Showing results by narrator "Esther Wane" in All Categories

When Daisy dreamed of leaving home on an adventure, she never imagined ending up trapped in a tower, cut off from the world and invisible to others. The years pass slowly, leaving Daisy desperate to reclaim her old life, however dull. But her captor has bigger plans, and Daisy knows she can’t just rescue herself. She has to shatter her captor's enchantments forever. When opportunity comes, however, it arrives in an unexpected guise. Young and handsome, Prince Xander has come to rescue a princess from a tower. Instead, he finds himself battling at Daisy's side for the fate of a kingdom.

This audiobook features opening arguments followed by two rounds of reply between two moral philosophers on opposing sides of the abortion debate. In the opening essays, Kate Greasley and Christopher Kaczor lay out what they take to be the best case for and against abortion rights. In the ensuing dialogue, they engage with each other’s arguments, and each responds to criticisms fielded by the other. The result gives listeners a window into how moral philosophers argue about the contentious issue of abortion rights, and an in-depth analysis of the compelling arguments on both sides.

Growing up in 1970s Northern Ireland isn't easy. Under the roof of her stern and devout adoptive mother, Eileen Duffy, Angela's life is confined by rules and the tension of a community split between green and orange. In a place where identity is inherited and choices are few, Angela longs to carve out a future of her own.

For fans of Philippa Gregory and Allison Pataki, Butterfly Games is Kelly Scarborough’s debut biographical historical fiction novel about a young Swedish countess whose youthful love affair with the heir to her country’s throne has profound personal and political repercussions. In some games, winning means losing everything that matters. In the opulent world of the Swedish royal court, Jacquette Gyldenstolpe walks a dangerous tightrope between romance and political intrigue.

Celeste has been cursed since her 16th birthday - just not in the way the rest of the kingdom thinks. All they see is her breath-taking beauty, marred by her foolishness. Only she knows that she retains her brilliant mind. And it's a secret she must keep at all costs. Over the years she's grown accustomed to the necessary deception. After all, her life depends on it. And she's even found a way to protect her kingdom, working from the shadows. But now a dangerous new threat has emerged, one that Celeste can't defeat alone. She needs the help of a newly-arrived prince.

Hannah and Lizzie have never been close, but following the recent death of their mother, the sisters have agreed to put their differences to one side and go on holiday together. But when they and their families arrive at the remote house they’ve rented in the south of France, they find a dead body in the swimming pool. The place is soon swarming with police, then reporters and photographers get hold of the story. Finally, the news spreads online, putting them at the center of a media storm.

In the summer of 1937, change is in the air at Hope House orphanage in Delgany, Virginia. Caretaker Lauren Greenwood has held the home together through storms of loss and hardship, but when an unexpected telegram arrives, the future begins to shift once more.

Novice detective Finola hasn't been in Edinburgh long, but she's already made friends in the city. But when a woman is poisoned shortly after eating at the café, suspicion inevitably falls on Finola's new friend. Finola can't for the life of her imagine that Laurie had anything to do with the lady's death - or maybe the detective is simply too trusting? Either way, Finola sets off in search of answers...

Tensions rise in Clover Springs as two communities clash. Mrs. Grey finds herself in the middle of the chaos as her past comes back to haunt her. With Father Molloy and her other friends by her side, she can forgive those who hurt her, but can she forgive herself? Can she open her heart to a life filled with love and kindness or will the chains of the past destroy Clover Springs?

The investigation into a warehouse fire turns into a murder inquiry when a woman’s body is found in the debris. Forensics quickly establish foul play is involved. Now fully in charge of her team, DI Tanya Miller investigates, but her efforts are thwarted by a family problem that demands immediate attention. Her niece has gone missing, and her distraught sister is adamant Tanya help find her. Juggling the two is difficult. Left to their own devices, her team are making little progress on understanding the cause of the warehouse fire.

Theodora Goss's first major short story collection showcases such stories as "The Rose in Twelve Petals," "The Rapid Advance of Sorrow," "Lily, With Clouds," "In the Forest of Forgetting," "Sleeping With Bears," and many more.

Snow has always lived under the shadow of her cruel stepmother, with only her beloved father and her childhood friend - the huntsman, Alexander - to make life bearable. When her father dies, she should be crowned queen, but instead she finds herself fleeing for her life. With no allies, no skills, and no food, her future could be over before it has truly begun. But there's more at stake than just one life. If Snow can't claim her throne, her kingdom faces destruction. Snow has to make a choice: focus on her own salvation or put everything on the line - even those she loves the most.

Three full-length fairy tales filled with intrigue, romance, and suspense! This collection contains: Traitor's Masque: A Retelling of Cinderella, Goldheart: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, and Pirouette: A Retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

1796, England. When Lady Ottilia Fanshawe finds herself launched into a river and fighting for her life, she becomes convinced someone pulled her under the water. And when a dead body washes up on the riverbank, her theory becomes a certainty. Lady Fan recognizes the dead woman as someone connected to one of her past cases. Had the woman been spying on her? Was she Lady Fan's attacker? If so, why was she killed? Lady Fan is desperate to unravel the mystery but her dedicated husband, Francis, is determined to keep her out of harm's way.

When Anya is arrested at a Moscow anti-corruption rally under false pretenses, she is given a 10-day sentence at a detention center. Her cellmates are five other ordinary women arrested on petty charges. Ten listless days stretch before Anya and, as she appeals her sentence and recalls her progress from apolitical youth to informed citizen, she is troubled by strange, dreamlike visions, and wonders if her cellmates might somehow not be as ordinary as they seem.

Making cupcakes can be murder. Especially when someone has poisoned them. Diana knows she's being framed for a crime she didn't commit, but who is out to make her look guilty, and why? Speaking of secret enemies...Fergus has done something terrible. Now part of a new crime-fighting duo, Diana finds herself immersed in a deep, dark conspiracy theory. At the heart of it is a mystery that has baffled investigators for decades. The whole thing is more ridiculous than anything Fergus has ever previously believed. The worst part is...she's starting to think it might all be true.

How can we make sense of our lives when we do not know where we come from? This was a pressing question for the youngest survivors of the Holocaust, whose prewar memories were vague or nonexistent. In this beautifully written account, Rebecca Clifford follows the lives of 100 Jewish children out of the ruins of conflict through their adulthood and into old age.

Hope House has always operated on a shoestring budget, but when a fire marshal delivers an impossible ultimatum—install a costly fire escape within 30 days or close forever—Lauren Greenwood faces her greatest challenge yet. With ten children depending on her and three more arriving from a mining accident, failure isn't an option.

Gwen has discovered both the love she once lost and her courage. But her greatest challenge still lies before her. She has chosen to fight for her people and that means standing against the mountain queen and all the fears of her childhood. Charlotte is ready to risk everything to save her husband and reverse the consequences of her mistakes. But freeing Henry means getting entangled in the mountain kingdom's fight for freedom and that fight might take the one thing Charlotte isn't willing to give.

Little Beaver, while happy with his lot as deputy sheriff in Clover Springs, wants what his friends have—a wife and children. But his heart is stuck on Asha, a woman who lives on the reservation and her father refuses to allow Little Beaver court her. Tragically, through no fault of her own, Asha is thrown off of the reservation and left to survive in the wilds. Heartbroken, Little Beaver vows revenge. His friends tell him he will destroy everything he has worked so hard to achieve, and rather than saving the woman he loves, he may place her in further jeopardy.