Showing results by narrator "Greg Patmore" in All Categories

Act the first: the offices of the Matrimonial Advertiser, London, where lonely hearts may seek one another for the cost of a shilling. Act the second: a pursuit to Gretna Green (or thereabouts) featuring a speedy carriage, sundry rustic, a private bedchamber. In the course of which are presented romance, revenge, and redemption, deceptions, discoveries, and desires - the particulars of which are too numerous to impart.

Villains take center stage in this collection of 19 dark and magical stories. Listeners will be cheering for all the wrong heroes as some of the most fearsome, devious, and brutal antagonists perform savage deeds towards wicked ends. And why not? These characters are the champions of their own stories - evil is a matter of perspective. Contributors also include Mark Adler, Bradley P. Beaulieu, E.V. Morrigan, Peter Orullian, Matthew Ward, Kaaron Warren, Deborah A. Wolf, and Janny Wurts.

Life in the Colony of Maryland is no sinecure - as Alex and Matthew Graham well know. But nothing in their previous life has prepared them for the mayhem that is about to be unleashed upon them. Being labeled a witch is not a good thing in 1684, so it is no wonder Alex Graham is aghast at having such insinuations thrown at her. Even worse, it's Matthew's brother-in-law, Simon Melville, who points finger at her.

After years of hard work, Matthew and Alex Graham have created a thriving home in the Colony of Maryland. About time, in Alex's opinion, after far too many adventures she is really looking forward to some well-deserved peace and quiet. A futile hope, as it turns out. Things start to heat up when Jacob, the third Graham son, absconds from his apprenticeship to see the world - especially as Jacob leaves behind a girl whom he has wed in a most irregular fashion. Then there's the infected matter of the fellow time traveler Alex feels obliged to help - no matter the risk.

Ask Helle Madsen what she thinks about reincarnation and she’ll laugh in your face. Besides, Helle has other stuff to handle, what with her new, exciting job in London and her drop-dead but seriously sinister boss, Sam Woolf. And then one day Jason Morris walks into her life, and despite never having clapped eyes on him before, she recognizes him immediately. Very weird. Even more weird is the fact that Sam and Jason clearly hate each other's guts.

Fooled into thinking they are returning heroes, the entourage's royal welcome is cut short when they mysteriously collapse; all but Nikki, the one nobody trusted. Lady Nicole Arendale's past is shrouded in mystery, but it's slowly unravelling as secrets long buried are exposed, threatening everyone's future. Never one to rely on anyone's help, she has no choice but to return to her previous life if she has any hope of saving them. Set on a path she neither expected, nor wanted, they are running for their lives, searching for a safe haven in the midst of the coming storm.

Adam de Guirande owes his lord, Roger Mortimer, much more than loyalty: he owes Lord Roger for his life and all his worldly goods; he owes him for his beautiful wife. So when Lord Roger rises in rebellion against the king, Adam has no choice but to ride with him - no matter the ultimate cost. England in 1321 is a confusing place. Edward II has been forced by his barons to exile his favorite, Hugh Despenser. The barons - led by the powerful Thomas of Lancaster, Roger Mortimer, and Humphrey de Bohun - have reasons to believe they have finally tamed the king.

Captain Morgan Pendray is a career soldier, a Welshman serving in Cromwell's English army sent to invade Scotland. As if life isn't complicated enough by these conflicting loyalties, he is drawn to Hannah Kincaid, a Royalist spy he suspects has spirited away the Scottish Crown Jewels from under Cromwell's nose. Is it true love or a cat-and-mouse game that will end with each betraying the other?

Hugh Dickerson, Duke of Cavenray, has finally agreed to wed in order to provide an heir. However, he is none too interested in his mother’s choices and finds himself tempted by a beauty of lower birth. He flees to his country estate to forget the beauty and hide from his mother. Instead of respite, he finds his property is being used by smugglers, and the very beauty he wanted to forget is visiting her new relatives in the neighboring estate.

For as long as he can remember, Alric dreamed of being a hero; of defeating a dragon and saving the princess, but his royal position would never allow it, until...the arrival of the Mercerian Emissaries demands a princely escort, and being neither the heir nor the spare, he is the perfect choice. Used to a lifetime of comfort and ease, he expects this duty to be as tiresome as all the others. His tranquil life is upended from the beginning, as havoc seems to follow these dignitaries everywhere, causing him all sorts of grief. 

Imagine there was an evil alien society that had this bizarre interest in hunting humans for leisure. Now, imagine they prepared a full guide to teach their own kind how we think, socialize, and most of all, how to spot our weaknesses. Finally, imagine that you got your hands on a copy of one of those guides. Wouldn’t you want to read it to understand if there really is a threat? If there was, wouldn’t you want to learn what the aliens know about us to better prepare to defend yourself and those you love?

For Matthew Graham, being given the gift of his former Scottish manor is a dream come true. For his wife, Alex, this gift will force her to undertake a perilous sea journey, leaving most of their extensive family in the Colony of Maryland. Alex is torn apart by this, but staying behind while her husband travels to Scotland is no option. Scotland in 1688 is a divided country, torn between the papist Stuart King and the foreign Protestant William of Orange. Popular opinion is with Dutch William, and Matthew's reluctance to openly support him does not endear him to his former friends.

Retired Cambridge professor Donald Aitcheson loves scouring antiquarian bookshops for secondhand treasures - as much as he loathes the scribbled marginalia from their previous owners. But when he comes upon an inscription in a volume of Robert Browning's poetry, he's less irritated than disturbed. This wasn't a gift to an unwitting woman. It was a threat - insidious, suggestively sick, and terribly intriguing.

Five years have passed since Lady Anjou Winslow, one of the triplet daughters of the Marquess Ashbury, watched her love, Lieutenant Gardiner, leave for the war in America. They were secretly married just before his departure, and though the War Office has declared him dead, she refuses to believe it. No trace of him was ever found. Private enquiry agents, hired by Lord Ashbury, have searched to no avail, yet something inside Anjou refuses to believe her husband is dead. Despite her fears of the ocean, she convinces her brother to escort her on the long voyage to America.

When Harvey Stone is sent undercover to investigate a turf war between the Albanian mafia and two of London's notorious gangs, nobody expected him to be welcomed like a hero. Has Harvey finally slipped into his old ways, or will he bring the carnage and bloodshed to a stop?

When a terrorist attack interrupts his black ops robbery investigation, Harvey Stone refuses to follow his team's command to stick to the job. Stone sneaks off the case to track down the terrorist bomber, who plans to murder his young hostage as a warm-up for a fiery finale that will reduce all of London to ash. But searching for clues around a high-profile crime scene becomes next to impossible when Stone is framed for a murder he didn't commit.

When Aestrid Karisson escapes for an afternoon of adventure, she never suspects to alter her destiny forever. Captured by Veleif Kollsvein and his fearsome warriors, Aestrid is mistaken as a slave. It isn't until they reach Veleif's stronghold that her true identity is discovered. Determined to torment him until he returns her to her home, this vixen wages a personal war with the dark and dangerous Viking prince. When Veleif's high council decides the two must marry, he embarks on a campaign of his own.

Benedict Stanton, Duke of Yardley, vowed never to marry again when his first marriage ended in a scandalous divorce. Having retreated to the country for nearly a decade, he is thought to be a cold-hearted recluse. Now faced with leaving his dukedom to the Crown for lack of an heir, he sets out to find a bride in a manner more suited to generations past—through his solicitor.

Forced to choose between his mother’s life and his own exile, Dwapek embarks upon a journey wrought with trials no ordinary Renzik could hope to survive. Relics of legend, plagues of old, and monsters of unthinkable dread all collide in this epic fantasy adventure as a weapon capable of destroying an entire people is set to be unleashed.

Lieutenant John Holdsworth, a valiant veteran of the Battle of Waterloo, carries not only the physical wounds of war but the haunting memories that threaten to shackle his heart forever. Now, as the steward of a sprawling Scottish estate, he finds solace in his work in the solitude of the Highlands. Catriona Craig is the enchanting adopted daughter of Lord Craig. Her world revolves around the compassionate act of healing. Amidst the winds and fragrant meadows of the estate, she discovers her purpose, nursing not only the ailments of the body but also the wounded spirits that cross her path.