Showing results by narrator "Deborah Balm" in All Categories

Georgiana Darcy wants nothing more than to fall in love, yet her innate reserve as well as a traumatic event in her past makes her uneasy in company—particularly in the company of gentlemen. She desires a husband and family, but how is she to manage such a feat when she will not even consider partaking of a London Season? She cannot so much as hold a meaningful conversation with most men, which does not bode well for falling in love.

Bev may not know who she was before she showed up in the quaint village of Pigsend five years ago, but that doesn't bother her much. She's made a tidy little life for herself as the proprietor of the Weary Dragon Inn, where the most notable event is when she makes her famous rosemary bread. But when earthquakes and sinkholes start appearing all over town, including near Bev's front door, she's got to put on her sleuthing hat to figure out what—or who—might be causing them before the entire town disappears.

After receiving a most unexpected personal invitation for a weekend of leisure and celebration, Miss Victoria Parker leaves London for the country seat of the Duke of Everton. Although unsure as to why a lowly spinster such as she would be invited anywhere by a duke, Victoria's trusted assistant, James Kensington, assures her it must concern her late father’s accounting firm, which she secretly runs.

Only hours after stepping off a plane, and still reeling from the turmoil of her last assignment, agent Carrie Harris’ journey to headquarters is interrupted when the Operation Center tasks her to hunt down something so sensitive they can’t even tell her about it. Can our hero stay focused enough to see if she’s a match for the evil she’s confronted with and return what was stolen, or will Carrie lose everything she holds dear, including her life?

Stripped of her rank and her calling by some of her most trusted friends, Yvonne is left shocked and bleeding. Worse is to come. Not only are children still going missing, but she learns that the death of an old friend might not have been natural. With old friendships torn apart, Yvonne must work out who she can trust if she is to find the truth.

Velina has escaped the workhouse on the hunt for one thing: the witch who can grant her wish to live a normal life. Born with silver hair and noticeably pointy ears, she's passed from workhouse to workhouse since she can remember—shunned for her mysterious heritage. But the witch’s cottage she finds at the edge of the wood is abandoned, and as soon as she starts making herself at home, someone else comes calling: a noble with a wish of his own. With the promise of his coin, she agrees to help him when she starts noticing something strange about the cottage.

This gripping anthology gathers classic American short fiction where deception is an art, truth is perilous, and crime often wears a human smile. From a real-life axe murder on a lonely New England island to calculated impostures, whispered rumors, political terror, and crimes born of obsession, these stories explore the dangerous motives that surface when masks begin to slip.

It's summertime on Lake Ontario's Beaver Island, and there's trouble on the horizon. When a remote-controlled tractor goes berserk at the ground-breaking for a new condo development—toppling some magnificent cupcakes in the process—retired spy Irma Abercrombie's finely-honed paranoia goes into overdrive. And after a beloved local is murdered, she and nerdy houseguest Violet Blackheart are drawn into another island intrigue.

Glynis Solomon came from a long line of angry, broken females. She had fought every day of her young life, to survive the regular outbursts of her violent, alcoholic mother. Barely coping psychologically, she was dragged through the social care system, confused and afraid as her silent rage simmered. She kept herself tightly, like a coiled spring, observing all around her but never speaking. At the age of 10, she was put into long-term foster care with Billy and Jessica Coleman.

Christmas 1940. Despite the rationing and the blackout, excitement at Mollison Farm is building as Alice and her workforce prepare for the annual Christmas Eve party. The snow has arrived, and this year, Alice has a big secret. She has invited her evacuee children’s mother to spend a few precious days with her kids at Christmas. But disaster strikes, and Alice is given the shocking news that Rose’s home is now nothing more than a pile of bricks, and the woman herself is missing, lost in the blitz.

On what seemed like an ordinary morning, Carrie finds herself in the crossfire of a violent bank robbery. As the horrible scene plays out before her experienced eyes, she must find a way to survive the encounter, and save the day.

The Harvest Festival is the most-anticipated event in the quaint village of Pigsend, and Bev and the Weary Dragon Inn are ready to welcome visitors from near and far. But when strange occurrences begin happening, including the destruction of Bev's beloved herb garden, Bev's got to put her sleuthing hat back on to uncover the truth.

Vivacious Vivienne has finally won her family's approval by getting engaged to the wealthy and upright John Vandergrift. But when threatened by a vicious blackmail scheme, it is to her childhood friend that Vivienne turns; the deliciously wicked Viscount Dashiell. Lord Dashiell promised himself long ago that his friendship with Vivienne would be the one relationship with a woman that he wouldn't ruin. He agrees to help her just to keep the little hothead safe, but soon finds that Vivienne has grown up to be very, very dangerous to all of Dash's best intentions.

Murder and mayhem abound in this thrilling return to the 1930s as a young woman uncovers her own connection to the power and magic of her ancient Egyptian ancestors.

On the Greek island of Spetses, author Kenneth Graham is trying to finish his novel. Not impressed by the place, he wants to finish his work quickly and return to civilization. But after the local history, customs, and mysteries draw him in, Kenneth meets the enigmatic Kyria, who is unlike any woman he has ever met. His internal conflicts soon become stronger. Kyria and the island have a hold on him he does not understand, and fact and fiction begin to blend. What malign presence does the island hold, and can Kenneth get to the bottom of it?

Waking in paradise with no memory of who she is, can Agent Harris piece together the true picture and retrieve her skills before it’s the last thing she ever sees?

Love. Loss. Revenge. What secrets lie buried in the desert sands? What hidden secrets are revealed when blood is spilled? Torn between love and betrothal, and death and survival, Muni is a young woman of privilege and comfort thrown into a world of betrayal, revenge, and otherworldly, supernatural forces. Her journey leads to grim discoveries, heartbreaks, and the fantastic as she learns to unlock not only the power within, but also that from a time long forgotten. Will the sins of the past seal her fate, or secure her destiny?

Summer has arrived in Pigsend, and it’s not just the sweltering temperatures putting everyone on edge. It’s the sixth anniversary of the war ending, and a cadre of soldiers is camping north of town to keep the peace and monitor for strange activity. Rumor has it a rebellion is brewing, one that threatens to plunge the country back into war—not that anyone in Pigsend is keen on that. At the Weary Dragon, Bev’s playing host to the usual set of travelers, including butcher Vellora’s old commander Andres.

Two women. Two forbidden loves. One unforgettable London season. Augusta flees a forced marriage to chase independence as a modiste. Mariana is an earl's daughter with her heart set on an unsuitable—but brilliant—man. As their worlds collide amid scandal, secrets, and stolen moments, both women must risk everything for a chance at love. A sweeping Regency romance with two deliciously defiant heroines and the men they were never supposed to love.

Isobel: High-flying business woman in her mid-40s. Driven. Confident. Always puts her shining career before a nonexistent sex life. She knows exactly what she wants, but has never found a man capable of playing out her most secret erotic desires.