Showing results by narrator "Maria Nicola Johnson" in All Categories

Paris, 1922. The marriage between the Auclair and Picard families is the talk of the town. June can’t wait to attend the engagement party with her friends, Nate and Jack. But Nate has an ulterior motive: he’s there to stop the wedding. Before he can complete his task, he’s stabbed in the chest with Jack’s knife. Jack is arrested, but June knows he wouldn’t hurt a fly.

In a world invisible to human eyes, the enchanting Faery Realm exists. Entering a secret portal from the mundane to the magical begins Tansy WaterSprite's adventure of sparkling danger. Her evil guardian is stalking her with a different, dark agenda. Only "littles" who have been monitored since birth and passed secret tests are invited to attend the Faery Academy of QuillSnap, but not everyone gets to stay. Those who overcome the dangerous obstacles during the Night of the Purple Moon will determine who stays.

Can this marriage of convenience overcome the shadows from the past? Helena Angiers is grateful for a quick bolt to the Scottish border and the opportunity to keep her unborn child, but she has no intention of abandoning the memories of her first love. And yet, the more she learns about her new husband, Ralph Aldine, the more she wonders why such a kind, considerate, and capable man would marry her. Can it be possible that he married her for herself and that her money had nothing to do with it? Lowly solicitor Ralph Aldine has adored Helena Angiers from the moment he set eyes on her.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Anna Karenina, a literary masterpiece by Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy.

East Berlin, 1982. When Greta Schneider meets Henry Henderson, she is instantly smitten. An engineer on a work visa from Britain, Henry offers Greta a taste of the world beyond the Iron Curtain, a world that she yearns to explore as a translator once she finishes university. For Henry, Greta is simply perfect—bold and beautiful, adding a vital spark to his everyday life.

Sara Schönflies, a young Jewish woman from a line of gifted tailors and seamstresses, finds her world shattered by the rise of the Nazi regime. When Sara and her sisters are transferred to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, their talent becomes a lifeline. Their survival hinges on sewing beautiful dresses for the wives of SS officers and Nazi dignitaries. Amidst the horrors and suffering, Sara's determination, her sisters' unwavering courage, unyielding defiance, and the unexpected friendship with a member of the Sonderkommando become beacons of hope.

With the reserves of male pilots ready for combat rapidly dwindling, England’s secret service decide to try something revolutionary. They are going to send female pilots into combat. MI6 put Wing Commander James Donovan in charge of the ‘Sirens’. Outwardly, the women chosen appear to be assisting in the transporting of planes, but this is just a cover. In reality, they will be flying secret RAF combat missions into enemy territory.

It's not a good Monday for DI Daniel Owen. A body in a wheelie bin. Missing teenagers. His ex turning up as his new boss. A secretive teenager, a nosy secretary, an idealistic social worker, and a dodgy fruit and veg salesman all have pieces of the jigsaw. If Daniel and Maldwyn can trust each other again, they can put the pieces together. But time is running out, and at least one child's life is in danger. It's been raining for weeks, and the flood waters are rising, threatening to engulf them all.

When Lady Jemima Fitzwater is dismissed from Princess Charlotte’s household, she discovers that her invalid mother at Cavendish Square has been running through money like water. Jemima tries to fend off the mounting debts, but an unfortunate indiscretion from her past threatens to destroy both her reputation and her resolve. The only person who might be able to help is her man of business, Mr. Talbot, but is telling him her secret too high a price to pay?

This clean and wholesome regency romance follows the adventures and exploits of a sensible widow, a managing earl, an absent-minded botanist, a high-strung heiress, a coldhearted guardian, and a villainous kidnapper.

After seven long years in Devon, Lady Maud Worlington returns to London to reclaim life on her own terms, but a nefarious shadow and the prospect of financial ruin dog her steps. An impulsive and unforgettable kiss under the mistletoe creates a connection with Geoffrey, the handsome, young Duke of Tilbury. Yet, as pleasant as it is to have a suitor, Maud is not sure how a boy of one-and-20 can prove an equal partner in life and the equal of all the forces mounted against her.

France, 1940. Nazi forces march towards Paris. Lili Rosenswig's wealthy and eccentric family is ensconced in their country chateau with their sumptuous collection of arts and antiques. The beloved Matisse portrait of Lili's mother has been brought from their Paris salon for safety. It is the day before young lovers Lili and Paul are to be married that they are forced to flee and their fortunes change irrevocably.

As a favor to their friend Sasha, Daniel and Mal are looking for the husband she fled so she can get a divorce and marry again. Instead of a husband, they find a mystery that could see Daniel charged with murder. It turns out the husband wasn't who he said he was, and anyway he's dead. So who is living in the former marital home, and why is Daniel attacked after they visit? Then one of the people they've talked to is murdered, and the body is dumped on Daniel's doorstep. Daniel is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the local police have him in the frame for the killing.

As a child, Richard dreamed of knighthood and gallant deeds. As a grown man, he is committed to doing his best as an officer of the Guard, as a Lord of the land, and as a father. Living up to his oaths is easy. Being a good husband is much more of a challenge. Alysoun has done everything expected of a woman in her position. She has married well and had two clever, healthy children. That's not enough. Richard is kind, but increasingly distant. Alysoun herself has pain and fatigue magic can't fix. In truth, she is isolated and more than a little bored.

This book charts the emergence of Kate Bush in the early-to-mid-1980s as a courageous experimentalist, a singularly expressive recording artist and a visionary music producer. Track-by-track commentaries focus on the experience of the album from the listener’s point of view, drawing attention to the art and craft of Bush’s songwriting, production and sound design.

Dominic Hawthorne has lived with the guilt of a childhood secret for years. Now, fuelled by alcohol and desperation, he’s driving toward his mother’s house to confront her and finally expose the truth. But when Dominic crashes his car, he ends up in a coma, leaving his fractured family to pick up the pieces. Victoria Hawthorne has built her life around control, and she’ll do anything to protect the secrets that hold her family together. As the past threatens to resurface, Victoria’s ruthless grip on the truth tightens and blood will be spilled to keep it hidden.

When Eloise Blackburn finds a strange gentleman perched in the leafy branches of an ash tree, she has strong suspicions he is not who he says he is. After all, the neighboring Allen family has never mentioned a cousin named Crispin from the West Indies. And what's this he's saying about a missing inheritance and a secret passageway in Allen Abbey?

In Silence: The Psychology and the Craft for Emotional Wellbeing, the author―a psychotherapist, university professor, educator, and researcher―takes the listener into a thought-provoking and heartfelt journey. She offers original perspectives and vulnerable stories from her clients, students, and personal life. Drawing on, among others, ethnographic and autoethnographic accounts, Lehmann serves the listener with psychological insights, offering a timely, critical, and thorough viewpoint to contrast with an overload of misinformation about what silence is and how people should feel when quiet.

Elara Millstone never wanted a life of impossible bargains. But when her father, once a respected alchemist, claims he can change straw into gold, they find themselves trapped in a dangerous game with the powerful Duke of Sutton. If her father fails to deliver on his promise, imprisonment would be the least of their worries. Desperate to save them, Elara makes a deal of her own with a mysterious masked gentleman who seems to hold the key to their survival.

It’s midwinter in 1539, and Catherine Havens Overton has just given birth to her second child, a daughter. The convent in which she was raised is now part of the Overton lands, and Catherine’s husband William owns the properties that once belonged to her mother’s family. With a son, Robert, and her new daughter, Veronica, Catherine’s life as the mistress of a great household should be complete.