Showing results by narrator "Victoria Fox" in All Categories

Fryda has grown up hearing tales of her uncle, King Beowulf, and his spectacular defeat of the monstrous Grendel. Her one desire is to become a shield maiden in her own right, but a terrible accident during her childhood has thwarted this dream. Yet still, somehow, she feels an uncontrollable power begin to rise within herself.

In 10 dazzling stories, Saba Sams dives into the world of girlhood and immerses us in its contradictions and complexities: growing up too quickly, yet not quickly enough; taking possession of what one can, while being taken possession of; succumbing to societal pressure but also orchestrating that pressure. These young women are feral yet attentive, fierce yet vulnerable, exploited yet exploitative. Threading between clubs at closing time, pub toilets, drenched music festivals and beach holidays, these unforgettable short stories deftly chart the treacherous terrain of growing up.

In 1932, Wanny Woldstad, a young widow, travels to Svalbard, daring to enter the Norwegian trappers’ fiercely guarded male domain. She must prove to Anders Sæterdal, her trapping partner who makes no secret of his disdain, that a woman is fit for the task. Over the course of a Svalbard winter, Wanny and Anders will confront polar bears, traverse glaciers, withstand blizzards and the dangers of sea ice, and hike miles to trap Arctic fox, all in the frigid darkness of the four-month polar night.

In 1910, eleven-year-old Iris Villarca lives with her father at Rawblood, a lonely house on Dartmoor. Iris and her father are the last of their name. The Villarcas always die young, bloodily. Iris believes it's because of a congenital disease which means she must isolate herself from the world. But one sunlit autumn day, beside her mother's grave, she forces the truth from her father: the disease is biologically impossible. A lie, to cover a darker secret.

Abi is distraught when her ex-husband Alex takes their twelve-year-old daughter, Chloe to spend the summer with his glamorous fiancée Marisa and her parents at their home on the beautiful Italian island of Procida. Persuaded by her best friend to book a holiday at the island's Hotel Paradiso, Abi finally meets the woman she's been avoiding for so long. Will the two women's strained relationship survive the summer?

As DI Dominic Bell and his team investigate the series of murders in hidden locations across London, they fail to find the connection between the victims. The only person who can help is Clementine Starke, an academic researching adult thrill seekers. However, Clementine is haunted by dark and violent obsessions, including her former relationship with DI Dominic Bell. As the body count rises, Clementine Starke and DI Dominic Bell form an uneasy alliance to hunt the killer.

Mila and her sisters live with their brother, Oskar, in a small forest cabin in the snow. One night, a fur-clad stranger arrives seeking shelter for himself and his men. But by the next morning, they've gone, taking Oskar with them. Fearful for his safety, Mila and her sisters set out to bring Oskar back - even if it means going north, crossing wild and frozen lands to find a way past an eternal winter.

On holiday at the seaside, Anya is excited when she meets a friendly family with children her own age - playing with them and their gorgeous puppy, Molly, is so much fun! But when she returns to the beach the next day, she discovers the pup all on its own. Anya sets out to look for her owners, but when she eventually tracks down the family, they're very surprised. Molly isn't their dog - they thought she belonged to Anya! Can Anya find Molly's real owners?

After committing an audacious act of revenge for her brother's murder, Disa flees with her son, Sindri, through the fjords of Iceland. She has already endured the death of her loved ones. Now she must run to save her son and her honour. In a society where betrayals and revenge killings are rife, all Disa has is her pride and her courage. Will it be enough for her and her son to escape retribution?

Abandoned at Chipchase’s Travelling Circus as a baby, Louie dreams of becoming a showstopper, a tightrope walker-- The Girl Who Walked on Air--she just needs to be given a chance. And the circus needs her, too--Wellbeloved’s rival show is stealing their crowds.

Reluctantly Mr. Chipchase lets Louie perform. She is a sensation and gets an offer from the sinister Mr. Wellbeloved to perform...

Some people spend their whole lives trying to find the one. But Natalie had found him—and married him. And then Russ died. Two years ago, her whole world was shattered. Still now, she feels like she's trying to piece her broken heart back together, one day at a time. But then she finds a sheet of music—one that only Russ would know—in the piano stool in King's Cross station where she's secretly been playing for the last few months. For the first time, Natalie realises that maybe life does still hold a little magic.

Jo Lawless is still grieving her husband when his oldest friends invite her to a weekend houseparty in France. She’s always felt like an outsider in the group, but she decides to go, hoping their shared loss will bring them closer together. But the weekend is disrupted by the arrival of an unexpected guest, whose presence brings old tensions to the surface. Long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and it’s clear that at least one person is bent on revenge.

They were coming to tell ghost stories - ' tales to freeze the blood' was the only rule. Switzerland, 1816, on a stormy summer night. Lord Byron and his guests are gathered round the fire. Felix, their serving boy, can't wait to hear their creepy tales, yet real life is about to begin. Frantic pounding at the door reveals a girl covered in scars, and the girl is terrified!

When life as you know it changes, will it define you, destroy you or make you stronger? Best friends Isla and Sophie made each other a promise a long time ago: to never let life pass them by. Years later Isla is in love, living abroad and fulfilling her dreams. But for Sophie things haven't turned out the way she was expecting, and she hasn't achieved any of the things she and Isla talked about. And then, in one sudden moment, life irrevocably changes for both women.

Sofia and her little brother, Ermin, are sent to the convent orphanage but soon escape, led by an enigmatic new friend and their pet crow, Corvith. Together they cross the city underground, following clues in bones up to the towers of Siena, where - circled by magpies - the children find the terrible truth....

'Lucy's Search for Little Star' - Lucy is on holiday with her family when she meets a curious little kitten called Star. He's a tiny little thing and he follows her everywhere. When Star and then Lucy, find themselves lost in a snowstorm, Lucy's magic snow globe is their only hope. Close your eyes and make a wish - miracles can happen. 'Lucy Makes a Wish' - When Boots the puppy bounces into Lucy's life, fun and friendship are never far behind. He's waiting for his forever home and until he finds one, Lucy is determined to give him the best Christmas ever.

Christmas miracles come in all sizes! In 'Lucy's Winter Rescue', Lucy finds a lost baby otter and makes a Christmas wish to find him a special new home. But little does Lucy know that it's just the start of the Christmas magic and that by helping the otter she will help lots of other people and animals, too! Lucy's help is needed in 'Lucy's Magical Surprise' when a donkey foal is about to be born. Will she be able to gather everyone together in time? And how can she and her friend help bring harvest mice back to nearby fields?

A young woman is found dead in her bedroom surrounded by rose petals - the latest victim of 'The Lover'. Struggling under the weight of an internal investigation, DI Dominic Bell is no closer to discovering the identity of the killer, and time is running out. As the murders escalate, Clementine Starke joins an online true-crime group determined to take justice in their own hands - to catch the killer before the police.

Two magical wintry stories featuring Lucy. In Lucy's Secret Reindeer Santa's left Lucy a little reindeer in the garden shed! But Starlight is poorly, and Santa won't be able to deliver any presents if he's not well in time. Can Lucy make Starlight better and save Christmas? And in Lucy's Magic Snow Globe Lucy has found a tiny baby rabbit, injured and all alone. Looking after him is going to be difficult. But with the help of her special snow globe and a sprinkle of magic, Lucy might just reunite him with his family.

Ever since her sister, Agnes, died, Pearl has a tradition whenever it snows. She makes a person out of snow. A snow sister. It makes Christmas feel a little less lonely. On Christmas Eve, her father receives a letter about a long-lost relative's will. Is their luck about to change? Hoping for a better Christmas, Pearl wants to make a Christmas pudding and asks for credit at Mr. Noble's grocery. But she is refused, chased down the street, and hit by a hansom cab. The snow is falling so hard that they can't take her home.