Showing results by narrator "Rachael Beresford" in All Categories

In the fifth edition of his best-selling Very Short Introduction work, Manfred B. Steger considers the major dimensions of globalization: economic, political, cultural, ideological, and ecological. He looks at its causes and effects, and engages with the hotly contested question of whether globalization is, ultimately, a good or a bad thing.  

After 10 years of adventure, Colin Smith, the bastard son of a viscount, returns to the place he most despises - London. But only until he can sell off some of his treasures. He has no use for the stifling rules of the ton, but he's more than happy to play the game if it gets him what he wants.

Sebastian Sinclair, the duke of Wessex, is not in love with Eliza Benton - nor anyone else, for that matter. But he must marry and produce an heir, and love is not required for either. His future duchess must be of high birth and good nature, a lady unlikely to snipe at him over breakfast. In short, the complete opposite of Eliza. So who better to help him find a bride? 

Teenager Edie Hudson was nobody’s little darling, which made vanishing all too easy. Two decades later, she’s been forgotten by everyone except her mother, Samantha. And the person who knows what happened to her. Samantha has had a long time to remember, and to regret. Having seen how little her daughter mattered to the community in the months following her disappearance, she wonders if Edie was lost before she was even gone. Or was it guilt, not indifference, that made the locals turn a blind eye? When she meets Frances, she at last starts to hope for answers.

After failing to return with the Dragon's Heart, Zemira is sent by her father to infiltrate the Court of Blood, in search of the mythical cauldron that contains the power of the long-lost dragon kings. But her deal with Prince Keir bears dangerous consequences - for Keir is determined to gain the cauldron himself. Caught between two deadly enemies, can Zemira save herself? And will Keir ever forgive her for the deception she played upon him?

Lidia De Angelis has kept a low profile since Mussolini's laws wrenched her from her childhood sweetheart. But when the Germans occupy Venice in 1943, she must flee the city to save her life. Lidia joins the partisans in the Venetian mountains, where she meets David, an English soldier fighting for the same cause. As she grows closer to him, harsh German reprisals and Lidia’s own ardent patriotic activities threaten to tear them apart.

The last thing Eleanora Quinton expects when the dead body hits the floor, is love with the son of a duke. As society’s most capable housekeeper, Eleanora has conquered any number of social disasters. But when a dead body falls right into the middle of her mistress’ ball and her son gets kidnapped, the only person who can help her also forces her to face her most crippling fears

Forced into the marriage to help her carry out missions as a female spy, Sarah struggles with accepting her position as a member of high society, a position that seems ill-gained in relation to her lowly birth. The fact that she is secretly in love with her husband, the earl, does not help matters at all. Alec Black, Earl of Stryden, and brilliant spy for the British War Office, cannot speak to his wife, which makes for a rather uncomfortable imprisonment.

Self-help today is a multibillion-dollar global industry, one often seen as a byproduct of neoliberalism and capitalism. Far from being a recent phenomenon, however, the practice of self-improvement has a long and rich history, extending all the way back to ancient China. For millennia, philosophers, sages, and theologians have reflected on the good life and devised strategies on how to achieve it.  

Oliver McCaron, earl of Armbruster, is an influential, self-made man who lives life by his own rules. Though he's never lacking for female attention, there's only one woman he wants. And she's the one woman who won't have him...again. Widowed Lady Fieldhurst has spent the last 17 years avoiding Oliver, after one glorious night together. Her parents had already planned out her life - she was never to become Oliver's wife, despite their plans to run away. To protect her secret, she had to follow their wishes and marry the elderly earl they had chosen.

All Beth has ever wanted is a quiet life for her and her family. And that is what she has, until one evening a note is pushed through the door, with two words scrawled in menacing black ink: Found you. As Beth's neatly crafted life begins to unravel, an unseen menace torments her and those she loves. But who's behind the threats?

Miss Alice Bursnell is determined to wreak revenge on Nathaniel Eastwood, Viscount Abingdon, for the seduction, ruin, and death of her beloved twin sister. But how to expose a seducer without falling prey herself? As she gets closer to Nathaniel, she finds she is in serious danger of following in her sister's much-too-tempted footsteps. 

Lady Virginia Macon, the recently widowed baroness of Heatherton, has an impossible decision to make. Her late husband's unscrupulous brother demands guardianship of her sons. The courts are on his side, unless she marries someone willing to stand in her late husband's place. Locking her heart away and devoting herself to her children is the only way Virginia can countenance such a decision. Wearied by the world, Lucas Calvert, wealthy earl of Annesbury, is tired of being alone. When he learns of Virginia's plight, he knows he can save her and her sons.    

She was the mother of Henry VIII and wife of Henry VII, but who was Elizabeth of York? Raised as the precious eldest child of Edward IV, Elizabeth had every reason to expect a bright future until Edward died, and her life fell apart. When Elizabeth's uncle became Richard III, she was forced to choose sides. Should she trust her father's brother and most loyal supporter or honor the betrothal that her mother has made for her to her family's enemy, Henry Tudor? The choice was made for her on the field at Bosworth.

Lady Jane Haven had to find a reason to survive. Widowed after an abusive marriage, Jane seeks solace in the arms of the one man she has always loved. But her scars run deep, and the physical comfort her lover brings does little to heal her pain. Richard Black, the Duke of Lofton and spy for the British War Office, waited for her, watching as the agony of marriage broke the woman he loved. His instincts tell him to protect her at all costs now that she has come to him, but when Jane stumbles into his current case investigating a bodysnatching ring, his intentions prove harder to keep.

The earthlines speak to Mirasol, but her family has lived in the demesne for centuries, and many of the old families can hear the land. She knows that the violent deaths of the last Master and Chalice have thrown Willowlands into turmoil; but she is only a beekeeper, and the problems of the Circle that govern Willowlands have nothing to do with her - although she wonders what will become of her demesne, because the Master and Chalice left no heirs to carry on their crucial duties.   

Primary school teacher and singer Rosie Tanner has stopped waiting for someone with whom to have a baby. She's diving in and going it alone...although her pregnancy plans are a secret for now. Amber Kingsley's only goal is to stay sober and safe, so any complications like relationships are definitely out. That is, until she accidentally joins a community choir - despite having no musical talent or interest - after laying eyes on beautiful star soloist Rosie.

Nicholas Eastwood is finally about to get everything he ever wanted. As a reward for his service to the Crown, he has been offered the title of marquess. All he has to do is stay scandal-free until the papers are signed. There's just one problem: His ex-lover, presumed dead, is remarkably alive.

She's a plain Jane. He's uber famous. Who's stalking who? Author Sally Speck has it all-a promising career, great friends, a loving family. So when superstar celebrity Tom Darlington takes an interest in her, she thinks, why not? But the fun fling soon turns into a nightmare, as she's relentlessly hounded by the media and harassed by Tom's crazed fans. But more worrying is Tom's increasingly obsessive and frightening behavior.

After years of escaping etiquette lessons in favor of the stables, Christine Devon's grand debut in London is only weeks away, though her deportment lacks the sophisticated polish she needs to achieve her goals of a lofty marriage. Desperate to take her place in society, she needs someone to instruct her in proper behavior. Thomas Gilbert, newly returned from Italy, is ready to begin his dream of founding a horse farm. But during his time away, the estate's finances have dwindled to almost nothing. A chance meeting between them may solve both their problems.