Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/803906 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: King John, Henry III and England’s Lost Civil War

Author: John Paul Davis

Narrator: Peter Noble

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 11 hours 30 minutes

Release date: December 31, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

This sweeping history of thirteenth century England examines how the successive reigns of two very different kings established the English way of life. In 1204, the great Angevin Empire was fragmenting under King John's rule. Unable to withstand France's invasion of Normandy, John also faced difficult relations with the papacy, and rising dissent among his barons. By the time John died in 1216, the failed Magna Carta gave way to civil conflict, and more than half of the country had fallen to the dauphin of France. These troubles were then passed, along with the crown, to John's nine-year-old son, Henry III. Even with a regency government commanding the ship of state, Henry faced a dire threat to his royal authority. But the First Baron's War came to an end as Henry aligned himself with the pope and offered a revised Magna Carta. While this may have ensured short-term survival, living up to the promises of this foundational contract would create a more significant challenge—and lay the groundwork for the Second Baron's War.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/776076 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Envoy: The Epic Rescue of the Last Jews of Europe in the Desperate Closing Months of World War II

Author: Alex Kershaw

Narrator: Tim Campbell

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 7 hours 1 minute

Release date: December 10, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

December 1944. Soviet and German troops fight from house to house in the shattered, corpse-strewn suburbs of Budapest. Crazed Hungarian fascists join with die-hard Nazis to slaughter Jews day and night, turning the Danube blood-red. In less than six months, thirty-eight-year-old SS Colonel Adolf Eichmann has sent over half a million Hungarians to the gas chambers in Auschwitz. Now all that prevents him from liquidating Europe's last Jewish ghetto is an unarmed Swedish diplomatic envoy named Raoul Wallenberg. The Envoy is the stirring tale of how one man made the greatest difference in the face of untold evil. The legendary Oscar Schindler saved hundreds, but Raoul Wallenberg did what no other individual or nation managed to do: He saved more than 100,000 Jewish men, women, and children from extermination. Written with Alex Kershaw's customary narrative verve, The Envoy is a fast-paced, nonfiction thriller that brings to life one of the darkest and yet most inspiring chapters of twentieth century history. It is an epic for the ages.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/765362 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe

Author: David M. Perry, Matthew Gabriele

Narrator: Paul Bellantoni

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 9 hours 48 minutes

Release date: December 10, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

''This is a serious, meticulous history that will also appeal to Game of Thrones fans, who will discover intriguing parallels between history and fiction.” — Booklist ''An enlightening portrait of the medieval mindset.” — Publishers Weekly The authors of The Bright Ages return with a real-life Game of Thrones—the story of the Carolingian Civil War, a bloody, protracted battle pitting brother against brother, father against son, that would end an empire, upend a continent, and redefine the future of Europe By the early ninth century, the Carolingian empire was at the height of its power. The Franks, led by Charlemagne, had built the largest European domain since Rome in its heyday. Though they jockeyed for power, prestige, and profit, the Frankish elites enjoyed political and cultural consensus. But just two generations later, their world was in shambles. Civil war, once an unthinkable threat, had erupted after Louis the Pious’s sons tried to overthrow him—and then placed their knives at the other’s neck. Families who had once charged into battle together now drew each other’s blood. The Carolingian Civil War would rage for years as kings fought kings, brother faced off against brother, and sons challenged fathers. Oathbreakers is the dramatic history of this brutal, turbulent time. Medieval historians David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele illuminate what happens when a once unshakeable political and cultural order breaks down and long suppressed tensions flare into deadly violence. Drawn from rich primary sources, featuring a wide cast of characters, packed with dramatic twists and turns, this is history that rivals the greatest fictional epics—with consequences that continue to shape our own world. Oathbreakers offers lessons of what deep cracks in a once-stable social and political fabric might reveal, and the bloody consequences of disagreeing on facts and reality. The Civil War at the heart of this tale asks: who is “in” and who is “out”? And what happens when things fall apart?  Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/805219 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Fortress Britain 1940: Britain’s Unsung and Secret Defences on Land, Sea and in the Air

Author: Andrew Chatterton

Narrator: Gareth Richards

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 9 hours 57 minutes

Release date: December 3, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

Alone, unprepared, and weak. These are generally the words used to describe Britain's position in 1940, part of a narrative that has been built up ever since the end of World War II. However, the reality is very different. On land, sea, and in the air, Britain was prepared. It had the most powerful navy in the world; the RAF was relatively strong, but more importantly, was operating as part of a plan and a joined-up group system that was in reality never in any real danger of being defeated; even the post-Dunkirk British Army was better armed than the post-war narrative tells us. These forces were backed up by the Home Guard, and thousands of men and women in secret roles ready to help fight the invasion of the country. Even if all of this had gone wrong and the Nazis had defeated Britain militarily then a separate, highly secret civilian group were ready to become active only after the occupation had started. One word associated more than any other during this period of the Second World War is 'alone'—Churchill played upon this in his speeches but in 1940, Britain had a hugely powerful empire. Although in many cases this support was thousands of miles away, the Empire and other Allies would have played a huge role had the Germans had invaded, one that has been overlooked in many accounts.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/819747 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Giro d'Italia: The Story of the World's Most Beautiful Bike Race

Author: Colin O'Brien

Narrator: Carlotta Brentan

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 7 hours 44 minutes

Release date: November 26, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

The story of the Giro d'Italia—Italy's equivalent of the Tour de France, and its superior in the eyes of many—is as dramatic and full of extraordinary characters as the story of Italy itself. Heroism, suffering, feuds and betrayals, tradition under threat from modernity all play out against a timeless landscape. The iconic riders, mythical stories and career-defining exploits are conveyed in rich, vibrant prose.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/806338 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Book of Viking Myths: From the Voyages of Leif Erikson to the Deeds of Odin, the Storied History and Folklore of the Vikings

Author: Peter Archer

Narrator: Ulf Bjorklund

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 4 hours 20 minutes

Release date: November 26, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

This fascinating new book reveals the origins of the Vikings—from Thor and Leif Erikson to Loki and the Valkyries—and the tales that have influenced our own lives. For thousands of years, Vikings have held a storied place in our culture—their distinct appearance, their mighty longships, their reputation for causing death and destruction. But who were these strange and mysterious folk? The Book of Viking Myths retells the stories of the Viking people, with myths of their gods and goddesses, monsters, and great heroes. From tales of the beautiful and powerful Freyja, to the gold-toothed Heimdallr, to the wolf Fenrir, Peter Archer explores all the figures and tales that make up Norse mythology. Along with these legends of seafaring, dwarves, giants, and the exploits of Thor, you will also discover the influences that Viking culture has had on our own lives. It’s a true exploration of Nordic culture—and a glimpse into the history and lore of these fabled Nordic warriors.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/761114 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Scapegoat: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham

Author: Lucy Hughes-Hallett

Narrator: Lucy Hughes-Hallett

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 25 hours 41 minutes

Release date: November 19, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

From the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize, an extraordinary history of the meteoric rise and fall of George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham. As King James I’s favourite, Buckingham was also his confidant, gatekeeper, advisor and lover. When Charles I succeeded his father, he was similarly enthralled and made Buckingham his best friend and mentor. A dazzling figure on horseback and a skilful player of the political game, Buckingham rapidly transformed the influence his beauty gave him into immense wealth and power. He became one of the most flamboyant and enigmatic Englishmen at the heart of seventeenth-century royal and political life. With a novelist’s touch, Lucy Hughes-Hallett transports us into a courtly world of masques and dancing, exquisite clothes, the art of Rubens and Van Dyck, gender-fluidity, same-sex desire, and appallingly rudimentary medicine. Witch hunts coexisted with Descartian rationality and public opinion was becoming a political force. Falling from grace spectacularly, Buckingham came to represent everything that was wrong with the country. From kidnappings and murder plots to men weeping in Parliament over civil liberties, The Scapegoat navigates love, war-fever and pacifism in a society on the brink of cataclysmic change. In this immersive and authoritative account, Hughes-Hallett summons an era that still resonates today.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/759722 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The War Memoirs

Author: Charles De Gaulle

Narrator: Raphael Corkhill

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 41 hours 58 minutes

Release date: November 19, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

The complete war memoirs of the resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who led France out of its darkest hour during the Nazi occupation during World War II. “Faced with the political disaster, I had to become France.” This was how Charles de Gaulle answered the call of history. One of the few French battlefield leaders to have distinguished himself in May 1940, he had become the undersecretary of state for national defense. But when the government rejected his calls to fight on and prepared to capitulate to Hitler, he escaped to London. There he instigated a resistance calling on “all the French who want to remain free to listen to me and follow me” in the legendary radio address of June 22. He was sentenced to death in absentia as his country made a disgraceful peace, but his Free France movement rallied people around the world to resist German occupation and fight for the liberation of Europe. Originally published in three volumes, The War Memoirs of Charles de Gaulle is the story of the resurrection of France from its darkest hour collaborating with Hitler and the Nazi empire. The first section, “The Call,” examines the years leading up to France’s defeat and the confusion and despair triggered by Hitler’s blitzkrieg. The second section, “Unity,” describes de Gaulle’s struggles to rally the French in both Africa and underground movements throughout Europe, and often bitter conflicts with the Allied leaders as he sought legitimacy and resources. “Salvation,” the final installment, chronicles the turning of the tide of war against Nazi Germany, de Gaulle’s triumphant return to France, and the reincarnation of the French Republic as a major international presence. De Gaulle’s great prophecy of 1940 had been fulfilled: France had lost a battle, but she did not lose the war.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/776471 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: V13: Chronicle of a Trial

Author: Emmanuel Carrère

Narrator: Rory Alexander

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 8 hours 21 minutes

Release date: November 14, 2024

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

Brought to you by Penguin. A moving, hard-hitting account of the Paris attacks trial by France’s leading non-fiction writer On 13 November 2015, nine attackers wearing suicide bombs killed 130 people and left hundreds wounded at sites in and around Paris in the deadliest attack on French soil since the Second World War. V13 was the code name for the much-awaited trial of those who helped to carry out these attacks. Lasting nine months, from September 2021 to June 2022, it consisted of 14 defendants, 2,400 plaintiffs, 350 lawyers and a file 53 metres high. In V13, Emmanuel Carrère follows this landmark trial from its first day to its last, taking us behind the scenes to the lawyers, survivors, family members and the defendants. He assembles, in painstaking and subtle detail, a human portrait of the crime – a study of good and evil, and the philosophical journey through the borderlands between the two. Over the course of his career, Emmanuel Carrère has reinvented non-fiction writing. In a search for truth in all its guises, he dispenses with the rules of genre, fusing passion, curiosity and a profoundly humane intellect, making him one of the most distinctive and important literary voices today. ‘Forensic and troubling, deeply humane, utterly gripping, a book of singular importance for our times’ PHILIPPE SANDS ‘Brilliant. Clear-eyed, wise and compelling’ PAUL MURRAY © Emmanuel Carrère 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/761436 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Thorns, Lust, and Glory: The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn

Author: Estelle Paranque

Narrator: Anna Wilson-Jones

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 8 hours 18 minutes

Release date: November 12, 2024

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4 of Total 1

Genres: Europe

Publisher's Summary:

In this groundbreaking biography of Queen Anne Boleyn, learn how the ill-fated second wife of Renaissance England's Henry XVIII met her downfall–and how she came to be so vilified and misunderstood. Anne Boleyn has mesmerized the general public for centuries. Her tragic execution at the Tower of London on the 19th of May, 1536—orchestrated by her own husband—never ceases to intrigue. While many stories of Anne’s downfall have been told, few have truly traced the origins of her grim fate. In Thorns, Lust, and Glory, Estelle Paranque takes us back to where it all started: to France, where Anne learned the lessons that would set her on the path to becoming one of England's most infamous queens.  A fascinating new perspective on Tudor history's most enduring story, Thorns, Lust, and Glory is an unmissable account of a queen on the edge.