Novel Kicks

Book Review: Christmas Wishes by Sue Moorcroft

Published October 30, 2020 | By Mick Arnold

Hannah and Nico are meant to be together.

But fate is keeping them apart…

As soon as Hannah bumps into her brother Rob’s best friend Nico in Stockholm, the two rekindle a fast friendship. But Hannah has a boyfriend – and Nico has two children to look after.

When Hannah loses her beloved shop in Stockholm, though, she is forced to move back to the little village of Middledip – only to find Nico has just moved in too. Under the same snowy sky, can the childhood friends make a romance work – or are there too many obstacles standing in their way?

I have just had the honour of reading the latest novel by Amazon #1 author, Sue Moorcroft, ‘Christmas Wishes’.

I’m a strong believer that there comes a time in every author’s career where they bring out ‘That’ story. ‘Christmas Wishes’ is ‘That’ story.

I’ve been left, in particular order – breathless, doubled-over in laughter, in tears, seething with anger. I don’t think I’ve ever ‘seethed with anger’ at a character? Wait until you meet Albin!

This story has a detectibly simple premise (IMHO) – can Hannah ever trust another man? More to my opinion, can any man deserve her trust, let alone her love? Is Nico, her Swedish protaganist, that man?

Wonderfully written from start until finish and chock full of storylines you will find in few other romance authors lexicon. Food and alcohol disorders, substance abuse, you name it, it’s pretty much here.

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Audible Book Review: Wild Sky by Lexi Rees

Published October 27, 2020 | By Laura

I am pleased to be welcoming Lexi Rees back to Novel Kicks with her novel, Wild Sky, the second book in the Relic Hunters series.

After delivering the pearl, Finn and Aria thought life would return to normal.

But with the survival of the clans still in peril, they must continue their quest.

Can they find the next relic before the forces of evil?

Not everyone is who they appear to be, and time is running out …

Finn and Aria are no ordinary siblings. They are on the verge of gaining very powerful magic. They are also being hunted by Sir Waldred, who will do everything he can to stop them. The race is on for them to complete their quest before time runs out.

The premise of the Relic Hunters series intrigued me so I jumped at the chance to be a part of the blog blitz for Wild Sky.

Having not read book one, Eternal Seas, prior to being invited on the tour for its sequel, I made sure to read the first book. I am pleased I did as it meant that I could jump straight into the story and jump right in is what you do, as Wild Sky picks up exactly where Eternal Seas left off.

There is immediate tension and mystery for Finn, Aria, their parents and Pippin.

Lexi Rees does a really great job of creating a believable and exciting world for children but I think adults will get a lot out of the plot/story too as the main characters set out to find the air-rider relic.

There are plenty of twists and turns, along with an introduction to some new characters, such as Rahfi. I was also pleased that we got to know Pippin a little bit more. I related to her… I am also clumsy. Haha. Oh and I want Hobnob the cat to come live with me.

There is such an appeal to the Relic Hunters series. It has both strong characters in Finn and Aria but also has its fair share of sinister characters like Sir Waldred.

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Book Review: All Your Little Lies by Marianne Holmes

Published October 25, 2020 | By Laura

Hello to Marianne Holmes and the blog tour for her new novel, All Your Little Lies.

When everything you say is a lie, can you even remember the truth?

Annie lives a quiet, contained, content life. She goes to work. She meets her friend. She’s kind of in a relationship. She’s happy. Not lonely at all.

If only more people could see how friendly she is — how eager to help and please. Then she could tick “Full Happy Life” off her list. But no one sees that side of Annie, and she can’t understand why.

That all changes the night Chloe Hills disappears. And Annie is the last person to see her.

This is her chance to prove to everybody that she’s worth something. That is, until she becomes a suspect.

Drenched in atmosphere and taut with tension, All Your Little Lies takes a hard look at why good people do bad things.

All Your Little Lies was one of those thrillers that immediately drew me in from the first page. There was a tension that grew and grew the further I got into the book. I felt as though I was there, in that little town, with all of it going on around me.

Annie is a complicated character. She is hard to like but at the same time, I knew that there must be a reason behind her behaviour and I was desperate to learn more about her so I could at least begin to understand her.

As the search for the missing girl continues, Annie gets drawn further into the investigation. Her lies grow larger and more complicated. The mystery, both surrounding Annie’s past and Chloe’s fate had me wanting more.
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Book Extract: A Village Vacancy by Julie Houston

Published October 24, 2020 | By Laura

Hello to Julie Houston and the blog tour for her novel, A Village Vacancy.

As the Yorkshire village of Westenbury mourns the loss of one of their own, the women can’t help but contemplate who will fill the vacancy in one handsome widower’s life…

Grace Stevens has decided it’s time to move on without her husband. He’s off gallivanting around Devon in search of a new life, and good riddance. It’s time to go back to teaching, so Grace returns to Little Acorns and takes on an unruly class of pre-teens.

As she deals with disasters in – and out of – the classroom including an accidental dalliance with her most troublesome pupil’s dad, helping track down a drug ring and keeping up with her closest girlfriends, Grace begins to wonder more and more about the sparkle in David’s eyes and the sparking chemistry between them.

Could Grace be the one to fill this village vacancy?

Julie and Aria have shared an extract today. Enjoy.

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

‘Can you believe this, Harriet?’ Grace wiped her eyes once more as, forty minutes later, the cortege retraced its steps back up the nave towards the main entrance of the church, taking Mandy Henderson on her final journey to the churchyard. ‘You know, that Mandy is actually… I can’t even say the words… no longer here with us anymore?’

‘No.’ Harriet Westmoreland, Grace’s best friend since school days, shook her head, for once short of words. ‘How long have we known Mandy?’ she finally asked. She paused to think, screwing up her eyes as she did the maths and answering her own question. ‘Over thirty years. Do you remember your first glimpse of her at Midhope Grammar? I do.’

Grace tutted. ‘Of course I do, Harriet. You know I do. I fell in love with her in our very first assembly as she sat with the other fifth and sixth-formers on that long bench in front of the teachers. God, they were a rum lot, weren’t they?’

‘Miss Clarke, the young PE teacher was OK,’ Harriet mused, casting her mind back. ‘I quite liked her, but how the pair of us ever became teachers with that motley crew as our only example, I’ll never know.’ Harriet shook her head again, reaching out a restraining hand to Pietronella who was eager to be off now she’d spotted David Henderson, Mandy’s widowed husband and her own much adored adopted grandpa, before glancing round the church at the remaining mourners. ‘Is Juno here? Or any other of the Sutherland sisters? I thought Pandora at least might have shown up?’

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Book Extract & Review: An Unusual Boy by Fiona Higgins

Published October 20, 2020 | By Laura

I am pleased to be welcoming Fiona Higgins to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, An Unusual Boy which has been released today by Boldwood Books.

Meet Jackson – a very unusual boy in a world that prefers ‘normal’…

Julia Curtis is a busy mother of three, with a husband often away for work, an ever-present mother-in-law, a career, and a house that needs doing up. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, Milla, has fallen in love for the first time, and her youngest, Ruby, is a nine-year-old fashionista who can out-negotiate anyone.

But Julia’s eleven-year-old son, Jackson, is different. Different to his sisters. Different to his classmates. In fact, Jackson is different from everyone. And bringing up a child who is different isn’t always easy.

Then, one Monday morning, Jackson follows his new friend Digby into the school toilets. What happens inside changes everything; not only for Jackson, but for every member of his family. Julia faces the fight of her life to save her unusual boy from a world set up for ‘normal’.

I have reviewed the book below but first, Fiona and Boldwood Books have shared an extract.

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

‘Shhh! You’ll wake her up!’

Stifled laughter, the tinkling of a tea bell and the pungent smell of burnt toast drift beneath the bedroom door. Our three children are whispering outside, impatient to sneak in and surprise me. My hand slides across the mattress, reaching for Andy’s, before the crushing realisation swamps me.

He’s not here. Again.

A cold, hard nub of loneliness lodges in my chest. Andy’s overseas trips are an unavoidable by-product of his smashing career success; New York this quarter, London next, Tokyo in the spring. I should be used to it by now, but the thought of spending Mother’s Day solo makes me want to curl up under the covers and refuse to come out. For the sake of the children, however, I can’t. It’s my job to create magic on Mother’s Day now.

I stare at the paint flaking off the ceiling above our bed. Recalling the early, easy years with Andy, before there were any Mothers’ Days at all. All that spare time spent sleeping and strolling and staring into each other’s eyes. Two languid years of mutual adoration, before my body endured three pregnancies, two breastfed babies and the singular exertions of gravity itself. Back when Andy and I still saw each other, somehow.

Something clatters to the floor beyond the door.

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Book Trailer Reveal: Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray

Published October 19, 2020 | By Laura

I am so pleased to be helping Eleanor Ray reveal the new book cover for her upcoming novel, Everything is Beautiful, due to be released in February 2021.

Sometimes it’s impossible to part with the things we love the most…

When Amy Ashton’s world came crashing down eleven years ago, she started a collection. Just a little collection, just a few keepsakes of happier times: some honeysuckle to remind herself of the boy she loved, a chipped china bird, an old terracotta pot . . . Things that others might throw away, but to Amy, represent a life that could have been.

Now her house is overflowing with the objects she loves – soon there’ll be no room for Amy at all. But when a family move in next door, a chance discovery unearths a mystery long buried, and Amy’s carefully curated life begins to unravel. If she can find the courage to face her past, might the future she thought she’d lost still be hers for the taking?

So without further ado, here’s the trailer. Enjoy.

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Book Review: One Family Christmas by Bella Osborne

Published October 18, 2020 | By Laura

A lovely hello to Bella Osborne. Her new book, One Family Christmas has just been released by Avon.

A big family. A whole lot of secrets. A Christmas to remember…

This year, Lottie is hosting one last big family Christmas at the home she grew up in – just like her Nana would have wanted.

But when her relatives descend on the old manor house, Lottie gets more than she bargained for. Every family has its secrets, but in this family, everybody has one!

So, between cooking a Christmas dinner, keeping tensions at bay and a stray dog out of mischief, she has plenty on her plate and not just misshapen sausage rolls and a frozen turkey. And then her first love shows up – nine years after he walked out of her life.

Can Lottie make their last family Christmas one to remember… for the right reasons?

Lottie’s mission is to have one last family Christmas in the house she grew up in, just like her Nana would have wanted.

When her family descends, drama isn’t too far behind. Lottie quickly finds herself trying to juggle rising tensions, the appearance of a stray dog and meeting new people. On top of that, her first love reappears. She has not seen him since he walked out on her nine years ago.

I am such a huge fan of Bella’s novels and was so excited that she was releasing a book set at Christmas, especially one with such a beautiful cover. One Family Christmas did not disappoint and it’s not just about Christmas. It has so much more to it than that.

Immediately, I loved Lottie and I really felt for her. She is a person with the weight of the world on her shoulders and I wanted to jump in and help her, especially as she has just lost her Nana.

Despite the fact that she gets many things thrown at her (believe me, what can go wrong, does,) she shows resilience and strength.

Joe is a mystery and the layers to him are gradually revealed through the course of the book.

The other supporting characters are a brilliant mix of personalities. There were some I related to more than others but by the end, I wanted everyone to be OK.

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Book Review: The Ticklemore Christmas Toy Shop by Liz Davis

Published October 18, 2020 | By Laura

A lovely big welcome to Liz Davis. She’s here with her book, The Ticklemore Christmas Toy Shop.

There is a disturbance in the force and octogenarian Hattie Jenkins can feel it in her water. Still active and spritely, she guesses that the miserable-looking gentleman sitting morosely in the café where she works, might be the reason.

Widowed Alfred Miller has recently moved in with his daughter because she is worried that he’s becoming too frail and forgetful to look after himself. And he’s not in the least bit happy about it, especially since his home is soon be cleared and sold.

But when he enlists Hattie’s help to save some of his precious belongings, he doesn’t realise that Hattie’s mission is to save more than a few sticks of furniture. She’s on a mission to save him, too.

When Hattie Jenkins first spots Alfred Miller in the café where she works, she gets a feeling that she is meant to help him in some way.

Alfred has just moved in with his daughter and is faced with the prospect of his home being cleared and sold.

When he enlists Hattie’s help to rescue some of his belongings before it’s too late, he has no idea that Hattie is not only on a mission to save his things, but to save him too.

There were so many wonderful elements to this novel, I am not sure where to begin so let’s start with the cover and how absolutely magical it is.

From the first chapter, I immediately got pulled into the lives of these characters and it was not hard to quickly grow fond of them (Sara took a bit longer to like than the others.)

The dynamic between Hattie and Alfred was one of my favourite parts of the book and it was lovely to see how their relationship developed through the novel.

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Book Extract: The Winter We Met by Samantha Tonge

Published October 15, 2020 | By Laura

Welcome back, Samantha Tonge. Today, the blog tour continues for her fantastic novel, The Winter We Met.

When charming, mysterious, Nik sits next to Jess on a plane home from a Christmas toy trade fair, she never could have imagined the impact he’d have on her life. As they touch down in London, Jess is hesitant to let Nik walk away, and before she knows it, she’s invited him to visit.

As the two take in the delights of the toy store where she works, Jess gets an upsetting phone call. Willow Court, her Grandmother’s care home, is to close before Christmas. With the help of Nik, and her best friend Oliver, Jess is determined to find the perfect new home for her Gran – and throw the best Christmas party Willow Court has ever seen! But time is running out and Oliver isn’t the only one who has suspicions about charismatic Nik’s intentions.

Will a chance encounter on an aeroplane bring love to Jess’s life or is this Christmas miracle too good to be true?

Samantha and Aria have shared an extract today. As this is set at Christmas, grab that hot chocolate, a comfy chair and play that Christmas song. I won’t tell, I promise. Enjoy!

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

‘So, you’ve been to England before?’ I asked and took a sip.

‘Yes. It’s only the last few years or so that I’ve been going to the trade fairs on my own. I joined the company straight from university and Mum and Dad have been teaching me the ropes ever since, taking me on work trips abroad.’ He ran a finger around the mug’s rim. ‘They brought me here as a teenager though, on holiday to see the sights. Mum and Dad went backpacking during university holidays and always said there was nothing quite like travel for broadening the mind. They liked discovering unusual places. We travelled the length of the country, from Newcastle to Bournemouth.’

‘Wow. Any favourite places?’

‘Stonehenge was amazing – so atmospheric. And we rented a cottage in the Cotswolds for a few days, in a quiet little village. It looked like a picture off a chocolate box and ducks visited the back garden – Mum fell in love with it. Manchester was pretty cool with trendy independent coffee shops and warehouse stores. We had to visit the Cavern Club in Liverpool as Dad had always been a massive fan of The Beatles and we also took a wonderful steam engine trip through Norfolk. We only spent one day in the capital so I don’t really know London.’

‘It sounds as if you’ve seen more of my home country than I have. So what got your parents interested in toy manufacturing?’

‘Mum was studying a degree in arts and Dad a design degree with modules in consumer engineering. He was left some money from his grandparents – enough to start the business. Also both of their families are big and even in their twenties, between them, Mum and Dad had lots of nephews and nieces and loved entertaining them and Grams and Grandpa – Mum’s parents – would often talk about how Mum was always making her own toys as a child out of food packaging and scraps of materials or plastic.’ He smiled. ‘She encouraged me as a boy. I used to love crafting with the week’s leftover cereal boxes and plastic butter tubs. I guess that passed the passion onto me.’

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Book Review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Published October 12, 2020 | By Laura

A peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?

When I heard that Richard Osman was releasing his debut novel, I was excited to say the least. In my opinion, this novel didn’t disappoint.

There are so many wonderful elements to The Thursday Murder Club.

The characters are a joy especially when you get the four members of the club together. I found myself really smiling through the scenes with them. There were many laugh out loud moments. I am not sure whether chemistry is a thing amongst fictional characters but if it is, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron have it in spades. I have grown so fond of them and they are already some of my favourite crime solvers. As a group, they reminded me of how my Nan was around her friends, although there was no crime solving as far as know. In any case, this reminder further made me smile.

It was fun seeing them run the occasional rings around the other characters, especially DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna De Freitas were a good balance as the police team.

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Book Extract: Coming Home to Penvennan Cove by Linn B Halton

Published October 9, 2020 | By Laura

A big welcome to Linn B Halton and the blog tour for her latest novel, Coming Home To Penvennan Cove.

Can Kerra’s Cornish hometown offer the fresh start she needs?

When Kerra left the quiet Cornish town of Penvennan Cove for the bright lights of London she didn’t look back. But after the death of her mother, she’s decided it’s time to face her past and return to the place she called home. Her father needs her, and perhaps she needs him more than she’s willing to admit?

Tackling town gossip, home renovations and a flame from her past, it’s not quite smooth sailing for Kerra. Ross is the bad boy she was meant to forget, not a man who still sets her heart aflutter. As he helps bring her dream home to life, they begin to break down the barriers that have been holding them back and in the process learn things about themselves they never thought possible.

As friends old and new come together, the future in Penvennan looks bright.

Linn and Aria have shared an extract from Coming Home to Penvennan Cove. Enjoy.

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

When Mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I travelled home every weekend so we could all be together during those final few months. We laughed, we cried and we reminisced. But it’s a mean beast and although she was ready to go when the time came, we weren’t ready to let go of her. What it did for me, was put everything into perspective.

Going back is never easy; going forward was all I knew, until now.

It eased my conscience a little to see my team through the transition, giving them time to adjust to the new regime. It was meant to be a period in which we’d all feel proud of what we’d achieved and I’d leave them with a sense of excitement about their future. But the last few months have been a blur of activity and, naturally, upheaval.

And now, Sy is right—I feel like a deserter, walking away as if I can’t already see the problems beginning to stack up on the horizon. Big business is fierce and while it was all smiles and handshakes at the start, it’s now deadpan faces and long emails detailing the new procedures. Did they really want the business, or just the ready-made audience to add to their already huge database? Equally as soul-destroying is the fact that I’m beginning to feel I’ve been disloyal to our customers, too. The press release put a very positive spin on it, of course, but some of the benefits seem one-sided to me. I’m hoping I’m proved wrong.

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Book Review: The Winter We Met by Samantha Tonge

Published October 8, 2020 | By Laura

Today I am pleased to be taking part in the publication day tour for The Winter We Met, the new novel by Samantha Tonge.

When charming, mysterious Nik sits next to Jess on a plane home from a Christmas toy trade fair, she never could have imagined the impact he’d have on her life. As they touch down in London, Jess is hesitant to let Nik walk away, and before she knows it, she’s invited him to visit.

As the two take in the delights of the toy store where she works, Jess gets an upsetting phone call. Willow Court, her grandmother’s care home, is to close before Christmas. Jess is determined to find the perfect new home for her Gran – and throw the best Christmas party Willow Court has ever seen!

But time is running out with the closure looming and Jess becomes increasingly drawn to enigmatic Nik who joins forces with her and best friend Oliver to realise those plans.

Will a chance encounter on an aeroplane bring love to Jess’s life or is this Christmas miracle too good to be true?

Jess feels fairly happy in life. She is the manager of a lovely toy shop, she is close by to the grandmother that raised her and her flatmate, Oliver, is her best friend.

When she meets Nik on the way back from a toy fair, she quickly starts to believe he’s the last piece of the puzzle, especially when everyone around her seems to adore him. Could he be too good to be true? Oliver certainly thinks so.

This is one of the reasons why I love this time of year. Not only can the warm jumpers come out of storage, the festive themed novels start to be released. Speaking of which, The Winter We Met was released today and I am not ashamed to say that it’s put me in the festive mood early.

From the beginning, the characters in this novel felt like extended family I cared about very much.

Jess is a wonderfully strong female character but there is also a vulnerable side to her; one she doesn’t reveal too easily.

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Book Extract: I Don’t Do Mondays by Colette Kebell

Published October 3, 2020 | By Laura

I am very happy to be welcoming Colette Kebell to Novel Kicks today. She’s here with the blog tour for her book, I Don’t Do Mondays.

Lawyer Mia’s picture-perfect dream life in New York is imploding. Her job has become too stressful, she’s exhausted from carrying her friends and what’s up with her striking, wealthy fiancé?

But when life-changing decisions force her to move to Maine, where she’ll face her often critical father and hard truths about what truly matters in life, she re-discovers a passion of her youth.

What begins as a low moment in her life quickly pushes her to consider what she genuinely wants and leads her down a new path where she must embrace the future and let go of the past.

Will this move help Mia to fix her life, once and for all, and will she finally find true love?

Colette has shared an extract today. Grab that drink, comfy chair and enjoy.

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

Chapter 1

‘I don’t do Mondays.’

The woman was Amanda Parker, a beautiful twenty-three-year-old blonde who was lying naked on the bed in the master suite at the Waldorf Astoria. Her family had old money, and they made it clear she wouldn’t see a single penny of it. Her primary occupation was to party, doing the occasional modelling, and hoping to have another spot in a celebrity magazine. Which one, was not important.

‘How come? It’s not that you have to get up and go to work.’ Carlton Allerton, owner of Allerton Groceries, and worth several billion in assets, although mostly made by his grandfather, was the man sharing her bed.

‘I don’t know. People always disappear, rushing to go to work. Monday morning is dead. Too quiet for my liking.’

People have to work for a living, albeit most of us, but he didn’t say it out loud. The last thing he wanted was to start a quarrel. Amanda could be temperamental.

Instead, he said, ‘What about having a shower together? We’ve been lying here doing nothing since six.’

‘Nothing since sex, you mean. Are you checking the time?’ Amanda asked.

‘Not at all, but I’m getting hungry, and I still need to fully wake up.’

‘You didn’t seem asleep when we were making love,’ she teased him.

‘Give me a break, Amanda. You know very well this is borrowed time. We can’t keep going like this.’

The woman suddenly looked him straight in the eye, her voice now firm and sharp. ‘Then do something about it.’ It wasn’t the first time they’d touched that topic, and most likely not the last one.

‘It’s not so easy, and you know it.’

Carlton sat on the bed and turned the television onto Bloombergto see the latest news on the Asian market. A man in a suit and a yellow bow tie was explaining why the Nikkei had slipped, reversing early gains from the past few weeks. The Federal Reserve meeting was due in a few days, and the investors were cautious.

‘I know you care more about your money than me.’ Amanda’s expression stiffened. ‘And don’t give me that crap that you have to work this morning. You’re dodging the issue. This is you; always avoiding confrontation whenever you can.’

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Book Extract: Eternal Forever by Syl Waters

Published September 28, 2020 | By Laura

A big lovely welcome today to Syl Waters who is here with the blog tour for her novel, Eternal Forever.

Fame, glory and… foul play!

Jessie was a shop worker dreaming of the big time, then YouTube found her. But staying in the limelight requires meticulous management: pop stars are made not born.

With awards night approaching, the pressure’s on for Tito, Jessie’s manager, to whip her into shape. Getting so close wasn’t in the contract, but then neither was him being murdered in Spain.

Alone and scared of the negative publicity, Jessie turns to Mack, her account manager at Eternal Forever, the UK’s first digital legacy management agency. But Mack’s got his own issues: the company’s fast running out of cash, his key developer’s on the turn and a blogger’s suicide looks suspicious.

With the assistance of J-Pop, Mack’s assistant and wannabe reality TV star, Jessie turns sleuth. But in a world where everybody’s watching, it’s hard to escape. Reputation is everything and some people will do anything to protect it.

Syl has shared an extract today. I have to say, this book sounds brilliant. Don’t just take my word for it though. Read on and enjoy.

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

Context: Duncan, a key developer and co-founder at Eternal Forever, is getting angsty about the upcoming investor meeting. His fellow directors are putting pressure on him to sell more shares and it’s making him feel uncomfortable.

The problem was, he knew five million wasn’t going to cut it long-term, not if they really intended to go big (which he did). Tech cost, and there was a very good reason why Twitter could rake in billions and still not be profitable. Start-ups were ravenous, insatiable beasts akin to a giant black hole. Making money was a long-term goal, not an overnight shopping basket filled to the brim with cash.

Not that he’d admitted as much to Fran or Mack. It was bad enough how much he was having to give up now, without them seizing on this opportunity to rob him of even more shares. But he knew their revenue growth for the foreseeable future looked slim. They might’ve boosted user growth recently, but until people started paying more, it wouldn’t be long before they’d need more money and soon. Unless people started dying, they’d be dead.

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Book Extract: Love Me Like You Do by Aimee Brown

Published September 24, 2020 | By Laura

A lovely hello to Aimee Brown. She’s here with the blog tour for her new novel, Love Me Like You Do.

A runaway bride. A handsome stranger. Two pasts to put behind them.

Parker is ready to marry the man of her dreams. But he isn’t ready to marry her. It would be helpful if he didn’t choose their wedding day to tell her this. But as she flees from the travesty behind her, she literally runs into the arms of a handsome stranger. The southern drawl, the dreamy eyes, she can’t fall for another man after being left at the altar – can she?

When Liam agreed to go to go on a date he didn’t expect to leave with the bride. Nor did he expect to take her the emergency room. Immediately he’s drawn to her fiery spirit, her kind heart and beautiful smile. Liam’s got a whole host of problems and a past that keeps coming back, now can’t be the time to fall in love, but Parker might just be the one to break down his barriers and let him live a little – if she’ll let him in.

Will these two strangers allow serendipity to put them together, or will their fears keep them apart?

Aimee and Aria has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy!

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

‘He’s a stranger to me.’ She pleads her case while the nurse adjusts her pants. ‘We just met an hour ago and I don’t even remember his name.’

I raise a single eyebrow as I look over at her.

She pinches her lips together as she rolls her eyes. ‘OK fine, I remember his name, Liam, but I don’t know him. I swearit. We weren’t having sex. I just got dumped for Christ’s sake!’

‘Let’s go to x-ray,’ the nurse says avoiding the subject entirely. Her face is blank and it would appear that she’s tucked her emotions away and they aren’t coming out even for the girl who walked in wearing a wedding dress.

When Parker comes back into the room from having her x-rays, she sits on the bed, her feet now in her incredibly high heels dangling over the side of the bed. I laugh to myself at the ridiculousness of her new outfit.

‘What?’ she asks sharply.

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