Showing results by narrator "Julie Teal" in All Categories

According to the great diarist John Evelyn, Charles II was ‘addicted to women’, and throughout his long reign a great many succumbed to his charms. Clever, urbane and handsome, Charles presided over a hedonistic court, in which licence and licentiousness prevailed. Drawing on a wide variety of original sources, including material in private archives, Linda Porter paints a vivid picture of these women and of Restoration England, an era that was both glamorous and sordid.

The crazy girls, they called them – or at least, Elizabeth liked to think they did. As a teenager in the late 1970s, she was clever, overweight and a perfect victim for the bullies. Then Rachel and her family arrived in town and, for Elizabeth, it was as if a light had been switched on. She was drawn to the bright and beautiful Rachel like a moth to a flame. Rachel had her own reasons for wanting Elizabeth as a friend and, although their relationship was far from equal, Elizabeth would do anything for Rachel. Then the first body was discovered.

When Joe and Christy Davenport step behind the Oxford-blue-painted door of their 'forever' home, they believe their dreams have come true. Yet the boxes aren't even unpacked before a series of events leads Christy to become obsessed with the previous occupant, the glamorous, enigmatic Amber Fraser, whose departure from Lime Park Road is shrouded in mystery. What happened to her? And why are Joe and Christy's attempts at friendship with neighbours met with an unnerving silence?

Emma Patrick's life is spiralling out of control. On the cusp of her 50th birthday, she realises that she's been so focused on work that she's lost any real connection to people. When Emma's ageing father needs her help, she decides to go back home to the countryside to spend some time with him. But returning to Little Bramble after years away is filled with complications and people she'd rather avoid.

When Tamara's sister, Lyddie, is involved in an accident that leaves her in need of constant care, Tamara resolves to remain home to care for her. But when Lyddie's teenage sweetheart Jed Cassius returns, he brings news that shakes her family to their core. Can Tamara find a balance between her love for Lyddie and growing feelings for Jed, or will she discover that some kinds of love just don't mix?

A plane falls out of the sky. A woman is murdered. Four people all have something to hide. Jim is a retired police officer. His beloved daughter has disappeared and he knows something is wrong. Tom has woken up to discover that his wife was on the plane and he must break the news to their son. Freya is struggling to cope with the loss of her father. But as she delves into his past, she may not like what she finds.

Malka was three when the German invaders forced her family into the Jewish ghetto in Volodymyr-Volynskyi, a city in present-day Ukraine. Her father was killed in the first pogrom, but before he died he said to her mother Rivka: ‘save the children’. And despite her heartbreak, that is what she set out to do. Rivka kept Malka and her two older brothers alive through eighteen traumatic months, as the ghetto got smaller and smaller. They saw the worst of humanity but there were acts of kindness too.

In 1930s Berlin, choked by the tightening of Hitler's fist, the Klein family are gradually losing everything that is precious to them. Their 15-year-old daughter, Rosa, slips out of Germany on a Kindertransport train to begin a new life in England. Charged with the task of securing a safe passage for her family, she vows that she will not rest until they are safe. But as war breaks out and she loses contact with her parents, Rosa finds herself wondering if there are some vows that can't be kept....

Alice Dorothy Matthews is on the road to paradise! She’s sold her house in London, got rid of her nasty ex and arranged her move to Portugal where friendship and romance awaits. All that’s left to do is find a place to call home. But Alice’s dreams are called into question when complications with friends, work and new relationships make her Portuguese paradise feel far too much like reality. Will Alice’s dream of a new home in the sun come true?

Malka was three when the German invaders forced her family into the Jewish ghetto in Volodymyr-Volynskyi, a city in present-day Ukraine. Her father was killed in the first pogrom, but before he died he said to her mother Rivka: ‘save the children’. And despite her heartbreak, that is what she set out to do. Rivka kept Malka and her two older brothers alive through eighteen traumatic months, as the ghetto got smaller and smaller. They saw the worst of humanity but there were acts of kindness too.

Lexie Holloway falls desperately in love with the Earl of Synley after a brief encounter at a ball. But Synley is already engaged to be married and the heartbroken Lexie leaves for a new life in Italy. Years later, she returns home to find that much has changed – the once notorious Earl is a reformed character, and no longer married but it appears that his life may be in danger.…

While many people with disabilities, differences and disadvantages are often under-valued in our society, under-acknowledged in history and under-represented, Krish and Miriam Kandiah team up again to show how God gives people with disabilities a special mention, special honour and very special jobs. Krish and Miriam introduce us to people in the Bible of all shapes and sizes who go on incredible adventures with God!

Abandoned when she was tiny, Maisie Reynolds was separated from her twin brother and forced to grow up in Holly Bush orphanage - a place where she has never known love or kindness. But with the world at war and Hitler’s devastating bombs coming ever closer, fate has other plans for Maisie, and a secret from her past changes everything. When she meets handsome Canadian paratrooper Cam, Maisie learns that love might not be lost to her after all - but not before her past life and D Day bring a tragic twist to her happiness.

For fans of The Help and The Invention of Wings, a searing and sweeping debut novel that gives a new and unforgettable perspective on modern-day domestic workers. Set in the blistering heat of Singapore, The Maid's Room follows the lives of two Filipina maids - sisters Dolly and Tala - who are working hard to send money back home and British expat Jules, who has left her job as a midwife to move to Singapore with husband David.

During her 70 years on the throne, few got to know the Queen well, but there is one body of work that sheds new light on her thoughts, personality and the issues that really concerned her: the Queen's own speeches. Based on in-depth research and interviews with many of those who knew the Queen best, this audiobook sheds new light on the life and career of our much-missed monarch.

Frances Brookman has just received the phone call every mother dreads. Her daughter Naomi has been in a life-threatening accident. As she races to the hospital, Frances catches sight of a child in another car – a girl screaming for help. It's a split-second thing and looks can be deceptive. She could follow the car, but can she live with the delay getting to her daughter? If she does nothing, can she live with herself?

A very young woman's first job: governess for two weirdly beautiful, strangely distant, oddly silent children, Miles and Flora, at a forlorn estate...an estate haunted by a beckoning evil. Half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows—silent, foul phantoms who, day by day, night by night, come closer, ever closer. With growing horror, the helpless governess realizes the fiendish creatures want the children, seeking to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, own their souls. But worse, the governess discovers that Miles and Flora have no terror of the lurking evil.

Mary O'Connor has been keeping a vigil for her first love for the past seven years. Every evening without fail, Mary arrives at Ealing Broadway station and sets herself up among the commuters. In her hands Mary holds a sign which bears the words 'Come Home Jim'. Call her mad, call her a nuisance, call her a drain on society - Mary isn't going anywhere. That is, until an unexpected call turns her world on its head. In spite of all her efforts, Mary can no longer find the strength to hold herself together.

Daisy’s job as a gift shop owner may involve selling chocolate truffles and lacy knickers, but this summer she finds herself turning her hand to a slightly different profession.... Daisy’s boyfriend, Eli, works for a secret government agency and, try as she might, Daisy can’t seem to help getting caught in the middle of his missions, which take her on a thrilling ride from the streets of Paris to a remote health retreat where carbs are banned! But when she finds that Eli might be in danger, Daisy has to stop playing at being a spy and become the real thing. Can she save the day?

The people of an ancient city awaken one night to find the earth beneath them trembling. But only the Augur, a fearless prophetess who was once the power behind the throne, sees the fate that awaits them. As the skies darken and portents threaten, a handful of people are drawn to do the Augur’s bidding. Fierce Saba and pale-haired Aemilia, her young acolytes, stolen from their homes long ago.