Josh, who has just moved to Vermont with his mother, stepfather, and new baby brother, must deal with the bullying of a neighbor boy and discovers that his dog, whom he hears talking with other dogs, is also facing a bully of his own.

When Claire Barclay receives news that her beloved stepfather has had a stroke, Claire and her husband, Art, leave New York and fly back to Scotland to care for him during the summer. When their visit makes clear that Leo is no longer capable of living on his own but determined to stay in his beloved old house, they offer to purchase the place from Leo and build him a cottage on the property. But Claire's old flame Jonas Fairwether (who has become...

"The signs are everywhere, acccording to Jory's stepfather, Caleb. The end is coming, and they must be prepared. School is Jory's only escape from Caleb's tight grasp, and with the help of new friends, he begins to explore a world beyond his family's desert ranch"--

When David Copperfield's widowed mother remarries, David suffers from his stepfather's abuse. At age 8, David is sent away to a harsh school where the principal routinely beats the students. David's circumstances become even worse when he is removed from school and, at age 10, forced to labor from morning to night in a London warehouse. David then decides to take desperate action. He will run away to his great-aunt, who lives in Dover. Having never...

Once, Abrielle was a privileged daughter coveted for her bearing, her breeding, her wit, and her beauty. But when her stepfather is denied his rightful title and the wealth that accompanies it, Abrielle finds herself suddenly disgraced. Only one man would still have her: the oafish and grotesque Desmond de Marlé. To rescue her once-proud family's honor, Abrielle must sacrifice her virtue to this scoundrel she fears and detests . . . even as she yearns...

They're having a baby, but will it save their marriage...? Find out in this steamy romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Dani Collins. A good Greek marriage needs an heir Only this baby comes at a price! Sasha married billionaire Rafael Zamos to escape her stepfather's control. But is the gilded cage of her convenient union any better? Lost within their marital facade, Sasha fiercely protects her heart while surrendering to her husband's intoxicating...

Nate and his mother are escaping from his emotionally abusive step-father, Gary, but the run-down and abandoned cottage in the woods that his mother takes them to does not seem like much of a refuge; but when his mother goes off to buy provisions and does not come back Nate is left alone (except for his imaginary friend Sam) and afraid--until a mysterious girl trying to solve the clues of a long-ago treasure hunt turns up.

This spellbinding tale takes readers to a sinister, magical, and war-torn world filled with richly drawn characters like trickster fauns, murderous soldiers, child-eating monsters, courageous rebels, and a long-lost princess hoping to be reunited with her family. Spanish Civil War. Ofelia and her pregnant mother, Carmen, have come to live with her mother's new husband in a forest north of Spain. Ofelia is afraid of her new stepfather, whom she has...

After moving with their widowed mother to the home in the woods near Concord, Wisconsin, nine-year-old Caroline Quiner, who grows up to become the mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and her brothers and sisters try to adjust to their new neighborhood and new stepfather.

"When Josh's longtime partner, Grace, dies in a tragic accident, he is left with a mess of grief -and full custody of her seven-year-old son, Logan. While not his biological father, Josh has been a dad to Logan in every way that counts, and with Grace gone, Logan needs him more than ever. Wanting to do right by Logan, Josh begins the process of becoming his legal guardian -something that seems suddenly urgent, though Grace always brushed it off as...