Showing results by narrator "Deborah Balm" in All Categories

Something dark is prowling the gaslit streets of London - a monster with a taste for the blood of young women. When her beloved sister is attacked by an unearthly creature, Emma Rose finds herself in a contract of exchange for her life that defies all laws of heaven. A contract with a vampire. Spanning centuries, lifetimes, and the rise and fall of ancient civilizations, Winterly takes her on a journey of self-discovery where Emma awakens to the truth of her identity at last.

Professor Savannah Selbourne lives on The Raft. The isolated country that was once Great Britain has been free of germs for decades. The plagues are over, the vermin that caused them are extinct. Every billboard brandishes the government's slogan: with sterility comes liberty! But did the poison ever really go away? Savannah's new job gives her the opportunity to discover the truth, yet revealing that truth could put her on the wrong side of those in power. How deep will she bury the lies for the sake of her wife and the child they yearn for? One thing she is sure of: the poison is toxic.

At Eleanor of Aquitaine's palace in Poitiers, fourteen-year-old Lady Joanna of Agen is coming of age. Her aunt and guardian, Alice, rescued Joanna from her brutal father by bringing her to court. But now Alice fears Joanna could once again be at risk from the men around her. When Queen Eleanor's son, Henry, arrives at court, Joanna quickly catches his eye. But Alice overhears the lewd conversations of the male courtiers and worries that Joanna's honor is at stake.

This Very Short Introduction gives an overview of what CBT is, where it came from, what it does, and when it can be used. It explores how one of the driving forces behind CBT's success and continued adaptation has been its basis in empiricism, and analyses how it must continue to evolve to meet future challenges. Freda McManus also discusses how the scale of mental health problems and relative costs of traditional therapy formats have prompted investigations into alternative formats of CBT that have the potential to reach broader audiences, globally.

Christmas 1940. Despite the rationing and the blackout, excitement at Mollison Farm is building as Alice and her workforce prepare for the annual Christmas Eve party. The snow has arrived, and this year, Alice has a big secret. She has invited her evacuee children’s mother to spend a few precious days with her kids at Christmas. But disaster strikes, and Alice is given the shocking news that Rose’s home is now nothing more than a pile of bricks, and the woman herself is missing, lost in the blitz.

Georgiana Darcy wants nothing more than to fall in love, yet her innate reserve as well as a traumatic event in her past makes her uneasy in company—particularly in the company of gentlemen. She desires a husband and family, but how is she to manage such a feat when she will not even consider partaking of a London Season? She cannot so much as hold a meaningful conversation with most men, which does not bode well for falling in love.

Lady Katherine Wilson never expected to inherit a horse farm, but she embraces the gift and the opportunity to continue her grandmother's legacy. She decides to breed the farm's mares, but only one stud will do. Unfortunately, the stallion belongs to the Marquess of Holton, and they've never gotten along well.

When she hears about a council incentive offering the promise of free flights to the person who clocks the most volunteering hours at the local care home, she’s got her plan set. But she doesn’t plan on bonding with the old ladies, going after the village bad boy and trying to persuade Elsie not to become a Nun. Soon, she’s questioning who her real friends are and whether her old life is one she wants to return to. Can the village win her over and will she win the chance to leave it behind? Will she even want to?

young life full of promise. She bore three strong sons and delivered the kingdom of Orkney to her brother by way of her marriage. She did as she was asked, invisible and useful—for her name, her dowry, and her womb. Now, twenty years after she left her home, Anna is summoned back to Carelon with the crown of her now-dead husband, to face the demons of her childhood: her sisters Morgen, Elaine, and Morgause; Merlin and his scheming priests; and Bedevere, the man she once loved.

Lord Gabriel Phel wants one thing: to rebuild the shattered fortunes of his people and restore his ruined house to its former station in the Convocation’s highest tiers of elegant society. Fortunately, through a wild chance of birth, he was born with powerful wizard magic, the first in his family in generations. If he can obtain a familiar to amplify his magic, a highborn daughter he can marry, to be mother to his children, he’ll be that much closer to saving his family. With her, he can ascend to such a position of power in the Convocation that he can destroy it forever.

Bev may not know who she was before she showed up in the quaint village of Pigsend five years ago, but that doesn't bother her much. She's made a tidy little life for herself as the proprietor of the Weary Dragon Inn, where the most notable event is when she makes her famous rosemary bread. But when earthquakes and sinkholes start appearing all over town, including near Bev's front door, she's got to put on her sleuthing hat to figure out what—or who—might be causing them before the entire town disappears.

The Witzel Solstice Party is the highlight of an otherwise quiet winter season in Pigsend. But when Vellora and Ida Witzel start receiving mysterious, threatening letters, the party—and their own safety—may be in jeopardy. Across the street, Bev's got an inn full of suspects—and a freak winter storm to keep them all in one place. They all have their secrets, and it's a race against time and melting snow to figure out who's blackmailing the butchers—and which secret they're threatening to expose.

Betrayed by her fiancé and her best friend, Lady Diana Haversham's reputation is left in ruins, and she is unjustly cast out by her family. Left with little choice, she agrees to pretend to be a courtesan to protect her benefactor's secret. What she didn't count on was meeting temptation in the form of one Lord Lucas Blackthorn. Lucas is fascinated by the shameless Diana, whom his friends claim is his perfect counterpart. He can't stop thinking about her sultry smile and captivating eyes, but what draws him most is the sharp mind she reveals—and the certainty she's hiding something.

Only in an insane world would a young wizard find herself battling monsters and automatons one day and returning to Convocation Academy to cram for finals the next. But this is the world Alise Phel lives in. Like it or not, Alise must face the consequences of ditching out a second time and dealing with the crushing workload assigned to her as a punishment. Worse yet, succeeding at the Academy means Alise must learn to master her powerful and unusual magic—the same magic that caused her to accidentally murder her own mother.

TAKE ONE MARQUESS: Proper, put-upon, dependable, but concealing a sensitive artist's soul. ADD ONE BOHEMIAN LADY: Creative, boisterous, unruly, but secretly yearning for a steadfast love, home, and family. STIR in a sensational serialized story that has society ravenous for each installment. COMBINE with ambitious guests at an ill-fated house party hosted by a treacherous dowager possessing a poison tongue. SHAKE until a stuffy marquess and rebellious lady make a shocking discovery: the contents of their hearts are just alike. Take a sip. 

1173, France. Eleanor of Aquitaine has been arrested for rebelling against her husband, King Henry II of England. Her loyal ladies-in-waiting, Alice and Joanna of Agen, have fled to the nunnery at Fontrevault, where they are anxiously awaiting news of their queen. Alice and Joanna struggle to adapt to their cramped new home at the Abbey. Each is secretly nursing a broken heart—and harboring unholy desires. Joanna left behind a lover, Jean, at Eleanor's court in Poitiers, and Alice has long been in love with the queen's daughter, Marie.

In The Yankee and the British War Bride, two voices from opposite sides of the Atlantic come together to tell a deeply personal story of resilience, love, and the enduring spirit of the Greatest Generation. Through handwritten memoirs, Mary Irene Cooper-Dodd of Tipton, England, and Ernest Joseph...

In Surefire Feng Shui! S. Y. Luckmany shares a delightfully unconventional collection of everyday feng shui hacks designed to nudge fortune in your favour. Blending traditional beliefs with a playful modern twist, this charming guide explores how small actions might influence the flow of luck, energy, and opportunity in daily life. Entertaining, surprising, and sometimes wonderfully absurd, Surefire Feng Shui invites you to look at everyday habits in a new light-because sometimes the smallest shift in perspective can open the door to unexpected luck.

Librarian Cillian Harahel and Wizard Alise Phel have fled Convocation Academy in the dark of night and grip of winter, taking with them the hidden archives they liberated from hiding. The effort of magically holding onto the massive archives—everything to do with House Phel and the conspiracy against it—is draining Cillian nearly to death. Alise wants only to get him to the house of his birth, and hopefully save his life.

With the hidden archives unlocked and their explosive secrets waiting to be deciphered, the Convocation teeters on the edge of chaos. Alise Elal, rescued from her evil father’s clutches by an unlikely hero, faces the ultimate test of her hard-won powers—if she and Cillian Harahel can fight their way to Convocation Center. There they will be joined by old friends and new in the final attempt to solve the riddle of the fall of House Phel.