Showing titles in Victorian

"Two On A Tower", a novel by Thomas Hardy, tells the story of an astronomical artist, Lady Constantine, and her love affair with a young astronomer. This tale of love, sacrifice and societal constraints is brought to life in the audiobook, accompanied by beautiful descriptions of the celestial world.

"The Well-Beloved" is a beautifully crafted novel by Thomas Hardy, exploring the complexities of love and desire. Set in the scenic Isle of Slingers, it tells the story of a sculptor, Jocelyn Pierston, and his obsessive search for his perfect muse, who he calls his "well-beloved". As he searches for this elusive figure, he faces a series of trials and tribulations, each leading him closer to his ultimate desire. This poignant and lyrical tale is a must-read for any lover of classic literature.

Born into poverty and hardship, Ruby Skinner's decision to approach the unscrupulous East End villain, Donald McCoy, for help, ends in disaster. In a desperate bid to move her ailing mother to the fresh air of the countryside, she realises that she has made a huge mistake, which will shape the rest of her life. Robert Thornton, a wealthy business man, also had the misfortune of suffering from the under hand dealings with McCoy, and when curiosity forces him to pursue Ruby Skinner, the barriers which divide the social classes of the 19th century are put to test by the power of love.

Rose Wickes-Barnes has a plan to establish herself as an independent woman of good standing. Move away from Gold Sky. Join one of New York City’s most prestigious theater companies. Establish herself in society as an up-and-coming costumer with said theater company. Thusly, she aims to enjoy the fruits of her labor just as any woman should. What she never anticipates is a scandal, paparazzi storm, and subsequent whirlwind marriage.

The Pennycomequicks by Sabine Baring-Gould is a captivating tale of a wealthy family whose fortune is in decline. Set in Victorian England, this audiobook takes the listener on a journey through the joys and sorrows of the Pennycomequick family, who must navigate their changing financial circumstances while dealing with their own personal demons. The story is rich in detail and full of complex characters, each with their own struggles and desires.

When Evie Henshawe agreed to sit as an artist’s model for the eccentric Marquess of Ashcombe, she was expecting to lose her clothes and her reputation. She wasn’t counting on losing her mind—or her heart. As a second son, Ash was never meant to be a marquess. Bookish, circumspect, and devoted to his art, he’s a visionary, not a landlord. Horrified by the realities of the Industrial Revolution, he buries himself in the past and uses his resources to build a Gothic Revival Camelot in north London, a place where he can disappear into his dreams.

When The Doctor's Wife was first published in 1864, Mary Elizabeth Braddon was well known for her scandalous bestseller, Lady Audley's Secret. Adultery, death, and the spectacle of female recrimination and suffering are the elements that combine to make The Doctor's Wife a classic women's 'sensation' novel. Yet it is also Braddon's most self-consciously literary work and her rewriting of Madame Bovary. Like Emma Bovary, Braddon's heroine, Isabel Gilbert, is trapped in a marriage to a man incapable of understanding her imaginative life.

We see another facet of Mary Elizabeth Braddon's amazing talent in Dead Love Has Chains, written in her seventies. Focusing on character and human psychology rather than detection and crime, this is one of her most interesting novels. Pregnant and unmarried Irene Thelliston is sent home from India to live with her Aunt in Ireland. On her sea voyage she reveals her secret to Lady Mary Harling who swears to keep her confidence. Several years later to the horror of Lady Mary she becomes engaged to her son Conrad who has his own rather questionable past.

Sheffield, 1867. It's the height of a long-running and violent campaign known as the Outrages, where murderous acts are carried out on behalf of a rogue union leader. Louisa Leigh, a former maid-of-all-work, is trapped into prostitution and desperate for money to escape. She befriends Ginny Hinchcliffe, a young widow who will do whatever it takes to break free from a life of servitude to her in-laws. The two women become entangled with Joe Crookes, henchman to the man responsible for the Outrages.

Elisabeth Stiernfors er lovet bort til den usympatiske baron von Strauss. Men da den fattige huslærer Mathias Storm forelsker sig i hende, må Elisabeth træffe et svært valg. Hendes eneste fortrolige er kammerpigen Vera, og et stærkt men også kompliceret venskab spirer frem mellem de to. Men hvad vil der ske med Vera, når Elisabeth gifter sig? Samtidigt kæmper Elisabeths storesøster, Cecilia, for at få sit nye liv med ægtemanden Jacques Rousseau til at fungere. Men da et barn efterlades på deres dørtrin, og Jacques forbyder Cecilia at hjælpe barnet, må Cecilia træffe en skelsættende beslutning.

An innocent trip to the book store propels Lady Harriett Beresford into danger when a stranger—warning of peril from the Fat Man—collapses on her doorstep. Dead. She rushes to find aid, and when she returns, the dead man is gone, and no one believes her account....

Greer Buchanan, a Scottish soldier for King James, arrives in London as it prepares for the festive twelve days of Christmas. Tasked by his king to stop Queen Elizabeth I from being assassinated, Greer heads to Whitehall Palace only to be misdirected to the Bear Garden where a rescue effort is underway.

Josephine Claremont hides her real name—and all the struggles she's endured—behind a beautiful stage name and debonair lifestyle. As the premier actress in London, she is welcomed in all society homes even though she doesn't belong in the haute ton. She is the queen of the demimonde and is determined to maintain that position—even if a dashing viscount is oddly intent on winning her heart.

All of the London is convinced Jack the Ripper has returned to London, but Malik knows better. He knows the familiar scent of a Made, one that has survived longer than he should have. But, while he is pursuing the killer, he cannot keep his mind on it completely. Mrs. Diana Simpson has become too much to ignore. From her haughtiness, to the simmering passion he sees lurking behind the pain in her eyes, he recognizes his mate.

Nicodemus Blackburn has seen the best and worst of mankind. Five hundred years of dealing with them teaches the vampire to be very wary of the creatures. Unfortunately, alarming events leave him no choice but to enter the world of the ton to hunt a rogue vampire—one who is making his own army of blood thirsty vampires. Searching for the villain is not the worst of his troubles. That can be laid at the feet of bluestocking Lady Cordelia Collingsworth.

Lady Minerva Malbury has never lost a game of chess, and if she wants to avoid marriage, it's a streak she'll have to keep alive. Everyone knows the marriage mart is a game, but no one expects this one: the first gentleman to defeat Lady Minerva in a game of chess wins her hand. His best friend's sister was all, Anthony MacMillian, Lord Drake, could think about most days. Since her season debut, four years ago, he's had to endure countless games of chess that threated his fortitude to remain in the wings.

Injured at Quatre Bras, Lord Rawden Durant, Earl of Beaulieu, suffers permanent emotional and physical wounds. Hiding a dark secret, he fears exposure that would destroy him. He does not want a wife, and he never intends to marry. Like his friends, the Mad Matchmakers, he battles enemies real and imagined, which an unknown villain exploits. When Rawden discovers the dreadful circumstances faced by the lady he desires, he makes an offer he never expected and finds himself engaged to the woman of his dreams.

Nel 1818, Valiant, l'affascinante ma squattrinato visconte di Oakley, rimane sorpreso nel vedere la sua corte rifiutata da parte della ricchissima Miss Barrington, che sceglierà a lui un altro uomo. Nella frustrazione che segue al rifiuto, Valiant si ripromette di sposare la prima donna che gli attraverserà la strada, che, per qualche strana coincidenza, sarà proprio la cugina povera di Miss Barrington, Jemima. Ma, ciò che all'apparenza sembra essere una sconfitta, si rivelerà col tempo una benedizione.

Living in Victorian Oxfordshire, Poppy Woods has suffered neglect and cruelty from her very first breath. Illegally adopted by the tight fisted and merciless Sidney Woods and his wicked wife, life in the quiet hamlet of Hurst is a daily challenge for Poppy, softened only by her caring neighbours, the Greenfield family, who keep a watchful eye over her. Ella Greenfield is like a true sister, and a childhood love for Arthur Greenfield blossoms.

Meg Swift has a tiny problem with stealing. What else is she to do when her uncle triples the estate rents? She learns how to mend roofs, plant turnips—and how to steal. She's too busy for her godfather's parade of single gentlemen at the Cinderella Ball. Dougal Black has just been plucked from a millhouse as the last of the Thorncroft duchy bloodline. And if he's not married by the end of the year, the Prince of Wales will choose his bride for him. But Dougal doesn't know the rules of this new world. Luckily, Meg does.