Showing results by publisher "Bolinda audio" in Historical Fiction

Addy Loest is harbouring a secret - several, in fact. Dedicated overthinker, frockaholic and hard-partier, she’s been doing all she can to avoid the truth for quite some time. A working-class girl raised between the Port Kembla Steelworks and the surf of the Illawarra coast, Addy is a fish out of water at the prestigious University of Sydney. She’s also the child of German immigrants, and her broken-hearted widower dad won’t tell her anything about her family’s tragic past.

Four-and-20 extraordinary women; one chance to save a kingdom. What would you sacrifice to save your family, your loved ones, yourself? In September 1486, the reign of King Henry VII of England is again threatened by York loyalists. The only things standing in the way are a 400-year-old Sidhe who just wants to be left alone and a group of London women with a lot to lose if England is plunged back into war. But, in 1486, women have no power. Only the ability to make difficult choices and sometimes-heartbreaking sacrifices.

Originally published in the Netherlands in 1993, De Loo's first novel to be translated into English explores the enmity that existed between Germans and the rest of Europe after World War II. This moving tale addresses notions of guilt and responsibility in a sensitive, thought-provoking manner, without exonerating or condemning.

The third book in the captivating Birth of the Plantagenets series brings the 12th-century reign of Henry II and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, to vivid life. England’s Archbishop of Canterbury is dying and with him the power of the Church. Seizing his chance, King Henry II sets out to enforce the rule of law that he has painstakingly established to bring violent, corrupt and criminal clergy before his courts. The ever-scheming courtier Thomas Becket uses his mastery of deceit, sycophancy and wit to undermine the monarch and the Plantagenet dynasty.

Beautiful Eva Bereton has two close friends: Patsy, whom she looks upon as a sister, and Bill, her childhood sweetheart, now married and living far away. So when a tragic accident turns Eva’s world upside down, Patsy is the only one she can turn to. A hated figure from the past comes to reclaim the farm and business that Eva had always believed belonged to her parents. And not even Bill, still in love with Eva, can stop her being thrown out onto the streets. With no choice but to leave, Eva and Patsy decide to build a new life elsewhere.

Jesus College, Oxford, 1881. An undergraduate is found dead at his lodgings and the medical examination reveals some shocking findings. When the young man’s guardian blames the college for his death and threatens a scandal, Basil Rice, a Jesus College fellow with a secret to hide, is forced to act and finds himself drawn into Sidney Parker’s sad life.

It's December 1900, and Berylda Jones is heading home to Bathurst for Christmas. Tragically, 'home' is where she and her beloved sister Greta live in terror, under the control of their sadistic Uncle Alec. But Berylda has a plan, borne out of desperation, to free herself and Greta from Alec for good - if she can only find the courage to execute it.

Eleanor of Aquitaine has disappeared. After launching a great rebellion to destroy her husband Henry II’s reign, it seems she has abandoned her sons in the struggle against their formidable father. As treachery radiates from Scotland to the Pyrenees, tension between the kings of France and England erupts into war. Richard, the mightiest of the English princes, is determined to find his mother and avenge her. But Henry is more cunning than Richard or any of the other rebels anticipated and the fates of Eleanor, her sons and France itself, are in jeopardy.

Orphaned young, H is sent to live with her doting aunt in London. H’s life is a happy one until her lecherous cousin robs her of her innocence and the plague takes away the city and the people she loves. H is cast out – friendless, pregnant and destitute – into the rapidly emptying streets of London under quarantine. Forced to fend for herself, she is determined to gain back the life she lost. H will face a villain out for revenge, find love in the most unexpected places and overcome a betrayal that she never could have foreseen.

2014: in the French city of Orléans, a man’s charred corpse is found in a burned-out hotel, stripped of all ID. Police captain Inès Picaut must hunt down his killer before others fall prey to the fire. She has only one clue: the name of a woman who has been dead for over 500 years. 1429: Joan of Arc is taking the war to the English. They want her dead but the only way to reach her is through a fiercely loyal inner circle - until undercover spy Tomas Rustbeard finally earns her trust....

Ten years ago, Louise Hunter's life was torn apart by tragedy. Her husband, Ben, killed himself; her brother-in-law, Jacob, was murdered; and her sister, Susan, abandoned her newborn daughter, revealing the baby is Ben's child. Louise remains haunted by guilt over the one night she spent with Ben's friend Eric and refuses to return Eric's love. But after adopting Jinnie, she finds new happiness – until Susan decides she wants Jinnie back.

Meg Turner is finally doing the job she loves, but life as a sheep farmer proves tougher than she anticipated. She is a woman trying to prove herself in a man’s world against the backdrop of a brutal war. With her faith being tested in her work, she also fears that the man she loves will betray her again. Meg struggles to allow herself to love baby Lissa when her mother may return to claim her at any moment. Meanwhile, Kath faces new challenges in the WAAF, but cannot stop thinking about her child. Can she ever get over the guilt of leaving her child behind?

Yorkshire, 1946. At last, Sonny and Rachel Cowgill hear the news they’ve been so desperate for. Their son Mark, who was injured in the very last days of the fighting, will make it home in time for Christmas. But their youngest son Billy has not been so lucky. He was declared missing in action in Crete and is presumed dead. Sonny and Rachel are learning to give up hope of seeing him again. Meanwhile, in Australia, Luke Fisher returns from the German prisoner of war camp where he was interned. His beloved fiancée Isabella Finnegan is waiting for him. But all is not well.

England, 1171. Thomas Becket is dead, beheaded at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral. As news of his assassination spreads across the country and into Europe, Henry's reputation as a just and mighty king begins to disintegrate. Eleanor, no longer loyal, nor in awe of her husband, instigates the revolt she has craved for years - with Henry's three eldest sons as her allies against their father. Yearning to dethrone him and to gain power and liberty for herself, she begins to stir trouble at court.

Bridget Mulligan loves her husband. He is caring, loyal and dependable – everything a woman could ask for. But she can't quite forget Harry – the one that got away – and when a snowstorm drives her into his arms, the inevitable happens. Nine months later a child is born. Overcome with remorse, Bridget is determined that her husband should know the truth, but her confession can lead only to heartbreak. Although he allows his wife and her child to continue living in his home, Tom Mulligan makes it clear that their marriage is over.

From the moment she learns of the stranger's visit, Molly Tattersall is filled with a sense of fear. Then her mother disappears, leaving behind a letter asking Molly to take care of her five brothers and sisters. Molly's wayward father rejects his responsibilities, leaving Molly to choose between the young man she has given her heart to and the family she adores. It is the cruellest decision of her life, with long-reaching and heart-breaking consequences. Only one thing is certain – Molly's life will never be the same again.

The unthinkable has happened. Warrior queen Bluebell has lost her kingdom to the Crow King, Hakon, and her demented Trimartyr sister, Willow. While Bluebell would like nothing more than to storm the city with her army and crush Willow underfoot, the enemy's threat to burn its inhabitants alive prevents her. Worse, Willow seems to have the terrifying god Maava on her side.

Trapped in a violent marriage to Sir Fulk de Enderby, a veteran of the wars against Robert the Bruce, Lady Johanna FitzHenry has one last chance to escape. If a stranger can be found who is willing to swear to a court that she was secretly wed to him before her match to Fulk, Johanna will be set free.

Dotty Bluebrook does not share the shift in mood. Drifting through her rich-girl routine of shopping and social engagements, she is secretly mourning the loss of a forbidden lover who went off to fight and never returned. He’s been missing in action for four long years – and she’s losing her mind. Clarinda Littlemore is grieving losses of a more concrete kind. Her beloved father and brothers are unquestionably dead – leaving her and her mother in poverty.

1941. Whilst London is battered by air raids, Felicity 'Fliss' Carmichael has troubles of her own. Still reeling from catching her fiance cheating, she flees to her childhood home at St. Winifred's Rectory, reuniting with her sister Prue and Hester Katz, a Jewish doctor sheltering there. Though heartbroken, Fliss finds purpose again as a journalist. On assignment, she crosses paths with Detective Inspector Timothy Wallace, who shares her passion for truth and justice – though not her political beliefs. Despite their differences, an instant spark ignites between them.