Showing results by narrator "Claire Morgan" in All Categories

Charged with drama and beauty, this memorable collection by a master storyteller weaves a magical world of possibility and power from female myths of physical renewal, creation and change. It is an extraordinary immersion into the bodies and voices, mindscapes and landscapes, of the shapeshifting women of our native folklore. Drawing on myth and fairy tales found across Europe from Croatia to Sweden, Ireland to Russia, Sharon Blackie brings to life women's remarkable ability to transform themselves in the face of seemingly impossible circumstances.

Daphne Armitage embarked on her first Season with secret dread. For though she had long since learned the power of her flawless beauty, she shrank from the open competition of the marriage mart. Better to marry her first suitor, the fastidious Cyril Archer, and be done with it. But when Simon Garfield, notable and wealthy Corinthian, falls in love with the lively girl bubbling beneath the veneer of her beauty, Daphne's resolve is tested...that is, until the vain Mr. Archer threatens to reveal a family scandal so horrible that marriage seems a small price to pay....

Emma Woodhouse is pretty, clever and rich and sees no reason why she would ever need to get married. But she loves matchmaking for her neighbours, despite the advice of her friend Mr Knightley, who warns her against meddling. Her latest success - the wedding of her governess - makes her certain that she can find the right match for anyone. Can Emma's lucky streak continue? Or will best laid plans unravel...as they always seem to do?    

What clever woman would want a man like Lord Harry Desire? Why, he was clearly a lummox - languid, vain, and bland. Not even his beautiful face could redeem him. But he stood to inherit a vast fortune, and that was good enough for Deirdre's father, a spendthrift vicar who arranged the match to rescue himself from imminent financial collapse. Leave it to Deirdre to contrive an escape, a quick elopement with her one true love, the dashing Guy Wentwater. But Wentwater's love proved none too true, and Deirdre found herself in a humiliating pickle.

Ivy Edwards is 31 years old, funny, shameless and a bit of a romantic. She's also currently trying not to cry in the office toilet. Partly because she's just run out of money for fags. A bit because her mum continues to annoy her. Definitely not because she's just been dumped by her fiancé. With her London life in shambles and her family miles away in the Welsh valleys, Ivy doesn't actually feel like she belongs anywhere.

Poor Diana! All she cared for was the hunt. But the statuesque brunette had been ordered by her father to throw off her male attire and learn the pretty ways of a marriageable miss. But not before the fair-haired Lord Dantry, encountering Diana in her disguise, invited the young "David Armitage" to spend a week with him in London. What Diana didn't foresee was that freedom had a price - and the price could be the man she loved.

Miss Annabelle Armitage was pea-green with envy. What a cruel world it was when her spinster of an older sister could enchant the dashing Lord Sylvester Comfrey! Annabelle's own passionate nature was surely better suited for such a one as Sylvester. Alas for Annabelle, Comfrey seemed to care for her not a jot. Determined to get a bit of her own back, even if it meant marrying another, Annabelle found Peter, Marquess of Brabington, a most attentive admirer - who ends up having to fight for her love.

How could colourless Frederica withstand a Season's scrutiny after the five beauties before her had married so magnificently? Disguised as a chambermaid, Freddie found her way into the household of the fashionable Duke of Pembury. That wild gentleman was soon on to her tricks and found himself escorting the lady to London. Once on the marriage mart, the five sisters preened and primped the youngest until Freddie could not recognize herself!

Ever wanted to get away from it all...? Wanda lives in the middle of nowhere. On a farm on the edge of a hill that's not quite high enough to be a proper mountain, in a little village that's seen better days. She's always dreamed of escaping, of travelling the world, but life has got in the way. When her mother ends up in hospital and her sister is preoccupied and pregnant with twins, Wanda has to take responsibility for the farm and the campsite on its green fields.

The world is a pretty stressful place, and we all need some help reminding us to take care of ourselves. But the good news is that there are loads of easy tips and tricks to keep yourself feeling happy, from customising your own bedtime ritual to how to resolve arguments with your parents. Complete with simple breathing exercises, yoga poses and even advice on the best food to eat when you're feeling down, this is a one-stop guide to transform worried kids into happy, confident ones. 

Poor Minerva. Prudish, self-righteous, and incredibly beautiful, she is to be sent to London to capture a wealthy husband. But Minerva doesn't know the first thing about flirting. The London dandies find her moralizing appalling and concoct a plan to assault her virtue - an assault that will scandalize all London society. Meanwhile, Lord Sylvester Comfrey, whom she met earlier through her father, has been keeping a careful eye on the girl. A fact she resents. She dislikes Lord Sylvester. There is something about him that disturbs her.

For years Seren James has yearned for a child of her own. Married to a man who has little care for her, she longs for something to fill the emptiness within - and fears that she is almost out of time. When Seren meets a woman who says she can help, she thinks her dreams have come true. But the locals suspect Anwen of witchcraft, and any association with her may taint Seren too.  

Meet 11-year-old Pea and her definitely not ordinary life… When Pea's single mum becomes Marina Cove, bestselling author of the Mermaid Girls books, everything changes. It's time to leave their tiny flat in Tenby for a proper house in London, and a whole new life. Pea likes the red front door, and the having attic bedroom all to herself. But there's an empty chair beside her in every lesson, and no one seems to want to fill it….

Two weeks, 1,500 miles, three opportunities for her husband to save his own life. It isn't about his survival - it's about hers. Shattered by the discovery of her husband's affair, Liv knows they need to leave the chaos of New York to try to save their marriage. Maybe the road trip that they'd always planned, exploring America's national parks, just the two of them, would help heal the wounds. But what Liv hasn't told her husband is that she has set him three challenges. Three opportunities to prove he's really sorry and worthy of her forgiveness. 

One day, as Cara and her siblings are trying to clean up the canal where they live, they pull out a mysterious locked safe. Though none of them can open it, they're sure it's something special. That night, a thief comes after the safe. The children flee, travelling with their boat as far as they can, before continuing into the forest on foot. But soon they're lost in the mountains with a snowstorm about to land and food supplies running low. Will Cara and her siblings be able to survive the wilderness with nothing but their wits, their bravery and one very large dog to help?

Vampires have always lived among them, quietly attacking unsuspecting debutantes and dandified lords as well as hackney drivers and Bond Street milliners. If not for the vampire slayers of the Gardella family, these immortal creatures would have long taken over the world. In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake.

When a bitter feud between her father and her employer reveals a secret from the past that threatens to destroy her family, Meriel Evans turns to her lifelong friend Leo for support. Can a young woman overcome the tension between her work and home? Meriel Evans has worked for her father's estate agency ever since she left school. While happy there, she knows she must carve a career of her own, so lands a job with Cwm Derw’s Ace Estate Agency. 

Who lies? Who tells the truth? Death hangs on the answer.... Tell a lie, and the darkness will find you. Quinn and Piper are twins, but they've never met. A tragic event brings them together and draws them into a family curse that stretches across centuries. One twin can command the darkness; the other could hold the key to breaking the curse. But when lies become truth and truth looks like lies, who can you believe? Don't miss this startling new audiobook from Teri Terry, queen of the YA psychological thriller!

Marie Masters has been happily married for nine years, but she can’t help but feel her once-loving husband Ivor is no longer the man she married. He’s increasingly prone to drink and gambling and has become strangely secretive. Worried that Ivor’s behaviour is putting their growing family at risk, Marie decides to follow her husband. Marie learns that Ivor is spending time at a run-down house called Badgers Brook, but that’s only the beginning of it.

A fresh, funny and accessible retelling of Jane Austen's best-known story. Elizabeth Bennet is the second eldest in a family of five daughters. Although their mother is very keen to see them all married to wealthy men, Elizabeth is determined that she will only ever marry for love. At a ball, Elizabeth meets Mr Darcy, who at first she believes is proud and haughty. But perhaps there is more to him than first meets the eye....