Showing results by narrator "Billie Brown" in All Categories

Centuries and centuries ago, the Vale was split in two in a war between witches. Ever since, an evil darkness has been climbing, climbing, climbing out of the Break, infecting everything it touches. The people of the Vale fight it with discs made of lightning - and with an ancient spell. Brier Skystone is the youngest, most talented lightning harvester the Vale’s ever seen. Her twin sister, Thorn, is a sensitive artist who’s braver than even she knows. And young Queen Celestyna Hightower is determined to be Mender of the Break.

Róisín and François are immediately drawn to each other when they meet at a remote research base on the frozen ice sheets of Antarctica. At first glance the pair could not be more different. Older by a few years, Róisín, a daughter of Ireland and a peripatetic astronomer, joins the science team to observe the fracturing of a comet overhead. François, the base's chef, has just left his birthplace in Bayeux, France, for only the second time in his life. Yet devastating tragedy and the longing for a fresh start connect them to each other.

Time is running out for 25-year-old Lady Margaret Underwood. Desperate to retain the independence that her considerable fortune affords her, she accepts the proposal of Viscount Charles Isham. But after a few hours in his stultifying company, she does what any woman would do: She flees. A snowstorm and a carriage mishap lead to rescue by a seductive stranger.

In this glittering new psychological suspense novel from internationally bestselling author Pip Drysdale, a writer’s own thriller is brought chillingly to life when a stalker begins to reenact the events from her book.

In this collection of nine works of short fiction, Sarah Hall uses her piercing insight to plumb the depth of the female experience and the human soul. A husband's wife transforms into a vulpine in "Mrs. Fox", winner of the BBC Short Story Prize. In "Case Study 2", a social worker struggles with a foster child raised in a commune. A new mother runs into an old lover in "Luxury Hour". Hall has composed nine wholly original pieces - works of fiction that will resonate long after the final word is heard.

The exciting story of one of the fastest growing sports in the world, played by over 30 million girls and women. Over 25 million people tuned in for the Americans' 2015 Women's World Cup final victory - the most-watched football match in United States history. The Making of the Women's World Cup details the most incredible tales from previous Women's World Cups.

There is no one more synonymous with style than Coco Chanel. Her pillars of simplicity, elegance, comfort, nautical, monochrome, and the iconic little black dress remain relevant today. Coco Chanel: The Style Principles gives you ideas to elevate your everyday outfits with wise, fashionable, and accessible tips. Throughout this book, you will the timeless and classic looks that embody the beloved Chanel brand, while simultaneously learning how to tailor these looks to your own closet and personal style.

Her name was written in the pages of someone else's story: Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula's first victims. But her death was only the beginning. Lucy rose from the grave a vampire, and has spent her immortal life trying to escape from Dracula's clutches - and trying to discover who she really is and what she truly wants. Her undead life takes an unexpected turn when, in twenty-first-century London, she meets another woman who is also yearning to break free from her past.

Adolf Hitler's secret mistress, an upstanding member of the British aristocracy, gives birth to a daughter. The child is whisked away at infancy and raised as an orphan. She is protected from the truth concerning her origins, but that doesn't prevent the remnants of Hitler's scattered empire from seeking her out as part of a plot to reignite their dream of conquering Europe. Enter into our drama the starchy, conservative Jean Hastie, an art historian and official for the Scottish National Trust.

It's back to a new school term for the kids. Their mums - Gemma and Becky - are breathing a huge sigh of relief and reaching for the gin bottle. Except for the fact that Becky appears to be accidentally a little bit pregnant.... But that's not the first shock for the parents in the playground. Over the summer, part of their beloved Redcoats Primary has burned down. The school needs to raise thousands of pounds to stay open - and Gemma and Becky have been forced on to the fund-raising committee (just to add to the millions of messages from their online parent groups).

Convinced that two unexplained deaths on her London patch are murders, rookie police officer Heather Prendergast’s unofficial investigation takes her to an isolated mill town on the Huddshire moors where she unearths a web of corruption that threatens her career – and her life. A dyed in the wool Southerner, Heather discovers that the isolated mill town is a throwback to another age - the personal fiefdom of a crooked Mayor Cameron Carmichael in league with a corrupt police force led by Chief Constable Euridice Montefiore.

After Lia’s old car breathes its last, the single mum must reluctantly take the bus to work… and face unwarranted attention from a troublesome teenager. It’s all too much to take—she’s been depressed since her fiancé’s death and even quit her beloved women’s football team. But it’s Happy Car Sharers to the rescue after her friends get her set up on the app. Mateo, meanwhile, has recently moved to town, and his long walk to the train station is a literal pain due to an ankle injury. Soon he and Lia are riding each morning with a bossy driver and a rotation of colorful fellow passengers.

The fairy tale you thought you knew.... The story of the Sea Witch, the villainess from Hans Christian Anderson’s classic tale 'The Little Mermaid', told from the viewpoint of the Sea Witch when she was a 12-year-old girl.... Evie has been wracked with guilt ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned. So when a girl appears on shore with an uncanny resemblance to Anna, Evie befriends her in an effort to make amends. And as the two girls catch the eyes - and hearts - of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at happy ever after.

The respectable middle-class Twist family is settling in for their usual Sunday lunch. Husband and wife Roger and Becky are there, along with their daughter, Lucy, and her husband, Frank. But then they're joined by an uninvited guest. His name is John, and he knows everything about them—including their darkest secrets. After he manipulates his way into the house, John soon has them bound at their wrists and ankles. But what is the agenda of this twisted stranger?

Clemency Fry has always been certain that marriage is a ludicrous arrangement—a notion she has believed ever since reading a scandalous feminist treatise as a girl. But her outlook on romance suddenly changes after meeting the handsome Lord Boyle. With the proposition of a different sort of union, one with mutual respect and financial security for her family, Clemency is won over, but when the wedding is set and the plans are in motion, Lord Boyle turns cold and dismissive. Clemency fears the worst has come to fruition; she had been right all along about affairs of the heart.

For the first time in this ancient bloodstained story, the tournament is breaking. The boundaries between the city of Ilvernath and the arena have fallen. Reporters swarm the historic battlegrounds. A dead boy now lives again. And a new champion has entered the fray, one who seeks to break the curse for good...no matter how many lives are sacrificed in the process. As the curse teeters closer and closer to collapse, the surviving champions each face a choice: dismantle the tournament piece by piece, or fight to the death as this story always intended.

In a dissatisfied world, looking back to ancient wisdom can shed light on fresh solutions. For years, many of us have upheld the Stoic concept of ‘no pain, no gain.’ But in a time when we are burdened by the fear of failure and outsize ambitions, perhaps we should stop skirting around the edges of our problems via punishing exercise regimes, productivity apps and early morning starts. According to the pleasure-centric philosophy of Epicureanism, life can be good without great sacrifice, and temptation isn’t always the enemy.

After the publication of a salacious tell-all book, the remote city of Ilvernath is thrust into the spotlight. Tourists, protesters and reporters alike flock to its spell shops and historic ruins to witness an ancient curse unfold: every generation, seven families name a champion among them to compete in a tournament to the death. The winner awards their family exclusive control over the city's high magick supply, the most powerful resource in the world.

Adaptation is everything. Inge Lohmark is well aware of that; after all, she's been teaching biology for more than 30 years. But nothing will change the fact that her school is going to be closed in four years: in this dwindling town in the eastern German countryside, there are fewer and fewer children. Inge's husband, who was a cattle inseminator before the reunification, is now breeding ostriches. Their daughter, Claudia, emigrated to the U.S. years ago and has no intention of having children. Everyone is resisting the course of nature that Inge teaches every day in class.

Liv knows what kind of boy her grandson is. She knows Seb would never do anything to hurt his girlfriend, Izzy. But could the shadow cast by his father be influencing the boy she loves? Caitlyn, Izzy’s mother, is desperate to reach her daughter, but she only seems to push her further away. Can she help her daughter or are Caitlyn's own demons standing in the way? When an inappropriate photo of Izzy is shared online, no one is prepared for the ripples that threaten to tear their lives apart. Will the truth come out before it's too late? Or is the damage already done?