Laura Kirman has narrated 57 audiobooks on Listento.it by 40 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 206 ratings. The most-rated is Codename Villanelle.
Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey
Summary
In this new Regency romance, a young unwed mother knows she must protect her heart from the charms of her convenient new husband, Lord Torrington. She is not, however, prepared to protect her life. When the widowed Lord Torrington agreed to spy for the crown, he never planned to impersonate a highwayman, let alone rob the wrong carriage. Stranded on the road with an unconscious young woman, he is forced to propose marriage to protect his identity and her reputation, as well as his dangerous mission. Trapped not only by her duty to her country, but also by her limited options as an unwed mother, Miss Elizabeth Cantrell and her infant son are whisked away to Middlecrest Abbey by none other than the elder brother of her son’s absent father. There she is met by Torrington’s beautiful grown daughters, a vicious murder, and an urgent hunt for the missing intelligence that could turn the war with France. Meanwhile she must convince everyone that her marriage is a genuine love match if her new husband has any hope of uncovering the enemy. Determined to keep her son’s true identity a secret, Elizabeth will need to remain one step ahead of her fragile heart, her uncertain future, and the relentless fiend bent on her new family’s ruin. Early Praise for Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey: “Murder is far from no one’s thoughts in this delicious new romantic mystery from Abigail Wilson. With scandal dodging every turn of the page, mystery hiding behind the visage of each character, and a romance brewing with an English rake of the worse - and best - sorts, readers will find nothing lacking! I was entranced, mesmerized, addlepated, and not a little bit bewildered as I wandered the halls of Middlecrest Abbey.” (Jaime Jo Wright, author of the Christy Award-winning novel The House on Foster Hill) “From the very first page, I was enraptured! Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey has intrigue, mystery, and suspense beautifully enhanced by the vulnerability revealed through memorable characters making this story impossible to put down. A must-read recommendation, this story is exactly what makes me love reading!” (Natalie Walters, author of the Harbored Secrets series) “Suspicion shades the affluent grounds of Middlecrest Abbey in this riveting novel by Abigail Wilson. The artful balance of mystery and romance cleverly blends with the Gothic tones of Regency England. With exquisite prose and a layered plot, Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey is a compelling story not to be missed.” (Rachel Scott McDaniel, award-winning author of Above the Fold) Full-length Regency romance mystery (c. 90,000 words) Perfect for fans of Sarah Ladd, Deanna Raybourn, Julie Klassen, Tasha Alexander, and Lauren Willig. Also by Abigail Wilson: In the Shadow of Croft Towers Midnight on the River Grey The Vanishing at Loxby Manor (available January 2021) Includes discussion questions for book clubs
©2020 Abigail Wilson (P)2020 Thomas Nelson
A Wedding at Mulberry Lane
Summary
Maureen Jackson knew life as a trainee nurse wouldn't be easy, but she didn't expect her hospital to be badly bombed on her first shift. Plus Maureen still has her family and friends in Mulberry Lane to keep her busy - she's needed as much there as she is by her patients. Running the pub on the corner of Mulberry Lane, Peggy Ashley is used to taking in all sorts of waifs and strays. But the arrival of a dashing American captain has got tongues wagging about Mulberry Lane's favourite landlady.... Janet Ashley's husband is back from the front line. Which is more than so many of the wives of Mulberry Lane. But her beloved Mike is a completely different man from the one she fell in love with - and what's more he doesn't remember her or their young daughter. How do you cope when your darling husband is a virtual stranger? As WW2 continues around them, the women of Mulberry Lane know that community spirit and friendship are the key to surviving the Blitz.
©2017 Rosie Clarke (P)2018 W. F. Howes Ltd
Thirteen Storeys
Summary
A chilling thriller that's perfect for fans of Get Out and The Haunting of Hill House. A dinner party is held in the penthouse of a multimillion-pound development. All the guests are strangers - even to their host, the billionaire owner of the building. None of them know why they were selected to receive his invitation. Besides a postcode, they share only one thing in common - they've all experienced an unsettling occurrence within the building's walls. By the end of the night, their host is dead, and none of the guests will say what happened. His death remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries - until now.
©2020 Jonathan Sims (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group
The Vacation
Summary
In The Vacation, a captivating thriller from T. M. Logan, the best-selling author of Lies and 29 Seconds, four best friends on a dream vacation come face-to-face with an explosive secret. It was supposed to be the perfect getaway: Kate and her three best friends, spending a week with their families in a luxurious villa in the south of France. Through the decades they’ve stayed closer than ever, and seven days of drinking crisp French wine and laying out under the dazzling Mediterranean sun is the perfect celebration of their friendship. But soon after arriving, Kate discovers an incriminating text on her husband’s cell phone. A text revealing that he’s having an affair. And that the other woman is one of her best friends. But which one? Trapped in paradise with no one to trust, Kate is determined to find out who has put her marriage - and a lifelong friendship - in jeopardy. But as she closes in on the truth, she realizes that the stakes are higher than she ever imagined. Everyone on the trip has secrets...and someone may be prepared to kill to keep theirs hidden. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press “TM Logan’s latest nail-biter is a virtual holiday.” (Washington Post)
©2020 T. M. Logan (P)2020 Macmillan Audio
A Winter Kiss on Rochester Mews
Summary
A heartwarming and hilarious Christmas romance! Tis the season to be jolly! But on Rochester Mews, two unlikely lovebirds are struggling to find their festive cheer. Star baker Mattie has hated Christmas ever since she had her heart broken on Christmas Eve. The only thing she hates more is the insufferable Tom, who has rubbed her up the wrong way since she started running the tearoom next door to his bookshop. So when Mattie and Tom are left in charge in the frantic festive days before Christmas, it might be cold outside, but things are sure to heat up. Can a bookshop full of romantic novels, a life-size reindeer and a mistletoe kissing booth persuade two scrooges to fall in love with Christmas...and each other?
©2018 Annie Darling (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers
Caligula
Summary
Rome, AD 37. The emperor is dying. No-one knows how long he has left. The power struggle has begun.
When the ailing Tiberius thrusts Caligula's family into the imperial succession in a bid to restore order, he will change the fate of the empire and create one of history's most infamous tyrants, Caligula.
But was Caligula really a monster?
Forget everything you think you know. Let Livilla, Caligula's youngest sister and confidante, tell you what really happened. How her quiet, caring brother became the most powerful man on earth.
And how, with lies, murder and betrayal, Rome was changed forever....
Read by Laura Kirman
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2018 Simon Turney (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group Limited
The Runner
Summary
The explosive new stand-alone thriller from the author of the Spider Shepherd series. Sally Page is an MI5 'footie', a junior Secret Service Agent who maintains 'legends': fake identities or footprints used by real spies. Her day consists of maintaining flats and houses where the legends allegedly live, doing online shopping, using payment, loyalty and travel cards and going on social media in their names - anything to give the impression to hostile surveillance that the legends are living, breathing individuals. One day she goes out for a coffee run from the safe house from which she and her fellow footies operate. When she comes back they have all been murdered, and she barely escapes with her own life. She is on the run: but from whom she has no idea. Worse, her bosses at MI5 seem powerless to help her. To live, she will have to use all the lies and false identities she has so carefully created while discovering the truth....
©2020 Stephen Leather (P)2020 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Midnight on the River Grey
Summary
In this Gothic Regency romance, Rebecca fears she has developed feelings for the man she swore to see hanged, her brother's murderer. After her elder brother’s mysterious death, Rebecca Hunter vows to expose the man she believes responsible: Mr. Lewis Browning - known by the locals as the Midnight Devil and by Rebecca as her new guardian. Summoned to his reclusive country estate to await her London season, Rebecca plans her own secret investigation among the darkened corridors of the mysterious Greybourne Hall. Yet Lewis Browning is not as she once imagined, and his motivation is horribly unclear. Recurrent nightmares and Rebecca’s restless feelings are further complicated by the shadow of her mother’s prior descent into madness and wondering if she, too, will follow the same heartbreaking path. Even as midnight rides, strange injuries, and further murders lead back to Mr. Browning, Rebecca can’t ignore the subtle turn of her heart. Has she fallen for the man she swore would pay for her brother's death? And moreover, can she trust him with her uncertain future? “Murder is far from no one’s thoughts in this delicious new romantic mystery from Abigail Wilson. With scandal dodging every turn of the page, mystery hiding behind the visage of each character, and a romance brewing with an English rake of the worse - and best - sorts, readers will find nothing lacking! I was entranced, mesmerized, addlepated, and not a little bit bewildered as I wandered the halls of Middlecrest Abbey.” (Jaime Jo Wright, author of the Christy Award-winning novel The House on Foster Hill) Full-length Regency romance with a murder mystery (c. 90,000 words) Perfect for fans of Sarah Ladd, Deanna Raybourn, Julie Klassen, Tasha Alexander, and Lauren Willig. Also by Abigail Wilson: In the Shadow of Croft Towers Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey The Vanishing at Loxby Manor (available January 2021) Includes discussion questions for book clubs
©2019 Abigail Wilson (P)2019 Thomas Nelson
Perfect Little Children
Summary
The New York Times best-selling author of The Monogram Murders and Woman with a Secret returns with a sharp, captivating, and expertly plotted tale of psychological suspense. All Beth has to do is drive her son to his soccer game, watch him play, and then return home. Just because she knows her ex-best friend lives near the field, that doesn’t mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn’t seen Flora for 12 years. She doesn’t want to see her today - or ever again. But she can’t resist. She parks outside the open gates of Newnham House, watches from across the road as Flora arrives, and calls to her children Thomas and Emily to get out of the car. Except.... There’s something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt, but they haven’t changed at all. They are no taller, no older. Why haven’t they grown? How is it possible that they haven’t grown up?
©2020 Sophie Hannah (P)2020 HarperAudio
The Waiting Rooms
Summary
Decades of spiralling drug resistance have unleashed a global antibiotic crisis. Ordinary infections are untreatable, and a scratch from a pet can kill. A sacrifice is required to keep the majority safe: no one over 70 is allowed new antibiotics. The elderly are sent to hospitals nicknamed ‘The Waiting Rooms’, hospitals where no one ever gets well. Twenty years after the crisis takes hold, Kate begins a search for her birth mother, armed only with her name and her age. As Kate unearths disturbing facts about her mother’s past, she puts her family in danger and risks losing everything. Because Kate is not the only secret that her mother is hiding. Someone else is looking for her, too.
©2020 Eve Smith (P)2021 Isis Publishing Ltd
Daisy Cooper's Rules for Living
Summary
"Fun, fresh - a brilliant love story with a twist." (Jenny Colgan, author of The Bookshop on the Corner) Bridget Jones meets The Good Place in this witty and poignant novel about a woman whose untimely death sparks the journey of a lifetime Rule one: Anything can happen Daisy Cooper's life is just getting started, when suddenly it ends. Surprised to find herself in an Afterlife processing center, she is even more stunned to learn that she wasn't meant to die for another 50 years. One terrible, embarrassing clerical error is behind it - and an administrator named Death is to blame. But death, as they say, is final, and Daisy must now navigate this impossible new world. With the help of an unlikely ally, Daisy begins to realize that letting go isn't just a challenge faced by those left behind. And as she learns how to survive this strange reality, friendship, hope, and love begin to come alive in the most unexpected ways.
©2020 Tamsin Keily (P)2020 HarperAudio
Dream on Amber
Summary
Amber Alessandra Leola Kimiko Miyamoto. As if her name made up for being tiny, half Japanese and half Italian, and starting a new school with a caveman phone. Dream on! But the hardest bit about being Amber is that a part of her is missing. Her dad. He left when she was little and if he isn't coming back, she'll have to sort things out another way…
©2014 Emma Shevah (P)2014 W F Howes Ltd
Reader, I Married Him
Summary
This collection of original stories by today's finest woman writers takes inspiration from the famous line in Charlotte Brontë's most beloved novel, Jane Eyre. A fixture in the literary canon, Charlotte Brontë is revered by listeners all over the world. Her books featuring unforgettable, strong heroines still resonate with millions today. And who could forget one of literature's best-known lines - "Reader, I married him" - from her classic novel Jane Eyre? Part of a remarkable family that produced three acclaimed female writers at a time in 19th-century Britain when few women wrote and fewer were published, Brontë has been a great source of inspiration to writers, especially women, ever since. Now, in Reader, I Married Him, 20 of today's most celebrated woman authors have spun original stories using Jane Eyre as a springboard. Reader, I Married Him features stories by: Tracy Chevalier, Tessa Hadley, Helen Dunmore, Kirsty Gunn, Joanna Briscoe, Jane Gardam, Emma Donoghue, Susan Hill, Francine Prose, Elif Shafak, Evie Wyld, Patricia Park, Salley Vickers, Nadifa Mohamed, Esther Freud, Linda Grant, Sarah Hall, Lionel Shriver, Audrey Niffenegger, Namwali Serpell, and Elizabeth McCracken. Unique, inventive, and poignant, the stories in Reader, I Married Him pay homage to the literary genius of Charlotte Brontë and demonstrate once again that her extraordinary vision continues to inspire listeners and writers.
©2016 Tracy Chevalier (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers
The Newcomer
Summary
She arrived in the village on the spring tide and hoped to be at the heart of it, knowing its secrets and weathering its storms. It was to be a new beginning.... It’s springtime in the Cornish village of Pendruggan, and as the community comes together to say a fond farewell to parish vicar Simon and his wife, Penny, a newcomer causes quite a stir.... Reverand Angela Whitehorn came to Cornwall to make a difference. With her husband, Robert, by her side, she sets about making changes - but it seems not everyone is happy for her to shake things up in the small parish, and soon Angela starts to receive anonymous poison pen letters. Angela has always been one to fight back, and she has already brought a fresh wind into the village, supporting her female parishioners through good times and bad. But as the letters get increasingly more personal, Angela learns that the secrets are closer to home. With faith and friends by your side, even the most unlikely of new beginnings is possible.
©2019 Fern Britton (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers
I Thought I Knew You
Summary
For fans of He Said/She Said and Anatomy of a Scandal, Penny Hancock’s I Thought I Knew You is about secrets and lies – and whose side you take when it really matters. Who do you know better? Your oldest friend? Or your child? And who should you believe when one accuses the other of an abhorrent crime? Jules and Holly have been best friends since university. They tell each other everything, trading revelations and confessions and sharing both the big moments and the small details of their lives: Holly is the only person who knows about Jules’ affair; Jules was there for Holly when her husband died. And their two children - just three years apart - have grown up together. So when Jules’ daughter, Saffie, makes a rape allegation against Holly’s son, Saul, neither woman is prepared for the devastating impact this will have on their friendship or their families. Especially as Holly, in spite of her principles, refuses to believe her son is guilty.
©2019 Penny Hancock (P)2019 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd
The Cornish Cream Tea Bus
Summary
The charming new novel from the author of The Canal Boat Cafe. Perfect for cake lovers and old-fashioned romantics! On your marks, get set.... Baking fanatic Charlie Quilter, still nursing a broken heart, is surprised when her late uncle bequeaths his vintage 1950s Routemaster bus to her in his will. She adored driving around with him in it when she was a child and can’t contemplate selling it. When Charlie loses her job, her friend Juliette has an exciting idea and suggests Charlie come to stay with her in the picturesque Cornish village of Porthgolow. Thrilled at the chance of a new start, Charlie packs her spatula, her pinny and her cute dog Marmite onto the bus, and they head off for a summer adventure....
©2019 Cressida McLaughlin (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
A Stranger's Secret
Summary
As a grieving young widow, Morwenna only wants a quiet life for herself and her son. Until a man washes ashore, entangling her in a web of mystery that could threaten all she holds dear. Lady Morwenna Trelawny Penvenan indulged in her fair share of dalliances in her youth, but now that she's the widowed mother to the heir of the Penvenan title, she's desperate to polish her reputation. When she's accused of deliberately luring ships to crash on the rocks to steal the cargo, Morwenna begins an investigation to uncover the real culprits and stumbles across an unconscious man lying in the sea's foam - a man wearing a medallion with the Trelawny crest around his neck. The medallion is a mystery to David Chastain, a boat builder from Somerset. All David knows is that his father, after lying and stealing his family’s money, was found dead in Cornwall with the medallion in his possession. And he knows the widow who rescued him from the water is impossibly beautiful - and likely the siren who caused the shipwreck in the first place - as well as the hand behind whoever is trying to murder David. As Morwenna nurses David back to health and tries to learn how he landed on her beach, suspicion and pride keep their growing attraction at bay. But can they join together to save Morwenna's name and estate, as well as David’s life? Can they acknowledge the love they are both trying to deny? “Expertly crafted and filled with mystery and intrigue, Laurie Alice Eakes’s newest book is sure to delight historical romance fans.” (Sarah E. Ladd, best-selling author of The Thief of Lanwyn Manor) “With a fabulous mix of emotionally complex romance, gothic suspense, and characters who will stay in readers’ minds long after the book is finished, A Stranger’s Secret is a compelling, mystery infused love story that any historical romance lover will enjoy.” (Dawn Crandall, author of The Hesitant Heiress, The Bound Heart, and The Captive Imposter) Regency romance with inspirational elements Book two of the Cliffs of Cornwall series; can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone. Includes a reading group guide
©2015 Laurie Alice Eakes (P)2018 Zondervan
Ashes
Summary
Includes an audiobook-exclusive interview with the author discussing his inspiration for Ashes and his family’s history during World War II. A deeply touching novel about two young women whose differences, which once united them, will tear them apart forever, during Hitler’s Nazi occupation of Belgium and France. Based on true events. For fans of All The Light We Cannot See and Tattooist of Auschwitz. Belgium, July 1939: Simone Lyon is the daughter of a Belgium national hero, the famous General Joseph Lyon. Her best friend, Hava Daniels, is the eldest daughter of a devout Jewish family. Despite growing up in different worlds, they are inseparable. But when, in the spring of 1940, Nazi planes and tanks begin bombing Brussels, their resilience and strength are tested. Hava and Simone find themselves caught in the advancing onslaught and are forced to flee. In an emotionally charged race for survival, even the most harrowing horrors cannot break their bonds of love and friendship. The two teenage girls will see their innocence fall against the ugly backdrop of a war dictating that theirs was a friendship that should never have been.
©2020 Chris de Vinck (P)2020 Harper Inspire
A Perfect Cornish Escape
Summary
Escape to Cornwall this summer.... The new installment in the trilogy, following A Perfect Cornish Summer and A Perfect Cornish Christmas, is coming soon! ‘Wonderful. A love story with a mystery at its heart, it will make you laugh, cry and yearn for Cornwall. I loved it!’ (Miranda Dickinson) Summer in Cornwall is the perfect time for a fresh start.... Seven years ago, Marina Hudson’s husband was lost at sea. She vowed to love him forever - but when kind-hearted Lachlan arrives in Porthmellow, should she deny herself another chance at happiness? Tiff Trescott was living life to the full as a journalist in London - until her boyfriend’s betrayal brought it all crashing down. Fleeing to her cousin Marina’s cottage, Tiff feels like a fish out of water. And when brooding local Dirk wins a day with her in a charity auction, she’s thrown headfirst into Cornish life. This summer promises new beginnings for both Tiff and Marina. But are they too good to be true? Escape to Cornwall with this emotional, uplifting listen. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Trisha Ashley. ‘A slice of Cornish sunshine. Gorgeously romantic, with plenty of twists to keep me turning the pages. Absolutely loved it.’ (Holly Martin)
©2020 Phillipa Ashley (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Forgive Me
Summary
From the internationally best-selling author of My Lies, Your Lies comes a gripping story of love, family, and the price of forgiveness, for fans of Diane Chamberlain and Lisa Scottoline. In prison, Archie Colbrook spends his time writing letters. Letters addressed to a person against whom he committed terrible, nameless harm. Archie knows he doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Yes, he didn’t mean to hurt anyone, and sure, he was only following orders. But does that matter? He still did it. In a small coastal town of Northern England, Claudia Winters hopes to feel safe for the first time in years after fleeing from her abusive husband with her mother and daughter. Their new life is supposed to be a fresh start. But Claudia knows the past won’t stay hidden for long - and she can’t help but feel that someone is watching her. And that something terrible is about to happen. Linked by one irrevocable act of violence, Archie and Claudia’s lives intertwine. Claudia can’t overlook what Archie did to her family - but is forgiveness the only way to truly move on? Tense, emotional, and gripping, Susan Lewis’ latest novel is a spellbinding story of family and the power of forgiveness.
©2021 Susan Lewis (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers