Showing results by narrator "Deborah Balm" in All Categories

After receiving a most unexpected personal invitation for a weekend of leisure and celebration, Miss Victoria Parker leaves London for the country seat of the Duke of Everton. Although unsure as to why a lowly spinster such as she would be invited anywhere by a duke, Victoria's trusted assistant, James Kensington, assures her it must concern her late father’s accounting firm, which she secretly runs.

Betrayed by her fiancé and her best friend, Lady Diana Haversham's reputation is left in ruins, and she is unjustly cast out by her family. Left with little choice, she agrees to pretend to be a courtesan to protect her benefactor's secret. What she didn't count on was meeting temptation in the form of one Lord Lucas Blackthorn. Lucas is fascinated by the shameless Diana, whom his friends claim is his perfect counterpart. He can't stop thinking about her sultry smile and captivating eyes, but what draws him most is the sharp mind she reveals—and the certainty she's hiding something.

When Lady Seliah Phel wakes from a drugged sleep to find herself abandoned by her newly bonded wizard, she vows revenge—and to hunt him down. Tracking him through the familiar wilds of the marshlands of her home is the easy part–learning to use her nascent magical skills is something else entirely. So is facing the vast, uncaring society of the Convocation in a time of brewing war.

Lady Seliah Phel can’t escape feeling like she’s one of those fairytale princesses awakened from a long slumber—except that her life is no romantic story and there’s no happy ending in sight. Though she has her magic and she’s been rescued from the depths of madness that consumed her since adolescence, Selly finds that the years she lost aren’t so easily recovered. Everyone treats her like the child they remember.

The official celebration of All Creatures Great & Small and its incredible setting: the Yorkshire Dales. Featuring an in-depth look at the characters and real-life inspiration for the show, this book tells the fascinating story of the program’s main character: the Yorkshire Dales.

Glynis Solomon came from a long line of angry, broken females. She had fought every day of her young life, to survive the regular outbursts of her violent, alcoholic mother. Barely coping psychologically, she was dragged through the social care system, confused and afraid as her silent rage simmered. She kept herself tightly, like a coiled spring, observing all around her but never speaking. At the age of 10, she was put into long-term foster care with Billy and Jessica Coleman.

Velina has escaped the workhouse on the hunt for one thing: the witch who can grant her wish to live a normal life. Born with silver hair and noticeably pointy ears, she's passed from workhouse to workhouse since she can remember—shunned for her mysterious heritage. But the witch’s cottage she finds at the edge of the wood is abandoned, and as soon as she starts making herself at home, someone else comes calling: a noble with a wish of his own. With the promise of his coin, she agrees to help him when she starts noticing something strange about the cottage.

This gripping anthology gathers classic American short fiction where deception is an art, truth is perilous, and crime often wears a human smile. From a real-life axe murder on a lonely New England island to calculated impostures, whispered rumors, political terror, and crimes born of obsession, these stories explore the dangerous motives that surface when masks begin to slip.

On what seemed like an ordinary morning, Carrie finds herself in the crossfire of a violent bank robbery. As the horrible scene plays out before her experienced eyes, she must find a way to survive the encounter, and save the day.

Bev may not know who she was before she showed up in the quaint village of Pigsend five years ago, but that doesn't bother her much. She's made a tidy little life for herself as the proprietor of the Weary Dragon Inn, where the most notable event is when she makes her famous rosemary bread. But when earthquakes and sinkholes start appearing all over town, including near Bev's front door, she's got to put on her sleuthing hat to figure out what—or who—might be causing them before the entire town disappears.

Annie Besant’s magnetic eloquence is brilliantly apparent in this volume of her writings and lectures on the spiritual life. The welfare of humanity and the world around us is our utmost concern, says Besant, and the primary tool of transformation is our own consciousness. Our inner life must change if outer conditions are to be improved. Besant illuminates the way with topics such as calmness of mind, devotion, knowledge, karma, reincarnation, and Divine Law. Quotes from poetry and the world’s scriptures provide additional inspiration.

The Harvest Festival is the most-anticipated event in the quaint village of Pigsend, and Bev and the Weary Dragon Inn are ready to welcome visitors from near and far. But when strange occurrences begin happening, including the destruction of Bev's beloved herb garden, Bev's got to put her sleuthing hat back on to uncover the truth.

Murder and mayhem abound in this thrilling return to the 1930s as a young woman uncovers her own connection to the power and magic of her ancient Egyptian ancestors.

On the Greek island of Spetses, author Kenneth Graham is trying to finish his novel. Not impressed by the place, he wants to finish his work quickly and return to civilization. But after the local history, customs, and mysteries draw him in, Kenneth meets the enigmatic Kyria, who is unlike any woman he has ever met. His internal conflicts soon become stronger. Kyria and the island have a hold on him he does not understand, and fact and fiction begin to blend. What malign presence does the island hold, and can Kenneth get to the bottom of it?

Love. Loss. Revenge. What secrets lie buried in the desert sands? What hidden secrets are revealed when blood is spilled? Torn between love and betrothal, and death and survival, Muni is a young woman of privilege and comfort thrown into a world of betrayal, revenge, and otherworldly, supernatural forces. Her journey leads to grim discoveries, heartbreaks, and the fantastic as she learns to unlock not only the power within, but also that from a time long forgotten. Will the sins of the past seal her fate, or secure her destiny?

Summer has arrived in Pigsend, and it’s not just the sweltering temperatures putting everyone on edge. It’s the sixth anniversary of the war ending, and a cadre of soldiers is camping north of town to keep the peace and monitor for strange activity. Rumor has it a rebellion is brewing, one that threatens to plunge the country back into war—not that anyone in Pigsend is keen on that. At the Weary Dragon, Bev’s playing host to the usual set of travelers, including butcher Vellora’s old commander Andres.

Two women. Two forbidden loves. One unforgettable London season. Augusta flees a forced marriage to chase independence as a modiste. Mariana is an earl's daughter with her heart set on an unsuitable—but brilliant—man. As their worlds collide amid scandal, secrets, and stolen moments, both women must risk everything for a chance at love. A sweeping Regency romance with two deliciously defiant heroines and the men they were never supposed to love.

It is 742. The throne is empty; the pagan states are in rebellion, Charles Martel's widow and youngest son have been imprisoned, and trust between Carloman and Pippin—the two brothers who remain in power—has been shattered. Making matters worse, the Church is secretly conspiring to place a Merovingian on the throne and Charles' daughter Hiltrude has wed the leader of the rebellion—giving him the legitimacy of Charles' legacy. Based on a true story, Wheel of the Fates picks up where the award-winning Anvil of God leaves off.

Isobel: High-flying business woman in her mid-40s. Driven. Confident. Always puts her shining career before a nonexistent sex life. She knows exactly what she wants, but has never found a man capable of playing out her most secret erotic desires.

In Women in Business, you will discover actionable, experience-based advice on how to overcome personal and professional challenges; an exploration of the common themes that repeat themselves in each woman's experiences, and how understanding these themes can help you identify and overcome them in your own life; how having a strong "why" can give you the power to overcome any obstacle, and how one woman's "why" enabled her to make 18 months work of progress in just three months; and more.