Showing results by narrator "Julia Franklin" in All Categories

Manchester, 1943. Kitty's new venture, hosting wedding receptions at Dunbar's Hotel, has got off to a flying start, and she's looking to the future. With the tide of the war turning and victory on the distant horizon, Kitty is keen to keep her independence once the men come home. Beatrice's work in welfare is hugely rewarding, and she loves the children's clubs she runs at Dunbar's. But when a spate of thefts breaks out locally, the police become involved. Former hotel maid Lily knows she still loves her estranged husband, Daniel.

Elderly widow Sabine knows this will be her last Christmas in her beloved home, Mitras Castle. Determined to make it just like the ones she remembers from her childhood, she employs Dido Jones of Heavenly Houseparties to help with the big day. Dido is enchanted by the castle as soon as she steps through the imposing front door. And as Christmas day approaches, her feeling of connection to the old house runs deeper than she first thought. 

When journalist Ellie looks through her newspaper's archives for a story, she discovers a letter from 1960, written by a man asking his lover to leave her husband.... In 1960, Jennifer wakes up in hospital after a car accident with no memory. And then, when she returns home, she uncovers a hidden letter, and begins to remember the lover she was willing to risk everything for.

Jill Mansell's engaging and romantic bestseller MAKING YOUR MIND UP is perfect for readers of Jojo Moyes and Katie Fforde. Reviewers love Jill's books: 'Warm, witty and wise' Daily Mail Lottie Carlyle isn't looking for love when she meets her new boss, Tyler Klein. Living in a beautiful cottage...

The Clippie Girls is a compelling story of love, loss and heartbreak in the Second World War, by the author of the Fleethaven Trilogy, Margaret Dickinson. Rose and Myrtle Sylvester look up to their older sister, Peggy. She is the sensible, reliable one in the household of women headed by their...

Sarah's grandfather was a horseman of rare talent - only the exceptional are allowed into France's elite riding academy, Le Cadre Noir. But life took an unexpected turn, and now from a council estate in east London, the Captain hopes to train his granddaughter towards a better life.

Bristol 1939. At forty years of age, Mary Anne Randall still turns heads. With an abusive husband spending most of his wages on beer, she has resigned herself to be the sole breadwinner to protect her family and keep the wolves from the door. In order to make ends meet, Mary Anne runs a pawnbroking business from the wash house at the end of the garden. Following the outbreak of war an opportunity presents itself to escape her loveless marriage and find true love. Will she take that chance, or carry on living just for her children and not for herself?

The joyous Christmas novel from the Sunday Times top-ten bestselling author of A Family Recipe and The Beach Hut 'A glorious story full of hope, heartache and Christmas magic' Cathy Bramley 'Wise, insightful, beautiful written and sprinkled with Christmas joy - I adored this book' Milly Johnson...

Oxford historian Daniel Kind and his partner Miranda both want to escape to a new life. On impulse they buy a cottage in Brackdale, an idyllic valley in the Lake District. But though they hope to live the dream, the past soon catches up with them. Tarn Cottage was once home to Barrie Gilpin, suspected of a savage murder. A young woman's body was found on the Sacrifice Stone, an ancient pagan site up on the fell, but Barrie died before he could be arrested. Daniel has personal reasons for becoming fascinated by the case and for believing in Barrie's innocence.

Dan and Sally Oliver and their friend Chloe Hennessey are lucky to be alive. Three years on, after surviving one of the world's biggest natural disasters - the Boxing Day tsunami - their lives have changed dramatically. Dan and Sally are now parents. Dan is enjoying being a stay-at-home father taking care of their young son, and Sally is the bread winner and loves her job as a partner in a Manchester law firm.

Halloween, 1899. A satanic aristocrat, a missing village girl, and a fire that scorches Black Abbey Towers into legend. Present day. The haunted abbey has been requisitioned as a film set and the cast is dying to be involved. Retired NCA advisor-turned-hitwoman Dottie Barker is posing as a stunt expert while secretly bumping off local criminals, vigilante style. The "Quirky Quintet" - four fearless WI ladies and their eccentric plus-one - have been cast as extras, but their talent for stumbling into murder investigations proves harder to contain than their cackling.

Ben is, at last, leaving home. At 22, he’s the youngest of the family. His mother, Edie, is distraught. He husband, on the other hand, is rather hoping to get his wife back, after decades of family life. Ben’s brother is struggling in a relationship in which he achieves and earns less than his girlfriend. His sister is wrestling with debts and the end of a turbulent love affair. As the children’s lives become more complicated, they retreat to the simplicities of their childhood. But can you ever go home?

Their affair is the scandal of Europe…Queen Elizabeth cannot resist her dashing but married Master of Horse, Lord Robert Dudley. Many believe them to be lovers. The formidable young Queen is regarded by most as a bastard and a heretic, yet many seek her hand in marriage. Desperately insecure, Elizabeth embarks on a perilous balancing act, using sex and high-powered diplomacy to play what becomes known as The Marriage Game.

The first book in a heartwarming new Lancashire-based series by beloved and bestselling saga writer Anna Jacobs, set at the end of World War Two. 1945 - the war in Europe is over. It should be a time of utter joy and celebration. Most women can't wait for their men to return, but in the small...

An unexpected inheritance from her grandmother offers Libby Pulford the opportunity to escape her abusive marriage and return to her Lancashire roots with her young son Ned. But her domineering husband Steven won't let her go so easily. She turns to her new neighbour for help, former police detective Joss Atherton, to whom Libby feels a growing attraction. But Joss has troubles of his own. Emily Mattison is trying to make contact with the daughter she was forced to give up for adoption so many years before. People's lives are destined to intertwine in ways they could never have imagined.

Staffordshire, 1911. Money is in short supply for Ginnie Jones’ family, and she is sent to Haddon Workhouse. When she meets Clara and Sam, she hopes that she has made friends for life...until tragedy strikes. Three years later, Ginnie finds work as a mouldrunner at the Potteries, but never stops thinking about her friends. When Sam and Ginnie are reunited, their bond is as strong as ever, until Sam is sent to fight in the war. Can Ginnie find the joy that she’s never had?

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The House of Hope and Dreams by Trisha Ashley, read by Julia Franklin. From the Sunday Times bestselling Trisha Ashley, this novel will more than satisfy romantic comedy fans. And it also contains recipes! When Carey Revell unexpectedly becomes the...

Kesterly-on-Sea is full of secrets. Some are darker than others; many are shameful. One is even deadly. Andee is an ex-detective whose marriage is breaking up. So when a young female student disappears without trace, she throws herself into the search. Meanwhile, the town’s beloved Rowzee...

She was far more than mistress to the king; Henrietta Howard was a dedicated patron of the arts, a lively and talented intellectual, and a passionate advocate for the rights of women long before the dawn of feminism. The mark that this enigmatic royal mistress left on the society and culture of early Georgian England was to resonate well beyond the confines of the court, and can still be felt today.

As the only female cabinet maker in the valley in 1935, Frankie Redfern is unusual. She faces prejudice even from her own mother. But she's content working for her father, and is unwilling to give up her independence or the work she loves for marriage. When her husband falls gravely ill...