Showing results by narrator "Frances Butt" in All Categories

After suffering the tragic loss of her best friend, Lottie Beck is struggling. Aged eighteen, she's flunked school and spends her days lying in a darkened room, doing nothing. Finally, she is forced to get a job in Silver Birches Care Home. Once there, and after meeting the residents, particularly the feisty, no-nonsense Bobby, she settles in, appreciating how much history lies behind each person. A history she can read, in her own special way, via the simple touch of a hand.

Lady Ellen settles back into life at Ashcombe Hall and eagerly awaits the return of Captain Ernest Hamilton from Cairo. But her peace is shattered when a notorious thief is found dead on the neighbouring Worthington estate. Heading over to console Lady Jane Worthington, Ellen’s day takes an unexpected turn—a plane crashes on her land, piloted by flame-haired Alex, the Duke of Loxborough, who is once again masquerading under a pseudonym. As charming as he is, Ellen is unnerved by his presence—she does not trust him.

Marooned after a garden party turns sinister, Lady Ellen finds herself in the midst of an unsettling mystery. An unexpected summer storm leaves occupants and visitors, including Ellen, Lottie and Captain Hamilton, contained within Moor House and grounds after it is cut off from the outside world. When a priceless Egyptian artefact is stolen, the thief leaves the man guarding it brutally maimed.

Can Lady Ellen of Ashcombe Hall finally savour a relaxing break at Millars Hotel? Not quite. Her plans take an unexpected turn when a sightseeing tour of Branden Bay Castle turns deadly. The picturesque castle in Branden Bay stands proudly above the town and beach. Lady Ellen finds herself thrust into the heart of a chilling mystery when a tragic incident unfolds, and a soul plummets from one of the castle’s turrets. On a blustery day, it seems like a dreadful accident, but the police suspect foul play.

When the formidable Marchioness of Bandberry arrives at Ashcombe Hall, Lady Ellen feels the weight of her critical gaze upon her. But pomp and pageantry soon give way to scandal when a London journalist is found dead on Ellen’s drive. And his body has been marked with the chilling symbol of the Vigilante Slasher.

Lady Ellen finds herself presented with another mystery! Lady Ellen spends her last fortnight in Branden Bay relaxing at The Grand Hotel. However, the peaceful holiday she desired is again interrupted when the dance host is found dead in the ballroom. The Frenchman was far from popular and there are a few suspects who would appear to wish him dead, as well as those who benefited from his demise. However, no one appears to know his history.

A girl with a broken heart. A man dealing with loss. When an accident brings these childhood sweethearts together, will they find love? When a fire rips through her world, Holly finds her rescuer to be none other than Mitch, the guy she’s not seen for fifteen years. He makes her a business proposition, but can she learn to trust? Heartbroken Mitch travels across the country to Somerset to oversee the running of his Uncle’s farm, but is he really running away from himself? Neither can deny their attraction for each other. But is such an intense relationship ideal between two broken people?

It’s 1924. Lady Ellen of Ashcombe Hall is on a relaxing hotel break to recuperate. Her nemesis is found dead in the restaurant, face down in his pea and ham soup. Can she confront her past to solve the mystery? Lady Ellen seeks respite in the charming seaside town of Branden Bay, whilst her home, which was used as a convalescent home for war veterans, is being refurbished to its former glory.

Warsaw, 1939. The Nazi invasion shatters the city, as Nazi banners rise, hunger gnaws, and walls create a ghetto. SS patrols prowl and trains stand ready for “resettlement” camps of Treblinka. Granted access to the ghetto as a “public health specialist,” Irena Sendler steps through the gates with forged papers and begins with the smallest, most dangerous act: smuggling children out and away from certain death. With help from a group of rebels, Jewish residents, and her lover, Irena builds a pipeline under the occupier’s nose, using any means necessary, including the city’s sewers.

It is the sixth century. The Romans have been gone for over 100 years, and Britannia is sinking into darkness. Kingdoms clash, and invaders flood the shores – the Jutes, the Angles, and now the bloodthirsty Saxons. Only Uther Pendragon has kept the West safe, defying, too, the rising tide of Christianity. But now, Uther is dead. And if the West falls, all of Britannia will follow. Deep in a secluded valley, hidden from the world, Arthur and Morgan have grown to adulthood under the care of their foster parents.

Charlotte James prefers having her head in the stars to having her feet on the ground. Moving around for her job as an astronomical archivist gives Charlotte plenty of opportunity to avoid putting down roots. When she accepts a post in the idyllic Somerset village of Lower Brambleton to archive an old observatory before its demolition, all that is on her mind is a chance to preserve the treasures of this remarkable place and another summer without having to settle down.

Following a less-than-picture-book childhood, Bella West has got used to moving around – putting down roots opens you up for disappointment and heartbreak. But since arriving in the idyllic Somerset village of Lower Brambleton, something has changed. When Noah Hathaway's beloved Grandpa Jack passes away it falls to him to deal with his estate including his charming but run-down cottage in Lower Brambleton, not forgetting Jack's cantankerous cat Monty.

The Devil's Liar is the ninth in the best-selling Psychic Surveys series, that feature plot twists, compelling characters, and a mystery at its dark heart. As a young woman, Theo was confronted by the spirit of a child who had killed other children, but decided she could be of no help, shutting down all possibility of further communication. Now older and wiser, Theo comes to regret that decision and wants to make amends, involving the Psychic Surveys team in her quest.

Although Psychic Surveys remain busy, there’s been no real cases lately to get their teeth into, logical explanations found for most hauntings. That all changes when Ruby gets a call from Conor Byrne, who lives in the Republic of Ireland. The fear in his voice is genuine. Ruby, Theo, Ness and Corinna head over to the Emerald Isle to help Conor, and, of course, the distressed spirit – their aim to bring peace to the living and the dead. They arrive to find a dilapidated cottage in a rural area, and a man that’s barely alive.

After Arthur’s marriage to Guinevere – his betrayal – Morgan leaves Caer Arthur behind, bound for the mist-shrouded isle of Avalon. There, she hopes to find the mother she has never known: Viviane, the High Priestess. Having barely survived the crossing, she fears not only for her life, but for the child she carries – Mordred. Avalon is said to be a sanctuary, an ancient bastion of the Goddess in a land fast falling to the One True God. Yet peace eludes her as a hunger for power stirs.

When she first married at fourteen, Otrera imagined a relationship full of love. A partnership. Years later, living in destitution with her abusive husband, she knows that no such thing exists with a man. It is simply a woman's lot in life to accept the treatment of her husband. Until it's not. Rallying the women around her, Otrera fights back, taking no prisoners. Because it's clear to her: when men are in power, freedom isn't granted. It's bought with blood. It's a price she is more than willing to pay, if it means building a new life with other women far from the reaches of their abusers.

Escaping a past she chose to forget. She must face it head on. Jaz has been selling high performance cars to high performing football players in the north of England. And is on her way to achieving her goal of becoming a millionaire. Until she receives a call telling her that her estranged mother is in a critical condition in hospital.

Grace Bunning left Somerset for London, under a cloud, with a reputation she was not proud of. She has since graduated from university and has a glowing career in the charity sector. Missing family life and finding herself without a home, Grace finally returns to Eversley Village, to spend Christmas with her father in his country home. She plans to surprise him, but when she arrives, she finds her father is away for the festive season, and that his business partner, Jaz is house-sitting with her family.

A Room of One's Own is an extended essay, originally delivered in 1928 as two lectures at two of Cambridge University's women's colleges—Newnham College and Girton College. Through the use of several metaphors, lauded author Virginia Woolf explores the social injustices and structures that prevent women from engaging in free expression and contributing to literature.

Thea Ashcombe, a fiercely independent single mum, is about to face her toughest challenge yet: Christmas on a shoestring. As the festive season looms, Thea’s feeling a little like their old family Christmas tree - tired and lacking in sparkle! Nick Saint, the quiet and devoted farm shop manager in the idyllic village of Lower Brambleton, has secretly liked Thea for years. Trapped in the friend zone since high school, he's given up hope of Thea seeing him as anything more than reliable ‘Saint’ Nick...