Showing results by narrator "Deryn Edwards" in All Categories

The South Wales village of Hen Carw Parc is a haven of rural peace. But times are changing and, although Nelly Luke and the older villagers stick resolutely to tradition, the younger ones have caught tantalising glimpses of a world beyond their quiet valley. For Fay Cartwright the lure of a career strains her marriage to home-loving Johnny, while Amy, the happy-go-lucky shopkeeper, is saddened when her son is given Army leave but fails to return to his family home. And there are other, more serious intrusions, not least a spate of robberies.

After the body of a missing woman is discovered in a shallow grave, Detective Inspector Harry Powell steps in to lead the hunt for the killer. But when his investigation brings him face-to-face with an old case in his career, he begins to fear that a fatal mistake from his past may have left a dangerous criminal roaming free. While the Murder Squad are occupied by their new case, a new arrival sends ripples throughout the ranks. On the outside, Detective Constable Dane Hoopman appears to be like any other officer, but under the surface, does a dark secret lie in wait?

Like optimism, intuition can be cultivated. Research has shown that contrary to popular opinion intuition isn't something we are born with, and it doesn't come naturally to everyone. Intuition is a skill that we can learn and we can get better at it the more we practise. Drawing on what science and psychology can teach us about intuition and Theresa's techniques to strengthen it using the life changing power of ritual, this book offers 21 simple and proven daily rituals to help you tune in to your inner wisdom and start making better decisions in your life today.

Family matriarch and Holocaust survivor Nora Wojnaswki is about to become the oldest woman in the world, and her family are determined to celebrate in style. Her great granddaughter, Debs, however, is not too happy about being left in charge of the party. It’s been a struggle to get the Rabbi to commit to a date and the large Wojnaswki clan can’t agree on what food should be served. Only, Debs’s problems are just beginning. Because Nora isn’t your average centenarian, and she has other ideas.

Maud's beloved Rotwood, a secret school for monsters, is under a cloud... literally! The pupils' monstrous games and spooky spells are filling the area with noise and smoke. Local residents are fed up and the school is facing closure! Maud and her friends are determined to help the Head, but end up accidentally terrifying the inspector during a crucial inspection. Was it an accident, though?

The Weston family have always pinned their hopes for creating a dynasty on their glamorous granddaughters. But Joan and Megan - confident and eligible though they are - regularly set tongues wagging with their outrageous behaviour. Their grandmother Gladys decides she must organise a party to find them suitable husbands - and that's when everything really goes wrong. Meanwhile, fortunes are shifting in Pendragon Island.

Cockney born Nelly Luke is an essential part of the community. Yet not even Nelly, with her shrewd eye, can predict the surprises in store for her family and friends. A new year brings new faces: Maurice Davies is back from the army, and Sheila Powell, a shopgirl, is eager to help him make up for lost time. But for some there's no escaping the past, and widow Prue Beynon finds herself confronted by a legacy she'd rather forget. . .

When Maud's perfect twin sister, Milly, plans a sleepover, Mum forces Maud to have her friends over, too. What can possibly go wrong? Nothing much... just that Maud's mum might find out about Rotwood High being a school for real monsters! As if that's not enough, Maud is tricked into looking after Violet, the school hamster, by her archenemy, bitchy-witch Poisonous Penelope. But Violet is no ordinary hamster! She's a pedigree vampster and an expert cage-breaker. With a vampster on the loose, sleep is the very last thing that happens!

Summer, 1953. The sun is shining on Little Green Street, the bunting is being brought out, and Britain is getting ready to crown its new Queen. Except Helen Jones doesn't feel much like celebrating. Her father passed away last year, on the very same day as King George. Life hasn't felt the same ever since. Her husband Tad has a plan. As the newly-appointed chair of the small town's Coronation Tea Party committee, he's hoping that the day will be the perfect moment to bring a spark of joy back to their little family - and to the whole community.

As 1954 draws to an end, the village of Hen Carw Parc is changing. The post-war boom brings a creeping lethargy as the villagers stay in watching their new TV sets, instead of going out to enjoy each other's company. As usual, however, Nelly is busy keeping tabs on the villagers' comings and goings. There's Griff, whose thieving and dishonesty have long-lasting repercussions; Sheila, whose pregnancy sets tongues wagging; and George, whose helpfulness masks a deeper problem.

It’s the 1960s, and Jennifer Howells is a young woman with the world at her feet, just on the cusp of leaving her Welsh village for an exciting life in the city. Then the contents of an inconspicuous brown envelope turn Jennifer’s world upside down. But Jennifer’s experience with the excesses of '60s culture leaves her no closer to her true identity. She soon realises she’ll have to travel further - first to Cardiff, then across the ocean to Sicily - if she wants to find out who she really is....

Princess of Mycenae, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, sister of the sacrificed Iphigenia and the cursed Orestes. Electra is forced to flee her home after witnessing the shocking revenge-murder of her father, by her mother, on his return from the Trojan War. Life beyond the palace is frightening, and the scandalous behaviour of her foreign companions disturbs her, but she needs the help of the Trojan Cassandra, and her two lovers, to survive. Driven by her own desire for vengeance, Electra's life becomes one of adventure, peril, pleasure, tragedy and love.

Edward Jenkins dreams of opening a sports shop in the Welsh town of Pendragon Island. Then his ambitions become a possibility through his and his sister Margaret's inheritance, but Margaret has plans of her own. Can Edward stand up to her for the very first time? Rhiannon and Charlie Bevan want to start a family, but her father Lewis is living with them, refusing to accept the happiness of their marriage. If only they could find a way to reunite him with her mother Dora, they could finally have the home they've dreamed of.

Poachers and dealmakers, the Griffiths family have always managed to scrape by on the edge of the law. As rationing finally draws to an end, the tight-knit community finds itself coming to terms with a new world in which social boundaries are being eroded and opportunities are growing for all. Heartache remains a constant though, with Caroline Griffiths trapped in a sham marriage to Barry Martin, and Rhiannon Lewis still mourning their broken engagement.

Wales, 1943. Sara Lewis should be heartbroken when her husband doesn't return from war. But he was never the kind husband she hoped for. And now she's stuck with her cruel mother-in-law on the family farm. Sara must do what is best for her young son. So she leaves the farm for the safety of her sister's home. Despite herself, she begins to notice Carlo, an Italian prisoner of war. Longing looks soon turn into a connection neither of them can sever. But fraternization is forbidden. As their love grows, so does the danger all around them.

When Megan discovers that her young daughter is missing, she thinks that her ex-husband is to blame. But was it someone else entirely? Someone out for revenge? Someone with a grudge? As DI Laura Kesey begins her investigation, she discovers that the case is infinitely more wicked than she could ever have imagined. The clock is ticking. But will Kesey find Lottie before it’s too late? It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. The greater the evil, the deadlier the game.

When Maisie Vasey leaves her husband and brings her daughter to live on Pendragon Island, she causes unrest within more than one family. Underneath the happy surface of this Welsh seaside town, relationships can seem fragile and easily destroyed. When Maisie comes to work for Edward Jenkins at Montague Court, he soon makes his intentions clear, but she has very different ideas about where their friendship is heading. Lewis and his fiery wife Dora continue to row with each other, even though they both know that love still binds them together.

A miscast spell has created a jungle of man-eating plants across the entire sports pitch at Rotwood Academy and the pupils are now forced to share a field with the only other local school - Primrose Towers. When the two rival schools compete on sports day, will the Rotwood monsters be able to beat the girls of Primrose Towers and Milly, Maud's annoyingly perfect twin? And how will Maud hide the truth about her mysterious new monster school?

As Opal, Sal finally has the power, prestige, and, most importantly, the ability to hunt the lords who killed their family. But Sal has to figure out who the culprits are before putting them down - which means trying to ignore the fact that Elise is being kept a virtual prisoner and that the queen may have ulterior motives. And the tales coming out of north are baffling. Talk of dark spirits, missing children, and magic abound. As Sal heads north toward their ruined homeland and the lords who destroyed everything, they learn secrets and truths that can't be ignored.

Italy, 1492. Five-year-old Mura is a strange and bewitching child. Daughter to a Nordic mother and Spanish father, she has been tutored in both Arabic learning and the ancient myth cycles of the north. But her widower father has been arrested by the Inquisition, and Mura is sold to a Genoese slaver. In the port of Savona, Mura's androgynous looks and unusual abilities fetch a high price.