Sarah Coomes has narrated 46 audiobooks on Listento.it by 26 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 4,251 ratings. The most-rated is The Power of Vulnerability.
The Tea Planter's Daughter
Summary
Lush, green, fragrant: the Indian hills of Assam are full of promise. But eighteen-year-old Clarissa Belhaven is full of worry. The family tea plantation is suffering, and so is her father, still grieving over the untimely death of his wife, while Clarissa's fragile sister, Olive, needs love and resourceful care. Beautiful and headstrong, Clarissa soon attracts the attention of young, brash Wesley Robson, a rival tea planter. Yet before his intentions become fully clear, tragedy befalls the Belhavens and the sisters are wrenched from their beloved tea garden to the industrial streets of Tyneside. A world away from the only home she has ever known, Clarissa must start again. Using all her means, she must endure not only poverty but jealousy and betrayal too. Will the reappearance of Wesley give her the link to her old life that she so desperately craves? Or will a fast-changing world and the advent of war extinguish hope forever?
©2016 Janet MacLeod Trotter (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. The Cliffs of Old Tynemouth © 1843 by David Lietch.
The Secrets of the Tea Garden
Summary
She’s gone in search of happy memories. But was her idyllic childhood in India an illusion? After the Second World War, Libby Robson leaves chilly England for India, and the childhood home where she left her heart - and her beloved father, James - fourteen years ago. At first Libby is intoxicated by India’s vibrant beauty: the bustle of Calcutta, the lush tea gardens of Assam. But beneath the surface a rebellion is simmering: India is on the brink of Partition, and the days of British rule are numbered. As the owner of a tea plantation, James embodies the hated colonial regime, and Libby finds herself questioning her idealised memories - particularly when she meets the dashing freedom fighter Ghulam Khan. As Partition looms, life in India becomes precarious for Libby, James and even Ghulam. And when James reveals a shameful family secret, Libby is forced to question her past - and her future.
©2018 Janet MacLeod Trotter. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
The Reckoning
Summary
To the public, he’s a hero: a brutal killer who targets sex offenders. To most of London’s police force, he’s the suspect in a gruesome, time-consuming case to be avoided. But to Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan, he’s a murderer - no matter the sins of his victims - and catching him is her job. Assigned to the case with the division’s unreadable new DI, Josh Derwent, young and inexperienced Maeve is determined to prove she has what it takes to make it as a female in the tough world of the London police. But for a killer who strikes with such spectacle, this one is proving remarkably elusive. And when Maeve learns his motive might be about exacting revenge, his acts of incredible violence move from abstract justice to the intensely personal, and become all the more terrifying. Unsure whom she can trust even within her own department, and knowing that her life is at stake, Maeve will have to decide how far she’s willing to go to ensure justice is served. Jane Casey’s taut, brilliantly executed thriller will have listeners on the edge of their seats from the opening chapter to the stunning conclusion.
©2012 Jane Casey (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Left for Dead
Summary
A violent rapist is attacking women, leaving them for dead on south London streets. When young policewoman Maeve Kerrigan responds to a domestic disturbance, she's horrified to stumble across the latest victim. But as a new recruit - and a female to boot - she'll have to face down not only her own nerves but rampant sexism from her colleagues if she wants to be taken seriously enough to even assist on the case. International best seller Jane Casey takes Maeve back to her early days as a rookie police woman in Left for Dead - a brilliant novella sure to delight series fans and new listeners alike.
©2013 Jane Casey (P)2014 Audible Inc.
The Stranger You Know
Summary
He meets women. He gains their trust. He kills them. That's all London police detective Maeve Kerrigan knows about the man she is hunting. Three women have been strangled in their homes, and it appears to be the work of the same sadistic killer. With no sign of break-ins, every indication shows that the women let their attacker in willingly. The victims' neighbors and friends don't seem to remember anything unusual or suspicious, and Maeve is almost at a loss about how to move forward with the investigation. Then the evidence starts to point to a shocking suspect: DCI Josh Derwent, Maeve's partner on the police force. Maeve refuses to believe he could be involved, but how well does she really know him? Secrets Derwent has long kept locked away are coming back to haunt him, and the more Maeve learns about her partner's past, the more difficult it is to dismiss him as a suspect. After all, this is hardly the first time Derwent's been accused of murder. Jane Casey returns with her most outstanding novel yet in The Stranger You Know, a taut thriller and an intimate portrayal of complicated, all-too-human characters.
©2013 Jane Casey (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Can Life Prevail?
Summary
With the train of civilization hurtling at ever-increasing speed towards self-destruction, the most pressing question facing humanity in the 21st century is that of the preservation of life itself. Can Life Prevail? provides a radical yet firmly grounded perspective on the ecological problems threatening both the biosphere and human culture. With essays covering topics as diverse as animal rights, extinction, deforestation, terrorism, and overpopulation, Can Life Prevail? makes the lucid, challenging writing of Linkola available to the English-speaking public for the first time. “By decimating its woodlands, Finland has created the grounds for prosperity. We can now thank prosperity for bringing us - among other things - two million cars, millions of glowing, electronic entertainment boxes, and many unneeded buildings to cover the green earth. Surplus wealth has led to gambling in the marketplace and rampant social injustice, whereby the common people end up contributing to the construction of golf courses, five-star hotels, and holiday resorts, while fattening Swiss bank accounts. Besides, the people of wealthy countries are the most frustrated, unemployed, unhappy, suicidal, sedentary, worthless, and aimless people in history. What a miserable exchange.” (Pentti Linkola)
©2011 Arktos Media Ltd. (P)2020 Arktos Media Ltd.
The Girl from the Tea Garden
Summary
In the dying days of the Raj, Anglo-Indian schoolgirl Adela Robson dreams of a glamorous career on the stage. When she sneaks away from school in the back of handsome Sam Jackman's car, she knows a new life awaits - but it is not the one she imagined. In Simla, the summer seat of the Raj government, Adela throws herself into all the dazzling entertainments 1930s Indian society can offer a beautiful debutante. But just as her ambitions seem on the cusp of becoming reality, she meets a charming but spoilt prince, setting in motion a devastating chain of events. The outbreak of the Second World War finds Adela back in England - a country she cannot remember - without hope or love, and hiding a shameful secret. Only exceptional courage and endurance can pull her through these dark times and carry her back to the homeland of her heart.
©2016 Janet MacLeod Trotter. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
The Kill
Summary
Their job is to investigate crime - not become the victims... A killer is terrorising London but this time the police are the targets. Urgently re-assigned to investigate a series of brutal attacks on fellow officers, Maeve Kerrigan and her boss Josh Derwent have little idea what motivates the killer's fury against the force. But they know it will only be a matter of time before the killer strikes again.
©2014 Jane Casey (P)2014 Audible Inc.
The Countess
Summary
The fairy tale courtship did not turn into a happily-ever-after.... Not until her husband dropped dead, that is. He had been horrible enough to Christiana during their short marriage, and she was not going to allow the traditional period of mourning to ruin her sisters' debuts as well. So she decides to put him on ice and go on as if nothing's happened.... Until the real earl appears. Richard Fairgrave had every intention of confronting his villainous twin who had robbed him of his name and title - only to discover that he had died. Quietly assuming his identity, Richard must now deal with a maddening desire for his ravishing inherited "wife" - certainly a gold digger and possibly a murderess. And Christiana must deal with an unwanted new "husband"... and they both must figure out what to do before the ice melts!
©2011 Lynsay Sands (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers
The Tea Planter's Bride
Summary
When Sophie is suddenly orphaned at the age of six, she is taken from her parents' tea plantation, the only home she has ever known, to be raised halfway across the world in Scotland. As the years pass and her exotic childhood becomes a distant memory, adventurous Sophie finds refuge in her friendship with her kind, shy cousin, Tilly. It is no surprise when the girls follow each other to India to embark on new adventures, new lives and new loves. But the reality of 1920s India is far removed from their dream: the jungles are too humid and the breathtaking tea gardens too remote. And amongst the stifling beauty, intrigue abounds; while Sophie struggles with affairs of the heart, Tilly, alone in a difficult world, delves into the mystery of Sophie's parents' deaths. As the past begins to darken their friendship, will long-held secrets shatter everything they've ever striven for?
©2016 Janet MacLeod Trotter (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
How to Woo a Reluctant Lady
Summary
Lady Minerva Sharpe has the perfect plan to thwart her grandmother’s demands: become engaged to a rogue! Surely Gran would rather release her inheritance than see her wed a scoundrel. And who better to play the part of Minerva’s would-be husband than wild barrister Giles Masters, the very inspiration for the handsome spy in the popular Gothic novels she writes?
The memory of his passionate kiss on her nineteenth birthday has lingered in Minerva’s imagination, though she has no intention of really falling for such a rakehell, much less marrying him. Little does she know, he really is a covert government operative. When they team up to investigate the mystery behind her parents’ deaths, their fake betrothal leads to red-hot desire. Then Minerva discovers Giles’s secret double life, and he must use all the cunning tricks of his trade to find his way back into her heart.
©2011 Sabrina Jeffries (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Highland Surrender
Summary
Defiant Highland beauty Fiona Sinclair is shocked by her brothers’ treachery. To seal a fragile truce, they have traded her hand in marriage to their sworn enemy, a man she has never met, a man she was raised to despise. With no choice but to wed, Fiona makes her own private vow: Though she may sacrifice her freedom, she will never surrender her heart. Commanded into marriage by the king, Myles Campbell is no more willing than his reluctant bride. Still, she is a rare beauty, passionate enough to warm even the coldest marriage bed. But Myles quickly realizes Fiona Sinclair isn’t some common wench: She has a warrior’s spirit and a fierce pride that only a fool would try to tame. And Myles Campbell is no fool. Their marriage was meant to unite warring clans. They never imagined it would ignite a once-in-a-lifetime love….
©2012 Tracy Brogan (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall
Summary
When twelve-year-old Florence boards the horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life at Crutchfield Hall, her great-uncle’s manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, Florence thinks, than the grim London orphanage she has just left. Florence doesn’t reckon with the eerie presence that haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield. It’s the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who died the year before. Sophia’s ghost seeks to recreate the scene of her death and cause someone else to die in her place so that she will be restored to life. And she intends to force her newly arrived cousin to help her. Blending elements from classic ghost stories of the past, Mary Downing Hahn pays homage to such renowned writers as Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens while creating a bone-chilling new story of her own.
©2010 Mary Downing Hahn (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Intimate Deception
Summary
A Desperate Choice Lady Grace Warren will do anything to protect her sisters, even betroth herself to a man so depraved that all of London fears him. Faced with a lifetime of misery, Grace has only one chance for escape: to relinquish her virtue before her wedding. Such abandon will destroy her reputation - and ensure her freedom. But when she disguises herself as courtesan to lure a handsome nobleman, she cannot anticipate the tender surprise destiny has in store…. A Twist of Fate Vincent Germaine, Duke of Raeborn, has lost two wives in childbirth and still has no heir. Racked by guilt and grief, he seeks comfort in the arms of an enchanting stranger. But when he realizes their night of passion may have resulted in another dangerous pregnancy, he sets out to track down the innocent female - only to find his heart captured by a woman of incomparable courage and beauty.
©2012 Laura Landon (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
The Woodcutter
Summary
Deep within the Wood, a young woman lies dead. Not a mark on her body. No trace of her murderer. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity. The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer before others share her fate. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt, searching for clues in the whispering dominions of the enchanted unknown. But quickly he finds that one murdered maiden is not the only nefarious mystery afoot: one of Odin’s hellhounds has escaped, a pixie-dust drug trade runs rampant, and more young girls go missing. Looming in the shadows is a malevolent, power-hungry queen, and she will stop at nothing to destroy the Twelve Kingdoms and annihilate the Royal Fae…unless the Woodcutter can outmaneuver her and save the gentle souls of the Wood.
©2012 Kate Danley (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Noir
Summary
Losing him would make her overcast world one shade darker.... Navigating her way through nightmarish lands devoid of sunlight, Eyelet Elsworth races to free her beloved Urlick Babbit, the first person to understand and accept her - differences and all. Framed for murder and sentenced to execution, Urlick is running out of time. And the Commonwealth's tyrannical new ruler, Penelope Rapture, is strangely eager to speed up the clock. Aided by a band of unusual yet loyal associates, Eyelet stumbles upon a startling rumor. And as she unravels a secret that could challenge Penelope's claim to the throne, Penelope vows to divert Eyelet's journey - straight to a dark and deadly end. In Noir, the second thrilling addition to Jacqueline Garlick's Illumination Paradox series, familiar friends struggle against new and old enemies, shocking secrets come to light, and the truth that could save this captivating steampunk world is revealed... if it doesn't destroy everything first.
©2015 Jacqueline Garlick (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Intimate Surrender
Summary
A scandalous secret… Hannah Bartlett was tossed out of her home at the tender age of 15, when a man of the cloth stole her innocence. To survive the streets, Hannah entered into a life that she never imagined. Now, known as Madam Genevieve - the owner of London’s most infamous bordello - she dedicates her life to rescuing young girls from the streets and protecting them from a shameful fate. An unexpected attraction… Vicar Rafe Waterford meets Hannah at one of his sister-in-law’s country gatherings…and immediately falls for the mysterious beauty. Despite his declarations of love, Hannah insists they cannot be together. But Rafe is like no other man…and he refuses to forget a love so passionate and consuming.
©2013 Laura Landon (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
A Tale of Two Castles
Summary
Elodie journeys to the town of Two Castles to become a mansioner - an actress - but the master of the troupe turns her away. Brilliant dragon Meenore takes her in, then sends her on a dangerous mission within an ogre’s castle. There, disguised as a kitchen maid, she plays the role of a lifetime, pitted against a foe intent on murder. Black-and-white cats, a handsome cat trainer, a greedy king, a giddy princess, a shape-shifting ogre, a brilliant dragon.... Elodie must discover which of them is kind, which is cruel, and, most of all, which is the one who deserves her trust. Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine weaves an entrancing tale of a fearsome ogre, a dragon detective, and a remarkable heroine who finds friendship where she least expects it, learns that there are many ways to mansion, and discovers that goodness and evil come in all shapes and sizes.
©2011 Gail Carson Levine (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
The Unforgotten Coat
Summary
Can classmate Julie protect the brothers from vanishing? With warmth and humor, Carnegie Medalist Frank Cottrell Boyce transports readers from the steppe of Mongolia to the streets of Liverpool in an immigration tale that is compelling, miraculous, and often laugh-out-loud funny.
©2011 Frank Cottrell Boyce (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
The Most to Lose
Summary
A High-Stakes Courtship When Jonah Armstrong, the Earl of Haywood, returns to London after a three year absence, his plan is simple: reenter society, find a wealthy bride, and save the Haywood name from ruin. He has no time for distractions. Yet when he encounters Lady Cecelia Randolph, Jonah can’t resist a flirtation. After all, his feud with her brother, the Duke of Hadleigh, necessitated Jonah’s recent exile; he’s entitled to his revenge. But within seconds Jonah realizes he’s underestimated Cecelia. The gangly girl he once knew has blossomed into a beauty of rare intellect and character. He can’t possibly marry the Duke of Hadleigh’s sister...can he? A Gamble of the Heart Cecelia has loved Jonah forever, but she’s no fool. His attentions are motivated not by passion but by her generous dowry - and his thirst for vengeance against her brother. Yet when Jonah risks everything to protect her from her brother’s crazed fury, Cecelia dares to hope true love is within her reach at last.
©2012 Laura Landon (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.