Showing results by narrator "Victoria Fox" in All Categories

London, 1991: Alex Johns, trainee art intern at the Courtauld, believes a hidden secret lies within Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas—one of the most written about paintings of all time. Her own mother died in mysterious circumstances while trying to uncover its secrets and Alex is troubled by memories of her own encounter as a child with the girl in the painting—the Infanta Margarita—who continues to haunt her. Alex must take up her mother's work and find evidence to uncover the truths within the canvas

When Alessia accompanies her Italian grandmother, Ornella, on a trip to the beautiful island of Ischia, she’s amazed to discover Ornella worked on the set of the 1950s movie, Castello D’Amore. Getting to know charismatic journalist Roberto, Alessia starts to suspect a link between the film set and the untimely death of Ornella’s teenage sister Maria. As Roberto digs deeper, Alessia is torn between helping the man she is falling in love with and guarding her grandmother’s secrets.

In ten dazzling stories, Saba Sams dives into the world of girlhood and immerses us in its contradictions and complexities: growing up too quickly, yet not quickly enough; taking possession of what one can, while being taken possession of; succumbing to societal pressure but also orchestrating that pressure. These young women are feral yet attentive, fierce yet vulnerable, exploited yet exploitative.

When Lilian finds a parcel on her grandad's doorstep, she is shocked to see who sent it: a famous Egyptologist, found dead that very morning! The mysterious package holds the key to a story about a king whose tomb archaeologists are desperately hunting for. Lilian and her friends must embark on an incredible journey to return the package to its resting place, to protect those they love, and to break the deadly pharaoh's curse.

February 1941. After months of bombing raids in London, 12-year-old Olive Bradshaw and her little brother, Cliff, are evacuated to the Devon coast. The only person with two spare beds is Mr Ephraim, the local lighthouse keeper. Desperate to be helpful, Olive becomes his post girl, carrying secret messages (as she likes to think of the letters) to the villagers. But Olive has a secret of her own. Her older sister, Sukie, went missing in an air raid, and she’s desperate to discover what happened to her.

When Rosa and Bee get together in the run-up to Bee's wedding, they reminisce about the holiday they took together as teenagers to the beautiful Greek island of Paros. They remember the sandy coves; the guest house in the converted windmill where they stayed with their friend, Iona; and the gorgeous local men. As memories of that long-forgotten holiday resurface, they are forced to confront the turns their lives have taken - and the guilt they both feel about letting Iona slip away from them.

Louise has had to watch her husband, Andrew, start a new family in the four years since he left her. The ‘other woman’ is now his wife - but Louise isn’t ready to let Caz enjoy the life that was once hers or to let go of the man she still loves. As Louise starts to dig into Caz’s past, the two women’s pretence of civility starts to slip. But in trying to undermine each other, they discover more about the man they both married. And when Andrew is murdered at a family party, both women are found standing over the body. It’s always the wife. But which one?

How far would you go for love? When new boyfriend Jack stands her up at the airport, Ruby Miller dries her tears, jumps on the Eurostar and heads to Paris. She thinks she's going there to visit an old friend and have a total break from romance. But the City of Love has other ideas. A locked apartment where time has stood still, a bundle of long-lost love letters and a flirtatious French lawyer sweep Ruby into a mystery that spans over 70 years.

In 1932, Wanny Woldstad, a young widow, travels to Svalbard, daring to enter the Norwegian trappers’ fiercely guarded male domain. She must prove to Anders Sæterdal, her trapping partner who makes no secret of his disdain, that a woman is fit for the task. Over the course of a Svalbard winter, Wanny and Anders will confront polar bears, traverse glaciers, withstand blizzards and the dangers of sea ice, and hike miles to trap Arctic fox, all in the frigid darkness of the four-month polar night.

“The Persians are coming…” Hearing these words, Gorgo of Sparta is plunged into a dangerous world of vengeful gods and invincible heroes. For a mighty empire threatens Athens, Sparta and all who stand in its path... Calling on the ancient power to transform into a wolf and the blood of Zeus that runs through her veins, Gorgo must lead her nation in one of history's greatest wars. Multi-award-winning author Tom Holland and acclaimed illustrator Jason Cockcroft boldly weave myth and history in this dramatic tale of Greeks and Gods.

Emily needs to work out why magic is leaking from the Midnight Hour - but her shape-shifting Pooka relatives and a terrifying haunting aren't making things easy, not to mention the fact that she's supposed to be grounded. Officer-in-training Tarkus and pet hedgehog Hoggins are on hand to help - but if they can't work out what's going wrong, it will be the end of the midnight world....

Jane has given up on love. She might have uncovered the news scandal of the year, but she's also been dumped by boyfriend Simon...and has spent the last month avoiding him at the office. With Christmas fast-approaching, Jane's heart is no closer to mending. But Jane's boss has other plans for her. She needs someone to go on a luxurious press trip to Norway to cover the story of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, and she's selected Jane to go.

Gemma is about to risk it all for the man she loves. Will she survive entering into a life of crime? Gemma has always been there for Nathan. He's the love of her life and she made a commitment to him, one she'd never consider breaking... until smooth-talking gangster Alfie Watson comes into their lives and changes everything. Alfie doesn't care about true love – he wants Gemma, and the gangster always gets what he wants. When Nathan ends up owing him money, Alfie gets payback by recruiting Gemma to carry out a jewelry heist. To everyone's surprise, she's a natural.

Amihan lives on Culion Island where some of the inhabitants, including her mother, have leprosy. Ami loves her home with its blue sea and lush forests, but the arrival of Mr Zamora changes her world forever as Ami is banished from the island. She seeks to return before her mother's death. Can the colony of butterflies lead her home before it's too late?

After committing an audacious act of revenge for her brother's murder, Disa flees with her son, Sindri, through the fjords of Iceland. She has already endured the death of her loved ones. Now she must run to save her son and her honour. In a society where betrayals and revenge killings are rife, all Disa has is her pride and her courage. Will it be enough for her and her son to escape retribution?

Abandoned at Chipchase’s Travelling Circus as a baby, Louie dreams of becoming a showstopper, a tightrope walker-- The Girl Who Walked on Air--she just needs to be given a chance. And the circus needs her, too--Wellbeloved’s rival show is stealing their crowds.

Reluctantly Mr. Chipchase lets Louie perform. She is a sensation and gets an offer from the sinister Mr. Wellbeloved to perform...

Embrace the gift of new beginnings! Holly's dream of celebrating Christmas in the Caribbean with her boyfriend Jeremy shatters when heartbreak strikes, bringing her back to her holiday-obsessed family. But a twist of fate reveals a charming stranger at her door the morning after drowning her sorrows. With Fin as an unexpected houseguest, Holly embarks on a Christmas staycation like no other. As sparks fly between them, Holly discovers there's more to Fin than meets the eye.

Jo Lawless is still grieving her husband when his oldest friends invite her to a weekend houseparty in France. She’s always felt like an outsider in the group, but she decides to go, hoping their shared loss will bring them closer together. But the weekend is disrupted by the arrival of an unexpected guest, whose presence brings old tensions to the surface. Long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and it’s clear that at least one person is bent on revenge.

Mila and her sisters live with their brother, Oskar, in a small forest cabin in the snow. One night, a fur-clad stranger arrives seeking shelter for himself and his men. But by the next morning, they've gone, taking Oskar with them. Fearful for his safety, Mila and her sisters set out to bring Oskar back - even if it means going north, crossing wild and frozen lands to find a way past an eternal winter.

Lucy hasn't left the country in years. So, when the opportunity presents itself to join a work trip to the Swiss Alps, she's wary, especially when she learns that it will coincide with that weekend - the one that, eleven years ago, tore her world in two. But how can she turn down an all-expense-paid trip to the snow-capped Alps? Lucy knows what Leo would say if he were still with her, and besides, she'll have her work husband, Jonno, there for emotional support. What - or who - she didn't bank on, however, was moody (read: rude) Nate stepping in at the last minute.