Showing results by narrator "Melody Grove" in All Categories

How far would you go to hold on to the people you love? When Olivia Brookes calls the police to report that her husband and children are missing, she believes she will never see them again. She has reason to fear the worst; this isn’t the first tragedy that Olivia has experienced. Now, two years later, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas is called in to investigate this family again, but this time it’s Olivia who has disappeared. All the evidence suggests that she was in the family home that morning.

Winner of the UK’s Richard & Judy Search for a Bestseller Competition, this page-turning debut novel follows an orphan whose late, beloved best friend bequeaths her a treasure hunt that leads her all over Victorian England and finally to the one secret her friend never shared. It is 1831 when...

Fusing Keatsian mists and mellow fruitfulness with the vitality, the immediacy, and the color hit of Pop Art, Autumn is a witty excavation of the present by the past. The novel is a stripped-branches take on popular culture and a meditation, in a world growing ever more bordered and exclusive, on what richness and worth are, what harvest means.

In Winter, life force matches up to the toughest of the seasons. In this second novel in her acclaimed Seasonal cycle, the follow-up to Ali Smith's sensational Autumn, Smith's shape-shifting quartet of novels casts a merry eye over a bleak post-truth era with a story rooted in history, memory, and warmth, its taproot deep in the evergreens: art, love, laughter. It's the season that teaches us survival.

Brought to you by Penguin. Three sisters. Three secrets. Three ways to fall . . . Forcibly seduced by George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham and King's favourite, doctor's daughter Hester was cast aside to raise her illegitimate son, Rafe, alone and in secret. She hopes never to see his father...

Cytherea has taken a position as lady's maid to the eccentric Miss Aldclyffe. On discovering that the man she loves is already engaged to his cousin, Cytherea comes under the influence of Miss Aldclyffe's fascinating, manipulative steward Manston. Desperate Remedies contains sensational ingredients of blackmail, murder and romance, but with its insight into psychology and sexuality it already bears the unmistakable imprint of Hardy’s future genius.

At 11 Lalla should be enjoying her childhood in London. But this is not London as we know it. In a collapsed society, Lalla struggles to imagine her future. When a government announcement invites her to enjoy a new life in Regent’s Park, Lalla sees a glimmer of hope. But what is she willing to risk? The Time Being is the short-story prequel to The Ship by Antonia Honeywell, if you enjoyed this, you’ll love the full-length novel sequel.

Affairs and assassinations. Conflict and chaos. Power and plots. The tumultuous Tudor period is one of the most iconic and fascinating chapters in British history. In these ten atmospheric dramas, we get a glimpse into the inner workings of Tudor England – and rediscover the key characters we have grown to love and hate. Featuring world-renowned actors, these gripping, historically accurate tales are packed with excitement.

Oxford Street burned for three weeks; the Regent's Park camps have been bombed. Lalla, 16, has grown up sheltered from the new reality by her visionary father, Michael Paul. He has promised Lalla and her mother that they will escape. Escape on a ship big enough to save 500 people. Once onboard, as day follows identical day, Lalla's unease grows. Where are they going?

Mark Knightley is used to women falling at his feet, except Emma Woodhouse- she's like part of the family. But Emma's grown into an attractive young woman, full of ideas for modernising her family business, and when Mark gets involved the sparks begin to fly. Although he's seeing her through totally new eyes, Emma remains immune to his charm. She's never forgotten the embarrassing moment when he discovered her teenage crush on him.

In Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, strong sled dogs were in high demand. Buck is stolen from his comfortable home in California and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska. He becomes progressively feral in the harsh environment, where he is forced to fight to survive and dominate other dogs. Sold to a group of inexperienced gold hunters, he is eventually saved by John Thornton, with whom he forms a deep bond.

As a young child Eponine never knew kindness, except once from her family's kitchen slave, Cosette. When at sixteen the girls' paths cross again and their circumstances are reversed, Eponine must decide what that friendship is worth, even though they've both fallen for the same boy. In the end, Eponine will sacrifice everything to keep true love alive.

Elle Jamieson is a private person, in relationships as well as at work - and for good reason. But then she's made redundant and with no ties to hold her, she heads off to sunny Malta. Lucas Rose is furious when his summer is interrupted by the arrival of Elle, his ex. Forced to live in close proximity, it's hard to ignore what they had shared before Lucas's wedding proposal scared Elle away…

Madame de Lafayette's classic tale of intrigue and love, ‘La Princesse de Clèves’, dramatised for BBC Radio 3 and originally broadcast in the ‘Drama on 3’ slot on 28 February 2010. Set in the 16th Century, the play follows the life of a beautiful young lady newly presented to...

A sweeping radio saga of political intrigue, love affairs, financial wrangles and murder, based on the books by Anthony Trollope, creator of The Barchester Chronicles. This brand new full-cast BBC Radio dramatisation follows several generations of the Palliser dynasty as they navigate the twists and turns of political and high society in Victorian England.

When it was first published in 1909, Ann Veronica caused a sensation, due to Wells' groundbreaking treatment of female sexuality. Twenty-one, passionate, and headstrong, Ann Veronica Stanley is determined to live her own life. When her father forbids her from attending a fashionable ball, she leaves her family home and makes a fresh start in London. There, she finds a world where she can be truly free. But when she meets the brilliant Capes, a married academic, and quickly falls in love, she soon finds that freedom comes at a price.

Anna and Holly have spotted an advert in the paper for a Holy Moly Holiday. They simply can't not go. But how will they get enough money? Simple: they'll become royal babysitters. Unfortunately, the girls are in for a shock. They discover there isn't just one prince but six! And worse, the country's archenemy, King Alaspooryorick, has decided to invade. Will the girls be able to keep their royal charges safe and still go on their dream holiday?

Accused of grassing up a fellow officer and driven brutally out of home and job, DI Grace Fisher is thankful to survive some dark times and find haven with the Major Investigation Team in Essex. Any hopes of a quiet start to her new life are dashed by the discovery of the body of a female student, last seen at a popular bar in Colchester. Grace has her first case. When a second student, also out drinking, is murdered and left grotesquely posed, the case becomes headline news. Someone is leaking disturbing details to a tabloid crime reporter. Is it the killer? Or a detective close to the case?

When 16-year-old K narrowly survives a bomb attack, she agrees to cross the line: to go under cover, befriending the radical young group held responsible. But it's hard making friends when you're lying. And what K discovers is far from black and white. Even enemies become real people - and one boy is special. Can she ever tell him who she really is? Can love unite them all?

Anna and Holly Burnbright, together with their friend Prince Pepino, are trying to earn enough money to go on the intergalactic holiday of a lifetime. What they need is a holiday job. So when Mademoiselle Malypense tells them she needs help to organise the Francian Royal Wedding, they jump at the chance. But it's not long before Holly smells a rat. Isn't there something odd about a garlic-flavoured wedding cake? Could there be more to this royal couple's wedding day than meets the eye?