Showing results by narrator "Diana Croft" in All Categories

November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsi has a secret penpal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister's name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time. But when the date arrives, Marsi is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes missing – her bloodstained anorak later found at the place where Marsibil and her penpal had agreed to meet. November, 1977. Stína's disappearance remains unsolved.

White Haven is full of visitors making the most of the summer holidays, but when two die in inexplicable circumstances, and unearthly screams resound across the moors, fear descends on the town. The excitement surrounding the upcoming Lughnasadh festival turns to dread as more deaths follow. The witches and Newton scramble to discover the cause, but unfortunately, they have more than just the recent deaths to deal with.

Fresh from maternity leave, Detective Elma finds herself confronted with a complex case, when a man is found murdered in a holiday cottage in the depths of the Icelandic countryside - the victim of a frenzied knife attack, with a shocking message scrawled on the wall above him.

The Crossroads Circus has a reputation for bringing myths to life, but it also seems that where the circus goes, death follows. When the circus sets up on the castle grounds, Newton asks Avery and the witches to investigate. This proves trickier than they expected, when an unexpected encounter finds Avery bound to a power she can’t control.

A Shifter family arrives in White Haven, one of them close to death. Avery offers them sanctuary, only to find their pursuers are close behind, intent on retribution. In an effort to help them, Avery and Alex are dragged into a fight they didn’t want, but must see through. As if that weren't enough trouble, strange signs begin to appear at Old Haven Church. Avery realizes that an unknown witch has wicked plans for Samhain, and is determined to breach the veils between worlds.

Charlotte Clarke wants nothing more than to experience a London Season. But when she finds out she has to wait another year due to her sister's recent pregnancy, she is crushed. All is not lost as a letter arrives soon after summoning Charlotte to Danbury Hall to meet her new guardian, John Wilkins. With little choice but to go, she determines to contrive a way to convince her new guardian to take her to London in her sister's stead.

Witches have been living at Moonfell, the sprawling Gothic mansion in London, for five hundred years. The house and gardens are steeped in magic, and at every Yule the family gathers to reinforce the protection spells on the house.

The small community of Akranes is devastated after a young man dies in a mysterious house fire. When Detective Elma and her colleagues from West Iceland CID discover the fire was arson, they become embroiled in an increasingly perplexing case. For the dead man's final online search raises fears that they could be investigating not one murder, but two.

Mia Caiozzi is determined to discover her destiny by studying the science of astronomy. But her stepmother Giulia forbids her to engage in this dangerous occupation, fearing it will lead her into trouble. The ideas of Galileo are banned by the Inquisition, so Mia must study in secret.

Birdie, Morgana, and Odette are the three resident witches of Moonfell, the magical Gothic mansion that lies at the edge of Richmond Park in London. They are responsible for maintaining the centuries old magic that is woven deep in the roots of the estate. When Morgana's son and his cousin join them to celebrate Ostara, the three witches decide to honour the lore of the house by introducing them to the bees in the orchard. However, the ritual brings past catastrophic events to the present, and plunges the estate into chaos.

Midsummer is approaching and Avery, Alex, and the White Haven witches, are making plans to celebrate Litha, but everything stops when paranormal activities cause havoc. Smuggler's gold is found that dates back centuries, and a strange chain of events is set in motion; Newton needs magical help. The witches find they are pitted against a deadly enemy, and they need the Cornwall Coven. But not all are happy to help - a few members have never accepted White Haven, and their enmity puts everyone in danger.

Reeling from the events that revealed other witches were behind the attack on Reuben and Caspian, the White Haven witches don’t know who to trust. The search for those who betrayed them tests their resources and their abilities, and as the fallout shatters alliances, they draw on their friends for support. But it’s not easy. The path they follow is dark and twisted and leads them in directions they can’t predict.

Ten years ago, Penelope Paiget promised she’d wait for Samuel Black. But she was only a genteel, impoverished paid companion, forced into service after her father’s death revealed his insurmountable debts. Now she’s a successful novelist, posing as secretary to the Earl of Wickshire to hide her identity. Ten years ago, Samuel Black chose his own path instead of upholding his family’s legacy as spies. But having fought for the formation of the Metropolitan Police Force, echoes of his past and his true origins remind him how unworthy he is to call himself detective inspector.

The Nephilim have a new enemy. Belial, the Fallen Angel who brings destruction and madness, has a foothold in the present, and he refuses to leave without a fight. However, the Nephilim are determined to root him and his agents out and destroy his influence for good. As his malevolent presence casts a sinister shadow, Gabe and the team embark on a perilous quest. Their journey uncovers more of his powerful jewels, hidden temples, and ancient lineages, and threatens to unleash supernatural chaos.

As spring bursts into bloom, Ostara’s approach stirs both excitement and unease in White Haven. Two hunters—old allies of the witches—arrive with a startling request: stolen dragon eggs must be found before it’s too late. What begins as an intriguing search soon leads the witches into a web of danger and unexpected twists, forcing them to seek help from their London friends.

Overnight, just before Yule, everything changes in White Haven. A huge snowstorm seals the town, and no one can leave or enter. The witches feel that nothing seems quite right – but they don’t know why. For those that are trapped outside the town, the risks are all too real. There are inexplicable deaths, an unnatural amount of snow, fantastical ice sculptures, and a magical wall around White Haven.

Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her mother’s apothecary business, but Mamma has always been secretive and refuses to tell her the hidden keys to her success. But the day Mamma is arrested for the poisoning of the powerful Duke de Verdi, Giulia is shocked to uncover the darker side of her trade. Giulia must run for her life and escapes to Naples, under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, to the home of her aunt Isabetta, a famous courtesan.

R. D. Blackmore’s enduring masterpiece Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor is renowned for its beautifully descriptive writing, the cleverly woven plot, and the powerfully drawn portrait of true love. Set in Devon in the late 17th century, it is an enduring masterpiece. First published in 1869, the novel revolves around the story of Devonshire farmer, John Ridd, his family, friends, and community. John tells the story in the first person beginning when he is just a boy and his father is murdered by the Doones.

Shifters are dying. It’s time to hunt. Wolf shifters fight hard, and play harder, and no one does this better than Maverick Hale, the Alpha of the Storm Moon Pack in London. However, when one of his team is found dead in his club, he needs answers—fast. All the evidence suggests a shifter from another pack has killed him, but when other packs across England report deaths, too, he knows that something far darker is happening. Someone, or something, is coming after the shifters. Packs normally keep to themselves, but that has to change if they’re to uncover the truth.

When single mother Maríanna disappears from her home, leaving an apologetic note on the kitchen table, everyone assumes that she's taken her own life...until her body is found in the Grábrók lava fields seven months later, clearly the victim of murder. Her neglected 15-year-old daughter, Hekla, has been placed in foster care, but is her perfect new life hiding something sinister?