Showing results by narrator "Susan Duerden" in All Categories

The orphaned Mary Lennox is sullen, ill tempered, and unloved when she's sent to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven. A man consumed by grief over the death of his wife, Archibald has allowed his sprawling estate on the moors to fall into grim disrepair. It's when Mary begins tending to her late aunt's mysterious garden - locked up and neglected for years - that she discovers its life-changing secrets and a flowering rejuvenation of the human spirit.

In Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection.

In the age of demons, when the Earth was still flat, a daughter was born to a mortal beauty and Azhrarn, Demon Lord of the Night. This Daughter of the night was called Azhriaz, and she was hidden away on a mist-shrouded isle, spirit-guarded, to spend her life in dreams. But Azhriaz was destined for more than dreaming. For if her father was the Lord of Night, her mother was descended from the Sun itself.

When a promised inheritance turns out to be a fraud, shy spinster Charlotte Wilmont makes an impetuous wish that despite her lack of charm and fortune, she could capture the heart of the one man whom she's forever adored - Sebastian, Viscount Trent. With that utterance, Charlotte awakens shocked to find herself entwined with her beloved Sebastian. But the respectable man she knew is now a most rakish devil and she is...well, by some inexplicable magic, London's most infamous mistress.

A notorious rake, the marquis of Bradstone stole young Olivia Sutton's heart...and then ruined her life. For seven years she has been forced to hide her past behind a false identity. And now the dashing scoundrel has returned a different man: more handsome, more serious, more desirable...and far more dangerous than the cad who brought scandal and shame into Olivia's world.

Along the southern coast of England, atop the White Cliffs of Dover, stands a castle. And at that castle's old keep is an orphanage. Delphi Keep has seen many youngsters come and go through its gates, and Ian Wigby and his sister, Theodosia, are happy to call it home. Life has always been simple at the Keep, and the orphanage safe, until one day, Ian and Theo find a silver treasure box. And within the box, a prophesy. Three thousand years ago a great Greek oracle wrote of a quest.

When Kara Westfall was six years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: Witchcraft. Years later, Kara and her little brother, Taff, are still shunned by the people of their village, who believe that nothing is more evil than magic…except, perhaps, the mysterious forest that covers nearly the entire island. It has many names, this place. Sometimes it is called the Dark Wood, or Sordyr's Realm. But mostly it's called the Thickety.

A triumphant victory over the witches has proven that Princess Cadet Evie really does belong at Pennyroyal Academy. News of her heroism has traveled far and wide - inspiring a kingdom of grateful citizens and, when the new term starts, a wave of fresh Academy recruits. While it's good to be returning to the academy as a second-class cadet, things are not as they should be. Evie witnesses the vicious attack of an innocent woman - by a trio of princesses.

Lady Philippa Knolles has loved Captain Thomas "Dash" Dashwell since he first stole a kiss from her on a smuggler's beach near Hastings. Now after what seems like a lifetime of waiting, Pippin is offered a chance to renew her scandalous affair with Dash. But the man from that first heady kiss and the man she rediscovers all these years later are hardly the same. Tucked away in the back of her closet is a red dress, the one she wore long ago to win his heart....Could it have enough memories left inside it to rekindle a passion she's never forgotten?

When confirmed bachelor Peregrine Perriam is named heir to Perriam Manor, he discovers that he only has a month to persuade a stranger to the altar. Otherwise the property will be lost and his line will be cursed—forever. Having survived her parents' tormented marriage, Claris Mallow prefers poverty to any husband. When a high-born stranger demands her hand, she drives him off at pistol point. Then Perry finds weapons of his own, and the reluctant lady is compelled to accept his proposal.

Alexander Denford, Baron Sedgwick, is a gentleman to be envied. He lives a rakish life of well-celebrated ease and contentment and has one person to thank for his perfectly ordered existence - his dearest wife, Emmaline. She never complains about his mistresses or his penchant for late nights out. His friends are envious, but they don't know the truth - Emmaline doesn't exist. But when he starts receiving bills from London for clothes, shoes, hats, and a staggering amount of other female accouterments, he realizes something is decidedly amiss.

When Arabella Barstowe is kidnapped, she believes her life and virtue are forfeit—until she's rescued by the notorious rogue Captain Rose. Bella never expects to see him again. But years later she learns the wicked truth behind her abduction, and she seeks out the only man who can help her take revenge.

Lucy Ellyson, the improper daughter of an infamous spy, saves the life of the Earl of Clifton. He intends to make her his countess after the war ends, but when he finally is able to return to her, he finds that she's vanished. Meanwhile, Lucy is living a new life in the heart of Mayfair. But she's as scandalous as ever, and when Clifton finally happens upon her, she's landed in the sort of trouble that only a hasty marriage can solve. He's more than willing to step in, but their future is all too quickly threatened by secrets from the past.

Eloisa James, the acclaimed author of Potent Pleasures, returns to Regency England with an unforgettable new heroine - a genteel but naughty innocent who gets more than she bargains for when she finally says yes to love. To her legions of adoring suitors, it comes as quite a shock when Lady Sophie York rejects an offer of marriage from the dashing, rakish Patrick Foakes in favor of amiable but dull Braddon Chatwin. He may be an earl, but it is Patrick's stolen kisses that sear her lips.

Leaving the safety of her nunnery walls behind, Dame Frevisse is drawn into an unholy web of treachery and deceit. Waylaid on the King's Highway by a band of outlaws, Frevisse is shocked to discover that their leader is her long-lost cousin Nicholas. When he pleads with her to help him obtain a pardon for his crimes, she finds herself trapped between the harsh edicts of the law and the mercy of her vows. But even as she struggles to restore his fortunes, Frevisse must fight to save his soul...and his life.

Dale was still a baby when his parents realised that something wasn't right. Worried, his mother Nuala took him to see several doctors, before finally hearing the word 'autism' for the first time. Dale's autism was severe and violent and family life was a daily battleground. But the Gardner's lives were transformed when they welcomed a gorgeous golden retriever into the family.

When the rakehell Lord Jack Tremont kissed Miranda Mabberly, mistaking her for his mistress, neither realized his reckless act would cost Miranda reputation, fiance, and future. Years later, hiding incognito far from London as a teacher at Miss Emery's Establishment for the Education of Genteel Ladies, Miranda has made a respectable life for herself. When a penniless, much humbled, though still damnably attractive Jack arrives at the school to escort a rebellious young niece home, Miranda tries to avoid him only to tumble into his arms, reawakening a desire that is anything but proper.

Giles has a golden touch - investments, horses, connections, but when he falls...hard for Suzanna, she turns him away, despite the passion sparking between them. At wit's end, Giles wagers her that not only will she marry him, but he'll make her fall in love with him. If Suzanna wins, she gains a sizable fortune for her favorite charity but she faces a loveless marriage to a titled man.

Myfanwy Thomas awakes in a London park surrounded by dead bodies. With her memory gone, her only hope of survival is to trust the instructions left in her pocket by her former self. She quickly learns that she is a Rook, a high-level operative in a secret agency that protects the world from supernatural threats. But there is a mole inside the organization - and this person wants her dead.

Jo Beverley takes listeners into the heart of the most mysterious, most powerful, most seductive Georgian aristocrat of them all: the Marquess of Rothgar. Two of the strongest wills in England clash when Lord Rothgar is commanded by the king to escort the fiercely independent Diana Westmount, Countess of Arradale, to London. Though Rothgar has become a master at resisting temptation, Diana proves a challenge to his steely resolve. A moment of peril—and a night of passion—melt his icy self-control, and he must find the strength to surrender his heart to another.