Showing results by narrator "Maria Nicola-Johnson" in All Categories

Dominic Hawthorne has lived with the guilt of a childhood secret for years. Now, fuelled by alcohol and desperation, he’s driving toward his mother’s house to confront her and finally expose the truth. But when Dominic crashes his car, he ends up in a coma, leaving his fractured family to pick up the pieces. Victoria Hawthorne has built her life around control, and she’ll do anything to protect the secrets that hold her family together. As the past threatens to resurface, Victoria’s ruthless grip on the truth tightens and blood will be spilled to keep it hidden.

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.

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.

Eight-year-old Sharon Rowling has a lot to contend with. Her stunning mum, Maria, literally stops traffic with her beauty, much to the dismay of her dodgy dad, Ricky, who is under height and underemployed. Then there's her three excruciating siblings plus her unhinged Shetland pony, all of whom remain stubbornly oblivious to the fact that Sharon's deepest fear might soon become a reality.

As a child, Richard dreamed of knighthood and gallant deeds. As a grown man, he is committed to doing his best as an officer of the Guard, as a Lord of the land, and as a father. Living up to his oaths is easy. Being a good husband is much more of a challenge. Alysoun has done everything expected of a woman in her position. She has married well and had two clever, healthy children. That's not enough. Richard is kind, but increasingly distant. Alysoun herself has pain and fatigue magic can't fix. In truth, she is isolated and more than a little bored.

A missing heiress. A trip to Paris. Can a gentleman-turned-footman convince the runaway beauty that at least one man in her life is worthy of trust?

At just fifteen years old, Veronica Fancourt is already turning heads with her compelling stories, inspired by her vivid dreams. Her latest publication is a gripping tale of heists and cathedrals, entitled "The Countess's Keep." It's captured the imagination of everyone who chances to read it, including someone for whom it is no mere fantasy. Meanwhile, an employee of a coffee roaster in Trieste discovers her bosses are more than ordinary businessmen. She finds herself tied up in a dark warehouse as bait for a sister she insists she doesn't have.

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?