Showing results by narrator "Madeleine Brolly" in All Categories

Salisbury, 1226. A mysterious poacher claims to be a long-lost heir - to a man found crushed by his own cart wheel. Ela Longespée is determined to find the truth, even though the king has coldly appointed another sheriff in her place. Ela takes pity on the man - an injured knight who once saved her husband’s life - and convinces the sheriff to release him from jail while she investigates. Will it turn out to be a deadly mistake?

A traveling merchant’s death heralds a series of grim mishaps at Salisbury Castle. Ela suspects a plot to discredit her as sheriff. Can she solve the murder and save her reputation, or will she be the next victim?

Salisbury 1226. When a child of village outcasts disappears from Salisbury, the odious new sheriff doesn’t seem to care. Ela Longespée is determined to help the girl’s desperate parents and her investigation leads her into the thick of a human-trafficking ring in London. There, she vows to find the lost child, arrest the perpetrators, and convince the king to make her high sheriff of Wiltshire.

Simon Kingsley is in desperate need of a wife. After years of searching, he finally found love. Unfortunately, she wed another, and now, it is time to settle for someone with whom he can share his life. A friend, a companion, a helpmate. Love is no longer an option for a man whose heart is irrevocably broken. Mina Ashbrook longs for a loving marriage but accepts that at the age of 30, she is unlikely to find it. Facing a lifetime of being the spinster sister living on her brother’s charity, Mina considers something she never thought she would - a marriage of convenience.

A prodigal son hoping for redemption. A virtuous lady with a tattered reputation. Both fear the future, but together, they might find the peace they crave. When Hazel Potts received a large inheritance from a friend, she knew her life would change—though she thought it would be for the better. But as people begin to whisper concerning the nature of her relationship with that gentleman, Hazel’s reputation quickly begins to tatter.

This series features a real historical figure—the formidable Ela Longespée. The young Countess of Salisbury was chosen to marry King Henry II’s illegitimate son William. After her husband’s untimely death, Ela served as high sheriff of Wiltshire, castellan of Salisbury Castle, and ultimately founder and abbess of Lacock Abbey.

They say reformed rakes make the best husbands. They were wrong. Ten years ago, Tabby Russell married the man of her dreams. Or so she thought. The reformed rake had seemed vastly appealing when she was younger, but as life marched on and his old habits returned, Tabby realized too late that she should have chosen wiser when facing the marriage alter. But there is no undoing the decisions of the past or avoiding the ensuing consequences. Even if Tabby wishes otherwise.

A boundary dispute between two farmers leads to digging that uncovers an ancient settlement...with a recent corpse buried in it. Ela Longespée must find the killer and restore peace between warring neighbors, all while negotiating her hard-won new role as High sheriff of Wiltshire.

Who killed Gray Mitchell? Gray Mitchell’s body is found buried under fresh snowfall in the early hours of the morning outside Stromford Cathedral. DI Jim Neal and DS Ava Merry are called in to investigate. It seems that a number of people had motives to kill him, including Mitchell's partner. Then another shocking act of violence occurs, also connected to the cathedral. Detectives Neal and Merry’s investigation reveals an intricate web of secrets connecting the crimes. But there is something the detectives have missed, the dark secret which can break open the case.

Imagine your husband was murdered. Imagine everything you thought you knew about the past was a lie. Two children sneak out on a freezing winter night, hoping to see a ghost. But instead they witness something far more terrifying. A man dumping a body... DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal are called in to investigate this perplexing murder. Eventually the dead man’s wife is identified. But Laura Cameron’s husband turns out to have kept many secrets from her.

Ambrose Ashbrook has spent his life hiding. Even his family see nothing but the roguish facade he has carefully crafted to conceal the secret burdening his heart. But when he finds an abandoned infant, all his pretenses are upended with one look at her dimpled smile. Knowing his sister is far better equipped to deal with the babe, Ambrose strikes out for the country, determined to give her a better future than the foundling homes have to offer.

A marriage they didn’t choose. A child conceived in a lie. Can they overcome their broken dreams and find happiness in a life forced upon them? At her age, Ruby Jeffries knows better than to dream of love, but then, Lucas Ashbrook sweeps into her life with whispered declarations of love and fervent kisses. He’s everything she’s hoped for, and Ruby would risk far more than the scandal of an elopement to be with him. But when she discovers Lucas faked the wedding to win a bet, Ruby is left with more than a broken heart.

Romance ought to be that simple. But with no dowry, Victoria cannot marry a pauper. Nor can Oliver wed the daughter of the woman who nearly ruined his parents’ life 30 years ago. Surely, a marriage based on mutual affection and friendship is enough.

Two students coming home from a drunken night out see something strange in the river. It is a young woman’s body. Hours later, a second young woman’s body is discovered on another stretch of the same river. DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal are assigned to both investigations. And they’re joined by a new detective, Tom Knight. Soon a connection is found between the two dead women. A list of 'victims' is discovered in one of their flats. Who will be next, and what really happened to the women on this sinister list?

Between keeping his father from bankrupting their mill and managing his mother’s and sisters’ fretting, David Archer has enough on his plate, thank you very much. Love and marriage never crossed his mind. But when a chance encounter at a masquerade throws the perfect lady in his path, David knows he’s found the woman of his dreams. No other will do.

Everyone in town knows Nancy Jones. She loves her cats. She loves her tumbledown house by the sea. She loves her job in the local school where she tries to help the children who need help the most. Nancy tries hard not to think about her past loves and where those led her.... Nancy never shares her secrets - because some doors are better kept locked. But one day she accepts a cat-sitting request from a local woman, and at the woman’s house Nancy sees a photograph in a bright-red frame. A photograph that opens the door to her painful past....

For years, Joanna Crosby has longed to catch Dr. Edward Vaughn’s attention, but like every other man, he hardly knows she exists—until a very public prank binds the two of them together and leaves them with one choice: ruination or matrimony. Who could’ve done such a thing? Eddie doesn’t know, but with Joanna’s reputation in tatters and society accusing her of masterminding the situation to trap him, his honor won’t allow him to abandon her. Even if that means pretending to be a doting husband.

1911: After the violent murder of three policemen in the line of duty, tensions between London constabulary and Whitechapel anarchists simmer. Meanwhile accusations and counter accusations of espionage further weaken relations between Germany and Britain. Can Margaret Demeray and Fox find out which potential enemy is behind a threat to the capital before it’s too late?

Ela Longespée, High Sheriff of Wiltshire, sets out to find the killer of a man found dead inside the nearby circle of ancient stones. Except that the victim is later seen walking in Salisbury and claims to have risen from the dead. He ingratiates himself with the people of Salisbury, and even the bishop, but Ela suspects the man is a charlatan and a murderer. Can she learn the truth when even the jury thinks he's a living saint?

He thinks she's a maid. She thinks he's a penniless poet. ‘Tis the season for a misunderstanding! Julian Knight cannot believe his luck. Meeting his literary hero is a dream come true, but spending a month in the fellow’s home is bliss. A few weeks away from his life of ledgers and finances to bask in their shared love of poetry and hone his skill at the feet of a master. It couldn’t be more perfect…Until he mistakes their eldest daughter for the maid. Now, the lady is determined to make the holidays uncomfortable for him. There must be a way to get back into her good graces!