Showing results by narrator "Jan Cramer" in All Categories

Erica Sands keeps her family legacy locked away – very few people know that her father is in a high-security prison, forever stained by the blood of his many victims. But when the body of a woman is found in an isolated cottage, a cryptic note concealed nearby, Erica is once more dragged into her father’s dark orbit.

It is the year 1586. England is awash with traitors, plotting to assassinate the Queen and bring about a foreign invasion. The young physician Christoval Alvarez, a refugee from the horrors of the Portuguese Inquisition, is coerced into becoming a code-breaker and agent in Sir Francis Walsingham's secret service. In the race to thwart the plot, who will triumph - the ruthless conspirators or the equally ruthless State?

Polly Nightingale never meant to fall in love again, especially not with a biker 13 years her junior. But then Jago Solomon enters her life with a guitar strapped to his back, and Polly and her six-year-old son, Archie, know that they've never been happier.

Coco Pinchard always dreamed of being a successful writer, but then life got in the way. She married young, had a son, and put her dreams on hold. But now she's 40, and her first novel is about to be published! Her husband Daniel has greyed nicely into a silver fox, and her son Rosencrantz is all grown up. Shouldn't it be time to enjoy life? That is, until the annual family Christmas when her hideous in-laws come to stay, and Coco opens her gift from Daniel. It's not the jewelry she chose, but an iPhone.

An agent sent to Muscovy to investigate suspected treason amongst employees of the Muscovy Company has disappeared without trace. Sir Francis Walsingham, who began the investigation, is dead, but the directors of the Company know that the agent must be found, dead or alive. The perfect opportunity comes when the Tsar, Emperor of All the Russias, asks for an English physician to treat his young half-brother. Christoval Alvarez, physician and former Walsingham agent, is the obvious choice, but is loathe to travel to this violent and barbarous land.

Morton Hall, with its beautiful, ruined grounds and its reclusive mistress, Emilia Morton, is full of mysteries. For freelance editor Anne Marie, the wild garden has become a serene and secret refuge from her loveless marriage. The only other regular visitor is Cape, the hall's part-time gardener, who is forbidden to tend to anything except the magnificent maze or to meet his enigmatic employer. When Emilia dies, Cape and Anne Marie are astonished to find themselves among an unlikely group of villagers named in her strange will.

Christmas is being celebrated in style at Purley Hall in Hampshire because renowned actress, Dame Pamela Harcourt is holding a special Jane Austen conference. Everybody's there: Katherine and Warwick, Robyn and Dan, Kay, Adam and Gemma, and Sarah and Mia. Oh, and Mrs. Soames.

France, 1938. While Hitler rebuilds Germany and French and English leaders focus on appeasement, one man risks everything to smuggle information out of Munich - and into the hands of a young woman. Evelyn Ainsworth is enjoying a carefree summer with her relatives in the high society of Paris. When her father stops to visit on his way from London to Prague, she never dreams that one favor for him will change her life forever. For beneath the glittering gaiety on the continent, a menacing shadow is growing.

Darcy has invited the Bennets and the Bingleys to spend the Christmastide’s festive days at Pemberley. But as he and Elizabeth journey to their estate to join the gathered families, a blizzard blankets the English countryside. The Darcys find themselves stranded at a small inn while Pemberley is inundated with refugees seeking shelter from the storm. Without her brother’s strong presence, Georgiana Darcy tries desperately to manage the chaos surrounding the arrival of six invited guests and 11 unscheduled visitors.

First published in 1792, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman tackles many of the punitive patriarchal attitudes that dominated 18th-century society. With warmth and passion, Mary Wollstonecraft urges women to prioritize reason over emotion - a necessary step in building the strength of character required to break free from male notions of female fragility and foolishness. Wollstonecraft bases much of her argument in the case for women's education.

When Kit Alvarez returns from Muscovy, it is to discover that her post as physician at St. Thomas' hospital has been given to another. Trying to eke out the small income she earns from some of Dr. Nuñez's private patients, she undertakes paid work as a copyist with James Burbage's company. But the players' companies find themselves under threat. Two of Burbage's men are murdered. One of Henslowe's men is attacked. And two important new plays go missing, one by Will Shakespeare and one by Christopher Marlowe.

I open the creaking oak front door of my beautiful country house to see a stranger on my doorstep. The woman is stunning with glossy red hair and flawless make up. "Can I help you?" I ask. That was my first mistake. Alexis tells me she is a distant relative and shows me a DNA match on her phone. She has no family and would love to get to know us. My husband Hugh invites her in to join our dinner party. As we drink wine, she opens up about her sad childhood. Her amber eyes are mesmerizing, and I can see my husband is being drawn in by her story. Then she asks for our help.

Tensions are high across Europe in the beginning of May 1940. Hitler’s forces have overrun Norway, and it’s only a matter of time before his focus turns to France. When Evelyn Ainsworth is sent to Brussels, she understands all too well the risk of remaining too long. The MI6 agent’s goal is to get in, pick up a package, meet with her Soviet contact, and get out again as quickly as possible. But even the best laid plans can go awry.

In Elizabethan London, no child is safe. Children are misused and exploited by parents, masters, strangers, and society at large. Even the children of the rich are in danger. When a five-year-old heiress to great estates is kidnapped, Christoval Alvarez, the players of James Burbage's company, and a disreputable group of child beggars all become involved in the search. At Seething Lane, matters are approaching a crisis.

One honeymoon resort. Two couples. Everyone has something to hide. On the surface their lives seem perfect. Beauty, money, love. They have it all. Tansy and Daniel. Nikki and Arne. Two newlywed couples enjoying their enviable honeymoons at the same luxurious resort. But behind the filtered photos and fake smiles is the truth.

Marina is a gentle soul who makes a modest living in her corner shop. Her husband died years ago, and her children have grown up. Life is pleasantly predictable, if a little dull. But not even her daughters know that 35 years ago Marina spent lonely months on a nearby island, and the events of that summer have haunted her ever since.

Ben Stratton and Bryony Nightingale. Everybody thought they’d be together forever. But when Ben leaves the small market town of Castle Clare to travel the world, Bryony is heartbroken, seeing his departure as the ultimate betrayal. Throwing herself into her work, Bryony is determined to forget Ben. Then, after six long years, the unexpected happens, and Ben returns, determined to win Bryony back.

'Out of the blue, my perfect life imploded. Let's look at my situation, sans rose tinted specs. I have: no husband, no self-esteem, no money, a six-year-old son, a boisterous puppy, a crush on my son's teacher...and an online dating profile, apparently! I am the subject of village gossip, pursued by the mafia (playground variety), turning 40 in a matter of weeks. And...my life has just gone viral!' A deliciously romantic and humorous book about love, loss and starting again.

Callie Logan hasn't been able to stop smiling since meeting bookseller Sam Nightingale, and she's thrilled to be spending her first Christmas with his family. For the Nightingales, Christmas Eve is a time for sitting around the fire at Campion House, eating mince pies, drinking mulled wine, and reading ghost stories. As the winter night draws in and the snow begins to fall, the family remembers the Christmas when Sam read from a book over 100 years old and how strange things started to happen afterwards.

1915, London: Shaking, she opens the faded red front door and her heart races as the young boy on the steps holds out the telegram. The words swim before her. They can’t be true; this can’t be happening. Nothing will ever be the same again. 1943, London: Elizabeth Carmichael rushes out down the steps of her town house in her smart army uniform, daydreaming of her handsome fiancé posted miles away in the RAF, and determined to play her part in the war effort. Not looking where she’s going, Elizabeth collides with a tall man in the middle of the street.