Book Review: A Wonderland Wish on Ever After Street by Jaimie Admans
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Jaimie Admans back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, A Wonderland Wish on Ever After Street, book three in the Ever After Street series.
A picture-perfect town, a place where dreams come true. Welcome to Ever After Street…
There’s always time for tea… unless you’ve lost your teapot…
Cleo Jordan has only ever wished for one thing – to open her own teashop in memory of her lovely gran. So when she accidentally fools the interview board into thinking she’s a brilliant baker and is offered a prime spot on Ever After Street, she knows her dream is about to come true!
Stepping into The Wonderland Teapot is like falling down the rabbit hole – magical! But there’s a catch: Cleo has completely lost her love of baking! With her little white lie ticking in her ear, it seems her dream is over before it’s begun.
Until she meets her very own Mad Hatter. Loved by everyone on Ever After Street, magician Bram brings an energy to the teashop that lifts everyone, and slowly, with his encouragement, Cleo is getting back to doing what she loves best.
But with Bram hiding secrets of his own, Cleo isn’t sure she can put all her faith in him. And when things start going wrong at the teashop, Cleo wonders if the culprit sabotaging her dream is someone closer than she thinks?
If Cleo wants her wish to work, she has to learn to trust again before she loses her head and heart completely…although it might already be far too late for that…
*****
Cleo has grown to love Ever After Street and longs to own her own tea shop themed to Alice in Wonderland, her favourite novel. When she is given the opportunity, she wants to make the most of it….if only her ability to bake hadn’t deserted her.
When a Mad Hatter arrives to work in the shop, Cleo isn’t so sure but as she gets to know the man behind the hat, could there be something more?
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Book Extract: A Farewell To Imperial İstanbul by Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu
I’m excited to be welcoming Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, A Farewell To Imperial İstanbul.
Set against the majestic backdrop of Imperial Istanbul in the aftermath of the First World War, A Farewell To Imperial Istanbul is a captivating tale of family, duty and the resilience of the human spirit.
İstanbul, 1922: As the Ottoman Empire crumbles in the wake of the Great War, the fate of the Imperial capital and the House of Osman come under threat. Emboldened following their victory in the Turkish War of Independence, the Turkish Nationalist Government in Ankara abolishes the Ottoman Sultanate, marking the end of over six centuries of Ottoman rule. The Ottoman Caliphate endures for now, but Istanbul, stripped of its Imperial mantle, mourns its lost glory. Prince Nihadfears for the nation and the fate of the Imperial family, while his son, Prince Vâsıb, envisions a hopeful future defined by peace following the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne.
As the new Republic of Türkiye emerges from the ashes of the once-mighty Ottoman Empire, Istanbul and the Ottoman Dynasty confront the crossroads of history, their destinies entwined with the shifting tides of the Bosphorus. Yet, amidst these perilous currents that separate East and West, where the deep waters threaten to engulf the city’s Imperial past and sweep away its soul embodied by the Imperial family, the Ottoman Dynasty must navigate a new and uncertain course.
The history of the Turks and their vast and powerful Empire has been intertwined with the Ottoman Dynasty for over six hundred years. But can the Imperial family survive the tempest of change as the world enters a new era?
There’s a chance to win a A Farewell To Imperial İstanbul bundle but first, Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu has shared an extract from her novel today. We hope you all enjoy.
by Book Spotlight: Dressing The Countess by Rachel Brimble
I’m pleased to be welcoming Rachel Brimble to Novel Kicks. Today, we’re shining a spotlight on her novel, Dressing The Countess.
Fans of Kristy Cambron, Stephanie Dray, and Julia Quinn will adore this Victorian romance from historical fiction dynamo, Rachel Brimble.
Seamstress Rose Watson cannot believe her good fortune when she’s plucked from obscurity to work for Lady Christina, the Countess of Bath. Despite her parents’ distrust that the position will come with conditions, Rose accepts the unexpected offer.
When she arrives at the royal residence of Henlow House, a strange sense of destiny whispers through her, and Rose cannot wait for this new adventure to begin. Although, she has Henry Ward to deal with, the handsome, risk-taking and—though she is loath to admit it—exciting royal saddler and horse trainer, who both fascinates and frustrates her in equal measure.
They could not be more different…with the exception of their hunger for more.
But as they begin to trust one another, and their bond flourishes, Rose’s connection with Henry could cause her to lose her position at Henlow House, which would destroy her. Will she be forced to choose between love and ambition? Either choice will change her life irrevocably.
A captivating escape that will touch your heart and keep you turning pages with impatient hope for Rose…
*****
by Book Extract: The Blood Promise by Liz Mistry
I’m pleased to welcoming Liz Mistry to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, The Blood Promise.
A deadly gift
Imogen Clark wakes up on her 16th birthday to find her parents dead at the breakfast table, along with a message from their killer.
A twist of fate
Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen join the investigation, but the more they discover, the more Jazzy suspects that the killing is a twisted message for her. Jazzy shares the same birthday as Imogen, and believes that this is more than a coincidence.
A race to catch a killer
When Jazzy discovers the connection between the killer and the stalker who has been following her for years, she is forced to confront the dark past she was desperate to keep hidden. She must stop at nothing to solve the case, before she becomes the next victim…
Liz has shared an extract for us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Detectives Jazzy Solanki and her partner Annie ‘Queenie’ McQueen have been demoted from detective sergeants to detective constables for separate incidents. They haven’t worked together before but, as a punishment they have been thrust together to do an overnight surveillance on a pub in a small isolated village known for its distrust of the police. Whilst Queenie sleeps, Jazzy reflects on her situation until something quite scary happens …
Extract
Discordant snuffles followed by seconds of blissful silence, abruptly broken by rough guttural snorts played on repeat. It did Jazzy’s head in and she was beginning to regret offering to keep watch whilst Queenie slept. If the sounds from her mouth were bad, the ones from her backside were the real killer. She took farting to a whole new level, filling the police car with noxious fumes, forcing Jazzy to crack the windows every so often. She was gross. At least if Queenie was sleeping, she wasn’t hassling Jazzy, which was why she hadn’t wakened her yet. Besides, she wouldn’t sleep. No matter how knackered she was, Jazzy couldn’t snooze on a stakeout. It was part of her overzealous nature. A symptom, according to her therapist, of her past experiences and one that she needed to work on if she ever wanted to form meaningful trusting relationships.
by Book Extract: Love Beyond Lindisfarne by Kimberley Adams
I’m very pleased to be welcoming Kimberley Adams to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, Love Beyond Lindisfarne.
Take a spring to summer trip to magical Northumberland and find love and laughter in this feel-good novel, which will transport you to the iconic island of Lindisfarne and beyond…
Ellie, and Zen with the coffee-bean eyes, met at Christmas when she came to Northumberland to look after rescue animals. They are taking their first tentative steps into a love-at-first-sight relationship and all in their spring garden should be wonderful.
When Lady Grace becomes ill, life at the castle changes overnight, and not for the better. The new custodian and his fiancée have plans, and the islanders are far from happy. When the filming of a reality show means the animals must move out of their yard due to the Queen of the Castle production company taking over, it’s the final straw.
Amongst all the drama, Love Beyond Lindisfarne is a story of love, intergenerational friendships, camaraderie, and oodles of the warmth and humour found in this very special corner of the world.
Kimberley has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
This piece is spoken by the narrator Ellie, who is one of the lead characters in the book, a romantic comedy set in Northumberland. It gives a flavour of what’s to come in the pages and an idea of some of the people and animals that we meet along the way in this the second trip to Lindisfarne and beyond!
Prologue
by Book Club
