Showing results by narrator "Melanie Crawley" in All Categories

The Happy Hartes Bookshop has been a part of bookworm Florrie Appleton’s life as far back as she can remember. From the evocative smell of the books to working alongside her beloved Mr. H and his black Labrador, Gerty, there’s no wonder she calls it her happy place. Living in a town she loves with her family and group of close-knit friends around her, life is sweet. Until one dreadful Monday morning, when everything is turned upside down and things are changed forever. Devastated, Florrie finds herself thrown into an unexpected situation with handsome stranger Ed Harte.

Louise has trouble on her hands from the first moment that 5-year-old Billy Blackthorn comes to stay. He is one of more than 20 children taken into care from a single family, and erupts into the Allen household with a volatility that is frightening and disturbing in equal measure. It is only as Louise begins to uncover the secrets of Billy's dark past that she begins to understand what made his family 'untouchable'.

Will her new home turn into a nightmare? As I stare out the window of my beautiful apartment, I hope that I’ve made the right decision to move back to the city that holds so many memories. I’ve chosen my home on the top-floor and in a quiet area because feeling safe and secure is important to me. But on my first day, I’m involved in a heart-stopping accident on the leafy-green street. A stranger comes to my rescue – if it wasn’t for his actions, I wouldn’t be alive. I’m shaken but grateful, so I invite him in. And that’s the moment that everything changes. I shouldn’t have trusted him.

A woman who was sexually abused by her own father and later gave birth to his daughter is now running a support group which spans 30 countries and has tens of thousands of supporters. Stace Don, now 36, was taken into foster care as a baby after being neglected by her parents. For seven years, she lived an idyllic life, believing her foster parents were her real parents. But a chance encounter with her natural father, Nigel Taylor, shattered her happiness and she was later moved from her foster home, away from the family she loved.

The moment I meet Anna at number 7, I immediately like her. But her husband is staring at me with a strange expression on his face. It sends a shiver down my spine. And then a few days later, Anna is gone… The second I see the moving van, I rush outside. My husband tells me to give our new neighbours space, but I need to know who they are. When I see Anna, I’m in awe. Despite the chaos of boxes, she is glamorous, with perfect hair and elegant clothes. But her husband, Fraser, makes me nervous. I can’t explain it, but I don’t trust him.

Camila's Story is the 12th instalment in the popular Thrown Away Children series by Louise Allen.

A young girl's life is shadowed by secrets and lies. When Willow arrives in the Allen household, curious things begin to happen. Who is the strange child dressed in outlandish clothes who refuses a mobile phone? What are the mysterious allegations that have been made about her?

Ellie can't stop having nightmares. It's been the same ever since she saw the car accident, where a man lost his life. Awaiting the trial of the dangerous driver, where she's the primary witness, she finds herself befriending Samantha, the widow of the man who died. And – as their children also become friends – their lives become intrinsically entangled. But then Ellie starts thinking she's being followed. She wants to believe it's paranoia.

Named after the lager that christened her at birth, Stella's life is characterised instability and neglect. Her teenage mother abandons her in the first few weeks of her life, and left in the 'care' of her father, she ends up lying deserted in a house with no food, no water, no clothes and no warmth. She eventually lands in the care of foster carer Louise, who is determined to change her life for the better. 

Diego and his siblings live in desperate poverty, but nobody seems to notice or care as they come close to starving, scouring food banks to survive. But he’s wrong–someone has noticed him. County Lines gang members can see his vulnerability. With an absent father, alcoholic mother and dependent young siblings, Diego is the perfect mark.

As Edie writes to her long-distant daughter, she finds herself going over her memories of Lexie's childhood, not just the moments that held them together, but also the things – and the person – who ultimately tore them apart. Perhaps by writing, she will be able to work out what went wrong. And if she can do that, surely she will find a way to bring Lexie back, to make their family whole again? But revisiting the past isn't as comfortable a journey as she'd hoped.

Abby's Story is the second book in the Thrown Away Children series by author and foster mum Louise Allen. She doesn't want this baby. She can't look after this baby. She will never be able to love this baby. Little Abby's life begins badly, then just gets worse. Now foster mum Louise and her family must help her deal with the truth of her past to give her the chance of a future.

As summer comes to the tranquil shores of Micklewick Bay, Maggie Marsay is on cloud nine. She can barely keep up with orders for her handmade teddy bears, turning her crafting hobby into a thriving business. And after trying for a baby for some time, she has joyful news to share with her devoted husband Bear who she lives with in an idyllic clifftop cottage alongside their cheeky Labrador.

Whatever Jenn Ashworth turns her hand to, I'm there to read it' BENJAMIN MYERS, author of The Offing 'With honesty, humour and determination, Ashworth's journey takes the reader from coast to coast in search of freedom' JESSICA ANDREWS, author of Milk Teeth 'A miracle of a book . . . One of our...

Greek’s Shotgun Wedding is a one-night pregnancy, marriage of convenience, Greek billionaire romance by USA TODAY bestselling author Lynne Graham. Marry him? Her pregnancy dilemma! Beautiful women usually fall at Greek billionaire Jace Diamandis’s feet. But diamonds and champagne fail to...

The King's Hidden Heir He’s claimed his throne. Now he will claim his son! A new royal romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Sharon Kendrick. What’s a king…Without an heir? Emerald Baker was a checkroom attendant when she spent one mind-blowing night with a prince. Now Kostandin is a...

Louise gets a frantic call to take in a damaged and destructive young girl. Separated from her siblings, Sparkle is hostile and angry. A short while after settling in, Sparkle begins to identify as pansexual. A revolution is underway in the Allen household, with Sparkle's transition motivating all of the young people to explore what becoming an adult means for them.

Ashley is a young single mum raising her daughter, Eden, and working hard to do the very best job she can - until one night she can't find a babysitter and makes the decision to leave Eden home alone for a couple of hours, asleep inside a wardrobe. It is an action that begins a terrible downward spiral for both of them. When Eden arrives at experienced foster carer Louise Allen's home, she has entered the care system because her mother is in prison. Eden is five years old and will not speak to any human.

Shy hotel maid Alana Davison is desperate to clear a family debt. So desperate that when she discovers Greek tycoon Ares Sarris urgently needs a wife she blurts out a scandalous suggestion: in exchange for his help, she’ll become his emergency bride!

USA TODAY bestselling author Lynne Graham delights with two dramatic royal baby romances! Cinderella's Desert Baby Bombshell From substitute bride… To carrying the royal heir! For her family’s sake, penniless Tatiana Hamilton must marry Prince Saif after his original bride, her cousin...