Showing results by narrator "Rosalind Steele" in All Categories

Growing up, sisters Libby and Nicky never knew who they’d find at breakfast. Their parents fostered children of all ages, and although the girls loved playing their part in providing a safe haven, it meant that life was rarely peaceful. Now as a single mother of two, Libby’s life is still anything but peaceful.

Emma has four younger sisters, all of whom are married or getting married, and an Italian mother who can’t understand what is ‘wrong’ with her eldest daughter, who seems to be stranded on the shelf. Despairing of her own ability to find a suitable husband, Emma agrees to be part of a compatibility project to get married at first sight.

When Jessie left home at eighteen, she swore she’d never go back. But when life takes a turn for the complicated, she’s forced to move in with her twin, Isaac, and his two best friends. To her dismay, one of these is Elliot, the boy Jessie once loved, until his life was changed forever by a terrible accident that Jessie still blames herself for.

Emmie Brown has always known she was adopted. Nellie Brown sacrificed everything to make their life together comfortable and, while not the most demonstrative or warm woman, Emmie never doubted her devotion. But, when Emmie finds a stash of letters and a hidden photo after her mother’s death, everything she has believed changes in an instant. And she won’t be able to rest until she finds the mysterious ‘G’ who sent the letters.

After the end of a long-term relationship, local weather girl Bea Armstrong has been avoiding her family, and their inevitable 'I-told-you-sos'. But with Christmas fast approaching, she is finally on her way home to Charis House, the school in Sherwood Forest that her mum and dad run in their old family home. And to top it all off, the insufferable Henry Fairfax—who her parents have always wanted her to marry—has also been invited.

As Faith tries on her future mother-in-law’s wedding dress in preparation for her own wedding, her tears are not of joy. The hideous frock is nicknamed ‘The Ghost Web’ by Faith’s best friend Marilyn, who can’t understand why Faith would even consider wearing it. But there’s a lot Marilyn doesn’t know about Faith – not the least of which is that Faith is just the latest of the names she has called herself.

With World War II looming, four young people sit on a train waiting to be evacuated to a safer place...but they don't want to go. They climb out of the carriage window and head back to Greenwich, forming an unlikely friendship. They spend their days trying to be useful. Laurence is building a secret machine. Gemmy searches bombed-out homes for things of value—only to find an adorable mutt she can't even give away. Franklin wants to join the Fire Service, although it means lying about his age. Olive looks after her father, who is broken by the deaths of his fellow firefighters.

A dark tale of hubris, lust, and self-destruction… as told by a man who famously fell prey to those same impulses in his own life. Oscar Wilde wrote his original interpretation of the Biblical story of Salomé in French, and the play was so controversial that no theatre in England would produce it for nearly four decades. Includes a conversation with director Michael Hackett and Wilde scholar David Rodes. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production.

An expert at keeping moving, with her trusty motorhome and faithful dog Muffin, Sophie has built her life around keeping her loves and loyalties to a minimum. Fabulous fifty-something Hattie Langford has kept her heart and past safely stored away too. But for reasons she’s only willing to share with a stranger, Hattie needs to tell the story her family has been hiding at Riverbend, their home in Sherwood Forest. There is a history of heartbreak and hurt that Hattie is now ready to face.

At 25, Daisy May’s life is not living up to expectations. Her childhood dreams of being an artist feel as unachievable as a committed relationship or managing to save enough money for a deposit on a house. But a surprise inheritance could change all that. After Daisy learns she’s now the new owner of a forty-foot narrow boat, she sets out for Wildflower Lock, where the fresh country breeze and the calm water is enough to assure her everything will be okay. With the help of the ruggedly attractive, yet grumpy riverman, Theo, she begins to work on her new home, the September Rose.

Thirty-three-year-old Ruth Henderson and her daughter Maggie have some hard choices to make. Following the tragic death of Maggie’s father, they are left with a mountain of debt and broken hearts. So, despite her vow never to return home after the fall-out from her teenage pregnancy, Ruth can’t see any option other than for the two of them to move back in with her parents.

Verity is embarking on a better-late-than-never gap year now that her sons have flown the nest, and dreams of turning a lifetime's hobby of knitting and crocheting into a profitable new enterprise at Lerwick Manor's gallery. Nessie has returned to Shetland after two years spent retraining as a blacksmith on the Scottish mainland. She's determined to do whatever it takes to reignite the traditional craft and prove that gender is no obstacle taking on her family's heritage.

With a past she’s desperate to leave behind and a baby on the way, she’s found a new home, deep in the forest, hidden from the world. But when the time comes to go to the hospital, she has no idea that Beckett, the quiet, steady taxi driver who braves the blizzard to reach her, will change everything. As Mary adjusts to life with her newborn, she finds herself drawn into a local close-knit community she never expected to be part of. Beckett is always there ­– dependable, patient and offering a friendship she doesn’t know how to accept but slowly comes to rely on.

When straight-laced London accountant Rebecca Bradshaw arrives at neglected Highland Hall armed with spreadsheets, strategies, and a surefire plan, she has absolutely no intention of mixing business with pleasure. But the estate's brooding groundskeeper, Duncan MacDuffrey, is a variable she hadn't accounted for.

They were destined to be best friends. The four girls – all born that same hot summer. They predicted a safe and happy life for them all…More than thirty years later, it’s more than an unbreakable friendship – it’s more like a sisterhood. It’s the girls who Jess reaches out to because she’s worried about her grandparents who’ve raised her since her mother disappeared, who Erin tells about her new business idea, who Melissa calls to say she’s desperate to escape her toxic job. But then Chantelle messages saying she’s discovered her husband is having an affair.

Five authors have gathered at the idyllic Lakeside Cottage for a retreat, with the promise of peace and dedicated writing time. At least, that's the idea . . .As the collective word count grows, and their personal stories interweave, each woman finds herself drawn in unexpected and life-changing directions.

Ten years after her boyfriend Mitch’s mysterious disappearance, Rebecca finally learns the truth about what happened. When he finally returns, a happy ending appears within their grasp but there is no escape from the past. And Arthur, Rebecca’s friend who has formed an unhealthy obsession with her, has no intention of letting her go. When Arthur realises that Mitch is the only person standing in the way of his happiness, his thoughts turn to murder.

Holly Berry is finally in a place where she can see her happy ending: a beautiful daughter, who's growing ever sweeter by the day, a new home she can make her own, and – of course – her partner-in-crime, Evan. But when tragedy strikes, Holly’s life is thrown into turmoil. And, perhaps in denial, she decides to cancel all of her Christmas plans in favour of some healing of her own. She thinks spending time with Evan’s family will help, but it’s her own family she needs to be with right now. Luckily, they know this, and follow her out to the States to join her in her alternate holiday plans.

As friends gather for a hen weekend, they are all smiles, but cannot hide the web of tension that bubbles beneath the surface. The group was forever broken by the devastating loss of their childhood friend, Becca. The prettiest and most powerful of them all, her absence lies at the heart of this fractured friendship. Now, decades later, someone wants to expose the truth about what happened, and will stop at nothing to reveal the secrets long since buried.

My son George is everything to me, but he’s slipping away, and no one can tell me why. Every test comes back inconclusive, every doctor leaves me with more questions than answers. I’m terrified – each day brings new fears, and my heart aches knowing how much he’s suffering. Then Barbara appears – my biological mother, a stranger for most of my life. She’s in poor health, struggling with the weight of her past, and her sudden arrival stirs a mix of emotions in me. Part of me wants to believe she’s here to help, but I can’t shake the feeling there’s something very wrong.