Publisher: Bu Classics Books
In the rugged beauty of colonial Virginia, a simple girl’s life is upturned by the arrival of the English aristocracy. Her natural grace masks a fierce independence that challenges the rigid social structures of the New World. It is a poignant exploration of love and identity set in a landscape where the wilderness is as untamed as the heart.
"Northanger Abbey" is one of Jane Austen's earlier works, published posthumously in 1818. The novel is a coming-of-age story that follows the naive and imaginative Catherine Morland during her adventures in Bath and, later, at the eponymous Northanger Abbey. While the book embraces elements of the Gothic novel—a popular genre of its time—it also satirizes the genre's excesses and the naivety of its young heroine. Themes of social class, wealth, and morality are explored against a backdrop of Regency England manners and mores.Show book
Set in the midst of WW2, Soldier Girl follows a woman on her journey of courage, determination, loss, and resilience – the sequel to A Hopscotch Summer from Annie Murray.Read by Penelope Freeman (Her Wartime Secret)Molly Fox has grown up in the back streets of Birmingham at the mercy of her cruel grandfather and her drunken mother. Haunted by terrible family secrets, she decides to take her life into her own hands and bravely joins the British Army as an ATS girl. The army, seemingly a disaster at first, surprisingly provides Molly with the direction and affirmation she has yearned for. But war brings tragedy as well as triumph, and when Molly receives news from home, it becomes clear that she can't escape her unforgiving past so easily . . .Escape into a heartrending saga of war, friendship and heartbreak in Soldier Girl. The series continues with the final book, All the Days of Our Lives.Listeners love Annie Murray . . .'This book had me hooked from the beginning''Excellent listen well worth sitting down with a cup of coffee and cake and enjoying the story''I just love listening to stories about the war . . . Annie Murray puts a lot of research into them'Show book
What harm could one night of pleasure do? Cybil Bythesea is imprisoned in a marriage that ended ten years ago. That’s when she fled the cruelty of her husband, Lord Falstone, and took refuge at her father’s estate in Northumberland. Since then, her family’s money has kept the villain at bay, and she’s been able to pursue her creative passion—writing. But freedom, true freedom, has been beyond her grasp. Except for her clandestine liaisons with Will. Will Chisolm is haunted by the past, the tragedy of his family’s eviction from their ancestral Highland farm, then his own foolish descent into political radicalism. Even now that he’s gained wealth and respectability as the manager of a set of spinning mills in Glasgow, he’s burdened with more responsibility and guilt than anyone knows. But there’s something about Cybil—a lightness, a kinship that, at least temporarily, makes all Will’s troubles fade away. It’s a dangerous game. Cybil is his employer’s sister, the wife of his political enemy and for the last four years, his lover. She’s also with child. Will’s child. And their world, their lives, will never be the same. “...an achingly beautiful world of love, desperation, intrigue, a reckoning with the past, and a twisty, emotional journey. I loved it from start to finish and continue to think about it days later in the best possible ways.” - Reader review A Radical Affair is the first book in the Darnalay Castle Series, although all of the books in the series can be read as standalones. It contains strong language and several spicy open-door scenes.Show book
When Jane Austen hears the news that her family is to leave their beloved country home for the city of Bath, she faints with surprise and horror. But there is one compensation: the promise of a six-week holiday by the sea while their new lodgings are being prepared. She relishes the bracing air and beautiful surroundings, takes pleasure in sea bathing, and shares laughter with her sister Cassandra and best friend Martha Lloyd.To her joy, brother Frank arrives, fresh from naval exploits in the war against Napoleon. His friend Captain Parker seems to be making a play for Jane's affections, but her sharp emotional intelligence tells her that something is not quite right. Meanwhile, she assists the eccentric Reverend Swete in finding a home for his biracial granddaughter who has arrived from the West Indies. Jane initially takes against another visitor to the seaside resort of Sidmouth, the lawyer Samuel Rose, but as she gets to know him, a wholly different feeling begins to blossom . . .Written with a same wit and style that echoes Austen herself, Paula Byrne expertly interweaves her deep knowledge of Austen and her world to imagine and give voice to the most romantic summer of the beloved author's short life.Show book
The Detective has been a mainstay of fiction writing ever since we can remember. Their deductive powers, their intuition and fleet-footed grasp of every detail can often turn the unlikeliest situation, or bunch of red herrings, into a breakthrough to capture even the most ingenious and dastardly of criminals. In this series our classic authors explore not only various themes, such as Occult Detectives, Female Detectives, Curious Crimes and a whole host more, but also bring a range and depth to the whole culture of criminality as we send in the Long Arm of the Law to bring justice on behalf of the society it serves. 01 - The Detective - Volume 5 - An Introduction 02 - The Man With No Face by Gertrude Minnie Robins 03 - The Stir Outside the Cafe Royal by Clarence Rook 04 - The Haverstock Hill Murder by George R Sims 05 - The Case of Roger Carboyne by H Greenhaugh Smith 06 - Death At 8.30 by Christopher St John Sprigg 07 - A Thing That Glistened by Frank R Stockton 08 - Madame Ville D'Aubier by Josephine Tey 09 - The Stolen White Elephant by Mark Twain 10 - The Story of the Green House, Wallington by Allen Upward 11 - Richard Bruce - Burglar by Edgar Wallace 12 - Cheese - Bait For The Beast by Ethel Lina White 13 - The Tragedy On the London and Mid-Northern by Victor L Whitechurch 14 - Lord Arthur Savile's Crime - Part 1 by Oscar Wilde 15 - Lord Arthur Savile's Crime - Part 2 by Oscar Wilde 16 - The Boat Race by David Winser 17 - Inquest by Leonara Wodehouse 18 - A Busman's Holiday by Francis Brett YoungShow book
Step into the Most Bold and Imaginative "Biography" Ever Written. Spanning three centuries and two genders, Virginia Woolf's Orlando is a dizzying, poetic journey through history and identity. The story begins in the Elizabethan era with Orlando, a young nobleman and aspiring poet who enjoys the favor of the Queen. After falling into a deep sleep that lasts days, Orlando awakens in the 18th century to find they have undergone a mysterious transformation: they are now a woman. Unburdened by the constraints of time or biology, Orlando lives through the Enlightenment, the Victorian era, and into the "present" day of 1928. Throughout this incredible voyage, Woolf explores the fluidity of the human spirit, the art of writing, and the shifting roles of men and women in society. Written as a "love letter" to Vita Sackville-West, Orlando is a cornerstone of queer literature and a daring departure from the traditional novel. It remains one of Woolf's most accessible and joyful works—a high-spirited blend of historical fiction, satire, and fantasy. Experience a story that transcends time and gender. Buy "Orlando" today and discover a masterpiece of modern imagination.Show book
