Showing results by narrator "Annie Aldington" in All Categories

East-End London, 1858. In London's twisting streets, it's hard to tell friend from foe. And for Katherine Martin, arriving back in London after years away, the city is crueller than she remembers. Her eyes opened to the plight of London's poor, Kate is determined to do what she can to help, even if it means defying her parents. In secret, she opens a soup kitchen. But there is a world of criminals within London's poorest alleys. Catching the notice of Harry Trader and his gang, Kate is out of her depth. Until she begins to discover that her true enemies might not be who she thought.

After the brutal gangland murder of her husband Terry, Tracey Tempest just wants to move on. She’ll never get over Terry’s betrayal, but she’s determined his shady past won’t spoil life for her and her beloved boys Ricky and Jamie. Max Hardcastle just wants a quiet life and to maybe see how things go between him and Tracey. He knows she’s been hurt in the past, but he’s nothing like Terry and he’ll do anything to keep Tracey happy and safe. But some people have other ideas.

Excitement is running high in the Adams family. Mr Finch, after a long career in secret government work, is to be knighted - which means that Chinese Lady will become a real 'Lady'! What with having to find a new outfit suitable for the occasion, and worrying about whether she'll have to curtsey to the king, the redoubtable matriarch of the Adams family scarcely knows if she's coming or going.

Despite being raised by the notorious Murphy family, Terri Tempest has somehow turned out to be a lovely girl. But when Terri has enough of the abuse from her Uncle Michael, she runs away and takes refuge with Rina and Archie Taylor who own a local pub. Terri knows she’s a Tempest by blood, but she’s terrified of her half-brothers Ricky and Jamie. Their reputations are even worse than the Murphys. But when tragedy strikes at the pub, Terri blames herself. She knows there's only one way to get her revenge and justice and that means joining forces with her brothers and the family firm.

When Jared Johnson first meets Clarice Connaught he saves her from the hands of her father, who is brutally beating her in the street. Never one to walk past someone in distress, Jared doesn’t hesitate to help. But who is this girl and what is her story? Jared Johnson started with nothing. At just twelve-years-old he was orphaned and homeless, but eight years later, Jared is a success. Running McGuire’s Rag & Bone Yard and surrounded by friends, all Jared needs now is to find the perfect girl to settle down with.

It's Christmas Eve. Flurries of snow fall on the cobbled streets of Whitechapel, and an abandoned baby, swaddled in a blanket, is found on a doorstep in Angel Lane.... Named after the street on which she was found, Angel Winter was blessed to be taken from the harsh streets into a loving home. But fate deals a cruel blow, and she's torn from the only family she has ever known, thrown onto the cobbles of Covent Garden to fend for herself.

Christmas is coming to the village of Rockwood. But the happiest time of the year is marred by the news that Rosalind Blanchard’s husband, Piers, is close to death after a shipwreck at sea. The fate of her beloved family home, the crumbling Rockwood Castle, is once more in her hands. She must find the strength to keep her family together.

Maura, the Ryan clan's youngest and only daughter, is the last person anyone expects to take on gangland London. But with her eldest brother Michael by her side she fast becomes the queen of organised crime. Smart, tough and beautiful, no one is a match for her. But with power comes a price, and Maura is forced to put her heart on the line. She might be a dangerous lady but everyone has a weakness....

Tracey Tempest adores her husband, Terry. But when on his 50th birthday, tragedy strikes, Tracey must face the terrifying prospect of a future without him. Desperate for answers and boiling with rage, Tracey wants revenge. Together with her beloved sons, Ricky and Jamie, the Tempest family dig deeper into Terry’s past—who would want to kill him, and why? But what they discover changes everything they knew about the man they loved and risks tearing their own family apart.

Fun-loving Maisie is devoted to her young family and her work at Woolworths. But her happy life with her RAF officer husband and their baby daughter leads her to think of the family she left behind. With the war now into its fourth year, what will she find when she sets about searching for them? Sarah and her husband, Alan, are blissfully happy and long for a sibling for their daughter. But dark days lie ahead for this close family.

Dying is easy. It’s living that’s hard....An eye for an eye. Cabhan Morton wants to leave the Russo crime family for good and live in peace with his daughter, Alice Rose. But the Russos won’t let him walk away without a fight. A tooth for a tooth...Franny Doyle would do anything for Cabhan and Alice, but helping them escape the vindictive Russo brothers won’t be easy. The only place they’ll be safe is back in Essex with Alfie Jennings. A daughter for a daughter...Franny knows she won’t be welcomed by Alfie with open arms....

Will the war be over by Christmas? As the war moves into 1945, the lives of the women of Woolworths continue. When store manager Betty Billington announces she is expecting Douglas’ baby, her future life is about to change more than she expects. Freda has fallen in love with the handsome Scottish engineer, but will it end happily? Maisie loves being a mother and also caring for her two nieces, although she still has her own dreams. When her brother appears on the scene, he brings unexpected danger to the family.

An uncompromising and haunting story of betrayal and violence from the best-selling author Martina Cole. Freddie Jackson thinks he owns the underworld when he gets out of prison. He's done his time, made the right connections, and now he's ready to use them. His wife Jackie just wants her husband home, but she's forgotten the rows, the violence, and the girls Freddie can't leave alone. Bitter, resentful, and increasingly unstable, Jackie watches her life crumble while her little sister Maggie's star rises.

Abandoned by their parents and left to fight for themselves, headstrong Rosalind Carey has no choice but to take charge of her younger brothers and sister in Devonshire’s grand Rockwood Castle. But their once much-loved home is crumbling like the family that lives within it. Living hand to mouth and desperate to provide for the estate that depends on them, the Carey family are one debt away from ruin. Until the day comes when the dashing Piers Blanchard appears on their doorstep from Cornwall, claiming he is Rosalind’s distant cousin and that Rockwood Castle is his.

The Butler brothers are the Kings of the East End, and their motto is ‘what goes around, comes around'. In their world, family counts; so when the truth about Vinny's cousin's death comes to light, it rocks the Butlers to the core. One by one, Vinny's friends and family are turning against him. Then, the unimaginable happens - Vinny's little daughter, Molly, goes missing. She's the one chink of light in all their lives, and the one they'd commit murders to bring back.

Queenie Bonner is only two when she is taken from her large family in the slums to a big house in the country. Frightened and confused, she yearns for her nine brothers and sisters, especially her favourite brother, Harry. Albert and Mary Warrender rename her Eleanor, bringing her up as their own, and as time passes, Ellie forgets about her other family.

With her loving partner Rohan, her daughter Dixie-Lee, and a stunning new home, Georgie Deacon should at last be content–but she isn't. She senses she is being watched, and frightening flashbacks come back to haunt her. But worse is yet to come....

Three Butlers. Two weddings. One funeral. The explosive new novel from the Sunday Times number-one best-selling author Kimberley Chambers. Times are changing in the East End, from bad to worse.... Despite the love they share, Bella and Michael's lives seem to be continually throwing grenades in their path to true happiness. Bella's dark secret is threatening to spiral out of control - and has the power to destroy the Butler brothers' bond once and for all....

Lolly has always known her mum was different. Sometimes Angela Bruce was ill in a quiet sort of way, but other times she roamed the Mansfield estate shouting about whatever had wormed its way into her head that day. Either way, Lolly was on her own, so she learned how to look after herself pretty quickly. Mal Fury has never got over the disappearance of his daughter all those years ago, but there's still hope because the police never found Kay's body.

Tommy Jr might be one of the youngest members of the Carter family, but he has plans to one day step into his Uncle Jonny’s shoes as head of the family. But when his young girlfriend Aimee announces she’s pregnant, everything changes. Although only nineteen, Tommy’s determined to be the best dad he can. Aimee’s dad Kevin Fox feels the Carters owe him big time and now he’s going to part of the family it’s time to pay up. But publicly rejected by the Carters, Kevin plots his revenge and Tommy Jr is firmly in his sights.