Showing results by narrator "Greg Patmore" in All Categories

Benedict Stanton, Duke of Yardley, vowed never to marry again when his first marriage ended in a scandalous divorce. Having retreated to the country for nearly a decade, he is thought to be a cold-hearted recluse. Now faced with leaving his dukedom to the Crown for lack of an heir, he sets out to find a bride in a manner more suited to generations past—through his solicitor.

Lady Charlotte Stanton was officially on the shelf. Her first offer to be a chaperone had sealed her fate at the advanced age of eight-and-twenty. Yet, one magical evening a mysterious gentleman took pity on her and danced with her clandestinely under the stars. He refused to tell her who he was—other than unsuitable. It has ruined her peaceful existence as an aging spinster.

It is 1715 and for Duncan Melville, something fundamental is missing from his life. Despite a flourishing legal practice and several close friends, he is lonely, even more so after the recent death of his father. He needs a wife—a companion through life, someone to hold and be held by. What he wasn’t expecting was to be torn away from everything he knew and find said woman in 2016.

In a quaint, antiquarian bookshop in the Midlands of England, a woman is captivated by a rare gilt-edged devotional nestled within an exquisite and equally tempting box. Her desire to pilfer it overcomes her scruples, and her guilt and terror at doing something so audacious, so unlike her. With a simple sleight of hand, it's hers.

Adam de Guirande owes his lord, Roger Mortimer, much more than loyalty: he owes Lord Roger for his life and all his worldly goods; he owes him for his beautiful wife. So when Lord Roger rises in rebellion against the king, Adam has no choice but to ride with him - no matter the ultimate cost. England in 1321 is a confusing place. Edward II has been forced by his barons to exile his favorite, Hugh Despenser. The barons - led by the powerful Thomas of Lancaster, Roger Mortimer, and Humphrey de Bohun - have reasons to believe they have finally tamed the king.

Life in the Colony of Maryland is no sinecure - as Alex and Matthew Graham well know. But nothing in their previous life has prepared them for the mayhem that is about to be unleashed upon them. Being labeled a witch is not a good thing in 1684, so it is no wonder Alex Graham is aghast at having such insinuations thrown at her. Even worse, it's Matthew's brother-in-law, Simon Melville, who points finger at her.

After years of hard work, Matthew and Alex Graham have created a thriving home in the Colony of Maryland. About time, in Alex's opinion, after far too many adventures she is really looking forward to some well-deserved peace and quiet. A futile hope, as it turns out. Things start to heat up when Jacob, the third Graham son, absconds from his apprenticeship to see the world - especially as Jacob leaves behind a girl whom he has wed in a most irregular fashion. Then there's the infected matter of the fellow time traveler Alex feels obliged to help - no matter the risk.

Robert FitzStephan and his wife, Noor, have been temporarily exiled. Officially, they are to travel to the courts of Aragon and Castile as emissaries of Queen Eleanor of England. Unofficially, the queen demands two things: that they abandon Lionel, their foster son, in foreign lands and that they bring back a precious jewel—the Castilian Pomegranate. Noor would rather chop off a foot than leave Lionel in a foreign land—especially as he’s been entrusted to her by his dead father, the last true prince of Wales. And as to the jewel, stealing it would mean immediate execution.

Adam de Guirande has barely survived the aftermath of Roger Mortimer's rebellion in 1321. When Mortimer manages to escape the Tower and flee to France, anyone who has ever served Mortimer becomes a potential traitor - at least in the eyes of King Edward II and his royal chancellor, Hugh Despenser. Adam must conduct a careful balancing act to keep himself and his family alive. Fortunately, he has two formidable allies: Queen Isabella and his wife, Kit.

For Matthew Graham, being given the gift of his former Scottish manor is a dream come true. For his wife, Alex, this gift will force her to undertake a perilous sea journey, leaving most of their extensive family in the Colony of Maryland. Alex is torn apart by this, but staying behind while her husband travels to Scotland is no option. Scotland in 1688 is a divided country, torn between the papist Stuart King and the foreign Protestant William of Orange. Popular opinion is with Dutch William, and Matthew's reluctance to openly support him does not endear him to his former friends.

It's 1672, and Matthew Graham and his family have left Scotland. Having taken the drastic decision to leave their homeland due to religious conflicts, Alexandra and Matthew hope for a simpler, if harsher, life in the wilds of the Colony of Maryland. Unfortunately, things don't always turn out as you want them to, and the past has a nasty tendency to resurface at the most inappropriate moments. Both Matthew and Alex are forced to cope with the unexpected reappearance of people they had never thought to meet again.

Fooled into thinking they are returning heroes, the entourage's royal welcome is cut short when they mysteriously collapse; all but Nikki, the one nobody trusted. Lady Nicole Arendale's past is shrouded in mystery, but it's slowly unravelling as secrets long buried are exposed, threatening everyone's future. Never one to rely on anyone's help, she has no choice but to return to her previous life if she has any hope of saving them. Set on a path she neither expected, nor wanted, they are running for their lives, searching for a safe haven in the midst of the coming storm.

Robert’s half brother, Eustace de Lamont, has not mellowed during his absence. He is more ruthless than ever, and this time he targets Robert’s and Noor’s foster son, Lionel. Lionel is serving King Edward as a page when Eustace appears at court. Not only does Lionel become the horrified witness to Eustace’s violent streak, Eustace also starts voicing his suspicions about Lionel’s parentage. The truth about Lionel’s heritage is explosive—should King Edward find out, all would be lost for Robert and Noor.

Imagine there was an evil alien society that had this bizarre interest in hunting humans for leisure. Now, imagine they prepared a full guide to teach their own kind how we think, socialize, and most of all, how to spot our weaknesses. Finally, imagine that you got your hands on a copy of one of those guides. Wouldn’t you want to read it to understand if there really is a threat? If there was, wouldn’t you want to learn what the aliens know about us to better prepare to defend yourself and those you love?

A well-researched historical setting provides the background against which the personal challenges and tragedies of the Graham Saga are set. In this book, we return to a Maryland presently torn apart by religious conflict - the hitherto so tolerant approach to various faiths is a thing of the past now that the staunchly Protestant William and Mary sit on the throne, and when Catholic friends of the Grahams end up in danger, Matthew and Alex must ride to the rescue.

The Roman emperor Nero’s name has long been a byword for cruelty, decadence, and despotism. As the stories go, he set fire to Rome and thrummed his lyre as it burned. He then cleared the charred ruins and built a vast palace. He committed incest with his mother, who had schemed and killed to place him on the throne, and later murdered her. But these stories, left behind by contemporary historians who hated him, are hardly the full picture, and in this nuanced biography, celebrated historian Anthony Everitt and investigative journalist Roddy Ashworth reveal the contradictions inherent in Nero

A collection of stories about the outsiders - the criminals, the soldiers, the addicts, the mathematicians, the gamblers and the cage fighters, the refugees and the rebels. From the battlefield, to alternate realities, to the mean streets of the dark city, we walk in the shoes of those who struggle to survive in a neon-saturated, tech-noir future. Twelve hard-edged stories from the dark, often violent, sometimes strange heart of cyberpunk, this collection - as with all the best science fiction - is an exploration of who were are now.

The quest for the seven weapons of Madria comes to its thrilling conclusion. Few remain to resist the implacable advance of the dark forces unleashed by Diis. In the ice wastes of distant Halvia, Rabigar must locate the spear of the legendary Giants. In the vast expanse of the Lantinen Sea, Soren must search for the lost race of the Asrai. In Kalinth, Belwynn must hold back the armies of the vengeful Lord of Ishari. As time runs out, she knows she must face her greatest test. Can she confront a god, and win?

The fate of the world hangs on choices Kibure hardly understands, and the ripples of victory could just as easily turn into waves of defeat. Kibure and Sindri set off in pursuit of allies in a world beset by distrust and the schemes of their enemies. As the Lugienese Empire sweeps across the continent, Rajuban uses his cunning to consolidate power as he prepares to unleash ancient monsters of myth and seeks a weapon capable of vanquishing an entire people in moments.

Ellie Noor’s hope hangs by a thread. Tortured to within an inch of her life by sadistic terrorists, she’s horrified to learn her husband’s efforts to free her cost half a million lives. But grief must wait as Ellie is swept up in an interdimensional attempt to stop all-out nuclear destruction. Shocked to discover the key to saving the universe lies inside her, she becomes a potent instrument to respawn Earth’s lost protector. But with sinister beings on the attack, she fears only an unfathomable miracle can halt humanity’s extinction.