Showing results by narrator "Virginia Ferguson" in All Categories

Dmitrey Merezhkovsky, a formidable historian and philosopher, known best for his epic narratives from Russian history, takes a romantic foray into the realm of life, death, love, and all things in between. Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to The Spirit of Romance, and experience the compelling world of historical romance.

Five-year-old Sarah doesn’t understand why she’s afraid. But she is. Frightening things keep happening in their new home. A century earlier, a servant girl with dreams of fame and fortune collided with the house’s mistress - a British aristocrat bent on securing her place in proper society. The tension between these women began with small things, built to prickly pressure, and then exploded into raging mayhem, tearing the entire household apart. Fury, vengeance, and hatred infuse the very walls of Crawley House.

Jessie Harper, a librarian with a passion for the supernatural, discovers her unique gift when her talking cat, Khan, reveals a world beyond the ordinary. Together, they embark on a journey into the dark forces hidden in the shadows of Liverpool. When Jessie's dear friend Elsie is murdered on a River Mersey ferry, Jessie's life takes an unexpected turn. Determined to unravel the mystery, Jessie, Khan, and an unlikely team of allies, including family friend George Jenkins and local detective Bill Roberts, plunge into a sinister underbelly of lies and corruption within the local council.

At the age of 19, Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth of Hesse, stepped into the glittering court of the Romanovs, beginning a journey that would lead her from the shimmering ballrooms of St. Petersburg to the back streets of Moscow. Through intrigues, assassination, war and revolution, to the tragedy of her own horrific murder, she remained true to her calling to bring beauty into the world. Based on the true story of "the most beautiful princess in Europe", this novel is written in tribute to a remarkable and courageous woman.

Murder in the Pachysandra introduces Hattie Moon, an elderly widow, who steps out of her dusty world of cat hair, mixed-up days, and rambling conversations with her dead husband, to solve the murder of her paperboy Jason Meeks. She, along with her friend Muriel Manning, unravel clues the police have missed. Suddenly, the amateur sleuths find themselves swirling in a deceitful, troubling world of marital infidelity, drugs, the dark web, and a diabolical force that hovers, ready to pounce.

Mr. Alistair Price, heir to the elderly Viscount Melton, arrived in London with his eight younger siblings in tow. He is charged with keeping his family name above reproach until the season starts and his sister, Miss Adeline Price, is presented to society - though that proves far more difficult than Alistair ever expected when he discovers his rebellious sister climbing down the side of their townhouse and scurrying off to Whitechapel for an archery tournament.

When both learn of the other’s lack of desire for love, they know the best chance to escape those seeking to wed them is to come to an agreement - one that will free them both from the pressures of matchmaking. But a marriage of convenience doesn’t imply a marriage without passion. As their feelings eventually warm toward one another, old enemies emerge and threaten everything they have worked for. Will they be able to draw strength from their blossoming love to defeat those who seek to destroy them, or will they deny their feelings and lose one another forever?

Jeb Jackson, a once famous rodeo star, lives in isolation on his family’s storied ranch in Montana. Until the day a mysterious and complex young woman pays him a visit. Less of a visit and more like the surprise of his life - an unwelcome one at that. Or so it seems, when the beautiful stranger (who claims to know him) announces she needs “straightening out”. Now he’s got a drugged-up, freshly-divorced, sequin-encrusted beauty queen passed out in his bed and has no idea what to do with her or himself. Falling in love seems like the only option.

Russian literature is not normally associated with short form. So, here is a delicious little miniature from the master of storytelling Alexander Kuprin, a tiny slice of life, skillfully presented and highly engaging.

Wisecracking Jane Teach had pirate blood, a take-charge attitude, and a penchant for sticking her nose in the wrong places. Sober-minded Bill Popple was from one of Long Island's first families, a conservative-minded young man who walked the straight and narrow. When they met it was loathing at first sight, definitely not a match made in heaven. But with six people trying to kill them over a dead bootlegger's lost fortune and a pirate's treasure secretly buried 300 years ago, they both needed each other.

Katherine is a retired nurse and a retired church organist. The small Hudson River village where she lives in her Victorian “Painted Lady” makes her the neighborhood matriarch. Along with her Maine Coon Cat Robespierre, she guards friends and families. When amoral Rachel moves into the first floor apartment of Katherine’s house, trouble erupts. The murder weapon is one she recognizes and makes her fear for her friends and family. Finding the killer becomes her goal.

Playwright and historian Rustem Valayev presents two poignant, dramatic, and thought-provoking episodes from our not-so-distant past. Despite having been written many decades ago, these two novellas hold up surprisingly well in the modern context.

"Diamond Is Fragile was one of my favorite books from my late grandfather's library. Much to my surprise (and dismay) it was only published once in the former Soviet Union approximately 50 years ago and (to the best of my knowledge) has never been published abroad. I was inspired to translate Diamond Is Fragile into English by my father-in-law - Thom Seymour, Sr. - due to his passion for geology and history (topics amply covered in the book). I hope that other English-speaking readers who are interested in these disciplines will enjoy it as well." (Maria K., translator)

Once a celebrated singer, Rosemary Paul is now an embittered woman in her 60s, forgotten by nearly everyone but her assistant, Carrie Markham, who idolizes her and panders to her every need. When Rosemary receives the unexpected news that her record company is dusting off one of her albums for a reissue, the old hunger for fame and success is reignited, and with Carrie's help she begins to plan her big comeback. But as preparations commence, long buried secrets begin to resurface, and Rosemary's quest for fame at any price will lead to murder.

At the Inn, life is filled with the unexpected. Payton is left to pick up the pieces after her divorce is finalized. Seeking a fresh start, she returns to her home town in Pelican Beach. Determined to move on with her life, she finds herself caught up in the family business at The Inn. It may not be her passion, but anything is better than what her broken marriage had to offer. Payton doesn't wallow in her sorrows long before her opportunity at a second chance shows up. Is there room in her heart to love again? She’ll soon find out!

Dr. Evangeline Beauford thought blood held no secrets from her. As one of Boston's leading hematologists, she's dedicated her career to studying blood's mysteries—until a posthumous letter from her estranged sister draws her back to Beauford Grove after eighteen years away. The family's olive plantation shouldn't exist in Alabama soil. The trees shouldn't weep crimson sap. And her own family's blood work shouldn't show impossible anomalies that her scientific mind can't explain.

In the snow-kissed splendor of Regency England, a jaded lord with a scandalous past and a heartbroken lady determined to avoid love find themselves irresistibly drawn together in a chance meeting. Lady Eleanor Winthrop has sworn off marriage after a broken engagement. Her fierce independence and sharp wit are her shields against a world that has let her down. Lord Alexander Harrington, Marquess Rockingham, is a dashing rake with a reputation as notorious as it is scandalous.

David Brooks, Earl of Foxcroft had led a charmed life. Right up until his father died and he was forced to take responsibility for his family and the estates. His father had run the coffers nearly empty and it had been up to him to restore their fortune. He could have married an heiress, but felt that was a cowardly way out. Instead he built their fortune in a more scandalous way: by doing a trade and working. Now that he feels secure enough with his family's status he has decided to take a wife.

When Sebastian of Hawkesmere returns from the Crusades, he becomes a recluse, locking himself away in an enchanted tower and dabbling in alchemy and magic. When his brother captures a beautiful woman with a satchel full of amazing instruments, Sebastian is enlisted to help discern their purpose and discover where she came from.

When Stella McKenzie is summoned to meet her Great Aunt Bess, her grandmother's sister, on the occasion of that lady's 100th birthday, she keeps the appointment with a great deal of trepidation. All her life she has been told about this mysterious lady, to whom her grandmother has not spoken since the First World War. She has been told that she is mean and spiteful, that she wrecked the engagement of her sister to the man she loved out of spite and jealousy.