Showing results by narrator "Lucy Rayner" in All Categories

In 1940s Italy, Ottie’s life is defined by family loyalty and the demands of her domineering father. Sent to work in a British munitions factory near Positano, she finds herself drawn to Hal, a soldier grappling with the horrors of war. As their forbidden love grows, Ottie is forced to confront the expectations of her family and the brutal realities of a country at war.

Epic poetry and tragic drama provide us with some of the richest ancient Greek depictions of women who are married to soldiers. In tales of the Trojan War, as told by Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, we encounter these mythical warriors' wives: Penelope, isolated but resourceful as she awaits the return of Odysseus after his lengthy absence; the war widow Andromache, enslaved and displaced from her homeland after the fall of Troy; the unfaithful and murderous Clytemnestra; and Tecmessa, a war captive who witnesses her partner's breakdown and suicide in the aftermath of battle.

Ryszard loves Saxonia and desires to save the kingdom from the evil king. The miller's daughter, Galiana Mueller, agrees to help expose the king's terrible, selfish ways. As Ryszard spins gold for her to tempt the king with, he cannot help falling in love with her himself. The king soon demands Galiana's hand, wishing for more straw-spun-gold, more wealth, and more power. As he becomes corrupt entirely, Ryszard must utilize a power stronger than his magic, that of love or perhaps hope.

The kingdom knows their princess as Snow White, but the Queen Francesia, her stepmother, sees her for what she truly is, a monster. None other than the queen can see beyond the illusion of beauty. None see that she appears to be bone and ashes. No one else realizes that the child drinks blood and even kills. As the child grows, so does her thirst. Francesia knows she must stop Bone Ash, lest the princess devastate the entire realm. One will be the harbinger of the other's death, but who will survive?

A terrifying monster of a beast has captured Gervais's lady love, and he will stop at nothing to save his beauty. Posing as a gardener, the brave and strong Gervais attempts to study the beast that he longs to kill. Isabelle Mercier is the only woman he has ever cared for. When he sneaks his way inside the castle, Isabelle refuses to come with him. Could she have fallen for the beast? Is it too late for Gervais to save her?

At only sixteen years of age, she is a beautiful terror, with her wavy blond locks and her shockingly violet eyes. Her skin is as fair as she is foul. Only I can stop her. Only I dare to rise up against her, for the sake of a kingdom that is not my own. Others may scorn me for interfering, but interfere I must. I will not allow this exquisite monster to harm more than she already has. Some might call me the monster, but I? I know the truth, and I will not hesitate to do what I must.

Cinderella's powers will destroy the Kingdom of Fantasia, and the only one who can save the kingdom is her "wicked" stepmother. Lady Angelique puts her second husband to rest, then tries to do right by her step-daughter Eleonore, but when Eleonore's mystical abilities put Angelique's own daughters' lives at risk, she makes the difficult decision to lock the girl in the tower to keep the family safe.

Considered to be one of Virginia Woolf's most popular novels, Mrs. Dalloway follows one high-society woman as she goes about her day planning a splendid party for her acquaintances. As she goes about her day, she ponders on the life she could be living had she not married the reliable Richard Dalloway and instead sought the enigmatic Peter Walsh. At one point, she muses on the fact that she had not the option to be with a close female friend of hers. The novel then takes a turn to follow Septimus Smith, First World War veteran plagued with deferred traumatic stress.

When Mab and Nessa's mother died and their father disappeared to New Zealand, their lives changed forever. But the loss of their parents wasn’t the only thing that cast a shadow over their childhood… Twenty years later, when Mab and Nessa receive the news of their estranged father’s death, it stirs up a storm of long-buried memories and emotions.

When Luciano is released early from a Sicilian prison, Hanna worries he will come after her and their young daughter, Eva. She’s been invited to her best friend’s wedding in southern Italy—but can she really take the risk? Living in fear, Hanna knows she and Eva may not be safe, no matter where they are. But something strange is going on at her cottage in the Welsh hills, and as the distance between Sicily and North Wales seems to be shrinking, Hanna has even more to be afraid of . . .

When Hanna’s blissful life in Sicily is threatened, and she discovers that her husband, Luciano, is not all he seems, she wastes no time in taking her daughter and seeking refuge abroad. She’ll do anything to keep Eva safe. But just as they begin to settle into their new life in North Wales, Eva disappears.

Anwyn Owens, a starship pilot for the Malcolm Star Circus, seeks a new venue for their performances. The massive space station carved out of an asteroid seems like the perfect opportunity. Her politically prominent uncle entrusts her with a message for the station's owner, while a team of operatives she's encountered before has their own agenda. Anwyn must navigate these challenges while considering her future and a second chance to join the team.

Anwyn Owens won her place at a prestigious starship pilot's program on Earth and graduated with honors. But nothing could have prepared her when she followed the advice of her uncle's old friend and took a job as assistant pilot for an intergalactic circus.

With the old circus manager safely in jail, things should be going well at the circus where Anwyn Owens is assistant pilot. But when the aging starship that serves as their home breaks down, all the ingenuity of Anwyn and head pilot Jemal can't get things working again. The solution: head for the pirate planet of Open Port where Jemal knows of a salvage yard that just might have the necessary used part for sale.