Showing results by narrator "Colleen Prendergast" in All Categories

Jo Milne was profoundly deaf from birth, when she also began to lose her sight. Just before turning thirty, Jo was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, a rare genetic and progressive condition that will one day rob her of her sight altogether.

In 2014 she made a life-changing decision to undergo major surgery. She had cochlear implants fitted, allowing her to hear for the first time. Every moment of Jo's days since the operation has become a journey of discovery.

Parenting may be our most important and rewarding task, yet dealing with the everyday pressures of family life is a constant challenge. Mindfulness is the number-one tool for staying present and calm amidst the chaos. So how can we parents be more mindful when raising our children? In this personal yet extremely practical guide, Amber Hatch will show you what mindfulness is, how you do it and how it will help you rise to the challenges of parenthood.

When James Everard announced that he had invited a young lady home for the holidays, his father, the Earl of Gyllford, was astounded and skeptical. Could it be that Jamie was finally showing an interest in something other than horseplay with his friends? But when lovely Miss Evalyn Pennington arrived at Gyllford Manor, it was the earl who found himself inexplicably drawn to her winsome beauty. Having been dismissed from her post as a governess, Evalyn would long remember the kindness of being welcomed at Gyllford Manor when she had nowhere else to turn.

When 15-year-old Skye's mother finally does something so shocking that it can't be hushed up, the police turn her over to the social workers - and that's when the nightmare begins. No one will let her talk to her father; the woman who is supposed to be helping her dumps her in a terrifying 'home' that's more like a jail. But she still has one friend to turn to: the sympathetic girl she's met in an Internet chat room, the one who seems to have a home life as unhappy as Skye's.

After being cheated on by her ex, Leanne Riley is trying her hardest to get her life back on track, which isn't easy without a job and living in a bedsit surrounded by a junkie and a madwoman. On a night out with her best friend, she meets Jake, a face from her past who has changed beyond all recognition. Jake is charming, handsome and loaded, a far cry from the gawky teenager he used to be. Weary of men, Leanne isn't easy to please, but Jake tries his best to break through the wall she's built around herself.

Amy lies in a coma. Her older sister, Moira, comes to her in the evenings and sits beside her hospital bed. Here, Moira confesses. She admits to her childhood selfishness which deeply hurt her family; to her savagery at boarding school; to the wild, bitter and destructive heart that she carried into her adult life.

1867: Nicola Douglas attends a lecture given by Miss Maria Rye, the founder of the Female Middle Class Emigration Society, which inspires her to change her life. With no family, but a good education, she boards a ship to Australia with high hopes of a fresh start in a new country as a governess. Sydney is full of young women with similar ambitions and poor prospects - but when a wealthy benefactor appears, she finds a foothold. What she never anticipated was the attention of two suitors: Nathaniel, a privileged and attractive English gentleman; and Hilton, a beguiling American.

Caitlin Hext’s first shedding ceremony is imminent, but she’s far from prepared to produce a Snakeskin clone. When her skin fails to turn to dust as expected, she must decide whether she wishes the newcomer alive or dead. Worse still, it transpires that the Hext family may be of central importance to the survival of Charmers, a group of people with the inexplicable power to produce duplicates every seven years and, in the process, rejuvenate.

When it comes to baby sleep, Lucy Wolfe has seen - and solved - it all. Her gentle stay-and-support approach has helped thousands of people achieve the holy grail of parenthood: a full night’s sleep! But even with the best routine things can go awry, so in All About the Baby Sleep Solution Lucy addresses the most common problems that interrupt sleep routines.

When 16-year-old Erin Ellis is attacked, she dies in the arms of her best friend, Molly, just metres from her home. Molly is the surviving girl but says she easily could have been the victim. It was a random mugging gone wrong. With inconclusive evidence, DS Grace Allendale must dig deep within the tight-knit Stoke community for leads. And she soon finds that someone had a motive to kill Erin. As the investigation unfolds, Grace is reminded of a horrifying case she worked on earlier in her career.

Trudy Watts has everything she's ever dreamed of: a job that she loves, a successful boyfriend, and an ultra-modern apartment in one of the most fashionable parts of London. With a long-awaited promotion due to come her way and her wedding just around the corner, Trudy's life is just perfect... That is until catastrophe strikes and her life is turned upside down. She's transferred to Turriff, a remote Scottish town to manage a small, struggling bank branch. Her arrival is traumatic and she wishes she was anywhere but here... Until she sees him, Ethan, the charming pub landlord.

When an anonymous call sends police to a house in Sheffield, a dead couple are discovered in the kitchen. When Detective Inspector Lucy Miller is handed the investigation, she is thrilled. But when her boss is involved in a traffic collision the investigation is stripped from her and given to DCI Bennet. But Miller refuses to quit. Soon Bennet realises that Miller is interfering with his investigation and warns her off the case. However, when a link is made to a cold case, she is drawn in deeper.

Reclusive author Sarah is seeking refuge in the quiet village of Budbury, and the last thing she needs is a fake boyfriend. Except that’s exactly what she gets – and the fake boyfriend just happens to be gorgeous, rugged Aidan, complete with an easy charm and an old soul that makes him seem like he’s just stepped straight out of the pages of a novel. Using him to keep her nosy family at bay, he’s happy to do her a favour in return for help with his rather unusual dog-sitting predicament.

When the naked, battered body of an unidentified teenager is found dumped in an alleyway, postmortem finds evidence of a harrowing series of events. Another teenage death with the same MO pushes DI Hannah Robbins and her team on the Nottingham City division Major Crimes Unit to their limits - and across county borders.

While making merry at the York Christmas Book Fair, Kitt Hartley finds herself drawn into a murder mystery with a festive twist. The victim is Leonard Bell, a festival volunteer who suddenly drops dead during his performance of A Christmas Carol. The next day, police identify the cause of death as an unknown toxin. Fearing for his own life, Bell's lab partner Kevin Ripley enlists Kitt's help to track down the killer—before it's too late.

Hidden symbols and a sinister ancient secret buried in downtown Helsinki. An ever-growing string of deaths. When a 10-year-old girl and her mother move in next door to professional killer Daniel, the man begins to have tormenting memories of his stolen childhood. When Daniel's faceless...

Connie Llewelyn is the beating heart of the magical seaside village of Starshine Cove. She runs the local cafe, and is everybody's friend–always on hand with a kind smile, a listening ear and a freshly-baked scone. Since losing her beloved husband five years ago, she's been busy raising her children, supporting her extended family and staying positive. Now, as her kids fly the nest, she finds herself wondering what her own future might look like.

An expectant mom juggles her new man, new mummy friends, and mysterious packages in this charming romantic comedy. Sophie Drew has been dealt the mother of all surprises—she's having a baby! Socializing with other mummies-to-be tempts Sophie into setting up a wish list at a local baby...

A witty, emotional tale of a baby, a bride-to-be, and a band of friends who are there for each other when things don't go as planned … New mum Sophie Drew is planning her wedding to Max—who is proving to be an attentive and devoted dad to their baby girl. If only Sophie had as much energy...

In this romantic comedy series, a debt-ridden, hopelessly single woman tries to get her finances and her love life back on track. Who ever said life was easy? Sophie Drew is thirty, single, and stuck in a dead-end job. She's convinced everyone around her has their lives in order while she's...