Showing results by narrator "Maria Johnson" in All Categories

was in love with the romance and beauty of the dancing white horses of Spain and Portugal and the artistry of Baroque Classical riding. When my young Lusitano colt arrived from Portugal, his purity and intelligence deeply affected me. His joy and precociousness was captivating. Yet, if I was to turn him into a riding horse, how was I to achieve this without affecting all the connection and engagement I already felt with him? I was in a dilemma, and I began to realize I wanted more than the prescribed horsemanship offered for Unico within its lens of goals and competitiveness.

It is 1535, and in the tumultuous years of King Henry VIII’s break from Rome, the religious houses of England are being seized by force. Twenty-year-old Catherine Havens is a foundling and the adopted daughter of the prioress of the Priory of Mount Grace in a small Yorkshire village.

In the heart of the concrete jungle, a new kind of garden is blossoming. "The Urban Herb" is your guide to transforming your urban space into a thriving herbal haven. Whether you have a small balcony, a rooftop, or just a windowsill, this book shows you how to make the most of what you have.

Portrait to Landscape: A Landscape Strategy to Reframe Our Future is a groundbreaking book that calls for a transformative shift in our relationship with the natural world. Written by a renowned landscape architect, this book offers a new perspective on our place in the world and a compelling vision for a regenerative future. In an era plagued by environmental disasters and global challenges, the book argues that our exploitative and fragmented relationship with nature is at the root of these issues.

Multiple times a day, in cities across the US and beyond, a simple yet powerful message is repeated by the well-meaning, the ignorant, and the bigoted: “don’t go”—avoid at all costs those Black and Brown disinvested neighborhoods that have become bywords for social disorder and urban decay. This book is a collection of intimate stories that uncover the hidden influence of both subtle and overt “don’t go” messages and the segregation they perpetuate in Chicago.

Forbidden love and seductive intrigues intertwine in "Camelot's Echo: The Once and Future King," Where the pursuit of the Holy Grail becomes entangled with the clandestine affair between Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere. As their passion casts shadows over Camelot's splendor, a war erupts, leading to the illicit seizure of the throne by the cunning Knight Sir Mordred. The kingdom, once radiant, crumbles in a final, devastating battle.

Join Lily as she discovers an old paintbrush in her attic, a seemingly ordinary find that unlocks the door to a world of wonder and possibility. From painting sun-kissed meadows teeming with vibrant wildflowers to crafting majestic mountains that reach the heavens, Lily's brush transforms her bedroom into a canvas of dreams where every stroke tells a story.

Six-year-old Sharon Rowling has a lot to contend with. Her gorgeous mum, Maria, literally stops traffic with her beauty, much to the annoyance of dodgy dad, Ricky, who is under-height as well as underemployed. And then there are her three excruciating siblings who remain stubbornly oblivious to her unrelenting fear of being outed as a "gypo." Sharon opens her comical tale during the sweltering British summer of 1976 when even an incredibly handsome World Boxing Champ finds himself on the wrong end of her clueless dad's fists.

When Felicity Comfort meets a mysterious artist by the Serpentine in Hyde Park, she has no idea just how moneyed, miserable, and notorious the gentleman actually is. But even when she discovers the truth about the Earl of Anderly, she cannot help feeling a mysterious urge to seek him out. Magnus Blackstone, the Earl of Anderly, has retreated from society ever since the horrific incident that destroyed his life five years ago.

S. Trell Beaty is a woman who has worn many hats - wife, mother, grandmother, divorcee, and widow. In her book, Trell captures five life lessons encircled by heaven-sent reminders instilling an intuitive understanding built on faith and an eternal perspective. The essence of her life lessons shared will attach to you symbolically each time you reflectively ponder them upon the five fingers of your hand.

Cassandra Comfort's goal for the season is to make an eligible match that will elevate her family's fortunes. But when her luckless brother wagers a marker with her name on it, she must retrieve it before scandal destroys her chances. The only problem is that the politely precise Gerrold Tavinstock won't give the marker back, and every plan to force it from his grasp seems to go desperately awry....

It’s midwinter in 1539, and Catherine Havens Overton has just given birth to her second child, a daughter. The convent in which she was raised is now part of the Overton lands, and Catherine’s husband William owns the properties that once belonged to her mother’s family. With a son, Robert, and her new daughter, Veronica, Catherine’s life as the mistress of a great household should be complete.

Following the demise of the old rector, newly reformed Thomas Allen receives a position as vicar near Allen Abbey, his boyhood home. But memories of Thomas’ wild youth cause both the gentry and the country folk to doubt his sanctity and sincerity. Only Mary Bates, the daughter of the Abbey’s steward, seems willing to believe that the leopard has truly changed his spots.

After losing a hand at Waterloo and selling out of the military, Captain William Allen has little to live for. But when he encounters the clever and exquisite Margaret Blackburn, the necessity of extricating her from a moneylender's clutches gives him a new purpose in life. If Margaret is to remain in London long enough to realise her goal of becoming a published author, William must convince Margaret's mother that he is a suitor in earnest.

When Eloise Blackburn finds a strange gentleman perched in the leafy branches of an ash tree, she has strong suspicions he is not who he says he is. After all, the neighboring Allen family has never mentioned a cousin named Crispin from the West Indies. And what's this he's saying about a missing inheritance and a secret passageway in Allen Abbey?