Showing results by narrator "Kate Hood" in All Categories

Warm, insightful and poignant, Freeing Grace tells the story of David, curate of an inner-city parish, and Leila, his Nigerian-born wife. Unable to have children of their own, they're desperate for a family. When they finally hear they've been approved to adopt a baby, Grace, they can scarcely believe their good fortune. There's just one problem for which David and Leila cannot plan: Grace's birth family - the enigmatic, charismatic Harrisons.

The valley is nestled between rugged peaks, divided by a magnificent river. Within its peaceful green contours are held the secrets of generations of tribes, families and loners who have come under its spell.

And Then the Darkness is a gripping account of the disappearance in the Australian Outback of English tourist Peter Falconio. His girlfriend, Joanne Lees, was found cut, bleeding and wandering the highway, her hands bound. Joanne's account of her ordeal sparked a frenzy of media interest and the biggest manhunt ever mounted in Australia. Questions arose about the police operation and about Joanne herself.

He straightened his spine, raised his head, and extended his gun arm towards me in a slow, vertical arc. I saw then what he was, and stood still in front of him, for he was here on business. He was a small, serious, stone-eyed angel of mercy. Janet is a skeptic, a journalist; Maxine revels in New Age fantasies; and Ray, a drifter, is a born-again Christian. The common ground is the house they share. But their fragile domestic balance is about to explode amid the smashing of ukeleles, the unexpected ascension of an angel and a sudden shower of jonquils.

On a small coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef two communities come together in an uneasy alliance: a tourist resort and a scientific research station. At first glance, the island is a sexy resort, a naturalist's dream, a diver's delight. But the island holds secrets and dangers as Jennifer Towse soon discovers. When world-famous Isobel Belitas arrives, Jennifer learns to see the world - above and below the sea - very differently.

The awe-inspiring story of the life and mission of Dr. Catherine Hamlin who, with her husband Reg, established what has been heralded as one the most incredible medical programs in the modern world. The Hamlins, both Christians, dedicated their lives to women suffering the catastrophic effects of obstructed labour. The awful injuries that such labour produces are called fistulae, and until the Hamlins began their work in Ethiopia, fistula sufferers were neglected and forgotten.

Monsoon is a journey into the hearts and memories of those caught in a certain time in a particular place. Sandy Donaldson has been working for a volunteer organisation in Vietnam for the past four years. As her contract nears its end, she is reluctant to leave so she invites her oldest friend, Anna, to come for a holiday and discover its beautiful tourist destinations. Both girls have unexplored links to this country.

Juliet's a worrywart, and no wonder! Her little sister, Oaf, follows her around taking notes and singing 'The Irritating Song' all day long. Her parents are always arguing about Dad's junk. Nana's so tired of craft lessons that she starts barbecuing things in the middle of the night. And Juliet's friends, Lindsay and Gemma, are competing to see which of them is Juliet's best friend. Juliet can't fit in any more worries!

The Bay is a beautiful and peaceful town on the Australian east coast; a melting pot of city escapees, alternative lifestylers, feral dropouts, lost souls, backpackers, and men and women in search of love and a new sense of identity. When Sydney corporate wife Holly Jamieson turns 45 she shocks her husband by buying an old house in The Bay with plans to transform it into a charming B & B. What began as a gesture of independence changes her life.

The Kimberley, a land that cradles Australia's ancient treasures, is sanctuary to the mysterious spirits reflected in the oldest rock art in the world. It is also home to a people whose powerful secrets could unlock the future for a modern mankind. Four people are tied up in a mystery so powerful it could change their lives forever.

Tim was a beautiful young man with the mind of a child. Mary Horton was a lonely and bitter middle-aged spinster. They were outcasts in a cruel, unbending world – until their lives were joined and forever altered by the forbidden promise of a very special love.

Swept up by Hollywood in the 1950s, larrikin Australian actor Randy Storm had the looks, charm and talent to take on the world. But by the 1990s he's forgotten, burned out after a life of movie star excess. When producer Michael Matthews meets the once-great Randy Storm, he is surprised to find a man who is at peace with himself. Both he and researcher Janie Callendar set out to discover the source of this inner peace. Meanwhile his agent Ariel Margoles sees a chance for Randy to be a star once more in the hottest Hollywood film of the year.

Blaze exposes the new order of women and power in the cut-throat arena of up-market magazines. The idealistic baby boomers have been pushed aside and it's every woman for herself. An intimate look at four women coping with their private and public lives in the world where scheming and fox cunning seem to beat skill and talent, where sexism and ageism in office politics label women over 30 over the hill. Blaze is the story of women trying to survive, to compete, while maintaining friendships and finding happiness. In this pressure-cooker world, something has to give and for some women it isn't worth the fight.

Australian street kids are the forgotten underclass of society, an ever-increasing pool of children who are often abused, frequently in the clutches of drug dealers, and usually engaged in crime just to make enough money to stay alive. Their childhood dreams of a happy, loving future are lost forever. This audiobook tells of Father Riley's faltering first steps towards helping such children, and his determination to pledge the rest of his life to giving them back their dreams.

When Australian Julie Reagan discovers a book written about wild Malaysia in the 1970s, she decides to find out more about the author – her great aunt. Why did her grandmother refuse to speak about her sister who disappeared from the family, 60 years before? What caused such a severe rift?Julie is invited to stay with her cousins who run the plantation founded by her great grandfather in Malaya a hundred years ago, and she decides to visit in the hope of finding clues to this family mystery.

In July 2009 Jim Stynes, the acclaimed professional Australian-rules football player and administrator, was diagnosed with cancer and given less than a year to live. The diagnosis caught him by surprise. He was 42, healthy, and didn't have time for illness; he was director of the Reach Foundation, president of Melbourne Football Club, father of two primary school-aged kids, and the husband of Sam. Jim's ability to use mind over matter and never give in gave him two extra years on the prognosis. This book is Jim's legacy.

Laura McRae is beautiful, gifted, and madly in love, until at 18 her life is shattered in a few brief moments. Soon it is wartime, a time of racketeering and high stakes...and impulsive marriages. Falling into the arms of Eddie Ashworth seems to be the love Laura has dreamed of, but is her new husband really the man he seems?

Kelly is 17. She's a scholarship girl, her dad drinks too much and her mom lives in another city. Her house isn't renovated like those of her friends. But Kelly has one thing her friends are envious of: Phil. Rich, devoted, handsome Phil. And it looks like their future together is all mapped out. Then, on a hot afternoon in a dingy little pizza shop, Kelly meets Con. He's unlike anyone she's ever known before.

A young Australian woman leaves Sydney for a new world, Guyana, South America. Captivated by Guyana's wild, unspoiled beauty, Madison Wright joins the native Amerindians struggling to preserve their culture against corporate exploitation. But her new-found commitment soon plunges Madison into a mire of murder, drug smuggling and political corruption, and finally, an unexpected love that pits her heart against her beliefs.

Fiery and ambitious, brilliant architect Francey Spinetti is a young woman on her way to the top. When wealthy magnate CJ Ambrose introduces her to his vast North Queensland business empire and a career-scarred local cop, Steve Parish, everything seems to be falling into place, including her love life. But the harsh outback landscape holds more secrets than Francey could possibly have imagined, and more enemies too. CJ's family seem determined to eliminate Francey from the picture—whatever the cost.