Showing results by narrator "Rafe Beckley" in All Categories

Belching fire and jumping rooftop to rooftop, Spring-heeled Jack returned to terrorize Londoners. Doctor Pendergrass had settled into London and his surgeon’s job at Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital. He loved the city, but he detested its criminal element. At night, in the dark alleys and lanes, Pendergrass did what constables at Scotland Yard could not. His dark excursions were ripe with hypocrisy, not to mention the risk of going to prison or the gallows if he were caught.

Following straight on from the climactic events of Peas, Carrots and a Red Feather Boa, Eric Sibley faces a completely new landscape. As he struggles to come to terms with his new situation, he finds support and help in some of the most unlikely places. With the family dynamics constantly shifting and dramatically altered, Eric must try and rebuild a life for all of them. In the face of overwhelming odds, he is determined to turn chaos into order.

Doctor Pendergrass loved London, but the city had a dark side. Its prosperity attracted criminals from all over the world. Their handiwork - stabbings, beatings, and maimings - filled as many hospital beds as cholera and dysentery. As crime spiralled out of control, a serial killer stalked London looking for his next victim. Pendergrass and his associates at Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital were working grueling days, but no matter how hard they worked the flow of brutalized Londoners through their front doors was endless.

Between the comedy of a gaggle of men running around wildly to attempt to wed Bianca and the over-the-top portrayal of Katherina’s “taming”, The Taming of the Shrew is a humorous play that offers a fascinating look at the 16th century’s views on women, marriage, and domesticity.

Elizabeth Bennet is determined to never marry Mr. Darcy, especially after his disastrous proposal at Hunsford. But when the two find themselves compromised in the presence of society mavens and family members, they are forced to wed despite their mutual hatred. As they navigate their tumultuous marriage, will Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy be able to set aside their pride and learn to get along, or will they be doomed to suffer the worst marriage in England? Find out in this heart-wrenching tale of love, redemption, and learning to see beyond first impressions.

Xan and Christina embark on an Easter journey to Harwood Abbey, where they reunite with their old friends Lucy and Joshua. When a brutal murder occurs at nearby Penwood Manor, all evidence points to Laurence, a crusader recently returned from the Holy Land. Unconvinced of the man’s guilt, Xan and his friends must act swiftly to solve the crime. Who could have committed such a horrible killing, and is anyone safe? Is Laurence tormented by demons, or is he haunted by some other secret? And will Xan be forever changed by the choice Lucy and Christina present to him?

The capital city lay in ruins. Portia helps rebuild it, one smashed building at time. But it’s not enough. She cannot forget those trapped on the other side of the closed portal.

Everyone knows their role in the kingdom of Haulstatt, from the lowest chamber maid to the queen herself. Even the mages magic in approved ways. But twelve-year-old Portia steals for a living, taking from society rather than living within its rules.

Portia hides in the foul sewers of the foreign invader city to avoid capture. A poor situation for the most powerful mage of her home world. Can she fight her way back and defend her people before it’s too late? Or will her kin and countrymen live out short enslaved lives?

Portia’s initial magic attempt fails so spectacularly that debris and ashes rain down, injuring her ancient teacher and sole practitioner of the holy magic. The chosen one not only failed, but dangerously so. It is far worse to do the magic badly than to not do it at all.

The queen supports the Magic Academy and its students. But Portia struggles with her hard-won place in it. And the most important magic lesson waits far outside its walls. Portia steps up to the role that only she can fulfill in Moss Gate.

In this thrilling installment of the award-winning Harwood Mysteries series, Xan leaves the Abbey for far-away Lincoln to apprentice with his uncle. But he quickly learns that all is not well. Uncle William has fallen in debt to a heartless moneylender called the Master. Nigel, the reckless nephew of William’s business partner, has put them in danger by befriending an enemy of the King. Why are the Master’s thugs lurking near Uncle William’s shop? Does the disfigured woman in the marketplace really have power over life and death? Will Nigel stop his dealings with a known traitor?

Everyone knows their role in the kingdom of Haulstatt, from the lowest chamber maid to the queen herself. Even the mages magic in approved ways. But Portia steals for a living, taking from society rather than living within its rules. And unknown to Portia, her differences matter more than she could possibly realize. Red Jack focuses on Portia’s discovery of her unique abilities and exotic heritage.

On a hidden isle in the seas near dark age England, Fairykind is on the verge of extinction. When a young fairy named Ethywyne Eleganta secretly gives birth to the first youngling in 14 years, she and her child become the hunted prize of the wicked troll general Sunderin. Ethywyne must make the perilous journey across the Fairy Realms to get her child to the Fairy Queen, the only one who can protect her from the shadow that seeks to destroy all of Fairykind.

Laughter, happiness, romance, and just a bit of deception and intrigue - these are what make up Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies. Though Shakespeare is probably most well-known for the dramatic tragedies that have defined the genre for centuries, his comedies are just as well beloved and performed in theaters across the globe. Shakespearean comedies are defined by their humorous writing, their satire, the often-tangled romances, disguises and deceptions, and a thoughtful “fool” who is often the bearer of the smartest lines in the plays.

After two centuries stuck in the Interim, a post-death limbo where souls must stay until they’ve been entirely forgotten by the living, Walter Augustus is finally about to move on to whatever comes next. But when Letty Ferguson uncovers the last remaining copy of Walter’s book of poetry, he finds himself in a race against time. Can Walter, aided by his former employer, Pemberton, and the mysterious and eccentric Hector, destroy the book before Letty fixes him into her memory, condemning him to eternity in the Interim?

A war between China and the US would be catastrophic, deadly, and destructive. Unfortunately, it is no longer unthinkable. The relationship between the US and China, the world’s two superpowers, is peculiarly volatile. It rests on a seismic fault—of cultural misunderstanding, historical...

Two concurrent relationship entanglements result in chaos and hilarity, as the truths are slowly revealed to both sets of couples. Much Ado About Nothing demonstrates that the power of true love can withstand anything that deceptive and meddling friends can throw at it.

Hugh Tempest Sheringham was one of Britain's greatest - if not the world's greatest - fishing writers. From trout to carp and from pike to eels - yes, eels! - his love of both fish and fishing both delights and amuses as much today as it did in bygone times. Coarse Fishing is one of his best known works, and is recommended for both the keen angler and for the lover of the most genteel of British writing. If P.G. Wodehouse had been an angler, he would no doubt have spent many pleasant and amusing hours on the bank with Sheringham, and the world would have been the richer....

Hugh Tempest Sheringham was one of Britain's greatest - if not the world's greatest - fishing writers. From trout to carp and from pike to eels - yes, eels! - his love of both fish and fishing both delights and amuses as much today as it did in bygone times. An Angler's Hours is one of his best known works, and is recommended for both the keen angler and for the lover of the most genteel of British writing. If P.G. Wodehouse had been an angler, he would no doubt have spent many pleasant and amusing hours on the bank with Sheringham, and the world would have been the richer.