Showing results by narrator "Penelope Rawlins" in All Categories

In Grudova's unforgettably surreal style, these stories expose the absurdities behind contemporary ideas of work, Britishness and art-making, to conjure a singular, startling strangeness that proves the deft skill of a writer at the top of her game.

When a travelling skycircus arrives in Brackenbridge, Lily and Robert can't wait to step aboard.... But there's something sinister about the hybrid children who appear as part of the act. And before Lily and Robert can do anything, they're captured by shadowy figures and whisked off in the mysterious flying circus to somewhere far, far away....

Meet the adults. Claire and Matt are divorced but decide what's best for their daughter, Scarlett, is to have a 'normal' family Christmas. They can't agree on whose idea it was or who said they should bring their new partners. But someone did - and it's too late to pull the plug. Claire brings her new boyfriend, Patrick, a seemingly eligible Iron-Man-in-Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life, Alex - funny, smart and extremely patient. Scarlett, their daughter, brings her imaginary friend Posey. He's a rabbit.

Vicky Seagrave is blessed: three beautiful children, a successful, doting husband, great friends and a job she loves. She should be perfectly happy. When she makes a split-second decision that risks everything she holds dear, there's only person she trusts enough to turn to. But Vicky is about to learn that one mistake is all it takes - that if you're careless with those you love, you don't deserve to keep them....

Harriet Lockwood has never really bonded with her daughter the way she has with her three sons. Then one day, she discovers why. The girl she’s raised for the last fifteen years is not her biological child. As a consequence, two families are plunged into a storm of bitter rivalries and unexpected alliances.

After the death of her lover, Jake, Talulla Demetriou is the last living werewolf. And she's on the run. Pregnant, grieving, and with only her human familiar Cloquet helping her keep one step ahead of the Hunt, Talulla flees to a remote Alaskan lodge to have her child in secret. The birth leaves her ravaged, but with her infant son in her arms it looks as if the worst is over. Until the door bursts open – and she discovers that the worst is only just beginning… Talulla is plunged into a race against time to save her son.

Fen was a good guy pretty much his entire life up until the day he died. After his death, Fen woke up in a strange place without any memory of himself or the events that led to his death. This new place was unlike anything he’d seen on Earth, but that wasn’t his biggest problem. Fen’s biggest problem was the sword at his neck and the big man asking him to tell the truth. But telling the truth seemed wrong, out of place. Lying seemed like the easiest and fastest way to keep his head. So he lied.

You may not know Betty Gow's name—but 'the Lindbergh nanny' is infamous. In 1932, all eyes are on Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the most glamorous and intriguing couple in America. But who was paying attention when, one evening in early March, their baby son was stolen from the family home? The Lindbergh nanny is the first person to discover Charlie missing...and the last to see him that night. With the world watching on, Betty must discover the truth about what really happened to young Charlie, to clear her own name—and to find justice for the little boy she loves.

A brave, tender novel about who we want to be...and who we really are. Cambridge, 1963. Charlotte is struggling. With motherhood, with the changes marriage and parenthood bring, with losing the time and the energy to paint. Her husband, Henry, wants things to be as they were and can’t face the thought of another English winter. A brochure slipped through the letterbox gives him the answer:

Sarah Lotz's extraordinary, unmissable follow-up to the book that made headlines around the world, The Three - perfect for fans of The Shining Girls, The Passage, and Lost. Four days into a five-day singles cruise on the Gulf of Mexico, the ageing ship Beautiful Dreamer stops dead in the water. With no electricity and no cellular signals, the passengers and crew have no way to call for help. But everyone is certain that rescue teams will come looking for them soon.

Georgie has a glamorous career in fashion. Her boss doesn't know her name, but working for a genius will pay off one day. She hopes. She also has great friends.Granted, they're sometimes a bit superficial, but who wants to discuss a global crisis on a Friday night? And she's enjoying her single life. Eighteen months of celibacy, and not a hot prospect in sight. Perhaps life's not quite what she was hoping for.... But how can she change it, and what does she really want?

Ellie manages a swank Mayfair gallery, has really good hair, loyal friends, and a loving family. It's only her succession of lame duck boyfriends that ruin the picture. Oh, and the famous rock-star father she's never met. Then Ellie's perfect life is smashed to pieces when her secret is sold to the tabloids. When David Gold, her father's ruthless but charming lawyer, is sent in to sort out the mess, Ellie is torn between attraction and irritation...

Since she was found as a baby, floating in the Thames one foggy night, the web-toed Pearl has been brought up in a brothel known as the House of Mermaids. Cosseted and pampered there, it is only when her 14th birthday approaches that Pearl realises she is to be sold to the highest bidder. Meanwhile, the orphaned twins, Lily and Elijah, have shared an idyllic childhood, raised in a secluded country house with their grandfather. But when Lily and Elijah go on a visit to London, a chance meeting with Pearl will have repercussions for all of them, binding their fates together in a dark and dangerous way....

Now, you obviously, would never, ever look up your exes on Facebook. Nooo. And even if you did, you most certainly wouldn't run off trying to track them down, risking your job, family and happiness in the process. Posy Fairweather, on the other hand...Posy is delighted when Matt proposes - on top of a mountain, in a gale, in full-on romantic mode. But a few days’ later disaster strikes: he backs out of the engagement. Crushed and humiliated, Posy starts thinking.

June 1940. As World War Two rages, Daphne Devine remains in London, performing each night as assistant to stage magician Jonty Trevelyan, aka the Grand Mystique. Then the secret service call.

Meet the mother whose children were taken away, and the father who fought for his son. Listen to the radical social worker, the judge, the lawyer. See inside the homes of foster carers, adoptive parents and children in care. Because behind closed doors, a scandal is ongoing.

Princess Ellie is pony-mad! So when top designer Lord Leo arrives to give the palace a makeover, Ellie quickly escapes to the stables to avoid all the fuss. But she soon discovers that there's something strange about Lord Leo, and she suspects there's more to his plans than meets the eye. Can her pony, Starlight, help Ellie uncover the palace plot?

The first in a new crime series from M. B. Shaw, pen name of best-selling author Tilly Bagshawe. Murder at the Mill introduces listeners to portrait painter and amateur sleuth Iris Grey, who sees the truths of others while struggling to find her own way. Grey arrives at The Mill in Hampshire, commissioned to paint a portrait of Dominic Wetherby, a celebrated author. She quickly finds herself drawn into a world of village gossip, romantic intrigue, buried secrets and murder.

Princess Ellie always wants to sneak off to the stables - and especially when she realises something's wrong with her pony, Starlight. But Meg the groom won't tell her what it is. To take her mind off it, Ellie goes for a ride on the beach. But then disaster strikes, and she's stuck! How will she get back to her beloved Starlight?

Tara Jupp – vicar’s daughter, occasional thief, expert horse-rider and second fiddle to her sister ‘the beauty’ Lucy – sings at a wedding and is spotted by a record producer. With the spotlight suddenly, thrillingly shining on her alone, the roots of Tara’s country existence are shaken free and she is propelled to Swinging Sixties London.