Showing results by narrator "Sasha Higgins" in All Categories

Set on the eve of the financial crash of 2008, this evocative novel is made up of three stories linked by time and place, and also by the moving, unexpected interactions of a rich cast of characters. Barcelona Dreaming is narrated, in turn, by an English woman who runs a gift shop, an alcoholic jazz pianist, and a translator tormented by unrequited love, all of whose lives will be changed forever. Underpinning the novel, and casting a long shadow, is a crime committed against a young Moroccan immigrant.

Five years after her stepmother tried to have her killed, Eirwen has built a new life in the woods. Far from the princess she was meant to be, she is now a skilled treasure hunter and master of the Dwarven underground. Eirwen's peaceful existence is shattered when she crosses paths with Cole, the son of her enemy, and a thorn in her side growing up. Eirwen learns that though she escaped the evil queen's clutches, the kingdom she left behind has suffered. Together with her adoptive family, she raises an army to restore her rightful place on the throne.

Jessica returns home one day to find her husband, Patrick, dead. It's unclear what caused his death and though the shock is huge, she cannot pretend it's entirely unexpected. The police have questions, and Jessica knows that once they hear the answers her fate may well be sealed. Eight years ago, Jessica was living another life.

Cursed at her Christening, Briar is doomed to prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her 17th birthday and plunge her kingdom into eternal slumber. Less than enthused about her fate, she fights to break it, but a hundred years later, the kingdom lies at the center of a forest of thorns. The curse is complete, and only true love's kiss will break it. Volunteering in the place of his brother, Leo is determined to brave the enchanted forest and attempt to end the 100-year-old curse.

Evie's shattered ribs have been a secret for the last four years. Now she has found the strength to tell her adoptive parents, and the physical traces of her past are fixed - the only remaining signs a scar on her side and a fragment of bone taken home from the hospital, which her uncle Ben helps her to carve into a dragon as a sign of her strength.

A pretty face, a fabulous gown, a flutter of lashes at just the right moment - Miriam had been taught she must use all these things to land a wealthy husband. Much preferring the company of books to people, the only thing that stopped Miriam from fleeing to the countryside was her younger sister - who was counting on Miriam to make a match that would ensure she could care for her mother and sister properly.

Amidst the turmoil of Civil War era New York, a young, immigrant woman seeks to escape a life of prostitution so that she may rescue a child from a terrible fate. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Cast adrift in an unfamiliar city, a young Irish immigrant named Molly finds herself forced into prostitution and has a child stolen out of her arms. With the city descending into the chaos of the Draft Riots, Molly must save herself before she can save the child.

Lady Darriby-Jones is bursting with joy as her only daughter prepares to wed a cherished member of her household staff—someone who's become like family. But the celebrations take a dark turn when one of the wedding planners is found dead, an arrow piercing their heart.

London is buzzing with the news that James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton—thought lost at sea a decade ago—survived in the harsh wilderness of the Yukon. Now he's been returned to his family, his responsibilities, and a nightmarish world of artifice and noise. He has three weeks to become a refined, elegant duke for the Queen . . . or doom the entire family to ruin and scandal.

London, 1952: Forty-six-year-old Elizabeth Dalloway feels she has failed at most everything in life, especially living up to her mother, the elegant Mrs. Dalloway, an ideal socialite and model of perfection until she disappeared in the summer of 1923—and hasn’t been heard from since. When Elizabeth is handed a medal with a mysterious inscription from her mother to a soldier named Septimus Warren Smith, she’s certain it contains a clue from the past.

Lady Darriby-Jones had hoped for a peaceful Mothering Sunday, a quiet return to her charming estate after the chaotic business of sorting out her daughter's trust fund in London. But serenity is swiftly derailed when she's met at Darriby Halt station by none other than DCI 'Rude' Manners—Britain's most bumbling detective—who promptly accuses her of murdering her own maid.

Seventeen-year-old Emerald Dixon is the worst seamstress in London. Officially. No matter how hard she tries, she's lacking the skills that she's "supposed" to have. Sewing? Nope. Needlework? Absolutely not. Instead, her mind keeps drifting off into daydreams—ones filled with fantastical lands and high society balls. And above all, trying to find the father she's never known. But when her skipping stone hits an attractive young earl, the gilded doors to society are suddenly opened to Emerald . . . if she has the courage to enter.

Join Lady Darriby-Jones in this 1920s cozy mystery, a whimsical, laughter-inducing adventure where witty sleuthing meets eccentricity galore.

When Lady Darriby-Jones encounters a roadblock on her quest to reclaim her beloved Rolls-Royce, she dismisses it as another molehill magnified by the local constabulary into a mountainous mess. Little does she know, the kerfuffle involves more than a traffic hiccup—it's a symphony of chaos orchestrated by the untimely demise of her dodgy yet reliable mechanic. Her mechanic may not have been a choir boy, but a dead one?

When Lady Darriby-Jones sees off her husband's nephew at the train station, she considers her good deed for the day complete. Rewarding herself with a day of shopping in the city, she revels in the anticipated tranquility of her return to the Darriby estate. However, her satisfaction shatters upon receiving a distressing message upon her return—Freddie never reached his destination. With a sinking feeling, Lady Darriby-Jones embarks on a journey up north, determined to unravel this mystery. As she delves into the disappearance, the plot thickens with the discovery of a lifeless body.

Lady Darriby-Jones, ever the gracious hostess, welcomes an eclectic mix of aristocrats, eccentrics, and an unexpected scandal or two to her stately home each year at the most wonderful time of the year. This year, the festive mood is shattered when one of her guests is found dead amidst the Christmas crackers and mince pies. Enter DCI "Rude" Manners, a police chief whose investigative methods are as clumsy as a three-legged reindeer. His theory? Arrest the first suspect he stumbles upon and call it a day. But Lady Darriby-Jones knows her guests—and her reputation—demand more than that.

All her life, Breanna Colby has lived on the precipice of fear, her only joy the recent reunion with her beloved cousin Anastasia. With her violent father now locked away in jail, the repressed young woman can emerge from her cocoon and pursue all the joys she's been denied. But she finds—to her terror—that not all the shadows have lifted, and an evil from the past stalks both her and Anastasia. When authorities are unable to help with this assassin lurking in the darkness, the Colbys turn to the brilliant Royce Chadwick, England's foremost expert on finding people who don't want to be found.

The immortal Count and the dark Merqueen haven't managed to claim Clara or her powers—yet. Even with their personal magic bound, they're hunting Clara with more force than she knows how to handle. They contain the magic of the hundreds of souls they've drained. Clara has her own power, one they haven't been able to touch, a secret binding element that gives life to all magic. She's stronger than ever, with a love great enough to dismantle the Count and Merqueen's devastating illusions. But when you love as fiercely as Clara, you have too much to lose.

Aurora Huntley, free-spirited sister to the earl of Pembourne, lives under the dark shadow of the black diamond. The victim of threats from privateers who believe her brother possesses the precious stone, Aurora is a virtual prisoner in her own home. She now faces a fate worse than death: an arranged marriage to an uninspiring suitor. Craving adventure and freedom, Aurora has no choice but to do something shocking, something scandalous . . .

Upon arriving at her grand estate, Lady Darriby-Jones finds it swarming with security forces, their presence a necessity to protect a royal dignitary from Eastern Europe. This mysterious guest, a young noble who recently lost a sibling to a brutal murder in London, is thrust into Lady Darriby-Jones's care for safekeeping. As she struggles to maintain the grace and order of her household amidst the disruption, Lady Darriby-Jones begins to unravel the tragic and lonely life of the royal guest, whose title conceals a world of misery.