Showing results by narrator "Gareth Gareth" in All Categories

From the bestselling author of the Charlie Parker mysteries—“the finest crime series currently in existence” (The Independent)—comes a chilling anthology of supernatural short fiction that blends literary horror, dark fantasy, and psychological suspense. A decade after Nocturnes first...

Anxious the Jack Russell Terrier has a poorly paw. Burned-out chef and van life convert Max Effort will do anything for his best friend, even if that means a visit to the vets and the inevitable whining. Stopping in Harlech on the Welsh coast means they can get the little guy sorted out and take in the sights, too, even if Anxious is less than keen on visiting the doctor!

Neurodiversity is the idea that human brains function in a variety of ways. By understanding that people take in, process, and respond to information differently, we can appreciate how these profound differences affect the ways in which we experience the world and form relationships with one another. This Very Short Introduction looks at how neurodiversity has been understood in a variety of settings including education, research, workplace, health and social care, and criminal justice.

Conceited, arrogant, and built like a prize stud, Rutger is a red-blooded Viking. But his brash, bad boy demeanour hides a chasm of pain. He has known love, only to have his heart cleaved in two by a faithless woman. Grethe’s hopes of marriage and children were cruelly dashed when her fickle betrothed abandoned her. With Rutger as her captive mate, she’ll punish him as she’d like to punish all men. Hot-headed and stubborn, the two are intent upon the other’s torment. Nothing can change the way they feel. Can it…?

No woman shall subdue him! Badly wounded, Rangvald is obliged to accept aid from the woman with whom he now shelters. The payment demanded? That he sires her child! But this warrior gives nothing against his will. If she is to own his manhood, he will possess her body and soul.

Astrid can’t believe that anyone would want her as their bride, let alone a strong and handsome man like Jørgen. She longs to submit to his seductions but knows his interest will wane once he’s bedded her. Jørgen has never lacked for female attention, yet the only woman to wholly capture his heart is Astrid. Though she refuses to accept his intentions are true, Jørgen is determined to demonstrate his devotion. Uncovering the source of the island’s curse together, Jørgen has the chance to win her over. But even if love conquers all, can they convince the others that mortal danger is at hand?

After laboring for decades in the mines of Skálavík, Viggo is lured by the promise of great riches, and joins his jarl’s sea quest. But the daring adventure is doomed, the longship destroyed in a terrible storm. He awakes to find himself robbed of his sight, and his liberty. Signy knows what it is to suffer alone. The last thing she seeks is a man—even if the future of the island depends upon compliance. Thrown together, the two form an alliance. Viggo will impregnate her, in return for a promise that she’ll help him end his misery.

Eldberg—the mighty Beast of Skálavík, feared by all—is tied to a bedpost. His captor? An acid-tongued vixen set on making him her thrall. Trussed and used, he vows revenge. But his greatest nemesis is also his wildest fantasy. And when the tables are turned, his beautiful jailor will discover what it means to kneel.

Lecky Ferguson is growing up in a penniless but close-knit family in Jarrow. He relies on his imaginative Uncle Freddie for explanations of the world’s many mysteries. Packed with humour and adventure, this award-winning full-cast drama tells the life of a young man that is far from ordinary.

Gurney Close isn’t the sort of place where anything untoward should happen. It’s just a small, newly-built cul-de-sac with three nice houses and a bungalow overlooking the river Wye. The people who move in – three married couples and a divorcee – don’t expect much excitement beyond some neighbourhood friendliness. With this in mind, they organise a party to celebrate moving in. Everything goes well and a good time is had by all – until one of them is found dead the next morning.

It's Lydstock time again, the most anticipated music festival of the year. Max Effort, chilled ex-chef turned vanlifer, is already there, and when Min arrives to spend the whole weekend with him and Anxious the Jack Russell Terrier, he's as happy as any ex-husband could be. As the first night gets underway, and Uncle Ernie "Elbows" Effort's ska punk band The Skankin' Skeletons headline instead of their arch-rivals The Third Skatallion, things get spicier than a habanero vindaloo.

Ex-chef and now fully dedicated vanlifer, Max Effort picked the perfect spot for a relaxing few days. A quiet campsite where he could unwind with his best friend Anxious the Jack Russell. When his parents arrived to spend a few days with him, he wasn't surprised to find them towing a huge monstrosity they called a "caravan"—think flamingo pink with enough chrome to blind astronauts. Even more shocking was the stewed corpse of a man inside their rental.

A fox waits at a window with a warning too late to ignore. A dog mourns its master without knowing it is the last goodbye. A crow tallies the debts of a village that forgot how to care. A whale sings beneath the floorboards for what was buried but never gone. In Strange Companions, animals speak in riddles, offer prophecies, and hold mirrors to the hidden corners of our humanity. Each story balances the uncanny with the intimate—dark fables and tender reflections that explore grief, greed, love, and the strange beauty of being alive.

Celebrated explorer Ethan Burnell has all the ladies swooning, but he's exactly the sort of "dangerous man" Cornelia has sworn off. When Burnell's sister throws a Christmas house-party, intent on fixing him up with a bride, he sees only one way out. A fake engagement for the duration of the festivities! Cornelia knows she's crazy to agree to the plan, but has faith Ethan's "adoration" will bring other suitors running.

Lady Bathsheba lands on the tropical island of Vanuaka in search of her missing brother. Under the protection of darkly handsome Captain de Silva, she soon learns he's not all he seems. And Bathsheba is in more danger than she can imagine.

Upon the night a knife is plunged into her father's heart, headstrong Flora Dalreagh flees the forbidding Highlander to whom she has been hastily wed. Entering his domain in the guise of a dairymaid, Flora never expects passion to burn as fiercely as her desire for revenge, but she soon discovers her secret is only one of many in the castle.

Ursula is on the run—until her inheritance unlocks and she'll be free of her villainous guardian. Rocking up at Castle Dunrannoch in disguise, she's tasked with teaching the long-lost heir how to be 'a proper gentleman', but Texas rancher Rye Dalreagh is a whole lot more than she's bargained for. With a murderer on the loose and an ancient Scottish curse to navigate, the Christmas festivities are about to get interesting.

Theodore Rockley, Eleventh Duke of Pembridge, is endowed with everything a man could desire. Good looks. Charm. Intellect. A wealthy estate. And an enormous specimen of...masculine splendor. So formidable, in fact, that no woman has been able to conquer its summit. Scandalous adventuress Estela Bongorge wants only one thing from delicious Rockley, and she's never yet been beaten in a challenge. Can they discover a solution to the well-endowed Duke's dilemma? Will Rockley be able to tie down the problem? Or is his predicament insurmountable?

Disowned by her oil tycoon father, debutante Rosamund Burnell is in a fix. With limited funds, and a long way from Texas, the answer seems obvious. Pretend she's still a wealthy catch, to ensnare an eligible English bachelor. Meeting the Duke of Studborne, it seems her prayers have been answered. But the Duke's motives for courting her are not what they seem, and Rosamund is caught in a trap.

Why would a man abandon his bride following a single night of passion? Five years after her heartbreak and humiliation, Sofia is determined to find out—and to claim her rightful place by his side, even if it means travelling to the wild mountains of Carpathia to make her home in a decrepit castle. Cursed by his bloodline, Constantin was a fool to believe marriage to Sofia would save him. Now, the one woman he has always loved is in danger, for Castle Roznov’s dark secrets are about to be revealed.