Showing results by narrator "Sofia Zervudachi" in All Categories

All I’ve ever wanted is to be a mother. And as soon as I looked into the beautiful, bright blue eyes of this baby tucked in her blanket, my world felt complete. Stepping into the cold air outside of the hospital doors, a shiver runs through me. I know my life will never be the same again. I slip off her little white medical bracelet and put it in the pocket of my jeans. I think of the woman upstairs in the hospital room who will soon return and find her child gone. I hesitate. Am I doing the right thing?

Behind These Doors is a provocative, insightful and illuminating interrogation of what it is to live and to work in the UK's most infamous prisons. The individuals Alex introduces us to are, for the most part, living on the margins of society and the impact of the cycles of violence that so often accompany those lives is clear to see. Alex takes us by the hand to meet men who will surprise and shock us in equal measure, as well as prison officers who struggle to contain the challenges the job presents.

When Ali has the chance to stay at a beautiful house in the south of France, she jumps at it. But not everything is as it seems. Surrounded by a group of wealthy friends, Ali blends expertly into the background. She's watching them all. And she isn't the only one interested. The heat rises. The pool shimmers. Secrets are exposed. And Ali must face up to the biggest lie of all: herself.

Will I have the chance to explain to little Erin why I had to go? Even if I do find the strength to return, what will my mother have told her? Only one person really knows what happened and why I had to do what I did. I know the truth will come out some day. I don’t expect forgiveness. The only thing I hope is that my family can survive the fallout....

Detective Lexi Bennett is devastated when she finds the two teenagers lying side by side on the quiet green hillside, their throats cut. Convinced this is no ordinary killer, she vows to draw on all her profiling experience to find justice for these beautiful girls who will never have the chance to grow up.

Four years ago, when France fell to the Nazis, Juliette made the ultimate sacrifice, leaving behind her two precious children to join the Resistance and defend her country. Now a spy in Paris, she must work with Captain Daniel Diaz–an American agent she’s taken an instant dislike to–on a dangerous mission to uncover a deadly Nazi plot.

Lauren is thrilled to escape her old life in London for a fresh start in the countryside with her partner, Paul, and her two stepchildren. Haunted by her past, Lauren knows how lucky she is, in her dream home with her ready-made family. She also knows how much she stands to lose. But as Lauren struggles to adjust to motherhood, Paul becomes increasingly distant and as village rumours begin to swirl about the fate of the house's previous occupants, Lauren's fears grow.

Detective Lexi Bennett is walking through the quiet Canterbury streets when she hears screaming. Rushing toward the sound, she finds the body of a teenage girl lying beneath one of the city’s ancient towers. Lexi looks up at the cold grey stone, and vows that she will find answers.

Chrissie has always wanted to be a mother. After months of trying to adopt, she and her husband Stuart finally get the news that a little girl named Sunshine is waiting for them. The child comes to them without a history, and it feels like a fresh start for all of them. But when fragments from Sunshine's previous life start to intrude on her new one, the little girl's mysterious past quickly becomes Chrissie's greatest fear.

One year ago, Leah's feisty 21-year-old niece, Amy, mysteriously drowned near her family-owned luxury resort on the shores of Lake Garda. Now, Leah is returning to Italy for the first time since Amy's death. But what she finds upon her arrival shocks her: her sister, brother-in-law and surviving niece, Olivia, seem to have erased all memories of Amy and insist her death was an accidental drowning, despite murky circumstances. Leah knows she must look beyond the resort's beautiful façade if she is to uncover the truth of that night.

With the assassination of Telyan’s king, the time for peace has passed. Determined to make up for his failure to procure the stardust, Helos finds work as a healer at Fendolyn’s Keep, the military garrison to which Telyan’s exiled royals—and half its civilians—have fled. Racing against the Fallow Throes’ ticking clock, he endeavors to repair his relationship with Prince Finley and fight off the gathering shadows in his head, as the base around him prepares for war.

Zoey doesn't remember anything about last night. But she knows something went badly wrong. For she is no longer in New York. She's woken up in the desert, in a white building she doesn't recognise, and she's alone. When she discovers she's been admitted to The Sanctuary, a discreet, mysterious, isolated refuge from normal life, to avoid jail, she is stunned. She knows she has secrets, troubles, but she thought she had everything under control. But as she spends more time with other residents, she begins to open up about what she's running from.

New girl, new school, new life on stupid island - thanks Mum. All Jessie Jones wants is to keep her head down, avoid school douchebag Callum Henderson and coast - middle-of-the-road-like. But when strange powers start to manifest during crippling period pains, flying under the radar seems highly unlikely. Can Jessie embrace her new-found witchiness, control her erratic powers and work out a way to bring down Callum and his cult of toxic masculinity?

Moira and Frank are the perfect enemies. At forty-two, newly single Moira's life is a mess. And now thanks to their barely-adult children supposedly falling in love, she's been thrown together with the incredibly rich, incredibly attractive, incredibly arrogant Frank as they agree on a pact: to split up their impulsive kids.

In this deliciously strange debut collection, Leon Craig draws on folklore and gothic horror in refreshingly inventive ways to explore queer identity, love, power and the complicated nature of being human. In the 13 darkly audacious stories of Parallel Hells, we meet a golem, made of clay, learning that its powers far exceed its Creator's expectations; a ruined mansion which grants the secret wishes of a group of revellers and a notorious murderer who discovers her Viking husband is not what he seems.

When Lizzie calls off her wedding in the south of France only a week before the big day, not even her closest friends know why. But since the chateau is already paid for, they figure it's the perfect place to take Lizzie's her mind off her suddenly single state. But when the group arrives, the wedding is waiting for them - food, flowers and all. The next day, Lizzie wakes to find her friends have drunkenly revelled in the wedding-that-wasn't - but not all their antics were benign. Someone is set on tormenting Lizzie, and she can't think who.

Billie and Tom have just found out their father has died. Dislocated from each other and unable to talk about the trauma in their family's past, Billie decides the best thing to do is get on a plane to her brother in Paris. Maybe there they can find a way to heal? As their story veers between present bereavement and flashbacks to growing up, we see the siblings search for common ground and attempt to repair old wounds. Following the tracks of their grief, Billie and Tom find themselves - unexpectedly - lost in the catacombs of Paris, confronting both each other and their own demons.

I haven’t slept properly since Riley was born. I love my baby so much–every noise he makes and every sleepy blink has me rushing to his side to make sure he’s safe. Yet the lack of sleep is getting to me. There are terrifying blanks in my memory, and my temper is blindingly short. I can’t rely on my partner–I don’t even know where he is half the time. But at least I have Maggie next door. She tells me this is just what new motherhood is like, so I have no choice but to ignore the blackout rages and blurred vision, for Riley’s sake…

She wants to learn everything – about you. Mel has practised law for twenty years. She is well-regarded by her peers. Her clients are happy. But behind the scenes her life is disordered. Her son grows increasingly distant from her. The married man she is sleeping with fails to give her what she needs. When a trainee lawyer is allocated to Mel it is poor timing. The last thing she wants is a pupil watching her every move. And Natasha does watch. She sees each detail – and every mistake. Mel cannot shake the feeling that Natasha isn't just learning the job. She is learning Mel.

As a firefighter, Ava sees the devastation caused when homes are ruined. If she uncovers precious possessions that escaped a blaze unscathed, she returns them to their owner. When Cassie and her son lose everything in a fire, they have nothing and nowhere to go. On impulse, Ava offers them refuge by staying with her. After three failed rounds of IVF, Ava and her husband are divided on how to start their own family. Needing to find answers about her own adoption and birth family, Ava embarks on a journey to Ireland with Cassie by her side for support.