Philip Battley has narrated 38 audiobooks on Listento.it by 16 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 30 ratings. The most-rated is Ellie and the Harpmaker.
Ellie and the Harpmaker
Summary
A rich, heartwarming, and charming debut novel that reminds us that sometimes you find love in the most unexpected places. Dan Hollis lives a happy, solitary life carving exquisite Celtic harps in his barn in the countryside of the English moors. Here, he can be himself, away from social situations that he doesn’t always get right or completely understand. On the anniversary of her beloved father’s death, Ellie Jacobs takes a walk in the woods and comes across Dan’s barn. She is enchanted by his collection. Dan gives her a harp made of cherrywood to match her cherry socks. He stores it for her, ready for whenever she’d like to take lessons. Ellie begins visiting Dan almost daily and quickly learns that he isn’t like other people. He makes her sandwiches precisely cut into triangles and repeatedly counts the (17) steps of the wooden staircase to the upstairs practice room. Ellie soon realizes Dan isn’t just different; in many ways, his world is better, and he gives her a fresh perspective on her own life.
©2019 Hazel Prior (P)2019 Penguin Audio
The Troubadour's Tale
Summary
When Nicholas Elyot and his friends set out to spend the Christmas season in the country, they are prepared for a hard journey in winter weather. They are also wary of violence on the road, for these are troubled times after the Great Pestilence, when bands of dispossessed and desperate men roam the countryside of England. It is not surprising, therefore, when the troubadours hired to provide entertainment at Leighton Manor are attacked in Wychwood. Yet why should this insignificant group draw the attention of outlaws, who are searching for something? Is one of the troubadours not quite what he seems?
©2018 Ann Swinfen (P)2018 Ann Swinfen
A Step Away from Paradise
Summary
It was the early 1960s. The place, a far-off corner of the Himalayas long fabled in Tibetan tradition to be hiding a valley of immortality among its peaks and glaciers - a real-life Shangri-La. They waited generations for the prophesied lama to come, the one with the secret knowledge of how to "open" the Hidden Land. Then, one day, he came. His name was Tulshuk Lingpa. This book tells the true story of this charismatic visionary lama and his remarkable expedition. Against the wishes of the kings of both Sikkim and Nepal, he and over three hundred followers ventured up the snowy slopes of the third highest mountain of the planet. Their aim: to open a crack in the very fabric of reality and go to a land we would all wish to inhabit if it were only there - a land of peace and concord. Forty years later, the author spends over five years tracking down the surviving members of this extraordinary expedition. He deftly weaves their stories together with humor, wisdom, and scholarly research into Tibetan traditions of Hidden Lands, all the while reflecting on what this means for the rest of us. “Like no other book I have ever read…a riveting tale of adventure…honest to the real spirit of Tibet…both unique and intriguing…an engrossing read. Highly recommended.” (Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, from the Foreword) From Tulshuk Lingpa’s Guidebook to the Hidden Land: “Don’t listen to anybody. Decide by yourself and practice madness. Develop courage for the benefit of all sentient beings. Then you will automatically be free from the knot of attachment. Then you will continually have the confidence of fearlessness and you can then try to open the Great Door of the Hidden Place.” What would have happened... If Lewis Carroll had proclaimed the reality of Alice’s Wonderland? What if he had gathered a following and launched an expedition?
©2012 Thomas K. Shor (P)2019 Thomas K. Shor
An Heir to Thorns and Steel
Summary
Morgan Locke, university student, has been hiding his debilitating illness with fair enough success when two unlikely emissaries arrive bearing the news that he is prince to a nation of creatures out of folklore. Ridiculous! And yet, if magic exists...could it heal him? The ensuing journey will resurrect the forgotten griefs of history, and before it's over, all the world will be remade by thorns and steel.... The first book of the Blood Ladders trilogy, an epic fantasy with sociopathic elves, vampiric genets, and the philosophy students mixed up in the lot.
©2015 M.C.A. Hogarth (P)2019 M.C.A. Hogarth
The Stonemason's Tale
Summary
Oxford, Spring - 1354. When the series of accidents to the building of the chapel at Queen’s College begin, they do not appear a cause for concern, but they grow more serious, and stonemasons are injured. Nicholas Elyot becomes involved after it is discovered that an intruder has reached the college by way of his garden. When Jordain Brinkylsworth’s youngest student goes missing, it seems at first that his disappearance is unconnected, yet he is one of the ‘poor boys’ supported by Queen’s. Surely this serious and studious boy cannot be responsible for the troubles? And then someone is killed.
©2018 Ann Swinfen (P)2018 Ann Swinfen
The Novice's Tale
Summary
When the novice Emma Thorgold goes missing from Godstow Abbey in the summer of 1353, the hunt is on throughout the Oxfordshire countryside. Bookseller Nicholas Elyot and scholar Jordain Brinkylsworth are anxious to help the girl, but her stepfather has other intentions. Why is he so determined to shut her away for life? Or worse? And will she be found unharmed?
©2016 Ann Swinfen (P)2017 Ann Swinfen
Nearly Ruining Mr Russell
Summary
Miss Violette is a damsel in distress. The devil of it is, she just won't accept it. Alone and far from home in the big city, Violette is on a mission to find a missing man - a war hero who never made it home - and she doesn't want a chaperone. Though she refuses to reveal who she is, or what the man means to her, the chivalrous Aubrey Russell doesn't care. Accidentally thrust into the headstrong young lady's path, he decides she needs a protector. Determined that the girl should not ruin herself in pursuit of the truth, Aubrey dogs her every step... and finds himself in a spot of bother. Violette may be an innocent but she has an uncanny knack for finding trouble, and one way or another Aubrey is determined to save her from ruin. The only question is, will he be able to save himself? Note: This book and series contains mild swearing and mildly descriptive and graphic sex scenes - not erotica.
©2017 Emma V Leech (P)2019 Emma V Leech
The Huntsman's Tale
Summary
Oxford, late summer, 1353. On hearing that his cousin is short-handed for the harvest, Nicholas Elyot takes a group of friends back to the family farm to help. When a deer hunt in Wychwood ends in tragedy, suspicion is directed toward the huntsman, a boyhood friend of Nicholas. But the victim has made many other enemies, any one of whom could have shot the fatal arrow. Can Nicholas uncover the real killer before it is too late?
©2017 Ann Swinfen (P)2017 Ann Swinfen
One Wicked Winter
Summary
Blackmailed by his sister into giving a Christmas house party to celebrate her recent marriage, Edward Greyston, Marquess of Winterbourne, is quite certain the next few days will be an utter nightmare. Nightmares, however, are something Edward is all too familiar with. After the bloody battle of Waterloo, he has returned from the war a changed man, full of rage and guilt. Suspecting one of his house guests, the bluestocking Belinda Holbrook is about to trap unsuspecting and gullible Lord Nibley into marriage, he goes to warn him, only to get caught himself. Furious but honor bound to do the right thing, Edward finds himself married to a woman he doesn't trust and knows nothing about, and he has no intention of trying to find out more. Yet Belinda is made of sterner stuff and refuses to be afraid of the angry man she married. Somehow she determines to melt icy Lord Winterbourne's frozen heart, and she's prepared to be wicked to do it.
©2017 Emma V. Leech (P)2018 Emma V. Leech
The Merchant's Tale
Summary
Oxford, Autumn 1353 St. Frideswide's Fair is a great annual event in Oxford, bringing together merchants and buyers from all over England and Wales, and from as far away as Flanders and France. Yet the earnings from the fair, granted to the Priory of St. Frideswide centuries before, are resented by the town, and resentment can turn to violence. Under the unscrupulous Prior de Hungerford, even more trouble is brewing. Nicholas Elyot is warned by intelligencer Alice Walsea that attendance at the fair may be used for something more sinister, and not all French merchants may be innocent. When a merchant from Flanders is attacked and an English traitor is murdered, can Nicholas disentangle the crimes hidden under cover of the fair?
©2017 Ann Swinfen (P)2017 Ann Swinfen
By Vow and Royal Bloodshed
Summary
Restored to a working body, Morgan Locke has returned to Troth to seek the legendary athenaeum at Vigil in the hopes it will produce a solution to the enchantment binding the elves. But elves are not the only creatures now stepping out of folklore: the demons are coming, and they bring with them the armies of the dead. If they do not want to see their world consumed, Morgan and his companions will have to find the answers, whether they come from books...or bloodshed. Time is running out....
©2015 M.C.A. Hogarth (P)2019 M.C.A. Hogarth
The Bookseller's Tale
Summary
Oxford, Spring 1353. When young bookseller Nicholas Elyot discovers the body of student William Farringdon floating in the river Cherwell, it looks like a drowning. Soon, however, Nicholas finds evidence of murder. Who could have wanted to kill this promising student? As Nicholas and his scholar friend Jordain try to unravel what lies behind William's death, they learn that he was innocently caught up in a criminal plot. When their investigations begin to involve town, university, and abbey, Nicholas takes a risky gamble - and puts his family in terrible danger.
©2016 Ann Swinfen (P)2017 Ann Swinfen
On Wings of Bone and Glass
Summary
Evicted from vigil and faced with the impending descent of demons, Morgan Locke and his companions must unravel all the mysteries that are barring them from the salvation of their country and their world. Can they unbind the curse and free the magic to the hands of their allies before the dead rise again? And in the aftermath of that epic battle, what will become of the world they've always known? The adventure doesn't end when the last sword is swung. There is a great deal to be done. Join Morgan and his friends in this final book of the Blood Ladders trilogy and see how they conclude their epic journey out of folklore and back into ordinary time.
©2018 M.C.A. Hogarth (P)2019 M.C.A. Hogarth
The Rum and the Fox
Summary
From the author of the exciting series Rogues & Gentlemen comes a new Regency romance series - the Regency Romance Mysteries. Miss Keziah Todd is desperate. Surely the daughter of a viscount, even an impoverished one, ought to be able to live, just a little? But her father, Viscount Rennard, is a violent man, and one who is hard to thwart as he harshly restricts Keziah's society. When Keziah learns of her father's plans to marry the recently widowed and fabulously wealthy duchess of Chartley, it doesn't take the lovely Miss Todd long to realize that the woman's only son, Felix - the new duke of Chartley - is an inconvenience that her father will remove with haste. A mild-mannered duke. Felix might be a pink of the ton, but feisty Keziah believes he has more hair than wit and is no match for her cunning father. Unable to live with the good-natured duke’s death on her conscience, Keziah takes a risk and Felix's life in her hands.
©2018 Emma V Leech (P)2020 Emma V Leech
The Scarlet Sea
Summary
Book three in the Stanley Pargo in Suburbia series. Now trapped in the terrible world of Suburbia, Stanley Pargo is faced with a difficult choice: go his own way and face the beasts of the wilderness alone, or join a small cohort fighting to destroy a brutal monster known as the Chumbley. Both options all but guarantee Stanley’s untimely demise, and neither offers him the home he truly seeks, but if he doesn’t decide soon, the Chumbley will obtain a powerful stone capable of annihilating all who might thwart him. And if that happens, the Chumbley will exact his revenge, and there will be no world and no home left for Stanley to find.
©2020 Charlie Clark (P)2020 Charlie Clark
Deep Waters
Summary
A magical fantasy adventure... It’s spring. Nothing magical has happened for ages. Then, Dylan opens his school desk. Finding a talking hamster is weird enough, but soon, Dylan and his sister Emily are caught up in another incredible adventure. This time, they have to dive deep into a cold, murky river and avoid being captured by the crafty Aquelsis or eaten by a terrifying Belfroad...and all to rescue the school bully! Deep Waters continues the story from Deadwood Hall, as Dylan and Emily begin to discover more about magic and the secrets their grandfather has been hiding.
©2019 Linda Jones (P)2019 Linda Jones
No Signal
Summary
No Signal (iMe Series, Book 2) is the sequel to Jem Tugwell's thrilling debut novel Proximity. Can a game change the world? The Ten are chosen - they are reckless, driven and strong. They are tested. Ten become Four. In a country where everyone is tracked, how can the Four hide from the police? DI Clive Lussac hates the system that controls everything, but he's ill and it's helping him. He must decide: conform or fight. As Clive's world unravels, he and his partners DC Ava Miller and DS Zoe Jordan can't believe the entry price to the game. They strive to answer the real questions. Why does the ultimate Augmented Reality game have four different finishes? And how is a simple game wrapped up in politics, religion and the environment? "No Signal, an immersive, entertaining high-octane thriller set in a plausible interconnected world. Well-written, thought-provoking escapism. Perfect for fans of Black Mirror & Philip K. Dick." (Adam Hamdy)
©2020 Jem Tugwell (P)2020 Serpentine Books
The Duke's Privateer
Summary
When it comes to women, the Duke of Danby is an audacious rake...but when it comes to ridding the kingdom of smugglers, he’s leading the charge. The Prince Regent has bankrupted the country more than once, and Danby isn’t about to go down with a sinking ship. The Honorable Eleanor Kent hides behind the image of a self-proclaimed spinster...though in truth she’s one of England’s most sought-after privateers. When their paths cross at a royal dinner...Danby suspects the stunning redheaded woman is more than she seems. He engages her to consult on a chinoiserie remodel and Eleanor gladly accepts. Indeed, she’d rather keep her enemy close where she can watch his every move. Though neither duke nor lady has a clue of how tangled the web they’re spinning will become. As the heat ratchets up, so does their unbidden attraction. Will they get burned before it’s too late to run? Listen to the Devilish Dukes Series in order: The Duke’s Fallen Angel The Duke’s Untamed Desire The Duke’s Privateer
©2021 Amy Jarecki (P)2021 Amy Jarecki
Shiver
Summary
Make me shiver... Thornton “Shiver” Whittaker, Marquess of Wells and MI6 agent, put his life and that of his colleagues on the line to negotiate Orina "Losha” Kuznetsov’s freedom from United Russia. But now that the $10 million bounty has been removed from the beautiful but deadly Russian assassin’s head, she not only refuses to come out of hiding, she refuses to have anything to do with him. Shiver has always put MI6 first, even before his family, who, with his father on his deathbed, is insisting he return to England and fulfill his duty as marquess to take over as Duke of Bedfordshire when his father dies. But the woman he loves isn’t in England. He isn’t sure where she is, but he has to find her and convince her to spend her life with him. It isn’t just that Orina Kuznetsov is afraid that United Russia won’t hold up their end of the bargain; there’s another secret Shiver can never find out and that’s what keeps her from giving in to him. While each book in the Military Intelligence Section 6 series is a stand-alone with its own HEA, they may be more enjoyable listened to in order.
©2019 Heather Slade (P)2020 Heather Slade
Stanley Pargo in Suburbia: The Crooked House
Summary
In the first installment of this epic adventure series, young Stanley Pargo realizes he’s forgotten more than just his home when he wakes up alone and lost at sea. His rations are dwindling, and with no memory to guide him, Stanley loses all hope of finding his family until he meets a talking crane who knows far more about Stanley’s peculiar past than he’s willing to reveal. With the bird’s help, Stanley reaches land and takes shelter in a dark tower that stands as crooked as the man who built it. The man - a kind but blundering professor named Quibbie - befriends Stanley, but the boy soon suspects his new friend might also be keeping secrets of his own. Attempting to unravel these mysteries, Stanley ventures into the treacherous forest behind Quibbie’s estate and discovers a terrible monster that's been hunting Stanley for reasons he must uncover if he hopes to piece together his broken past and find his missing home.
©2018 Charlie Clark (P)2019 Charlie Clark