Showing results by narrator "Lillian Rachel" in All Categories

After Miss Catherine Tregowyn, poet, and Dr. Harry Bascombe, her bête noire, discover a body in the Somerville College chapel, they are declared suspects in a murder inquiry. How can they prove their innocence? The pair decide they must launch their own investigation into the strangling of Oxford don, Agatha Chenowith. But working as a team will not be easy. Their relations are anything but cordial.

“Mr Darcy, I am eager to hear your explanation for the fact that quite a few people believe we are engaged.” It starts with a bit of well-meant advice. Colonel Fitzwilliam suggests to his cousin Darcy that, before he proposes to Elizabeth Bennet in Kent, perhaps he ought to discuss his plans with their families first. What neither man could have predicted however was that Lord Matlock would write the news to his sister, or that Viscount Saye would overhear and tell his friends, or that his friends might slip a little and let their friends know as well.

Plagued by misfortune, Ingrid Norling treks into the woods to clear her head. She emerges a monster-slayer, the shaken executioner of a creature so ferocious that even the king's strongest warriors could not destroy it. In a land that reveres swords and worships strength, this accidental heroism earns Inge an audience at court and an ill-fated prize: King Halvard impulsively adopts her and names her as his heir.

As a renowned wizard, Fitzwilliam Darcy thinks he is familiar with most of the spells, enchantments, and magic practiced in the wizarding world. When he reluctantly joins his friend Bingley in Meryton, a small town not known for its magic, he is startled to stumble upon the rare gift possessed by Miss Elizabeth Bennet. The daughter of a poor country squire, she possesses a singular talent: She is not only immune to magic, but she can counter enchantments as well.

Pauline Riddell has grand ambitions for her future at the armament factory. So, when her closest workmate reveals a salacious affair with a married man, Pauline refuses to risk her career by listening to the scandal. But, she’s shaken to her core when the police arrive with news of her best friend’s homicide. Desperate for justice, Pauline’s insistent poking into the investigation only makes her the prime suspect. And now, to clear her name, she must unravel a web of deadly clues entangling her in a sinister plot.

Lord Rowles Haywind has always shied away from the spotlight of the dukedom, worried it would bring too much attention to the family secret. Now that he is the new Duke, he has more responsibility than he ever dreamed of. He needs help, but he's not sure he can trust anyone enough. Lady Joan's penetrating insights reassure Rowles as no one ever has. But she has a secret of her own that would cause a terrible scandal. She longs to tell Rowles the truth about her work for the war office, but she's afraid it'll ruin the connection they've rekindled.

‘Tis no secret that Lizzy Bennet has dreams. The uniquely talented daughter of a woman with a dubious reputation, Lizzy knows she must make her own way in a world that shuns her. Fitzwilliam Darcy carries the stains of his family’s dishonor upon his soul, and only by holding himself to the strictest standards has he reclaimed his place in society. If his 15-year-old sister cannot be found quickly, her scandal could destroy years of perfect behavior.

Elizabeth Bennett never imagined her own parents would force her to marry a virtual stranger. But when Mrs. Bennett accuses Fitzwilliam Darcy of compromising her daughter, that is exactly the outcome. Trapped in a seemingly loveless marriage and far from home, she grows suspicious of her new husband's heart and further, suspects he is hiding a great secret. Is there even a chance at love given the happenstance of their hasty marriage?

 North and South follows the young Margaret Hale as she is caught in the middle of the brutal world between employers and local workers following the Industrial Revolution. She finds herself at odds from the very start with John Thornton, a local factory owner and self-made man, as she believes him to be unfeeling and callous about the poverty and suffering of the workers while John sees Margaret as haughty and entitled. Further conflicts arise when the workers strike and Margaret feels compelled to intervene with no regard for her own safety.  

Quinton Errington is perfectly happy teaching at Cambridge, with his elder brother carrying the duties of being the duke of Wesley. But when a trip to celebrate his brother’s last week of bachelorhood ends in tragedy, Quinton, now the duke of Wesley, would give anything to have his brother back. Now, under the most heartbreaking of circumstances, Wesley's would-be bride, Catherine Greatheart, is left wanting. Her only protection left, her grandmother, has fallen ill, and Catherine has nowhere left to turn but to the family she was so close to being part of. 

World-famous detective Hercule Poirot has retired to the English village of King's Abbot, determined to dedicate his little grey cells to the growing of vegetable marrows. But when Roger Ackroyd, a local businessman and former acquaintance, is stabbed to death, the man's niece begs Poirot to investigate. Poirot enlists the local doctor to be his assistant and scribe, and the two of them sift through clues to try to discern the ones that will lead them to the killer.

Dora is a barmaid. Usually her life is fairly simple: She gets up, cleans the inn, feeds the chickens, argues with the increasingly obstreperous cockerel, listens to the woes of her fellow barmaid, avoids doing the laundry, and serves drinks to the motley crew of islanders who lurk about the taproom every night. The same old routine, day in, day out. Tonight, though, is different.

Two women, one ancient Egyptian harem, and the daring decision that changed the course of history. In the opulent court of Egypt’s tenth dynasty, Princess Hagar has always known her destiny. One day, she will marry the Crown Prince Merikare and become the Great Royal Wife, the most powerful woman in Egypt. But dark dreams afflict Hagar the moment she hears of the latest addition to Pharaoh’s harem: The stunning, iridescent Sumerian, Sarai. Princess Hagar feels a powerful presence around the Sumerian woman.

What really lies beneath the waves? Dive into our magical collection of short stories written by award-winning and up-and-coming authors and follow the ocean’s call. Meet murderous kelpies, hear the mermaid’s song, find a kidnapped prince, and explore the beautiful underwater kingdoms. Befriend selkie royalty, break fearsome curses, and swoon as you fall in love. All profits go to Oceana to support their mission to protect the world’s oceans and promote sustainable fishing.

Nigella Parker has a deep-rooted fear of fire and a talent for solving arson cases. When a charred figure is found beside Sir Christopher Wren’s Monument to the Great Fire of London, Nigella is dragged into a case pitting her against a murderous artist creating sculptures using burnt flesh. Nigella partners with Colm O’Leary of Scotland Yard to track the arsonist. The pair are more than colleagues. But their past isn’t the only buried history as they race to connect the dots between an antique nail and a long-forgotten architect dwarfed by the life's work of Sir Christopher Wren.

Adelynn Spencer, a spirited member of the Edwardian London upper class, struggles under the conditions of her engagement to Detective Inspector Baze Ford. But during the gala announcing their betrothal, events take a fatal turn when Adelynn experiences a vivid dream of a man dying with a knife buried in his chest. To her alarm, Baze and his men later discover the man exactly as she witnessed. As Baze wrestles with the decision to harden his heart or take action to protect the woman who means everything to him, Adelynn ventures further into the clutches of magic and murder. 

Young Rachel Verinder inherits a sacred Indian moonstone from her uncle. This extremely valuable gem disappears from Rachel's bedroom soon after a party is thrown in her honor to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. Believed to be stolen, a series of narratives unfold to solve the mystery of the missing moonstone. In true Collins fashion, one cannot get enough of the twists and turns in this intriguing detective story.

In 1896, H.G Wells was stimulated to compose this dystopian fantasy about an obsessed scientist and his efforts to artificially accelerate the intellectual development of animals using bizarre medical procedures involving vivisection.  Wells described the book as "an exercise in youthful blasphemy."

As winter comes to an end, a pod of narwhals begins a treacherous journey north. Along the way, they must find fish to eat, avoid a hungry polar bear, and navigate a maze of sea ice. Will their sensitive long spiral tusks and clicking calls be enough to keep them safe and help them find their way to their summer resting grounds? Discover the mysteries of these amazing toothed whales and their Arctic home in this suspenseful narrative about the majestic unicorns of the sea.

Captain Dylan Blake has spent the last decade fighting for his country. Desperate for a little peace, he sells his commission and returns to England but soon finds himself angry and adrift in London Society. When an old nemesis challenges him to a wager - he must get Lady Natalia Sinclair to dance with him twice in one evening - he is willing to play along. As the lines between the wager and attraction blur, can Dylan and Natalia find the courage to take the biggest gamble of all - love?