Audiobooks by Hazel Gaynor

"The greatest journey is the one you least expect… 'Swept me off my feet! A jewel of a novel – it simply sparkles' Evie Woods ‘A treat of a book, utterly transporting' Eve Chase Long before Dorothy visits Oz, her aunt, Emily Gale, sets off on her own unforgettable adventure much closer to home… When news reaches Kansas that her beloved sister has tragically died, Emily Gale must become a mother overnight. Her sister’s orphaned child, Dorothy, desperately needs a home. But Emily doubts her ability to fill her sister’s shoes; her life on the barren Kansas prairies is no place for a child. On the unforgiving plains, Emily's courage is endlessly tested. The prolonged drought and relentless dust storms threaten to destroy everything – including her home and her marriage. Can Emily overcome her grief and let Dorothy heal her heart? From the promise of Chicago in the 1920s to the harsh beauty of the Kansas prairie during the dust bowl of the 1930s, this is a story of family, duty and one woman’s journey of self-discovery. Readers LOVE Before Dorothy 'A story as glimmering as the Emerald City and as hopeful as Dorothy herself' Kristin Harmel '[An] enchanting and powerful tale of grief, love and self-discovery' Heat 'Captivating, luminous, spell-binding' Fiona Valpy 'Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time, this is my favourite Hazel Gaynor novel to date, and I've read them all. Loved it!' Gill Paul 'An epic tale, a triumph of imagination and beautifully written' Amanda Geard"

Hazel Gaynor (Author), Saskia Maarleveld (Narrator)

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Christmas with the Queen

"Curl up this winter with a heart-warming Christmas romance for fans of The Crown and Downton Abbey! 'A page-turning festive read, full of will they/won't they romance, intriguing glimpses of royal life behind palace doors, and inspiring culinary treats. As delicious as a Christmas pudding topped with flaming brandy and lashings of cream' Gill Paul ************************************ December 1952 As a young Queen Elizabeth II prepares to deliver her first Christmas speech, staff work behind the scenes to get ready for the festivities at Sandringham Estate. Among them are Jack and Olive – old friends who are surprised to be reunited after seven years apart. While Olive works for the BBC reporting on the royal family, and Jack is employed in the queen’s kitchens, their bond deepens – until a secret threatens to tear them apart. When the truth comes to light, it could change Olive and Jack's lives forever. But maybe Christmas has one last gift to deliver… Readers love Christmas with the Queen!: ‘Oh what a gorgeous read… full of warmth and love and nostalgia’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘So well researched you almost feel like you are with the Queen’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved this book from the very first page’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Jack and Olive were both wonderfully real and complex, they leapt from the page … A captivating Christmas read to be savoured' Amanda Geard 'A must read for anyone in need of Christmas magic' Georgie Blalock"

Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb (Author), Esther Wane, Fiona Hardingham, Gary Furlong (Narrator)

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The Last Lifeboat

"Winner of the Best Fiction Narrator in the 2024 Audie Awards Liverpool 1940. Alice King stands on the deck of SS Carlisle, waiting to escort a group of children to Canada as overseas evacuees. She is finally doing her bit for the war. In London, as the Blitz bombs rain down and the threat of German invasion looms, Lily Nicholls anxiously counts the days for news of her son and daughter’s safe arrival. But when disaster strikes in the Atlantic, Alice and Lily – one at sea, the other on land – will quickly become one another’s very best hope. The events of one night, and the eight unimaginable days that follow, will bind the two women together in unforgettable ways. Inspired by a remarkable true story, The Last Lifeboat is a gripping and triumphant tale of love, courage and hope against the odds. Praise for The Last Lifeboat ‘A journey into the worst hardships of war for two women … and yet throughout it is bathed in the warmth of love’ GILL PAUL ‘I loved this absorbing, heart-rending story and cared so much about the vivid, courageous characters. Superb storytelling’ TRACY REES ‘Gripping, devastating, tremendously moving … a tale of bravery and remarkable endurance, the kindness of strangers, and the power of hope’ JENNY ASHCROFT ‘I was utterly engaged … the characters brim with life, the plot is elegantly handled and the writing is terrific’ LIZ TRENOW ‘Totally absorbing, heartbreaking and heart-stopping’ CELIA REES ‘Endearing characters, terrific plot, and a superb sense of time and place made this riveting book unputdownable. I loved it’ PATRICIA SCANLAN ‘Historical fiction at it’s best, The Last Lifeboat completely swept me away, leaving me breathless with emotion. A must-read’ CARMEL HARRINGTON ‘A devastatingly beautiful tale of survival and courage’ AMANDA GEARD ‘Broke my heart and then mended it again’ KATE THOMPSON ‘A story of courage and triumph against the odds, this is historical fiction at its best’MY WEEKLY ‘A heart-wrenching read’ ANTONIA SENIOR, THE TIMES ‘This earth-shattering novel is both harrowing and hopeful’ Woman’s Own"

Hazel Gaynor (Author), Billie Fulford-Brown (Narrator)

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A Memory of Violets

"From the Irish Times bestselling author comes a historical novel about an orphaned Victorian flower seller, a lost sister and a hidden diary. 1876. Among the depravity of Covent Garden's flower markets, orphaned Irish sisters Flora and Rosie Flynn sell posies of violets and watercress to survive. When they become separated, their lives are set on very different paths… 1912. Twenty-one-year-old Tilly Harper leaves her native Lake District to work at one of London’s homes for orphaned and crippled flower girls. It’s a fresh start for her, a chance to leave her troubled past behind. And there, hidden between the pages of a lost notebook, she finds a heartbreaking tale of loss and separation, of a woman desperate to find her long lost sister. And when she sets out to discover what happened, she is lead into unexpected places, including the depths of her own heart…"

Hazel Gaynor (Author), Nicola Barber (Narrator)

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The Girl Who Came Home

"‘A beautifully imagined novel rich in historical detail . . . Hazel Gaynor is an exciting new voice in historical fiction’ KATE KERRIGAN Ireland, 1912. Fourteen members of a small village set sail on RMS Titanic, hoping to find a better life in America. For seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet. Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart remains in Ireland with Séamus, the sweetheart she left behind. Chicago, 1982. Adrift after the death of her father, Grace Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her Great Nana Maggie shares the painful secret she harbored for almost a lifetime about the Titanic, the revelation gives Grace new direction – and leads her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago. Inspired by true events, The Girl Who Came Home is the poignant story of a group of Irish emigrants abord the Titanic, and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants."

Hazel Gaynor (Author), Alana Kerr Collins, Connor Kelly-Eiding (Narrator)

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Three Words for Goodbye: A Novel

"From Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, the bestselling authors of Meet Me in Monaco, comes a coming-of-age novel set in pre-WWII Europe, perfect for fans of Jennifer Robson, Beatriz Williams, and Kate Quinn. Three cities, two sisters, one chance to correct the past . . . New York, 1937: When estranged sisters Clara and Madeleine Sommers learn their grandmother is dying, they agree to fulfill her last wish: to travel across Europe—together. They are to deliver three letters, in which Violet will say goodbye to those she hasn’t seen since traveling to Europe forty years earlier; a journey inspired by famed reporter, Nellie Bly. Clara, ever-dutiful, sees the trip as an inconvenient detour before her wedding to millionaire Charles Hancock, but it’s also a chance to embrace her love of art. Budding journalist Madeleine relishes the opportunity to develop her ambitions to report on the growing threat of Hitler’s Nazi party and Mussolini’s control in Italy. Constantly at odds with each other as they explore the luxurious Queen Mary, the Orient Express, and the sights of Paris and Venice,, Clara and Madeleine wonder if they can fulfil Violet’s wish, until a shocking truth about their family brings them closer together. But as they reach Vienna to deliver the final letter, old grudges threaten their reconciliation again. As political tensions rise, and Europe feels increasingly volatile, the pair are glad to head home on the Hindenburg, where fate will play its hand in the final stage of their journey."

Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb (Author), Ann Marie Gideon, Megan Tusing, Suzanne Toren (Narrator)

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The Bird in the Bamboo Cage

"Inspired by true events… ‘Moving and authentic’ Dinah Jefferies ‘Vivid, heart-rending and so, so beautiful’ Jenny Ashcroft 'A beautiful, tender and fascinating story' Sinead Moriarty ‘Deeply moving. Be prepared – have handkerchiefs on standby at the end’ Antonia Senior, The Times ‘An inspiring novel about the power of determination, courage and unity’ Woman’s Own China, 1941. With Japan’s declaration of war on the Allies, Elspeth Kent’s future changes forever. When soldiers take control of the missionary school where she teaches, comfortable security is replaced by rationing, uncertainty and fear. Ten-year-old Nancy Plummer has always felt safe at Chefoo School. Now the enemy, separated indefinitely from anxious parents, the children must turn to their teachers – to Miss Keny and her new Girl Guide patrol especially – for help. But worse is to come when the pupils and teachers are sent to a distant internment camp. Unimaginable hardship, impossible choices and danger lie ahead. Inspired by true events, this is the unforgettable story of the life-changing bonds formed between a young girl and her teacher, in a remote corner of a terrible war. Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards for Popular Fiction Book of the Year USA Today bestseller Published in the USA and Canada under the title When We Were Young and Brave."

Hazel Gaynor (Author), Imogen Church, Rosie Jones (Narrator)

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Meet Me in Monaco: A Novel of Grace Kelly's Royal Wedding

"Set in the 1950s against the backdrop of Grace Kelly’s whirlwind romance and glamourous wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb take the reader on an evocative sun-drenched journey along the Côte d’Azur in this page-turning novel of passion, fate, and second-chances. Movie stars and paparazzi flock to Cannes for the glamorous film festival, but Grace Kelly, the biggest star of all, wants only to escape from the flash-bulbs. When struggling perfumer Sophie Duval shelters Miss Kelly in her boutique, fending off a persistent British press photographer, James Henderson, a bond is forged between the two women and sets in motion a chain of events that stretches across thirty years of friendship, love, and tragedy. James Henderson cannot forget his brief encounter with Sophie Duval. Despite his guilt at being away from his daughter, he takes an assignment to cover the wedding of the century, sailing with Grace Kelly’s wedding party on the SS Constitution from New York. In Monaco, as wedding fever soars and passions and tempers escalate, James and Sophie—like Princess Grace—must ultimately decide what they are prepared to give up for love."

Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb (Author), Jeremy Arthur, Nancy Peterson (Narrator)

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The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter

"‘Exquisite… a clear head and shoulders above the rest’ Sunday Independent 1838: when a terrible storm blows up off the Northumberland coast, Grace Darling, the lighthouse-keeper’s daughter, knows there is little chance of survival for the passengers on the small ship battling the waves. But her actions set in motion an incredible feat of bravery that echoes down the century. 1938: when nineteen-year-old Matilda Emmerson sails from across the Atlantic to New England, she faces an uncertain future. Sent away in disgrace, she must stay with her reclusive relative, Harriet Flaherty, a lighthouse keeper on Rhode Island. Once there, Matilda discovers a discarded portrait that opens a window on to a secret that will change her life forever."

Hazel Gaynor (Author), Imogen Church (Narrator)

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Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I

"New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War. August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris. But as history tells us, it all happened so differently… Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene? Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…"

Hazel Gaynor, Heather Webb (Author), Alex Wyndham, Antony Ferguson, Billie Fulford-Brown, Derek Perkins, Gary Furlong, Greg Wagland, Jane Copland, Mary Jane Wells, Morag Sims (Narrator)

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The Cottingley Secret

"The New York Times bestselling author turns the clock back to a time when two young girls convinced the world that fairies really did exist… 1917: When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, announce they have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when the great novelist, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, endorses the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a sensation; their discovery offering something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war. One hundred years later… When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript and a photograph in her late grandfather’s bookshop she becomes fascinated by the story of the two young girls who mystified the world. As Olivia is drawn into events a century ago, she becomes aware of the past and the present intertwining, blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, will Olivia find a way to believe in herself?"

Hazel Gaynor (Author), Billie Fulford-Brown, Karen Cass (Narrator)

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The Girl From The Savoy

"The new rich and compelling novel from the author of The Girl Who Came Home. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Rachel Hore. Dolly Lane is a dreamer; a downtrodden maid who longs to dance on the London stage, but the outbreak of war takes everything from her: Teddy, the man she loves – and her hopes of a better life. When she secures employment as a chambermaid at London’s grandest hotel, The Savoy, Dolly’s proximity to the dazzling guests makes her yearn for a life beyond the grey drudgery she was born into. Her fortunes take an unexpected turn when she responds to an unusual newspaper advert and finds herself thrust into the heady atmosphere of London’s glittering theatre scene and into the sphere of the celebrated actress, Loretta May, and her brother, Perry. All three are searching for something, yet the aftermath of war has cast a dark shadow over them all. A brighter future is tantalisingly close – but can a girl like Dolly ever truly leave her past behind?"

Hazel Gaynor (Author), Jennifer Jones, Lucy Rayner, Paul Fox (Narrator)

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