Showing results by narrator "Esther Wane" in All Categories

After running from her mother's seaside cottage ten years ago following a devastating loss, Sarah returns to the village of Dovecote to fulfil her father's dying wish. As she opens the gate of her childhood home, long-buried emotions rise to the surface. Having drifted from the close-knit community, she can't bear to face those she hurt when she left.

The surprising origins and people behind the world's most influential magical tales: the people who told and re-shaped them, the landscapes that forged them, and the cultures that formed them and were in turn formed by them. Fairy-Tales are not just fairy-tales: they are records of historical...

The brain is the basis of everything we do: how we behave, communicate, feel, remember, pay attention, create, influence, and decide. Why We Do What We Do combines scientific research with concrete examples and illustrative stories to clarify the complex mechanisms of the human brain. It offers valuable insights into how our brain works every day, at home and at work, and provides practical ideas and tips to help us lead happy, healthy, and productive lives. 

Finola has just moved to Edinburgh and she's more than a little excited. After turning her whole life upside down, she's now a detective and her first case is not long in coming. What began as a harmless search for a missing gardener soon becomes a matter of life and death - for Finola too!

When two families organise a house swap, it seems like the perfect holiday arrangement. The Browns will exchange their London townhouse for a stunning chateau in the south of France, the perfect place to relax and rekindle their flagging marriage. And the Lesters are looking forward to showing their son, Rafael, around their old haunts in the British capital. Sounds wonderful. Except for one thing—both families are hiding dark secrets, and secrets have a way of coming out…

Tanya Bowe, an ex-investigative journalist, agrees to interview the contestants of the National Talent Competition for the local newspaper, but finds herself up to her neck in secrets, sabotage, and simmering resentment. The tensions increase when her condescending sister comes to stay next door for the duration of the contest. Several rising stars on the circuit hope to win the competition, but old stager, Lance Emerald, is not going down without a fight.

December, 1989, and Ashley Smith - a bright-eyed American studying in London - has unexpectedly been invited by her classmate Emma Chapman to spend Christmas at her family's Cotswolds manor house, Starvewood Hall. The holiday is a true English fantasy: woodland walks, charming pubs and elaborate dinners at the manor, with the added romantic potential of Emma's twin brother, Adam, who feels like Ashley's wildest dreams come true. But is there something strange about the old house, both stately and rundown.

Amanda Bartlett, widowed countess of Kingston, is a woman beyond reproach. Married at 19, she dutifully provided the earl with an heir and a spare before his death three years ago. Since then, Amanda has lived a simple, quiet life - a life that, if she were honest, has become more than a trifle dull. So when an adventure literally drops into her lap, in the shape of a mysterious book, she intends to make the most of it - especially if it brings her closer to a charismatic stranger.

When Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster to the Tudor Queen Elizabeth, learns of a Jesuit assassin landing on England's shores, he's determined to go to any lengths to protect his Protestant Queen. His protege, Kit Scarlett, discovers a letter revealing the name of the assassin—Gregorio Luca. Together with Scottish agent, Iomhar Blackwood, Walsingham sends them on a mission to track Luca down. It is clear Luca is only coming with one task in mind—to kill. But is his target the English queen?

Good at Games: Booktrack Edition adds an immersive musical soundtrack to your audiobook listening experience! Jill Mansell's hugely entertaining bestseller GOOD AT GAMES is perfect for you if you love reading Cathy Kelly, Milly Johnson and Lucy Diamond. Reviewers love Jill Mansell: 'A lovely...

Romance, intrigue, and dangerous ambitions combine to create the perfect escape: welcome to the beautiful Hotel Portofino on the magical Italian Riviera. ***NOW A MAJOR TV DRAMA*** It is the summer of 1927 and Hotel Portofino is prospering under Bella’s stewardship. As the season begins, Bella...

From the highly acclaimed author of The Photographer of the Lost, a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick, comes a tale of a young war widow and one life-changing, sun-drenched visit to Cornwall in the summer of 1923... Esme Nicholls is to spend the summer in Cornwall. Her late husband Alec, who died...

My husband is a handsome and successful businessman. He charms everyone he meets, including me. I’m madly in love with him and I believe we will grow old together in our beautiful, renovated farmhouse in the countryside. Until one rainy evening when I discover his secret: I watch as he steps into the arms of another woman. The truth is like a punch to my gut. But what comes next is even worse. I notice the gold wedding band on her finger and I hear him say, ‘I missed you, wifey.’

Marcus Kincaid, earl of Ashford, has returned to England after a 10-year absence to find his younger sister embroiled in a potential scandal that could ruin her chance at marriage. His aunt has already called in reinforcements - The Paragon. 

On a remote farm in the deepest Devonshire countryside, four pregnant women arrive at an exclusive yoga retreat for a five-star weekend of prenatal pampering. The location is idyllic. Their host, Selina, is eager to teach them all she knows about pregnancy and motherhood. But, like Selina, each of the women has a secret. And secrets can be deadly.

A wonderful selection of 22 fantastical summer stories by one of the world's best-loved children's authors, Enid Blyton. School's out! So go on a picnic in the woods, visit the seaside or take a trip on a magic aeroplane in this enchanting collection of stories perfect for summer holidays...

In Parliament Ltd, investigative journalist Martin Williams reveals the true extent of greed and corruption in Westminster. Containing explosive new revelations about the activities of those at the top, this is a shocking untold tale that goes to the rotten heart of British politics.

The gigantic covert wartime mission led by the men and women of London's museums and galleries to save the nation's priceless heritage. As Hitler prepared to invade Poland during the sweltering summer of 1939, men and women from across London's museums, galleries and archives formulated...

When his bride is discovered lifeless mere hours after their wedding vows, D. I. George Carter's wedding takes a sinister turn. Reluctant guest, Tanya Bowe, an investigative journalist turned local sleuth, who also happens to be George's ex-wife, finds herself at the center of a murder investigation.

It's a prick of blood, the bite of an apple, the evil eye, a wedding ring, or a pair of red shoes. Curses come in all shapes and sizes, and they can happen to anyone, not just those of us with unpopular step-parents.... Here you'll find unique twists on curses, from fairy tale classics to brand-new hexes of the modern world - expect new monsters and mythologies as well as twists on well-loved fables. Stories to shock and stories of warning, stories of monsters and stories of magic.