Showing results by narrator "Gemma Lawrence" in All Categories

In the bustling heart of London’s East End, Maisie, Amanda and Bethan work long hours at the uniform factory. The pay is poor, the shifts relentless and the bombs fall far too close for comfort ­– but these three women refuse to give in to despair. For when not at the factory, the girls spend their days on the markets of Petticoat Lane, trying to source material in order to make dresses ­– doing their best to bring any small amount of joy in these troubled times. When a chance encounter leads them to a bundle of parachute silk, they decide to think bigger.

War. Fae Princes. One Clumsy Woman. A Hidden Secret. A silly children's story had us rushing against time. The fae will come and take you away if you are in their homeland for more than three days.It was the silliest thing ever but the people back home believed it. While out hunting to provide for my family with my brother, the last thing we planned was to be out in the fae lands more than three days. However as day four crept up on us, unease settles in. After a chance encounter with one of the dreaded fae, I find myself reeling with doubt and curiosity.

Lexi is already an oscar winning documentary director at just 30-years-old. But when she is asked to ditch her current project in exchange to film Rebel Heart - a reunited boy band - she is disappointed to say the least. She didn't work this hard to follow a boy group on tour and document their every manufactured move. But after meeting Aidan, the unofficial 'head' of the band, something new stirs inside her. She thinks he's egotistical, entitled, and impulsive. Equally, Aidan thinks Lexi is high-strung, secretive, and emotionally devoid.

1950, Stretton Village, Cambridgeshire. Emily's troubles continue as she tries to manage the Vanbrough estate, which has been left in trust for her son. Is there hope she can find new love and happiness? Frances has survived a fate worse than death but can she find a new life in Cornwall? Daniel is home with his family. Can he make a go of things and what will happen when the past comes back to haunt him? Connor is all grown up. A chance meeting could lead to love, fame and fortune. But opportunities don’t come without peril…

Lily Baker wants more from life. Working at the local cinema, she saves her pennies so she can have a chance to get ahead. After she’s attacked one night while locking up the cinema, she loses her heart to her dashing rescuer…But this lovely man is as different from her as can be. When the town is divided, pitting the wealthy elite against the poor working class folk like Lily, she finds her allegiance is torn.

Helen Macdonald is a falconer and poet. She keeps a goshawk called Mabel. As a child she fell in love with a rare book of intense nature writing, J.A. Baker's The Peregrine, which records a winter watching wild peregrines on the Essex coast. Her new play brings her birds and his together. Baker...

Sophy Pemberton is struggling to cope with the pressures of becoming a new mother. Her nine-month-old son never settles in her arms, and the unrelenting tiredness from late night feeds is all consuming. So, when Liv Granger from the mother-and-baby group offers her services as a nanny, Sophy is overcome with relief. Now she can finally get some sleep.... She can stop failing at being a mother. But Liv has a secret. She didn’t become Sophy’s nanny by accident.

Brought to you by Penguin. A brand new saga from the author of A Christmas Miracle on Sanctuary Lane! Richmond, Surrey, 1940. Overhead, the Battle of Britain rages. Below, at the Poppy Factory, disabled WWI veterans assemble remembrance wreaths while working on a secret wartime project...

Ruth's tireless research into the disease that killed her young daughter had an unexpected outcome: the discovery of a vaccine against old age. Just one jab a year reverses your biological clock, guaranteeing a long, healthy life. But Ruth's cure was hijacked by her colleague, Erik Grundleger, who hungers for immortality, and the SuperJuve—a premium upgrade—was created, driving human lifespan to a new high. The wealthy elite who take it are dubbed Supers, and the population begins to skyrocket. Then, a perilous side-effect of the SuperJuve emerges, with catastrophic consequences.

Eldest sister Frances is about to marry her childhood sweetheart. But with Marcus Danby now a fighter pilot, his fate hanging in the balance. Will he return from war for their happy ever after? Meanwhile youngest daughter Emily is swept off her feet by a dashing young officer, but does she really know him? Brother Daniel has joined up, but not before falling in love with a local kitchen girl Alice. Against the backdrop of war is there hope of a future for them?

When a sudden reassignment gives Lily Baker only three days to report to mysterious Bletchley Park, she’s confused but excitedly answers duty’s call. Learning the reputed madhouse is actually the clandestine home of Allied codebreakers, Lily walks a fine line between guarding British secrets and protecting her heart. But when she overhears that a spy could be hidden among the eclectic mix of codebreakers, she is determined to uncover which of her new friends is the traitor.

England, 1940. Only given two days leave after barely escaping Nazi troops in Paris, Lily Baker visits her fiancé’s family and is dismayed to learn he’s still missing in action. And going from an exciting overseas telephonist post to a routine office assignment leaves her bored… until the Blitz begins. Joining the Air Raid Protection service, Lily’s perilous new role puts her on the chaotic frontlines of deadly shelling and scared crowds turning hostile. But despite her heroism, she is plagued by guilt when she starts feeling attracted to a fellow A.R.P. member.

I’ve spent years running from my past. After what happened to my parents, I needed to start fresh, far away from the whispers and stares. Now, as a struggling university student, I barely scrape by, living in a new town where no one knows me or the tragedy I’ve tried to forget. To make ends meet, I take on a ghostwriting job for a high-profile client. But the deal comes with one strange condition: their identity must remain a secret. Their only communication is through a distorted voice on an app.

Violet Veil is ready for her next big case, and with trouble afoot at the Grecian Theatre, Violet and her dog, Bones, are hot on the trail. But just who is the mysterious fortune-teller, Lady Athena, whose predictions keep coming true? Is it all just a case of smoke and mirrors? Or is there something more sinister going on?

England, 1940. Shedding a tear as she says goodbye to her new fiancé when he leaves to fight, Lily Baker begins her own journey in the ATS. Thrilled after she wins the assignment to work in a coveted post, Lily is shocked to find out that one of her new colleagues might be a spy. And when she learns that her beloved is missing in action, she vows to do all she can to protect those around her.

Inspired by true events across Europe. WWII story of one woman's immense courage, bravery and sacrifice in the face of fear and tragedy, and whose determination to hold on to hope in a world ripped apart by war proves that love can prevail even in the darkest of days.

Thirteen years ago, magic was banished and the witches were hunted. Sisters Spel and Egg are the daughters of witches, but they grow up in Miss Mouldheel’s School for Wicked Girls with no idea who they really are. Until the day the message arrives telling them to run. The message sends them to a funeral parlour in a far away village—and their new guardian, the Undertaker, has a secret. Beneath the funeral parlour is a portal to the Other Ways—four worlds that lie parallel to ours. When Egg vanishes through the portal, Spel knows she must try to save her sister.

Daisy’s hero is Florence Nightingale, and she hopes to one day become a nurse just like her. But as a girl growing up in the East End of London in 1912, it seems like all her future holds is dropping out of school to work a tough job in a factory for very little money.

All it takes is one message for Gemma’s life to fall apart. A confirmation of all she’s feared these last few months. Jack was supposed to be preparing for their new start in Australia, building their home, building their life together. And now this. Gone. Without a trace. Leaving their perfect world – all that their two-year-old daughter, Poppy, knows – shattered. Crystal comes into Gemma’s life at the opportune moment. This new friend, who’s been through it before, who knows how it feels for all of your hopes and dreams to suddenly implode, who wants to help, who will do anything…

When a large diamond goes missing from Silvershell Manor, who better to get to the bottom of the mystery than detective Violet Veil and her dog Bones. But nothing is quite as it seems when it comes to the missing heirloom and when a trail of origami birds leads them to Elizabelle Crane, a young casino owner and debt collector, Violet realises that it’s all just turned into a game of high stakes . . .