Showing results by narrator "Marian Hussey" in All Categories

The Pennyfoot hides many secrets, and its downstairs staff keeps a tight lip, even when the Edwardian aristocrats are spotted dallying with damsels in the boudoirs or gambling in the card rooms hidden below the floorboards. Should now and then one of the hotel guests fall prey to a dastardly murderer, however, it is up to Cecily Sinclair to restore order before Scotland Yard steps in and shuts down her infamous seaside hotel.

The Pennyfoot hides many secrets, and its downstairs staff keeps a tight lip, even when the Edwardian aristocrats are spotted dallying with damsels in the boudoirs or gambling in the card rooms hidden below the floorboards. Should now and then one of the hotel guests fall prey to a dastardly murderer, however, it is up to Cecily Sinclair to restore order before Scotland Yard steps in and shuts down her infamous seaside hotel.

Investigating a disappearance in Eilean Donan Castle, Oxford police detective James Murray is transported through time to 1310…and trapped in a dark room. James is grateful when angelic blonde Catrìona Mackenzie hears his calls for help. When the laird is poisoned, they join forces to catch a killer. Catrìona is destined for the nunnery. And James needs to return to the twenty-first century. But he can't leave his medieval angel unprotected.

The king's magnificent palace was built in a matter of weeks. No one saw the builders, no villagers are allowed beyond the gilded gate, and only one servant has ever left. The haunted look in her eyes as she was recaptured by the palace guards is something Josie, daughter of the village doctor, has never forgotten. For Josie, the palace is a mystery that grows more intriguing after she meets the captain of the guards, a man known only as Hammer, as mysterious and captivating as the palace itself. Whispers of magic fuel Josie's desire to uncover the truth, but an ordinary girl like her can only dream of ever being invited inside.

When a notorious cad is bludgeoned to death with a candlestick in the library at the most important ball of the London social season, Cleo finds herself in the prime position to solve the crime. After all, she stumbled across the body soon after the victim’s demise and is a witness to the evening’s events.

The arrival of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in London brings trouble. When the sharpshooter who beats Willie at poker is murdered, Matt and India investigate. Willie is convinced the victim cheated, but no one knows how until India discovers his secret - he was a paper magician. When their list of suspects grows to include a member of the mysterious magic Collector's Club, they uncover a spy. But who is he working for? And what does his employer want?

When a palace maid is attacked, Josie and the captain of the guards investigate together. Since one of the suspects is a foreign diplomat and magic expert, they use the opportunity to learn more about sorcery. But it soon becomes clear that he is using them to get to the truth about the palace and the servants' origins. With unrest in the village, and servants growing impatient for answers, an undercurrent of danger pervades the air. But the most dangerous man of all may prove to be the king himself, because every clue points to him knowing more than he lets on.

England, 1811. When John Merrick, the Earl of Corbeau, is caught in a locked storeroom with Lady Grace, he has but one choice—marry her. He cannot bear to tarnish any woman's reputation, least of all Lady Grace's. Lady Grace Landon will do anything to help her mother and sisters, crushed and impoverished by her father's disgrace. But throwing herself into the arms of her dearest friend's older brother to trap him in marriage? Never.

After a lifetime of rakish behavior, Lord Maxfeld must pretend he's reformed and find a fake wife. And there is nobody more suitable than Lady Phoebe. Trouble is, Phoebe will not agree to a false engagement and leaves Max no option but to blackmail her into agreeing to his scheme. Phoebe will go to great lengths to avoid anything remotely dishonorable and blackmails Max right back—directly to the altar. Once married, though, Phoebe wants more than just Max's ring—she wants his heart, something he can never give . . .

Jacqueline (Jac) has survived on the streets ever since escaping from the clutches of her ruthless uncle, the city’s powerful governor. He craves more than political influence and believes a legendary talisman in Jac’s possession can give it to him. To survive, Jac has honed her skills as a thief, catching the eye of Rhys Mayhew, a brother in an order of warrior priests. Rhys enlists her as a spy, and their partnership soon deepens into more. But Rhys’s faith demands strict adherence to oaths of denial.

What's Georgiana Darcy's story? Jane Austen tells us so little in Pride and Prejudice that we're left to wonder. How did the early loss of her parents shape Miss Darcy's character? And what about her near-disastrous affair with Mr. Wickham? Is that the true source of her shyness? She adores her brother and his new wife, Elizabeth, but will their guiding influence be enough to steer Georgiana clear of new trouble as she comes of age and falls in love again?

Verity Beaumont has suffered domineering men most of her life; first with her father and then with her husband. Free from both men, she has finally found peace even meeting a kind and hard-working gentleman who just might be the perfect father her young son so desperately needs. But as she dares look to the future, her carefully ordered world is shattered when her dead husband returns.

He's a policeman on a hunt for justice. She's a proud daughter of the London criminal underworld. Danger brings them together...and desire binds them in this steamy enemies to lovers romance. Shattered by betrayal, former scholar Harry Kent has made a new life for himself as a policeman. Sent on a dangerous covert mission, he must protect a clever and wicked beauty who specializes in disguises and mischief. She stands for everything he scorns - and seduces him with every look of her innocent eyes.

Suspecting he can never be the man Emma Peters wishes him to be, Lucien Morgen, the fifth duke of Willyngham, decides to break off their long-standing engagement... only to discover the innocent fiancé he set aside for years has unexpectedly blossomed into a passionate, irresistible woman. When All Through the House...

A killer stalks the grimy streets of Whitechapel — but Scotland Yard seems determined to turn a blind eye. With one look at her best friend's corpse, Liz Sharp already knows the truth: the killer is a werewolf. No one important will hold a werewolf accountable — after all, the monsters rule Europe. Certainly, no one will believe a werewolf victim like Liz: the very scars that make her determined to investigate Sal’s death also condemn her as the sort of female who’d sell her blood for easy money.

Hannah Miles navigates the etiquette of monster hunting through the parlours of a magical Regency England. This collection contains: Manners and Monsters, Galvanism and Ghouls, and Gossip and Gorgons.

Miss Polly Kent has no illusions about finding love. Not only is she a wallflower, but her freakish ability to read others’ emotions has led to devastating rejection, time and again. When it comes to her future, she knows that a marriage of convenience, one in which she can keep her secret affliction hidden, is the only safe choice. Yet, when fate throws her into the path of the ton’s wildest rake, she discovers that desire can jeopardize the most carefully laid plans.

Everyone Nicholas Bateman ever loved has died. Except Violet Caulfield, which must mean he never loved her. Nine years after she threw him over to marry a viscount, Nick is a widowed duke who prefers isolation. When a friend convinces him to leave his lair of self-imposed solitude, he considers taking another wife, provided she agrees to his terms: no emotional attachment of any kind. Now widowed, Lady Violet Pendleton hopes for a second chance with the man she’s always loved. But she isn’t prepared for the desolation in his soul or the animosity he still bears toward her.

England, 1763. The Earl of Salt Hendon and squire's daughter Jane Despard share a secret past of mistrust, heartache, and misery. Forced into a marriage neither wants, the patient and ever optimistic Jane believes love conquers all; the Earl will take some convincing. Enter Diana St. John, who will go to extreme lengths, even murder, to hold the Earl's attention. Can the newlyweds overcome past prejudices and sinister opposition to fall in love all over again?

When Harry Armitage passes an investigation to Cleo involving adultery, they both think it will end in divorce. But when the client’s wife is found stabbed in her drawing room, it becomes clear that marital problems are only part of the story. As they peel back the lies and expose the sordid details of a marriage in tatters, they see firsthand how gossip and politics fuel the machinations of high society.