with the lingering ghost of charismatic bad boy Michael Garland. But there’s little time for romance with her supernatural suitor when murder comes pounding at Charlie’s door in the form of a terrified young woman fleeing a homicidal maniac. Saving her life places Charlie squarely in the cross-hairs of a sadistic predator nicknamed "the Gingerbread Man", notorious for manipulating his victims like pawns in a deadly chess game. And now the queen this psychopath’s bent on capturing is Charlie. Refusal to play will only put more innocent lives in danger. Matching wits with this cunningly twisted opponent will require all of Charlie’s training and expert skills. But even with her devilish "guardian angel" - not to mention her favorite flesh-and-blood Fed, Tony Bartoli - watching her beautiful back, the Gingerbread Man’s horrifying grin might be the last thing Charlie ever sees.
©2013 Karen Robards (P)2013 Random House Audio
Paradise County
Summary
Shelby County is home to some of the finset horseflesh and bluest blood in Kentucky. With its rural beauty and tranquil lifestyle, it is easy to see why the locals call it Paradise County. But beneath the serene exterior lies a dark underside, and an evil that threatens everyone who touches it. Alexandra Haywood and her sister Neely have always loved Whistledown, the family's Shelby County horse farm. After their billionaire father's sudden and tragic death, Alex returns to find the family fortune in shambles, and Whistledown has to go. But Joe Welch, the sexy farm manager, refuses to cooperate. Sparks of rage give way to a fiery attraction when Joe and Alex meet head-on. But just as a volatile passion flares between them, the discovery of a shocking murder with ties to the past rocks the county - and cuts frighteningly close to home when Joe's son Eli and Neely disappear. Alex and Joe have only each other to rely on as they search frantically for their loved ones. What they don't know is that they are racing against time, too. Because the evil that lurks beneath the bucolic surface of Paradise County has once again raised its gruesome head - and now Alex is targeted as the next victim....
©2001 Karen Robards (P)2012 Simon & Schuster
Darkness
Summary
New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards continues her penchant for "fantastic storytelling" (RT Book Reviews) with this next heart-pumping romantic suspense novel, the tale of a brilliant ornithologist trapped on the remote Attu Island in Alaska, fighting for her life - and that of a handsome stranger - before they're swallowed up in darkness forever.
©2016 Karen Robards (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Shiver
Summary
If driving a piece-of-crap tow truck through the seediest part of town with a Smith & Wesson beside her means putting a roof over her son’s head, then Samantha Jones is going to be the best damn repo woman on the books. The streetwalkers, the drug pushers, the bands of looking-for-trouble punks haunting the mean streets at midnight don’t intimidate her. These are her people. The guy she finds bound and bloodied in the trunk of her latest conquest, a flashy new BMW, is a different breed entirely. Daniel Panterro was certain he was going to die. Instead, by a stroke of luck, he was beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead. But if he’s having a bad day, Sam’s day is about to get way worse. Danny knows he hasn’t seen the last of the vicious drug runners who kidnapped him from protective custody. His only recourse is to take his pretty savior hostage and force her to help him. There’s no going back for Sam and her four-year-old son, Tyler. They’re in way too deep. With ruthless killers stalking their trail, Sam’s only choice is to trust this handsome, menacing stranger. But as she relinquishes control, Sam feels an unmistakable desire. Could she be tempted by Danny, who seems intent on protecting her and Tyler from even his own darkest secrets? And what is the price of falling in love with a man who operates on the edge of danger — her heart, her life... or both?
©2012 Karen Robards (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Island Flame
Summary
Dear Listener, It is difficult for an author to choose a favorite from among her own books, especially when she has been lucky enough - as I have - to make a career out of doing what she loves. But some stories are memorable because they mark an important milestone in an author’s life, and for me, perhaps none is more special than Island Flame - my very first book. I was thrilled when it was published, and now, more than thirty years later, I am just as excited to share it again with you. Island Flame is a classic tale of romance on the high seas, featuring two extraordinary characters: the headstrong Lady Catherine Aldley and the legendary pirate Jonathan Hale. I don’t have to tell you that their tumultuous escapade sizzles with passion (lots of passion!), but what I hope you will take away most from Cathy and Jonathan is that dreams do come true - in love and in life. Mine did, and I hope yours will too. I look forward to sharing many more adventures together in the future. Enjoy! Karen Robards
©2012 Karen Robards (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Hunted
Summary
'Twas the night before Christmas…and dozens of rich, influential hostages are trapped inside a sprawling lakefront mansion in New Orleans. The perp? Detective Reed Ware, model cop turned outlaw. After receiving a panicked call from Hollis "Holly" Bayard, a teenage street tough with a penchant for amateur sleuthing who stumbles upon the scene of a drug-deal-turned-murder, Ware finds his and his friend's lives in dire danger. The crime Holly witnessed could be the biggest police cover-up this side of New Orleans - and no one's talking. Driven to desperate measures to uncover the truth, Ware stages a coup at a Christmas party for the New Orleans elite, including the mayor, the council chairman, the sheriff, and the superintendent of police, who just happens to be hostage negotiator Caroline Wallace's estranged father. Cool, calm, controlled. That's Caroline's reputation. But when she's brought in to talk Ware off the proverbial ledge, she realizes no amount of false promises is going to placate this man, who looks even hotter than he did years ago when 17-year-old Caroline tried to seduce him. It was his duty to protect her family then. Now it's her turn…if she can think fast enough over the pounding of her heart. When Caroline becomes wrapped up in the drama, it's clear the sizzling tension she shared with Ware never let up. And the harder she tries to defuse the situation, the more she begins to wonder whose side she's really on.
©2013 Karen Robards (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Irresistible
Summary
Claire Banning fulfilled every debutante’s dream when she married the heir to a dukedom - only to discover he was a dissolute wastrel. Then a dark and dangerous nobleman abducts her on a journey home, and Claire’s life - and her heart - are changed forever.
Hugh Battancourt refuses to be swayed by his prisoner’s beauty. He must intercept a letter full of secrets she intends to turn over to the enemy. But soon their battle of wills sparks an irresistible attraction. Is it possible that Claire could discover the true meaning of love with this handsome stranger? One who will stop at nothing to protect her from someone who is intent on placing Claire in the path of danger?
©2002 Karen Robards (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
To Trust a Stranger
Summary
SUSPICION. It burned through every nerve and fiber of Julie Carlson - the heartbreaking, infuriating suspicion that her husband was having an affair. To the rest of the world, Sid Carlson was a wealthy contractor with friends in highly influential places. But to Julie, he was a man who had cheated on their marriage vow. Heartbroken by her husband, Julie turns to a handsome stranger. Mac McQuarry knew better than to mix women and work. And he had enough trouble of his own: The disgraced former cop had been demoted after an explosive shakedown of the Charleston police department. But when Julie Carlson hires him, Mac can't resist. Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous, but her husband was a player in Mac's inglorious downfall. But what begins as a run-of-the-mill assignment spiced by a fiery flirtation suddenly spirals into a harrowing race for survival. Tracking the Carlsons' car down a lonely road one night, Mac witnesses an incredible hit that targeted Julie. Suddenly Mac and Julie have become the hunted. With the mob and the police in hot pursuit, they can rely only on each other as they crash their way through a maze of buried secrets and deadly deceptions.
©2002 Karen Robards (P)2012 Simon & Schuster
Heartbreaker
Summary
While vacationing in Utah’s mountain wilderness, Lynn Nelson suddenly finds herself having to deal with her teenage daughter Rory’s raging hormones. The object of Rory’s passion is their guide, drop-dead gorgeous Jess Feldman, a man the divorced Lynn instinctively distrusts, even as she shields herself from his blazing baby blues. But after Lynn and Rory fall off a cliff of sheared rock, Jess becomes their only hope. Risking his life, he navigates them through the impenetrable forest thousands of feet below, unwittingly plunging them into a danger more menacing than they could have imagined. Exhausted and injured, all they have is one another - a terrified child, and a man and a woman who rediscover passion in each other’s arms - as they race against time for their lives.
©1997 by Karen Robards (P)1998 by Blackstone Publishing
Obsession
Summary
Katharine Lawrence has no idea what hit her. The attack came out of nowhere. Only hours earlier she had been enjoying a girls-only weekend with an old college friend. Now she finds herself lying bound and gagged on her kitchen floor, staring with terrified eyes at her friend Lisa while two masked gunmen search her house for - what? She doesn't know. She knows only that, unless they can escape, whatever it is they are searching for could end up getting both her and Lisa killed. But Katharine's nightmare is just beginning. When she awakens in the hospital, her nose crushed, her body battered, her brain tells her that things aren't right - and it's not the attack that's disorienting her. She doesn't recognize herself when she looks in the mirror: her slim body, her manicured hands, her blond bob. And the smiling, handsome doctor at her bedside - Dr. Dan Howard - is familiar, but in a totally unfamiliar way. Perhaps the trauma of the attempt on her life has given her some kind of weird amnesia. She's twenty-nine, the special assistant to the head of the CIA, and she's lucky to be alive. She also knows she can trust no one. Acting on instinct, Katharine runs for her life, with Dan, her newfound protector, at her side. By turns grateful and unnerved by his presence, and unable to shake a feeling of profound dread, she allows him to spirit her to a secluded safe house. Instead of finding a haven, they stumble into a tangled web of government conspiracy, and Katharine is left confused, frightened, and desperate to uncover the truth. As the pair is drawn further into this shadowy world where almost nothing is as it seems, as fear gives way to a firestorm of attraction, the cat-and-mouse game grows more deadly, and soon both their lives are at stake.
Public Domain (P)2007 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
One Summer
Summary
Johnny Harris is home again, his too-tight jeans and damn-your-eyes belligerence honed to perfection by a ten-year stretch in federal prison for murder. Now he’s out on parole and ready for the job Rachel Grant has promised him to help him begin a new life. Unlike the rest of the town, Rachel has always believed in her former student’s innocence. But one thing has changed. The sullenly handsome boy she remembers is still sullen, still handsome - but no longer a boy. And now the small Kentucky town is alive with gossip and whispers of a scandal, as friendship turns to passion and Rachel abandons a lifetime of propriety in the ex-con’s arms. Then the killer strikes again. All evidence points to Johnny Harris, but Rachel knows he is innocent. And she knows she is next - as a shattering truth is uncovered and dark passions explode in the relentless summer heat.
©2014 Karen Robards (P)2014 Blackstone Audiobooks
Shameless
Summary
Lady Elizabeth, the youngest and most headstrong of the three Banning sisters, has been engaged three times, and has most scandalously broken off all three engagements. Her fear of becoming any man’s property has kept her from marriage and earned her a reputation in the town as a heartbreaking flirt.Neil Severin is a wicked rogue, black of heart and black of reputation. A man of no morals, devoid of compassion, he is a government-sanctioned assassin. And his newest target is a man Beth holds dear. When the flame-haired beauty thwarts his plan, Neil exacts his own brand of spicy revenge.Beth despises him. Neil doesn’t care. But circumstances most unexpectedly throw them together, and with Beth’s life in danger, Neil finds himself in the unexpected role of hero, racing to save her before it’s too late.What he never expects is the twist fate hands him: instead of his saving her, Beth winds up saving him. In a fight for their lives, Neil and Beth travel the British countryside, fleeing the ruthless killers out for Neil’s blood, the men after Beth, and their growing attraction to each other. Can Neil forgive himself for his past and accept Beth’s love? Can Beth overcome her fear and trust Neil? Will she have to choose between him and her family? And most important, can they both survive long enough to begin a new life together?
©2010 Karen Robards (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Recorded by arrangement with Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster