Showing results by narrator "Claire Morgan" in All Categories

1944: Bologna, Italy, and the streets are crawling with German soldiers. Nineteen-year-old Leila Venturi is shocked into joining the Resistance after her beloved best friend Rebecca, the daughter of a prominent Jewish businessman, is ruthlessly deported to a concentration camp. 1981: Exchange student Rhiannon Hughes arrives in Bologna and meets Leila, her landlady. Soon, Rhiannon finds herself being drawn into a web of intrigue. Leila’s nephew seems to be interested in a far-right group, but how is the nefarious leader connected to Leila?

Evie is forever crossing swords with her twin. While she practises her after-school fencing, Tallulah is winning movie auditions. Neither of them could have imagined how their worlds would collide; but when Tallulah goes to Hollywood, Evie goes, too—as her sister's identical stand-in. And everything changes when the film needs some all-action sword-play. Now Evie's the one enjoying the limelight—that is, until Tallulah goes missing.

When tragedy struck 25 years ago, Martha Morgan lost everything. Once a member of one of the UK's most prestigious bands, she now lives in solitude in the beautiful small village of Dordogne. In an attempt to piece her life back together Martha decides to rent her idyllic French farmhouse to holidaymakers for the summer, hiring the mysterious Ben to work as a caretaker to help reconstruct the dishevelled B&B.

Seren James longs for a child, to fill the emptiness left by a husband who has little care for her. But as the years go by, Seren begins to fear that she is almost out of time to have the one thing she wants most. But when Seren meets Anwen, a local woman who offers help, there is a problem: Anwen is suspected by the locals of witchcraft. Is the cost of association too high for Seren to pay, or can her problems be solved another way?

One day, as Cara and her siblings are trying to clean up the canal where they live, they pull out a mysterious locked safe. Though none of them can open it, they're sure it's something special. That night, a thief comes after the safe. The children flee, travelling with their boat as far as they can, before continuing into the forest on foot. But soon they're lost in the mountains with a snowstorm about to land and food supplies running low. Will Cara and her siblings be able to survive the wilderness with nothing but their wits, their bravery and one very large dog to help?

Scarlett Fife has BIG FEELINGS. And when she tries to squash them down, they come back up with shocking results! Scarlett knows she should be happy about all the big news that her family wants to share. But the worry is making her dizzy, and being dizzy is making her worried. Feelings are like slime in a party bag. No matter how much someone tells you to keep it in, it'll always find its way out. And very soon, Scarlett notices that every time she pushes her worries down, they shake her world. Literally.

George can’t throw anything away. But he’s in danger of throwing away a chance at love. George Nightingale is a hoarder with a house full of junk. For years he’s kept it a secret, rarely leaving his house and keeping social interactions to a minimum, but his carefully balanced system is now under threat... Nessa Millbrook can’t wait to get settled into her new home in quaint, rural Applewell. Everyone in the village is so friendly – except her neighbour, George, who wants nothing to do with her. But Nessa isn’t one to back down from a challenge and she’s determined to win George over.

In the wake of a tempest hitting her town, Morwenna is left to take care of a stranger washed ashore. The storm is just another of many that have plagued the town for years – people blame the tide singers, legendary sea people who are said to charm storms with their singing. Morwenna has never believed the tales, but when she is left alone with the stranger, she realises this is no ordinary girl. Can the stories be true? Can the girl control the tides with nothing more than her voice?

London, 1601. Honesty, a storyteller seeking fame and fortune, befriends Alice, a maid to Queen Elizabeth I. But can Alice be trusted? A tale of intrigue, scheming and plots, set in the spellbinding world of the Elizabethan court, leads to a thrilling adventure where nothing is as it seems.

The Llewelyn family's livelihood largely depends on the ferry, run by Siona Llewelyn, the kindly yet rugged head of the family. The family is large but close knit, held together by their mother Emily—a hard-working woman made old before her time having borne seven sons, and now with child once again. As the boys grow into young men, tensions flare in the family unit, made worse by a web of rivalries and ambitions. When a death shocks the family to its core, it will take the intervention of a special person to remind them of what they have lost.

When her grandmother dies, Catherine Llewellyn finds herself alone in the world. Her inheritance is a comfort, but her grandmother's will states she must go to the family home, Langland Hall, to live with her two unknown cousins, Garth and Jonathon. The harsh and inhospitable coast is a sharp contrast to Catherine's previous country existence, and the welcome she receives from Garth is equally cool. Only Jonathon seems happy to welcome her to her new home. But no sooner has she arrived than she realises that something dangerous is waiting for her.

Cassie's older brother Byron has fallen in with the wrong crowd; boys who are wild, reckless and not even human at all. They are 'tylwyth teg'—Fair Folk—who tempt humans down into the dark places of the world. And Byron is tempted. When he goes missing, Cassie and her cousin Sian follow his trail into Annwn, the underworld. Here they find that the tylwyth teg are restless—and angry. Their leader Gwenhidw wants to protect Annwn from the damage humans are doing to the world, and Byron is part of her plan. Can Cassie rescue him before it's too late?

When mysterious footprints appear in the Stockholm snow, 10-year-old Kara must discover where they've come from - and who they belong to. They lead Kara to Rebecca, a 13-year-old Jewish girl, and her younger brother, Samuel. Kara realises they are refugees - from another time, World War Two - and are trying to find their way home. The grief and loneliness that Rebecca and Samuel have endured is something Kara can relate to - feeling like you're always on the outside looking in - and she finds herself compelled to help them.

Rhian Grey left her home in Sweyn’s Eye to make a life for herself in Yorkshire, where she learnt the skills of spinning and weaving. She also learnt to love Mansel Jack, a charismatic and ambitious mill-owner. When Rhian returns to Sweyn’s Eye, it is to a town torn apart by anxiety and uncertainty, by the devastation of the Great War, a town whose workers' lives are governed by fear. Amidst the anguish and dedication of the women who were left behind, Rhian must decide where her own future lies.

On the day that Betty meets Guy, her life is changed forever. She never thought she'd see him again but a few months later realises she has something of his that needs returning. So, she writes him a letter. It's the perfect solution for Betty—it means she doesn't need to tell Guy about what really happened that day and the secret she's been hiding. For Guy, Betty's letter arrives at his repair shop at the perfect time. His whole world has come crashing down around him, and for the first time in a long time, he starts to feel hopeful.

Mary Jenkins has every reason to be proud; from humble beginnings, she has risen to become the overseer in the Canal Street laundry. But then Billy Gray, her sweetheart, is arrested for manslaughter, and suddenly Mary’s world becomes a frightening and complicated place, torn by feuding and violence. When Billy is imprisoned, she finds herself trapped between the rich Sutton brothers. Dean and Brandon hate one another, but each is determined to win Mary for himself. Once again, she must rely on her courage to find her way and avoid total despair....

Charlotte knew nothing of her parents except that they'd died when she was a child. And when her aunt's will leaves no provision for her, Charlotte must leave the only home she's known for the uncertain protection of an uncle she's never met at his manor house, Plas Melyn. Plas Melyn seems cold and unwelcoming, but when acts of violence that can only be directed at her occur, Charlotte has to wonder why anyone would want to kill a poor orphan.

Jessie Price has travelled the drovers' roads from South Wales to London's Smithfield Market and becomes a milkmaid in London. Her ambition to own her own dairy grows, and she is helped by young Albie. Meanwhile, Non Jones is miserable when Caradoc leaves her and their son to go to London on the drove, and when she receives news of a terrible accident, her world falls apart. Jessie is devastated when Albie is arrested and sent to Newgate prison. She knows that he is innocent and will rely on Non to speak for him in court.

Best friends Hollie and Niamh tell each other everything. Behind the village of Abingworth’s closed doors, every family has its secrets—and their doors might hide the worst ones of all. One day Hollie tells Niamh about a devastating discovery, swears her to secrecy, then vanishes. The villagers claim to know nothing. But when Hollie’s body is found, the police know one of their number isn’t just a liar, but a killer....

Gwenllyn Lyons has been raised by her grandmother in the Wye Valley. One afternoon, they come across a man lying injured by the river bank. They nurse him, but nothing seems to help him regain his lost memories. Gwenllyn realises that she can't imagine what it would be like without this man in her life. As her love for the mysterious stranger grows, she cannot help rejoicing when she realises he feels the same way about her. Gwenllyn's only fear is that some day his past may come to haunt them - a different life, where another woman might be waiting for him.