Showing results by narrator "Stewart Crank" in All Categories

Joe Tasker lies, struck down by illness, in a damp, bug-infested room in the Himalaya, wondering if he will be well enough to climb Dunagiri, his first venture to the "big" mountains. One of Britain’s foremost mountaineers and a pioneer of lightweight climbing, he is about to attempt one of the first true "Alpine-style" climbs in the Greater Ranges. The Dunagiri attempt forms part of Tasker’s striking tale of adventure in the savage arena of the mountains.

Officers from the RSPCA investigate reports of animal cruelty and neglect on a farm, only to discover a 5-year-old boy curled up asleep in a dog bed, amidst filth and squalor. He has severe physical and cognitive impairments, and no one outside the family seems to know of the existence of little Jacob. When he arrives in the Allen household, a terrified Louise wonders how on earth she will cope looking after a child with his level of physical and emotional damage. With the support of veteran social worker, Mary, the fight begins to get Jacob the support he needs.

Scotland at the beginning of the fourteenth century is not a peaceful place. Ross Kildare and his depleted army are headed home after months away, fighting the English, gaining no ground. In their travels, they come upon a scene of unspeakable horror, which pierces the hearts of even these hardened and battle-weary warriors.

For Regan Penhaligon, there's no better place to run to than the exclusive Ardnoch Estate in the remote Scottish Highlands. Her impulsive behavior has finally caught up with her and Regan's visit with her sister, Robyn, is an opportunity to hide from someone who has grown dangerously obsessed with her. Determined to make amends for her mistakes, Regan plans to repair her relationship with Robyn by staying close. And when an offer of help comes from Thane Adair, Regan gratefully accepts.

Once upon a time, Monroe Sinclair was Brodan Adair's best friend, but now he's a stranger and one of Hollywood's leading men . . . It took Monroe Sinclair eighteen years to return home to Ardnoch after a fateful night that devastated her friendship with Brodan Adair. Only a daughter's guilt could lure her back to the Highlands and the assumption that Brodan Adair rarely ever sets foot in their hometown. She can handle seeing the rest of the Adairs so long as she can avoid her ex-best friend and the only man she's ever loved.

Arrochar Adair has loved her brother's ex-bodyguard and best friend, Mac Galbraith, for years. Once upon a time, she was too young for him, but now that she's a mature woman in her thirties, Arro can see no issue with their difference in age. Yet something deeper is keeping them apart. Mac Galbraith remembers clearly the night Arro became everything to him, no longer just his best friend and boss's younger sister. Having made many mistakes over the years, there is one Mac is determined not to make: to believe that he is worthy of Arrochar Adair.

After a cataclysmic interstellar war that came very close to exterminating humanity, the Daybreak Republic has risen from the ashes and embarked upon a mission to unite hundreds of human colony worlds under its banner, in hopes of preventing a second and final conflict that will complete the destruction of the human race. But not everyone agrees that the empire's ends justify the means.

Fae games will change you . . . but their love will ruin you. At least, that's what my mother told me. My mother had three rules: 1. Never make a bargain with a fairy. 2. Never enter the Waywoods on a hunting day. 3. Never give the High Fae princes a reason to notice you. But even when I followed all the rules, the royal fae still took my family from me. So in one night I broke all three rules, and brought the kingdom to their knees.

Patch Brightwater is a boy in disgrace. Thrown in jail for playing a forbidden spell, he is no one's idea of a hero. But then he discovers a deadly truth - the evil Piper of Hamelyn is on the loose. With the help of Wren, a girl cursed to live as a rat, and Barver, a fire-breathing dracogriff, Patch must stop the Piper sparking the biggest battle of them all. Three accidental heroes versus one legendary villain...an epic adventure is born.

Join the brave friends Patch, Wren and Barver for another adventure of magic and music! Thrill as they meet the Pirates of the Eastern Seas! Marvel as they venture to the only city where dragons and humans live side by side! Gasp as they journey high into the snowy peaks, where the greatest secret of the griffins lies hidden! And tremble as they come face-to-face once more with the increasingly powerful and evil Hamelyn Piper....

Some children dream of running away to join the Night Market. I did so to escape a nightmare. Still, being forced into an overheated tent to read fortunes until sunrise has its trials—naturally. But when he visits me, I suffer for entirely different reasons. Stars above, Rhylen Lonan is the most beautiful faerie I've ever known. A Raven shifter with long black hair, dark purple eyes, and magic that stirs my own. Each Night Market, in exchange for a generous slice of cake and a delicious morsel of gossip, I read him three cards.

"It’s a preposterous plan. Still, if you do get up it, it’ll be the hardest thing that’s been done in the Himalayas." Thus spoke Chris Bonington when Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker presented him with their plan to tackle the unscaled West Wall of Changabang - the Shining Mountain - in 1976. Bonington’s was one of the more positive responses; most felt the climb impossibly hard, especially for a two-man, lightweight expedition.

Jamie MacKenna is haunted by the fact that he was prevented from returning to save his men-at-arms and the lass who'd freed them. With greater fervor, he thrusts himself into the war for Scottish freedom alongside the valiant warrior, William Wallace. More than a year later, he stumbles upon Ada Moncriefe in the Scottish Highlands. His guilt induces him to offer her marriage, and despite the tormenting passion that rages between them, he vows never to love her. As the sun sets on Wallace's fight for Scottish independence, Ada and Jamie must learn to forgive and open themselves to love.

Miss Georgina Townsend begged me to ruin her. After all, selfish plunder is what I excel at. How can I, Charles Montclare, second son of an Earl, renowned rake, possibly refuse this beautiful young heiress who's determined to thwart her family's unsavory plans for her future? Of course, I should refuse. She's my friend's younger sister. But she's no longer that spirited young girl. Georgina is now a beautiful and fiery woman who, as always, is making me crazy. Only this time, with desire. This time, with a fire to make her mine.

Asgarnia's fate hangs in the balance. Disparate tribes unite under the banner of Lord Raddalin, and his enemies look on in fear and hatred. Raddalin's advisors—an uneasy alliance of Black and White knights—whisper of a discovery in the North that will give them the power to change everything. Caught in the midst of history, a lowly scribe and the son of a Jarl hold the fate of Raddalin's new kingdom in their hands.

Marianna Sinclair has lived years in England, separated from her family and regarded only as an unpaid servant to her aunt and uncle. She is overjoyed when her brother comes to collect her, returning her to Scotland. Yet, her thrill is quickly diminished when she learns she's to wed the son of a local landowner, the detestable Walter Ramsay. But even this is overshadowed as her traveling party is pursued by a fierce Highlander army. Her dismay becomes outright fear when her own brother abandons her while he makes his escape.

The virus sweeps across South America. The world is on high alert. It's coming for us... A video hits the Internet and quickly goes viral. A video showing a woman, attacked, bitten and dying.... before rising again. Experts confirm the video as a fake. A prank. But all the expert denials count for nothing when the virus reaches the UK. Chloe finds herself left behind, abandoned by Steve who rejoins the army to fight the new enemy. She'll be forced to survive on her own. Whatever it takes.

Gravely wounded and separated from his army, Gregor stumbles upon the exquisite Anice, locked outside of the nunnery in the midst of one of her regular punishments. His decision to save her has more to do with her beguiling blue eyes than his need of assistance. Anice is only too happy to escape the discontent of Jardine. When the brawny chief of the Kincaids rescues her and then promptly collapses from his wounds, she doesn't think twice about secreting and nursing him until his army comes to collect him.

In a post-apocalyptic world where all the women have died a group of men and boys survive. The story shall be told to preserve the past. History has gone back to its aural roots and the power of words is strong. Meet Nate, the storyteller, and the new secrets he brings back from the woods. William rules the group with youth and strength, but how long can that last? What about Uncle Ted, who spends so much time out in the woods? And what of mushrooms like heads, on the graves of women? Discover the Beauty.

Julianna Elliot derives no pleasure in wedding a man she's never set eyes upon—save that it will take her away from her heartless stepfather. But then the plans for a wedding are naught but a ruse, as something far more sinister is intended, and Julianna knows she must do whatever she can to save the MacKinnons. Not all of Calum's men escape his would-be bride's home with their lives. His rage is tremendous, and he holds Julianna responsible—and as his hostage.