Showing results by narrator "Penelope Rawlin" in All Categories

When the Duke of Pelham returns to his town house at 67 Clarges Street he is grimly determined to find himself a suitable wife, and love will have nothing to do with his selection.

For fans of Jojo Moyes' The Girl You Left Behind, this is the prequel novella, Honeymoon in Paris. Sophie, a provincial girl, is swept up in the glamour of Belle époque Paris but discovers that loving an artist like Edouard brings undreamt of complications. Following in Sophie's footsteps 100 years later, Liv, after a whirlwind romance, finds her Parisian honeymoon is not quite the romantic getaway she had been hoping for....

Meet fifteen heroines who defy convention, challenge expectations and forge their own happy endings in this selection of unforgettable folk tales. These role models defy stereotypes, strike out with courage and provide wonderful role models for young listeners. Hear about brave Elisa, who rescues her brothers from a terrible curse; free-spirited Leelinau, who breaks tradition and chooses her own future; and clever Princess Pyeonggang, who saves a whole country with her wits!

When she was just fourteen, Jill’s family moved to Walney Island. Initially intoxicated by the freedom of the seaside setting—and fifteen-year-old Andrew Brownstone—she came to learn that her first impressions were very wrong. After making a shocking discovery in Seaview House, Jill fled the scene—a guilty secret she’s carried with her ever since. Now, thirty years later, when the decrepit Seaview House is being demolished, a body is found buried in the garden. But who is the deceased?

Issy Randall, proud owner of The Cupcake Café, is in love and couldn't be happier. Her new business is thriving and she is surrounded by close friends, even if her cupcake colleagues Pearl and Caroline don't seem quite as upbeat about the upcoming season of snow and merriment. But when her boyfriend, Austin, is scouted for a possible move to New York, Issy is forced to face up to the prospect of a long-distance romance. And when the Christmas rush at the café - with its increased demand for her delectable creations - begins to take its toll, Issy has to decide what she holds most dear.

Every Season the beaux mondes of the Regency would hire a house in the heart of London's fashionable West End at a disproportionately high rent for often inferior accommodation and yet No.67 Clarges Street, a town house complete with staff, remains vacant from year to year.

In 1988, Harry made one mistake: he took a bribe, letting a man he knew as Igor into Britain - and he’s regretted it ever since. So when he recognises Igor many years later as his newly elected MP, he knows he has to come clean. But the MP recognises him, too - and Harry fears what he might do next.

Two quirky and hilarious stories from the best-selling Diana Wynne Jones. Two groups of children learn that while you can choose your friends, dealing with your family can make you wish you could choose a different one….

This audiobook will walk you through the necessary steps to setting up as a freelance mum, from deciding on your freelance career path to launching a website, social media, getting your name out there and perfecting your brand. There is a comprehensive guide to the childcare options available to freelance mums, daily routines for optimum productivity, and tips on establishing and maintaining healthy work-life boundaries.

Perhaps the most brilliantly successful ghost story ever written, The Turn of the Screw creates a terrifyingly believable impression of children so corrupted by evil that they remain deceptive pictures of innocent beauty.

Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail - until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts. But Ben has secrets too. When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of hugely successful Indie rock band Willow Down, she wants to know more. Why did he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse?

A woman with wings that exist in another dimension. A man trapped in his own body by a killer. A briefcase that is a door to hell. A conspiracy that reaches beyond our world. Breathtaking SF from a Clarke Award-winning author. Tricia Sullivan has written an extraordinary, genre-defining novel that begins with the mystery of a woman who barely knows herself and ends with a discovery that transcends space and time.

From number-one New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult and her daughter and cowriter, Samantha Van Leer, comes Off the Page, a tender, wonderfully imaginative and romantic crossover novel. Meant for each other... Meet Oliver, a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale and transported into the real world. Meet Delilah, the girl who wished Oliver into being. It's a miracle that seems perfect at first - but there are complications.

When a travelling skycircus arrives in Brackenbridge, Lily and Robert can't wait to step aboard.... But there's something sinister about the hybrid children who appear as part of the act. And before Lily and Robert can do anything, they're captured by shadowy figures and whisked off in the mysterious flying circus to somewhere far, far away....

To everyone who knows her now, Zoe Maisey - child genius, musical sensation - is perfect. Yet several years ago Zoe caused the death of three teenagers. She served her time, and now she's free. Her story begins with her giving the performance of her life. By midnight, her mother is dead. The Perfect Girl is an intricate exploration into the mind of a teenager burdened by brilliance and a past that she cannot leave behind.

I saw her file it away: a good Catholic girl come to supervise her in her detention. Every girl in England now, under the circumstances, made sure to be a good Catholic girl. Except her, of course. And, if only she knew it, me. Escorting 'nine days queen' Lady Jane Grey across the Tower of London from throne room into imprisonment is Elizabeth Tilney, who surprised even herself by volunteering for the job. All Elizabeth knows is she's keen to be away from home; she could do with some breathing space.

What sort of mother would leave her all alone? A gripping and heart-wrenching domestic drama that won't let you go. Lily, who is almost three years old, wakes up alone at home with only her cuddly toy for company. She is afraid of the dark, can't use the phone and has been told never to open the door to strangers. But why is Lily alone, and why isn't there anyone who can help her? What about the lonely old woman in the flat below who wonders at the cries from the floor above? Or the grandmother who no longer sees Lily since her parents split up?

Isabel Murrow is precariously balancing her career and her family. Hard-working and caring, worried but supportive, all Isobel wants, in a perilous world of bullies and temptations, is to keep her daughter Phoebe safe. Phoebe has just attempted suicide. She says it is Isabel's fault. Saving Phoebe Murrow is a timely tale about an age-old problem - how best to raise our children, and how far to go in keeping them from harm.

1926 – Christie is a darling of the literary circuit and the most desired guest in London’s glittering social scene. She can often be found at meetings of the Detection Club – where mystery writers come together to share ideas, swap secrets and drink copiously. But then a fellow author's initiation ceremony takes a gruesome turn, and one of the group ends up dead. Now, Agatha is no longer just the creator of great mystery plots – she’s a player in one.

Princess Ellie is pony-mad! So she's excited about visiting Prince John, as she can't wait to meet his ponies, Toffee and Fudge. She's enchanted by the snowy mountains, too, but when they go for a ride they soon discover that snow isn't always fun - it can be scary. Will Ellie and her friends have to spend the night in the freezing white wilderness?