Showing results by narrator "Lucy Rayner" in All Categories

Robert: Left on the steps of a church as a baby, Robert was often hungry but never stole food like the other orphans in town. Introverted and extraordinarily intelligent, he knew all the Latin prayers and hymns by heart by the time he was five years old. Georgette: Her own mother died in childbirth, leaving Georgette with a father who, seventeen at the time, had neither experience nor aptitude as a nurturing parent, and a brother known in town as Le Fuer - The Spitfire - for his terrible temper.

It's Christmas 1940, and Nimway Hall opens its ancient and enchanting heart to the wedding of Josie and Gideon! Wartime intelligence agents Josie and Gideon are in for a wild adventure as they negotiate the hidden dangers of planning a wedding in the midst of a war.

A courageous young woman is just managing to keep up with her family’s vast, wartime farm when a handsome Lt. Colonel and his staff of officers take command of her home. A private war ensues between them, and the couple soon learns that resistance is futile when it comes to love in the heat of battle.

At only sixteen years of age, she is a beautiful terror, with her wavy blond locks and her shockingly violet eyes. Her skin is as fair as she is foul. Only I can stop her. Only I dare to rise up against her, for the sake of a kingdom that is not my own. Others may scorn me for interfering, but interfere I must. I will not allow this exquisite monster to harm more than she already has. Some might call me the monster, but I? I know the truth, and I will not hesitate to do what I must.

Cinderella's powers will destroy the Kingdom of Fantasia, and the only one who can save the kingdom is her "wicked" stepmother. Lady Angelique puts her second husband to rest, then tries to do right by her step-daughter Eleonore, but when Eleonore's mystical abilities put Angelique's own daughters' lives at risk, she makes the difficult decision to lock the girl in the tower to keep the family safe.

In The Microbiome: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Dr. Berenice Langdon provides a foundational understanding of the microbiome and what it does—and does not—do. Tracing the history of microbiome research, up to the most recent scientific advancements, she dispels common misunderstandings to better acquaint listeners with the form and function of the human body's microbial community.

Summoned to Gravesend, Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Field is shocked to discover the body of a man he interviewed only days earlier. The brutal timing suggests his inquiries into the cold case that has haunted him for well over a year struck a nerve. But with more questions than clues, the investigation threatens to once again grind to a halt.

A dark, breathless, beautifully-written gothic thriller of murder, madness and a mysterious island… London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever...

Twenty years ago, student Daisy Harrington went out for the evening and never came home. Her body was found a week later. The killer was caught. Case closed. Now, on what would have been her fortieth birthday, her five university housemates are invited to a weekend gathering. None of them want to go. But none of them can refuse—the invitation makes it clear that if they don’t attend, the past they’ve spent two decades hiding will finally come to light.

Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Field has few clues to follow, but is determined to prove his quick rise through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police wasn't simply because of his last name. Yet, when the ravenkeeper's daughter is found, the case becomes even more complicated. Discovering the frightened, disheveled girl on her doorstep is a shocking start to widow Amelia Greystone's day. So is the inspector assigned to the case—the same one who has yet to solve her husband's murder.

A young girl—a mudlark—is found dead on the muddy bank of the Thames in her best dress, a crystal perfume bottle clutched in her lifeless hand . . .Fearing foul play, widow Amelia Greystone sends for Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Field—the man still haunted by his failure to solve her husband's murder. Though the trust between them is fragile, Amelia believes Henry is the only one capable of delivering justice.

Epic poetry and tragic drama provide us with some of the richest ancient Greek depictions of women who are married to soldiers. In tales of the Trojan War, as told by Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, we encounter these mythical warriors' wives: Penelope, isolated but resourceful as she awaits the return of Odysseus after his lengthy absence; the war widow Andromache, enslaved and displaced from her homeland after the fall of Troy; the unfaithful and murderous Clytemnestra; and Tecmessa, a war captive who witnesses her partner's breakdown and suicide in the aftermath of battle. 

Ryszard loves Saxonia and desires to save the kingdom from the evil king. The miller's daughter, Galiana Mueller, agrees to help expose the king's terrible, selfish ways. As Ryszard spins gold for her to tempt the king with, he cannot help falling in love with her himself. The king soon demands Galiana's hand, wishing for more straw-spun-gold, more wealth, and more power. As he becomes corrupt entirely, Ryszard must utilize a power stronger than his magic, that of love or perhaps hope.

The kingdom knows their princess as Snow White, but the Queen Francesia, her stepmother, sees her for what she truly is, a monster. None other than the queen can see beyond the illusion of beauty. None see that she appears to be bone and ashes. No one else realizes that the child drinks blood and even kills. As the child grows, so does her thirst. Francesia knows she must stop Bone Ash, lest the princess devastate the entire realm. One will be the harbinger of the other's death, but who will survive?

By all accounts, Lucy’s handled her divorce well. She’s finally in the cozy, plant-filled house of her dreams. And although she doesn’t fit in with the other divorcées—all busy looking for their next ex—she’s excited to get down to earth and savor the small joys of life. When Lucy meets Elle, a hip younger woman who shares her same passions, their connection is instant. Taking a chance on kismet, Lucy forges a friendship that fills her days with meaning. She and Elle are inseparable, from sunup to sundown, enjoying the immediate ease and familiarity of each other’s company.

Belief in ghosts is surprisingly common worldwide. Mysterious glowing orbs, unexplained chills, things that literally go bump in the night: signs of paranormal activity have reportedly surged during the pandemic. As have specialist investigators, organized ghost hunts, eerie podcasts, TV shows and reports of everyday hauntings. Sharing the details of some well-known and particularly mysterious hauntings together with some less-well-known tales and personal stories, Theresa explores these ghostly encounters through four categories of hauntings: residual, poltergeist, inhuman and intelligent.

A terrifying monster of a beast has captured Gervais's lady love, and he will stop at nothing to save his beauty. Posing as a gardener, the brave and strong Gervais attempts to study the beast that he longs to kill. Isabelle Mercier is the only woman he has ever cared for. When he sneaks his way inside the castle, Isabelle refuses to come with him. Could she have fallen for the beast? Is it too late for Gervais to save her?

Hwyfar, eldest daughter of King Leodegraunce and famed libertine of Carelon, has returned to Avillion to find her father ruined by madness and a usurper poised to take the throne. Reluctantly she takes the mantle of Queen Regent to protect her kingdom, but she'll need an army—which King Arthur pledges to send her, providing she marries one of his knights and surrenders the crown.

When Mab and Nessa's mother died and their father disappeared to New Zealand, their lives changed forever. But the loss of their parents wasn’t the only thing that cast a shadow over their childhood… Twenty years later, when Mab and Nessa receive the news of their estranged father’s death, it stirs up a storm of long-buried memories and emotions.

Darcy Drummond was four when she was kidnapped on a crowded beach. A massive police search and media frenzy followed but the girl was never found. Most people gave Darcy up for dead. Or worse.