Showing results by narrator "Polly Edsell" in All Categories

13-year-old Kallie Tamm can't wait to spend a week of her summer holidays at the Wildstorm Theatre Camp: she's determined not to let her dyslexia hold her back from achieving her dream of becoming a playwright. The finale of the whole week is a performance in the local village theatre. But as soon as she arrives, Kallie discovers that the cast will be performing a play written by a 17th Century witch, Ellsabet Graveheart, and strange, scary things start happening.

Emma Snow wants three things in the world: to become a writer, own a cat and never think about Rowan Bosworth again. Darkly handsome with a tragic past, Emma should know better than to be in love with him. She's never sure whether he actually likes her, or if she's just a pawn in one of the twisted games he likes to play. One Valentine's Day, a terrible event occurs which rips the Snow family apart. Determined to uncover the truth, Emma is forced to delve into the dark underbelly of her celebrity family—and once and for all decide whether to think with her heart or her head.

A fantastic collection of funny, moving, and outrageous confessions from people from all walks of life, chosen and introduced by popular digital creator and best-selling author Tova Leigh. These confessions have all been curated by best-selling author and digital creator Tova Leigh, who explains just why we should stop being ashamed of our secrets and instead have the courage to make ourselves vulnerable, speak out, and connect. You need never feel embarrassed by your own slip-ups and misdemeanors again.

1813. Haunted by her father's death and tired of watching her mother struggle, Meg Marsh will do anything to keep a roof over her family's head. Even if that means getting involved in a dangerous smuggling operation. When Meg catches the eye of a dashing gentleman above her station, things start to look up, and she can't help but start dreaming of a life away from the shingle and boats of Castle Bay. Blinded by flattery and coin, Meg can't see the danger on the horizon - and the cost just might be her life.

Brought to you by Penguin. INTRODUCING ROSE BURNHAM: DESIGNER, DRESSMAKER . . . DETECTIVE? South-east London, 1925. Talented, ambitious designer-dressmaker Rose Burnham knows well both the strains of her profession and the secrets it can yield. Newly established in her own business, she and her...

Berlin, 1936. The Landau family are at the heart of their community, running a music shop in Berlin and just trying to survive. But their lives are unravelling as Hitler's power increases and the treatment of Jewish families deteriorates. Eldest daughter, Rachel, fears for her sisters' future and will do anything she can to keep them safe. Will she find hope in the darkness? Paris, 1936. As whispers of war travel over from Europe, American debutante Kay escapes her mother's grasp and travels as a reluctant spy from Paris to Berlin.

It is the summer of 1934 when MI6 receives intelligence that two German scientists have made a breakthrough in germ warfare. British agent Elena Standish must return to Berlin to prevent unimaginable horror and, with the help of her trusted friend, Jacob Ritter, embark upon a mission fraught with fear and uncertainty. 

In the terrace courtyard of the palazzo overlooking a sparkling bay, the scent of ripening lemons filled the air. His deep brown eyes gazed into hers with determination and longing. "Will you do it? Risk everything and join us?"

Back in London, Sadie's tranquility is shattered when a mysterious letter arrives from Lavinia Morven, the enigmatic head of the London Coven. To stay in the city, Sadie must be bound by a lien—a promise to serve the coven, whatever’s asked of her. And while she’s not thrilled about putting her magic under Lavinia’s control or getting embroiled in more messy witch drama, she’s not going to humiliate herself by crawling back to the very person she came here to escape.

England, 1941. "I’m sorry. Freddy’s plane went down." Her knees buckle. "No," she whispers. But the next words break through her despair. "There is a chance we can rescue him. And you are the only one who can." She didn’t wait to answer. She would do anything to get Freddy home.

When the royal family of Selvina sets out to destroy magic through a grand and terrible inquisition, magic warrior-thief Renata - trained in the art of stealing memories - seeks to kill the prince, leader of the King's Justice, only to learn through powerful memories that he may be the greatest illusion of them all...and that the fate of all magic now lies in her hands. 

In the days after her mother's death from breast cancer, Oksana, a young queer poet, decides to return her mother's ashes to their working-class hometown in Siberia. It is a journey home that will take her through the raw, almost dreamlike emotions of early grief through to an acceptance of the wound that death leaves behind. As she navigates the rituals of parting, Oksana feels her way through memory and heartache with a wry humour, reflecting on her complex relationship with her mother and on her own experiences of love, loss, sexuality and the search for home.

Following the assassination of Chancellor Dollfuss in Vienna, Elena Standish is enlisted by MI6 in London to travel to Trieste to rescue her former lover, Aiden Strother. Aiden left her broken-hearted several years ago, and she vowed to have nothing more to do with him, but MI6 chief Peter Howard explains that Aiden was acting undercover at the time and is a loyal British double agent.... 

Sadler's Wells, 1933. Disciplined and dedicated, Olivia is the perfect ballerina. But no matter how hard she works, she can never match identical twin Clara's charm. As rehearsals intensify for the ballet Coppélia, the girls feel increasingly like they are being watched. And, as infatuation turns to obsession, everything begins to unravel.

1914. Evie Munro is a Scottish fisher girl, working the herring season from Wick to Great Yarmouth. For Evie, every day is the same - gutting fish at the docks, shoulder-to-shoulder with her friends, followed by fresh bread, a warm whiskey toddy and an early night. But when Germany declares war, everything changes. As her village begins to empty of young men, Evie's life is marked by a heartbreaking tragedy. Her happiness destroyed, she vows to join the war effort as an army nurse, caring for wounded soldiers on the imposing hospital ship Britannic.

March, 1914. When talented artist Isobel embarks on a journey to Egypt, it's to reunite her best friend, Alice, with her husband, Wilfred—and to use the stunning sights of Cairo as inspiration for her own paintings. A whirlwind romance was the last thing she expected, but when Isobel meets Wilfred's handsome brother, Edward, neither can deny the strong connection between them—especially when unexpected tragedy strikes, leaving them all reeling. Just as they get to grips with their grief, WW1 erupts, and the lovers are forced to separate. 

In March 1940 Laura boards a ship and travels through the torpedoed waters of the Mediterranean to chase after Harry whom she has fallen in love with. He was out in Uganda, but has joined up to fight with the King's African Rifles. Will she succeed in her quest? Strong-willed and proudly independent, she has many dramatic life-changing upheavals to face on the way to Uganda and beyond. Love at War is based on a true story, the loves, dramas and losses of a resourceful, exceptional girl.

Reeling from betrayal at the hands of the Whispers, Renata Convida is a girl on the run. With few options and fewer allies, she's reluctantly joined forces with none other than Prince Castian, her most infuriating and intriguing enemy. They're united by a lofty goal: find the fabled Knife of Memory, kill the ruthless King Fernando and bring peace to the nation. Together, Ren and Castian have a chance to save everything, if only they can set aside their complex and intense feelings for each other.

Elena Standish, a young English photographer who works for British Intelligence, is visiting her grandparents' home in Washington, DC, when tragedy strikes. A lavish party is held to mark her grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary, and Elena takes pride in capturing the event on camera, but when the beautiful wife of a renowned scientist is found murdered in the driveway, allegedly run over by Elena's grandfather's car, Elena's world is turned upside down.

If Fran doesn’t nail this audition for a major TV role, she’s officially done as an actress. She just needs to tap into her inner seductress...who doesn’t seem to exist. Enter stage right: Jae-seung. To Fran, he’s just her landlord’s ridiculously hot nephew, helping her rehearse. To the rest of the world, Jae-seung is lead singer of global sensation, JYNKS – and he’s missing in action. Together, they embark on an international journey of discovery – Fran, to track down her estranged mother and unlock her tightly guarded heart; Jae-seung, to continue (reluctantly) with his tour rehearsals.