Showing results by narrator "Lucy Rayner" in All Categories

Angus Stuart is more used to managing boardrooms than castles, but when his father dies he finds himself thrust into an unfamiliar world. Returning home, he intends to sell the estate as quickly as possible. However, with Christmas around the corner, fate has other plans…Showing up on his doorstep, Australian chef Holly McIntosh is bursting with festive cheer. But she's desperate for a job, and she's not taking no for an answer! Not usually one for taking a risk, Angus offers her a temporary position. But if anyone can melt this brooding Earl's heart this winter, it's Holly!

1326 was one of the most dramatic years in English history. The queen of England, Isabella of France, invaded the country with an army of mercenaries to destroy her husband's powerful and detested lover, Hugh Despenser the Younger, and brought down her husband, King Edward II, in the process.

When Mab and Nessa's mother died and their father disappeared to New Zealand, their lives changed forever. But the loss of their parents wasn’t the only thing that cast a shadow over their childhood… Twenty years later, when Mab and Nessa receive the news of their estranged father’s death, it stirs up a storm of long-buried memories and emotions.

Darcy Drummond was four when she was kidnapped on a crowded beach. A massive police search and media frenzy followed but the girl was never found. Most people gave Darcy up for dead. Or worse.

No one had heard from Janet Livingston’s brother in years. The world-famous missionary and explorer had captured the imagination of millions with his book about his travels through the Colonial British Empire … but then he simply vanished. So, when Janet received a cryptic message from Africa, along with a necklace their father gave him, she knew he was still alive and needed her help. But a woman traveling alone to the farthest corners of the Empire was simply out of the question.

Ven has her future all planned out. Her dance group is going places and so is she . . . Then she collapses. On stage. In hospital, Ven discovers that she has a medical condition—one that threatens to ruin everything. No more dancing . . . walking is challenging enough. But she doesn't want your pity. Ven is determined to have a big, exciting life. Sure, her future might be different, but it's not over . . . Because if you can't dance, you can always sing!

Epic poetry and tragic drama provide us with some of the richest ancient Greek depictions of women who are married to soldiers. In tales of the Trojan War, as told by Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, we encounter these mythical warriors' wives: Penelope, isolated but resourceful as she awaits the return of Odysseus after his lengthy absence; the war widow Andromache, enslaved and displaced from her homeland after the fall of Troy; the unfaithful and murderous Clytemnestra; and Tecmessa, a war captive who witnesses her partner's breakdown and suicide in the aftermath of battle.

Ryszard loves Saxonia and desires to save the kingdom from the evil king. The miller's daughter, Galiana Mueller, agrees to help expose the king's terrible, selfish ways. As Ryszard spins gold for her to tempt the king with, he cannot help falling in love with her himself. The king soon demands Galiana's hand, wishing for more straw-spun-gold, more wealth, and more power. As he becomes corrupt entirely, Ryszard must utilize a power stronger than his magic, that of love or perhaps hope.

The kingdom knows their princess as Snow White, but the Queen Francesia, her stepmother, sees her for what she truly is, a monster. None other than the queen can see beyond the illusion of beauty. None see that she appears to be bone and ashes. No one else realizes that the child drinks blood and even kills. As the child grows, so does her thirst. Francesia knows she must stop Bone Ash, lest the princess devastate the entire realm. One will be the harbinger of the other's death, but who will survive?

A terrifying monster of a beast has captured Gervais's lady love, and he will stop at nothing to save his beauty. Posing as a gardener, the brave and strong Gervais attempts to study the beast that he longs to kill. Isabelle Mercier is the only woman he has ever cared for. When he sneaks his way inside the castle, Isabelle refuses to come with him. Could she have fallen for the beast? Is it too late for Gervais to save her?

At only sixteen years of age, she is a beautiful terror, with her wavy blond locks and her shockingly violet eyes. Her skin is as fair as she is foul. Only I can stop her. Only I dare to rise up against her, for the sake of a kingdom that is not my own. Others may scorn me for interfering, but interfere I must. I will not allow this exquisite monster to harm more than she already has. Some might call me the monster, but I? I know the truth, and I will not hesitate to do what I must.

Cinderella's powers will destroy the Kingdom of Fantasia, and the only one who can save the kingdom is her "wicked" stepmother. Lady Angelique puts her second husband to rest, then tries to do right by her step-daughter Eleonore, but when Eleonore's mystical abilities put Angelique's own daughters' lives at risk, she makes the difficult decision to lock the girl in the tower to keep the family safe.

The essential self-help guide to living in Ancient Rome, covering all areas of everyday life in this ancient civilization, from religious beliefs and travel through to what to wear.

Detective Erin Crane is assigned to the investigation into sixteen-year-old Sophie Madson's murder along with her partner, detective Tom Radley. Over the years, they've formed a close professional bond built on mutual trust and a shared contempt for the unscrupulous head of the anti-corruption team, Walker. This case will prove a bigger test of their relationship than either of them could ever have imagined. During the investigation, Tom discovers Erin's biggest secret: that she put a man in prison under false evidence.