Showing results by narrator "Gabrielle Glaister" in All Categories

Ceylon, 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband, Elliot, a charming, thrill-seeking businessman, seem like the couple who have it all. Except what they long for more than anything: a child. While Louisa struggles with miscarriages, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation overlooking the Indian ocean.

Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners. Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.

She wants to learn everything – about you. Mel has practised law for twenty years. She is well-regarded by her peers. Her clients are happy. But behind the scenes her life is disordered. Her son grows increasingly distant from her. The married man she is sleeping with fails to give her what she needs. When a trainee lawyer is allocated to Mel it is poor timing. The last thing she wants is a pupil watching her every move. And Natasha does watch. She sees each detail – and every mistake. Mel cannot shake the feeling that Natasha isn't just learning the job. She is learning Mel.

Blythe Gifford’s spellbinding medieval romances have captured the hearts of fans and critics alike. Set in 14th-century England, In the Master’s Bed features Jane de Weston, a young woman who decides to disguise herself as a man to gain her independence. What she doesn’t count on is falling for Duncan, the strapping Scotsman who takes her on as his apprentice. When he discovers Jane’s deception, Duncan knows he should send her away, but the yearning he feels for her is begging to be unleashed - and Jane is a very willing pupil.

At the end of a deadly bear hunt across the wilderness of Northern Sweden, the successful hunters are shaken by a grisly discovery. Across in Kurravaara, a woman is murdered with frenzied brutality: crude abuse scrawled above her bloodied bed, her young grandson nowhere to be found. Only Rebecka Martinsson sees a connection.

A woman's body is found on a frozen lake, bearing the marks of grisly torture. Inspector Anna-Maria Mella knows she needs help with the case - the woman was a key player in a mining company whose tentacles reach across the globe. Lawyer Rebecka Martinsson is desperate to get back to work, to feel alive again after a case that almost destroyed her both physically and emotionally.

Once upon a time, a fairy tale went very wrong! This new twist on a traditional children's story is packed with fun, humor, and energy. Little Rude is incredibly cheeky to everyone that she meets. She doesn't even know the meaning of "please" and "thank you!" However, that could all change when she meets a surprisingly polite wolf on her way to Grandma's house. Will Little Rude's constant insults drive even this newly reformed Big Bad Wolf over the edge?

When Kat needs something to distract her from her new baby sister, it's the perfect time to go exploring in the forest. She and Rosie find a baby gem dragon coughing and spluttering in the Crystal Caves. What has made her whole colony so sick, and could it have something to do with the gnomes' new mining machines? It's time to start an anti-pollution campaign—with just a little help from Dr. Hart!

Ivy isn't like most other fairies. She doesn't like sweet-scented flowers, glittery dresses, pretty music, and ballroom dances. How can she fit in when she just wants to rock out? One night Ivy spots a mysterious, monstrous figure silhouetted against the window of Oakleaf's library. It's a boggart! Is this creature up to no good? Or is it an outsider who just wants to be loved for themselves—just like Ivy?

When Poppy arrives by owl-bus for her first day at Oakleaf Academy, she's feeling nervous. Having always lived in a human town, she's never seen so many magical creatures in one place! But she soon makes friends with Jessamy, a talkative sprite, and Lily, an artistic fairy. Getting to know some other members of the class, such as sharp-tongued Azalea, is harder. But could their unfriendly attitudes be covering up a larger secret?

I am Grimalkin, and I have already chosen those I will kill...Grimalkin has made it her lifetime ambition to destroy the Fiend, avenging the brutal murder of her son. Having grudgingly joined forces with the Spook and his apprentice, Tom, and assisted them in the binding of the Fiend, she is now on the run. And her mission is deadly. She has to help them bind the Fiend's spirit for ever no matter who - or what - comes after it.

Leaves rustle underfoot in a dark wood: two middle-aged women walk into a forest, as they did when they were girls, confronting their fears and memories and the strange thing they saw in their childhood - or thought they saw - so long ago. A distinguished obstetrician and young woman artist find they have sharply contrasting ideas about body parts, birth and death; an innocent member of an evening class harbours unexpected view on 'raw material'. The stories in this marvellous collection are by turns funny, spooky, sparkling and haunting.

Azalea the perfectionistic pixie explores a mysterious island ... and learns an important lesson about being kind to yourself. It's time for the annual Oakleaf Academy school trip ... but when the girls are swept out to sea by a storm, they get much more of an adventure than they bargained for. Will they make it home safely? Who are the strange inhabitants of the island where they've landed? And most of all, can they solve the mystery of their disappearing magic?

Rachel Reeves has it all. The perfect family, a rich husband and a gorgeous home. But Rachel succumbs to a mind blowing one-night stand. Instantly regretting her infidelity, Rachel cuts ties with Chris, but he won’t let her go that easily. She erases him from her life until a text from an unknown number changes everything. Someone’s out to destroy everything Rachel holds most dear and they’ll stop at nothing until they do.

The talkative sprite Jessamy accidentally brings an adorable mushroom creature into the school. She knows that she's broken a rule but instead of coming clean she decides to keep it a big secret—even from her friends! But when odd things start happening at the Student Show, she realizes the whole school could be in danger. How can she put things right ... and save the day?

Have you ever felt you possessed a 'sixth sense' or intuition which you've found difficult to explain? Despite man's extraordinary advances throughout history, do you still feel something is missing: a deeper, more spiritual meaning to life? Discover Your Psychic Self addresses these issues and much more by taking you into the realms of greater awareness; it shows you step by step how to uncover your own true potential, using both meditative and physical exercises.

Rachel and Becca are stepsisters living far apart, with little in common. Rachel is the successful one: happily married with three children and a big house. Becca, meanwhile, lurches from one dead-end job to another and has given up on love. The two of them have lost touch, but when Rachel doesn't come home one night, Becca is called in to help. As Becca begins to untangle Rachel's secrets, she is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths.

Kate Kingsley remembers little of her early childhood before being sent to live as the adopted daughter of Jack and Thea in Kenya. Now 20, she leaves Kenya for a new life in London. But this is 1936 - a time of decadence but also turmoil. Kate confronts personal danger, faces conflicting loyalties, and must make a heart-breaking choice before she can find a kind of freedom.

Nell is 26 and has never been to Paris. She's never even been on a romantic weekend away before. Travelling abroad isn't really her thing. But when Nell's boyfriend fails to show up, she has the chance to prove to everyone, including herself, that she can be independent and intrepid. Alone in Paris, Nell finds a version of herself she never knew existed. In this collection of 11 unmissable short stories, Jojo Moyes introduces us to a cast of strong, relatable women in the midst of their everyday lives.

The house has soft, purple wisteria twining around the door. You step inside. The hall is cool after the hot summer’s day. The welcome is kind, and always warm. Yet something makes you suspect life here can’t be as perfect as it seems. After all, the brightest smile can hide the darkest secret. But wouldn’t you pay any price to have a glorious place like this?