Bahni Turpin has narrated 249 audiobooks on Listento.it by 241 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 7,522 ratings. The most-rated is The Hate U Give.
The Lady Upstairs
Summary
"A racy and hard-to-put-down piece of neo-noir." (Washington Post) A modern-day noir featuring a twisty cat-and-mouse chase, this dark debut thriller tells the story of a woman who makes a living taking down terrible men...then finds herself in over her head and with blood on her hands. The only way out? Pull off one final con. Jo's job is blackmailing the most lecherous men in Los Angeles - handsy Hollywood producers, adulterous actors, corrupt cops. Sure, she likes the money she's making, which comes in handy for the debt she is paying off, but it's also a chance to take back power for the women of the city. Eager to prove herself to her coworker Lou and their enigmatic boss, known only as the Lady Upstairs, Jo takes on bigger and riskier jobs. When one of her targets is murdered, both the Lady Upstairs and the LAPD have Jo in their sights. Desperate to escape the consequences of her failed job, she decides to take on just one more sting - bringing down a rising political star. It's her biggest con yet - and she will do it behind the Lady's back, freeing both herself and Lou. But Jo soon learns that Lou and the Lady have secrets of their own, and that no woman is safe when there is a life-changing payout on the line. A delicious debut thriller crackling with wit and an unforgettable feminist voice, The Lady Upstairs is a chilling and endlessly surprising take on female revenge.
©2020 Halley Sutton (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Just Too Good to Be True
Summary
Harris serves up a treat that will capture and enchant audiences everywhere - a big, bold, and irresistible novel about football, family, and secrets. Brady Bledsoe and his mother, Carmyn, have a strong relationship. A single mother, faithful churchgoer, and the owner of several successful Atlanta beauty salons, Carmyn has devoted herself to her son and his dream of becoming a professional football player. Brady has always followed her lead, including becoming a member of the church's "Celibacy Circle". Now in his senior year at college, the smart, and very handsome Brady is a lead contender for the Heisman Trophy and a spot in the NFL. As sports agents hover around Brady, Barrett, a beautiful and charming cheerleader, sets her mind on tempting the celibate Brady and getting a piece of his multimillion-dollar future - but is that all she wants from him, and is she acting alone? Carmyn is determined to protect her son. She's also determined to protect the secret she's kept from Brady his whole life. As things heat up on campus and Carmyn and Brady's idyllic relationship starts to crumble, mother and son begin to wonder about the other - are you just too good to be true? A sweeping novel about mothers and sons, football and beauty shops, secrets and lies, Just Too Good to Be True has all the ingredients that have made E. Lynn Harris a best-selling author: family, friendship, faith, and love.
©2008 E. Lynn Harris (P)2008 Random House, Inc.
Death in Zanzibar
Summary
From one of our most beloved and renowned authors, here is a new edition of this classic masterpiece of mystery and romance. Dany Ashton is invited to vacation at her stepfather's house in Zanzibar, but even before her airplane takes off there is a stolen passport, a midnight intruder - and murder. In Zanizbar, the family house is Kivulimi, the mysterious "House of Shade", where Dany and the rest of the guests learn that one of them is a desperate killer. The air of freedom and nonchalance that opened the house party fades into growing terror, as the threat of futher violence flowers in the scented air of Zanzibar. Richly evocative, Death in Zanzibar will charm longtime fans and introduce new ones to this celebrated writer.
©1959, 1983 M.M. Kaye (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
The Sacrifice
Summary
New York Times best-selling author Joyce Carol Oates returns with an incendiary novel that illuminates the tragic impact of sexual violence, racism, brutality, and power on innocent lives and probes the persistence of stereotypes, the nature of revenge, the complexities of truth, and our insatiable hunger for sensationalism. When a 14-year-old girl is the alleged victim of a terrible act of racial violence, the incident shocks and galvanizes her community, exacerbating the racial tension that has been simmering in this New Jersey town for decades. In this magisterial work of fiction, Joyce Carol Oates explores the uneasy fault lines in a racially troubled society. In such a tense, charged atmosphere, Oates reveals that there must always be a sacrifice - of innocence, truth, trust, and, ultimately, of lives. Unfolding in a succession of multiracial voices, in a community transfixed by this alleged crime and the spectacle unfolding around it, this profound novel exposes what - and who - the "sacrifice" actually is, and what consequences these kinds of events hold for us all. Working at the height of her powers, Oates offers a sympathetic portrait of the young girl and her mother, and challenges our expectations and beliefs about our society, our biases, and ourselves. As the chorus of its voices - from the police to the media to the victim and her family - reaches a crescendo, The Sacrifice offers a shocking new understanding of power and oppression, innocence and guilt, truth and sensationalism, justice and retribution. A chilling exploration of complex social, political, and moral themes - the enduring trauma of the past, modern racial and class tensions, the power of secrets, and the primal decisions we all make to protect those we love - The Sacrifice is a major work of fiction from one of our most revered literary masters.
©2015 Joyce Carol Oates (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers
The House Girl
Summary
Two remarkable women, separated by more than a century, whose lives unexpectedly intertwine.... The year is 2004: Lina Sparrow is an ambitious young lawyer working on a historic class-action lawsuit seeking reparations for the descendants of American slaves. The year is 1852: Josephine is a 17-year-old house slave who tends to the mistress of a Virginia tobacco farm - an aspiring artist named Lu Anne Bell. It is through her father, renowned artist Oscar Sparrow, that Lina discovers a controversy rocking the art world: Art historians now suspect that the revered paintings of Lu Anne Bell, an antebellum artist known for her humanizing portraits of the slaves who worked her Virginia tobacco farm, were actually the work of her house slave, Josephine. A descendant of Josephine's would be the perfect face for the lawsuit - if Lina can find one. But nothing is known about Josephine's fate following Lu Anne Bell's death in 1852. In piecing together Josephine's story, Lina embarks on a journey that will lead her to question her own life, including the full story of her mother's mysterious death 20 years before. Alternating between antebellum Virginia and modern-day New York, this searing tale of art and history, love, and secrets explores what it means to repair a wrong, and asks whether truth can be more important than justice.
©2013 Tara Conklin (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers
Love, Creekwood
Summary
New York Times best seller Fall in love all over again with the characters from the best-selling Simonverse novels in this highly anticipated epilogue novella. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli, the movie Love, Simon, and the new Hulu series spin-off Love, Victor! It’s been more than a year since Simon and Blue turned their anonymous online flirtation into an IRL relationship and just a few months since Abby and Leah’s unforgettable night at senior prom. Now the Creekwood High crew are first-years at different colleges, navigating friendship and romance the way their story began - on email.
©2020 Becky Albertalli (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers
Alien's Primal Bond
Summary
The only way to save her is to claim her for himself. The Ulkar are the stuff of nightmares, and they want to do much worse to Ellie than kill her. They want to breed her. Kula is sent to save her. He’s an Aparan warrior, the only race in the galaxy strong enough to fight the Ulkar. He swears to die protecting her, but there’s only one way to save her: The Ulkar will not breed with a woman who has already been claimed, so Kula will have to do it first. Aparans cannot breed with an unwilling mate. It goes against every fiber of their being. Ellie is nervous, but she’s drawn to the powerful alien warrior. She tells herself she’s doing what she must to survive...even if she enjoys it. Ellie may have been willing to sleep with Kula just one time, but what she didn’t know is that Aparans mate for life. Now he’s abducted her, and he’s calling her his Muru. Will she convince him to let her go, or is being bonded to the dominant alien warrior exactly what she always needed? Alien's Primal Bond is a full-length, stand-alone alien sci-fi romance. It features a possessive alpha alien in intense, steamy scenes with his human mate. There are no cliff-hangers or cheating, and a happily ever after is guaranteed!
©2020 Darkstar Press (P)2020 Darkstar Press
Money Never Sleeps
Summary
The bling is brighter, the drama is amped up, and the delicious beauties from Tu-Shonda L. Whitaker’s Millionaire Wives Club are back for a second season of backstabbing, divorce parties, and family sagas. Lights, camera, action! Milan, Jaise, and Chaunci are the gorgeous, high-rolling divas starring in the hit reality show Millionaire Wives Club. As they struggle with love, lies, lust, and the pressures of sudden fame, their friendships turn into catfights that keep the cameras following all their malicious moves. Milan is finally engaged to Kendu, the man of her dreams, and though things look perfect on the outside, distrust and jealousy are crumbling their romance. Jaise has found the love she so desperately craves, but her son, Jabril, remains the No. 1 man in her life - for better or for worse. And Chaunci, the independent, single mom who doesn’t feel she needs a man, is contemplating taking the plunge into a deep love affair - but will the man she chooses have room in his life for her? Add to this crafty cast Vera, a venomous new vixen who plays the game better than any of them, and you’ve got a season even more scintillating than the last. <
©2011 Tu-Shonda Whitaker (P)2011 Random House Audio
A Pocket for Corduroy
Summary
The year 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of Corduroy, Don Freeman's story of a beloved teddy bear and his friend Lisa that has sold millions of copies and delighted children all over the world. In this sequel to Corduroy, Lisa takes her toy bear to a laundromat, where he goes on a soapy adventure!
©1978 Don Freeman (P)2021 Listening Library
Pinned
Summary
Award-winning author Sharon G. Flake presents a powerful novel about a teen boy and girl, each tackling disabilities. Autumn and Adonis have nothing in common and everything in common. Autumn is outgoing and has lots of friends. Adonis is shy and not so eager to connect with people. But even with their differences, the two have one thing in common - they're each dealing with a handicap. For Autumn, who has a learning disability, reading is a painful struggle that makes it hard to focus in class. But as her school’s most aggressive team wrestler, Autumn can take down any problem. Adonis is confined to a wheelchair. He has no legs. He can't walk or dance. But he’s a strong reader who loves books. Even so, Adonis has a secret he knows someone like Autumn can heal. In time, Autumn and Adonis are forced to see that our greatest weaknesses can turn into the assets that forever change us and those we love. Told in alternating voices, Pinned explores issues of self-discovery, friendship, and what it means to be different.
©2012 Listening Library; 2012 Sharon Flake
Red Island House
Summary
From National Book Award nominated writer Andrea Lee comes a gorgeously evocative epic about love, clashing cultures, and identity, set in the tropical African island nation of Madagascar. “People do mysterious things when they think they’ve found paradise,” reflects Shay, the heroine of Red Island House. When Shay, a Black-American professor who’s always had an adventurous streak, marries Senna, an Italian businessman, she doesn’t imagine that her life’s greatest adventure will carry her far beyond their home in Milan to an idyllic stretch of beach in Madagascar, where Senna builds a flamboyant vacation villa. Before she knows it, Shay has become the somewhat reluctant mistress of a sprawling household, caught between her privileged American upbringing and her connection to the continent of her ancestors. At first, she’s content to be an observer of the passionate affairs and fierce rivalries around her, but over 20 tumultuous years of marriage, as she and Senna raise children and establish their own rituals at the house, Shay finds herself drawn ever deeper into a place where a blend of magic, sexual intrigue, and transgression forms a modern-day parable of colonial conquest. Soon the collision of cultures comes right to Shay’s door, forcing her to make a life-altering decision that will change her and Senna’s lives forever. A captivating, powerful, and profoundly moving novel about marriage and loyalty, identity, and freedom, Red Island House showcases an extraordinary literary voice and an extravagantly lush, enchanted world.
©2021 Andrea N. Lee. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
Things I'll Never Say
Summary
Fifteen top young-adult authors let us in on some provocative secrets in this fascinating collection of short fiction that will have listeners talking. A baby no one knows about. A dangerous hidden identity. Hookups that are off-limits. A parent whose problems your friends won't understand. Everyone keeps secrets - from themselves, from their families, from their friends - and secrets have a habit of shaping lives around them. Acclaimed author Ann Angel brings together some of today's most gifted YA authors as they explore unique perspectives on secrets in genres as diverse as the writers themselves: Do they make you stronger or weaker? Do they alter your world when revealed? Do they compartmentalize your life into what you're willing to share and what you aren't? The one thing these stories have in common is how they reveal the characters' secret selves buried underneath - whether they want them to be shared or not. With stories by: Ann Angel, Kerry Cohen, Louise Hawes, Varian Johnson, Erica L. Kaufman, Ron Koertge, E. M. Kokie, Chris Lynch, Kekla Magoon, Zoë Marriott, Katy Moran, J. L. Powers, Mary Ann Rodman, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Ellen Wittlinger. The full copyright information can be found below: Compilation and introduction copyright © 2015 by Ann Angel, original book published by Candlewick Press. P 2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. “The We-Are-Like-Everybody-Else Game” © 2015 by Ellen Wittlinger. “Cupid’s Beaux” © 2015 by Cynthia Leitich Smith. “Partial Reinforcement” © 2015 by Kerry Cohen. “When We Were Wild” © 2015 by Louise Hawes. “Lucky Buoy” © 2015 by Chris Lynch. “For a Moment, Underground” © 2015 by Kekla Magoon. “Storm Clouds Fleeing from the Wind” © 2015 by Zoë Marriott. “Choices” © 2015 by Mary Ann Rodman. “Quick Change” © 2015 by E. M. Kokie. “Call Me!” © 2015 by Ron Koertge. “A Crossroads” © 2015 by J. L. Powers. “Little Wolf and the Iron Pin” © 2015 by Katy Moran. “Three-Four Time” © 2015 by erica l. kaufman. “We Were Together” © 2015 by Ann Angel. “A Thousand Words” © 2015 by Varian Johnson.
©2015 Compilation and introduction by Ann Angel, original book published by Candlewick Press. (P)2015 Brilliance Audio
Bold and Blessed
Summary
In her first ever book, Trinitee Stokes - best known as Judy Cooper from Disney Channel's K.C. Undercover - features Trinitee's answers to real fans about friends, faith, and fame, empowering girls and boys to embrace that their big dreams are valuable, worth chasing, and within reach! Trinitee Stokes is an actress, singer, inspirational speaker, and fashion designer who knows how hard it can be to not back down in the face of peer pressure, choose friends who will have your back and treat you right, and discover your own unique talents...all while following your dreams! Since she began entertaining at the age of three, Trinitee has faced her share of pressure and obstacles on the stage of life and in the world of social media, handling each of them with courage and charm. In this audio, she'll help you do the same on your journey to stay true to yourself and stand out from the crowd. Bold and Blessed: Is the first book by actress, singer, inspirational speaker, and fashion designer Trinitee Stokes - best known as Judy Cooper from Disney Channel's hit show, K.C. Undercover Includes pictures from Trinitee's childhood to now Encourages boys and girls to use Trinitee's ups and downs as encouragement in their own lives that their big dreams are within reach Features Trinitee's answers to real fans about friends, faith, and fame Is a perfect gift for listeners eight and up PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2018 Trinitee Stokes (P)2018 Zondervan
Happy Holidays, Jessi
Summary
Jessi's Christmas and Kwanzaa seasons are overshadowed by a car accident in which Jessi's baby brother, Squirt, is injured, and the difficult time proves challenging to her family's holiday spirit.
©1996 Ann M. Martin (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
Pieces and Players
Summary
From the New York Times best-selling author of Chasing Vermeer and Hold Fast the Pieces. Thirteen extremely valuable pieces of art have been stolen from one of the most secretive museums in the world. A Vermeer has vanished. A Manet is missing. And nobody has any idea where they and the other eleven artworks might be...or who might have stolen them. The Players - Calder, Petra, and Tommy - are no strangers to heists and puzzles. Now they've been matched with two new sleuths - Zoomy, a very small boy with very thick glasses, and Early, a girl who treasures words...and has a word or two to say about the missing treasure. The kids have been drawn in by the very mysterious Mrs. Sharpe, who may be playing her own kind of game with the clues. And it's not just Mrs. Sharpe who's acting suspiciously - there's a ghost who mingles with the guards in the museum, a cat who acts like a spy, and bystanders in black jackets who keep popping up. With pieces and players, you have all the ingredients for a fantastic mystery from the amazing Blue Balliett.
©2015 Blue Balliett (P)2015 Scholastic Inc.
The Other Half of My Heart
Summary
The close relationship of a pair of biracial twins is tested when their grandmother enters them in a pageant for African American girls in this new story from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner Sundee T. Frazier. When Minerva and Keira King were born, they made headlines: Keira is black like Mama, but Minni is white like Daddy. Together the family might look like part of a chessboard row, but they are first and foremost the close-knit Kings. Then Grandmother Johnson calls, to invite the twins down South to compete for the title of Miss Black Pearl Preteen of America. Minni dreads the spotlight, but Keira assures her that together they'll get through their stay with Grandmother Johnson. But when grandmother's bias against Keira reveals itself, Keira pulls away from her twin. Minni has always believed that no matter how different she and Keira are, they share a deep bond of the heart. Now she'll find out the truth. From the Hardcover edition.
©2011 Sundee T. Frazier (P)2011 Listening Library
Case for Loving
Summary
This is the story of one brave family: Mildred Loving, Richard Perry Loving, and their three children. It is the story of how Mildred and Richard fell in love, and got married in Washington, DC. But when they moved back to their hometown of Virginia, they were arrested (in dramatic fashion) for violating that state's laws against interracial marriage. The Lovings refused to allow their children to get the message that their parents' love was wrong, and so they fought the unfair law, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court - and won!
©2015 Scholastic Inc (P)2019 Weston Woods Studios Inc
Paper Gods
Summary
The mayor of Atlanta and a washed-up reporter investigate a series of assassinations and uncover a conspiracy that reaches into the heart of the city's political machine. Mayor Victoria Dobbs Overstreet is a Harvard-trained attorney and Spelman alum, married to a celebrated heart surgeon, mother to beautiful twin girls, and a political genius. When her mentor, ally, and friend Congressman Ezra Hawkins is gunned down in Ebenezer Baptist Church, Victoria finds a strange piece of origami - a “paper god” - tucked inside his Bible. These paper gods turn up again and again, always after someone is killed. Someone is terrorizing those who are close to Mayor Dobbs, and she can't shake the feeling that the killer is close to her, too.
©2018 Goldie Taylor (P)2018 Macmillan Audio
Back Channel
Summary
October, 1962, in Cuba: Soviet ships off-load what intelligence reveals to be nuclear missiles. In Washington, President Kennedy and his advisers are in furious debate over how long they can wait to discover what the Soviets intend before dropping the first bomb. And, in Ithaca, New York, Margo Jensen - a 19-year-old Cornell sophomore - is swept up in a bizarre concatenation of circumstances that will make of her the back-channel liaison between Soviet Premier Khrushchev and Kennedy. Events unfold too quickly for her even to ask, Why me? But the stunning answer is revealed bit by bit as she is drawn ever more deeply into the crossfire of infighting between governmental agencies; into desperate negotiations to avoid nuclear war; and into the secrets of the extraordinary legacy she inherited from the father she never knew.
©2014 Stephen L. Carter (P)2014 Dreamscape Media, LLC
Ghetto Superstar
Summary
The reigning queen of hip-hop lit, Nikki Turner, takes on the music biz in this tale of a young woman who risks everything to be a superstar. Fabiola Mays was born to sing. She has a voice like honey and a body to match, but one heartbreaking setback after another threatens to derail her dreams of a recording deal. To make matters worse, it's Christmastime, rent is past due, and the cops intend to kick her tight-knit family to the curb - until a small-town gangster comes to the rescue and offers them a place to stay. Years pass, and Fabiola continues to play gigs and travel around the country hoping for another shot at fame. She's long forgotten the gangster named Casino who bailed out her family once upon a time. But when Casino is shot, Fabiola feels that she must help the man who helped her family during their lowest point. As Fabiola climbs the ladder of success, she is pulled between the spotlight and the street, trying to resist industry moguls who find the allure of fresh meat irresistible and the thugs from the shadowy side of the ghetto who threaten to keep her close.
©2009 One World/Baltimore (P)2009 Random Hosue Audio