Showing results by narrator "Polly Lee" in All Categories

New York Times best-selling author Madeline Hunter continues her delicious new quartet of regency romances with this novel about the passion that ignites when fate brings two unlikely souls together.

Only a woman with an iron backbone could succeed as an undertaker in Victorian England, but Violet Morgan takes great pride in her trade. While her husband, Graham, is preoccupied with elevating their station in society, Violet is cultivating a sterling reputation for Morgan Undertaking.

As the beautiful daughter of courtiers, Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount is overjoyed when she secures a position as maid of honor to Katherine of Aragon. But when she captures the attention of the king himself, there are whispers that the queen ought to be worried for her throne. When Bess gives birth to a healthy son the whispers become a roar. But soon the infamous Boleyn girls come to court and Henry's love for her begins to fade.

Your heart is a miracle in motion, a marvel of construction unsurpassed by any human-made creation. It beats 100,000 times every day—if you were to live to 100, that would be more than 3 billion beats across your lifespan. Despite decades of effort in labs all over the world, we have not yet been able to replicate the heart’s perfect engineering. But, as Sian Harding shows us in The Exquisite Machine, new scientific developments are opening up the mysteries of the heart. And this explosion of new science has crucial, real-world consequences for health and well-being.

Lottie Sprigg and her employer, Mrs. Moore, are guests at Vienna's opulent Schönbrunn Palace. But their visit goes awry when the corpse of a renowned psychoanalyst is found in the grounds. There's a handful of suspects and-tragically for Mrs. Moore—one of them is her beloved Prince Manfred.

Jane Seymour of Wiltshire is not meant to go to Court. Not a child like her, with her lack of beauty and no title. But family connections are enough to have her named to the bridal retinue of Mary Tudor. At the French Court, the plain and docile Jane meets the girl who will grow into her rival in years to come: the already charismatic and conniving Anne Boleyn. Soon back home in the English countryside, Jane wants nothing more than peace and quiet—and the devotion of her childhood protector, William Dormer.

Bishop’s Lynn, England, 1413. At the age of forty, Margery Kempe has nearly died giving birth to her fourteenth child. Fearing that another pregnancy might kill her, she makes a vow of celibacy, but she can’t trust her husband to keep his end of the bargain. Desperate for counsel, she visits the famous anchoress Dame Julian of Norwich. Pouring out her heart, Margery confesses that she has been haunted by visceral religious visions. Julian then offers up a confession of her own: she has written a secret, radical book about her own visions, Revelations of Divine Love.

The ink is barely dry on Giorgios Letsos’ divorce papers, and there’s only one thing on this unstoppable Greek’s mind: finding Billie Smith, his mistress before his marriage. Billie has fought hard to heal her broken heart after Gio chose to marry someone else. When he storms back into her life, she’s determined not to fall for his seduction again. Especially now that she has a secret to protect…their son.

After establishing her reputation as one of London's most highly regarded undertakers, Violet Harper decided to take her practice to the wilds of the American West. But when her mother falls ill, Violet and her husband, Samuel, are summoned back to England, where her skills are as sought-after as ever. She's honored to undertake the funeral of Anthony Fairmont, the Viscount Raybourn, a close friend of Queen Victoria who died in suspicious circumstances-but it's difficult to perform her services when his body disappears....

Lottie Sprigg and her employer arrive in glitzy Monaco where Lottie finds a mysterious note which threatens murder. Before she can act on it, a body is found in a private room at the Monte Carlo Casino.

When the young and beautiful Catherine Howard becomes the fifth wife of the fifty-year-old King Henry VIII, she seems to be on top of the world. Yet her reign is destined to be brief and heartbreaking, as she is forced to do battle with enemies far more powerful and calculating than she could have ever anticipated in a court where one wrong move could mean her undoing. Wanting only love, Catherine is compelled to deny her heart's desire in favor of her family's ambition.

Derbyshire, December 1861. Haunted by the events of the summer, Samantha Kingston has found her retreat to the country less restful than she hoped. When a house party reintroduces V. T. Wyatt into her life after a three-month absence, she has mixed feelings. It doesn't help that they must keep their distance to stop the gossip mill running. But when Samantha stumbles across the body of someone she recognizes and in whose death she fears she may have played a part, keeping their distance becomes impossible.

Desert prince Zahid once walked away from Trinity Foster and the fire blazing in her eyes. He was heir to the kingdom of Ishla, and duty required that he return home, but a chance encounter reveals more than just passion. As painful truths of the past are revealed, Zahid realises that Trinity needs his protection. Although she’s strictly forbidden, walking away from her again is impossible!

Young sleuth Lottie Sprigg accompanies her employer to Cairo-a city flushed with excitement after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. But a shadow looms after the untimely death of Lord Carnarvon—could the Pharaoh's Curse be real?

Who did the deed? Having chanced upon some clues, budding sleuth Lottie tries to make sense of mysterious conversations and bare-faced lies. She's assisted by her trusty dog, Rosie, and the local delivery boy. But when a second body is found, her theories come undone.

1923. Lottie Sprigg is a lowly maid. But when she's hired by a wealthy heiress, she embarks on a thrilling journey across Europe and beyond. Lottie's expecting exciting exploits and spectacular sights. But she's not expecting murder . . . In Venice, Lottie befriends a famous opera singer after reuniting him with his lost dog. Early the next morning, the singer's corpse is found floating in the Grand Canal.

Why do we love to swear so much? Why do we get so offended when others do it? In this lively and amusing exploration of the various puzzles that surround swearing, philosopher Rebecca Roache argues that what makes swearing offensive is not really the words at all: the offensiveness lies in what we don't say. The unspoken—and usually unconscious—inferences that speakers and listeners make about each other are key to explaining swearwords' capacity to shock.

This book shows how to build a profound magical relationship with a dryad - the spirit or life force of the trees. With nine themed charms, author Penny Billington helps you connect with tree nymphs and nature spirits so that you may receive their blessings, advice, and guidance. Nine Ways to Charm a Dryad shares meditations, exercises, writing prompts, and tips for creative art projects designed to support communication with the wise spiritual beings found in the forests and fields.

From bestselling author Tracie Peterson come three unique historical novels, rereleased for longtime and new fans alike. Liberty and love—even life itself—are fragile commodities for those living in medieval England. Will God’s love and power triumph in the lives of three courageous women? Find out in soul-searing historical novels of romance and suspense!

Supporting the mental health and well-being of children and young people is a top priority for parents, caregivers, and teachers, but it can be tricky to find reliable and evidence-based information. Written by an experienced child and adolescent psychiatrist, in a user-friendly question-and-answer format, this book outlines the mental health challenges facing our children and young people and offers practical advice on how to best support them.