Beryl Matthews has 13 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 7 narrators, with an average listener rating of 5★ across 3 ratings. The most-rated is Friends and Enemies.
The Day Will Come
Summary
London, 1940. The war is raging across Europe, and 23-year-old Grace is devastated by the loss of her husband, Brian, at Dunkirk after only a year of marriage. Her secretary job at a law firm keeps her mind from dwelling on her sorrow, but when her boss, James, enlists in the air force Grace is left without work. Alongside her best friend, Helen, Grace joins the War Office in a move that will change their lives forever. As Grace throws herself into the war effort, she must find the courage and strength to start her life over and find love again.
©2015 Beryl Matthews (P)2016 Soundings
Two Strangers
Summary
London, 1920. When 14-year-old Victoria Keats is thrown out of her home by her violent father, it seems likely she will starve until two strangers provide her with no-strings-attached help. As Vicki's life improves, she can't help but fixate on the mystery of these good Samaritans, but tracking them down may be more life changing than she thinks.
©2014 Beryl Matthews (P)2015 Soundings
Friends and Enemies
Summary
London 1941. Sirens warn of danger as German bomber planes approach the city. Ever cautious, Kathy and her mother head immediately for the nearest public air raid shelter, and when the building is destroyed in a direct hit, it is a miracle Kathy survives. Finding herself alone, Kathy is left with nothing but a burning fury and a determination to join the war effort. Assigned as a secretary to the enigmatic Commander Evans, Kathy throws herself into war work. But the commander has frequent unexplained absences, and Kathy longs to discover the secrets of his intelligence missions.
©2019 Beryl Matthews (P)2019 Soundings
Diamonds in the Dust
Summary
The three Bentley children are used to fending for themselves. Their widowed mother has been forced to take a night job at Grant's clothing factory and sees them only at breakfast and on Sundays. But at nearly 18, with a job of her own, Dora is well able to look after her younger siblings.
Then one morning their mother fails to appear for breakfast. When the gatekeeper at Grant's factory tells Dora that no one by the name of Harriet Bentley has ever worked there, the children grow worried. Knowing that their mother wouldn't deliberately deceive them, they enlist the help of a neighbour, a former policeman, to help them investigate.
©2007 Beryl Matthews (P)2008 Soundings
A Flight of Golden Wings
Summary
Britain is at war, and Ruth, a gifted pilot, is determined to join the Air Transport Auxiliary. Over in America, Jack and Lucy Nelson are also keen to join. After a perilous journey by sea, Jack is posted to White Waltham, where he quite literally bumps into Ruth. She soon realises that she has fallen in love with Jack - but with death and heartbreak all around them, the cautious Jack can't put his heart on the line. As the tide of war changes, Jack is sent to France to deliver a Spitfire, but his plane never arrives. Devastated, Ruth must accept that the love of her life may never return.
©2007 Beryl Matthews (P)2008 Soundings
A Debt from the Past
Summary
Hampshire, 1850: Under the watchful eyes of her guardian, Lord Edward Sharland, and an excellent estate manager, Beth Langton has been running her large family estate. After a week away, terrible news is waiting for her. The father of her best friend, Lady Helen Denton, has shot himself, leaving Helen destitute. Beth persuades Helen to live with her, although too proud to take charity, Helen insists she work as a paid companion. The girls soon settle happily together, but further tragedy awaits. Beth is informed by a stranger that her beloved guardian, away on business, has died. The stranger claims to be Edward's heir, making him her legal guardian - and he has the paperwork to prove it. But can they trust him?
©2013 Beryl Matthews (P)2014 Soundings
When the Music Stopped
Summary
London, 1912. Identical twins Lester and Lillia Holdsworth are destined for the stage. Lester is a brilliant pianist, Lillia a magnificent opera singer. But their father has other ideas. Lester is sent to a military academy while Lillia must marry Lord Dalton - a self-righteous, pompous friend of her father's looking for a young wife to give him an heir. Yet their plans to defy their father's wishes are put on hold when war breaks out in 1914. Suddenly Lester is flying planes for the RFC, and Lillia trains as a nurse. For both twins the fighting brings hardships and difficult choices. They wait in hope, like the rest of Europe, for the war to end and the music to start again.
©2017 Beryl Matthews (P)2017 Soundings
Battles Lost and Won
Summary
1919, London's East End. Robert Hunter is eagerly awaiting the return of his father from the war. Next door, Ruth Cooper's family are also preparing to welcome her dad, whose ship was lost at Jutland. After five years of separation and anxiety – and, for Bob, the worry of caring for his frail mother – emotions are running high for both young people. But Alf Hunter, who saw action in the trenches, returns a changed man, and when he takes to drink, Bob must put his own happiness on hold to support his family…
©2011 Beryl Matthews (P)2011 Soundings
A New Day
Summary
After a traumatic past, life finally seems to be looking up for Hanna Foster. But war is on its way... London, 1938. Hanna and Jack Foster had been sent to an orphanage when their parents were killed in a train crash, but were separated when a couple adopted Jack. Bullied and treated like a slave, it soon became clear it was a dreadful mistake. In desperation, Jack takes his future into his own hands and runs away to join the merchant navy, while Hanna takes a job looking after two children. For a time, life seems good, but war is looming and threatens to take away everything Hanna holds dear...
©2012 Beryl Matthews (P)2013 Soundings
The Uncertain Years
Summary
As World War II breaks out, four friends from London’s East End consider the changes that war will mean for all of them. Tomboyish Becky Adams plans to join the ATS, her neighbours Bob and Jim the navy and army respectively. Only Becky’s brother, Will, is left out of the excitement; because of a slight physical disability, he is forced to stay behind, working as a cub reporter on a newspaper. As hostilities gather pace, and the friends are separated, their youthful enthusiasm is tempered by the grim headlines in the newspapers and their experiences at Dunkirk and in the Blitz. Like so many others, Becky and her friends will face hardship, drama, and tragedy before the war is over.
©2010 Beryl Matthews (P)2010 Soundings
Hold on to Your Dreams
Summary
London, 1899. As she prepares for a glittering ball, 20-year-old Gertrude Melrose considers her good fortune. Attractive, intelligent, with a loving family, her only concern is her brother, Edward, who seems intent on squandering his inheritance. A few days later the Melrose family's happiness is shattered when Edward's mounting debts threaten to destroy their prosperity, with the loss of both house and business. Edward is disowned by his father, and Gertie and her parents must face up to their changed circumstances. But with the support of Edward's friend David, and Alexander Glendale, one of Gertie's spurned suitors, Gertie finds the strength of character to fight for her family and, ultimately, to hold on to her dreams.
©2009 Beryl Matthews (P)2009 Soundings
When Midnight Comes
Summary
1856. Christine Banner is alone after her father's death. Determined to make her own way in the world, she stumbles onto an estate in the New Forest where she finds work that she loves. However, when the future looks uncertain, Christine's skill at handling some of the large and difficult warhorses shines through and captures the attention of the son of the estate owner. In the face of grief, sadness and disappointment, Christine's intelligence and strength will be tested until she finds the place she can truly call home.
©2018 Beryl Matthews (P)2018 Isis Publishing Ltd
From This Day Forward
Summary
As if everyday life in London's slums wasn't hard enough for Jane Roberts and her three children, the day that ne'er-do-well husband Bert walks out on his family as rent day draws near is a particularly dark time. In the wake of his desertion, the family pulls together to find their way forward, and Jane takes the steps she needs to get a divorce and free them all from Bert in the future. With help from a neighbour who is not all she seems, a lucky break and fresh opportunities, the road ahead starts to look more promising. But will Bert wreck the new start the Roberts family have their sights set on?
©2020 Beryl Matthews (P)2020 Soundings