Showing results by narrator "Anna Parker" in All Categories

In the aptly titled Offbeat, Richard Matheson, a modern master of strange fiction, offers 13 excursions into the unsettling and bizarre. In these stories you will encounter a major league pitcher with a horrific secret for his astonishing success; an ordinary man who wakes to find himself in a silent, empty world; a death row prisoner with an extraordinary explanation for his innocence; and a novelist whose fictional creations transcend the printed page.

Annie is the eldest daughter of a laundress in Acton, London, raised to keep the rich families of Kensington spick-and-span. As she grows up in poverty in the 1920s and 1930s, her life centres on the family business, working long hours of hard physical labour. When she's not in the laundry she's looking after her younger brother and two stepsisters. But she's haunted by thoughts of her real father and what happened to him. All she knows is that he died in the Great War - her mother will not talk about him, and his very existence is shrouded in secrecy.

Escape deep into the English countryside in this perfect summer's day listen. Fans of Alexandra Potter and Katie Fforde won't be able to resist. Nina Elliot is tired of her life. She's not sure how it happened, but somewhere along the way she lost track of where it was all going. So one fateful day, she makes a brave decision: she's going to leave it all behind. Taking a job deep in the English countryside, Nina does just that.

Eva, Peggy and Kathleen were sisters, living in a terraced house on a rough street. As they grew up, they dreamed of escaping their violent father. Peggy was a studious girl who became a Communist. Beautiful Kathleen married an abusive man and later - during the Second World War - fell in love with a GI. Feisty Eva became a thief as a child so she could help their mother put food on the table - and never lost her rebellious streak or her desire to protect her family. As the years passed, the sisters all lived close together, supporting each other through hard times.

The hilarious follow-up to A Night in with Audrey Hepburn from your favourite new author. Perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond and Sophie Kinsella. After dating the hottest man on the planet, Dillon O'Hara, Libby Lomax has come back down to earth with a bump. Now she's throwing herself into a new relationship and is determined to be a better friend to best pal, Ollie, as he launches his new restaurant.

Alone after the tragic loss of her parents, Felicity finds herself in a relationship with volatile and troubled Jay. Reluctantly drawn in to a twisted revenge plan against Jay's former best friend, Felicity soon becomes trapped, and as Jay turns increasingly controlling and abusive she questions everything he has told her about his past and his former girlfriend Sammie. But when she wants to expose the truth she comes up against an even greater threat: Someone obsessed and dangerous. Someone who has always been in the background of Jay's life. Someone who will do anything for him.

On a bright day at the Epsom Derby, 4 June 1913, Emily Wilding Davison was hit by the king’s horse in one of the defining moments of the fight for women’s suffrage - what became known as feminism’s first wave. The second wave arose in the late-1960s, activists campaigning tirelessly for women’s liberation, organising around a wildly ambitious slate of issues - a struggle their daughters continued in the third wave that blossomed in the early 1990s. Now, 100 years on from the campaign for the vote, a new tide of feminist voices is rising.

An engaging, brilliantly written, bittersweet drama perfect for Rainbow Rowell fans. Five teens are at a 17th birthday party when one of them unexpectedly gives birth in the bathroom. From that moment on, the five find their lives inextricably intertwined with the arrival of the baby. All of them must deal with not only their own feelings but their secrets, too.

All of the young ladies whispered about the Duke of Mondvale in hushed tones, their eyes following his tall, dark figure with barely disguised lust. For the newly-ostracized Lady Constance Thornton, he is magnetic and altogether desirable. Irresistibly so. Since her reputation is already ruined in London society, why shouldn't she be impudent and dance with the scandalous "Lord of Sin"? Little does she know of his plans.

Fate has got it in for Libby Lomax. She realised, far too late, that her best friend, Olly, is the actual Love of Her Life. Now he's in love with the so-nice-it-hurts Tash, and it looks like her happy ending is completely out of reach. Things start looking up when she quite literally runs into the completely gorgeous Joel. Libby discovers that there is more to Joel than his six-pack, not least the incredible fact that he honestly believes he has found his fairy-tale princess in her.

In England's Regency era, manners and elegance reign in public life - but behind closed doors treason and deception thrive. Nicholas Langdon is no stranger to reserved civility or bloody barbarity. After suffering a battlefield injury, the wealthy, well-connected British officer returns home to heal - and to fulfill a dying soldier's last wish by delivering his coded diary.

Hampton Hall's new owner has the villagers of St. Hampton Heath all aflutter - all except Lavinia Ellison. The reverend's daughter cares for those who are poor and sick, and the seventh Earl of Hawkesbury definitely does not meet that criteria. His refusal to take his responsibilities seriously, or even darken the door of the church, leave her convinced he is as arrogant and reckless as his brother - his brother who stole the most important person in Lavinia's world.

Following on the heels of Robert Brockway's comedic horror novel The Unnoticeables, The Empty Ones reveals the next chapter in the lives of a few misfits attempting to fight back against the mysterious Unnoticeables. The Empty Ones follows Carey and Randall to London where they go to rescue Gus and fight more of these mysterious angel-like creatures, and stumble on a powerful and unexpected ally.

Podcast with Impact contains the recipe to amplify your message. This rapidly-growing medium is not just about plugging in a microphone and talking. It is a way to reach and inspire one person at a time. Done well, a podcast can position you alongside world-class leaders in your field and boost your business. Done poorly, it can quickly become a headache and fizzle out. This book gives you the know-how on everything you need to start and launch your podcast properly.

Eleanor Blackwood discovers a woman's body in the same spot in the woods where her mother was strangled eighteen years previously. But before the police can get there, the body vanishes. Is Eleanor's disturbed mind playing tricks on her again, or has her mother's killer resurfaced? And what does the number on the dead woman's forehead signify?

The headless body of a wealthy widow is discovered decomposing in Chelling Forest. Then a second victim is found. Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins and her partner, DS Pete Childs, are assigned the case. Before they can discover the identity of the killer they must make a connection between the two victims. After a third murder, Lorne receives a grisly surprise. Clearly, a vicious serial killer is on a rampage, and Lorne has become the killer's fixation.

Lady Charlotte Featherington is destined for great things on the marriage market. After all, as the beautiful daughter of a marquess, she should have her pick of the eligible nobility when she debuts. She, however, has love at the top of her list of marriageable attributes. And her romantic heart falls hard for one particularly dashing, attentive suitor. Sadly for Charlotte, her noble father intends her betrothed to be someone far more dull. William Hartwell may be a duke, but he knows he was Charlotte's father's pick, not the young lady's own choice.

Tainted by scandal and forced to leave London for the quieter Brighton countryside, the honorable Miss Clara DeLancey is a shadow of her former society self. She's lost the man she loved to another and, in a culture that has no patience for self-pity, is struggling with depression. A chance encounter brings her a healing friendship with the sisters of an injured naval captain.  

Amy and husband Paul are expecting their first baby. They want Amy's best friend, Jack, to be godfather, but having left London to 'find himself' he hasn't been heard from in months. When Jack suddenly turns up, things seem to fit nicely into place, but his motives for returning to Richmond aren't all altruistic. He has a plan, one which could put community hub Pickwicks Coffee Shop out of business and potentially ruin a number of old friendships.

Caro married Jeff because her biggest wish was to be a mother, and he had the means to give their children a better life than she'd ever had. Now they can't conceive, he's terrified he'll lose her. Sharon is eight months pregnant and unsure if she wants to be a mother. Meanwhile, Jeff is desperate for a baby - but what lengths will he go to?