Showing results by narrator "Melanie Crawley" in All Categories

Named after the lager that christened her at birth, Stella's life is characterised instability and neglect. Her teenage mother abandons her in the first few weeks of her life, and left in the 'care' of her father, she ends up lying deserted in a house with no food, no water, no clothes and no warmth. She eventually lands in the care of foster carer Louise, who is determined to change her life for the better.

Growing up, Joanne suffered at the hands of a violent boyfriend and controlling relatives, as her mother lapsed into a downward spiral following the break-up of her marriage. But the consequences of her mother's lifestyle turned out to be worse than Joanne could ever have imagined. She already knew about the baby buried in a shallow makeshift grave next to the family plot. But when Joanne came across a red plastic bin in her mother's wardrobe in 2009, she realised that the family home held an even more sinister secret.

Standing in my bathroom, the luxurious marble tiles cool under my feet, I stare at the test in my trembling hand. The second line is unmistakable: I’m pregnant. This is all my husband Theo and I have ever wanted, but I didn’t think it was possible. I should be excited, but all I can think about is telling my stepdaughter. Because Ellie’s always hated me, ever since she realised it was no longer just her and Theo. Now she’s seventeen, beautiful and smart–smart enough to see through me. And if Ellie decided to uncover my secrets, it wouldn’t be just my marriage at stake… it would be my life.

When Sky and her older sister Avril were taken into care, the social workers knew this was a case like no other. Raised by unhinged parents who hoarded compulsively, creating horrific conditions no child should live in, the two girls arrived at foster carer Louise's home, neglected, malnourished and indoctrinated. Louise had to draw on all of her experience as one of Britain's leading foster carers to rehabilitate and change the course of their lives.

Abby's Story is the second book in the Thrown Away Children series by author and foster mum Louise Allen. She doesn't want this baby. She can't look after this baby. She will never be able to love this baby. Little Abby's life begins badly, then just gets worse. Now foster mum Louise and her family must help her deal with the truth of her past to give her the chance of a future.

Ashley is a young single mum raising her daughter, Eden, and working hard to do the very best job she can - until one night she can't find a babysitter and makes the decision to leave Eden home alone for a couple of hours, asleep inside a wardrobe. It is an action that begins a terrible downward spiral for both of them. When Eden arrives at experienced foster carer Louise Allen's home, she has entered the care system because her mother is in prison. Eden is five years old and will not speak to any human.

Three years ago, Alice Kelly was found dead in a lake near the house where she was staying with friends for the weekend. Mia was there, and so was her now-husband Tom, yet they have never spoken about what really happened. But now Mia’s in therapy, she’s having flashbacks. She remembers new details about Alice’s final hours–how they argued, how she threatened to expose Alice’s darkest secret, and how Alice’s lifeless body floated in the inky blue water… Was Mia the one who killed her beloved best friend? And how has she lived with this lie for so long?

Louise has trouble on her hands from the first moment that 5-year-old Billy Blackthorn comes to stay. He is one of more than 20 children taken into care from a single family, and erupts into the Allen household with a volatility that is frightening and disturbing in equal measure. It is only as Louise begins to uncover the secrets of Billy's dark past that she begins to understand what made his family 'untouchable'.

Louise gets a frantic call to take in a damaged and destructive young girl. Separated from her siblings, Sparkle is hostile and angry. A short while after settling in, Sparkle begins to identify as pansexual. A revolution is underway in the Allen household, with Sparkle's transition motivating all of the young people to explore what becoming an adult means for them.

Ruby was our miracle baby. I would have done anything to become a mother, and when she finally arrived, I held her in my arms, looked in her blue eyes and swore I would never let anything harm her. Now she's everything I could have dreamed of. I don't even think about all the years of heartache I went through before she was born. So when I get the strange warning at her birthday party, I ignore it, hiding it in my bag with trembling hands. Someone is simply jealous of her.

Gianni Renzetti wastes no time planning the restoration of his reputation when the rumor mill threatens his position as CEO. Asking childhood friend Josephine Hamilton to be his convenient bride is his first task! Innocent Jo was always there for Gianni. That doesn’t mean she’s in any way prepared for his proposal. Yet to save her family from bankruptcy, she must say yes! But when life as Mrs. Renzetti feels passionately real, can she trust herself to remember their vows were just for show?

While Jodey Whiting was stuck in hospital battling pneumonia over Christmas, a letter dropped on her doormat from the Department of Work and Pensions, asking her to attend an assessment. Despite her health problems, the powers-that-be callously halted benefit payments for the mum-of-nine. With no money coming in, Jodey killed herself, aged just 42. Another DWP letter pronouncing her "fit to work" was sent to her home three days after her tragic death. A Mother's Job is the story of how Jodey's mum Joy Dove, 67, took on the system—and won justice for her daughter.

Take a trip to a terrifying carnival and uncover the secrets within, solve a mysterious puzzle box and await your reward, join a travelling circus and witness the strangest ventriloquist act you've ever seen. In this follow-up to the bestselling Cursed: An Anthology, you'll unearth curses old and new. From a very different take on Snow White, to a new interpretation of The Red Shoes, the best in fantasy spin straw into gold, and invite you into the labyrinth.

Parents Angelina and Ben exist in enviable luxury: not just wealth, success and a gorgeous home, but a loving relationship and beautiful twin babies to complete the perfect family. But having it all means that you have the most to lose. And when cracks begin to appear things fall apart at a shocking pace; and it's twins Max and Mia who suffer the most. Money isn't enough to paper over the problems in this extraordinary and heartbreaking story. It is a foster-caring experience like no other, and one which tests Louise's emotional strength to the core.

Nothing could be more out of character, but after fifty-nine years of marriage, as her husband Bernard’s health declines, and her friends' lives become focused on their grandchildren—which Jenny never had—Jenny decides she wants a little something for herself. So she secretly applies to be a contestant on the prime-time TV show Britain Bakes. Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras and timed challenges, Jenny delights in a new-found independence. But that independence, and the stress of the competition, starts to unearth memories buried decades ago.

Jen Taylor has a secret. In 1987, the body of 14-year-old Kelly was found on a railway track, and Jen believes she was responsible for her death. Now an adult, Jen is approached by Kelly’s mother, who asks her to help investigate her daughter’s murder. But Jen is hiding more than anyone knows. As the investigation is reopened by Jen along with her former friend Claire, secrets from the past come to light, and when another murder takes place, the case takes a sinister turn.

Receptionist Cleo’s attraction to billionaire Ari Stefanos is a fiercely kept secret. Until one sizzling night it’s deliciously exposed! Still, she knows that their passion can’t—shouldn’t—last. If the past has taught her anything, it’s that you can’t make somebody love you.

An official ITIL® Licensed product, ITIL® Foundation Essentials is a distillation of critical information - no waffle or padding; just exactly what you need to understand how to pass the ITIL Foundation exam. Created for self-study candidates, ITIL community training delegates, itSMF/BCS members, and V2 Foundation Certificate holders who have yet to take an upgraded exam, this pocket guide is fully aligned with the ITIL 2011 core volumes.

When chef Claire is introduced to her elusive employer, she gets the shock of her life. The powerful royal that Claire has been working for is Raif, the man whose touch is seared into her memory—and father to the baby Claire’s just discovered she’s carrying! Raif will never let his child feel unwanted, like he had felt. He’ll rewrite the royal rule book to ensure his heir’s happiness! But, when Claire must become his wife, will he rewrite the rules of their convenient agreement to ensure her happiness too?

The next book in Louise Allen's Thrown Away Children series.