Showing results by narrator "Julie Maisey" in All Categories

Meet Annie Valentine: stylish, savvy, multi-tasker extraordinaire. As a personal shopper in a swanky London store, Annie can be relied on to solve everyone's problems...except her own. Because as a busy single mum to two kids, Annie’s realised there’s a gap in her life as well as her wardrobe. But with her heart still hurting from losing the love of her life, Annie’s discovered that finding the perfect partner is turning out to be so much trickier than finding the perfect pair of shoes!

Liv has a lot of secrets. Late one night, she sees a python on a TV nature show and becomes obsessed with the idea of buying a snake as a pet. Soon Nero, a baby Burmese python, becomes the apartment's fourth roommate. As Liv bonds with Nero, she is struck by a desire that surprises her with its intensity. Finally she is safe. Thirteen years later, in the nearby town of Kristiansund, Mariam Lind goes on a shopping trip with her 11-year-old daughter, Iben. Following an argument, Mariam storms off, expecting her young daughter to make her own way home...but she never does.

Richard and Bookey Peek hadn't planned on adopting a warthog, any more than one would plan a tidal wave or a tornado, but at Stone Hills, natural disasters have a way of happening when you least expect them. Through Zimbabwe's darkest days, Stone Hills has become a world in itself: a place where you might share your shower with an owl, and a place where a warthog relinquishes her place on the sofa to return to the wild.

After her mother's death, Dora is sent to live with her father and his other family. But Dora is mixed race and illegitimate, two facts that see her treated as little more than a servant by her stepmother and half siblings. This doesn't stop the son of the house abusing his position, and Dora finds herself on the streets and pregnant....

Lori works illegally in a rented flat in central London, living in fear of police raids which could mean losing her small daughter and her dream of a new life. Freya is a student who finds she can make far more money as an escort than she could in an office; life, after all, is already a tangle of madness and dissociation. And Paula is a journalist whose long-term campaign against prostitution has brought her some strange bedfellows. After a shock change to the law, with brothels being raided by the authorities, lives across the country are fractured.

Grace and Dougie have been courting for years, so when Dougie decides to emigrate to Australia he expects Grace to follow once she turns 21. Grace used to be besotted with Dougie, but she is increasingly worried by his bullying behaviour and gambling. On her way home from seeing Dougie off, Grace is nearly run down by a truck driven by widower Ben, who is on his way to the hospital to see his young son. Soon, Grace has agreed to look after Ben's child while he recovers from his accident. As they spend time together Ben struggles to ignore his growing feelings for Grace.

Despite being part of the large O'Donnell family Milly has felt alone in the world since her father went missing in the Irish Civil War. Now, ten years later she is forced to flee her home and journey to Liverpool seeking a better future for herself. There she is taken in by distant relatives and eventually reunited with her paternal grandmother. As Milly tries to build a new life she is haunted by her father's mysterious disappearance. Her new friends strive to help her find answers, but meanwhile Milly's mother seeks to remarry on the assumption that her husband is dead.

Bea has grown up part of a large, boisterous Kent family. But she hasn't heard from her soldier sweetheart in months, and her mother is controlling her life. She needs to take charge of her future. Edie inhabits a world of wealth and privilege but knows only too well that money can't buy happiness. She wants to be like Winston Churchill's daughter, Mary, to make a difference. Joan can't remember anything of her past or her family, and her home has been bombed in the Blitz. Desperate, she needs a refuge.

Woodsville is not like other towns. Night falls a little earlier there, the shadows are darker and denser, and everyone knows it's a place where strange things happen. Even if they won't admit it. Bethan would prefer to be anywhere but here. Jay has his theories, but isn't ready to share. Hashim sees more than he'll say, while Kelly's demons are all too flesh and blood...

Facing challenges in your relationships, career, health or well-being? Worried important life goals seem to be slipping away? Whether you're faced with day-to-day irritations or facing a larger setback, sometimes life can test your strength and endurance. But there is a simple and effective way to building your resilience in the face of adversity, making sure that you can bounce back from them stronger than ever before and go on to achieve your goals and lead a happier, more fulfilled life.

One look at the victim is enough for DCI Claire Winters to recognise the work of a warped mind. And when another woman is reported missing, Claire's worst fears are confirmed: this is a killer who plans to strike again. As the body count rises, the pressure is on for Claire to find the perpetrator and bring them to justice. But first she must learn to understand the twisted mind behind the crimes. And that will take her to a darker place than she ever thought possible.

Years ago there was a silent witness to an act of evil. Now a twisted killer is on the loose, fuelled by revenge. Called to the brutal murder of a priest, it is immediately clear to DCI Claire Winters that the victim's death was prolonged, agonising...and motivated by a lust for revenge. The killer has been clever; there are no clues, no leads. But Claire Winters has never let a killer remain on the streets.

Pam Evans' family saga brings postwar London vividly to life as, amid rationing and food shortages, a young girl finds a passion for growing her own vegetables. It is February 1945, and April Green and her cousin, Heather, wonder if the war will ever end. Then the local pub in Chiswick takes a direct hit, and April's father is killed in the blast. Life without him is hard to bear, and April and her brother do all they can to help, particularly when their mother announces she is pregnant.

Ten years after her boyfriend Mitch’s mysterious disappearance, Rebecca finally learns the truth about what happened. When he finally returns, a happy ending appears within their grasp but there is no escape from the past. And Arthur, Rebecca’s friend who has formed an unhealthy obsession with her, has no intention of letting her go. When Arthur realises that Mitch is the only person standing in the way of his happiness, his thoughts turn to murder.

A naked man is unearthed from a river with a lacerated neck and the only clue to his identity is the remains of a tattoo that has been sliced off his arm. When a local drugs deal goes awry and another man is hospitalised with a similar wound, Inspector Ann Lindell and her team are called in to investigate. All clues lead back to the local Dakar restaurant, run by the gluttonous Slobodan Andersson.

This book will show you how to get your life in order, offering a smooth, easy process to bring harmony to your family and home. From coping with never-ending piles of laundry and meal planning to constantly feeling on the backfoot with endless admin from your child's school, this is a modern guide to ensuring your home and family flow. Move over Marie Kondo and Mrs Hinch, Eva offers a 'stream' technique for you to systematically create and maintain organisation - no longer will you spend hours searching for your keys/scarf/paperwork.

Tired of being underestimated, Annie Valentine is determined to prove to everyone that she can make her life a success. Her job as a personal shopper is brilliant, but she’s now intent on setting up a shoe and handbag empire of her own. To get there, she’ll do anything and go anywhere—the handbag factories of Italy are calling! But what started out as a fun after hours project is getting slightly out of hand. Because Annie is working around the clock to bag the perfect bargain, and her family life and relationship with adorable Ed is feeling the strain.

Ten years ago, Jen’s cousin Meg killed herself after failing to escape an abusive relationship. Now, Meg’s ex is back, and Jen’s domestic abuse helpline has started getting frightening calls from a girl who knows things about Meg - details that only the dead girl or the man who hurt her could have known.... As Jen starts to uncover the past, someone is determined to stop her. Can she save this young woman from Meg’s fate? Or is history about to repeat itself?

Sven-Arne Persson suddenly walks out of a business meeting and disappears, leaving behind his wife - no trace is found of him. Inspector Ann Lindell is investigating the discovery of a dismembered foot washed up on the beach. Ann's boss, Berglund, is delving into a cold case - a man beaten to death - an unsolved mystery that he finds impossible to forget. What connects the three?

Personal shopper Annie Valentine is about to hit the big time: presenting a glamorous TV makeover series! This is it for Annie and her little family. No more scrimping and saving, finally all her hard work has paid off. But life in the spotlight isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Soon, Annie discovers this is TV on a shoestring and her budget is zip. But more than this, Annie feels as though the women she should be helping to look fabulous, go away feeling all the more like fashion failures!