Book Extract: This Ruined Place by Michael Lawrence

I’m pleased to be welcoming Michael Lawrence to Novel Kicks as we shine a light on his book, This Ruined Place.

Evy Miller thinks a summer with her grandparents in sleepy Dorset will be painfully dull. Her suspicions are confirmed when Juby, a wild-haired, lanky old man, strolls through her grandparents’ doorway. At first, she thinks he’s nothing more than an odd duck who charms her grandmother and annoys her grandfather. The last thing she expects is to become his companion on visits to the small village of Rouklye, whose entire population was evicted during WWII.

She has no idea that the reason for Juby’s visits will become a defining moment in her life and change her understanding of history and her own family forever.

 

Michael has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

The following excerpt is from This Ruined Place by Michael Lawrence. The teenaged main character, Midge, is visiting the ruined village of Rouklye with her elderly companion, Juby.

 *****

There were several adjoining cottages beyond the wall. A much smaller building at the near end of them, a shed of sorts, was the only one with a door and roof. The roof was topped with crudely-cut gray slate, and on the equally rustic door, which was padlocked, a notice asked visitors not to pick the wild flowers, a request that might have amused Midge if shed been in an easily-amused mood because there were no flowers in the immediate vicinity, wild or tame.

Juby had gone straight to the second cottage along, where he stooped to look in the doorway. Post office and village shop,he informed her as she drew near.

He ducked inside. Following with a long-suffering sigh, she found a crumbling interior open to the skies, ivy reaching across exposed walls to which ragged portions of ancient plaster clung, an iron fire-grate teetering on a ledge where a ceiling and upper floor had once been, and beneath their feet ailing weeds between uneven gray paving slabs, while year-old leaves crunched underfoot. The place smelt of nettles and moss, the dust of an overheated summer.

Looks bigger empty,Juby said. When the counter was in, shelves stocked, customer or two chatting, it was a right jam in here.

Sunlight entered the broken building in tall bright spirals, picking out hovering dust motes. Watching the dusts leisurely dance, Midges mind wandered. Her thoughts were still adrift when the whispers started. Whispers so indistinct that they registered only gradually; but once her attention was caught she glanced about for whoever it was that had followed them in.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: Wicket Maiden by Chrissie Harrison

It’s a pleaure to be welcoming Chrissie Harrison to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for Wicket Maiden.

Wicket Maiden is a groundbreaking romantic comedy set in the world of women’s cricket.

It’s the start of a new season for professional women’s cricket team The Scorpions.

Acclaimed batter Ellie, 32, is returning to the game after a long injury, determined to regain her form and her place in the England squad. This is her last chance, and she won’t let anything stand in her way.

Cricket fan Adam, 34, an artist and photographer, has followed Ellie and the team through highs and lows. He’s drawn to her talent, athleticism and public persona – but is content to be a face in the crowd, cheering her on. He’d never date a famous person, anyway.

When events on and off the pitch bring Ellie and Adam together, friendship blossoms, and their careers initially soar. Yet, with romance in the air, Ellie loses focus, jeopardising her dream.

What’s more important to them both – love, or cricket?

A share of the book’s royalties will be donated to pertinent clubs and organisations who champion the development of grassroots, girls’ and women’s cricket.

The story echoes the film “Notting Hill” – the challenge of love between a ‘star’ and a ‘normal person’.

The book touches on the good and bad sides of fame, and shines a light on women’s cricket – the mental and physical challenges, pressure of relentless media attention, community outreach, fan engagement, and the finite nature of the career of professional athletes. Above this, it is, of course, a love story.

The book is a non-spicy romance, and also includes neurodiversity and epilepsy representation.

 

Chrissie has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

Professional cricketer Ellie is visiting a friend at a local art gallery. Killing time, she (literally) bumps into a familiar face – one of the fans she often sees at matches. They’ve barely shared a few words over the years, and she doesn’t even know his name, let alone his job. Ellie, conversely, is known by him and millions of others…

 

A wide doorway led to a rear annex, with a sign proclaiming “Exhibition – Adam Glenn – Maidstone Artist”. Ellie nosed into the room. Only three people were inside, all nodding appreciatively beside a pop art style painting of a woman taking a selfie.

We’re now all masters of creating our own fame.

Another exhibit stopped Ellie in her tracks. Pride of place on the far wall was a brilliant and charismatic rendition of former England bowler James Anderson. The painting gushed with vigour and personality, movement and expression.

Wow.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

NK Chats To…Kay Seeley

Hello Kay. Thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me about your latest book, Troubled Times for Tilly and what inspired it?

Troubled Times for Tilly is a follow up to my first book, The Water Gypsy. Lots of readers asked me what happened to the little boy, Joey, and I wanted to know what happened to him too, so that was the beginning of Troubled Times for Tilly. It’s about Joey growing up straddled between two different worlds and not belonging in either of them.

 

Troubled Times for Tilly is part of The Water Gypsy Books. What are the challenges of writing a novel when it is part of a series?

The main problem is deciding how much of the first book to include. Obviously, the characters are the same, so their backstory is important, but I don’t want to include any spoilers for people who haven’t read the first book, nor do I want it to feel repetitive for readers who have. It’s a fine balance.

 

What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals?

I don’t write every day. I tend to write in the morning and draft the next part of the novel in the afternoon. I often draft by hand and type up the next day. I don’t have a typical writing day.

 

What’s your favourite word and why?

Insight – the reorganisation of perceptions so that what was once seen as separate elements are suddenly seen as connected and relating to one another to form a whole. To my mind that’s what storytelling is all about – giving people insight into things they never considered to be connected.

 

From idea to finished final draft, how long does a writing project usually take you?

I write slowly so each book takes a year. I only write one book a year.

 

How do you approach the research and editing stages? When do you know when you’ve done enough of both?

I love research and finding out about things, so I probably do too much. For example, in Troubled Times for Tilly Joey is a Naval Cadet so I visited The Royal Naval College in Greenwich (part of which is now Greenwich University) to get a fee of the atmosphere of the place. I learned snippets of information that go into the book. As for editing – it’s never enough.

 

If you could witness an historical event, where would you go?

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Sunshine After the Rain by Jessica Redland

I’m very excited to be welcoming Jessica Redland back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Sunshine After the Rain.

Melanie knows she’s been running away…

For the last seven years Mel has been hiding; from life, from her friends and from those who love her the most – her family. But being at home in her beloved Lake District has been far too painful for Mel to contemplate. Because seven years ago, Mel lost everything and she’s never been able to banish the dark clouds that follow her.

But maybe there really is no place like home?

When Mel returns to Willowdale for a family event, she has no intention of staying. But surrounded by her family she begins to realise just how much she’s been missing and also, how much healing she still needs to do.

Starting a dream job at Willowdale Hall, going on walks with Emma and her funny alpacas and reconnecting with those she loves, Mel slowly begins to see chinks of light and a more hopeful and happier future ahead.

And as Mel begins to feel stronger, she also feels brave enough to face the most painful part of leaving home…the one man she has always loved. With his help, can she finally banish the dark clouds forever and see the sunshine after the rain?

*****

Mel knows she has been hiding but can she really return home to Willowdale for good when there are so many bad memories? 

I absolutely adore Jessica Redland’s novels so the chance to be on the blog tour for the latest instalment in the Escape to the Lakes series was something I couldn’t pass up. 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: The Cornish Cottage by the Sea by Kim Nash

I’m so happy to be welcoming Kim Nash back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Cornish Cottage by the Sea.

A new start by the sea…

For Jo Jenkins, life has always been about putting others first. But with her children grown and her ex-husband as rotten as ever, she knows it’s time to put herself at the heart of the story. So, when she inherits a beautiful beachside cottage in Cornwall, she grabs the chance to start over.

The crumbling old cottage needs a little love, but so does Jo. And with the help of her new friends – a kind-hearted jeweller, a no-nonsense businesswoman, and a local Jack of all trades with a past of his own – Jo begins to rebuild more than just bricks and mortar.

But tucked away inside the cottage is a secret that could change everything. As the waves roll in and the sea air clears her mind, Jo must decide if she’s ready to let go of the past. Will she finally learn to embrace the life she truly deserves?

*****

After her husband leaves her for her best friend, Jo Jenkins doesn’t know what to do with her life. When she is left a house in her Aunt-in-law’s will, she makes the decision to start a new life in Cornwall. However, it’s not all plain sailing and she is about to discover things that will change her life forever. 

Anyone who has followed this blog for a while will know that any chance I have to join a blog tour for a Kim Nash novel, I jump at it. This was no exception. 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Killer at the County Show by Kate Wells

I’m so pleased to be welcoming Kate Wells  back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Killer at the County Show – book five in the Malvern Mysteries series. 

Foul play at the sheep show…

Tensions are high at the Three Counties Show when accusations of cheating add fuel to a longstanding feud. For Jude Gray, whose only hope was to not make a fool of herself showing her Kerry Hill sheep, farming life has never been so dramatic.

When a body is found, belonging to one of the competitors, there is no shortage of suspects. Every sheep farmer in this close-knit community has a motive and beneath their show-ready smiles, they all have something to hide.

Experience has taught Jude that when there’s a murderer at large, nobody is truly safe. And with secrets simmering beneath the surface, this may be her most challenging investigation yet. Can she unearth the truth before it’s too late?

A gripping new instalment in the Malvern Farm Mystery series, perfect for fans of Frances Evesham, Merryn Allingham, and Faith Martin.

*****

When a farmer is murdered at the Three Counties Fare it rocks the small farming community and sets people to gossiping and suspecting their neighbours. Was it the annoying, do-gooder celebrity who bought a farm or one of the other farmers down on their luck? Jude, a sheep farmer and best friend of a local police detective has her suspicions and cannot help but get involved.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: The Missing Ones by Anita Waller

Please join me in welcoming Anita Waller to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Missing Ones.

Ray Eke has always found peace in his job, collecting litter for the city council. Until the day he finds the brutalized, bloodless body of a girl on his round. He recognizes her immediately too. Lauren Pascoe went missing three years before.

It’s also clear she hasn’t been lying on the roadside verge all this time. Someone’s clearly been holding her prisoner. Keeping her as their very special toy.

The police know it couldn’t have been Ray, whose gentle heart is obvious to all. But then another girl is taken. And she’s someone who Ray had a connection to, back in his previous job as an accountant, before his breakdown…

The twists in this novel are guaranteed to leave readers with their jaws on the floor. Just when you think you know who the killer is, you’ll have your mind blown!

*****

DI Chris Chandler is new to Sheffield, having just started a new job with an unfamilar team. When the body of a woman who has been missing for three years is found near the police station, he has to jump in at the deep end. Then, a second girl goes missing. The cases can’t be linked… can they?

I was so pleased to be invite onto this blog tour. Having been a big fan of Anita Waller’s previous novel, The Girls Next Door, I was very eager to get started on her latest book, The Missing Ones.

Wow! That’s what I have to say about this book. This is a psychological thriller at its best. I pretty much read this in one sitting, holding onto my kindle so tightly, my fingers lost blood flow. The plot grabbed me and pulled me in and wouldn’t let go.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

NK Chats To… Jon Rance

Hi Jon. Happy publication day. Thank you so much for joining me and for inviting Novel Kicks onto your blog tour. Can you tell me a little about your latest novel, Not Moving Out and what inspired it?

Hello, and thank you so much for having me on Novel Kicks! It’s a real pleasure to be here. My new novel, Not Moving Out, comes out on May 15th and I am very excited about it. Set in Brighton, it’s the story of Freya, Joe and their daughter Dolly. Freya and Joe have decided that after twenty years, their marriage is over. The problem is that Dolly still needs to live at home for another six months before she leaves for university, and they can’t afford for either of them to move out. So for six months, they are all forced to live together. The question is, will living together but separated make them both realise things about themselves and their relationship that might save their marriage? There are also various other plotlines that keep things ticking along with the most prominent one being Joe, a once successful but now failed comedy writer, using their new living situation as the basis for a sitcom – without telling Freya about it, of course.

I was inspired to write this book after reading a few articles about couples that wanted to separate, but for financial reasons had to keep living under the same roof. I thought it would be a really interesting dynamic for a romantic comedy.

 

Which songs would feature on a playlist for this book?

A great question. If you read my previous book, One Hundred Moments Of Us, you’ll know that it had a very strong playlist. I even created a playlist for it on Spotify! There are two Snow Patrol songs in this book. Chasing Cars, which is one of my favourite songs of all time and, You Could Be Happy. Also mentioned in the book are ABBA, so let’s go with Take A Chance On Me because it’s a great song and also the title fits into the theme of the book. In Not Moving Out, Joe is really into 90s Britpop music and so that would feature heavily. Perhaps some Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, and Pulp! The book has that perfect blend of humour, drama, pathos and joy, and I think that would be reflected in the song choices.

 

What’s your typical writing day like and do you have any writing rituals? How much has this changed since writing your first novel?

I do have a writing routine and it has definitely changed so much since writing my first book. My life when I was writing my first novel, This Thirtysomething Life was very different. I was working full-time, we’d just had our first baby, and writing was something I did when I got a spare five minutes. Which is why it took about 18 months to write that first book! Now I write full-time and my children are teenagers!

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: Tucker’s Time Machine Telescope by Robin Bennett

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Robin Bennett to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, Tucker’s Time Machine Telescope with illustrations by Matt Cherry. 

Thomas Tucker (or just Tucker to everyone who knows him) is walking innocently down the street when he is attacked by a chicken and falls down a hole. Unlikely as it sounds, this is how he ends up finding the Time Machine Telescope.

Unfortunately, Tucker seems to attract chaos and bad luck the same way that someone standing on top of a mountain waving a metal pole will eventually attract lightning and a free Xray.

Can he survive killer robots, Tudor kings, dinosaurs … and Kylo Hens long enough to complete his Time Machine Wish List

  • GET RICH
  • HAVE FUN!
  • GET MUM AND DAD TO SPEND LESS TIME ON THEIR MOBILE PHONES

There’s only one way to find out…

 

Robin has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

Chapter 1

Tucker is chased by a chicken

Thomas Tucker (or just Tucker to everyone who knew him) was walking innocently down the street near his home. Minding his own business.

Although he didn’t know it yet, this was going to the most important day of Tucker’s life.

He was on his way to see Mrs Dempsey, the lady who looked after him in the holidays. His parents worked late, and they didn’t trust him to stay on his own for more than about ten minutes without getting into some sort of terrible trouble.

They weren’t wrong about this because Tucker seemed to attract chaos and bad luck the same way that someone standing on top of a mountain waving a metal pole will eventually attract lightning and a free Xray.

As we shall find out.

The sun was warm on his face, and it made him scrunch his eyes up, so he heard the chicken before he saw it.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: Summer Paths: An Anthology by Seasonal Collective

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming the Seasonal Collective as we shine a light on their anthology, Summer Paths.

This, the fourth and final selection of stories, completes the Seasonal Paths series created by a consortium of best-selling and award-winning North Atlantic writers.

In this anthology you will encounter unintentioned consequences, love in later life, the pull of family dynamics, misguided assumptions and murderous soulmates.

These yarns will take you to new worlds, into a ghostly abyss, across an ocean in pursuit of truth and into the darkness of ancient beliefs.

Make yourself comfortable and surrender to these multi-styled tales, all linked by the theme of summer, within the covers of this book. You will be surprised and entertained by what you find.

 

The Seasonal Collective has kindly shared an extract from Pierre C. Arseneault’s, The Year of the Goat with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

I like to tell people, I loved Gus and his motley crew so much that I wanted to tell another tale with this same cast and so I wrote this comedy called The Year of the Goat in Summer Paths as a sequel to Melvin in Winter Paths.

 

The Year of the Goat

By Pierre C. Arseneault

A dry, cracking sound echoed through the sultry morning air as the wooden baseball bat connected with the softball. Much of the crowd in the bleachers stood, cheering as the ten-year-old girl dropped the bat and ran for first base.

“The kid’s good,” Harvey said, stuffing his age-spotted hands into his jacket pockets as he stood next to the chain-link fence that circled the baseball field.

“Isn’t that Scooter’s granddaughter?” Gus asked, lifting his beige bucket hat and wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. He wondered how Harvey could wear long pants and a jacket on such a hot summer’s day.

“Over here!” Gus heard a familiar voice shout. Turning his attention to the bleachers, he saw his friend, nicknamed Scooter since early childhood. He’d been the only kid in the area who’d had a push scooter instead of a bicycle. Scooter straightened and waved excitedly while shouting, the wispy white hairs that ringed his baldpate fluttering in the warm breeze. “Did you see that?”

Gus’s knees creaked as he followed Harvey up the side of the weather-beaten bleachers of the old ballpark.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract & Giveaway: You Can’t Hurry Love by Susan Buchanan

It’s a delight to be welcoming Susan Buchanan back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, You Can’t Hurry Love.

A delicious friends to lovers, forced proximity, workplace romance for 2025.

A 30th birthday celebration. A sloth sanctuary in Costa Rica. A split-second decision.

When Kat MacDonald takes the trip of a lifetime to Costa Rica, she doesn’t count on ditching her dead-end job, sending her uber-controlling boyfriend packing and volunteering at a sloth sanctuary.
But when she finally meets the swoon-worthy assistant manager Dexter, the chemistry between them is unmistakeable and sparks fly. Despite a rival for his affections, and her ex’s inability to know when to give up, she and Dexter are drawn to each other like magnets.
Just as she’s settling into life at the sanctuary and making friends, a letter arrives from back home in Scotland. A letter which could both upset her new plans and give her everything she has ever wanted. Everything except Dexter.
Kat is torn: should she stay in the tropical rainforest paradise with her beloved sloths, new friends and the delectable Dexter or pursue her lifelong dream? Or can she find a way to have it all?

A fun, escapist read full of romance, beautiful scenery and humour, perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Beth O’Leary Leonie Mack and Portia MacIntosh.

 

There’s a chance to win a copy of You Can’t Hurry Love but first, Susan has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

Kat has just arrived at the sloth sanctuary and is being shown around by the owner, Carlos. She has just clocked someone trying to catch his attention.

‘Excuse me a second, Kat. My deputy manager needs to speak to me.’

‘No problem.’ I cast my glance back towards the gorgeous guy he’s heading towards and he catches me. Oops. Busted. But his lips curve into a smile before I look away. Interesting.

I stand and listen to the questions from the school group, my brain whirring as it tries to work out some of the more difficult terms. I love that the word for sloth in Spanish is ‘perezoso’ – basically ‘lazy’, or ‘oso perezoso’ – a lazy bear. And the sloths are so sweet. It’s so relaxed here I almost feel a bit ‘perezosa’ myself. It’s hot, though. I could do with a cold drink.

I’m suddenly aware of a delicious, spicy aftershave and I turn my head slightly to discover the gorgeous guy is now standing beside me.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: The Throne of Ash by Lissy Porter

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Lissy Porter to Novel Kicks and the blog blitz for their latest book, The Throne of Ash. 

The Throne of Ash – A thrilling Tudor-esque fantasy with all the deceit, politics and Courtly romance of the Tudor era

A Queen. A Princess. And a Consort who must be chosen to ensure the future of the Throne of Ash.

The Queen’s Face masks all—even the woman who wears it. None may see her without it, not even her Consort responsible for ensuring she brings forth a healthy daughter to succeed her. If he fails, being cast aside is the most favourable of outcomes.

When Queen Cecily unknowingly determines on her sister’s lover as her Consort, ambition, jealousy, and the demands of courtly etiquette threaten the stability of the Throne of Ash.

Princess Bess knows only too well her responsibilities towards her sister, the queen, but when one of the powerful noble Houses attempts to ensnare both sisters with one lover, there can only ever be one winner.

The Throne of Ash is a Tudor-esque fantasy in which women rule, and men are kept in the background, of little use, except when a Consort must be chosen. Then, court intrigues, and politics come to the fore in a deadly game of politics and etiquette that sets sister against sister.

 

Lissy has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

In this excerpt we see Princess Elizabeth painting her sister, Queen Cecily, for a royal portrait. The queen has been absent from court for some days, following the revelation her Consort might not be who he seems to be.

The next time I see the queen, she greets me regally. If her expression, behind the Queen’s Face, is more rigid than usual, I hardly blame her. There have been no court appointments for three days. In that time she’s kept herself within her apartment, and now appears before everyone once more in the Queen’s Hall.

Unwillingly, I admit she’s played her hand well. In her finery she wishes to be painted wearing, she looks every inch the rightful and regal queen of Ash. No matter the swell of her belly, which she doesn’t so much hide as obscure beneath her gown, she presents herself as perfectly in command and above reproach.

Rumours regarding the likely outcome of Lady Alice’s fate are running like fire throughout the palace. All believe she’ll be executed. Few have anything good to say for her, although Lady Mary assures me there are many who are worried about the full accounting the queen has ordered. It appears, the House of Fish weren’t alone in pretending children belonged to them when they didn’t. Not, of course, that any can debate the legitimacy of the claims of me and the queen. We were acknowledged at birth by my grandmother, who witnessed our arrival into the world, if not our creation. For which I’m quite grateful. I imagine my mother and father were as well. Now, I’m pleased my grandmother was so assiduous in performing her duties.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Their Second Chance Season by Ella Matthews

I’m pleased to be welcoming Ella Matthews to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book,  Their Second Chance Season.

Can a ballroom reunion… Lead to a union at the altar?

War hero James Ashworth needs a rich wife to restore his family’s fortune. Despite the scars battle left on his soul, he’ll do his duty—even if everywhere he turns, he sees the woman he loved and lost…

Meeting James catapults widow Amelia back to the past— the letters he stopped responding to while at Waterloo and her subsequent forced marriage. Yet, when she discovers her father’s role in the Ashworths’ misfortune, she’s compelled to help—even if she has no intention of falling for the man who broke her heart!

*****

It’s 1816. Amelia Washbrook, the widow of the late Lord Mortram is determined to start enjoying life. This doesn’t stop her worrying as her sister, Sienna, makes her debut season in the Ton. Things are made even more complicated when James Ashworth returns to society. Can she avoid the man who broke her heart? 

I do love myself a regency themed novel and couldn’t wait to get started on Their Second Chance Season. 

Although this is the third book in the A Season to Wed series, it can be read as a standalone and there was never any point where I felt I was missing information. This was also my introduction to Ella Matthews. 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

NK Chats To…Hywela Lyn (Plus Giveaway To Win A Copy Of The Matchmaker’s Mare)

Hi Hywela. Thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell us a little about your latest book, The Matchmaker’s Mare and what inspired it?

Thank you so much for being part of my blog tour, Laura. To answer your question, I usually manage to get a horse somewhere in my stories, even the Science fiction Romances, so it was natural that I should think about writing a novel with horses as a large part of the plot. I had written short stories about horses, and one, written many years ago,  was about a witch’s pony. I’d been thinking about writing a ghost story, and the witch became a matchmaking spirit. I set it in my native Wales and gradually the other characters developed and, of course, it became a romance -I am an unashamed romantic! Neither the pony or the ghosts in the story are scary, in fact one of them is quite mischievous and the matchmaker has her hands full keeping him in check while trying to get the two main characters to realise they are meant for each other!

 

What’s your favourite and least favourite words and why?

Favourite  – Romance. Naturally since I’m a romance writer. The world needs more romance!

Least favourite – Literally. It’s used far too much and often incorrectly. I heard someone on the radio the other day say they were ‘literally on another planet’. Wow – I’m surprised that didn’t make headline news! 😊

 

What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing Rituals?

I don’t really have a typical writing day and I actually write better at night! I’ve always been something of a night owl. I like to have a clear head when I write and not have to worry about jobs I haven’t done, so it’s usually quite late when I start writing, and then I get so absorbed I lose all track of time! I don’t think I actually have any rituals, except I like to have music on low in the background.

 

From idea to finished novel, how long does the process take you? How do you know when you’ve done enough research and editing?

 At least a year. I am not a fast writer. I mull it over in my mind for a long time before I start writing. I usually get the  first draft done fairly quickly, after researching and making a lot of notes. I like to do the research before I start writing, so as not to interrupt ‘the flow’. Then I write and rewrite before I feel it’s fit to send to beta readers. Then I rewrite again, taking on board all the comments I feel are relevant. Then I give it a few more polishes before I feel I can submit it to my publisher. I find it very hard to know when to stop and never really feel it’s good enough.

 

Do you have any advice to combat writers block?

LOL – I could say a long ride on a horse works wonders! Of course not every writer is fortunate enough to be able to do that, but a long walk is just as good. Anything to clear one’s mind. Gardening perhaps, or even reading something not connected with what you’re writing at the time. I usually find that when I stop trying to work out the problem that’s causing the block, the solution will pop into my head when I stop thinking about it!

 

In your opinion, what are the most common mistakes new writers make?

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

NK Chats To… Jason Powell

Hi Jason, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me about your book, No Man’s Ghost and what inspired it?

Hi Laura. Thank you for the invite. No Man’s Ghost is the story of two strangers. The first, Charles Davids: a probationary firefighter, starting his first week in his firehouse after graduating the academy. Charles is excited to be a firefighter but is worried that he may not be completely prepared. Sure, he passed the academy, but he was never really in danger there. What if he can’t cut it in real life?

The second is Alan Johnson, a poor excuse for a husband who gets kicked out of his home by his wife and her best friend for being a poor excuse for a husband. He decides to get revenge by calling in false alarms for fire in his now former apartment every night just to disturb her. If he can’t sleep there, why the hell should she? Alan’s path crosses with Charles’s when eventually he decides that fake fires aren’t enough.

 

Being a firefighter yourself (which is amazing by the way), did this help you with the themes and subject matter of the novel or did it add additional pressure/level of responsibly to the narrative?

Yes, and Yes. There’s a saying in the fire service that goes, “Let no man’s ghost return to say my training let me down.” When a firefighter is on probation, a lot of pressure is put on them to train and learn and work towards proficiency on the job, because once a call comes in, they’re an important part of the team.

Whatever function they’ll perform on that call is their responsibility alone. That can be an intimidating truth when you’re new. Members with time on the job know that, and it’s a balance trying to show the probie that, yes, you need to take your job seriously because the community and our own families need you to be good at your job, but also, you’re not doing any of this alone. There’s always a team to help you. I think the core of that lesson can be true for life as well.

I wanted to do the fire service justice by showing how important and serious a career it is, but I also wanted to make the story relatable. I think readers will find a lot of themselves and their loved ones in Charles and the other characters. Even Alan.

 

What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals?

Don’t have one. I work 24-hour shifts at the firehouse that either start at 9am on one day and end at 9am the next; or it starts at 6pm the first day and ends at 6 the next. The days of the week that I work aren’t the same each week, either. If the 24 is busy, when it’s done, I’ll go home and go to bed for a few hours.

There are days when all my morning hours are on the truck and I don’t get time to write until the afternoon. Then there are days when I start my morning at home, and I’ll write until I go to work. On my days off, I write when I’m not tired. I try and devote a minimum of an hour to writing every day, but I don’t decide which hour that will be until the time comes.

 

From idea to finished book, how long did it take you to complete this novel?

No Man’s Ghost took 9 months of actual writing time. Unfortunately, I lost a good friend of mine at a fire we were fighting in Harlem during that time. For a few months I didn’t do anything productive. But after a while writing, felt like a path to peace, and it served as an enjoyable distraction. So, I started then stopped then finished. The time it took, not including the stop, was nine months.

 

What was your approach to the research and editing processes? How do you know when you’ve done enough?

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Book Club: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanna Collins

Hello May. It’s lovely to see you again.

If, like me, you live in the UK, we’ve recently been experiencing proper sunshine. When this happens, we come out of our houses to look up in awe at the bright yellow thing in the sky. We dust off the garden furniture, fire up the BBQ and make the most of the time we can spend in any outside space.

I don’t know about you but there is something so relaxing about sitting in the sun with a good novel.

I am hoping you’re as excited about this month’s book pick as I am. I believe it’s perfect for the warm days. A comfortable sofa inside also works incredibly well. Haha. I have been looking forward to reading this novel since it was announced. When I was reading the original series, the backstory of the character featured in this book intrigued me.

If you’ve not guessed by now, this month’s book is Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest Hunger Games novel by Suzanne Collins.

How do you take part in our book club I hear you ask? It’s easy. You can join us at any point in the month, whether you’re reading the book for the first time or excited to share your views having already finished it. The best part, you don’t have to even leave your house.

I’ve posted a question below to kickstart the discussion. I look forward to discussing this book with you.

 

About Sunrise on the Reaping – 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: The House of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Jenni Keer back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The House of Lost Whispers.

On 15th April 1912, RMS Titanic sank and 1500 people lost their lives. But what if it had stayed afloat?

When the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic leaves thirteen-year-old Olivia Davenport orphaned, she’s sent to live with her guardians, the Fairchilds, in their huge Jacobean mansion – Merriford Manor. But the Fairchilds have more to worry about than a grieving young girl – with war in Europe imminent and four sons to protect.

Olivia feels alone and friendless. That is, until she hears a voice from behind the wall in her tower bedroom. A voice from a man called Seth. At first she thinks he’s a ghost. But it soon becomes clear that he lives in an overlapping world that is just a shudder in time away from her own. A world where the Titanic never sank… And everything since has been just slightly… different.

All Olivia wants is to find a way into his reality. And not just to see the faces of her beloved parents once again. But also to meet Seth. Who might just be the love of her life…

An utterly unforgettable reading group historical novel, that is part romance, part gripping mystery, and part completely heartbreaking First World War historical fiction. Perfect for fans of Titanic, In Memoriam and Lucinda Riley.

*****

The sinking of the Titanic in April 1912 is an event known to the world… but what if it didn’t sink?

When Olivia Davenport loses her parents, she is sent to live with her Godfather and his family. Her life’s path goes a certain way.

However, when she begins to hear a voice through the wall of her bedroom, she starts to question everything she knows.

Although I’ve had the pleasure of hosting Jenni Keer on Novel Kicks in the past, this is the first opportunity I’ve had to review one of her novels. I am fascinated by the history surrounding the Titanic so the premise for this book intrigued me a lot. I couldn’t wait to get started.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: The Basel Killings by Hansjörg Schneider

It is the end of October, the northern Swiss city of Basel is grey and wet. It could be December.

It is just after midnight when Hunkeler, on his way home and slightly worse for wear, spots old man Hardy sitting on a bench under a streetlight. He wants to smoke a cigarette with him, but the usually very loquacious Hardy is silent – his throat a gaping wound. Turns out he was first strangled, then his left earlobe slit, his diamond stud stolen.

The media and the police come quickly to the same conclusion: Hardy’s murder was the work of a gang of Albanian drug smugglers.

But for Hunkeler that seems too obvious. Hardy’s murder has much in common with the case of Barbara Amsler, a prostitute also found killed with an ear slit, and her pearl stud missing.

He follows his own intuition and the trail leads him deep into a dark world of bars, bordellos and strip clubs, but also into the corrupt core of some of Basel’s political and industrial elite. More ominously, he will soon discover the consequences of certain events in recent Swiss history that those in power would prefer to keep far from the public eye.

*****

When Detective Peter Hunkeler finds a dead body, he is soon pulled into a murder investigation that has a similarity to another unsolved case. Can he find the killer before someone else gets hurt?

I do love a good crime novel and so was pleased to be sent a review copy of The Basel Killings by Hansjörg Schneider, translated by Mike Mitchell.. I am unfamiliar with this author’s novels so this was a chance to discover something new.

This book is the first novel in the Inspector Hunkeler series and therefore does spend some time introducing the main character. However, this doesn’t get in the way of the action. The reader is immediately thrown into the story and it’s not long before a crime is committed.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Writing Room: Genre Change

Hello and welcome to the Novel Kicks Writing Room. 

How are these Wednedsay’s coming round so quickly?

The exercise today is one I find interesting and I hope you do too.

Genre is an important aspect of a novel. However, what happens when we change things around a little?

Pick one of your favourite novels. Once you’ve done that, rewrite one of the scenes. The twist…change the genre and the events. For example, if your book is a mystery, try writing the scene as a comedy. For example, what would Jane Austen’s Emma be like if it was a crime thriller?

I’ve included some titles below if you can’t decide which book to pick.

Bridget Jones’ Dairy  (Helen Fielding) – Contempory Fiction. 

The Shawshank Redemption (Stephen King) – Thriller. 

David Copperfield (Charles Dickens) – Fictional Autobiography 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Runaway Horses by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini

Siena, one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, is feverishly preparing for the Palio, a horse race dating back to the Middle Ages, held every summer in the centre of the town.

Tempers flare, rivalries between the competing neighbourhoods intensify. Milanese lawyer Enzo Maggione and his wife Valeria are unwittingly caught up in the death of a jockey and a maelstrom of plots, counterplots and bribes surrounding the race.

What begins as a listless excursion to a medieval equestrian competition turns into a hallucinatory nightmare for Maggione and his wife, awakening their dormant libido, for each other but, more dangerously, for others in their entourage.

*****

The annual Palio horse race is due to take place in Siena. Days before, Avvovato (Enzo) Maggioni and his wife Valeria end up at a strange house after taking a wrong turn. What they find is intrigue and before long, they get mixed up in a murder.

The premise of this book did catch my attention. I had no previous knowledge of the Palio and its history so it was interesting to discover it through this novel. Although I’m not sure I want to witness the race, I’d love to visit Siena.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Five Things I Love About You by Clare Swatman

It’s so lovely to be welcoming Clare Swatman back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Five Things I Love About You.

Forty-nine-year-old Miranda is at a crossroads.

Her children have left home, her perfectly civilised divorce is more than a decade behind her and her romances since have been lacklustre, and her career has stalled. The bright spots in her life are best friends Sophie and Kirstie, but it’s clear something has to change.

So, when she’s knocked off her bike and wakes up in hospital bruised but not broken, Miranda wonders if the universe is trying to tell her something. And when she starts to be plagued by recurring dreams featuring the same featureless man, Sophie insists it’s a sign.

Her repeating dreams offer five clues to the man’s identity so, with nothing to lose, Miranda sets off on a journey to the future she’s always longed for. Somewhere there’s a life and a love waiting for Miranda, but will she grasp it with both hands or will she let her destiny slip through her fingers even when it’s right in front of her…

An uplifting, magical story about fresh starts, best friends and soulmates. Perfect for all fans of Lucy Diamond, Beth Moran and Jill Mansell.

*****

Miranda has found herself at a bit of a crossroads. Having lost her job, she doesn’t know what she’s going to do next. So, when she gets knocked off her bike and gets helped by a man she knows only as ‘J’, she decides to try and find him. Will fate help her along the way or is it a lost cause?

I am so pleased to be invited onto the blog tour for the latest novel from Clare Swatman. Having enjoyed previous books by this author, I couldn’t wait to get started on Five Things I Love About You.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Jumping Into Your Favourite World

It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.

The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.

Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.

Today’s prompt: Jumping into your favourite world. 

Pick your favourite fictional world. It can be from any medium – books, films, video games, even a music video.

You find yourself waking up in this world. Put yourself into the shoes of one of the characters. Write a scene from your point of view. How would you react to the world?

For example, if your choice is Bridget Jones’ Diary and you found Mark Darcy at your door closely followed by Daniel Cleaver, forget how Bridget reacted and that scene as you know it. Put yourself and your reactions and emotions into that scene.

Have fun.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: Shadows In The Spring by Christina Courtenay

I’m so happy to be welcoming Christina Courtenay back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Shadows In The Spring. 

Two souls bound together but lost in time. Until now.

AD 80

Duro of the Iceni tribe escaped life as an enslaved gladiator and is now finally home in Britannia with one thing on his mind: vengeance. For 20 years he has sought the Roman legionary who destroyed his family. What he didn’t expect was Gisel: a fierce Germanic woman with long white-blonde hair, forced into slavery by the Romans. Hypnotised by her spirit and her beauty, Duro frees Gisel and slowly tries to win her trust as they work together to complete his quest.

Present Day

Mackenna Jackson returns to Bath with a broken heart, thanks to rockstar Blue Daniels. Luckily she can still count on Blue’s former bandmate Jonah Miller as a listening ear. But Jonah has secretly been fighting stronger feelings, drawn to Mac’s quiet confidence and gorgeous white-blonde hair. As they explore the area, memories they can’t quite explain flood them both.

Is the spark between Mac and Jonah in fact a sign of something much deeper – a love enduring through millennia – or can it all be an illusion?

 

Christina has shared an extract from Shadows In The Spring with us today. We hope you enjoy it. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

Prologue

Germania Barbaricum (north-east France), mid-May AD 80

The jolting of the cart over a particularly large bump in the track woke Gisel. Her head felt as if someone had speared her skull with a knife and her gaze was unfocused. Only a sliver of light filtered in under the material that covered the wagon where she lay trussed like a fowl ready for the roasting spit. Everything was dim, and she wasn’t sure whether it was reality or merely a bad dream.

Then she remembered.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: Fantaisie by Michael Kenneth Smith

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Michael Kenneth Smith to Novel Kicks as we shine a light on his novel, Fantaisie.

Fantaisie is set in the aftermath of war, where the front lines have shifted to secrets and survival.

Jan Orlinski, a pilot with few options, accepts work that puts him in the crosshairs of international intrigue. Sophie Gordon, caught up in a dangerous intelligence operation, vanishes behind enemy lines—setting Jan on a rescue mission that will test his limits.

Author Michael Kenneth Smith is known for The Postwoman, a novel rooted in real WWII resistance history. Fantaisie continues his legacy of character-driven, historically rich fiction.

 

Michael Kenneth Smith has kindly shared an extract from Fantaisie with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract****

 

The black sedan was still following them as they neared the airport, albeit at a distance. Jan decided whoever it was wanted to keep an eye on them but wasn’t looking for a confrontation. He glanced back again as Brian made a quick turn and then another. After four years in Matadi, he knew the city’s streets well. Soon, they were headed back across the bridge into the heart of town, the sedan no longer visible behind them. The sun beat down as Brian guided the truck through Matadi’s bustling streets, which smelled of exhaust and overripe fruit from market stalls and street vendors. He turned down narrow alleys twice, the truck’s tires screeching in protest.

Five minutes later, they pulled up to a small, tidy house in an affluent neighborhood.

“Come on,” Brian said. “We need to talk.”

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Writing Room: Talking Whilst Doing

Hello Wednesday and I’d like to welcome everyone back to another Novel Kicks Writing Room. 

For today’s task, I thought it would be fun to concentrate on writing dialogue.

Many of us will hold conversations whilst doing something else and your character will be no different.

Spend a few minutes listing some activities. Then pick an activity from that list and write a piece using mostly dialogue. Make sure to incorporate the activity into the piece.

Here are some examples of activities should you need them –

Driving a car.

Washing up.

Walking around a supermarket.

Painting a wall.

Moving house.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Broken Hearted by Leia Stone and Julie Hall

The Winter Court princess Isolde must find the next piece of the puzzle to end the curse ravaging her lands.

My world is dying, and only I can save it.

When the princesses of Summer and Fall disappeared in Ethereum, the burden of stopping the curse that’s tearing Faerie apart fell to me. My mission is clear: kill an Ethereum lord and return with his magical black heart to save our land.

But I know a secret no one else does―Dawn and Aribella are alive, and everything I’ve been told about the Ethereum lords is a lie. Not only that, but there may be another way to break the curse once and for all.

At least, that’s what they claim.

I want to believe them, because when I gaze into the captivating teal eyes of the Southern Ethereum lord, the thought of driving a dagger through his heart becomes impossible to imagine. But trusting them could cost me everything.

Now, I’m torn between loyalty and truth, with no idea who to trust. The clock is ticking, and the fate of Faerie rests in my hands.

*****

The curse that is destroying the kingdom of Faerie is getting worse and Queen Lilianna now hopes that Isolde, the princess of the Winter Kingdom, can do what the Summer (Dawn) and Fall (Aribella) princesses could not – go through the portal into Ethereum, cut out the heart of a lord and bring it back.
Isolde hopes to help without having to resort to murder. She also finds herself fighting her feelings for Adrien, an Ethereum Lord who, when she arrives, is engaged to someone else.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

NK Chats To…Susan Ekins

Hello Susan. Thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me about your book, HoodWink! What inspired it?

Where to start? Probably seriously in Norwich in 2018.  My husband’s family are very much into get-togethers, and in 2018 all five siblings and their partners gathered there to celebrate various anniversaries and birthdays. In order to keep people’s noses out of their mobile ‘phones, I had produced a little guide book in which one of the characters mentioned was Saint William of Norwich. Except that he wasn’t a saint.  I knew a little about him, because Benjamin Britten had set a ballad, entitled Little Sir William, to music. My singing teacher was quite right when she said it was a terrible song.  Nevertheless, that had not stopped us performing it in recitals.

Why was it so terrible?  For two reasons: one, the child is killed at Easter by the school wife with a little penknife. Worse, in the original story, set around 8oo years earlier, it was all blamed on the Jewish Community, who were said to have killed him in a ritual murder. The child was then declared a martyr. The man who had really stoked the flames was a certain Thomas of Monmouth, who wrote a book on the sufferings and miracles of St William.  Later – but much too late to stop the hatred – they received orders to cancel the cult.  

To this day, nobody knows who killed the little boy, but it certainly wasn’t the Jews.  But I did become angry at all the fantasy and deceit, and this gave birth to the book.  If Thomas of Monmouth could write a book, then so could I.  There is a murderer, and at the end of the book the reader, having carefully followed the clues, finds out who it is. But unlike Thomas, I do not claim my book is the truth, but my way of showing how a community can be destroyed by lies, ignorance, and hatred.

 

What are the challenges when writing a book with historical and fictional elements combined? What do writers need to consider when writing a book like Hoodwink!?

Firstly, I would say do your research. Sadly there is not a lot of information on William, and most of that seems to have been invented by Thomas. Some of the characters in my book did exist, and are documented – though not in much detail. Make sure you have your background correct.  In my case it was to reinforce or double check what I knew about the Monastic Hours, the seasons of the year, medicinal cures, food, even the flowers that grew here in that time. In other words, you have to live there and experience it.

 

From first idea to finished book, how long did this book take you to write? Do you have any advice about the research and editing process – like, when do you know when you’ve done enough?

It took about eight months, but that is not to say I sat at my computer every single day. It may be a strange thing to say, but when I sat down to write, it was almost as if I suddenly felt the urge to pay a visit to Brother Anselm, to Sheriff John, to Brother Dunstan. It was rather like dropping in on friends. I never forced it, although the book was carefully planned, with a time line. I finished it the day before Hamas invaded Israel. The research I have already mentioned above. To this one might add the Popes of the time and their fates; the second crusade, modes of travel. All dates were carefully checked, even to the dates of Easter for any particular year.

 

If you were putting together a playlist for this book, which modern songs would you include?

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: Flowers of Evil by N.L. Holmes

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming N.L Holmes to Novel Kicks as we shine a light her Hani’s Daughter Mysteries Series. 

No Pyramids, Just Crimes Worth Solving

While most historical fiction about ancient Egypt fixates on pharaohs and pyramids, N.L. Holmes takes a refreshingly intimate approach: small neighborhoods, family entanglements, and the everyday tensions that lead to murder. Her four-book series follows Neferet and Bener-ib — medical women turned reluctant detectives — as they navigate deadly mysteries within the working-class community of Thebes.

Each installment, from Flowers of Evil to The Melody of Evil, presents a different crime, a new emotional layer, and evolving relationships. Holmes’s deep archaeological knowledge makes every page ring with authenticity — and the fact that these stories center queer women in the Bronze Age? Even better.

The books in the series include Flowers of Evil, Web of Evil, Wheel of Evil and Melody of Evil. 

 

N.L. Holmes has shared an extract from Flowers of Evil, book one from the series. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

“Can you do anything?” the woman cried tremulously, clutching at Neferet’s arm.

But Neferet could think of nothing encouraging to say. Her insides had that hollow, leaden feeling that meant the worst was about to happen.

“There’s no point in stitching up the outside,” she said gently. “He’s lost a lot of blood, and they’ve chopped him up pretty seriously inside. As the medical books say, ‘This is not a case I will treat.’”

The woman understood and began to whimper. She reached out a hand to touch her husband’s shoulder but then drew back as if she’d just discovered it was someone else. A gloomy silence fell over the group, broken only by the increasingly weak huff of the patient’s breath. His lips moved feebly, and Bener-ib leaned over his face.

“I think you’d better stand with him, mistress,” Neferet said. “His soul is ready to fly. He might have something to say to you.”

The woman drew closer fearfully. “Sen-em-iah, my brother, I’m here.”

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Labyrinth

It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.

The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.

Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.

Today’s prompt: Labyrinth. 

Using the prompts below, write a story. 

Start with this line – ‘I didn’t know how long it would take me to find the centre’. Write 100 words.

Then use the next sentence – ‘I couldn’t believe that I was standing in front of a…’. Write 100 words.

Then use the next sentence – ‘I think I need to steal that…’. Write 100 words.

Then use the next sentence – ‘They were both identical but each held a different power. One I needed, one I didn’t. I only had one chance to pick the right one’.

Write at least another 100 words.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Men of Iron by MJ Porter

We are pleased to be welcoming MJ Porter to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for their latest book, Men of Iron.

After the legends of Arthur, yet before the Saxon kingdom of Mercia, a tribal age of iron and rust ruled.

Britain AD540.

In the western hinterland of Roman Britannia, Meddi, the seeress of the Eorlingas tribe, can only obtain vengeance when her husband’s dead and her ancestral villa returned to her.

With her brother, Madog, as leader, they unite and stand strong against those who seek the riches of their villa. They must harness the power of the lost magiks of iron to make weapons to mercilessly oppose those who seek to challenge and fight to rule.

Meanwhile in the east, Waermund, a young warrior of Saxon descent, has exacted the ultimate revenge against his brother. Startled by his own ruthlessness, he knows his father will pursue him to exact retribution. He and his band of miscreant warriors must flee westwards and forge a new future by earning coin from those too weak to protect themselves.

Meddi and Wærmund are set to collide in a world of iron and rust.

*****

Men of Iron is the first in a new series by M.J Porter. Having read novels in previous series by this author, I was eager to see what this new one had to offer.

This book is based in the dark ages, between the departure of the Romans and the rule of the Saxons. It’s a time when sharp iron which holds its edge is worth more than gold.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: How To Fix A Broken Heart by Nicola May

I’m pleased to be welcoming Nicola May to Novel Kicks as we celebrate the publication of her book, How To Fix A Broken Heart.

A heart-wrenching and life-affirming story of love and loss from number one bestselling author Nicola May

Gracie Davies is at an all-time low. After a devastating loss, the last thing she needs is a colleague hinting over coffee that it’s time to lose her baby weight. Then her boyfriend betrays her, and her world totally falls apart.

Rebuilding her life from scratch – with the support of her free-spirited sister, an unorthodox therapist, and a feisty new friend – Gracie finally begins to get her mojo back. Add in a passionate fling with handsome landscaper Ed, a fairytale encounter with a Hollywood film star and the persistence of her adulterous ex, and life is anything but predictable…

Soon she finds that community, purpose, and perhaps even new love might be the perfect prescription for a broken heart.

But can a heart that’s been so utterly shattered ever trust again?

Warm, witty, wildly sexy and deeply moving, Nicola May’s unforgettable novel is perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, and Amanda Prowse.

This is a revised version of The Women of Wimbledon Common/The SW19 Club.

 

To celebrate How To Fix A Borken Heart, Nicola has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

Gracie goes on her first date after her boyfriend’s betrayal.

 *****

Ed smiled warmly as he saw Gracie’s red Puma pull into the Wimbledon car park, where they had agreed to meet. He had thought she might chicken out and was pleased she’d stuck to her word. He jumped out of his van as she approached.

‘Hey, you look lovely.’ He kissed her on the cheek.

‘Well, you know, it’s not every day you get asked on a date by a handsome landscaper.’ She self-consciously pulled her jumper down over her jeans.

‘Oh, it’s a date, is it?’

Gracie reddened. ‘Err… well… I… err.’

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Writing Room: Using A Starting Point

Hello all. Happy Wednesday.

Today, the exercise requires you to use one of the sentences below as a starting point. Once you’ve picked one, write for five minutes.

Set a timer, don’t stop and just write until the time is up.

Feel free to change the POV if you’d rather write in third person.

‘When I look back…’

‘I couldn’t believe what I was hearing…’

‘We, the jury find Cara Hardy not guilty…’

‘Once the bright light faded, the fear…’

‘The audience goes quiet as you step onto the stage…’

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Meet Me Under the Clock by Jo Lovett

I’m happy to be welcoming Jo Lovett to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Meet Me Under the Clock.

Sometimes love happens when you least expect it…

When Nadia and Tom are both unceremoniously stood up by their dates under the clock at Waterloo Station, fate throws them together in the most unusual of circumstances.

What starts as a brilliant story for future dinner parties soon turns into a wonderful friendship, and both Tom and Nadia realise they’ve found the perfect partner in crime.

Tired of dating but always needing a plus one for weddings, parties, and the like, they agree to fake date each other. But as their pretend relationship starts to feel more real, Nadia and Tom begin to wonder if there’s more to their connection than convenience.

Could the relationship they’ve been faking be the one they’ve been waiting for all along?

A heartwarming fake dating rom com, perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Sophie Kinsella.

*****

Nadia arrives at Waterloo station for a blind date. At the same time, Tom is there to meet a woman he made a pact with. As a security alert brings these two together, they decide to help each other out with the dating thing by pretending to be an item. This surely can’t backfire… right? 

Although i have had the opportunity to host Jo Lovett before on this blog, this is the first time I’ve had the chance to review one of her novels. The idea of this book sounded great and so I was pleased to be invited onto the blog tour for Meet Me Under The Clock. 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Catch a Falling Star by Laura Carter

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Laura Carter back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Catch a Falling Star.

It’s never too late…

Lyra Clarkson has built a career capturing other people’s perfect moments. She loves her work as a wedding photographer – despite her family’s disapproval – but she’s never quite found her own path.

Guy Walker, former rock star turned wedding singer, has hit a new low. Desperately needing cash, he’s agreed to take any gig his manager can get him, even if this new form of entertainment isn’t just singing.

As Lyra and Guy’s paths cross – in the most bizarre way possible – an unexpected kiss will change everything. But was it simply a chance encounter or is fate bringing them back together?

Now forced into each other’s lives for the entire wedding season, the unlikely pair may just figure out together how to realise both their dreams…

*****

One night, Lyra shares a moment with her favourite musican as he performs on stage. When she is invited backstage to meet him, she allows herself to get swept up in the dream. However, a phone call at the dressing room door changes the trejectory of her life. Seven years later, she meets a stranger in a lift, one that feels really familiar.

Being a big fan of Laura Carter’s novels, I couldn’t wait to get started on her latest book, Catch A Falling Star.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Safe Harbour in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Christensen

I’m pleased to be welcoming Maggie Christensen back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Safe Harbour in Pelican Crossing.

Safe Harbour in Pelican Crossing: An emotional and uplifting story of friends, family and second chances

After the death of her abusive husband, Erica Masters returns to Perth, eager for a fresh start and the birth of her granddaughter. But when she learns her husband has changed his Will in favour of their son, leaving her with nothing, she flees to seek refuge in Pelican Crossing, the place she once called home.

Having sold his fishing boat after a bitter divorce which left him to bring up his two teenage sons, Jamie Whittaker has found success with his fishing charter business. Thrilled by the arrival of his first grandchild, he is stunned when his teenage flame, Erica, reappears in town.

As the pair reconnect, old feelings resurface, but Erica remains guarded after her painful past. Jamie, determined to win Erica’s heart once again, manages to break through her defences until a family tragedy turns their lives upside down.

With everything unravelling around them, can these two troubled souls build a future together?

If you enjoy emotional reads, you’ll love this gripping tale of love and second chances.

*****

Erica’s life has not been the happiest. After the death of her abusive husband, she is looking for a new start, back where she grew up. Pelican Crossing promises the solace Erica is looking for. Will she still be happy to be back when she runs into old flame, Jamie?

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: Karma Never Sleeps by R. John Dingle

I am pleased to be welcoming R. John Dingle to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest novel, Karma Never Sleeps. 

In a small town, the truth can’t always set you free…

When a second woman from a group of friends known as “the posse” is murdered in the woods near the New England enclave of Kendalton, FBI agent and profiler Gus Wheeler and his partner are called in to determine if this is a serial killing. He’s intrigued by a clue hidden on the body: a memorial picture of a teen who died 25 years ago.

Instead of helping with the investigation, the long-term friends stonewall the agents. But Gus can smell fear beneath their calm masks, fake smiles, and politely vague answers. Digging deeper, he discovers they are being terrorised by cyberstalking, spying, threats and mysterious break-ins. When a third member is hospitalized after a brutal attack, Gus suspects someone in the posse is the hunter instead of the hunted.

Is it the alpha leader Jules, her best friend Maria-married to the chief of police-outsider Mel, or weak link Lizzy? Or someone else bent on revenge? Time’s running out, and Gus’s life depends on his skill at determining who’s the best liar in town.

 

R. John Dingle has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it. 

(Warning: Violence).

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

Chapter One

Everyone knew Sarah Nelson loved to run. She was a triage nurse, so her days were filled with alarms and buzzers and life-or-death decisions. Running gave her much-needed quiet time, a chance to decompress and get lost in her own head without any distractions from work or kids or social media. She loved the alone time on the trails, just her and her music and the fresh smells of nature. And the endorphins; oh, how she loved the endorphins. Sarah would rave to the girls, the Posse as they called themselves, that as good as sex was with Steve (and it was pretty amazing), when she hit the zone on a run and the world melted away, the endorphins she’d get afterward were simply orgasmic. But, of course, all this was a lie, especially the Steve-sex thing. Sarah hated running, she absolutely loathed it. But deep down she loathed her vile friend, Jules, even more. Jules was a liar and a drunk and a constant thorn in Sarah’s side. Any day Sarah didn’t see Jules was a good day. But worst of all, Jules was a runner and a big-time one at that. And Sarah would be damned if that bitch did anything better than she did.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Cover Reveal: A Scottish Lighthouse Escape by Julie Shackman

I am beyond excited to be helping to reveal the cover for A Scottish Lighthouse Escape, the upcoming novel from Julie Shackman.

Get ready to fall in love with the brand new romance in the Scottish Escapes series from bestselling author, Julie Shackman.

 When romance author Rosie Winters’s own fairytale romance ends with a bang, she’s determined to get away from everything. Packing up her belongings she sets off for the furthest place she can think of: Scotland.

Rosie spent her summers at her late grandmother’s coastal cottage in the Highlands and knows it’ll be the perfect place to wallow for a while. Even better that there’s a gorgeous lighthouse and dolphins in the bay.

What Rosie didn’t expect was to bump into the new lighthouse keeper, Mitch. Despite her recent heartbreak, Rosie finds herself fascinated by the mysterious Mitch. As they spend more time together, is it possible that he needs Rosie every bit as she needs him…

OK, now we know what the book is about, it’s time to reveal the cover. Ready? Drumroll…3…2…1…

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Spotlight: The Dressmaker’s Secret Earl by Susanne Dunlap

I’m delighted to be shining a light on The Dressmaker’s Secret Earl by Susanne Dunlap. It’s book one in the Double Dilemma Romance series. 

A marriage of convenience to a scoundrel? Not if Augusta can help it.

The impoverished daughter of a baronet, Augusta has no intention of being bartered away like a prize horse. Instead, she flees to London, determined to forge her own path as a modiste.

But fate has other plans. On her very first day in the city, she crosses paths with a brooding earl—one burdened with a clubfoot and a reputation nearly as scandalous as the proposal she ran from. His captivating sister, Mariana, is not only Augusta’s employer’s best client but harbors a secret ambition of her own: to marry the one man society deems wholly unsuitable.

Drawn into Mariana’s reckless schemes of masquerades, cross-dressing, and Whig intrigue, Augusta soon finds herself entangled in more than just scandal—she’s losing her heart to a man who embodies everything she swore to escape.

But the earl has secrets of his own. Is he truly the rogue society believes him to be?

And when Augusta’s past comes calling, will her newfound independence—and her heart—survive?

A charming, fast-paced Regency romance perfect for fans of Bridgerton and the sweetly adventurous love stories of Maggie Dallen and Jenny Hambly.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Writing Room: Starting Lines And Genres

Hello Wednesday. 

You made it. You’re halfway through the week. It’s time for another Novel Kicks Writing room writing exercise. 

Today, I thought it would be good to take the following starting line and then write in different styles. 

The starting line is as follows: ‘the last thing I broke was.’ 

Now pick a genre: 

Crime/psychological thriller 

Romance

Dystopian 

Historical 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Happy Ever After at the Second Chances Sweet Shop by Hannah Lynn

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Hannah Lynn back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Happy Ever After at the Second Chances Sweet Shop. 

Love is in the air…

After difficult times, Holly is finally adjusting to her new normal. Her daughter Hope is happy, she’s created a beautiful home, and an unexpected offer may mean fantastic opportunities for her sweet shop, Just One More.

But her sense of calm is shattered when best friend Giles drops a bombshell – a proposal to Sienna, a woman Holly barely knows and who isn’t right for Giles at all.

For Giles’s sake, she tries to make peace with Sienna, throwing herself into wedding planning. But as everyone else cheers on the ‘happy’ couple, Holly’s left questioning whether her doubts are about them – or about something in her own heart…

Return to the cosy world of the Cotswolds in this heartwarming story of love, friendship and second chances – perfect for fans of Holly Martin and Jessica Redland.

*****

Holly has settled into life running her sweet shop and bringing up her daughter.

However, when her best friend proposes to his girlfriend, Holly isn’t happy. She wants to try and convince Giles that Sienna is wrong for him but are her reasons for the warnings simply because she doesn’t want him making a mistake or is there something more to it?

I am such a big fan of Hannah Lynn, so I threw myself at any chance to be part of the blog tour for her latest book in the Holly Berry Sweet Shop series, Happy Ever After at the Second Chances Sweet Shop.

What I soon realised, is that I am not as up to date with this series as I am with Hannah Lynn’s Wildflower Lock books. I know. I don’t understand how that happened, but I will be rectifying that by adding this series to my TBR pile. The last book I’d read in this series was book five so there’s a few things that I’ve missed. Happy Ever After at the Second Chances Sweet Shop is book eight. This can be read as a standalone and I was able to keep up very well but obviously starting at this point will reveal spoilers if you’re then planning on reading the previous novels.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Cover Reveal: Tucker’s Time Machine Telescope by Robin Bennett

I’m excited to be helping to reveal the cover for Tucker’s Time Machine Telescope, the upcoming children’s book from Robin Bennett.

Thomas Tucker (or just Tucker to everyone who knows him) is walking innocently down the street when he is attacked by a chicken and falls down a hole. Unlikely as it sounds, this is how he ends up finding the Time Machine Telescope.

Unfortunately, Tucker seems to attract chaos and bad luck the same way that someone standing on top of a mountain waving a metal pole will eventually attract lightning and a free Xray.

Can he survive killer robots, Tudor kings, dinosaurs … and Kylo Hens long enough to complete his Time Machine Wish List

  • GET RICH
  • HAVE FUN!
  • GET MUM AND DAD TO SPEND LESS TIME ON THEIR MOBILE PHONES

There’s only one way to find out…

 

Now we know a little about the book, it’s time to reveal the cover. OK, are you ready? Drumroll…3…2…1…. 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar by Margaret Gardiner

Welcome to the world of model Joey Superstar – a whirlwind of cocaine, sex, and money.

Josaphina Brinkley seems to have it all: she’s a superstar model in 1980s America, a cover girl plastered naked on fashion billboards above Sunset Blvd. Women want to be her. Men simply want her.

But underneath the glossy veneer she hides a traumatic past. The end of her marriage to Italian Aristocracy led to a stint in rehab. As she returns to parties, premiers and modeling, she’s hoping a life of designer clothes and beautiful people won’t take her back to blow. If only she could be truly seen, heard and understood, perhaps she wouldn’t self-destruct again?

Joey sets out to confront the roots of her wildness – but must admit to a youthful act that haunts her. As Joey fights from addiction to redemption, can she change the course of her life, deal with her dark past and become the superstar she was always destined to be? Former Miss Universe Margaret Gardiner gives readers the key to a secret world of supermodels, sex, style and scandal in her deliciously intoxicating debut, Joey Superstar, the first in an exciting Damaged Beauty series.

*****

It’s the 80’s and Joey is a successful model, well, until her marriage ends with her being sent to rehab. When she is released, she tries to pick herself up again but it isn’t an easy road and it’s not long before Joey is falling into familiar destructive patterns.

I am going to talk about this book as much as I can without giving away too many spoilers (I hope).

I have to admit, it did take me a couple of chapters to get into this story. However, the plot grabbed hold of me and before long, it’s was the middle of the night and I hadn’t realised how long I’d been reading.

At the beginning, I didn’t like Joey at all. That being said, the further I got into the book, the more compelling she became and before long, I felt much empathy for her. That’s all I will say about Joey as I believe one of the brilliant things about this novel is the layers it has to it. Nothing is as it seems on the surface – much like celebrity status.

Margaret Gardiner has done a good job at giving us a snapshot of what it was like for women in the 80’s. You would hope that in this day and age, the behaviour exhibited by some of the characters would be a thing of the past. I get the feeling it isn’t and that makes me incredibly worried and sad. Some of what happens within the story is shocking. I found myself getting angry at injustices portrayed within this book. It definitely is an emotional rollercoaster that, by the end, had me wanting to know what happens next. As this is the first book in the Damaged Beauty series, I am hoping I won’t have to wait long to find out.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Enemies of the Crown by Peter Gibbons

We are pleased to be welcoming back Peter Gibbons to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest book in the Saxon Warrior series, Enemies of the Crown.

A weakened crown. A country besieged by Vikings, suffering under the oppression of a powerful church.

994AD

King Aethelred the Unready’s rule falters. Policies recommended by the controlling bishops invite more attacks upon his Saxon kingdom as Sweyn Forkbeard, Viking battle-king of the Danes, grows in power; bloodthirsty for conquest.

Beornoth, Viking-killer and kings thegn believed his days in the shield wall to be over until summoned by the king to enforce a policy of retribution against his enemies.

In a time of shifting loyalties, alongside a savage warband of cruel Norman warriors, Beornoth embarks upon a brutal quest to rid England of King Aethelred’s so-called Viking enemies.

However, when this murderous campaign leads to the door of an old friend, Beornoth must choose sides, as his loyalty to king, country, and his brothers of the sword are put to the test.

Can Beornoth triumph over insurmountable odds in this shield splintering battle for the future of England itself?

*****

Enemies of the Crown continues the story of Beornoth, a fierce  Saxon warrior and King’s Theign.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Extract: I Kill Always Love You by Helen Golden

I am so delighted to be welcoming Helen Golden back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, I Kill Always Love You.

A perfect sunny getaway with no drama. Or so they’d hoped…

BREAKING NEWS Woman Taken in for Questioning in Death of Actress’ Husband

Police in Portugal this morning told reporters that a woman is being questioned in connection with the murder of the film producer Jason ‘JT’ Kenda, who was married to award-winning actress Ariella St Gerome.

Mr Kenda, who was found dead in the swimming pool of the couple’s villa, was initially thought to have died following an accident, but now police believe the American was killed intentionally. The villa is next door to where Lady Beatrice, the Countess of Rossex, is currently holidaying with family and friends at the villa of TV’s Sir Hewitt and his wife, Lady Grace.

Who can say no to Lady Grace? When the daughter of Lady Grace’s housekeeper is suspected of murder, her ladyship requests that Bea and her friends prove the maid’s innocence. But with time running out, can they navigate the tangled web of lies, betrayal, and hidden motives before an innocent woman is imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit? Because even on holiday, the sleuthing never stops!

*****

 

Helen has kinky shared an extract from I Kill Always Love You with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

 

*****beginning of extract*****

 

Intro

Lady Beatrice, her cute dog Daisy, her son Sam, and best his friend, Archie, are joined by DS Richard Fitzwilliam, Bea’s best friends Perry and Simon, and Simon’s daughter Isla, for a relaxing holiday in the sun, and they can’t wait. They’ve all had a crazy year so far, and all they want to do is sit by the pool and chill. No mysteries. No murder. Just sunny weather, good food, and great company. Their villa, Villa Mer, is in a complex of three, but Bea hopes that they can keep their interaction with their neighbours to a minimum, especially when she finds out that one of them is famous American actress, Ella St Gerome, and her husband, hot-shot Hollywood film producer, JT Kenda. The couple have been splashed all over the newspapers recently with rumours that he wasn’t giving his wife the lead role in his next movie. Bea doesn’t want to be dragged into that drama. But it was never going to be that simple, was it?

While Bea and the others were having breakfast the day after their arrival, an invitation arrived from Ella and JT to a pool party. Perry has persuaded Bea to hand deliver their acceptance note and has dragged her over to the neighbouring villa. Once in the grounds they overhear a couple arguing. Bea wants to turn back, but it’s too late. They have been spotted, and Ella has waved them over. Bea has no choice but to go…

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Choose a symbol

It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.

The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.

Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.

Today’s prompt: Choose a symbol. 

You wake up one morning and there is a tree in your garden that was not there before.

When you go out and inspect it, you realise that there is a door. There is a mark on it.

The mark is one of the following:

A four leaf clover

A love heart

A sword

Your character picks one door and walks through.

Write a story based on the symbol you picked. However, the symbol you’ve picked is representative of what is not present or needed in the world and you have to make it right.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: The Lavender Bride by Alexandra Weston

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Alexandra Weston back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Lavender Bride.

An English rose with American dreams

Audrey Wade longs to escape her domineering father and the bleak streets of post-war Yorkshire. Hollywood glitters with glamour, freedom, and the promise of a life with her best friend Freddie. But when Freddie abandons her, Audrey is left to chase her dreams alone.

A Heartthrob with secrets

Rex Trent is more than Hollywood’s leading man. Charismatic and dangerously handsome, he’s adored by millions and watched by powerful enemies in a paranoid 1950s America. One wrong move could destroy him.

A romance born of ambition and betrayal

When Rex proposes, Audrey is swept into Hollywood’s glamour and high-stakes secrets. But she soon discovers Rex’s dark side and faces a choice: cling to a man who may never love her, or risk everything to forge her own path?

A gripping new historical novel from a wonderful new voice. Perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Wendy Holden and Allison Pataki.

*****

Audrey Wade has long held a dream to leave Sheffield for the promise of a great life in Hollywood, escaping post war Britain and her oppressive father forever.

After a few months of a new life in the US, Audrey catches the eye of film star, Rex Trent. Soon, she is caught up in a whirlwind of a life with him but is it what she really wanted?

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: The Viscount’s Pearl by Melissa Addey

I’m pleased to be welcoming Melissa Addey to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Viscount’s Pearl.

He’s a carefree rake who wants a marriage of convenience.

She’s an awkward spinster who doesn’t want to marry at all.

Fate has other plans in store for them both.

Laurence enjoys his dalliances with the married ladies of society, and thinks marriage is only a matter of convenience. He’s on the lookout for a practical woman accustomed to society. Frances is an odd and awkward young woman, more at home gathering shells on the beach than in the ballrooms of London, hoping to stay a spinster forever.

When the two meet in Margate, will their initial dislike of one another turn into something important?

While Laurence finds his life growing shallow, Frances wonders if love might be worth making a bold move for. Can she find her way into Laurence’s heart, and will he undertake to love her, just the way she is?

A warm-hearted Regency romance, full of historical detail and emotional discovery, as two opposites find they might just attract. The Season has begun, the ton is gathered… who knows what the tides will bring for Laurence and Frances.

*****

Frances wants a quiet life. She doesn’t even want to marry, content to live a spinster life. However, as her forth season beckons without a hint of a marriage proposal, her parents are putting pressure on their daughter. After all, the Ton has expectations for its unmarried ladies. 

I love a novel based in the regency period. I am excited to be part of the blog tour for The Viscount’s Pearl. I have also not read anything from Melissa Addey before so it was a chance to discover a new author in the process. 

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Writing Room: Choose Your Own Adventure Story

Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room.

Today, I thought we’d have a go at doing an interactive story where you can choose your own adventure.

Here is a link to writing.com to give you an idea of what you’re aiming for in terms of mechanics. Have a go at one or two of the stories. It can be very enjoyable. I loved the choose your own adventures as a child.

Next, find a story of your own. I found an idea by googling ‘interactive story generator AI’.

Once you’ve picked a story, write story threads for at least two characters with two endings.

This is a task that may take a while but it’s an interesting way to create a plot.

I hope you have fun.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks Book Club: Us Three by Ruth Jones

Hello April. 

We are a 1/4 of the way through 2025. The clocks have gone forward and we finally have the longer evenings in front of us.

Dare we even think about dusting off the garden furniture or planning trips to our favourite park so we can read in the fresh air? Or are you like me and plan to make some reading time in your comfy space at home?

Wherever you decide to take your books, I hope you’ll join me in reading this month’s pick. I am excited for it as it’s one I have been wanting to read for a while.

Us Three by Ruth Jones. 

Despite being a fan of Gavin & Stacey, I am yet to read one of Ruth’s novels. I am very eager to get started.

So, how does our book club work? Anyone can take part, whether you’ve read the book or will be reading along with me. The best part, you don’t have to leave your house to take part. It can all be done from the sofa, armchair or bed. You can also join in at any point in the month.

I have posted a question below to get the conversation going.

I am really looking forward to discussing this book in the comments with you.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Book Review: Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall by Sharon Booth

I’m so delighted to be welcoming Sharon Booth to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall.

The first in a delightfully warm, cosy and romantic new series with a fantasy twist, for fans of the BBC series ‘Ghosts’.

Can Callie give some needy ghosts their happy-ever-afterlife, while making Rowan Vale her own forever home?

When cash-strapped single mum Callie visits the beautiful Cotswold village of Rowan Vale on a school trip with her daughter, she is enchanted. It’s run as a living museum, with a steam railway, vintage teashop, Elizabethan manor house and old water mill allowing tourists to see history in action.

But there’s more to Rowan Vale than meets the eye…

To Callie’s surprise, the owner of the village, elderly Sir Lawrence Davenport, requests a meeting with her. It appears Callie has been observed talking to several villagers she shouldn’t be able to see – as they’re ghosts.

Sir Lawrence then makes an astonishing offer: to sell Callie the whole estate for a tiny sum, if she agrees to protect the village’s present tenants and make sure the headstrong ghosts are represented too.

With a spectral lord of the manor and his imperious wife, a naughty 1940s schoolgirl and the man who once taught William Shakespeare among them, it seems Callie’s role as owner wouldn’t be easy.

And that’s without the added complication of Lawrie’s disinherited grandson, the gorgeous Brodie.

Rowan Vale and Callie may need each other. But is this a match made in heaven or hell?

Fans of the BBC’s Ghosts, or books by Lucy Jane Wood, Laurie Gilmore and Heidi Swain will love this heart-warming and magical novel.

*****

As a child, Callie could see and communicate with ghosts but the ability disappears when her family are not supportive. However, when her visit to the village of Rowan Vale re-awakens her gift, her life quickly changes forever.

The premise of this book caught my attention and so I leaped at the chance to be part of the blog tour for Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall, This was also the first book I’ve read by Sharon Booth.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Novel Kicks is a blog for story tellers and book lovers.

Book Club

Novel Kicks Book Club

Archives

Categories