Showing results by narrator "Deborah Balm" in All Categories

On the Greek island of Spetses, author Kenneth Graham is trying to finish his novel. Not impressed by the place, he wants to finish his work quickly and return to civilization. But after the local history, customs, and mysteries draw him in, Kenneth meets the enigmatic Kyria, who is unlike any woman he has ever met. His internal conflicts soon become stronger. Kyria and the island have a hold on him he does not understand, and fact and fiction begin to blend. What malign presence does the island hold, and can Kenneth get to the bottom of it?

Determined to avoid the strife-filled marriage of his parents, Marcus, the Duke of Ulvercombe, wants an amenable, biddable wife, and has set his cap for a certain pretty miss. Unfortunately, her vastly opinionated, frustrating, and lamentably beautiful guardian, Lady Clara Tinniswood, keeps distracting him, tempting him to consider a far more tempestuous—and passionate—union. Recently widowed Lady Clara Tinniswood wants only to organize a quiet new life for herself, beyond the control of any man. But one shockingly unguarded moment catapults her headlong into a forbidden passion.

The Little Fox Who Got Lost is a beautiful woodland story designed to teach small children about the dangers of wandering off and what can happen if they don’t pay attention to the things their parents say. I hope you enjoy this bedtime story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

It’s 745. The kingdom is split between the two eldest sons of Charles Martel. Carloman, the oldest, has the support of the king and the church, while Pippin refuses to bend the knee. Civil war is imminent.

Only hours after stepping off a plane, and still reeling from the turmoil of her last assignment, agent Carrie Harris’ journey to headquarters is interrupted when the Operation Center tasks her to hunt down something so sensitive they can’t even tell her about it. Can our hero stay focused enough to see if she’s a match for the evil she’s confronted with and return what was stolen, or will Carrie lose everything she holds dear, including her life?

Everyone knows William Bredon, the earl of Pembroke, has a reputation as a captivating rogue, determined to never marry until his duty to produce an heir requires it. So when he invites Lady Hannah Rochester to dance, Hannah vows to keep her distance. Of course, Lady Hannah is not completely what she seems, either. A member of the dowager Lady Lancaster's Garden Society, she secretly spends her days solving mysteries and uncovering intrigues, and when she brings William into the fold, a sinister plot develops that brings the two closer together.

Emma Hibbert will never again trust a good-looking man. They offer nothing but heartbreak and humiliation. But her conscience won't let her abandon a sinfully handsome stranger needing help—even if he ignites an unwelcome passion in her. She soon realizes she should have left him in the mud where she found him, for he has the power to ruin everything . . .

Nikolas Whitworth is handsome, charming. And a traitor. He can outwit and out-con any Englishman - and any Englishwoman. When his debts are called in, a savior appears, the criminal mastermind known only as the Tailor. Nikolas is bought and sold; his future, no longer his. But when a beguiling thief picks his pocket, Rosalyn Devereaux steals more than his coin. The Tailor notices her skills, and demands Rosalyn enlist in his cause. With every moment beside Rosalyn, Nikolas changes from a life of lies, to a man with conviction.

An apparent suicide and an apparent case of stalking bring two very different investigators together. This isn't an ordinary day's work for them, especially when personal feelings start to emerge. And the deeper their investigations go, the harder it gets to uncover the truth. From London to Shanghai, this thrilling and surprising mystery will take you on a journey that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Glynis Solomon came from a long line of angry, broken females. She had fought every day of her young life, to survive the regular outbursts of her violent, alcoholic mother. Barely coping psychologically, she was dragged through the social care system, confused and afraid as her silent rage simmered. She kept herself tightly, like a coiled spring, observing all around her but never speaking. At the age of 10, she was put into long-term foster care with Billy and Jessica Coleman.

With her guiding hand, Lady Ada turns the mundane into the magnificent, lumps of charcoal into beautiful sketches — and second-hand clothes into gorgeous gowns. Only her debilitating stutter is beyond reach. When her cruel brother is accused of treason, he threatens her — she must help him, or be thrown into an asylum, claiming her stutter as evidence of an unsound mind.

After two years of clandestine operations, Agent Carrie Harris doesn’t know why she’s been attached to the Metropolitan Police. Could it be, as her superiors say, to hone her skills at breaking down doors and catching bad guys? Or is it to become accustomed to working as a team when she’s been so used to operating alone? Putting her uncertainties behind her, Carrie leans into her new role. Can she rally against those up high who want her to have nothing to do with the investigation?

Computers have become an indispensable part of our lives. Considering the possibilities you can unlock and accomplish with a computer, there’s no wonder almost every home today owns at least one computer. But getting started with a computer might seem like quantum physics to some. Computers today are something of a mystery to some. Many users look at a computer and only know the basic functions, or rather how to operate it.

Love. Loss. Revenge. What secrets lie buried in the desert sands? What hidden secrets are revealed when blood is spilled? Torn between love and betrothal, and death and survival, Muni is a young woman of privilege and comfort thrown into a world of betrayal, revenge, and otherworldly, supernatural forces. Her journey leads to grim discoveries, heartbreaks, and the fantastic as she learns to unlock not only the power within, but also that from a time long forgotten. Will the sins of the past seal her fate, or secure her destiny?

Headstrong Emma of Ashford is marrying Lord Alan, the man of her dreams, when her wedding is interrupted. A woman claims to be his long-lost betrothed. But is she truly the woman thought dead since she was a child? Emma is visited by a ghost. Is this spirit the long-dead Carlyn who has come to help Emma declare the other woman an impostor? Or just another deception? Can Alan and Emma defy the king and family to find the truth of the woman's identity? Can their love be saved?

Lady Bryce has a gift. She can enter dreams and persuade her will onto others. It has served her well, especially in eliminating unsatisfactory suitors of her father's choosing. But when she encounters Lord Rowland, she wants him more than anything and decides to visit him in his sleep and make him desire her above all others. When she has driven Rowland to the edge of longing, she extracts a promise that he will marry her. As time passes, Bryce and Rowland fall in love. But will their love be able to conquer all once Bryce’s secret is revealed? 

London, 1727. When Miss Eden Lowther catches the eye of Lord Percival Falloure, Marquess of Tavistoke, she's delighted, for his wicked lordship is anything but boring. The canny coquette who declined five suitors the season prior sets out to capture the infamous "Terror of the Ton" for keeps, but the man she finds behind the façade isn't at all what she expects.

Based on a true story, this is the tale of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard’s fight to take her rightful place in the competitive art world of 18th-century Paris. With a beautiful rival who’s better connected and better trained than she is, Adélaïde faces an uphill battle. Her love affair with her young instructor in oil painting gives rise to suspicions that he touches up her work, and her decision to make much-needed money by executing erotic pastels threatens to create as many problems as it solves.

Devastated by the disappearance of his sister, the Earl of Stranraer has gone to extraordinary lengths to find the notorious rake responsible, and enters his household incognito to wreak his vengeance. But his enemy has an unexpected protector—the innocent but headstrong Miss Cassandra Blythe. Cassie is determined to learn the art of seduction. But she is blindsided by her body's thrilling response to the wrong man—a mysterious servant who shows up at the most inauspicious moments to spoil her lessons in love with warnings of her imminent ruin.

Betrayed by her fiancé and her best friend, Lady Diana Haversham's reputation is left in ruins, and she is unjustly cast out by her family. Left with little choice, she agrees to pretend to be a courtesan to protect her benefactor's secret. What she didn't count on was meeting temptation in the form of one Lord Lucas Blackthorn. Lucas is fascinated by the shameless Diana, whom his friends claim is his perfect counterpart. He can't stop thinking about her sultry smile and captivating eyes, but what draws him most is the sharp mind she reveals—and the certainty she's hiding something.