Showing results by narrator "Karen Cass" in All Categories

When Juliet Montague's husband disappears, so does she. As far as the conservative Jewish community in which she lives is concerned, she is invisible. She does her best to conform to their rules, but then on her thirtieth birthday she does something unexpected. Instead of the fridge she has scrimped for, she impulsively spends her savings on a portrait of herself.It is the first in a series of portraits that punctuate Juliet's adult life as she joins London's lively post-war art scene and proves to be an astute spotter of talent.

For the townspeople of Poole on the Dorset coast, the war feels like it's right on their doorstep. And with more and more men leaving to fight, one fisherman’s daughter is determined to do whatever she can to help. Peggy volunteers to use her skills on the water to work with the flying boats alongside the RAF based in the harbour. But when she is asked to undertake a special mission, she will have to make a terrible choice – between her duty to her country and her only chance of happiness.

The dowager Viscountess Wingate needs someone to sponsor her niece, Kate, for presentation to Queen Victoria. Frances—who understands society's quirks and constraints as only an outsider can—is the perfect candidate. Kate is charming and intelligent, though perhaps not quite as sheltered as she might first appear. More worrying to Frances is the viscountess's sudden deterioration.

Marriage to Joss Wycliffe was the obvious solution to Eleanor de Tressail’s problems. She had no other way of keeping her grandfather’s debt-ridden estate intact, and she had promised that she would never part with Easterhay. But she hesitated.... For one thing, Joss’ proposal was more of a demand. For another, he made it clear that he was marrying her for the sake of her aristocratic background and not because he wanted her - or even liked her!

To Sophy Marley, it seemed the perfect arrangement. Jonathan Phillips, her kind and understanding boss, was offering Sophy a marriage of convenience. He needed someone to help care for his niece and nephew, and Sophy already loved the children as if they were her own. Her feelings for Jon, however, were less clear. In sharing a roof together, Sophy became increasingly aware of her husband and of her growing desire to make their marriage a real one in every sense.

Matilda, Duchess of Hadshire, was a virtual prisoner of a cruel husband who romanced his mistress right under the duchess's nose. Her only joy was dreaming of the handsome Earl of Torridon - for he, like her, was trapped in a horrid marriage and longed to find true love and happiness. Though she secretly wished for the death of her unkind husband, Matilda never imagined the guilt that would plague her when the illustrious duke was befittingly murdered by his own regular lady! When Matilda turned to Torridon for comfort, she discovered a few surprises in store for both of them.

Just when he'd fobbed off the last brat, another appeared to take her place! Poor Lord Anselm! The dashing bachelor was forever plagued with dying relatives leaving their female children to his care. Indeed, he had squired so many a silly miss from schoolroom to marriage mart that he had sworn off women altogether. The current ward was far and away the worst. Cheeky as only a French girl could be, Yvonne de la Falaise had surely sent her papa to an early grave with her melodramatics and mischief. Thank goodness for her governess, Patricia Cottingham, so calm, so competent.

The handsome but arrogant Lord Charles Hawksborough desperately wanted to catch the infernally insolent thief who had held him up at pistol point on the King's Highway and ridden off with his family's inheritance and jewels. Hawksborough just as desperately tried not to want the piquant and penniless Miss Amanda Colby when this young lady and her twin brother came to stay at his London townhouse at the height of the social season.

Dora O’Brien had a good start in life, but things went bad when she began to mix with the wrong company. Pregnant by her gangster lover, she found herself on the streets and then in the grips of a bent copper called Donny Maguire. When her daughter Angel is born, Dora is already under the influence of drink and drugs and handed around to Donny’s mates. Growing up in the shadow of her mother’s abusive relationship, Angel is nothing like her mother, but when matters turn murderous, Angel is forced to grow up fast, and survival becomes the name of the game.

One year on from the death of her husband, Emma feels no closer to moving forward with her life. Seeking distraction, she quits her job and begins working at the local garden centre. Here, Emma begins to open up and finds herself attending boss Les’ talk on the Titanic. Intrigued, Emma sets out to research who would have arranged the flowers on-board.

On a summer's day, Johanne Vik arrives at the home of her friends Jon and Ellen Mohr and is greeted by a scene of devastation: their young son, left unattended, has tragically fallen to his death. Meanwhile, Oslo is under attack. An explosion has torn the city apart, and newly qualified police officer Henrik Holme is the only one available to attend the Mohr household. As Holme investigates, he casts doubt on the claim that the death was a tragic accident and calls upon Johanne's profiling expertise to understand what really happened.

When spirited Verity Bowman is left a sizeable legacy by her uncle on condition that she spends six months 'in a wholly rational manner', neither she nor her long-suffering attorney Charles Congreve have any idea where it will lead them. Nor, it has to be said, does anyone else. Set in Newmarket and London, A Rational Proposal is the first in the Furze House Irregulars series featuring women of spirit, women of courage, women who don't see why, in this male-dominated Regency era, they should not also play their part in bringing wrongdoers to justice.

Rosie Phillips could be forgiven for not being immediately won over by Tanner Bryant. After all, their first meeting involves him knocking a tray of prawn cocktail over her very expensive dress at a charity event in the grounds of Lucerne Lodge. But little does Rosie know how pivotal that awkward first meeting will be, or how the Lodge will become the unexpected backdrop for a summer spent finding out who she really is, and who she could be.

Charlie Stone and Terry Barton have been blood brothers since the cradle. They grew up in the East End skimming along the bottom of the underworld until Charlie takes over the manor from the local mob and a twist of fate puts him and his best mate on the road to the high life. When Charlie and Terry both marry and have kids, everything is set. Both families have everything they ever wanted. However, things start to turn sour between the families when Charlie’s adopted son, Harlan, starts to cause trouble.

The local society could only speculate how a pair of turtledoves would cope as the guests of the scandalous Lady Dacey. Surely she would attempt to corrupt them - an act that both Pamela Perryworth and Honoraria Goodham would see as welcome entertainment in their rigid, joyless lives. Though Mrs Perryworth is married - most unhappily - and the young Honoraria has a cloying tendency to read too much Scripture, the purity and loveliness of both ladies nonetheless inflames the senses of two notorious lords.

Art dealer Ruby Lambert is on a mission to lose her baby weight ahead of her sister Olivia’s wedding in six months’ time. To add fuel the fire, Ruby has also been ‘honoured’ with the unenviable task of being head bridesmaid. So determined not to let Olivia down, she signs up to a swanky new diet and fitness club, The Bluebell Booty Busters. Uncertain of what to expect, Ruby meets Harry Small, a wealthy local businessman who joins Booty Busters, after pressure from his wife, who’s worried about his health and growing waistline.

Abbey Carter, her boyfriend Sam and their trusty canine companion, Lady, relish living in the picturesque village of Wishwell at the edge of their beloved Primrose Woods. The woods and the country park are full of activity as the festive season approaches. Lizzie Baker is flat out at the Treetops café, serving all sorts of winter warmers, festive goodies and lashings of hot chocolate. And when her daughter and grandchildren arrive to stay, the run up to Christmas is set to be even more magical than she had expected.

Pepper Minesse is a success: a wealthy, stylish businesswoman who commands respect. But she owes that success to a thirst for revenge. Twelve years have given her the ammunition to ruin the four men responsible for the event that destroyed her as a woman - their careers for her lost innocence. At a formal meeting, Pepper offers them an impossible choice between resignation and blackmail.

If you’re struggling with the symptoms of menopause, simply want to take care of yourself well, or looking for support from a friend who knows exactly how you feel, Making Friends with the Menopause will be your guide. It will give you the understanding and confidence you need to navigate this profound change and fully embrace this new chapter of your life with open arms.

Eva Montgomery is at the peak of her career when she is viciously attacked by a stalker. While still traumatised by the event she makes the biggest mistake of her life – one she can never turn back from. Sixteen years later, Eva has managed to rebuild her life in a way that seemed impossible after the attack. Her home in Dorset, high on the cliffs overlooking the sea, is as elegant as Eva herself, but bears none of the scars.