Esther Wane

'The whistling had started on their first night. At first, Layah thought it was bird song - a high thin sound which became a melody, rising and falling. And each night, it returned.' Strange things have been happening to Layah and her younger sister, Izzie, ever since their mother dragged them to a rain-soaked cottage miles from anywhere in the Lake District: there is a peculiar whistling at night, a handful of unusual feathers appear and a sudden, frightening banging at the door. And their mother is behaving very oddly.

Layah is mourning the loss of her dear grandmother in Poland - and can almost hear her voice telling her the old myths, legends and fairy tales from that place. And as the holiday takes on a dark twist, Layah begins to wonder if the myths might just be real. A deliciously spine-tingling story with sisterhood at its heart.

Rome, 1636. Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.

When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society.

Frances Gorges has happiness within her grasp. King James would rather be hunting stags with her beloved husband Thomas than chasing witches, which means her medical skills and herbal knowledge no longer hang over her like a death sentence.

But a new arrival at court brings intrigue, jealousy and danger. George Villiers is a young man with the face of an angel and the cunning heart of a devil.

Soon James is besotted by this charismatic new lover. Thomas's life is made a misery and Frances is back under suspicion as Villiers plots to marry her friend Katherine Manners and seize her fortune.

Appalled at the courtier's greed and the King's weakness, Frances finds herself drawn back to her old friend Sir Walter Raleigh and his last, desperate plot to see a Catholic monarch on the throne. And then her troubles really begin…

Book 3 in the Frances Gorges series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

Music concert or Tennis tournament? In audiobook ten, feisty June and new girl Millicent can't agree what's more important. Soon all becomes irrelevant when things begin disappearing. Is there a thief in fifth form? Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 10 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

Music concert or Tennis tournament? In audiobook ten, feisty June and new girl Millicent can't agree what's more important. Soon all becomes irrelevant when things begin disappearing. Is there a thief in fifth form? Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 10 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

In audiobook 12, the sixth form girls are to attend finishing school before they're sent out into the world. They are to learn deportment, etiquette and obedience. Oh dear! Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 12 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

In audiobook 12, the sixth form girls are to attend finishing school before they're sent out into the world. They are to learn deportment, etiquette and obedience. Oh dear! Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 12 in the Malory Towers series.

Paris has always held a piece of Jess's heart, ever since she spent a magical summer there over twenty years ago. So when a writing job offers her the chance to return, she's delighted, especially as her subject is iconic artist Adelaide Fox. Now approaching eighty, Adelaide wants to tell her life story - and what a life it has been, full of scandal, success, betrayal and passion.

But Adelaide is keeping secrets from her, Jess is sure. And she soon realises she will have to confront her own past in the city. Can Jess find out the truth - even if it means changing both of their lives for ever? 

Who was Beethoven's 'Immortal Beloved'? After Ludwig van Beethoven's death, a love letter in his writing was discovered, addressed only to his 'Immortal Beloved'. Decades later, Countess Therese Brunsvik claims to have been the composer's lost love. Yet is she concealing a tragic secret? Who is the one person who deserves to know the truth?

Becoming Beethoven's pupils in 1799, Therese and her sister Josephine followed his struggles against the onset of deafness, Viennese society's flamboyance, privilege and hypocrisy and the upheavals of the Napoleonic wars. While Therese sought liberation, Josephine found the odds stacked against even the most unquenchable of passions...

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

In audiobook seven, Darrell has left Malory Towers, and her sister Felicity takes over as head girl. But the other girls are determined to cause trouble. Will Freddie and June ever stop playing tricks? And what's Amy's strange family secret? Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 7 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

In audiobook seven, Darrell has left Malory Towers, and her sister Felicity takes over as head girl. But the other girls are determined to cause trouble. Will Freddie and June ever stop playing tricks? And what's Amy's strange family secret? Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 7 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

Audiobook 11 is filled with mystery. What's with all the secrets? How did Daffy pull off her latest prank? What did Mam'zelle find in her handbag? And why is the new form-mate so strangely familiar? Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 11 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

Audiobook 11 is filled with mystery. What's with all the secrets? How did Daffy pull off her latest prank? What did Mam'zelle find in her handbag? And why is the new form-mate so strangely familiar? Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 11 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

In audiobook eight, someone has stolen Julie's horse. And there's money missing, too. Can Felicity and the girls find out who would do such a terrible thing? Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 8 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

In audiobook eight, someone has stolen Julie's horse. And there's money missing, too. Can Felicity and the girls find out who would do such a terrible thing? Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 8 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

In audiobook nine, Susan's in charge of the winter concert, but new teacher Miss Tallant won't let her make any decisions. When Miss interferes in a midnight feast, the girls realise that there's a spy in their midst. Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 9 in the Malory Towers series.

For new girl Darrell Rivers, there are friends to be made, pranks to be played and fun to be had at Malory Towers in Enid Blyton's best-loved boarding school series.

In audiobook nine, Susan's in charge of the winter concert, but new teacher Miss Tallant won't let her make any decisions. When Miss interferes in a midnight feast, the girls realise that there's a spy in their midst. Expect more drama at Malory Towers!

Book 9 in the Malory Towers series.