Showing results by narrator "Rafe Beckley" in All Categories

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?

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.

Journey to eight states, three national parks, and three countries to experience the life-changing education and adventures that led Trent A. Romer to finding sustainability for his plastic-bag-manufacturing business and himself.

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most amusing works, from the witty dialogue to the amusing scenes that play on themes of gender, class, and honesty. The complex love triangle has served as the inspiration for many comedic books and films over the centuries, and remains amusing to a modern audience.

Macbeth is a general for Scotland who has been prophesied to be the future King of Scotland. Rather than wait for this prophecy to take hold of its own accord, and after taking the advice of his power-hungry wife, he murders the current king and takes his place. But it doesn’t take long for tremendous guilt and fear to take hold of him, and turn his reign into one of tyranny and brutality as he and Lady Macbeth commit more and more crimes to avoid the consequences coming for them.

This historical novel is the third book in The Harwood Mysteries and continues the adventure of Xan, Lucy, and their friends.

This historical novel is the second book in the Harwood Mysteries and continues the adventure of Xan, Lucy, and their friends.

Join George Sibley and Norman Kettlewell in this lightning-fast, quick listen as they pit their combined wits against the scourge of the allotment community - the dreaded mole. Set a few years before the events of Peas, Carrots and an Aston Martin, this stand-alone novella brings back many of your favorite characters, along with a couple of new faces. The Mole Fiasco has all of Hannah Lynn's trademark wit and humor wrapped up in a bite-sized packet.

What does it mean that our most popular modern myth is a radical left story about fighting corporate authoritarianism? From its roots in the 1960s new left, Star Wars still speaks to millions of people today. By design, the saga mirrors our own time and politics. A real empire of corporate domination has arisen within weakened and corrupted republics. Now, it threatens our existence on a planetary scale.