Showing results by narrator "Emma Gregory" in All Categories

Despite round-the-clock protection, all the Luciano men are killed the night before a family wedding. The don's wife, Graziella, holds together what's left of the family - daughters-in-law Theresa and Sophia, and Theresa's daughter Rosa - while instructing their lawyer to sell off business holdings. The women are left to pick up the pieces and recover money that Carolla has stolen. Little do they know there is a traitor in their midst: Carolla's adopted son Luka has been acting as the women's partner and protector.

Three novellas to expand and enrich the world of Victorian Gothic: A Spurned Woman follows a reclusive old woman, tired of life. When she is surprised by a young mother, begging help for her stricken child, the old woman reluctantly agrees to return to the village which once wanted to burn her for witchcraft. Bedlam is set between Victorian Gothic Volumes 2 and 3.

New Hampshire, 1756: The god-fearing farmers of Sutton are suffering divine punishment for unknown sins. Crops fail, cows die and fish are poisoned by their water. Six pigs, slaughtered in their sty, bear the mark of the devils in their mouths. But to Beatrice Scarlet, the apothecary's daughter, the truth is much more chilling. Somewhere in this idyllic hamlet, a killer is hiding in plain sight. And if Beatrice does not unmask him soon, he'll be coming for her next...

They say the girls were witches. But Beatrice Scarlet, the apothecary's daughter, is sure they were innocent victims... London, 1758: Beatrice Scarlet , the apothecary's daughter, has found a position at St. Mary Magdalene's Refuge for fallen women . The charity is supported by a wealthy merchant who offers the most promising girls steady work in his factory. But when seven girls go missing , Beatrice is uneasy. Their would-be benefactor claims they were a coven of witches , beholden only to Satan and his demonic misdeeds.

Between the Acts is Virginia Woolf’s final novel, set in a quiet English village just before World War II. The story unfolds over the course of one day, as villagers prepare for and perform an outdoor pageant that reflects the history of England. Beneath the surface of this seemingly simple event, tensions rise—between family members, within relationships, and in the looming shadow of war.

Ricky and Leonora Bates are brother and sister, best friends, allies in a loveless family. They are a constant disappointment to their domineering father. He views Ricky’s quiet bookishness as weakness and Leonora’s feisty intelligence as unbecoming. Then Ricky is sent away to a boarding school in South Africa to “toughen him up”. And Leonora is stuck dealing with her dysfunctional parents on her own. The unthinkable happens. Leonora’s father travels to South Africa to bring Ricky home. Disaster strikes. Her father is shot dead. And her brother is nowhere to be found.

What would you do if your son was sent down? Any parent would want justice – but justice takes many forms. Would you take on his enemies? Run his business, fight his battles? What if you had no choice? In true Karen Woods style, this is an all-action slice of Manchester gangland thriller – showcasing the strong women who fight to keep their families safe even amid the turf wars and underworld feuds that crisscross the back streets of Manchester.

A brother sent away. A sister in a loveless home. A father ruthlessly murdered. Ricky and Leonora Bates are brother and sister, best friends, allies in a loveless family. They are a constant disappointment to their domineering father. He views Ricky’s quiet bookishness as weakness and Leonora’s feisty intelligence as unbecoming. Then Ricky is sent away to a boarding school in South Africa to “toughen him up”. And Leonora is stuck dealing with her dysfunctional parents on her own. The unthinkable happens. Leonora’s father travels to South Africa to bring Ricky home. Disaster strikes.

THAT NIGHT. Lisa remembers the first part of the night: an evening in the pub with her best friend. Then nothing. She wakes up, days later. She’s in hospital. Her best friend is dead. WHAT HAPPENED? Lisa holes up in a remote country cottage, plagued by guilt and flashbacks: how did their assailant know them? Why were they attacked? And what really happened that night? With only vague memories of the event, she cuts herself off from friends and family, spending her days wandering the hills with her dog, Riley.

The woman who has it all. Heather has lucked out. She has a beautiful house, a happy marriage to James Jessop, with two sons, Ben and Harry — and she’s just won the lottery. £29 million! The loyal best friend. Natalie has never quite kept up, but she’s finally in a relationship with a new boyfriend, Nick. She’s been best friends with Heather since they were bullied at school. But will her friend’s new fortune change their friendship? A dream come true turns into a paranoid nightmare.

Macy Taylor was born in the shadow of Tanley Square, at the heart of her Manchester estate. It’s kept her secrets and she’s kept its code of silence. If you need something sorting, or want something you can’t get anywhere else—no questions asked—then you go to the square. But everything in life comes at a price. Brianna Taylor is seventeen—she doesn’t get why Macy wants her to keep clear of the square. If it was good enough for her mum, why can’t she hang out there too?

Beverley Wilson has always loved the Beatles, but kissing a poster goodnight isn’t really an option when you’re a 50-something mum of three. So when she decides it’s time to get back into the dating game, she turns to a dating agency for help. But the long and winding road to real love is littered with dating disasters–the pantyhose pervert being the real low point, and in Bev’s opinion, it’s all too much. But meeting fellow Beatles fan Scott Smith changes everything.

Elsa Bradshaw is 18. Despite a tough start - never knowing her father, and barely seeing her mother who’d rather be chasing men - she’s grown up with her grandmother’s values and a desire to build a better life. But will falling for local bad boy Clayton change all that? Pamela Maylett seems to have everything - as wife of local lap-dancing-club owner Jordan, she’s got money, influence and plenty of life’s little luxuries. But is her beautiful home also her prison? She knows her husband is surrounded by women at work - after all, she was dancing when she met him.

Going from princess to pauper wasn’t exactly the fairy-tale ending Penelope Hastings believed in as a kid. She grabs at the opportunity to work at Camp Firefly Falls - home of her most treasured childhood memories and the haven where her spoiled heart expanded and her perspective changed after an encounter with an older boy. Now, she’s hoping that the camp can work its magic one more time and help her craft a new life.

Sylvie Armstrong has been running from her past for 20 years - until her mother's death forces her to return to her hometown along with her newborn daughter. Overwhelmed by grief in her childhood home, Sylvie tries to block out the memories that surround her - but then someone leaves a gift on her doorstep: a gold necklace with a heart-shaped locket. This locket belonged to Sylvie's best friend, Victoria Preston - and she was wearing it the night she died. Somebody knows what really happened to Victoria, and Sylvie has to know the truth. But is she in terrible danger?

Five years ago Susannah Harper's son, Joel, went missing without trace. Bereft of her son and then of her husband, Susannah has rebuilt her life around helping others. But then, on the last night of Hull Fair, a fortune-teller makes an eerie prediction. She tells her that this Christmas Eve, Joel will finally come back to her. As her carefully constructed life begins to unravel, Susannah is forced to confront the buried truths of her family's past.

Dan's life has fallen apart at the seams. He's lost his house and his job, and now he's going to lose his family, too. All he's ever wanted is to keep them together, but is everything beyond repair? Maria is drowning in grief. She spends her days writing letters that will never be answered. Nights are spent trying to hold terrible memories at bay, to escape the pain that threatens to engulf her. Jack wakes up confused and alone. He doesn't know who he is, how he got there, or why he finds himself on a deserted clifftop, but will piecing together the past leave him a broken man?

Eve Sturridge, a high-flying divorcee and mother of two girls, is head teacher of Ivy House, an Ofsted 'Outstanding' prep school in Sussex. Eve is passionate about her school and its pupils. When Danish power couple Stefan and Anette Sorenson jet in and choose Ivy House over other schools, Eve is justifiably proud. The Sorensons are A-listers who bring an aura of style and power to Ivy House. Zoe is Eve's pretty 17-year-old daughter. Unlike her mother, Zoe's not so keen on school.

This is a story from the Dragon Tales collection.

This is a story from the Dragon Tales collection.