Showing results by narrator "Julia Barrie" in All Categories

It is 1718 and, in a small parish near Newcastle, Eliza Tally, a headstrong girl of 16, embarks on a reckless love affair that will prove her undoing. When her lover casts her off, denying their union, she is forced to travel to London, a city that attracts and alarms her in equal measure. There, she takes up a position in the house of an apothecary, Grayson Black, whom she trusts to salvage what remains of her reputation.

Why is Rosamund so paralyzed by Tyler and his secrets?The whole world was once in love with her. Now, married to the dangerously charismatic Tyler, estranged from her conservationist father, despairing of her teenage son's silences, she feels completely alone. Revisiting the almost forgotten world of her Indian childhood may help, but can her family survive the changes she must make to save herself? Ruth Padel, acclaimed for her brilliant nature writing, has set her captivating debut novel in London, Devon and the jungles of India. But at its heart is a family in crisis.

Felicity Clairemont has come to Spain to claim her inheritance. Unfortunately that means spending time with the Duque Vidal y Salvadores - and the darkly handsome Spaniard has always made it plain how little he thinks of her. The last time Vidal saw Fliss he desired and hated her with equal measure. But now honour demands he must help her. As the truth about Fliss’ family comes flooding out, and the power of their attraction takes hold, can Vidal admit how wrong he’s been about her?

Twentysomething Poppy became a cliché when an accidental pregnancy presented her with a 49-year-old husband. But Luke Norton isn’t any old husband – he’s the anchorman for television’s SevenThirty News and his ruggedly handsome face is beloved by the nation. Life isn’t coming up roses thanks to the first Mrs Norton’s popular column, “Diary of a Divorce” about her ex, “the Cad”, and his new wife, “the Bimbo”.

It's chaos once more on the bridge of the Toxic Spew. But this time, the ship's problems are of a most human nature - they've run out of food! Mutiny, cannibalism and plain old theft are suggested as potential problem-solvers, but Captain Harvey politely requests that the crew think of something else. When the team arrive at the Interstellar Service Station, it's spookily deserted, and it's not long before Harvey suspects there's something fishy going on....

Harvey thinks he has the best job in the world: he's the captain of a real live spaceship! Except it's the Toxic Spew - the most dysfunctional garbage ship in the galaxy. The crew get word of a stranded cargo ship full of very valuable Techno-tium. Whoever rescues the cargo gets to claim it. So the crew aims their ship towards the treasure. But they don't bet on running into the Bling Bot pirates from planet Sy-Boorg!

Emma is 16 years old and in love with Andrew, but he's engaged to Julie, Emma's beautiful elder sister. When their two families go to France on holiday together Emma is perturbed by Julie's casual attitude to the engagement and her interest in Yves Courtelle, another guest at the hotel. Emotions become hopelessly entangled, and for the four young people, the holiday threatens to end in tragedy as they struggle with feelings which are stronger than they are.

When Harvey Drew unwittingly responds to an alien signal, he is transported to the Toxic Spew by the ship's computer, who promptly loses his return address. Even though none of the crew has ever met an Earthling, Harvey becomes Captain of the stroppy, pizza-obsessed crew, and has to save them from poisonous pink maggots, exploding space-rubbish and a multiple spaceship pile-up. Luckily, Harvey is just the boy to save the day!

It is March 1950 and Honey Brown marries the farmer she adores - August Blake Esq. With her mother-in-law determined to turn Honey, an ex-showgirl, into a respectable lady of the manor she has a struggle on her hands. Honey longs for the bright lights and glamour of the Windmill Theatre and the companionship of the other girls. To make matters worse, Honey feels increasing animosity towards dairyman Nick and his insolent stare. Why does she dislike the handsome young man when everyone else appears to like him?

Eve has been brought up at Croderhay Park by her adoptive parents, Jack and Antoinette Corderhay, along with her younger half-sister, Anne-Marie. As they grow up, Anne-Marie becomes a spoilt, wilful young woman who will stop at nothing to get her own way. During a holiday in Paris, Anne-Marie makes a desperate phone call which results in Eve rushing over to France. What she discovers has life-changing consequences for their family and friends, and especially for Eve herself.

Canterbury, 1900. Olivia Fratton thinks that if she hears the words “Isabel’s Wedding” one more time she will scream. The oldest of the four Fratton siblings, it falls to her to arrange her little sister’s wedding, and she struggles to cope with their limited budget. Olivia is not the only Fratton with worries.

When she's fed up, Enna doodles. This time it's a scribbly, hunchbacked, squatting figure. Just the way she feels, in fact. And then the figure winks at her. It speaks, and jumps off the page. It's alive, with a mind of it's own. Will it be her friend? She needs one. Or will it make things worse? When Enna's little brother vanishes, she has to follow him to the place the doodle comes from - which is a very strange place indeed.

In a world where magic is so powerful it has been outlawed, Cass is a rare creature - an obtuse, someone who is unaffected by magic. But what has always felt like a handicap becomes a strength when sorcerers and magicians begin to perform magical deceptions with malicious intent. The Queen of Minaris is in grave danger, and it's up to Cass to protect her.

1902, Bath: When the housekeeper suddenly resigns, 17-year-old housemaid Daisy is left to cope alone with the almost bedridden owner of the house, Montague Pennington, Esq. Monty’s unpleasant relations begrudgingly search for a new housekeeper, as lively Daisy takes charge. However, serious problems arise as a mysterious stranger begins to target the entire family.

It seems that the Penningtons hold dark secrets, and the past cannot be suppressed for much longer.…