Showing results by narrator "Jilly Bond" in All Categories

Zoe is thrilled to be helping out at her Auntie Jo's animal shelter over the Easter holidays. But she doesn't expect to come across a box on the steps of the shelter containing three tiny abandoned puppies. It's touch and go for the littlest pup, whom Zoe names Cookie. Over the next few weeks, Zoe takes special care of Cookie and a close bond is formed between the two of them. But how will Zoe cope when it comes for the puppies to be rehomed?

When Sophie Ellis is asked to house-sit at a Knightsbridge townhouse, it appears to be the offer of a lifetime. Drawn into the glittering circle of the home’s owner, she meets wealthy American businessman Nick Cooper and is swept up into a thrilling and passionate affair. But when Nick is found dead in his hotel suite, Sophie is suddenly the prime suspect for his murder, and soon realises Nick was not the man he seemed.

Ellen Thomas, experienced war correspondent, returns to Afganistan’s dangerous Helmand Province on assignment, keen to find the murderer of her friend and translator, Jalil. In her search for justice in a land ravaged by death and destruction, she uncovers disturbing truths. Hasina, forced by tradition into the role of wife and mother, lives in a village which is taken by the British Forces. Her only son, Aref, is part of a network of underground fighters and she is determined to protect him, whatever the cost.

In 1913 an orphan girl is delivered to The Hall of Eternal Splendour, seemingly destined to live out her life as a prostitute in its smoky backrooms. Yet one day hope appears in the unlikely form of a customs inspector, a modest man who will take Pan Yuliang as his concubine and introduce her to a glamorous life in 1920's Shanghai: a life of love and of art. But as Pan begins to realize her talent as a painter she also sees that she may lose something even more precious: a life in safety.

The day after her wedding, Donella Ferguson Watson wakes up shackled to a man haunted by the past. The lonely days become weeks, months. Her husband, Hugh, a prison doctor, will offer no explanation for their sexless marriage. She comes to suspect the answer lies with a hunger-striking suffragette who was force fed and held in solitary confinement. But what really happened between Hugh and his prisoner patient?

Fifteenth-century Spain is rent with intrigue and threatened by civil war. Here, the young Isabella becomes the pawn of her half-crazed mother and a virtual prisoner at the licentious court of her half-brother, Henry IV. At just sixteen years old, is she already fated to be the victim of the Queen's revenge, the Archbishop's ambition and the lust of lecherous Don Pedro Girón?

For Lucy Riddick, Venice has always been the dream destination, the ideal place to lose herself. And now she needs to do just that. The secret she's been keeping has finally caught up with her and Lucy needs to disappear - fast. But what if, when she sets foot in Venice, Lucy finds the one thing she has been running from?

It's 1940, Guernsey. Vivienne de la Mare waits nervously for the bombs to drop. Instead comes quiet surrender and insidious occupation. Her husband is fighting on the frontline, and her new life is one where the enemy lives next door. Small acts of kindness from one Nazi soldier feel like a betrayal. But how can you hate your enemy when you know his name, when he makes you feel alive, when everything else is dying around you?

Another thrilling adventure for Anna Fehrbach. 1953: Anna Fehrbach, now happily married, is enjoying her Bahamian hideaway. Its been three years since the Russians last attempted to arrest her for her attempt on the life of Joseph Stalin, and she's beginning to believe that her archenemy, Lavrenty Beria, has abandoned the chase. But when Anna is lured into one last job for the CIA, she is plunged back into the Russian orbit....

France eagerly awaits the day the young king, Louis XV, comes of age and breaks free from the rule of his ministers. The country hopes Louis will bring back glory and prosperity to France. However, he is too preoccupied with the thrills of hunting and gambling to notice the power struggle going on in his own court. Soon the king is introduced to the pleasures of mistresses, and a succession of lovers follows.

Emma Blair once again richly evokes the setting and characters of Scotland during the 30s. Continuing the story she began in Flower of Scotland, Emma invites the listener back into the lives of the Drummond family, who are still dealing with the aftermath of the First World War but now must also face up to the horrors of the Second. Andrew and Rose are running the distillery and have given a job to Jack's son, Tommy.

A fiery passion which treads the line between lust and hate… He wants to hate her, but he’s passionately attracted to her. Just who is Lily Wrightington - cynical fashion photographer or studious art historian? Prince Marco di Lucchesi can’t hide his haughty disdain for this Englishwoman - or his attraction to her! The atmosphere between them alternately sizzles with dislike and erotic promise. If Marco drops his guard, the passion he’s trying to keep firmly under wraps might just unleash itself…

September 1940. England is at war once again and London has become an ever-fragile place for widowed Livia Ripley and her two young daughters, Polly and Eliza. When Livia meets charismatic publisher Hugo Ballantyne, she is hopeful that her life is about to change for the better. But as clouds gather in the clear autumn sky, the wail of the siren heralds the arrival of the Luftwaffe.

In the shadow of Lewes castle lies buried an ancient tablet. Hours after discovering it, dashing local archaeologist Gideon Rivers is dead. Writer Virginia Woolf and her artist sister, Vanessa, both know firsthand that it doesn't take much to cause a stir in town. And when Gideon returned home from a dig in Syria with a glamourous Parisian heiress on his arm, all eyes were on him. But who would have conspired to murder such a charming young man? There are more suspects in his circle than it first seems: an ambitious fiancée, a jealous best friend, and a string of scorned former lovers.

Grace is living through every mother’s worst nightmare. Her daughter Abi went away on a dream vacation—and was murdered. Overwhelmed by grief and fighting off old demons, Grace tries to make sense of it—who would want to kill her beautiful girl? But as she learns more about Abi’s life, she realizes she didn’t know her own daughter very well. How did Abi acquire all those designer clothes? And what was she doing on those mysterious trips to the city? Grace desperately needs to find answers. But soon it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want her digging into Abi’s past.

In this exciting adaptation of the novel by H.G. Wells set in 1900, we join the eccentric professor Cavor and the rakish free loading Charles Bedford on their extraordinary journey to the moon in a huge metal sphere resplendent with drape curtains, gentleman’s arm chairs and brass fittings. Once upon the moon’s surface they discover more than they bargained for—within the centre of the moon there is life! Taken prisoner by the calculating Selenites, our heroes and their crew are soon subjected to mind experiments and terror.

Christian Lamb is one of the last surviving Wren officers to have served throughout the Second World War, from Blitz ravaged London, to the important radar and operations rooms and undertaking a vital role in D Day. Escaping both the Spanish Flu pandemic when she was born and the pandemic we are emerging from today, she has reached the impressive age of 101. Now she leads us through the story of her extraordinary life and the wartime experiences of her fellow Wrens.

From the day she was born, Charlotte won the hearts of her subjects and yet behind the scenes she was used, abused and victimized by rivalries-between her parents; between her Father (the Prince Regent, later George IV) and (Mad King) George III: between her tutors, governesses and other members of her discordant household; and ultimately between the Whigs and the Tories. Her death in childbirth-the result of medical incompetence-was followed by an unseemly scramble to produce a substitute heir.

Sophie lives in Gorom-Gorom, with her carnivorous-plant obsessed dad. Despite living there for two years and speaking the local language, Sophie finds it difficult to make friends. So when she meets Gidaado, a young griot (story-teller), she agrees to join him and his albino camel, Chobbal, on a journey to his village.

With King James on the throne of both England and Scotland, a period of stability seems to have arrived. But the exposed gunpowder plot to blow up Parliament serves only to heighten the anxiety and panic of the people. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than in London - a city that is also struggling to deal with its exploding population.