Showing results by narrator "Bianca Amato" in All Categories

Trilby opens in the Latin Quarter of Paris where Trilby O'Ferrall works as an artist's model. Her grace and ingenuous charm make a poignant contrast to the cruel magnetism of Svengali, under whose spell she falls. Using hypnotic powers, Svengali shapes her into a virtuoso singer, the toast of Europe, but her golden voice, and even her life, become fatally tied to him.

Margaret loves her job, writing important stories about the impact of government decisions on day-to-day lives for a respected newspaper in Johannesburg. There’s only one problem: her co-worker, Jagger Villain. Is that even his real name? She often wonders. Jagger spends his days writing fluff pieces on everything from the worst-rated barber to speed dating to male sex toys. To make matters worse, they share a cubicle and a desk. She needs a vacation!

In the aftermath of a deadly outbreak - reminiscent of the 1962 event of mass hysteria that was the Tangayika Laughter Epidemic - a city at the tip of Africa is losing its mind, with residents experiencing hallucinations and paranoia. Is it simply another episode of mass hysteria, or something more sinister? In a quarantined city in which the inexplicable has already occurred, rumors, superstitions, and conspiracy theories abound.

With men departing to fight for king and country, women have new opportunities at home. Dorothy Peto and her fellow suffragettes propose forming the Women’s Police Volunteers to assist police keep order. At first, the suggestion is derided, yet the force is stretched thin. As Dorothy and her friends train and organize to help refugees fleeing the war and guide terroried Londoners to shelter during the Zeppelin raids, the ‘ladies in blue’ gain a grudging acceptance. During one nightly bombing raid, Dorothy discovers the body of a beautiful Belgian refugee in Seven Dials.

The Turn of the Screw is a fireside tale of evil and mystery. Filled with extraordinary drama, Henry James' story has been widely popular ever since its publication in 1898. It also inspired a film, a play, and an opera. A governess has been hired to care for two orphaned young children in their uncle's English country home. But soon after she meets the boy and his sister, the governess begins to see fearful apparitions.

Why would a woman marry a serial killer? Because she cannot refuse.... Kateryn Parr, a 30-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father, who has buried four wives - King Henry VIII - commands her to marry him. Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted 16 months, the one before barely half a year.

In order to support her family and maintain their ancient castle in Lesser Hoo, 17-year-old Althea bears the burden of finding a wealthy suitor who can remedy their financial problems.

Sovay isn't your typical young lady, not by the standards of any time period. As rich as she is lovely, Sovay may often be found sitting for portraits - when she's not disguised as a man and robbing travelers, that is. But one day she robs the wrong person, and for that act, there will be a steep price to pay.

It's 1885. Anne Stanbury wakes up in a strange bed, having been kidnapped from her home. As the panic settles in, she realizes she has been committed to a lunatic asylum, deemed insane and therefore unfit to stand trial for an unspeakable crime. But all is not as it seems.

Mary is Queen of Scotland but she has been forced to flee her land and take refuge in an England that is ruled by her cousin Elizabeth. But England, precarious in its Protestant state, set against the mighty powers of Spain, France and Rome, doesn't need a charismatic Catholic figurehead at large. So Elizabeth's chief advisor, Cecil, devises a plan in which Mary will live under guard with his trusted accomplice: Bess of Hardwick.

Livia Blackburne gathered sterling reviews for her fast-paced YA debut, Midnight Thief. In this thrilling sequel, Kyra employs her preternatural thieving skills to preserve a shaky alliance with the Palace. Keeping her newly discovered heritage a secret, Kyra must embrace her Makvani blood to save the city from her Demon Rider kin and their bloodthirsty wildcats.

She was tainted. Once known as the Mongrel, Lahlil only had one purpose: to reap blood and carnage for those who paid the right price. When the Shadari called upon Lahlil to lead the rebellion against Norlanders - telepathic and bloodthirsty invaders who conquered their lands and enslaved their people to the mines - she delivered. Then she ran. Now, Lahlil must return to Shadar to save the person she loves the most and rebuild. She finds a kingdom that has devolved to political discord and an old enemy's ships sailing just beyond the horizon.

Family secrets run deep for Grace, a young girl growing up in Cape Town during the 1980s. Her family secrets spill over into adulthood and threaten to ruin the respectable life she has built for herself. When an old childhood friend emerges after disappearing a decade earlier during a clash with apartheid riot police in the Cape Flats, where South Africa’s colored community makes its home, Grace’s memories of her childhood come rushing back, and she is confronted, once again, with the loss that has shaped her.

Despite her checkered history with law enforcement, Johannesburg private investigator Jade de Jong is attempting to operate on the right side of the law, confining herself to low-profile cases. But her remarkably attractive new employer, Ryan Gillespie, has tasked her with finding a missing security official after a break-in at his nuclear energy plant. The target of her search is Carlos Botha, a skilled operative and a threat to national security.

Amelia and Riley have transferred to Ashbury for their senior year. In love since they were 14, they dance their nights away and sleepwalk their way through school. Their fellow students long to be drawn into their cool, self-contained world. But when Riley fears he’s losing Amelia to the past and asks his peers for help, things take an ominous turn.

A prolific writer for film, television, and theater, Philip Palmer here delivers a science-fiction thriller that rockets along from blistering start to fiery conclusion. A juggernaut striking fear into the hearts of planets that fall within its path, the Hell Ship mercilessly slaughters innocents as it travels through space, amassing slaves. But one slave, Sharrock, refuses to accept his shackles—and his cause is soon to be boosted by Jak, who’s following the ship and determined to destroy it for its crimes.

It’s 1915 and war continues to rage across Europe, but at home in England, the members of the Women Police Volunteers are more accepted and their numbers continue to grow. However, founding member, Dorothy Peto is frustrated at being consigned to office duties and training recruits. Then, early one morning, her friend Margaret finds a dead body in the garden next door.

While war and revolution continue to ravage Europe, Dorothy Peto embraces her new role at Scotland Yard as she and several detectives investigate a series of jewel thefts. Then Dorothy is tasked with assisting the inscrutable Inspector Derwent and the charming Colonel Cartier to find a missing French aristocrat. Their enquiries take them to a country house in Yorkshire, that’s been converted to a hospital for wounded soldiers and was the last place the Frenchman visited. However, the more questions they ask, the more questions they have.

Victory for the Shadari rebels has come at a terrible price. Hardship, superstition, and petty feuds poison King Daryan's young reign, and entire families are vanishing without a trace. Help is nowhere to be found, for their Nomas allies have troubles of their own and the Mongrel, plagued by the sins of her violent past, has disappeared.

This searingly honest memoir describes growing up on an African farm during the Rhodesian Bush War and the twilight years of white colonialism in the 1970s. It also explores the shock and euphoria of Zimbabwean independence in the 1980s as St John navigates her way through the immense personal and political changes.