Showing results by narrator "Avita Jay" in All Categories

One unforgettable night in 1785, in a theatre in Drury Lane, the heady alchemy of love and murder suddenly fuses the lives of Mimosina Dolcezza, a Venetian actress, and Valentine Greatrakes, prince of London's medical underworld. The Remedy is a ravishing love story that seamlessly weaves fiction with historical fact in rich and detailed prose.

Three months after the killer rain first fell, Ruby is beginning to realise that she cannot survive alone. When a chance encounter lands her back in the army camp, Ruby thinks she is safe. But being safe has a price, and if Ruby wants to stay she must keep her eyes - and her mouth - shut.

"Why do you want to be a boat builder?" "Because," said Morwenna, "I like the way the boats grow." Morwenna and Corwin are eight years old, wind-swept and salty-haired twins growing up on the Devon coast. In the soft autumn light they play as their grandfather, Matthew, watches the boats come in. But it is a day unlike any other.

John Venton's drunken fall from a cliff leaves his family with an embarrassing ghost. His twin children, Morwenna and Corwin, flee in separate directions as their mother, enraged by years of unhappy marriage, embraces merry widowhood. Only their grandfather finds solace in the crumbling house, endlessly painting their story onto a large canvas map. As the twins are drawn back to the house, they discover that their father's absence is part of the map's mysterious pull.

Fifteen-year-old Pearl has lived her whole life protected within the small community at Seed, where they worship nature and idolise their leader, Papa S. But when some outsiders arrive, everything changes. Pearl experiences feelings that she never knew existed and begins to realise that there is darkness at the heart of Seed. A darkness from which she must escape before it's too late.

He promised to love her forever, but forever is running out…. 1943: in the ruins of Blitzed London, Stella Thorne and Dan Rosinski fall in love. Sixty years later Dan sends a letter to the house where they shared a brief yet perfect happiness. But Stella has gone, and the letter is opened by Jess. She is captivated by the story of a love affair that burned so bright. Can she help Dan find Stella before it is too late?

Sam and Hannah have only the holidays to find 'The One’...which is their lobster.... Instead of their summer holidays being epic, Sam and Hannah’s summer holidays is turning out to be very awkward.... They must navigate social misunderstandings, the plotting of well-meaning friends, and their own fears of being virgins to find happiness. But fate is at work to bring them together, and in the end it all boils down to love.

It has been two weeks, and now Ruby is totally alone. People weren’t prepared for the rain, got caught out in it, didn’t realise that you couldn’t drink water from the taps either. Even a drip of rain would infect your blood and eat you from the inside out. Ruby sets off on a journey that will take her the length of the country – surviving in the only way she knows how.

It's 1965 and Rosie Churchill has arrives at run-down Castaway House. But when she uncovers a scandal locked away in the old house, she soon realises that secrets never stay buried for long. In 1924 fresh-faced Robert Carver comes to Castaway House to spend the summer with his cousin, Alec Bray. But the Brays are a damaged family. As Rosie begins to learn more about Robert, the more their stories, old and new, entwine.

When war photographer Jo returns from her latest assignment in Afghanistan and moves into the Brighton flat she's just inherited, she hopes to restore equilibrium to her chaotic life. But images and events of her recent past and the reading of her great-grandmother Elizabeth's diary haunt her night and day, forcing Jo to come to terms with demons she thought she could leave behind.

At 25, West-End dancer Ellie Wakefield should be having the time of her life. The only problem is, since waking up in a 300-year-old vampire’s leaky cellar, Ellie’s been very much dead. William James Austen has fallen hard. He’s spent the last year loving Ellie from afar and now he’s finally able to be truthful about who and what he is. But this time, Will might just have bitten off more than he can chew.

Kyndra has saved and damned the people of Mariar. Her star-born powers healed a land in turmoil but destroyed an ancient magic - which once concealed them from invaders. Now Kyndra must head into enemy territory to secure peace. And deep within the desert, Char Lesko struggles to control his own emerging powers. But when Kyndra and Char meet, will their goals align?

Dr Rea Dharmasena is devastated when she loses out on her dream research job to her med-school rival, Dr Julia Stone. When it comes to light that Julia got the job using Rea's own cutting-edge research, Rea just can't let it go. Until finally, just after a life-changing medical discovery, Julia is found dead. Now Rea has the dream job she's always wanted. A job she would kill for.

Everyday Kindness is a charity anthology of short fictional stories of kindness, edited by LJ Ross. These uplifting tales of hope and of small everyday kindnesses are intended to support wider positive mental-health goals and foster wellbeing through the act of listening to tales of goodwill inspired by others. Featuring authors across the spectrum of literature, some international best-selling and award-winning writers amongst them, this is a unique collection of words.

In a new audio adaptation of some of Austen's lesser known works, Avita Jay brings to life the wit and satire of one of England's greatest authors. In Austen's final and unfinished novel, Charlotte Heywood finds herself caught up in the comings and goings of the lively seaside resort Sanditon. It is a story filled with a cast of colourful characters, from the widowed Lady Denham to wealthy Caribbean heiress, Georgiana Lambe, and the dashing, Sidney Parker. Naturally, romance and scandal ensue.

21-year-old Lucy feels content with her life in Hertfordshire—not least because she lives next door to Tom and Jamie, two very different brothers for whom she has equally great affection. But her comfortable life is turned upside down when Tom decides he must travel to Spain to fight for the Democratic party in the bloody Spanish Civil War. He is quickly followed by Jamie, who, much to Lucy's despair, is supporting General Franco and his Fascist party.

Nadia Gilani has been practising yoga as a participant and teacher for more than 25 years. Yoga has saved her life and seen her through many highs and lows; it has been a faith, a discipline and a friend, and she believes wholeheartedly in its radical potential. However, over her years in the wellness industry, Nadia has noticed not only yoga's rising popularity, but also how its modern incarnation no longer serves people of colour, working-class people or many other groups who originally pioneered its creation.