Showing results by narrator "Kristin Atherton" in All Categories

London, 1952. Seven years after the chaotic aftermath of World War II, London has is coming alive again, with jazz clubs and flickering cinema awnings lighting up the night sky. But for widowed Helen ‘Dexie’ Dexter, she’s still a woman in a man’s world. She longs to prove herself as an officer in the London Metropolitan Police, yet she’s stuck intervening in domestics and making tea for her male colleagues.

Glamorous, beautiful Mummy has everything a woman could want...except for a little daughter of her very own. So when she sees Kim - heavily pregnant, glued to her phone and ignoring her eldest child in a busy shop - she does what anyone would do. She takes her. But little foul-mouthed Tonya is not the daughter that Mummy was hoping for: disobedient, uncooperative and always asking about the funny smell coming from the cellar. Meanwhile Kim is demonised by the media as a 'scummy mummy', who deserved to lose Tonya and ought to have her other children taken too.

When lovelorn Annie McDee stumbles across a dirty painting in a junk shop while looking for a present for an unsuitable man, she has no idea what she has discovered. Soon she finds herself drawn unwillingly into the tumultuous London art world, populated by exiled Russian oligarchs, avaricious Sheikas, desperate auctioneers and unscrupulous dealers, all scheming to get their hands on her painting - a lost eighteenth-century masterpiece called ‘The Improbability of Love’. Delving into the painting’s past, Annie will uncover some of the darkest secrets of European history.

Thora and Santi have met before. Under the clocktower in Central Cologne, with nothing but the stars above and their futures ahead. They don’t know it yet, but they’ll meet again: in numerous lives they will become friends, colleagues, lovers, enemies - meeting over and over for the first time, every time; each coming to know every version of the other. Only they can make sure it’s not for the last time. But as they’re endlessly drawn together and the lines between their different lives begin to blur, they are faced with one question: why?

In the shadow of Mount Hood in the US Pacific Northwest, 16-year-old Tennant is checking rabbit traps with her eight-year-old sister, Sophie. The girls are suddenly overcome by a strange vibration rising out of the forest, building in intensity until it sounds like a deafening crescendo of screams. From out of nowhere, their father sweeps them up and drops them through a trapdoor into a storm cellar. But the noise only gets worse....

Brazilian-born doctor André Cabral is living in London when one day he receives a letter from his home country, which he left nearly 30 years ago. A letter he keeps in his pocket for weeks but tells no one about. The letter prompts André to remember the days of his youth - torrid afternoons on Ipanema beach with his listless teenage friends, parties in elegant Rio apartments, his after-school job at his father's plastic surgery practice and, above all, his secret infatuation with the daughter of his family's maid.

London vet Charlotte Walker has taken up a fellowship on the tiny remote island of Tuga de Oro to study the endangered gold coin tortoises in the jungle interior. She can claim the best of reasons for this year in paradise - what better motivation than to save a species? - but the reality is more complex. For Charlotte has a secret that connects her to the island, and has finally determined to solve the mystery that has dominated her life. But she will have little time for any of her declared or covert investigations.

It’s that time of year again, snowflakes are fluttering and the countdown to Christmas has begun! Twenty-seven-year-old Holly Devine has just had her heart well and truly broken. Hurt by the two people she loves the most, she flees to her eccentric Aunt Clara’s cosy cottage to hide away over the winter season. But kind, impulsive Aunt Clara has other ideas... She’s not about to see her favourite niece wallowing in sadness during the most wonderful time of the year. So, with the help of her close circle of friends and plenty of gin, she creates a handmade advent calendar for Holly.

When Jane Douglas returns to the Shetland Islands, she thinks she has escaped the dark shadows of her childhood. She carves out a simple life on the bleak, windswept island, working at the salmon fishery and spending quiet evenings at home. And for the first time in her life, she’s happy. Then the body of Jane’s long-missing mother is found in a flooded quarry. Her mother disappeared when Jane was a teenager, following the death of Jane’s baby brother.

You’re looking over your shoulder, thinking someone’s watching. You’re checking the doors are locked, spooked by a noise. You’re running through the woods, convinced you’re being followed. You’re being stalked. And they won’t stop until you’re theirs.

At 31 years old, Helen Pines is far from where she thought she would be. Whilst her ex-boyfriend is now engaged, Helen’s still eating ready meals for one, wistfully dreaming of her last first date. Determined to give online dating a go, she matches with drop-dead-gorgeous Brody, and they hit it off immediately. One date later, Helen’s heart is still singing. Brody’s everything she’s looking for in a man—sexy, charismatic and the perfect gentleman. But then she receives an error message on the app…all her contacts have been deleted.

1589. Princess Anna of Denmark is betrothed to King James VI of Scotland. Before they can wed, Anna must pass the trial period: one year of marriage to prove herself worthy of being Scotland's new Queen. Determined to fulfil her duties to King and country, Anna resolves to be the perfect royal bride. Until she meets Lord Henry. By her side is Kirsten Sorenson, her loyal and pious lady-in-waiting. But, whilst tending to Anna's every need, Kirsten has her own secret motives for the royal marriage to succeed.

From leading mental health expert Dr Olivia Remes, this essential companion for navigating life's challenges offers everyday techniques and exercises to overcome setbacks and even achieve positive change. Whether you're dealing with job uncertainty, ill health, relationship problems, financial or mental health struggles, or the loss of a loved one, this highly practical and compassionate book will help you find meaning amidst the chaos and reset your life.

For 15 years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes. Over dinner parties, fish & chip suppers and summer barbecues, they’ve discussed the important stuff – the kids, marriages, jobs and houses – and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything more than a tenner. But then, one Saturday night, the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone doesn’t tell the truth. And soon after, six numbers come up which change everything forever.

Phoebe and Shimmer are having a brilliant time at Unicorn Academy. They’re always on the lookout for excitement and adventure! On a school trip to the coast, a freak weather event puts everyone in danger. Shimmer’s magic might be able to save them - but they’ll have to think fast and be very brave!

In a remote castle perched atop a windswept island, a long-awaited royal heir is born. In accordance with ancient custom, a blessing ceremony takes place to bestow the princess with magical gifts – along with a terrible curse. Except this is not the love story you may think you know. There is no enchanted sleep for the princess, and no handsome prince to save the day. Just three women, who together concoct a desperate plan of misdirect that changes the course of all their lives.

Imagine a school where you meet your own unicorn and have amazing adventures together! That’s what happens for the girls at Unicorn Academy on beautiful Unicorn Island. Matilda and Pearl are having a fantastic time at Unicorn Academy. They both have big imaginations and are great at telling stories. They’re the perfect partners. While camping in the woods, Matilda, Pearl and their friends discover that magic is draining from the oldest tree on the island. They’re sure someone is up to no good, but they’ll have to think fast to stop them!

Freya and Honey are having great adventures at Unicorn Academy. Freya is brilliant at inventing things, and Honey loves exploring. Strange things are happening at the school. When Freya and Honey stumble upon a hidden tunnel and decide to investigate, they will need all their skills to make it back safely....

With her final novel, Villette, Charlotte Brontë reached the height of her artistic power. First published in 1853, Villette is Brontë's most accomplished and deeply felt work. Her narrator, the autobiographical Lucy Snowe, flees England and a tragic past to become an instructor in a French boarding school in the town of Villette. There, she unexpectedly confronts her feelings of love and longing as she witnesses the fitful romance between Dr. John, a handsome young Englishman, and Ginerva Fanshawe, a beautiful coquette.

What happens when you run into Death in a busy train station? (You know he’s Death because when he smiles, your cell phone goes dead.) What if your lover falls in love with a tree? Should you be jealous? From the woman pursued by a band of bagpipers in full regalia to the artist who’s built a seven-foot boat out of secondhand copies of The Great Gatsby, Smith’s characters are offbeat, charming, sexy, and as wonderfully complex as life itself.