Book Review: My Rock Star Neighbor by Kathy Strobos
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Kathy Strobos back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, My Rock Star Neighbor.
When a wary rock star and a cynical reporter fake date to bury a scandalous rumor, will true love be exposed as the real story?
Nick: I do my best songwriting while playing my guitar on the fire escape. Unfortunately, my in-bed-at-ten next-door neighbor, Maddie, is not a fan of my music. She clambers out on the fire escape to yell at me about making “noise.” In bunny slippers, no less. But then she trips and falls into my arms.
That photo of Maddie plastered all over me hits the papers, just as my dream recording company wants to sign my band. Which is a problem, because an obsessed fan is claiming that I’m her boyfriend and now the media is blowing up that I’m two-timing them both. Good-bye recording contract, unless….
Maddie: I’m supposed to cover the story. Not be the story! But when Nick begs me to fake date, I can’t resist the chance to be Nick’s girlfriend—even if fake—the opposite of my life as a city desk reporter. But my ex said I’m a terrible kisser, and there’s no way I want Mr. Hot Rock Star saying the same thing. Hence, clause 11 in our contract: There will be absolutely no physical contact.
Nick: When Maddie receives a threatening photo of the two of us with an X over her face, my desire to protect her suddenly feels all too real. It’s either a troll or her undercover investigation has been compromised. With both our careers at stake, is breaking up the only way to keep Maddie safe?
*****
Maddie and Nick are neighbours and have been friends for a while. Each are unaware that the other has feelings. Maddie is on the verge of breaking a big story that would be good for her career as a reporter. Nick is about to make it big with his band.
When circumstances are such that Maddie and Nick end up fake dating, things only get more complicated. Can they keep their feelings at bay or will it reveal more than they bargained for?
by 
Book Extract: Serves You Right by Orion Gregory
I’m so excited to be welcoming Orion Gregory to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, Serves You Right.
Justice isn’t blind in Orion Gregory’s Serves You Right—it’s calculating, ruthless, and watching every move.
Sydney Livingstone thought she’d found the perfect reset when she traded professional tennis for a badge in Walsh County. With her fiancé Enzo at her side and the promise of small-town calm, she expected routine cases and a sense of purpose. Instead, a vigilante calling himself The Enforcer shatters that illusion. His attacks leave behind bodies and chilling manifestos, and his reach extends further with each strike. Sydney’s badge makes her both investigator and target, drawing her deeper into a deadly game.
As media swarms the county and fear fractures the department, Sydney faces mounting suspicion that the danger may not only be outside, but within the very force she joined. Evidence points too close for comfort, colleagues grow wary, and a stalker begins haunting one of her fellow officers. With every step, Sydney must weigh loyalty against survival and uncover the truth before she becomes the next victim.
Orion has shared an extract from Serves You Right with us today. We hope you enjoy.
(Warning: Language.)
*****beginning of extract*****
He looked over at Andrea, who was happily finishing a chili dog next to a side of circular, mangled fries. She was saying something about changing the drapes in the front window of her house, but Frank wasn’t listening.
His hamburger looked nauseating. Even the idea of taking a sip of beer made him want to vomit. The smell was now all-encompassing.
A pair of young boys chased each other, darting between tables. One bumped their table, causing some of Frank’s beer to spill.
“Undisciplined brats,” he muttered. “Can you imagine what kind of adults they’re going to be?”
Murderers? Spouse killers?
There goes Sheila again, funneling bullshit into my mind.
“We were all there once,” said Andrea. “Just ignore them.”
Frank smiled, wondering how Andrea wasn’t overcome by the disgusting smell. “You know what, I’m not really hungry,” he said. “I’m going to throw this stuff out.” Distracted by the unpleasant odor, Frank forgot about the possibility he was being followed. He fell into line behind two teenagers who were attempting to shove their trash inside an overflowing receptacle. The park seemed to be growing more crowded by the minute.
The park noises consumed Frank’s thoughts. Ice cream machines revved crazily in a high pitch, barbeque grills hissed louder than usual, and soda machines buzzed. Kids squealed at their parents while nearby game operators hollered at customers to step forward and win prizes.
He glanced upward, noticing hot-air balloons in the distance, moving toward the theme park. They were decorated with bold, contrasting colors. The late afternoon sun cast its light onto them, creating a living rainbow of color in the open air.
by Book Review: The Self-Made Saint by Alexandra Addams
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Alexandra Addams to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, The Self-Made Saint.
Judith Drainger has always played life by her own rules. But these days life seems to be playing her right back.
Divorced, orphaned and forcibly retired, 59-year-old Judith is determined to seize the opportunity to leave her broken home in London and move across the world to Australia. Here she reunites with her estranged adult daughter Cassandra – only to land smack bang in the emotional quagmire of her daughter’s anger and abandonment issues. To make matters worse, Judith can see her new granddaughter Emily has a serious health issue, but her offers of help are ignored and rejected.
When an accident knocks her off her feet, Judith is swamped by the kindly care of her nosy new neighbors. Yet, when given a chance to become a part of their community, Judith shocks even herself by making a series of unforgivable blunders. Realizing if she’s to have any hope of reuniting her family, this well-meaning but stubborn curmudgeon must learn the power of saying ‘sorry’ – and what it actually means to be a good person.
A tender and uplifting novel championing the complex realities of family, solidarity and friendship.
*****
Judith is not where she’d thought she’d be at 59 years-old. She’s divorced, recently lost her mother and finds herself retired from the humanitarian work she loved. In an attempt to reconnect with her estranged daughter, Judith moves to Adelaide, Austraila. Will life be any better there?
The premise for this book sounded interesting so I couldn’t wait to get started on it and was pleased to be on the blog tour for, The Self-Made Saint.
The first thing I will say is that I believe this book will be very relatable to many people and it wasn’t hard for me to get invested in this book and the characters within.
Judith…oh Judith. I found in her a person who is sometimes her worst enemy and at times I wanted to hug her and then other tiimes, i wanted to shake her. She is a very good study on generational expectations and guilt and I feel is the product of her environment in some ways. Judith has a belief that she should be where she’s needed – she just doesn’t always make the right decision when it comes to that.
by NK Chats To… Helga Jensen
Hi Helga. Thank you so much for inviting Novel Kicks onto the blog tour for A New Life in Amsterdam. What’s your writing process like? Do you plan much?
Firstly, I think of a fabulous location and then work from there. For example, my latest book is set in Amsterdam. From there I will think of all the things that the place offers and work out a story. Naturally, A New Life in Amsterdam just had to be about a canal boat as I pictured what life would be like living on the canals of Amsterdam. Then I usually think about the characters and jot down the pivotal moments on a huge poster. From there, I just start writing. I am definitely not a planner as I start off with a seed of an idea and I literally let my characters take me on their journey as I write. I love working this way as I think if I planned anything I would be too focused on keeping to that story and it wouldn’t be natural.
Out of all the books you’ve read, which have had the most impact on you?
Oh, that’s a really good question. I always remember reading two books by Jane Green back in the early 90s. Mr Maybe and Jemima J. They appealed to me at that age and made me want to write something similar. I grew up with Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella books and I can safely say that both writers made a huge impact on me as I dreamed of being just like them.
Do you have any writing rituals? Do you prefer to work in silence?
I need complete silence. I can’t even take a laptop to a coffee shop somewhere. I have to be in my study, door closed, and nothing but silence. Any disturbance will send me off track and I will lose that line in my head. I love the idea that writers can work with music and churn out a best-seller but, for me, silence is golden!
by Book Extract: Kalahari Passage by Candi Miller
I’m pleased to be welcoming Candi Miller back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Kalahari Passage: Koba book 2
Koba and Mannie have been in jail. Their crime, loving each other across the Apartheid colour bar in southern Africa. Koba escapes her captors and using her bush skills, finds her way across the semi-desert to her former tribal home. But adapting to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle after a decade away, has challenges. And her mortal enemy is on her trail.
Meanwhile Mannie absconds during his parole and sets off on a sub-continental road trip to find his beloved Koba. But will his new comrades persuade him to join them across the border for training in deadly guerrilla warfare? And what will that mean for his future with Koba?
Under tragic circumstances the lovers meet, but the danger they are in means they face heart-breaking choices.
Kalahari Passage is an action-packed story of a search for identity and love. Readers will be spellbound by Koba’s world where an ancient culture dances, trances and lives in harmony with the land.
Candi has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
Koba, an indigenous Ju|’hoan girl, has found safety her among her people, making friends with |Kuni and her musician husband, Bo Fingers. Koba decides to decamp with them to avoid her stalker, the man she calls Lion. She has suitors too, unwanted. Koba is secretly in love with Mannie, Frog-boy, a young white man from whom she was separated by the government.
In italics is the interior dialogue Koba has with her conscience, aka Insect. (A bit like Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio, but bawdy.)
Something had been decided in the group. Everyone except ∥’Aoka Sour, looked content. Gaps began to appear in the circle as people rose and said goodnight.
Koba grew uneasy, nervous as a wildebeest that finds itself in a thinning herd. She scanned the remaining faces for clues and started when another large log was thrown into the fire. All the cooking is done, people go to their sleeping mat; why the wood-wasting? she wondered, until it occurred to her that a decision had been made to leave the area.
She gazed up at the night sky again, calculating her options. The Big Rain will have washed away my footprints, but Lion won’t give up easily. Better to hide in the herd, although I seem to get many unspoken looks in this noisy place.
Use your intelligence, Bushgirl. There are few marriageable women in the group. That is why you are eaten by eyes.
by Book Club
