Showing results by narrator "Esther Wane" in All Categories

Exiled from her old life as the daughter of a vizier, Zaria still grieves the lost friends of her childhood. She’s grown accustomed to her new role as a servant, though—up until the day she stumbles on the fabled lost cave of treasures. The wealth inside is enough to transform anyone’s life, but Zaria isn’t the first to find it. A gang of cutthroat thieves got there first, and their behavior makes Zaria question everything she sees. With an unknown enchantment at work, and forty criminals desperate to protect their hoard, she doesn’t want anything to do with the gold.

A shipwreck near Castle Black sees Dr. Nicholas Warner risking his life to save a woman from the churning sea. As he pulls her to the safety of the shore, the villagers are stunned by her presence. She is no stranger to them. They identify her as Viola Grantham, Lady Ramsleigh, wife of the recently deceased Lord Percival Ramsleigh...a woman who supposedly died nearly two years earlier. She confides in Dr. Warner about the son she bore in secret, the heir to her late husband and that she had only returned to secure his future and his place in society.

Rumors have long swirled about the strange kingdom of Eldon. The only thing more frozen than its mountains are the inhabitants themselves. But Princess Celine has never backed away from a challenge, so she eagerly accepts an invitation to visit. Yet the situation in Eldon is even worse than Celine feared. And if the kingdom is to have any hope of freedom or a future, she's going to have to call on new skills and new allies - including the crown prince, Oliver. But against an enemy stronger and colder than ice, all her fire may not be enough.

A long lost relative escapes to Clover Springs, but it's not the happy reunion anticipated by her sister. She's escaped with her life—but brought baggage that jeopardizes her future. When her past threatens her once more, Clover Springs rallies around to help.

Jess Bright, single mum and journalist, feels her life has stalled. So when she's offered a writing job in Paris for the summer, she leaps at the chance to go back to a city full of old memories and the promise of new opportunities. Her subject is the iconic artist Adelaide Fox, whose personal life has always been steeped in scandal and intrigue. Now approaching eighty, she's ready to tell her side of the story - and serve up some scalding-hot revenge in the process. Amidst a stormy working relationship, Jess and Adelaide must face up to their pasts.

When Daisy dreamed of leaving home on an adventure, she never imagined ending up trapped in a tower, cut off from the world and invisible to others. The years pass slowly, leaving Daisy desperate to reclaim her old life, however dull. But her captor has bigger plans, and Daisy knows she can’t just rescue herself. She has to shatter her captor's enchantments forever. When opportunity comes, however, it arrives in an unexpected guise. Young and handsome, Prince Xander has come to rescue a princess from a tower. Instead, he finds himself battling at Daisy's side for the fate of a kingdom.

Tensions rise in Clover Springs as two communities clash. Mrs. Grey finds herself in the middle of the chaos as her past comes back to haunt her. With Father Molloy and her other friends by her side, she can forgive those who hurt her, but can she forgive herself? Can she open her heart to a life filled with love and kindness or will the chains of the past destroy Clover Springs?

Winning stories from The Bazaar of Bad Dreams Hodder- Guardian competition. The number one best-selling writer Stephen King presents six gripping and chilling stories in this captivating anthology: 'Wild Swimming' by Elodie Harper. 'Eau-de-Eric' by Manuela Saragosa. 'The Spots' by Paul Bassett Davies. 'The Unpicking' by Michael Button. 'La Mort de L'amant' by Stuart Johnstone. 'The Bear Trap' by Neil Hudson.

Esme Nicholls is to spend the summer in Cornwall. Her late husband, Alec, who died fighting in the war, grew up in Penzance, and she’s hoping to learn more about the man she loved and lost. While there, she will stay with Gilbert, in his rambling seaside house, where he lives with his former brothers in arms. Esme is fascinated by this community of eccentric artists and former soldiers, and as she gets to know the men and their stories, she begins to feel this summer might be exactly what she needs.

Little Beaver, while happy with his lot as deputy sheriff in Clover Springs, wants what his friends have—a wife and children. But his heart is stuck on Asha, a woman who lives on the reservation and her father refuses to allow Little Beaver court her. Tragically, through no fault of her own, Asha is thrown off of the reservation and left to survive in the wilds. Heartbroken, Little Beaver vows revenge. His friends tell him he will destroy everything he has worked so hard to achieve, and rather than saving the woman he loves, he may place her in further jeopardy.

Hotel Portofino has been open for only a few weeks, but already the problems are mounting for its owner Bella Ainsworth. Her high-class guests are demanding and hard to please. And she’s being targeted by a scheming and corrupt local politician, who threatens to drag her into the red-hot cauldron of Mussolini’s Italy. To make matters worse, her marriage is in trouble, and her children are still struggling to recover from the repercussions of the Great War.

Three full-length fairy tales filled with intrigue, romance, and suspense! This collection contains: Traitor's Masque: A Retelling of Cinderella, Goldheart: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, and Pirouette: A Retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Abraxas learned long ago that a life without his soul is not one worth living. Heart shattered with the loss of his mate, he does the only thing he can think of and packs up his children and he leaves the Kingdom of Umbra. The journey across the sea is arduous and long, but soon he finds himself on a very familiar shore: Dracomaquia. But the island may not be as uninhabited as he originally thought...

Running from a haunting past that clings to her like a shadow, Doc. Erin arrives in the picturesque town of Clover Springs with hopes of finding solace in its peaceful embrace. Little does she know, her short stay is destined to be far more transformative than she could ever imagine. As her heart wrestles with the pain of yesterday, she finds herself drawn into the lives of the town's residents, each struggling with their own demons.

Lore has spent years dedicated to one purpose. Save the kingdom, give her people the freedom they deserve, and show the humans that they were in the wrong. But when she finally returns with her dragon at her side, she realizes that some things are not so black and white. The kingdom they return to is not the one they have seen before. The elves have taken over, the throne is now theirs, and the humans they left behind are nowhere to be found. Umbra is a husk of what it once was, with the same mistakes repeated by the hands of a different species.

When Raisa Hopeland, determined to win her race to become the next electromancer of London, bumps into Amon Brightbourne―tweed-suited, otherworldly, guided by the Grace―in the middle of a London riot, she sets in motion a series of events which will span decades, continents, and a series of events which will change the world.

Eighteen-year-old Sorcha Matthews's happy future is shattered when her soul mate, Luke, is tragically killed before she even gets to unite with him in Clover Springs. She flees Boston rather than face a life filled with horrific abuse. Widower Brian Peterson needs a wife to look after his two daughters. He isn't interested in romance but no self-respecting woman will live on his homestead without a ring on her finger. Sorcha needs a husband, Brian needs a wife. Is this a match made in heaven? Or is Socha jumping from the frying pan into the fire?

Mary Ryan leaves the orphanage and heartbreak behind and follows her friend Katie to Clover Springs to become a mail order bride. She's nervous, but reminds herself that Davy Sullivan must be a nice man or Katie wouldn't have recommended him.

Lorelei has seen the best and worst of this kingdom. She has fought through armies of the dead, fallen in love with a dragon, and discovered there may be more to her origin than she originally thought. Now, free from the rebellion, she can make her choice for where her life leads. If only that decision was a little easier...

Mathematics prodigy, Caroline Jellico, plans to support herself by winning big in the gaming hells of London - while dressed as a boy. She's tired of waiting for the elusive Roe to notice her. She'll marry him or no man.