Showing results by narrator "Olivia Darnley" in All Categories

The fire is on, sherry poured, presents wrapped, and claws are being sharpened. In a seaside cottage perched on a cliff, one family reunites for Christmas. While snow falls, a tyrannical widowed matriarch presides over her unruly brood. Her niece tends to her whims, but fantasises about eloping; and as more guests arrive, each bringing their secret truths and dreams, the Christmas tree explodes, a brawl erupts, an escape occurs - and their 'midwinter madness' climaxes.

Lolly Willowes, so gentle and accommodating, has depths no one suspects. When she suddenly announces that she is leaving London and moving, alone, to the depths of the countryside, her overbearing relatives are horrified. But Lolly has a greater, far darker calling than family: witchcraft.

Emma loved her life in the seaside village of Silver Cove. But when the discovery of sunken treasure ignited a feud between her family and that of Luke, her first love, everything fell apart. Heartbroken and betrayed, she fled. Now, as she wades into the sparkling surf for the first time in fifteen years, she remembers everything she loved about this beautiful place. Then a huge wave knocks her off her feet. Dripping wet, Emma is rescued by none other than Luke–who is, to her dismay, even more handsome than ever.

Since they were kids, Edie, Jake and Ryan have been the closest of friends. It's been the three of them against the world. Edie thought the bonds between them were unbreakable. So when Jake is brutally murdered and Ryan accused of the crime, her world is shattered. Edie is alone for the first time in years, living in the remote house that she and Jake shared. She is grief-stricken and afraid—with good reason. Because someone is watching.

When Adderley discovers Ef - a being who seems part human and part fish - in the river by her home, she is drawn into an adventure that challenges everything she's learnt about the world. Ef is searching for a special stone that she says has been stolen from her people. Could this be the key to the drought that is destroying Adderley's home? Together, Adderley and Ef resolve to recover the stone and return it to its true home, but the river waters are not always on their side and the journey is filled with danger.

When 23-year-old Meggie meets distant and enigmatic Sabine, she recognises in her the person she would like to be. Giving up her daytime existence, her reliable boyfriend and the trappings of a normal life in favour of working the same nightshifts as Sabine could be the perfect escape for Meggie. She finds a liberating sense of freedom in indulging her growing preoccupation with Sabine and plunges herself into another existence, gradually immersing herself in the transient and uncertain world of the nightshift worker.

Maggie and Liz may be sisters (and yes, named after a pair of much more famous siblings) but that's about all they have in common. Maggie is a free spirit - travelling the world, flitting through life and relationships without ever really having to connect. Liz, meanwhile, is the lynchpin of Little Martin village society and determined to be the perfect wife, mother and homemaker - even if she does live in a new build. When Liz and Maggie's beloved grandmother, Queen Vic, dies in a characteristically flamboyant fashion, they are left to deal with the aftermath - inheriting the family home.

Frank hasn't spoken to his wife Maggie for six months. For weeks they have lived under the same roof, slept in the same bed and eaten at the same table – all without words. Maggie has plenty of ideas as to why her husband has gone quiet. But it will take another heart-breaking turn of events before Frank finally starts to unravel the secrets that have silenced him.

Oriane is the skylark, and the sun only rises if she wills it. Every morning, she transforms from woman to bird, calling the dawn with her song. Seclusion has kept her safe her whole life – but it has also left her lonely, and craving freedom. When Oriane finally succumbs to the lure of the wild unknown, she is discovered in the gardens of the royal palace, where she is taken in by the king and treated like a goddess – and a prisoner.

Glamorous Margot Jones is the fashion editor at glossy women's magazine Haute and pregnant with her first child. Margot's used to her carefully curated life being the object of other women's envy - who wouldn't want her successful career, loving husband, beautiful house and stylish wardrobe? Maggie, a freelance journalist, certainly knows she doesn't measure up. So when Margot gets in touch to suggest she apply for her maternity cover at Haute, Maggie seizes the chance at living a better life - even if it's only temporary.

Though Christians affirm that the Old Testament bears witness to Christ, how the Old Testament writers did this is a matter of extensive debate. Furthermore, Christian biblical scholars also debate the degree to which contemporary interpreters of the Bible can follow the hermeneutics of the New Testament authors in using the Old Testament to point to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Five Views on Christ in the Old Testament is the first book to bring together in conversation the major views on how the Old Testament points to Christ.

Penny and Jake live in a beautiful home in a beautiful neighbourhood with their beautiful baby boy. It's the perfect life. Except that Penny is desperately lonely and can't shake the feeling that she isn't bonding with her baby like she should be. So when Celia moves in across the street with her husband, Pete, and their gorgeous children, Penny is delighted to have a friend. But things aren't quite what they seem behind closed doors. Because Celia and Pete have a secret. And the truth threatens to devastate everyone around them.

Hannah has been married to Graham since they were eighteen - a union of desperation to escape their strict families. He's the only man she's ever kissed and honestly, she's not sure he's any good at it. But fourteen years of washing his underwear is more than enough to kill the romance. Well, that and the fact that he's got a work colleague pregnant. Hannah's new-found freedom is an opportunity to finally put herself first, and a trip to Spain sounds like the perfect start.

For Rich, life is golden. He fizzes with happiness and love. But Rich has an incurable brain tumour. After Rich dies, his wife, Ruth, can't see how to how to keep living and their young son, Ollie, is intent on working out the meaning of life. Because everything happens for a reason. Doesn't it? Rich leaves behind a family without a father, a husband, a son and a best friend. And he also leaves behind a present for each of them. But while Ollie tries to understand the message within each present, Ruth finds herself adrift.

In the archives of the national library, a young researcher named Linda sees a nine-year-old girl's face in the pages of a yellowed newspaper, and the seed of an obsession is planted in her mind. Birgitta Sivander was brutally murdered on a warm May night in 1948. The murderer was never found. Linda feels a deep connection to Birgitta, and in the months that follow she compulsively researches the case. All the while, a life is taking root inside Linda; she is to have a daughter of her own. As she grapples with the terror and wonder of motherhood, she gradually pieces together Birgitta's story.