Showing results by narrator "Rebecca Courtney" in All Categories

Imagine nine women meeting. Tea and cake are on the coffee table. They’ve come together to share their love of books. They are friends. They trust each other. It’s a happy gathering. What could be more harmless? Scratch the surface and look closer. One is lonely, one is desperate and one of them is a killer. When the body of a woman is discovered on a Cambridge common, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer are called to investigate. But the motive behind the crime isn’t clear...and it all leads back to a book club.

In a house full of history and secrets, the past will not stay where it belongs.... Lou has always loved Hill House, the derelict manor on the abandoned land near her home. As a child, the tragic history of its owners, the Mandevilles, inspired her dream to become a history teacher. But in her late 20s, working in a shop to pay off student debts, life is passing her by. That changes when a family disaster sends Lou’s life into a downward spiral, and she seeks comfort in the ruined corridors of Hill House.

If we just keep on going in a frenzied state of busyness, our nervous system eventually gets overwhelmed and we experience a trauma response. This changes how we think, feel and behave, making it difficult for us to carry out tasks or practise self-care strategies like boundary-setting and mindfulness. We lose motivation and interest in things we used to enjoy and become trapped in a state known as learned helplessness, unable to see solutions, sometimes unable to care. We still operate, but in autopilot mode, prone to making mistakes.

Who took Lucia Blix? Lucia went home from school with her new friend Josie for a playdate. Later that evening, Lucia's mother, Elisa, dropped her overnight things round and kissed her little girl goodnight. That was the last time she saw her daughter. The next morning, when Lucia's dad arrived to pick her up, the house was empty. No furniture, no family, no Lucia. Have you seen Lucia?

Allie Jones loves her cosy cottage café in the picturesque village of Heatherlea. She has her independence, two grown-up children and two cute cats. Life is settled, and she thinks she's happy. Author Chris Monroe has it all. Critical success, a luxurious London apartment, and the kind of jet-set lifestyle most people dream of. But something's missing. When a family bereavement throws these two old friends together, they begin to question the true meaning of happiness. Love is in the air, but do Allie and Chris have room in their hands-on lives for more than a summer fling?

Dottie and Mary forged a friendship over a bag of penny sweets when they were eight years old. They've shared everything together since then. Now, at seventeen, they're both shopgirls working at Woolworths. As they go out in the world in pursuit of love and happiness and life becomes more complicated, the simplicity of their childhood dissolves. The heady excitement of first love will consume them both, but the pain of unintentional betrayal will test their friendship.

Lydia's not exactly Living Her Best Life. She never imagined she'd be here at 30 - newly single, a job that's going nowhere and her friends all winning at life when she's still barely taking part. So she jumps at the chance of a free holiday and jets off to sunny Spain. Then, out of the blue, she bumps into her childhood friend, the handsome and charming Danny Whittaker. She's always had a crush on him and they soon enter into a passionate holiday romance. But this relationship could be more than just a fling.

Autistic burnout is a common experience for autistic children and young people. This book, authored by a neurodivergent practitioner with firsthand experience as both an autism parent and researcher, delves into the recognition and management of burnout. It offers parents and professionals practical strategies to prevent autistic burnout and provides guidance on supporting those already in distress.

The Sunflower Street series is a new heartwarming romance series from Rachel Griffiths, the author of The Cosy Cottage Café series. This audiobook collects the first two books in the best-selling series!

Joanne Baker often feels like she's drifting through life. She's thirty-two, works at the local café and still lives with her parents. She tells people it's because she's saving for a mortgage deposit, but the real reason she hasn't moved out is something she doesn't want to admit to anyone...Until she faces up to the maxed-out credit cards, never worn clothes and impractical shoes still in their boxes, she can't even begin to think about saving. She needs help, and when her friends Roxie and Lila find out the truth, they offer their support.

Dottie Perks has forged a new life for herself in London, with a new job and a loving boyfriend. She's safe, happy and loved. What more could she ask for? But when Dottie visits her home in Brighton, the last person she expects to see is her first love, Ralph Bennett. As old feelings come rushing to the surface, Dottie struggles to deny the strong chemistry between them. She can't throw away everything to be with Ralph...can she?

Brighton, 1930: Maureen O'Connell is a carefree girl, but war is looming, and life will never be the same again. Jack and Nelson have always been dear friends to Maureen. Despite their different backgrounds, they've seen each other through thick and thin. The candle Maureen's always held for Jack burns bright, but just as she's found love, war wrenches them apart. With Jack no longer by her side and Nelson at war, can Maureen look to a brighter future?

Camilla Dix is fiercely independent. Growing up, she had to be strong for her mother and younger sister after her father left them for a new life in Benidorm. Camilla has kept her heart firmly closed to love and never allows her relationships with men to develop into anything serious. Tom Stone moved to Heatherlea for a fresh start. He’s been hurt in the past and has no intention of making himself vulnerable again. The only company he wants at night is that of his rescue British bulldog, Hairy Pawter.

As a librarian, Imogen read a lot of books, but none of them covered real life on the Riviera. Her holiday with tennis ace Nicky and the whole glamorous coterie of journalist, playboy, photographer was a revelation. But the path of a jet-set virgin in that lovely wicked world was a hard one. Imogen began to wonder if virtue really was its own reward....

London, 1765. Lady Isabella Gerard, a respectable member of Georgian society, orders her maid to take her new golden gown and destroy it, its shimmering beauty tainted by the actions of her brutal husband the night before. Three months later, Lord Gerard stands at the shoreline of the lake, looking down at a woman wearing the golden gown. As the body slowly rolls over to reveal her face, it’s clear this was not his intended victim…

Motherhood has been one of the great blessings of Dawn Dix-Beaumont’s life, but with her children’s growing independence, it’s finally time for Dawn to return to teaching. However, Mother Nature has other ideas.... Rick Beaumont loves his family, but he’s busier than ever. With his high-flying career, two children and a third on the way, there’s a lot to juggle. Battling expectations, disappointments and a few surprises along the way, Dawn and Rick find their commitment to each other tested to the limit.

Artist Honey Blackwell is happy with her life. Well, almost. She lives in the picturesque village of Heatherlea, has three close friends and a soft spot for local supply teacher Dane Ackerman. If only she could put her past behind her and embrace the present. Dane is working hard to prove himself at the village primary school and doesn’t really have time for love, but he is drawn to Honey and hopes she feels the same. When a permanent teaching position is advertised in Heatherlea, he faces stiff competition to secure it.

Eve has a glittering career, a loving husband and a promising future until a terrible twist of fate means she loses everything. With nowhere to turn, she flees to Cornwall. Jack has seen the worst side of human nature. He settles in Conwenna Cove and saves his affection for his rescue dogs. But he can't deny his attraction to Eve. Can Conwenna Cove work its magic?

England, 1924. Nell Potter pens successful romantic mysteries as the enigmatic Margot Evangeline, but off the page, things aren’t quite so wonderful. Nell, tormented by a terrible ordeal in her past, can’t settle, and her writing is coming less and less easily. When she receives an invitation to Hill House, a stunning Georgian manor deep in the countryside, it feels like a chance to escape her troubles. Hill House is as beautiful as Nell could have ever imagined but, it turns out, not exactly restful. It seems the manor has its own secrets.

Orphan Kitty Pattison is young, naïve and ready to do her bit for the war effort when she volunteers with the Red Cross and pledges to help those most in need. It’s one of the most nerve-wracking moments of her life, but then she meets fellow volunteers Joan Norfolk and Trixie Dunn, and a bond of friendship is forged in the fire of life on the wards during the Blitz.