Showing results by narrator "Philip Battley" in All Categories

David Stahel's groundbreaking new account of Operation Typhoon captures the perspectives of both the German high command and individual soldiers, revealing that despite success on the battlefield the wider German war effort was in far greater trouble than is often acknowledged.

Historic quarters in cities and towns across the middle of Europe were devastated during the Second World War—some, like those of Warsaw and Frankfurt, had to be rebuilt almost completely. They are now centers of peace and civility that attract millions of tourists, but the stories they tell about places, peoples, and nations are selective. They are never the whole story. Exploring seven old towns, from Frankfurt and Prague to Vilnius in Lithuania, Marek Kohn examines how they have been used since the Second World War to conceal political tensions and reinforce certain versions of history.

What begins as an idyllic new society built for the freedom and equality of all who walk on four legs quickly becomes a nightmare. The cleverest animals take on more and more control while the hard working common animals are manipulated into doing all the work. Best intentions are twisted by the lure of power, and no animal is immune to the terrible consequences of its corrupting influence.

When wounded Templar Knight Sir Marcus de Rancourt receives word that his sister is dying, he returns to a home he hasn't seen in twenty years, only to find his sister dead, and her children orphaned. Sir Marcus decides to take on the greatest challenge of his life and remain behind to raise the children, his loyal sergeant and squires insisting on joining him to work the land by his side.

Letty Henderson wasn't looking for love. She was looking for more people to sell her milk and beef to. After a tragedy took the lives of her father and brother, it's all she can do to keep her little ranch running. And she wasn't the only one. The same tragedy took the lives of an entire posse, and with a town population of less than thirty, that's a lot. So is it any wonder when six English gents pass through town and offer assistance, that her head is turned in their direction?

Lunar New Year should be a time for familial reunions, ancestor worship, and consumption of an unhealthy amount of candied fruit. But when dragon prince Thuan brings home his brooding and ruthless husband Asmodeus for the New Year, they find not interminable family gatherings, but a corpse outside their quarters. Asmodeus is thrilled by the murder investigation; Thuan, who gets dragged into the political plotting he'd sworn off when he left, is less enthusiastic.

Oxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of student William Farringdon floating in the river Cherwell, it looks like a drowning. Soon, however, Nicholas finds evidence of murder. Who could have wanted to kill this promising student? As Nicholas and his scholar friend Jordain try to unravel what lies behind William's death, they learn that he was innocently caught up in a criminal plot.

Magellan Brighton may be a musical prodigy with limitless talent, but her soul yearns for something more than playing in concert halls or at weddings. As the world is on the brink of a catastrophic polar shift, she mysteriously vanishes while playing an ancient organ and awakens in 1829. The answers to why lie in a lost diary belonging to Gwynedd, Merlin’s forgotten twin sister.

Lady Piper Brudenall hoped, prayed, and pleaded for her brother to return to London and rescue her from the marriage her mother arranged for her. Heartbroken by her brother's apparent abandonment, Piper knew she had no one left to trust. Leaving behind life as she knew it, she ran away from it all. Connor MacKintosh relishes the chance to take control of the Marquis of Aylesbury's estate, Dinton Grange, while his sister and her husband were on their honeymoon.

I’ve always trusted my instincts in the field, but Nightingale’s disappearance has left me grasping at shadows. The others think I’m obsessed, but they don’t understand what she means to me. Now, I’m following her trail across Eastern Europe, determined to discover the truth. Was she taken against her will, or has she been working against us all along? I don’t care what secrets she’s keeping—I’ll find her and bring her back, because a life without Leila is unthinkable.

James has watched his brothers find the perfect woman one after the other, but for him, he had yet to stumble across one who didn't make him want to put an ocean between them. So he did, thinking a life in New York would put his discontent out of sight. New York suffragette Primrose had more than enough men trying to control her. There was no chance she'd relent and marry again, despite her brothers' dogged "encouragement" on the matter. She wanted independence and freedom. A husband would only serve to snatch that dream away.

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned but Fiona MacKintosh was more inclined to believe that after a long, furious journey through hell, no scorned woman was apt to be inclined to love and entrust her heart to a man so easily again. Especially not to the same man! Harry Brudenall, Marquis of Aylesbury, has devoted so much of his life to finding his long-lost sister that he's almost forgotten what it feels like to live. Fiery and passionate, Fiona is life. In her, he finds a reason to embrace the present and live for the future. If only she'll have him.

The French Revolutionary Wars catapulted Britain into a conflict against a new enemy: Republican France. Britain relied on the Royal Navy to protect its shores and empire, but as radical ideas about rights and liberty spread across the globe, it could not prevent the spirit of revolution from reaching its ships. In this insightful history, James Davey tells the story of Britain's Royal Navy across the turbulent 1790s. As resistance and rebellion swept through the fleets, the navy itself became a political battleground.

Oliver Twist meets The Crimson Petal and the White in this devilishly funny, emotionally charged tale of finding a new path in life after a great fall. William Dempsey rose from a life of thieving and prostitution to be the personal plaything of the Marquess of Argyll. Then a betrayal sees him returned to the rough streets of London without patronage, his West End apartment, or a place among the ton.

It is 1903 in the English countryside when Robbie, a shy young art student, meets the twenty-nine-year-old Anton who is running from memories of his brutal childhood and failed marriage. Within months, they begin a love affair that will never let them go. Robbie grows into an accomplished portraitist in the vivid London art world with the help of Anton's enchanting former wife, while Anton turns from his inherited wealth and connections to improve the conditions of the poor.

Freddie is unremarkable—too unremarkable. He doesn't stand out in any way, and in fact teachers and fellow students keep forgetting who he is. Even his mom thinks he's a disappointment, and spends almost all her time at work, producing a TV show. After a particularly awful night when he embarrasses himself in front of Jasper Perry (the gorgeous teen star of his mum's new show), Freddie decides to follow a proactive new philosophy designed to transform his social and romantic life: saying 'yes' to every opportunity.

For Lewis Carroll, a deacon in the Church of England, faith in Christ and belief in a loving God stood at the core of his being, but little has been written about what the church or faith meant to the celebrated author of the Alice books. With Lewis Carroll: Formed by Faith, Charlie Lovett provides the first in-depth study of the religious life of the famous author, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. By examining Dodgson's religious education and core beliefs, this book shows how a deep Christian faith guided every part of his life and work.

It was supposed to be a holiday, with nothing more challenging than babysitting, navigating familial politics, and arguing about the proper way to brew tea. But when dragon prince Thuan and his ruthless husband Asmodeus find a corpse in a ruined shrine and a hungry ghost who is the only witness to the crime, their holiday goes from restful to high-pressure. Someone is trying to silence the ghost and everyone involved. Asmodeus wants revenge for the murder; Thuan would like everyone, including Asmodeus, to stay alive.

As a writer lies dying, he has one last story to tell: a tale of faith and devotion, a meditation on what lies beyond this life, and a prayer of gratitude that may lead to rebirth.

Our ability to think about the future is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. In The Invention of Tomorrow, cognitive scientists Thomas Suddendorf, Jonathan Redshaw, and Adam Bulley argue that its emergence transformed humans from unremarkable primates to creatures that hold the destiny of the planet in their hands. Drawing on their own cutting-edge research, the authors break down the science of foresight, showing us where it comes from, how it works, and how it made our world.