Showing results by narrator "Philip Battley" in All Categories

It’s midsummer, 1591, at Richmond Palace, and love is in the air. Gallant courtiers sport with great ladies while Tom and Trumpet bring their long-laid plans to fruition at last. Everybody’s doing it - even Francis Bacon enjoys a private liaison with the secretary to the new French ambassador. But the Queen loathes scandal and will punish anyone rash enough to get caught.

Freddie is unremarkable—too unremarkable. He doesn't stand out in any way, and in fact teachers and fellow students keep forgetting who he is. Even his mom thinks he's a disappointment, and spends almost all her time at work, producing a TV show. After a particularly awful night when he embarrasses himself in front of Jasper Perry (the gorgeous teen star of his mum's new show), Freddie decides to follow a proactive new philosophy designed to transform his social and romantic life: saying 'yes' to every opportunity.

Harry Browning was a motherless guttersnipe, and the morning he came across the elderly Alexander Preston, The Viscount Stamford, clinging to a sheer rock face, he didn't believe in fate. But the fates have plans for Harry whether he believes or not, and he's not entirely sure he likes them.

When it comes to women, the Duke of Danby is an audacious rake...but when it comes to ridding the kingdom of smugglers, he’s leading the charge. The Prince Regent has bankrupted the country more than once, and Danby isn’t about to go down with a sinking ship. The Honorable Eleanor Kent hides behind the image of a self-proclaimed spinster...though in truth she’s one of England’s most sought-after privateers. When their paths cross at a royal dinner...Danby suspects the stunning redheaded woman is more than she seems.

They’re torn between duty and love, passion and power, reputation and regality. In this four-book boxed set the Royal Agents of M16 destroy the enemy, journey across the globe into perilous situations and steamy encounters, then return to the men and women they love. While each title in this series is a standalone featuring one couple with their own HEA, the books in the series will be more enjoyable in order.

Incredibly smart and unbelievably stealthy, I take my name “Zeppelin” seriously. As a Brit who worked for the US NSA and NRO, I’m experienced and wise, with a penchant for technology. Traffickers can never get by me, and they never even see me coming. Teaming up with the young and assertive Verity is not my idea of a good time. But going undercover as her lovesick husband may be my worst nightmare. The last thing I want to do is pretend to like this chick. Let’s be honest, she’s not real happy with this make-believe coupling either. I may have heard her mumble “neanderthal” once or twice.

As the youngest Barrett, I have a reputation that belies who I really am. Everyone believes I’m a billionaire bad boy who travels the globe seeking fun, wine, and anything fine—the antithesis of my older brother. But something is calling me—something I can’t quite understand. With enough money to want for nothing, is it possible that what I want has been right under my nose all along.

Hampshire, 1938. Victor Silvius is confined in a private sanatorium after attacking prominent judge Sir Giles Drury. When Sir Giles starts receiving sinister threatening letters, his wife suspects Silvius. Meanwhile, Silvius’ sister Caroline is convinced her brother is about to be murdered... by none other than his old nemesis Sir Giles.

Michelangelo is precise and perilous—a man to be respected. After spending four years in prison, serving time for the crimes I committed, I’m now ready to live a life very different from the one I previously led. Becoming an agent for K19 Allied Intelligence means I’ll play a part in taking down one of the world’s worst crime families—the Calabrian Syndicate. Like every other criminal society, the list of their acts against the innocent is long, the worst of which is human trafficking.

Spring, 1593. A ballad is posted in the heart of London inciting violence. The Lord Mayor offers 100 crowns for the name of the author. Thomas Clarady wants that money and drags Francis Bacon into the game. At first it’s just a riddle to be solved. Tom talks to poets, while Francis analyzes the verse. Things take a dangerous turn when the authorities focus on two popular playmakers. One is cruelly tortured. Another is killed in dubious circumstances. Did he start a brawl that ended in tragedy? Or was he murdered by his dinner companions? The official story seems plausible, at first.

As the ruthless commander of Unit 23, I’ve dedicated my life to eliminating the world’s deadliest threats. Infiltrating crime syndicates and executing covert missions is all I’ve ever known. But when I meet Eliza Fox, my carefully constructed world begins to crumble. For the first time, I find myself longing for a life beyond the shadows. As our whirlwind romance blossoms, I’m thrust into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with my former mentor—a man I thought long dead. With everything I hold dear at stake, I must confront the ghosts of my past to secure our future.

In 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visits the grave of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, looking for a sign, a signal, an answer to an enigma that has haunted him since childhood: Was Bach murdered by a famous oculist? And years later, was Handel a victim of the same doctor? Allegro follows his investigation, from the salons of London to the streets of Paris, recreating an enthralling and turbulent time, full of rogues and brilliant composers, charlatans and presumptuous nobles. Running parallel to this search is the rise of Mozart, his knowledge and fame, his trials and losses.

I’ve always trusted my instincts in the field, but Nightingale’s disappearance has left me grasping at shadows. The others think I’m obsessed, but they don’t understand what she means to me. Now, I’m following her trail across Eastern Europe, determined to discover the truth. Was she taken against her will, or has she been working against us all along? I don’t care what secrets she’s keeping—I’ll find her and bring her back, because a life without Leila is unthinkable.

This epic trilogy has come to an end! In the aftermath of facing the Dark King, Darcus and his friends are forced to turn to the Ägarians for assistance, yet they stumble headlong into the intricate webs of elven politics, a realm Darcus and his friends are ill-prepared for. Amidst the challenges they face, Darcus's latent powers surge, propelling him to tamper with ancient authorities beyond his comprehension. Although his situation seems hopeless, he discovers a luminescent ember of hope that he clings to as truths are revealed.

A delightful collection of sweet Regency romance novellas featuring ladies who are not content to let others dictate how their lives should be lived and the gentlemen who love them.

Maddie Hayward has been actively looking for a husband for nearly three years, but no gentleman will spare her more than a smile. Everyone thinks she’s destined to wed Kit Mathison...except neither of them is interested in a romance with the other. When Kit and his family come to visit the Haywards for Christmas, the whole village expects a proposal—but Maddie has other plans. Can she convince everyone that her friendship with Kit will never be a courtship? Or will she have to choose between her closest friend and the chance at family of her own?

The French Revolutionary Wars catapulted Britain into a conflict against a new enemy: Republican France. Britain relied on the Royal Navy to protect its shores and empire, but as radical ideas about rights and liberty spread across the globe, it could not prevent the spirit of revolution from reaching its ships. In this insightful history, James Davey tells the story of Britain's Royal Navy across the turbulent 1790s. As resistance and rebellion swept through the fleets, the navy itself became a political battleground.

Lady Cecilia Maitland has everything an unmarried woman could want: money of her own, high social status, and the ability to live life on her own terms. What she doesn’t have is the only man she ever loved. She turned down James’s proposal all those years ago and didn’t see him again...until he turned up at a house party in search of a patron. Cecilia knows she can provide him the monetary and social support he needs if they marry, but will he accept such an offer from the woman who broke his heart? And what will it cost her if he does?

Oliver Twist meets The Crimson Petal and the White in this devilishly funny, emotionally charged tale of finding a new path in life after a great fall. William Dempsey rose from a life of thieving and prostitution to be the personal plaything of the Marquess of Argyll. Then a betrayal sees him returned to the rough streets of London without patronage, his West End apartment, or a place among the ton.

Historic quarters in cities and towns across the middle of Europe were devastated during the Second World War—some, like those of Warsaw and Frankfurt, had to be rebuilt almost completely. They are now centers of peace and civility that attract millions of tourists, but the stories they tell about places, peoples, and nations are selective. They are never the whole story. Exploring seven old towns, from Frankfurt and Prague to Vilnius in Lithuania, Marek Kohn examines how they have been used since the Second World War to conceal political tensions and reinforce certain versions of history.