Showing results by narrator "Laura Brydon" in All Categories

Lottie and Nick once had a dream marriage, but a series of failed IVF attempts has left Lottie feeling insecure, and her paranoia is further stoked by the arrival of a new starter at Nick’s firm. Nuala is the spitting image of a younger, more attractive Lottie, and Nick is paying her a lot of attention. But then Lottie discovers she’s pregnant. A surprise getaway to their country cottage to celebrate Nick’s birthday will provide the perfect backdrop to give him the news and start to heal the rifts in their relationship.

This is the story of two women. One old, one young. One looking for new adventures. One looking for a purpose. Both needing a friend. And this is how, along with two little girls in need of a family, a gorgeous stranger and a scruffy dog, they bring the whole community together every Saturday morning for love, laughter and a little bit of running...(well, power walking).

Ettie is trying to figure out her future. Dominic’s just trying to forget his past. But with the help of some unlikely friends, young and old, a secret lake hidden in the grounds of a beautiful estate and a scruffy dog, a new community is formed–right when they all need each other the most.

Housewife Nancy never dreamed that she’d end up in Vickers steelworks factory, but when husband Bert is called up to serve, she needs to put food on the table for her two young children. Betty’s sweetheart, William, has joined the RAF Reserves, so she can’t sit around and do nothing - even if it means giving up her ambitions to study law at night school. Young Patty is relishing the excitement the war brings. But this shop-girl is going to have to grow up quickly, especially now she’s undertaking such back-breaking and dangerous work in the factory.

Detective Claudia Nunn’s colleague DS Dominic Harrison has been leading the case against a dangerous serial killer, who hunts his victims using a dating app. But now his own wife has gone missing. Then a large pool of blood is discovered in their garage. And Dominic is the prime suspect. Is Dominic being framed by a serial killer, or will Claudia expose an even uglier truth?

Scrabble fan Jo always seems to pick the wrong guys. Now she's moved to the Yorkshire village of Hebbleswick, and decided to give dating one last chance. This time, there's a catch: she will only date men whose names would score highly in her beloved word game. After Tarquin (16 points) proves just as disappointing as the rest, she meets low-scoring local doctor Ras (3 points). Her rules mean she can't date him—but when he asks her to organise a Scrabble festival with him, she can't say no.

Five old school friends reunited for a weekend in Sheffield. A drunken game of truth or dare. One won't survive. The young woman is found murdered in a swanky hotel room. Detective Claudia Nunn gets the text just as she leaves her therapist's office. The victim's friends all say the same thing: she had been distracted and kept disappearing all weekend. And on the Saturday, someone had screamed abuse in her face. Did she know her killer?

Ever wondered why we knock on wood, cross our fingers, or avoid black cats? Dive in and learn about fascinating superstitions from all over the world! The Good Luck Book explores the surprising - and sometimes scary - history of the world's most practised superstitions (and plenty more that you...

DS Jan Pearce has a big problem. Her 15-year-old son, Aiden, is missing. Jan draws together the threads of missing-person cases spanning 50 years and finds tragic connections and unsolved questions. Bessy Swain, an elderly woman that Jan finds dead on her search for Aiden, and whose own son, Thomas, was also missing, may have the answers.

How far would you go to hide from the past? One-year old Maisie Lewis is missing. DC Jan Pearce is in hiding from her past but is drafted onto the case when things escalate. What forced Jan to come back to Manchester to start a new life? Who is she hiding from? What is making this kickass woman hide away and work on cold cases rather than step up to the action? Is it business - or is it personal? A chain of paper dolls and a series of sinister messages leads Jan to the truth and into the dangerous territory of hidden secrets - but is it too late for little Maisie?

We are the North. With ground-breaking new authors, a thriving independent publishing scene and vibrant grass-roots networks, the North is driving a revolution in new literature. This anthology showcases the best of its talent, from every corner of the region and across all its vibrant genres. Some contributors are well-known established names, others are newcomers - all of them are part of the new northern writing scene.

Kate has always dreamed of a life in music. And now she's finally done something about it–giving up her steady job, moving to the city to enrol in a degree program at a prestigious college. Needing a place to live, she answers an ad and moves in with Amy who seems a nice lady–mothering and protective. At first Kate is glad to have some support in this strange city, but gradually Amy's presence becomes more and more stifling–it just seems so hard to get away from her.

After losing her job, boyfriend and flat just a few weeks before Christmas, Ellie Lancaster makes some resolutions: 1. Exact revenge on ex. 2. Be unboring. 3. Find a job. With 1 complete, Ellie manages to tick off 2 and 3 simultaneously by accepting a mysterious archiving job on a tiny Scottish Island that doesn't seem to exist on any map. In the new year, her equally new bosses - celebrity baker Clementine Jones and her straight-laced twin brother Cole - introduce Ellie to the archives: a vast network of underground caverns, filled with scrolls dating back centuries.

DS Jan Pearce is still searching for her missing son. When she finds a little girl, Elise, alone in a pram in a busy town center, she must unravel a mystery that takes her to the edge of her emotions. Then, another child, Dara Price, goes missing. Lisa Connelly, Elise's mother, has been forced into a life of prostitution and has been leaving her little girl alone. Her gangland boss is holding her prisoner but she wants her little girl back. Jan finds herself balancing her search for her son with finding Dara.

In December 1940, the Blitz has reached Sheffield, but Steel Girl Hattie is more concerned about the war brewing at home between her parents. Desperate to help her mother in any way she can, will Hattie get through with the help of her factory sisters? Betty is overjoyed to learn that her fiancé will be coming home to complete his RAF training. But when the Blitz begins, he may be in greater danger than ever.

Winter, 1939. As December draws nearer and with her family facing their first Christmas without Bert, Nancy is desperately trying to keep up her children’s spirits and her own. Young Patty should be excited to be spending her first festive season with sweetheart Archie, but why does she worry he’s keeping something from her? Betty is missing her beloved William as he continues his RAF training, but she’s determined not to sit around wallowing.

The Yorkshire village of Beddingfield is home to the wonderful women of the Allen family: teacher Robyn, wannabe chef Jess, teenage tearaway Sorrel and matriarch Lisa, who holds the whole family together. But underneath her warmth and brilliance, Lisa has a secret – she longs to know who she really is.

It's 1991, and Rita is looking forward to her return to Manchester after a few years in Greece with her husband Yansis. But once back she finds a cuckoo in the family nest – a dope-smoking 'businessman' called Leroy. Worse, he is her sister Jenny's boyfriend, and father of her unborn child. Rita and Yansis retreat to stay with friends Julie and Vinny, now living in a comfortable suburb of the city. But Rita is anxious to find out just what hold Leroy has over her family, and she'll stop at nothing to find out.

In the scorching summer of 1976, Robyn spends her days swimming at the Lido and tagging after her brother. It’s the perfect holiday - except for the crying women her mum keeps bringing home. As the heat wave boils on, tensions in the town begin to simmer. Everyone is gossiping about her mum, a strange man is following her around, and worst of all, no one will tell Robyn the truth. But this town isn’t good at keeping secrets....

Sue Young has never asked for much apart from a quiet life. She’s always been happy with her call centre job and dinner on the table at six o'clock. That was until a tragedy tore her tranquility into little shreds. With her life in tatters, Sue is persuaded to join a charity cycle ride led by morning TV’s Kath Fuller, who is having a crisis of her own, and Sue’s self-appointed support crew are struggling with their own issues.