Showing results by narrator "Charlie Albers" in All Categories

Holly Wood (yes, that's her real name) is driving home for Christmas and not feeling too happy about the empty house waiting for her. When her car skids into a snow bank, she's rescued by a sweet old lady who promises her name is Mrs. Claus. Holly is taken to Candy Cane Hollow to recover, and finds herself in a genuine winter wonderland.

For all fifteen years of her life, Pauline de Pamiers has witnessed an attack on her family, friends, and faith. It's the early thirteenth century and the Pope and King of France are conducting a Crusade against the Cathars; the only crusade on European soil and against another Christian sect. As a member of this sect in France that sits outside the dominant Roman Church, Pauline is an outsider: young, but independent and bold.

For years Melchior, the youngest son of the Fate Atropos, has thought of nothing but vengeance against his mother - Death. A prisoner in his own castle, the Prince of Darkness is trapped in her wicked web, despite the fact that the Gods are on his side. He's been learning dark magic as a way to protect himself and his people from the cruelty of their Queen... with limited success, and the only way he's managed to leave the castle is by promising his mother that he'll find a bride and give her a grandchild.

Amelia Cole—Lia for short—is one of the first women studying abroad at Oxford University in the 1920s. Finally free from her overbearing Brooklyn parents, she finds a welcome sense of independence in British college life. Lia quickly falls for Scarlett Daniels, an aspiring actress and hardheaded protester. Scarlett introduces her to an exciting gender-equality movement with high stakes. But when their secret love clashes with political uprising, their relationship is one of the casualties.

Lady Frances Rowley is no ordinary debutante—feisty, intelligent, and determined to forge her own destiny, she faces an unwanted marriage that threatens to bind her to a life she dreads. With her options dwindling, Frances turns to the one person she swore never to ask for help: her scandalous childhood friend, the Duke of Hargate, Johnathan Seton.

It's New Year's Eve in Candy Cane Hollow. This winter wonderland may look festive and be home to the Claus Family, but all is not as it seems. The festivities take a turn for the bizarre when the giant glitter ball comes crashing down on cantankerous elf chef, Greasy. Chief Superintendent Wiggles is sure the death is just a tragic accident, but Holly isn't so sure. Greasy was lots of things, but it appears that popular wasn't one of them. Holly begins her own investigation with the eager help of Mrs. Claus, while dimpled Nick Claus warns them both to be careful. Was the death an accident?

Rachel is struggling. She’s navigating the loss of her best friend, she’s left heartbroken by her ex-boyfriend, and she’s recently been made redundant by her employer. So the impending holiday season is the last thing she wants to think about. Then her rich sister suggests that Rachel dog-sit her spaniel, Humphrey, in her luxurious country house in a quaint village in Surrey. However, Rachel is soon manipulated into caring for her elderly Grandpa Eric, too.

Olivia is a thirty-something disaster in the best possible way. Her clumsiness has earned her a lifetime of bumps, bruises, and awkward situations—and she's grown used to it. Navigating everyday tasks that everyone else seems to breeze through, Olivia’s developed a set of coping strategies. When they don’t work, she knows she can always count on her supportive friends to step in and help.

Josie O'Connor is through being the midwife and never the mother. Except the thirty-year-old's exacting requirements of looks, intellect, and personality means she's busy delivering delight to other families while only loneliness awaits her at home. And any chance of Christmas cheer seems all but lost when she's rescued from a blizzard by a grumpy doctor. Charles Atkins never dreamed he'd lose his family to a monied businessman. Armed with a bottle of whiskey to drown his sorrows, he heads north to his cottage only to stumble across a marooned woman in dire need of shelter.

Dr. Zoe Angelos moves to Leytonsfield to take up the post of GP in Dr. Dan O'Connor's medical practice. She left Manchester for a new life in the quiet Cheshire town to escape painful memories. Zoe quickly realizes that some memories are not so easy to leave behind. Consultant Cardiologist, Dr. Riordan O'Connor, is dedicated to his work and his nine year old son, Tom. He has no time for romantic love. Until, that is, he meets his father's new locum GP. Can Riordan and Zoe help each other to shake off the tenacious grip of the past, and give love a chance?

Caitlin Hewitt has been engaged to Brandon Dodds for what feels like forever. She is in love and believes he loves her. The night before the wedding her best friend, Sophie, tells her something that changes everything. It was a normal Saturday for paramedic, Jay O'Connor. If he ignored the fact that Caitlin Hewitt, the woman he loved was, at that moment, marrying another man. Jay expected the call-out to attend a young woman who had crashed her car in the middle of Leytonsfield town center, to be routine. The last person he expected to see was Caitlin—in her wedding dress.

Today Candy Cane Hollow smells like butter and bravado. I'm helping at the Elvish Culinary Guild's grand induction and tasting, and Gilbert, our house-elf at Claus Cottage, has made the finalists' bench with his prized mince pie. Then the celebrity headliner takes one bite of a showpiece pie and drops. Guild security locks the doors while city police sweep the kitchens. Whispers fly: a rival with a temper, an apprentice with something to prove, a sponsor with money on the line, a producer who prefers ratings to recipes.

"Time is on the Second Floor" is a captivating philosophical and theological exploration centered on protagonist Thomas Lewis. The audiobook is brought to life by an engaging narrator who delights in breaking the fourth wall, fostering a unique bond with listeners. The story immerses us in a metaphysical journey through life, death, and what lies beyond, embodied in an enigmatic community center, a place of living, waiting, and inevitable passage behind a large curtain symbolizing death.

This festive charity anthology has short stories from a variety of authors, including international bestsellers and award-winning writers. There’s something for everyone, with tales that will make you laugh, make you cry, or make you sleep with the light on. It’s the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter’s night.

When soldiers attack the inhabitants of a Jewish ghetto in sixteenth-century Lithuania, Abigail manages to escape both the attack and her abusive husband, Reuven. She travels over land and sea to Venice, where she settles in another ghetto. Believing Reuven is dead, Abigail falls in love with her widowed neighbor, Daniel. But before Abigail and Daniel announce their betrothal, her violent husband reappears.

I applied to be on my favorite TV show, The Love Trials, as a joke. I never expected to get chosen. I mean, come on! I'm single, for one thing. It's a couples game. And yet, here I am. In a Scottish castle - no less - and about to make a fool of myself on national television. The producers say they're going to match me up with a total stranger. We need to fool the other couples - and the British public - that we are totally legit. Easy enough, right?

Maggie Tall Bear Sloan, half Irish, half Yurok, and 100 percent gutsy, is a retired criminologist who shape-shifts into the Pukkekwerek, the Yurok nation’s monster-killing raven. After she brings down a cannibalistic child murderer possessed by a manitou, Maggie, and her lover, Jake Lubbock, a former sheriff, move from the mountains in Northern California to a desert town in Southern California. All is well for Maggie and Jake until the local sheriff shows them photos of a dentist, his wife, and teenage son, roasted over separate fires on spits, their flesh cannibalized.

As a favor for the pirate who once saved his life, jaded sea captain Jack Aston agrees to ferry the man's outspoken daughter from Nassau to England. While her spirit and daring captivate him, he must keep the petite spitfire at arm's length or risk her becoming embroiled in his latest mission for the crown.

I hate Christmas. The LED lights give me a headache. I can't sing. And I get sick. Every. Single. Year. This year is the worst. My nan is practically on her deathbed and has planned for the biggest Christmas party this world has ever seen. Everyone will be there. Lucas Green is invited. My childhood crush. The guy I've been stuck in the friend zone for years. This is my last chance to get him to notice me. But how do I stop looking like an idiot with all the Christmas cheese at every turn?

Candy Cane Hollow is aglow with festive cheer as the town prepares for its beloved Nutcracker Stroll—a magical evening where homes and businesses open their doors to showcase dazzling Nutcracker displays, complete with cinnamon-scented treats and snowflake-topped cocoa. This year, the event is extra special. It's Holly's first public appearance as Mrs. Claus, and her sister August has poured her heart into organizing the stroll to perfection.