Showing results by narrator "Deborah Balm" in All Categories

The annual Pigsend Harvest Festival is coming up quick, and Bev's been assigned to the planning committee against her will. But Ida Witzel, the festival chair, wants no mishaps this year, and she knows if Bev's involved, the hijinks will be at a minimum. That is, until farmer Trent Scrawl isn't seen for a few days, and on a wellness visit, Bev finds him dead.

It's election time in Pigsend, and Pigsend's mayor Jo Hendry is up for re-election, but she's not the only candidate in the race. Pip Norris, the ferrier, Wilda Murtaugh, the cousin of the perfidious mayor from Middleburg, Gore Dewey, the blacksmith, and Hans Silver, a local farmer, have thrown their hats into the ring, too. And if Earl Dollman's polling is to be believed, it's going to be a tight race. But when every candidate except Hendry receives a letter threatening to expose their "secret," Bev's once again called to investigate.

After a local couple's path to the altar is sabotaged, retired spy Irma Abercrombie and sun-deprived nerd Violet Blackheart get roped into lending a hand sorting out the duo's wedding woes—and all the bodies. Meanwhile, Violet preps for her business partner's island arrival—blender drinks at the ready—as Irma secretly tries to track down Violet's former CFO...and their company's former money.

When one of Irma's friends asks for help vetting a potential suitor, she's sure that a little digging into his past will do the trick. But after she discovers that a robotic appliance might be on a rampage in the almost-beau's swanky houseboat community, she sets out to entice Violet into unravelling another technological snafu.

It's summertime on Lake Ontario's Beaver Island, and there's trouble on the horizon. When a remote-controlled tractor goes berserk at the ground-breaking for a new condo development—toppling some magnificent cupcakes in the process—retired spy Irma Abercrombie's finely-honed paranoia goes into overdrive. And after a beloved local is murdered, she and nerdy houseguest Violet Blackheart are drawn into another island intrigue.

Jadren El-Adrel knows he’s a mess. He’s a cobbled-together monster pretending to be a wizard, still unable to master the magic that makes him pretty much immortal and is useless for anything else. Though he’s tried to learn to work with his familiar, Seliah, he’s still terrified to discover what might happen if he gives himself full access to the depths of her powerful magic. Some questions should never be answered.

1173, France. Eleanor of Aquitaine has been arrested for rebelling against her husband, King Henry II of England. Her loyal ladies-in-waiting, Alice and Joanna of Agen, have fled to the nunnery at Fontrevault, where they are anxiously awaiting news of their queen. Alice and Joanna struggle to adapt to their cramped new home at the Abbey. Each is secretly nursing a broken heart—and harboring unholy desires. Joanna left behind a lover, Jean, at Eleanor's court in Poitiers, and Alice has long been in love with the queen's daughter, Marie.

Waking in paradise with no memory of who she is, can Agent Harris piece together the true picture and retrieve her skills before it’s the last thing she ever sees?

It’s 745. The kingdom is split between the two eldest sons of Charles Martel. Carloman, the oldest, has the support of the king and the church, while Pippin refuses to bend the knee. Civil war is imminent.

At Eleanor of Aquitaine's palace in Poitiers, fourteen-year-old Lady Joanna of Agen is coming of age. Her aunt and guardian, Alice, rescued Joanna from her brutal father by bringing her to court. But now Alice fears Joanna could once again be at risk from the men around her. When Queen Eleanor's son, Henry, arrives at court, Joanna quickly catches his eye. But Alice overhears the lewd conversations of the male courtiers and worries that Joanna's honor is at stake.

After a grueling training exercise in the Scottish mountains, Agent Carrie Harris is called to a place hidden from all civilization. Ill-prepared and under-equipped, she discovers a secret world filled with gruesome evidence of events she can’t comprehend.

When Lady Seliah Phel wakes from a drugged sleep to find herself abandoned by her newly bonded wizard, she vows revenge—and to hunt him down. Tracking him through the familiar wilds of the marshlands of her home is the easy part–learning to use her nascent magical skills is something else entirely. So is facing the vast, uncaring society of the Convocation in a time of brewing war.

On what seemed like an ordinary morning, Carrie finds herself in the crossfire of a violent bank robbery. As the horrible scene plays out before her experienced eyes, she must find a way to survive the encounter, and save the day.

Murder and mayhem abound in this thrilling return to the 1930s as a young woman uncovers her own connection to the power and magic of her ancient Egyptian ancestors.

With the help of her niece, Moli, and two strangers, James and Kiza, the group must travel through time to collect nine wonders from history in just nine days. Only then can they hope to save the world from Pandorai, a murderous AI bent on destruction, along with its two maniacal henchmen-resurrected Adolf Hitler and Dr. Shiro Ishii.

Moli has never seen a dragon, but she'd imagined one many times. Following the death of her father, a museum curator and historian, her need to escape from the real world has never felt so acute. Travelling from China to London to attend the funeral, Moli takes the opportunity to visit her father's last exhibition, "The Lost Dynasty of Rouran". The trip reveals Moli's connection to an ancient khanate and, unexpectedly, opens the door to another realm.

Christmas 1940. Despite the rationing and the blackout, excitement at Mollison Farm is building as Alice and her workforce prepare for the annual Christmas Eve party. The snow has arrived, and this year, Alice has a big secret. She has invited her evacuee children’s mother to spend a few precious days with her kids at Christmas. But disaster strikes, and Alice is given the shocking news that Rose’s home is now nothing more than a pile of bricks, and the woman herself is missing, lost in the blitz.

Miss Agatha Cartwright isn't certain she believes in love. Her father blamed her for her mother's death, and treated her terribly. Her life changed upon his death, and the Duke of Wharton became her guardian. Suddenly, she has a family, and with that, a plethora of opportunities. It also makes her question everything...including the possibility of love.

Emily Moss cannot stand the roguish Alexander Bredon. As this season's most desired debut, she could have any man she wants. Unfortunately, Lady Lancaster pairs her up with none other than the incorrigible man himself. With mutual dislike and contempt, Alex would rather be doing anything other than escorting the high and mighty Emily, until a secret about her falls into his lap. Suddenly, he realizes there may be more to the lady than he originally thought. Perhaps the only thing that can keep them from killing each other is falling for each other instead.

Sarah Jardin has been quite dreadfully in love with David Rochester her whole life. As the youngest of five daughters, her family and society neglect her. She's outspoken, brash, and terribly ungraceful. In short, not at all a lady . . . until she's taken under the benevolent wing of Lady Lancaster and invited to join the Young Ladies Garden Society. But Sarah's new life—filled with the mysteries and intrigues of high society—is interrupted by an unexpected scandal. Her scandal. I