Audiobooks narrated by Esther Wane

A heartbroken king. A jilted bride. A star-crossed wedding. Idonea knows the only thing her human blood is good for is its role in strengthening the Star Elves when the comet returns every two hundred and fifty years. Her whole life has been meant for the moment she marries Olaug and finally gets it right, and not even the king can stop her perfect marriage. The day Idonea was chosen to be part of the Cometa Couple, King Nyrunn was condemned to watching the love of his life spend the rest of hers in the arms of someone else. And he is powerless to stop it. But when the fateful wedding day arrives, the chosen groom is nowhere to be found. If they don’t have a Cometa Couple, the kingdom’s magic will weaken, and it will be their extinction. If Nyrunn steps in, he saves his people and marries the love of his life, but what will he do when he discovers he’s not the love of hers? When her husband is the king she fears and despises, will Idonea be able to give him her scarred heart, or will she spend the rest of their lives longing for a husband she never had? Ties of Starlight is book 2 in Tethered Hearts, a multi-author series of no-spice fantasy romances. Each standalone story features a magical bond that forces the couple to discover how much they’re willing to sacrifice for the sake of love.

Celeste Baxendell (Author), Esther Wane, Nathaniel Priestley (Narrator)

Audiobook

Remembering Women: Memories from the First Millennium BCE

Women do have a history of their own. All we need to do is remember it. In this illuminating new history, Christine Lehnen looks back at our collective memory to explore the myriad ways that women in the past have enjoyed a more egalitarian life. Due to advances in bioarchaeological methods, scientists have discovered that one out of three women in Ancient Scythia was an active warrior buried with her weapons. Far from being confined to their homes, these women rode out to hunt, travelled to distance places, or used weapons to fend off their enemies. These warriors were no exceptions to the rule, with women enjoying a significantly higher degree of equality than their Greek contemporaries. Remembering Women argues that there is a historical precedent for a fairer society. From reappraisals of well-known objects such as the earliest human bone calendars from the Stone Age to revelatory findings of innovative bioarcheological methods used on human remains from Ancient Scythia, evidence is accumulating that there were places in the past where all women were allowed to thrive. Interweaving innovative new findings from archaeology with the stories of her mother and grandmothers as well as her everyday experiences as a woman living today, Lehnen explores our collective memory of women and argues that it needs to change if we are to create an egalitarian society. Remembering Women follows the traces left in the material, literary, and archaeological record by our foremothers, and uses the heirlooms they have left us in their graves, their artworks, and their stories to take a fresh look at our life in the present.

Christine Lehnen (Author), Esther Wane, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ties of Legacy

A merchant girl with a life of freedom. A young man who just wants to settle down. A journey through three enchanted kingdoms. As a roving merchant—or peddler, as many call her—Avery lives a life of freedom that few ever experience. She can navigate the enchanted landscapes of six kingdoms, and she’s an expert at finding unique items and matching them with the right customer. If her traveling lifestyle means she doesn’t have any close friends, at least she can help communities in need. And it’s worth it not to be tied down. She might be alone, but that doesn’t mean she’s lonely. Elliot would love to be tied to his birth kingdom like most people. Such a restriction might be limiting, but it would be better than being bound to a candelabra—especially once that candelabra gets stolen. With his life on the line, Elliot has to find it—or whatever is left of it. The last thing Avery wants is a pesky stowaway on her cross-kingdom rescue mission—especially not one who claims he’s bound to one of the items in her cart. Elliot is equally unhappy to be trailing her through the kingdoms—he’s sick of traveling and ready to put down roots. But Avery has promised to help free him from the ties binding him, and he’s willing to make a final journey if it means being free of the candelabra. He’ll just have to make sure his heart doesn’t form its own tie with his beautiful traveling companion. Should be easy, right? Ties of Legacy is book one in Tethered Hearts, a multi-author series of no spice fantasy romances. Each standalone story features a magical bond that forces the couple to discover how much they’re willing to sacrifice for the sake of love. This standalone story is set in the world of Melanie Cellier’s Kingdoms of Legacy series.

Melanie Cellier (Author), Esther Wane, Nathaniel Priestley (Narrator)

Audiobook

Violette Szabo: The Life That I Have

The story of Violette Szabo is one of the most extraordinary in the annals of World War II espionage and covert operations. Totally fearless and a dead shot, Violette Szabo volunteered to become part of the Special Operations Executive, Britain's premier sabotage and subversion organization of the time. On June 7, 1944, Violette left behind a two-year-old daughter to parachute into France on a special mission. Szabo and other British agents were assigned to organize French resistance fighters to hinder the advance of the SS Das Reich Division to the Normandy beaches. Unfortunately, Szabo's party was soon ambushed by the SS. Unable to walk due to a twisted ankle, Szabo covered the retreat of her comrades with machine-gun fire. Captured, she went through a series of interrogations and changes of confinement before ending up at Ravensbruck, the German all-women's concentration camp. She was finally executed on January 26, 1945. She was twenty-three years old. This exceptional work has been written with the assistance of Violette Szabo's daughter Tanya and unravels fact and fiction about one of the most fascinating characters of World War II.

Susan Ottaway (Author), Esther Wane (Narrator)

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Four Red Sweaters: Powerful true stories of women and the Holocaust

The New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmakers of Auschwitz weaves together the stories of four Jewish girls during the Holocaust, strangers whose lives were unknowingly intertwined by everyday garments. Jock Heidenstein, Anita Lasker, Chana Zumerkorn and Regina Feldman all faced the Holocaust in different ways. While they did not know each other – in fact had never met – each had a red sweater that would play a major part in their lives. In this absorbing and deeply moving account, award-winning clothes historian Lucy Adlington documents their stories, knitting together the experiences that fragmented their families and their lives. Adlington immortalizes these young women whose resilience, skills, strength and kindness accompanied them through the darkest events in human history. A powerful reminder of the suffering they endured and a celebration of courage, love and tenacity, this moving and original work illuminates moments long lost to history, now pieced back together by a simple garment. PRAISE FOR FOUR RED SWEATERS: 'Novelistic and wrenching, this serves as a poignant testament to the unconquerability of the human spirit.' – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW PRAISE FOR THE DRESSMAKERS OF AUSCHWITZ: 'Compelling ... Adlington tells the stories of the women with clarity and steely precision' – Jewish Chronicle 'An utterly absorbing, important and unique historical read'– Judy Batalion, New York Times bestselling author of The Light of Our Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos 'Powerful ... a fascinating account.' – Woman

Lucy Adlington (Author), Esther Wane (Narrator)

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Return to the Four Kingdoms Box Set 2: Three Fairytale Retellings

The final three fairy tale retellings from the Return to the Four Kingdoms series. Book 1 - The Golden Princess: A Retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Exiled from her old life as the daughter of a vizier, Zaria still grieves the lost friends of her childhood. She’s grown accustomed to her new role as a servant, though—up until the day she stumbles on the fabled lost cave of treasures. The wealth inside is enough to transform anyone’s life, but Zaria isn’t the first to find it. A gang of cutthroat thieves got there first, and their behavior makes Zaria question everything she sees. With an unknown enchantment at work, and forty criminals desperate to protect their hoard, she doesn’t want anything to do with the gold. But when her royal friends reappear, Zaria discovers the cave is the key to defeating a threat to the entire kingdom. She can’t turn her back on her people, even if that means facing thieves and traitors with Crown Prince Tarek at her side. Zaria thought she’d found peace with her past, but now she isn’t sure if she’s more in danger of losing her life or her heart. In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, a servant girl must outwit a cunning adversary before she can claim the treasure her heart truly desires. Book 2 - The Rogue Princess: A Retelling of Puss in Boots Kali has always dreamed of adventure, but she never expected to find it in the company of a talking cat. Puss definitely has an agenda, but he isn’t sharing it with her. All she knows is that he wants a miller’s child to accompany him across the Great Desert to the mysterious lands beyond. Kali doesn’t mean to let her opportunity go, even if she doesn’t understand the purposes of the mysterious creature at her side. But when she encounters thieves and misadventure, she realizes something bigger is underway. Her people are under threat, and she can’t turn her back on them—no matter how irritated she is by the fellow traveler who turns up wherever she goes. Kali knows Xavier isn’t to be trusted, but she and Puss need his help. Only together can they avoid the traps laid for her and uncover the truth. In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Puss in Boots, a miller’s daughter will have to trust a tricksy cat and a handsome young man if the three of them have any hope of saving her people. Book 3 - The Abandoned Princess: A Retelling of Rapunzel When Daisy dreamed of leaving home on an adventure, she never imagined ending up trapped in a tower, cut off from the world and invisible to others. The years pass slowly, leaving Daisy desperate to reclaim her old life, however dull. But her captor has bigger plans, and Daisy knows she can’t just rescue herself. She has to shatter her captor's enchantments forever. When opportunity comes, however, it arrives in an unexpected guise. Young and handsome, Prince Xander has come to rescue a princess from a tower. Instead, he finds himself battling at Daisy's side for the fate of a kingdom. In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel, the princess in the tower can only be seen by the one she loves if she first saves an entire kingdom. If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, and intrigue, then try the books in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series now! These interconnected fairy tale retellings each feature a different heroine who finds herself friendless in a strange land and who must fight to save her new home and win her happily ever after.

Melanie Cellier (Author), Esther Wane (Narrator)

Audiobook

Legacy of Roses: A Beauty and the Beast Tale

A returned royal with no interest in becoming an enchanted prince. A merchant’s daughter who knows better than to pick roses. A Legacy determined to force them into a story neither wants. Rosalie’s family has already lost everything, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect them from further harm. Even if that means stopping ignorant newcomers from picking enchanted roses. Dimitri knows little about his new kingdom, and he can’t help being captivated by the fiery girl who holds the answers. But Rosalie seems horrified by both his presence and his handsome face, and it turns out she has good reason. In the kingdom of Glandore, it’s a dangerous thing to be a young man of royal blood living alone in a castle. Almost as dangerous as being the youngest daughter of a merchant. Enter a world where tales of the past shape the enchanted landscape—where glass can bend like a slipper and picking a rose courts danger. A world where the inhabitants must overcome the fabled Legacies as they find romance, adventure, and friendship.

Melanie Cellier (Author), Esther Wane, Nathaniel Priestley (Narrator)

Audiobook

24 Hours in the Viking World: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There

Spend 24 hours immersed in the rich and fascinating everyday lives of the Vikings. Between the infamous Lindisfarne raid in 793 CE and the Norman conquest of 1066, the peoples we know now as the Vikings became one of the most far-ranging and influential civilizations in history. The Vikings are frequently portrayed as raiders, marauding across medieval Europe and Britain, but the culture and society of the medieval Nordic peoples was so much more diverse, multifaceted and influential than it is often depicted. In 24 Hours in the Viking World, author and Viking expert Kirsten Wolf chronicles an hour in the life of 24 individuals from every corner of Viking society over the course of a single day. From the warrior to the thrall, the shipbuilder to the farmer, the poet to the oracle, each chapter offers a snapshot of the world as it was in medieval Scandinavia, and an insight into how these people lived, loved, worked, fought and died. The latest entry in the bestselling 24 Hours series, 24 Hours in the Viking World presents an absorbing, grounded and tangible look at what it was really like to be alive during this pivotal era in history.

Kirsten Wolf (Author), Esther Wane (Narrator)

Audiobook

To Steal the Sun: A Retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon

Gwen has discovered both the love she once lost and her courage. But her greatest challenge still lies before her. She has chosen to fight for her people and that means standing against the mountain queen and all the fears of her childhood. Charlotte is ready to risk everything to save her husband and reverse the consequences of her mistakes. But freeing Henry means getting entangled in the mountain kingdom's fight for freedom and that fight might take the one thing Charlotte isn't willing to give. Once again, the two girls must rely on each other if they hope to save the men they love and emerge unscathed from the evil that lies at the heart of the castle east of the sun and west of the moon. If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, intrigue, found families, and friendship, then try the Four Kingdoms duology now which retells one classic fairy tale across two books!

Melanie Cellier (Author), Esther Wane (Narrator)

Audiobook

Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity

Two of the biggest design problems in Artificial Intelligence are how to build robots that behave in line with human values and how to stop them ever going rogue. One under-explored solution to these alignment and control problems might be to examine how these are already addressed in the design of humans. Looking closely at the human blueprint, it contains a suite of capacities that are so clumsy they have generally been kept away from AI. It was assumed that robots with features like emotions and intuition, that made mistakes and looked for meaning and purpose, would not work as well as robots without this kind of code. But on considering why all these irrational properties are there, it seems that they emerge from the source code of soul. Because it is actually this 'junk' code that makes us human and promotes the kind of reciprocal altruism that keeps humanity alive and thriving. Robot Souls looks at developments in AI and reviews the emergence of ideas of consciousness and the soul. It places our 'junk code' in this context and argues that it is time to foreground that code, and to use it to look again at how we are programming AI.

Eve Poole (Author), Esther Wane (Narrator)

Audiobook

To Ride the Wind: A Retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon

Charlotte has always longed to be accepted by her older sisters. She would gladly exchange her vaunted beauty for their friendship. But they ask a far higher price. Pushed into marriage with a stranger, Charlotte is left betrayed and alone. All she knows of her new husband is that he has secrets—and that her heart beats a little faster whenever he calls her Lottie. Princess Gwendolyn's people are different—that’s why they dwell high in the mountains, far from all other kingdoms. So she’s shocked when she discovers her mother plans to marry her by force to a stranger from outside their lands. And when she uncovers the full truth, she knows the queen's scheming has gone too far. Gwen must intervene before her mother’s destructive touch blights the entire world. If only there was someone who could help her. But the boy who was Gwen's only true friend has long since disappeared, and she'd do anything to find him. But her mother has made that impossible. In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, a commoner and a princess must forge a friendship in order to find a path through the secrets and lies that surround them. If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, intrigue, found families, and friendship, then try the Four Kingdoms duology now which retells one classic fairy tale across two books!

Melanie Cellier (Author), Esther Wane (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Abandoned Princess: A Retelling of Rapunzel

When Daisy dreamed of leaving home on an adventure, she never imagined ending up trapped in a tower, cut off from the world and invisible to others. The years pass slowly, leaving Daisy desperate to reclaim her old life, however dull. But her captor has bigger plans, and Daisy knows she can't just rescue herself. She has to shatter her captor's enchantments forever. When opportunity comes, however, it arrives in an unexpected guise. Young and handsome, Prince Xander has come to rescue a princess from a tower. Instead, he finds himself battling at Daisy's side for the fate of a kingdom. In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel, the princess in the tower can only be seen by the one she loves if she first saves an entire kingdom. If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, and intrigue, then try the books in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series now! These interconnected fairy tale retellings each feature a different princess who has to fight for her happily ever after.

Melanie Cellier (Author), Esther Wane (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Esther Wane