Showing results by narrator "Gareth Richards" in All Categories

Olive Wickes knew a better life once. Before their old master died, her family lived in comfortable servants' quarters beside a garden where birdsong echoed through the day. But the new young master turned them out, and now Olive, her parents, and her five-year-old brother Jimmy are struggling to get by. In their cold and desolate tenement, Olive sings to Jimmy about the birds of the garden, trying to cling on to hope.

King Alfred never achieved his dream of uniting the disparate Anglo-Saxon kingdoms into one Perfecta Saxonia. The man destined to fulfill Alfred's dream is his grandson, Athelstan, as the spark of unity begins in the Saxon kingdom of Wessex. Abandoned by his father and raised by his uncle, young Athelstan faces numerous adversities on his way to becoming a mighty warrior and diplomat. But can he overcome the odds to transform England from an insignificant island off the Western European mainland, into the leading centre of 10th-century diplomacy and learning?

Caught within the horror that has become his life, Lucius Benedict waits patiently for his savior to come, preferably an angel who can ease his heart and release him from his cursed existence. When the sudden appearance of a russet-haired beauty postpones his execution, Lucius can not quite believe his luck. However, he will not waste his freedom and makes plans to prove his estranged wife died by the hand of another.

Heather, a dragon shifter from the Eastern Peaks, is cast away from her kin and seeks refuge among the humans. Unfortunately, she’s stumbled into a world of prejudice and fear. While she at first hates Prince Benjamin for taking her captive, after spending time with him, he takes her heart prisoner, as well as her body. Benjamin, prince and future king, is shocked to have a beautiful dragoness brought before him. At a loss of what to do with her, he makes a decision that will ultimately both bring them together and then tear them apart.

Artists in every era and medium have depicted Neptune as a tempestuous god with ever-changing moods, so it’s fitting that his anthology follows suit. In these sections, you’ll find stories by turns heroic, comic, pensive, absurd, uplifting, and ambiguous. They also reflect different conceptions of what it means to be “related to Neptune”, as this volume was intended to be. Some anchor themselves in mythology, while others focus on the planet, and still others are weird amalgams of Neptunian themes.

The zealot army is coming. The winter raid has earned the goblins an enemy they can’t hope to beat. Eris, the leader of a reclusive goblin village, promises he can deliver them. But as Spicy and Thistle soon discover, this charismatic newcomer is maneuvering goblins and men alike towards a disastrous showdown.

Cursed within an inch of his existence, Rory Benedict hides behind the thick walls of Aingealag Castle, away from prying eyes and away from the hell-bound witch who vies for his heart. Although, when a silver-haired lass plunges from the sky like a discarded angel, his life takes a turn - some say for the better. But Rory has his doubts. When Hannah Boyd wins an old, musty red bound book in a raffle, she is drawn into its pages and transported from her impersonal world of 2071 back to 1488, where she meets Rory Benedict, Laird of Aingealag.

Thistle will go to any lengths to get payback on the humans who murdered her family and to ensure that such a tragedy will never happen again. Leading the goblins is the warrior Noe. Her solution to the human problem? Kill them all, or at least drive them away from the goblin homeland. As Thistle will discover, the world has changed since the goblins isolated themselves in the hills north of the Inland Sea.

In the filth-ridden streets of East End in London, Young Elsie Griggs knows little more than grueling poverty and constant hunger. When Mama becomes ill, Elsie must get a job to support the family. But working as a personal maid in Whiston Manor proves a constant challenge for Elsie. The only good thing about the manor is Mrs. Whiston's grandson, the kind and charming Andrew - who is out of bounds to Elsie. She has no way of knowing a series of tragedies are barreling toward her that will rip her entire world apart, setting her on a new path. But will this new path include Andrew?

Amelia Archer will be the ruin of her family. Her extraordinary bad luck is burden enough, but her sweet, trusting nature often lands her in impossible scrapes. After the last straw, Amelia's harried father ships his unfortunate daughter off to the Colonies to live with her aunt. But wherever Amelia goes, bad luck is sure to follow. Pirate David Lamont is taken with the lovely young Englishwoman the moment she's pulled aboard from her sinking vessel. But sailors are already a superstitious lot and Amelia is unwelcome. In a feat of chivalry, David defends and claims her for himself.

These are the tales of the orb that lights our night sky and drives the tides of our oceans. The bright companion that orbits our planet, invades our dreams, and drives us mad. These are the stories of Tuscany Bay Books' Planetary Anthology Series: Luna, the second book of the 11-book series.

Mars. The Red Planet. Bringer of war, the God of war itself. The planet that gave birth to the modern era of science fiction when H.G. Wells gazed upon the red light in the night sky and envisioned an army gathering upon its plains to invade our world. These are the stories of Mars. Stories of adventure, conflict, and war.

There are stories here that explore the mythology of Zeus and the personalities in myth, as well as urban fantasy and fantasy stories that explore our understanding of leadership. The science fiction worlds range from splendidly alien to profoundly human to mixes of each as authors present their visions of what life might be like on Jupiter’s moons.

Every 1,000 years a beast rises from the lava-filled volcano of Mytherios. Emerging from a portal left open by The Dark Goblin, her fiery wings beat against the sky as her fury is unleashed on the world. The perfect life Jake and his girlfriend Cassie knew is forever changed the day a strange shadow swooped overhead. Farm animals go missing. Property is scorched. All by a creature once rumored to be myth. Embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, Jake and Cassie vow to take down the creature comprised of fire and brimstone. Can they defeat the ancient beast?

A cunning and sadistic serial killer known as Minotaur has already murdered and mutilated twelve women. When novelist David Knight comes home, he is shattered to find that his wife is the latest victim. But why has Minotaur taken David's young son? And what is the significance of the maze drawn in blood at every crime scene?

In 1880, an organized mob of the Donnellys' enemies murders four family members and burns their house to the ground. Another sibling is shot to death in a house a short distance away. William Donnelly and a teenage boy are the only witnesses to the murders. The surviving family members seek justice through the local courts but quickly learn that their enemies control the jury and the press. Two sensational trials follow that make national and international headlines as the Donnellys continue to pursue justice for their murdered parents, siblings, and cousin.

Catherine and her friends are enjoying a girly evening together at home when lightning strikes. The girls embark to see the damage the strike had caused.... However, their worst fears come true when something much darker and much more powerful has landed in their quiet little town. The evil right-hand man of Lord Dromos, Ratifi has left the underworld of Mytherios to claim souls for his master, so they can rule all of the dimensions.

Dinah Shaw has learned not to ask questions about what her mother, Ethel, does for a living. She spends her days trying to keep her younger brother, Ollie, entertained and safe in the tiny Whitechapel tenement where they live. There’s never enough food, and their ominous landlord threatens them continually with eviction. Ethel is gone for days on end - and Dinah’s life is one of hardship and loneliness. The only bright spot in her world is Benjamin Morris, the boy who lives in the tenement next door.

Welcome to Earth. We know so much about our home planet, yet so very little. From the ancient astronomers who sought to figure out our place among the stars to the modern-day scientists studying the deepest oceans to those who looking for life on other planets. In this anthology resides 18 stories of discovery and daring that exhibit the spirit of adventure that has led explorers to risk their lives trying to discover the mysteries and secrets of Earth.

Marry the witch, Dominic, for the sake of your brothers. Love her, even though you do not. Dominic Lamont’s father’s words haunt him, and the man’s expression plagues him incessantly. However, he cannot love the witch who violently kidnapped three of his brothers. Instead, he boards his beloved frigate, Ban-dia, and plans to rescue his brothers himself.