Showing results by narrator "Madeleine Brolly" in All Categories

This village isn’t large enough for the both of them… Dr. Arthur Vaughn wants a quiet life far from the chaos of the city. Just a simple country living where he can focus on his work rather than cutthroat competition and infuriating social politics. And when his friend tells him of an opportunity in a distant village, Arthur can’t leave London fast enough. Oakham is just what the doctor ordered. Especially after he stumbles upon an intriguing and all-too appealing lady with a talent for medicine. If only he could find a way to talk to her without tripping over his words…

Sadie Vaughn has long admired Howard Gibson, but after his fiancée jilts him at the altar, she refuses to be his consolation prize. But his mother has other ideas. Convinced that Sadie is the perfect wife for her son, she’s determined to push them together by any means necessary—whether they like it or not. Howard may be a fool, but Walter Reed is not. Sadie is and always will be his first choice, but his debilitating shyness makes him seem more dour grump than lovesick beau, dooming their courtship before it even starts. And his mother is done waiting.

Staff wanted. Prospects excellent. Death - or worse - a certainty. When fourteen year old Rosie is knocked down one foggy evening, Dr Margaret Demeray suspects she had been escaping procurers masquerading as an employment agency. But the police are more interested in the cold blooded murder of a respectable man than the procurement of naive, impoverished girls, and Rosie won’t talk, other than to beg Margaret to stop her friend Violet being caught by the same people. Then the discovery of a dead boy during one of Fox’s missions raises more questions than it answers.

Six years ago, tragedy tore Eloise and Patrick apart. Shouldering the burden of his brother’s death, he spent years drinking himself into oblivion. Now freed from that darkness, Patrick Lennox returns to reclaim the heart of the young lady he left behind. Eloise Andrews has enough troubles in her life without Patrick stirring things up. Her mother is a heartless beast who controls every aspect of her life, and Eloise is determined to break free of her - even if it means destroying the perfect reputation her mother is desperate to save.

190 AD Pecunia: an insignificant town in west Britain. Romano-Briton Lucretia is determined that her get-rich-quick scheme will not be undermined by minor things like her husband’s death, dubious imposters, or her married daughter’s fascination with a celebrity gladiator. But when the bodies start to mount up, wise-woman Tryssa starts to ask questions. Certain that a forgotten goddess cannot be blamed, Tryssa needs to uncover the truth before another life is lost.

The oldest bonds are the hardest severed. When Fabio’s aunt Lucretia flexes her match-making muscles, he seeks escape from a marriage to shy, bored Adriane. Luckily, his friend Petros needs help investigating a possible rebellion in Vademlutra. All Fabio has to do is pretend to be poor and keep his wits about him. Certain there’s nothing to investigate, Fabio settles down for a week in the tavern until a lost young woman in the woods captivates him. Where is she from and why is she so keen to die?

Seven years ago, Lady Lydia Whiting married for the good of her parents, and widowhood was supposed to mark the beginning of her freedom. But when her husband spurns her from beyond the grave and cuts her from his will, her parents are determined to force her into another wretched marriage of convenience. Fleeing is the only option. Robert Bradshaw has a good, quiet life. Work and his daughter are all he needs, even if others think he ought to remarry. Why should he? His beloved wife was an angel among men, and no other could compare—especially a young widow who is more mouse than woman.

Charity Baxter is trapped in a cage of her own making. After being the tyrant of society for years, she fell from grace—and fell hard. Now, she is overlooked at the best of times and openly despised at the worst of it. Though troubles have a way of changing a person for the better, no matter how she tries to repair her reputation, no one is willing to believe her change of heart. And matters are only made worse when an irritating naval officer appears in town, determined to pester her. Odious man! Why can he not leave her be?

Collected by the author, these stories from the yoga and Zen traditions are the flint and steel that strike a spark that lights up the mind with insights that one should ponder to bring to light ever deeper meaning. They may be similar in intent to Zen koans - but they are rather different in content. In many Zen koans, someone says or does something extraordinarily inappropriate, which catches your attention just because it's extraordinary - but afterwards the light from them has to be applied to daily life.

With Lucretia’s family busy arguing about money, any possibility that an old ring bought in the forum might be important is pushed aside until Lucretia’s cousin is poisoned and the local magistrate Amicus starts to raise questions. As the past starts to catch up with the present, Tryssa must help Amicus discover who would kill rather than reveal long-buried truths...and what those truths actually are.

Marcus isn’t an ordinary 13-year-old. He’s a half vampire, with incredible special powers. And together with his friends, Tallulah and Gracie, he hunts and fights a totally evil enemy: the deadly vampires, who are out to destroy all humans and half vampires. But something strange has happened to Marcus. He’s lost his memory and can’t remember anything about his previous life as a vampire hunter. Tallulah and Gracie are seriously worried.

Rosanna Leigh must find a husband. For her sake, she wants a happy marriage and a quiet life, but her parents demand a gentleman of consequence. Preferably a nobleman. At the very least, a wealthy heir. Certainly not a dashing servant with a smile that makes Rosanna’s heart skip a beat. And despite her better judgment, she finds herself drawn to him…

1941. Hitler unleashes Operation Barbarossa, taking the German forces to the outskirts of Moscow. Fearful of Lenin’s mausoleum falling into enemy hands, Stalin orders Lenin to be moved a 1,000 miles behind the Urals. Caught up the web of intrigue is beautiful Allied spy Eva Molenaar. She uncovers a plot involving a Hollywood mogul, Hitler’s propaganda machine, and a Nazi spy ring to bring Lenin’s body out of Russia for a propaganda coup.

Benjamin Leigh is at a crossroads. Having reached his majority, his parents expect him to do his duty and break the entail that keeps them from selling off bits of the family’s estate. Doing so would destroy his family’s legacy, but to deny his parents would bring their wrath down upon his head.

Between keeping his father from bankrupting their mill and managing his mother’s and sisters’ fretting, David Archer has enough on his plate, thank you very much. Love and marriage never crossed his mind. But when a chance encounter at a masquerade throws the perfect lady in his path, David knows he’s found the woman of his dreams. No other will do.

Irish Luck, Chinese Medicine is about improbable allies: an Irish single mother and a Chinese physician. Set against the backdrop of the Catholic Church in 19th Century America, it’s the story of how entrepreneurship and strength become a gateway for family survival despite injustice, tragedy, and ill-fated love. Follow the journey of a woman finding her strength as she rescues her sons from child labor and saves her family’s inheritance, only to risk everything for the man she loves.

Natasha is a woman with a problem. The party lifestyle that she enjoyed with her partner, Helen, is about to come crashing to an abrupt end. While she battles with her addiction, she meets the charismatic Caroline who has the way of life that she yearns for. As Helen resists all change, Natasha searches for the bridge to a better life and finds herself facing hard choices.

Evelyn Finch has given up on love. Finding a man to dance with her was difficult enough; finding one to spend his life with her was impossible. Better to embrace spinsterhood and rid herself of that false hope. No man will see her in a romantic light. But when a dashing gentleman sweeps into her life, reigniting her dreams, Evelyn can’t help but wonder if her greatest wish will finally come true.

Courageous or foolish? Marian Wakefield hadn’t thought herself either, but when she confessed her love to her closest friend, Marian discovered she had a hearty helping of both. And a broken heart to boot. No man shall ever secure her affection as he had, but with spinsterhood looming, her father gives her a choice—find herself a husband or he will do it for her. Must Marian settle for a marriage of convenience? Why does fate hate her so?

When Silas Byrnes married, he wasn’t expecting a happy ending for him and his wife. Theirs was a union of duty and not love, but fourteen years of marriage had been a misery for them both. Luckily the navy rarely allowed him time ashore. Now widowed, Silas has no choice but to return to a house that doesn’t feel like home and reclaim his children, who are determined to hate him as their mother did.