Book Review: Meet Me on Platform 3 by Zara Stoneley
I’m very happy to be welcoming Zara Stoneley back to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Meet Me on Platform 3.
Two people. One journey…
Millie loves her city life, her city friends and writing her true(ish) confessions column – but she’s starting to wonder if the grass really is greener on the other side, or if her heart really belongs back in Northumberland, with her mum who is struggling after the death of Millie’s dad.
Joe is happy doing what he does, writing games. He could do it anywhere, but since leaving home he’s lived believing that looking back means you’ve failed, and life is about taking chances and seeing the world.
So when the two meet up surely it can never work, their lives are moving in opposite directions. On different tracks…
*****
Millie loves her job and living in London. When she bumps into her perfect man on Platform 3, she finds she has a crush and a subject for her column. When fate throws them together, have they really found the one or will they end up taking different tracks?
I have really loved previous novels from Zara Stoneley so I was excited to get going on this novel as I really liked the premise.
The style of writing is almost conversational as it’s told from the point of view of both Mille and Joe. I like these duel narratives as it really gives you an insight into the mind of both characters.
by 
Book Extract: The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields
Please join me in welcoming Helen Fields to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her book, The Last Girl to Die.
In search of a new life, seventeen-year-old Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull, far off the coast of Scotland. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque.
Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before.
The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?
*****
Helen has shared an extract with us today so grab that coffee and the comfy chair and enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
Addie. First with two ds then just one. With a y on the end, then with ie. Then I checked out Brandon Clark. I didn’t feel good about it, but now I had two jobs to do. The first was to figure out who killed Adriana.
The second was to make absolutely sure the police didn’t reach the conclusion that her twin brother was responsible for her death. School was in session in California. I had three piles of paper in front of me that I’d been avoiding looking at all day, no email from Rob Clark regarding Adriana’s cell phone data, and there were too many loose ends. Like the printer. As a general rule, I sit on my concerns about my clients the way you learn to sit on your hand when you’re trying to give up biting your nails. That was why I hadn’t taken the blank medical records form I’d printed off at Tackle & Trade up to the Clarks’ house yet. It was also why I hadn’t yet crossreferenced the form they’d filled in for Nate Carlisle with the one they’d filled in for me. I guess I knew it was going to be a rabbit hole, and that I’d end up doing something stupid like phoning all the high schools in Carlsbad and asking their librarian to go through the yearbooks to locate the Clark twins. But I never could let a thing go. My mother always swore it’d be the death of me.
by Book Extract: Bodies Brains & Bogies by Paul Ian Cross PhD
Join me in welcoming Paul Ian Cross PhD to Novel Kicks. He’s here with the blog tour for his book, Bodies, Brains & Bogies.
This fantastic title from Paul Ian Cross, the writer of How to Vanquish a Virus, takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of everything that’s disgusting, unusual and amazing about the human body. Find out everything about poo, pus and bogies, while learning a whole lot about how our bodies work hard in hundreds of fascinating ways to keep us alive.
With tons of hilarious and informative illustrations, it includes lashings of Paul Ian Cross’s trademark laugh-out-loud humour, in-depth knowledge and infectious optimism. It’s the perfect funny, accessible way to discover everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the human body, but were too grossed-out to ask!
*****
Paul Ian Cross PhD has shared an extract today. Enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
The human body is amazing – a machine that’s been perfected through trial and error.
Take a look at your hand.
Go on! Hold it out in front of you.
Now, wiggle the fingers! Did you know that you’re looking at the outcome of millions of years of evolution!
Whether you’re texting, gaming, or doodling, your hand is what equips you for modern life. The evolution of our THUMBS – yes, those stumps with only two bones – are the reason why modern humans evolved to write music, build cities, fly planes and even travel to the moon.
Your thumbs LITERALLY CHANGED THE WORLD.
by A Moment With…Brendan James
I am pleased to be welcoming Brendan James to Novel Kicks. He’s here with the blog tour for his novel, Gerard Philey’s Euro-Diary: Quest for a Life.
‘Could there be a world of interest and adventure beyond the Midlands? A world of confidence, sex and excitement? A better life – a better me?’ These are the questions Gerard Philey grapples with over New Year, 1995.
Sitting in his rented Black Country room, reflecting on his thankless teaching job and miserable love life, he courageously decides to abandon his humdrum existence and embark on a quest for Euro-fulfilment, fun and fitness on the Continent.
After a shaky start in Brussels, events manoeuvre him to Amsterdam where chance encounters shift his world well and truly into fifth gear. He samples the trials and tribulations of new relationships, alongside managing a sex shop in the city’s Red Light Area – on top of the challenges of fat-free living and international travel!
Through his bittersweet diary, we see how Gerard steers a laugh-out-loud course through farcical episodes and fanciful characters…and how entanglements from past and present draw him unwittingly into a criminal underworld where events ultimately take their toll.
*****
To talk about why he decided to write Gerard Philey’s Euro-Diary: Quest for a Life in a diary format, it’s over to Brendan.
Several people have asked me why I chose the diary format for the novel. The truth is that I’ve always been fascinated by diaries, both real and fictional.
I fell in love with Sue Townsend’s Adrian Mole diaries in my youth, and have re-read these many times since.
I was also always fascinated by the real life diaries of people as diverse as Kenneth Williams, Jo Orton and Alan Bennett, to name but a few. What is it about diaries that I find so interesting? I supposed it’s partly the confessional element.
People record their innermost thoughts and feelings as a way to make sense of what’s happening in their lives, and often do this in a way that is frank, deeply personal and sometimes agonising. And of course, sometimes hilarious to outsiders! Although most diarists keep a journal for their own private purposes, I think some also have a sense of displaying what they divulge to an imaginary audience, and almost revel in what could be seen as a form of exhibitionism – so there’s a strange and slightly contradictory tension between the private and the public, and this dual aspect of diaries I find compelling.
by Book Extract: Hidden in the Mists by Christina Courtenay
I am pleased to be welcoming Christina Courtenay to Novel Kicks today. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Hidden In The Mists.
A love forged in fire lives on through the ages.
She stared at the man again. Was he real? Her mind returned to the ghostly figure by the shore and to her strange dream. No, he was not a figment of her imagination.
Skye Logan has been struggling to run her remote farm on Scotland’s west coast alone ever since her marriage fell apart. When a handsome stranger turns up looking for work, it seems that her wish for help has been granted.
Rafe Carlisle is searching for peace and somewhere he can forget about the last few years. But echoes of the distant past won’t leave Skye and Rafe alone, and they begin to experience vivid dreams which appear to be linked to the Viking jewellery they each wear.
It seems that the ghosts of the past have secrets . . . and they have something that they want Skye and Rafe to know.
*****
Christina has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
Skye Logan gripped her mug of tea tightly with both hands, trying to draw the warmth into her very bones, but it wasn’t working. She stared out towards the island of Jura, which could be glimpsed in the distance across the sea, a beautiful sight she’d never tire of looking at. The water between there and the mainland was calm today, below a layer of morning mist that also swathed most of the island. It crept up towards the cottage, its soft swirls stirring restlessly on an unseen breeze. Indoors, here in her cosy kitchen, she was safe and warm, but the chill was lodged deep inside her and not even the wood-burning Rayburn could thaw her out. She was starting to wonder if anything ever would.
It was barely light, but she’d been unable to sleep. She had always been an early riser, yet waking up pre-dawn was taking things a step too far. No point tossing and turning, though, not when she had so many chores always waiting for her attention. If she could just force down a bowl of porridge, she could get a head start.
She was about to turn away from the window when something caught her eye. A shadow came gliding into the little bay that belonged to her property, a rowing boat of some sort, although she couldn’t quite make it out. A shiver of unease slithered down her spine, making the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end.
‘Who on earth . . . ?’
by A Moment With… Liz Taylorson (and Harry Brand.)
I am very happy to be welcoming Liz Taylorson to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Summer Showers at Elder Fell Farm.
A simple holiday just got complicated …
Single mum Amy has been struggling since her mother’s death and now her son, Harry, has been accused of bullying schoolmate Oliver — giving Amy’s dictatorial ex-husband yet another reason to criticise her parenting.
All Amy wants is the chance to spend time with her son. Where better to escape all her troubles than camping at the remote but beautiful Lake District farm where she spent idyllic summers with her mother when she was a little girl?
Her tranquil escape seems doomed when Oliver, and his widowed dad, Matt, turn up on the neighbouring pitch — but at Elder Fell Farm, unlikely friendships can be forged. Are Matt and Amy ready to fall in love again? And will their boys bring them together – or drive them apart?
*****
To celebrate the release of Summer Showers at Elder Fell Farm, Harry, the heroine’s son, having been asked to write a book review for school, has written about this novel. Over to you, Harry.
My Book Review of ‘Summer Showers at Elder Fell Farm’
By Harry Brand, aged 8 and 2 months.
I chose this book to write about because Summer Showers at Elder Fell Farm is all about me and my best friend, Oliver and what happened when we went on our summer holidays. Okay, it’s a bit about my mam, Amy, and Ollie’s dad, Matt, because they were there too, but all they did was, like, snogging and stuff which is gross, so mainly I’m going to write about the other things in the book.
My favourite character in the book is Harry, aka me! He does lots of cool stuff in the book, he finds a den and plays in the beck quite a lot with his best friend Oliver, but he isn’t allowed to go skinny dipping, which is the same thing as swimming in the nuddy, which means with NO CLOTHES ON. But Mam wouldn’t let me … I mean, him. The boys also make up an awesome game called ‘bonky, bonky’ and an air bed got burst, but it definitely wasn’t Harry that burst it, honestly.
by A Moment With… Carla Luna
I am very pleased to be welcoming Carla Luna to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Field Rules.
What happens in the field, stays in the field. Or does it?
After the disastrous way her first archaeological dig ended, graduate student Olivia Sanchez abandoned her dreams of working in the field. Now, thanks to a last-minute teaching opportunity in Cyprus, she’ll get another chance to explore ancient history firsthand. This time, failure isn’t an option.
But digging up the past takes on a whole new meaning when she’s forced to team up with her ex, shovel bum Rick Langston.
For years, Rick has proven his archaeological skills all over the Mediterranean. But with no graduate degree—and a habit of attracting trouble—his reputation could use a little rehab. All he has to do is play by the rules while he’s in Cyprus and he’ll secure a coveted recommendation for his next job. Until Olivia resurfaces like a cursed relic from the past.
Given that their last fling nearly led to their academic ruin, Olivia and Rick can’t afford to repeat their past mistakes. But as they work together under the scorching Mediterranean sun, the heat between them proves impossible to ignore.
*****
To talk about the story behind her novel, Field Rules, it’s over to Carla Luna…
Of all the books I’ve written, Field Rules might be the one closest to my heart. That’s because many of the adventures and mishaps experienced by Olivia Sanchez—the protagonist of Field Rules—actually happened to me.
By the time I was in my second year at the University of Victoria (in Canada), I’d already decided I wanted to be an archaeologist. For years, I’d been fascinated with ancient history, particularly the Greeks and the Egyptians. Though I’d already been on one dig, it had been close to home, at a site in Southern California. For my next project, I wanted something outside of my comfort zone. After my parents generously offered to pay for my plane fare, I signed up for a six-week archaeological field school on the island of Cyprus, located in the Eastern Mediterranean.
by Book Review: The Little Theatre on Halfpenny Lane by Clodagh Murphy
It is my pleasure to welcome Clodagh Murphy to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, The Little Theatre on Halfpenny Lane.
Aoife and her sisters know exactly what to do when they inherit their Great-aunt Detta’s theatre on Halfpenny Lane:
- Restore the dilapidated building to its former glory.
- Perform together on its stage to packed houses and rapturous applause.
- Live happily ever after.
But they didn’t count on Detta leaving a share in the theatre to her godson, Jonathan. Now they’ll have to persuade him to buy into their vision of stardust and magic – or find the money to buy him out.
As they fight to save the theatre, Aoife also battles her growing feelings for Jonathan. Because she can’t let herself fall for the man who’s about to bring the curtain down on their dreams.
*****
Aoife, Mimi and Sive have always had the impression that they’d inherit their Great-Aunt Detta’s theatre on Halfpenny Lane. However, they had not counted on Jonathan, Detta’s Godson inheriting a share.
Now, in order to save their beloved theatre and restore it to its former glory, they either have to convince Jonathan to remain a willing investor or buy him out.
Can they save their theatre or will they lose their dream?
This book was my introduction to Clodagh Murphy and I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for the Little Theatre on Halfpenny Lane.
I read this novel in one sitting. I couldn’t stop reading. I instantly fell in love with these characters and the setting. I could picture The Halfpenny Theatre and the charm it holds. I could see the stage, the rows of chairs and the overall atmosphere. I wanted it saved.
The plot moves well and Clodagh Murphy’s writing style makes it easy to fall into this novel and get invested in the story. Will they or won’t they save the theatre?
by Book Review: The Split by Amanda Brookfield
I am pleased to be welcoming Amanda Brookfield to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, The Split.
Two decades on from a passionate courtship and marriage, Lucas and Esther are getting divorced.
For Esther, it’s proving hard not to feel bitter watching Lucas enjoying his successful career, not to mention the attentions of his gorgeous, intelligent, and predictably younger lover. She meanwhile is struggling to forge a new life for herself, navigating the pitfalls of modern dating, while trying not to despair at the cost of living as a single woman of a certain age.
Then Lucas faces a shattering accusation at the same time as their children Dylan and Lily, start to implode. When Dylan runs away, and as his father fights to save his reputation, Lucas and Esther find themselves back in each other’s lives, whether they like it or not.
Has too much water passed under the bridge, or will long-forgotten loyalties and feelings bring the family back together, just when they need each other the most?
*****
After a twenty year marriage, Esther and Lucas are divorced. They, and the two children they share, now have to adjust to the new normal.
Esther is finding it difficult to witness her ex-husband’s new life. With a great job and a fiancée, he’s flying high. She knows that she has to find her new place in the world.
However, when Lucas’s life is derailed and their son, Dylan runs away, Lucas and Esther have to communicate, whether they want to or not.
Having previously not read any of Amanda Brookfield’s previous books, I didn’t know what type of novel this was going to be.
The Spilt is a slow burner and it did take me a while to get into it. To begin with, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I was very pleased I persevered. What I found was that this was a very interesting and detailed look into relationships between ordinary people. There are many twists and turns. Sometimes I loved the characters, other times I disliked their behaviour but as I progressed through the book, I became invested in them. Oh, and I want to adopt the cat.
by Book Review: The Highland Hens by Judy Leigh
I am very excited to be welcoming Judy Leigh back to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, The Highland Hens.
In the imposing Glen Carrick House overlooking Scotland’s famous Loch Ness, lives eighty-eight-year-old Mimi McKinlay, cared for by her three adult sons. Hamish has inherited his mother’s musical talents, Fin is the responsible brother, and Angus has the complicated and brooding personality to match his dashing good looks.
But what all the brothers share is a concern that their beloved mother is living in her memories of her days on stage, while letting her present days pass her by.
Jess Oliver is at a turning point. Amicably divorced after years of being married, this trip to the Highlands is a first taste of independence. It isn’t long before the beauty and hospitality of Scotland captures her heart.
When Mimi and Jess’s paths cross, a friendship is formed that will change both women’s lives. And as together they find ways to look forward instead of to the past, long forgotten dreams are within reach, and every new day is fresh with possibilities.
Take a trip to the Highlands with Judy Leigh for an unforgettable story of glorious pasts and fabulous futures, of love, friendship, family and fun.
*****
Jess has come to Scotland for a holiday and has instantly fallen in love. When circumstances mean she can’t immediately return to her home, she replies to an ad for a companion to an elderly lady. She has a few months before she can return home. Why not?
It’s here she meets Mimi. As the women become close, Jess starts to see life in a new way and when she meets Mimi’s three sons, maybe love won’t be too far behind?
I am a big fan of Judy Leigh’s novels having previously read and enjoyed A Year of Mr Maybes and Lil’s Bus trip. Therefore, I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for her latest novel, The Highland Hens.
I visited Scotland a few times as a child (I’d really love to go back,) so I adored the setting for this novel. I could picture myself standing at Mimi’s window looking out at the beautiful scenery of Loch Ness.
It’s not hard to fall in love with the ladies in this novel.
by Book Review: The Lodger by Valerie Keogh
I am pleased to be welcoming Valerie Keogh to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, The Lodger.
She’s in your home…
Leigh Simons can’t say for sure what made her do it. A moment of madness, perhaps, but when the young, loud and gorgeous waitress at her favorite coffee shop reveals she is homeless, Leigh offers her the empty room in her house.
In your head…
Gina is the perfect lodger; Leigh, lonely and frustrated with her life, becomes infatuated with the woman – her boldness, her zeal. If only Leigh could be more like Gina…
And missing without trace.
So when Leigh returns from a work trip she’s shocked to find Gina missing. Where could the young woman have gone…and why?
Leigh fears that something terrible has happened – why else would Gina leave her?
But as she sets out to find her missing lodger, what Leigh discovers changes everything she knows about Gina….and her own life, too.
*****
When Leigh discovers that a waitress in her favourite coffee shop is becoming homeless, she offers up her spare room, a decision she instantly regrets.
However, when Leigh gets back from a week away, Gina has gone. Vanished without a trace.
This was my introduction to Valerie Keogh’s novels and the idea for this book really intrigued me so I was excited to get started.
It’s going to be quite hard to talk about this book without giving away spoilers but I’m going to try. Here goes…
Leigh is an interesting character. I got the feeling that she held a lot of herself back, being the person her boyfriend, Matt wanted her to be.
She is a lot braver than she thinks, especially when she eventually decides to speak up against a well liked male colleague. She is someone to admire in that respect.
by Book Review: Such a Good Mother by Helen Monks Takhar
Some things are too perfect to be true…
Rose O’Connell aspires to be the perfect mother.
And when she receives an unexpected invitation into The Circle, an elite clique of beautiful, wealthy and connected mums at her son’s exclusive school, it seems her dreams are about to come true. Every mother would kill for an invitation, and once she joins, Rose’s social status soars.
But what is each woman hiding beneath her immaculate exterior?
Why did a previous member take their own life?
And why have they singled out unassuming Rose to take her place?
Rose is about to find out that darkness lies at the heart of The Circle. And it’s far too late to run…
*****
Rose is determined to be the perfect mother for her son, Charlie.
When she gets invited into the Circle, the exclusive clique at her son’s new school, it seems like she is on her way. However, nothing is as it seems.
I had not read Helen’s previous novel, That Woman, so I didn’t fully know what to expect.
I pretty much devoured this novel, reading it in one sitting. You are immediately thrown into the action and mystery surrounding The Woolf School and the women running it.
Rose is certainly a character you have a lot of sympathy for when you first meet her. She is wanting to do what is best for her son, not having had the best childhood herself. I think a lot of people will relate to that. Having said that, not all of her behaviour is great. I did occasionally loose empathy with her. She’s a complicated and complex character.
by Book Review: The Other Girlfriend by Alex Stone
I am pleased to be welcoming Alex Stone to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, The Other Girlfriend.
She loves him…
Lizzie Green once loved Tom Murphy with a passion that bordered on obsession. All she wanted was his love to be returned. Then one night something terrible happened and Tom left Lizzie broken hearted. She swore she would never let him hurt her again….
She loves him not.
Now, ten years later, Tom turns up on Lizzie’s doorstep still as charming as ever. Lizzie knows he still has the power to break her heart and destroy her life again. But Lizzie can’t say no to him….
Can she?
*****
Lizzie had always loved Tom to the point where he became an obsession, but when a weekend away ends in tragedy, Tom disappears from her life, leaving her to deal with what’s broken.
It’s ten years later and he’s back. Is this their chance to be together? Does Tom really mean it when he says he loves her? She’s determined to believe him.
I was a big fan of Alex Stone’s last novel, The Perfect Daughter, so I couldn’t wait to start reading this novel.
I love the fact that it’s set in Bournemouth. I know that town and so I could picture all the places mentioned. The atmosphere and setting is described so well. I could see every scene. I would love this to be adapted into a tv series.
From page one, I was well and truly hooked and I read it in one day. I needed to know what happened and what would become of Lizzie.
by Book Review: So Happy For You by Celia Laskey
Robin and Ellie have been best friends since childhood.
They’ve been through everything together, from Robin coming out to the death of Ellie’s dad. But when Ellie asks Robin to be her maid of honour, Robin is reluctant.
It’s not that Robin isn’t happy for Ellie, she just hates everything about weddings and marriage – plus the guy Ellie’s engaged to. There’s also the matter of the crazy (not to mention dangerous) wedding rituals that couples are resorting to in the hope of securing a lifetime of happiness.
Despite her misgivings, Robin finally says yes. But as the wedding day approaches, she gets the feeling that everyone in the bridal party is out to get her. And it seems Ellie is willing to do anything for the perfect day. After all, marriage is about sacrifice…
*****
Robin and Ellie have been friends since school. However, in a world where there is an increasing pressure to get married, Robin is relucent when Ellie asks her to be maid of honour.
As the day approaches, Robin can’t help but feel paranoid. After all, Ellie will do anything for a perfect day.
They say this book is a cross between Black Mirror and Bridesmaids and they weren’t wrong. It’s completely bonkers, in a good way.
So Happy For You is set in the future where the government encourages marriage, even offering tax breaks to married couples. This is due to the birth rate falling. There’s now lots of apps and websites and brides are trying all sorts of rituals to bring good luck.
This brought a feeling of dystopia to the novel. Very Handmaids Tale/Black Mirror.
by Book Review: Rough Diamonds by Gillian Godden
We are pleased to be welcoming Gillian Godden to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her latest novel, Rough Diamonds.
Flawed, tough, unbreakable….
In the aftermath of her husband’s shocking murder, Patsy Diamond wants answers. Who was Nick really? Where is all his money? And who killed the man she once loved? Patsy knows exactly who to go to first – Nick’s pregnant mistress, Natasha.
Natasha might seem young and innocent, but Patsy’s certain the girl is hiding something. And the only way to find out what is to keep Natasha close and make her part of the Diamond family.
With the two women forming an unlikely bond, they begin to dig deeper into Nick’s secret life and discover things that shock…and terrify them.
Because Nick Diamond played a deadly game and if the women in his life want payback, then they are going to have to follow his rules – or break them and make their own.
But the strongest diamonds are created under pressure and these women are no exception…
*****
Patsy always knew that there was a side to her husband she didn’t know. When he’s murdered and his associates start to close in, she finds herself teaming up with the most unlikely of people.. her husband’s mistress.
There is action right from page one and it didn’t take me long to get pulled into the story.
It’s mostly made up of female characters which was a great perspective to have, especially when a lot of books in this genre focus on the men.
Patsy is a strong character but she soon finds herself out of her depth. It was interesting to see how she dealt with situations especially when you factor in children.
by Book Review: The Lottery by Peter Venison
If you found an unsigned lottery ticket, what would you do if it turned out to be worth millions? Hand it in or claim the prize?
Follow the twisting path of Maggie and Greg when faced with this dilemma.
Who are the winners and who are the real losers? What is the price of honesty and does winning bring happiness?
Can you do more good in the world if you are rich or poor? Find out in this intriguing tale of an ordinary family.
*****
Maggie and Greg are an ordinary couple living an ordinary life. They love each other and their children. However, when they find a ‘lost’ but valid lottery ticket, they are surprised to see that it wins them over £490 million, an amount that will change their lives forever, in ways they could never imagine.
It was so lovely to be invited onto the Clink Street Publishing Summer Tour and to be reviewing The Lottery by Peter Venison.
The premise of this novel intrigued me as I, like many others, have thought about what I would do if a won a big prize on the lottery.
I have to admit, it took me a few pages to get into this novel but, as it progressed, I found I got more and more invested in their story as they try to navigate life as millionaires. I can only imagine how it would feel to have that much money suddenly thrust into your life.
It was interesting to see how the money affected Greg and Maggie’s relationship especially when it came to the different plans on how to spend it. Greg takes the business approach – using the money to create more money and in the process, becomes a little mean and then a little lost. It certainly doesn’t make him happy as he continuously has to battle the issues that come with the decisions he makes on the back of the win.
by Book Review: The Waitress by Nina Manning
I’m pleased to be welcoming Nina Manning back to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her latest novel, The Waitress
Nameless. Faceless. Deadly?
Waitress Kit Lowman knows that people look down on her and the job she does. But being anonymous offers Kit safety and security and allows her own terrible secrets to remain hidden.
And then Kit’s luck changes, and she suddenly faces a terrible dilemma: reveal her true identity and accept that life will never be the same. Or stay in the shadows…where she hopes she’ll be safe?
But secrets can’t stay hidden forever. And the more Kit tries to hide away, the more someone makes it clear that they are going to make her pay for what she did.
*****
Kit is aware that people look down on her for being a waitress. However, for Kit, it’s a job she’s good at. It means she can stay anonymous and allows her to keep her secrets.
She wins a house but is worried that it will expose what she did. The more she hides, the more someone is going to make her pay. Nothing is what it seems.
I’d previously read Queen Bee and loved it so I was looking forward to reading the new book by Nina Manning.
Kit is obviously running from something and from page one, I was immediately pulled into her journey and could feel the tension starting to build.
by Book Review: A Wedding at Sandy Cove by Bella Osborne
A big huge welcome back to Bella Osborne. She’s here with the blog tour for her latest novel, A Wedding At Sandy Cove.
Escape to Sandy Cove, where the scent of summer and the sound of wedding bells are in the air!
Ella makes brides’ dreams come true – there’s no dress she can’t make perfect with her sewing skills and some sparkle. But Ella’s own love life is no fairy tale. Recently dumped, surrounded by fussy brides and with the prospect of wearing a hideous brown bridesmaids dress to her friend’s wedding, Ella feels more alone than ever so agrees to go on a blind date.
A mix up on the night introduces her to Kit.
Kit is definitely not the man she was supposed to meet, but he could end up changing her life in ways she never thought possible…
A perfectly funny, feel-good summer romance that will whisk you away to sandy beaches and a seaside wedding. Fans of Cathy Bramley, Katie Fforde and Milly Johnson will adore Bella Osborne.
*****
Working at a wedding dress shop, Ella is used to seeing other brides get their happily ever after. Her own life is totally different.
Dumped by her boyfriend and with her best friend’s wedding coming up, Ella lets herself get set up on a blind date. When she’s stood up, she bumps into Kit who is about to change her life forever.
I am always so excited when there is a new novel by Bella Osborne and I was pleased to be invited onto the blog tour for A Wedding at Sandy Cove.
First of all, the cover for this novel is so beautiful. You immediately feel the romance before you’ve even started the book.
I was immediately pulled into Ella’s story. She’s a sweet character and it was nice to see that this doesn’t change even when she begins to stick up for herself. She doesn’t lose her ability to see the good in people and I loved that.
Kit is a great example of someone who steps up when he needs to particularly when it comes to his family.
by Book Extract: Just One Day – Summer by Susan Buchanan
Welcome to Susan Buchanan and the blog tour for her novel, Just One Day – Summer.
List-juggling, business-owner mum-of-three Louisa is reeling after a tragedy, as well as learning how to cope after a life-changing revelation. With oil worker husband Ronnie possibly being able to move onshore, she hopes he can help her manage the burden.
But the secrets she keeps are causing her headaches and she’s unsure if her ability to make good decisions has deserted her. All she seems to do is upset those around her.
With Louisa’s to-do list gathering pace at an incredible speed, will she manage to provide a stable home for them all, embrace her new normal as well as rebuild their life from what’s left?
And if she gets what she has always wanted, will it match up to her expectations?
Susan has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Louisa is furious because Nicky’s ex is trying to keep her from seeing her son whilst she’s in hospital, and she’s not taking it lying down…
‘That’s where you’re wrong, Sebastian. You’re not going to keep Xander from Nicky, and that’s the end of it. Otherwise, I swear to God, I’ll personally see to it that she takes you to court. You were missing from his life for so many years when she had to bring Xander up on her own, whilst you–’ I indicate Brittany ‘–cavorted around behind her back.’
I pause to stop myself losing it with him. ‘Now, you may be making a better job of fatherhood this time around, and certainly I didn’t see you once change Xander’s nappy, but that doesn’t give you the right to give Nicky shit for meeting and moving in with someone else.’
He goes to interrupt, but I hold up a hand. ‘Let’s face it, you were beyond awful to Nicky, and I hope for Brittany’s sake, and your daughter’s, that the leopard really has changed his spots, but you have no right to try to stop Nicky from seeing Xander, or indeed be pissed off at her moving in with Valentin. No right. Do you understand?’
He stares at me, but I clock him keeping an eye on Ronnie out of the corner of his eye.
by Book Extract: Caper Crush by Kathy Strobos
I am delighted to be welcoming Kathy Strobos to Novel Kicks today. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Caper Crush.
A feel-good, opposites-attract, slow burn romantic comedy
Somebody stole my painting! The one I need for the career-defining Vertex Art Exhibit. This upcoming art show is my chance to finally be recognized as an artist—after ten years of waitressing and being asked if I still have that “lovely painting hobby.”
I have mere weeks to find my painting or lose my artist dream forever—but it’s going to mean working with William.
William Haruki Matsumura. Good-looking, if you like the Secret Service type. You know, law-abiding, protector of women and children. That’s all fine, but I can never tell what he’s thinking. Which drives me crazy.
He insists on coming along to do “damage control.” As if “accidentally” wandering into certain areas is “breaking and entering.” I may be an emotional artist, but William shouldn’t dismiss my investigative skills yet.
William is definitely my opposite, and, if there’s one takeaway from my parents’ divorce, it’s that opposites might attract, but it doesn’t last. But detecting with William is kind of fun—and fluttery. I definitely can’t trust these feelings, or can I? However this caper ends, I think this may be more than a crush.
Kathy has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
In this excerpt, Miranda is eavesdropping on a conversation between two potential suspects (Edmund and Vinnie). She suspects that one of them stole the paintings. She is outside in the garden, crouched down, listening under an open window. William has left to park the car somewhere else:
My foot tickles. I look down. And shriek. Some huge, slimy, sluglike thing is crawling on my foot. I jump up and shake my foot.
Shit.
I dash around the side of the house—only to bump straight into a hard chest.
William. His hands reach out to steady me, and then he pulls me closer to him.
“What happened?”
“Slug on my foot.”
“I know I heard something.” Vinnie’s voice. Crunch. They are outside. They must be on the footpath leading to the house.
William flattens me against the wall behind a pine tree that’s close enough to the house to hide us. His chest is against mine.
by Book Review: Anything Could Happen by Lucy Diamond
I am pleased to be welcoming Lucy Diamond to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Anything Could Happen which has been released in paperback.
Your big secret is out. What next?
For Lara and her daughter Eliza, it has always been just the two of them. But when Eliza turns eighteen and wants to connect with her father, Lara is forced to admit a secret that she has been keeping from her daughter her whole life.
Eliza needs answers – and so does Lara. Their journey to the truth will take them on a road trip across England and eventually to New York, where it all began. Dreams might have been broken and opportunities missed, but there are still surprises in store…
*****
I loved the title and the premise for this novel so I was excited when I got invited onto the blog tour for Anything Could Happen.
Lara and Ben share a memorable night in New York and have dreams of a potential life together. However, life intervenes, and they don’t see each other until nineteen years later when their daughter, Eliza, tracks Ben down to inform him that he is her father.
For Ben, it’s a big shock, not to mention having to tell his wife, Kirsten who doesn’t take it very well.
Told from the point of view of Lara, Ben, Eliza and Kirsten, this book explores the impact of finding out that you have a child and how that affects your life. It also shines a spotlight on a marriage that was already only hanging on by a thread.
I loved Lara. She’s feisty and, even though she needs a little reminder to not be so scared, she knows herself. Eliza is like her mother – a strong female character. She is trying to find out who she is and discover what she wants from life and right now, she wants to get to meet the dad she never met.
by Book Review: Lucky Jack (1894-2000): Memoirs of a World War 1 POW by S. Bavey
We are so pleased to be welcoming S. Bavey to Novel Kicks today. She’s here with the blog tour for her book, Lucky Jack (1894 – 2000)
“One of the perils of being a sniper during the First World War was the likelihood of a grenade going off right next to you and burying you alive”.
Meet Jack Rogers. Born in 1894, he once locked eyes with Queen Victoria and was one of the first travellers on London’s ‘Tube’. An early car owner, he had many escapades on his days out to Brighton, including a time when his brakes failed and he had to drive through central London without them!
His skills as an entertainer earned him popularity throughout his life, and kept him out of the deadly mines while a prisoner during the First World War. At the tender age of 103 Jack earned the title of ‘The World’s Oldest Columnist’ as he began dictating his life’s exploits to a reporter from the local newspaper.
*****
I have to admit, memoir type books are not always something I will immediately pick to read but there was something about Jack’s story that drew me to it.
The book, written by Jack’s Granddaughter, is presented in a first person narrative, from Jack’s point of view, as though he were writing a diary. This felt as though I was going through his life with him and boy, what a life.
Born in the 1800’s, Jack lived through two world wars, fought in the first. becoming a POW, saw many prime ministers, witnessed many technological and medical advances, lived in three centuries, locked eyes with Queen Victoria and was amongst the first people to ride the Tube. His stories and anecdotes throughout were fascinating.
by Book Review: The Heart Warrior’s Mother by Marilyn Cohen de Villiers
I am pleased to be welcoming Marilyn Cohen de Villiers to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her book, The Heart Warrior’s Mother.
Kerry-Anne Aarons is over the moon. She and her husband, Imran Patel, are about to become the parents of a baby daughter, and give their son, Leo, an adored little sister. It wasn’t planned, but Kerry knows that Lily’s arrival will complete the perfect little family she has always wanted. She, Imran and their two children are going to live happily ever after…
Then life intervenes.
Lily is born with a serious congenital heart defect and Kerry’s battle to save her daughter commences. It’s a battle that takes her from the operating theatres and Intensive Care Units of local hospitals to the High Court of South Africa. It’s a battle that strains her relationships with her friends, her parents, and – ultimately – her husband. It’s a battle she is determined to win.
But how much will Kerry have to sacrifice to give Lily the future she deserves?
“A true, cross-generational story of the eternal link between love and pain… the greater the love, the more inevitable the pain. Marilyn Cohen de Villiers once again – with amazing skill – depicts the common humanity that transcends differing cultures.”
James Mitchell – former Book Editor, The Star, Johannesburg
A percentage of the proceeds of this novel will be donated to the Children’s Cardiac Foundation of Africa, an organisation that funds lifesaving heart surgery for children across the continent.
*****
This was not an easy book to read. It took me through a large rollercoaster of emotions and, I feel that, if you’ve lost a child, whether it be to miscarriage or illness post birth, be prepared as this novel deals with some very difficult issues.
It however does this with extreme sensitivity and knowledge. There was a feeling that the author had really researched her subject matter and this adds a lot to the novel. To also know that this was based on a true story makes it all the more heart breaking.
From the beginning, you really do feel for Kerry and Imran – to have to see a child going through so much from birth. I turned every page hoping that things would turn around – that everything will be ok.
by Book Extract: Twelve Nights by Penny Ingham
I am pleased to be welcoming Penny Ingham to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Twelve Nights.
The Theatre
London, 1592
When a player is murdered, suspicion falls on the wardrobe mistress, Magdalen Bisset, because everyone knows poison is a woman’s weapon. The scandal-pamphlets vilify her. The coroner is convinced of her guilt.
Magdalen is innocent, although few are willing to help her prove it. Her much-loved grandmother is too old and sick. Will Shakespeare is benignly detached, and her friend Christopher Marlowe is wholly unreliable. Only one man offers his assistance, but dare she trust him when nothing about him rings true?
With just two weeks until the inquest, Magdalen ignores anonymous threats to ‘leave it be’, and delves into the dangerous underworld of a city seething with religious and racial tension. As time runs out, she must risk everything in her search for the true killer – for all other roads lead to the gallows.
Penny has shared an extract from Twelve Nights with us today. Enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
Thank you so much to Laura at Novel Kicks for letting me share my latest novel with her readers.
Twelve Nights is set in 1592, in the wild and glamourous heart of Elizabethan theatreland. When a player is murdered, suspicion falls on the wardrobe mistress, Magdalen Bisset, because everyone knows poison is a woman’s weapon.
Magdalen is innocent, although few are willing to help her prove it. Her much-loved grandmother is too old and sick. Will Shakespeare is benignly detached, and her friend Christopher Marlowe is wholly unreliable. Only one man offers his assistance – she is drawn to handsome Matthew Hilliard, but dare she trust him when nothing about him rings true?
With just two weeks until the inquest, Magdalen ignores anonymous threats to ‘leave it be’, and delves into the dangerous underworld of a city seething with religious and racial tension. As time runs out, she must risk everything in her search for the true killer – for all other roads lead to the gallows.
Here’s a sneak preview of the first few pages:
“John Wood looked very ill. A rivulet of sweat ran through his face paint, and his hand trembled as he straightened his long blond wig. Magdalen would have liked to ask what ailed him, but her lips were clamped around half a dozen tiny dressmaking pins. She shook her head, a silent plea for him to be still whilst she attached the sleeves to his gown.
A cacophony of frantic voices vied for her attention:
‘Where are my yellow stockings?’
‘Help me fasten my laces!’
‘I can’t find the cushions for Orsino’s palace!’
by Book Extract: Ember by Catherine Yardley
Welcome to Catherine Yardley. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Ember.
A family torn apart by their father’s infidelity are forced to confront the past thirty years later. As Natalie’s younger sister, Amanda, prepares for marriage and impending motherhood, her plea for the family to reunite uncovers pent-up tension and animosity. Can they forget the past and become a family again?
Natalie’s life begins to unravel as their father starts to creep back into their lives and family tensions resurface, affecting her relationship with her boyfriend, Rob. Will the couple find their way back to each other, and can a family that has been torn apart ever heal their wounds?
Can you ever walk away from someone you love, or do some fires never die out?
Catherine has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy!
(Warning: Language.)
*****beginning of extract*****
Ember is a dual timeline novel about childhood trauma and how we carry it around with us. Natalie had a terrible childhood being a parent to her younger siblings. Her father broke up the family on Christmas day after an affair. It’s thirty years later and her younger sister is getting married and gets pregnant before her. Their father wants back into their lives. But every sibling remembers their childhood differently and Natalie is ganged up on by her siblings and father. She self destructs and leaves her loving boyfriend. Will she heal her wound and get her life back on track? Read Ember to find out.
That Moment
Rob
Watching Natalie drive off, leaving me on the side of the motorway, felt like an out-of-body experience. Had that really happened? Hell, what, had just happened? Looking around and almost expecting to wake up from a dream, it finally hits me and I snap.
‘That’s actually my fucking car!’
Out of all of the grand theft auto in history, this one has to be the most vicious. And original.
It feels like I have been walking along the motorway for days. Car headlights blind me. Everything is grey and dour. I keep going over every single detail about today. What could possibly have triggered such an extreme reaction? I cannot think of one thing I could have said to upset her. Never mind get dumped on the side of a motorway. We had not argued. The entire thing was such bullshit. It was just a pre-wedding get-together in the country. Partly to meet Neil’s family and partly to just have a get-together. Nothing happened. Nothing I can think of anyway.
by Book Review: The Billionaire Behind The Headlines by Rachael Stewart
I am pleased to be welcoming Rachael Stewart to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her novel, The Billionaire Behind the Headlines, released today by Mills and Boon True Love.
In Rachael Stewart’s latest Harlequin Romance, the second in her Claiming the Ferrington Empire duet, an invitation to Paris with a billionaire is on the cards, but only if Bree is brave enough to take it…
Can a playboy billionaire……capture her heart?
Bree has escaped the big city to heal her heart in a village bakery. But when notorious billionaire Theo walks through the door, emotionally guarded Bree discovers it’s not just her toffee pudding that’s hot and sweet! The man behind the headlines is charming but intriguingly cynical about love. Accepting his invitation to Paris could be a mistake—or the best decision she’s ever made…
*****
The Billionaire Behind The Headlines is the second novel in the Claiming the Ferrington Empire series. I have not read the first novel, Secrets Behind The Billionaire’s Return but that did not stop me from keeping up with what was going on.
Whilst the first in the series mostly focuses on Sebastian and Felicity, this novel has the former’s brother, Theo returning to the Yorkshire village of Elmdale.
His most recent breakup is not doing anything to help his playboy image but there is another reason for him returning to Yorkshire. He needs to make up his past failings toward his brother.
Bree, having escaped her London life three years previously is content to be working in her Aunt’s bakery. She was not counting on meeting sexy, charming Theo.
Having read very little Mills & Boon, to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this novel but I was very intrigued.
The chemistry between Bree and Theo is immediately evident and I loved the easy conversation that happened between the two of them. It slowly becomes obvious that Theo is more than the man the media portray him to be. As in real life, I think it’s easy to forget that these are real people being reported on, not just a concept without feelings and emotions and that what we read is not always a reliable snapshot.
by Book Extract: The Elephant Girl by Henriette Gyland
I am pleased to be welcoming Henriette Gyland to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her novel, The Elephant Girl.
I think I saw you …
It’s been twenty years, and Helen Stephens has come home to stay. And to get revenge on the person who murdered her mother. If only she knew who it was … But nothing is ever black or white, and when she rents a room in a house full of ex-offenders, the events of that fateful day blur even further, leading her to question her resolve and her memory.
Jason Moody, who runs the half-way house, has his own shame. When he uncovers her intent, he begins to suspect that someone close to him could be involved …
A coincidence? Or is there something else going on?
Henriette has shared an extract with us today so grab the tea, biscuits and pull up a comfy chair and enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
In this scene, after having returned from travelling for a number of years, Helen visits her grandmother, or more precisely, step-grandmother, who explains to her that now she’s twenty-five years old, she’s expected to sit on the board of the family business. Helen was never into the corporate life and is stunned. Even more so when she learns just how wealthy she now is.
*****
The door opened and Mrs Sanders reappeared. ‘Yes, Mrs Ransome?’
‘Oh, Sanders, now that my granddaughter has arrived would you be so kind and serve elevenses. We’ll have tea and some of that Victoria sponge cake with Fortnum’s strawberry preserve.’
‘But, Mrs Ransome, that’s far too rich for you.’
‘Nonsense, woman. When did a little cake hurt anyone? And I don’t see my granddaughter every day. The child has been to India. Heaven knows what they get to eat there.’
‘Egg and chips,’ Helen remarked.
Mrs Sanders left them again, muttering to herself.
‘Why aren’t you allowed cake?’ Helen asked though she knew the answer.
‘I’m diabetic and under strict orders not to eat anything nice.’ Aggie’s small eyes twinkled behind their folds of flesh. ‘And Mrs Sanders takes her job very seriously. Letitia engaged her.’
by Book Review: Love You From A-Z by Linda Corbett
It’s my pleasure to welcome Linda Corbett to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her novel, Love You From A-Z.
Experience has told Jenna Oakhurst that Happy Ever After may happen in all the best stories, but Happy For Now is the best one ought to expect in real life.
Yet lately even that isn’t quite enough, so when a strange set of circumstances leads her to discover a mysterious letter in an abandoned storage unit, she takes the chance to embark on a journey into the unknown…just like the heroines from the storybooks.
Reaching out to the letter’s author, Henry Somners, changes Jenna’s world irrevocably and she starts to realise that the magic she believed in as a child might not be such a fanciful notion after all…
*****
Jenna believes that happily ever after belongs only in stories. It’s not something she expects to happen in real life.
When her boyfriend buys an abandoned storage unit, she discovers an unopened letter which leads her to Henry. This meeting will change her life in more ways than one.
This book sounded intriguing so I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour and couldn’t wait to get started.
From the start it’s clear to see that Jenna is a serious person and the more you get to know her, you realise that her former life experiences have been a huge contributor to that. I loved her as a character and loved watching her develop.
by Book Review: Who Do You Think You Are Maggie Pink? by Janet Hoggarth
I am pleased to be welcoming back Janet Hoggarth to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, Who Do You Think You Are Maggie Pink
Maggie Pink is a lot of things to a lot of people, but does she know who she really is?
Maggie is a mother to a stroppy teenager, a wife to a befuddled husband, and a daughter to two very different women. She has always known she’s adopted, but has she ever understood what that means? Not really.
Following the death of her mother, Maggie finally feels able to go in search of her birth mother Morag, and heads to the Highlands of Scotland with her disgruntled daughter Roxie in tow, leaving her crumbling marriage to worry about another day.
The family reunion is bittersweet, but everything is blown wide open when Roxie unearths Morag’s explosive teenage diaries. Why did Morag give Maggie away? What really happened all those years ago, and how have the echoes of the past resounded through the generations, like ripples in a puddle?
And when all the secrets and promises are out in the open, will Maggie finally have an answer to the question – who do you think you are Maggie Pink?
*****
Maggie Pink is a wife to Adam and a mother to teenager, Roxie. Mother and daughter do not have the best relationship.
Maggie has also always known that she was adopted.
When her mother dies, Maggie feels that it’s time to go looking for her birth mother, Morag.
However, the secrets and revelations are only just beginning.
I have previously had the opportunity on this blog to share an extract from Janet’s novel, The Single Mums Move On, and so when I was invited onto the blog tour for her latest novel, Who Do You Think You Are Maggie Pink?, I jumped at the chance and couldn’t wait to get started.
I knew from the books description that this novel was going to be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and I wasn’t wrong.
I did like the multiple viewpoints as it gave a real overall picture of what all these women were going through and thinking.
Maggie was someone I could relate to, having lost my own mother in my 30’s. To start with, she’s a hard character to get to know. She’s a closed book but as the plot progressed, you begin to understand why.
Roxie is a typical teenager but, like with Maggie, empathy for her builds throughout the novel as you see things from her point of view.
The plot, in my opinion, moves well and the characters are well rounded. The supporting characters, Fiona, Issy and Angus especially are wonderful.
by Book Review: The Fire Killer by Ross Greenwood
A lovely big welcome back to Ross Greenwood and the blog tour for his novel, The Fire Killer.
When DI Barton is asked to investigate a seemingly innocuous fire that kills, he believes it’s either children fooling around or a worrying racially motivated crime.
As he delves deeper into the case, he soon realises that there is a history of similar blazes spread out over many years, all within a close area. And after an idea is suggested by pathologist Mortis, Barton suspects he has the arsonist’s motives wrong.
When a night worker comes forward with a tip, Barton narrows down the suspects. Yet all of them act suspiciously and he knows for sure that one or more of them are lying. And when a huge house blaze shocks everyone, Barton fears the killer has lost all control.
Who is The Fire Killer? What will be next to burn?
*****
DI Barton and his team are back!
A mysterious person is setting fires and it’s not long before arson turns into murder. Time is running out. Can they find The Fire Killer before they kill again?
Having previously read The Cold Killer, I was excited to start reading DI Barton’s latest case. If you haven’t read any of the previous novels, don’t worry. This can be read as a standalone although I do recommend them. They are so good! In fact, DI Barton and his team are now amongst my favourite fictional crime solvers. The Fire Killer is book five in the series. In case you wanted to pick up this series from the beginning, it starts off with The Snow Killer, then The Soul Killer, The Ice Killer and the Cold Killer.
Ross Greenwood immediately draws you into the action so I very quickly got pulled into the story, wanting to know what happens.
The tension and suspense builds very well and I was with these characters, invested in trying to find this killer.
by Book Review: Finding Love on Sunshine Island by Georgina Troy
A big welcome to Georgina Troy who is here with the blog tour for her new novel, Finding Love on Sunshine Island.
Welcome to the Sunshine Island – where the beaches are golden, the lifestyle is perfect and anything is possible.
Piper Le Brocq is happily single after the disastrous ending of her engagement eighteen months before. The only man in her life is Jax, her best friend and cousin, who spends his life teaching locals how to forage and taking tourists on boat trips around the island. Her days are filled with helping out at her mother’s guest house and selling her glass mosaics at The Cabbage Patch emporium in Trinity.
Piper loves living on the Sunshine Island, where the neighbours look out for each other and visitors are welcome. So, when handsome guest Alex Cooper arrives at the guest house to check up on his grandfather, she welcomes him to the sunny island. And when he needs help after his grandfather is injured, she’s quick to get involved.
Yet, the more she gets to know Alex the more mysterious he seems, and Alex isn’t the only one keeping secrets from her.
*****
After a horrible breakup, Piper is happily single, helping her mother at the family guest house on Jersey and creating glass mosaics for sale.
When Alex Cooper arrives to see his grandfather, she welcomes him and even helps him out when there’s an accident. However, is love about to catch her unawares?
I adore the fact that Piper refers to Jersey as the ‘sunshine island.’ I’ve never been there but this, as well as the vivid descriptions in the novel, meant that I could really imagine myself there, amongst these wonderfully well written characters.
It isn’t hard to like Piper. She’s had a lot happen but she has picked herself up and has created her own business. I wanted things to be OK for her.
Alex adds mystery to the story. He’s lovely and charming but he is holding something back. I was intrigued to know what.
by Blog Blitz Extract: A Hotel in Cornwall by Laura Briggs
I am very happy to be welcoming Laura Briggs to Novel Kicks today. She’s here to celebrate her anthology series, A Little Hotel in Cornwall.
Here’s the information for the series, A Hotel in Cornwall.
All eight novellas in the UK bestselling series A LITTLE HOTEL IN CORNWALL are now available in one collection!
Follow aspiring young author Maisie Clark as she stumbles into a role as a maid in the idyllic hotel by the sea, where there’s never a dull moment, from her quest to track down a reclusive English novelist, to her brush with jewel thieves and a whirlwind trip through Paris and London to name a few.
All the while, she finds herself falling for the handsome and enigmatic groundskeeper Sidney Daniels. Could the key to unlocking her dreams be right in front of her?
This collection contains A Little Hotel in Cornwall, A Spirited Girl on Cornish Shores, Sea Holly and Mistletoe Kisses, The Cornish Secret of Summer’s Promise, A Train from Penzance to Paris, A Cornish Daisy’s Kiss, A Stargazy NightSky, and The Cornish Key to Happiness.
We have an extract to share with you today so, without further ado, over to you, Laura.
*****
Thanks so much to Laura at Novel Kicks for letting me share with her readers about the books in my series anthology A Little Hotel in Cornwall (Books 1-8).
Set at a quirky seaside hotel with an ‘anything can happen’ atmosphere, the series follows the adventures of amateur novelist Maisie Clark, who stumbles into secrets, surprises, and romance while working as a chambermaid at the hotel.
The following extract is from the second book in the series, A Spirited Girl on Cornish Shores.
It finds the hotel hosting an earl’s elaborate (and eccentric) birthday celebration at All Hallows’ Eve, with a guest list that might be at home in an Agatha Christie mystery—including the supposed psychic whose spooky predictions have the other guests on edge.
*****beginning of extract*****
“I’m looking forward to seeing your power in practice, Miss Norridge,” said the sculptor Ofong to the psychic. “When did you discover you had the gift?”
“I’ve always known,” she answered. “It was just … with me.” She smiled.
She was seated closest to the earl, except for his assistant, who was helping cut the lamb chops into bite-size pieces. Next to her, the worried daughter, who was fussing about the food and the room’s drafts.
“You knew since childhood, I read somewhere,” said Kate the ghost hunter. “Did anyone besides you recognize it? Family, teacher, school counselor?”
“My mother,” said Natalie. “In truth, the gift belongs to my family. My mother shared it, and so did my grandmother. You could say that I come from a long line of spirit whisperers.”
by Book Review: Summer at the French Café by Sue Moorcroft
I am very pleased to be welcoming Sue Moorcroft back to Novel Kicks with the blog tour for her novel, Summer at the French Café.
Sparkling sun, strolls in the gorgeous French countryside, that first sip of cool, crisp wine – Summer is Kat’s favourite season. And this year should be no exception…
As soon as Kat Jenson set foot in the idyllic French village of Kirchhoffen, she knew she’d found her home. Now she has a dreamy boyfriend, a delightful dog and the perfect job managing a bustling book café in the vibrant Parc Lemmel.
But when she learns her boyfriend isn’t all he seems, it’s the start of a difficult summer for Kat. Vindictive troublemakers, work woes and family heartache follow, and the clear blue sky that was her life suddenly seems full of clouds.
Then she gets to know the mysterious Noah, and her sun begins to shine brighter than ever. But Noah has problems of his own – ones that could scupper their new-found happiness. Together, can they overcome their many obstacles, and find love again?
The perfect summer read for fans of Trisha Ashley, Sarah Morgan and Carole Matthews.
*****
A 5 Star average on Netgalley? Still, a 5 Star average on Netgalley!
I’ve literally just finished the new Sue Moorcroft novel, ‘Summer at the French Cafe’; and I didn’t want to, finish, that is.
This is Sue’s best book so far, IMHO, dealing as it does with the mental side of relationships, as it’s main theme. Does that sound as if this will be ‘heavy’ reading? You’d think so, wouldn’t you, only you’d be wrong.
The skill of this author shows all of the way through as she winds up the emotion to the exact right level, leaving you there for the perfect length of time in the story, before she artfully constructs the most satisfying narrative.
by Book Review: Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney
I am pleased to be welcoming Joya Goffney to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl.
Monique lives a perfect life as a preacher’s daughter, and girlfriend of the town’s golden boy. But its not that simple. She’s torn between her parents, who want her to remain their pure, virginal daughter, and her boyfriend, Dom, who wants to explore the more intimate side of their relationship.
Tired of waiting, Dom breaks up with Monique, spurring her to discover she has a medical condition that make her far from perfect. With the help of Sasha, an overly zealous church girl, and Reggie, the town’s bad boy, she concocts a plan to win Dom back. But along the way, she must face some home truths: maybe she shouldn’t be fixing her body to please a boy, maybe Sasha is the friend she needed all along and maybe Reggie isn’t so bad after all…
*****
Monique has the perfect life. She’s the Pastor’s daughter and is dating the town’s golden boy, Dom.
However, her life is more complex below the surface.
She’s torn between the promise she made to save herself for marriage and Dom’s wish that their relationship become more intimate.
After many failed attempts at sex, Dom breaks up with Monique. In trying to understand why, she discovers that a medical condition may be to blame.
With help from her new friend, Sasha and bad boy, Reggie, Monique tries to cure her condition in the hope that she gets Dom back.
When I read the blurb for this book, I found it very intriguing, so I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour.
First, I love the cover. It’s so vibrant, interesting, and colourful.
Although this book is marketed as YA, I got a lot from this book, and I feel teenagers and adults alike can relate. It has many levels to it.
Monique is suffering with a condition called Vaginismus. This novel faces that subject head on and not only did I find this refreshing, it also raises awareness of the condition whilst having a plot that moves along well.
Joya Goffney doesn’t shy away from letting her characters talk about big issues including sex.
by Book Extract: Keeping up with the Kershaws by Helen Buckley
A lovely big welcome back to Helen Buckley. She’s here with the blog tour for her novel, Keeping up with the Kershaws.
What do you do when your life becomes more dramatic than reality TV?
As the devoted carer for famous antique expert Harold Kershaw, Karrie Morgan was always happy to keep a professional distance from his four spoilt grown-up children, who rarely made time for their father.
But then a surprise involving Harold’s Will means Karrie is flung headlong into a press scandal, and into the chaotic world of the surviving Kershaws.
With the support of her trusted childhood friend Andrew, mild-mannered Karrie must face down ruthless ice queen Portia, master manipulator Gabriel, Botox fanatic Arabella, and ladies’ man Rafe, star of reality TV show Raised in Richmond … although perhaps not as fake and flashy as he initially seems?
As vicious rumours circulate and Karrie’s past comes back to haunt her, she struggles to know who to trust. Can she keep up with the Kershaws’ schemes?
Helen has shared an extract from Keeping up with the Kershaws with Novel Kicks today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
In this extract, Karrie is about to face the fury of the four Kershaw siblings, who have found out that she has inherited their father’s millions.
Karrie shuddered with nerves as she paused outside the library, wondering if this was all just some awful nightmare that perhaps she would wake up from. She blinked hard and pinched her hand just to make sure, but she didn’t wake up. It was real and this was really happening, as much as she wished it weren’t. She took a breath, squared her shoulders, and pushed open the door.
The library was once her favourite room in the Kershaw house. The ornate wallpaper was largely obscured by the towering bookcases, made of specially ordered English Cherry, and filled with collectibles and rare books. The room had always smelled of old paper, particles of dust gently floated in the sunlight; a room of knowledge and peace.
by Book Review: Spring Tides at the Starfish Café by Jessica Redland
A big lovely welcome back to Jessica Redland. She is here with the blog tour for her latest novel, Spring Tides at the Starfish Café.
Welcome back to the Starfish Café – where you will find stunning views, delicious food and lifelong friendships.
A new season…
As winter turns to spring, Hollie – owner of The Starfish Café – is feeling content as she settles into her new life with her loving boyfriend, Jake, and their adorable dog Pickle.
But when an unwelcome visitor threatens the future of her café, Hollie must stay strong to protect her family’s legacy…
A leap of faith…
Emerging from an unhappy relationship, Tori finds herself with nowhere to stay and nobody to talk to. The long-hidden secrets of her past weigh heavily on her until a chance encounter with Finley, struggling to come to terms with his own secrets, provides an opportunity to open up.
Can she find the strength to stop hiding from her past and face up to her family? Especially when that would mean letting her guard down and learning to trust again…
A fresh start…?
Little do Hollie and Tori know that their lives are about to collide at The Starfish Café and they may be able to help each other with a fresh start. After all, with good friends in your life, nothing is impossible…
*****
Winter is now Spring. Hollie and Jake are settling into their new life with Pickle and business at the Starfish Café has never been better.
However, someone wants Hollie’s café and it seems they will stop at nothing to get it.
Tori has been with Layton for a few years. After a near death experience, she begins to question their relationship, his commitment and behaviour. It’s also been years since she has spoken to her family. If she left, where would she go?
I was so excited to be invited onto this blog tour. It was so lovely to be back at the Starfish Café. It was like grabbing a cup of tea, pulling up a chair and being back with old friends.
Don’t worry if you’ve not read Snowflakes Over the Starfish Café. Although this book is book two in the series, it could be read as a standalone in my opinion. However, the first book is brilliant so I would recommend it.
Hollie continues to be a wonderful, kind, relatable character. She’s a lot stronger and self assured this time around which was good to see.
Jake continues to be his lovely, charming self and it was great to see him grow as the plot progressed.
by Book Extract: Sign of the Times by Susan Buchanan
I’m pleased to be welcoming Susan Buchanan to Novel Kick today. She is here with the blog tour for her book, Sign of the Times.
Sagittarius – Travel writer Holly heads to Tuscany to research her next book, but when she meets Dario, she knows she’s in trouble. Can she resist temptation? And what do her mixed feelings mean for her future with her fiancé?
Gemini – Player Lucy likes to keep things interesting and has no qualms about being unfaithful to her long-term boyfriend. A cardiology conference to Switzerland changes Lucy, perhaps forever. Has she met her match, and is this feeling love?
Holly is the one who links the twelve signs. Are you ready to meet them all?
A tale of love, family, friendship and the lengths we go to in pursuit of our dreams.
Grab that comfortable chair, a cup of tea/coffee/hot chocolate and enjoy this extract from Sign of the Times that Susan has shared today.
*****beginning of extract*****
Czeslawa, her husband and daughter have just moved from a bit of a slum in Edinburgh, to a tiny village about ten miles from Glasgow. This is the first time the whole family has seen the village and they’ve arrived right in the middle of the gala day.
Czeslawa slipped her hand into her husband’s and they followed their daughter through the thronging crowds. There were stalls selling local produce, bring and buy stands, a tombola and face painting. Everything she’d expected a village fair to offer. Angelika ran ahead shouting, ‘Look, Mummy, look, Daddy, they are painting their faces. Look, Mummy, there are carts.’ Wojciech and Czeslawa smiled and made all the appropriate noises to Angelika’s exclamations.
‘Daddy, I want one of those teddies,’ Angelika said, pointing to prizes at a hoopla stall.
‘We need to start talking to her in English,’ Czeslawa said.
‘Then you’ll have to learn English, and I’ll have to improve,’ said her husband, putting his arm around her.
‘Mummy, can I run in the race?’
Wojciech and Czeslawa exchanged a glance, then Czeslawa said, ‘Go on.’
‘On your marks, se-e-et–’ the starter blew his whistle ‘–go!’
‘C’mon, Lika, you can do it!’ her parents shouted, in Polish, which attracted a few stares. She finished second. Two minutes later, she took part in her first awards ceremony. They hadn’t seen inside their new home yet, but their daughter had already won a medal, already a part of the community.
Angelika stared open-mouthed at the young girl with the golden curls, wearing the pretty dress, looking like a bridesmaid at a wedding. The official slipped the sash reading ‘Kings River gala queen’ over her head. An important-looking man, perhaps the local councillor, placed a sparkly tiara on her head and a bouquet of mixed blooms in her hands. The crowd cheered, then the marching band played a few numbers before the crowd dispersed, some parents being dragged to the face-painting stand, others trawling their children to the ever-popular raffle. After a pleasant two hours of wandering around, they decided it was time to go and meet their new home.
‘It’s beautiful,’ said Czeslawa. It was a four-in-a-block terraced house, with a UPVC door, red tiled roof and pebbled walls. The long hall led to a kitchen on the left-hand side after an adequate bathroom, with new-looking three-piece suite. The lounge was at the end of the hall and very spacious, although had no real room for a dining table. The two bedrooms were on the right and she was pleasantly surprised at their size. She would be able to set up a little desk in the corner over there, with a computer. She hugged her husband. Angelika barrelled into her as she returned from racing around the house, eager to explore her new surroundings.
by Book Review: A Year of Mr Maybes by Judy Leigh
A lovely big welcome back to Judy Leigh who is here with the blog tour for latest novel, A Year of Mr Maybes.
Never say never to falling in love…
Val didn’t expect to be starting again in her seventies, but when life gives her lemons, Val is determined to make lemonade.
Settled into her new home – a picture-perfect fisherman’s cottage in the small Cornish seaside town of Lowenstowe – Val is ready to start a new chapter. And with her son due to get married next Christmas, there’s also the little job of finding herself a plus-one to help her face her ex-husband and his new girlfriend.
With the support of her neighbour Connie, and after decades of married life, Val takes the plunge back into the world of dating with trepidation and excitement. But can she remember how the single life works, let alone what her type is? There seem to be plenty of Mr Maybes, but no sign of Mr Right.
As the year passes, and as friendships and community life flourish, Val begins to blossom. And as Christmas approach, she might just decide she doesn’t need that plus-one after all – although never say never…
*****
Val is in her seventies and didn’t expect to be starting again.
After the end of her marriage, she moves to the Cornish town of Lowenstowe.
There, she meets new friends and begins to find a new lease of life and possibly, a new love. She and her neighbour, Connie, go on a mission to find Val a plus one for Val’s son’s wedding in December. They have a year to find Mr December. Can Val find someone new before the year is out?
I have become such a fan of Judy Leigh’s novels so I jumped at the chance to be involved in the blog tour for her latest novel, A Year of Mr Maybes.
From page one, I was completely immersed.
Immediately, Val is someone you can empathise with. Within the first few pages, her life is forever changed. The character is written with much strength and I loved how there was very little time where she felt sorry for herself. She picks herself up and carries on. That’s inspiring.
Connie and Loveday are brilliant supporting characters and I loved them.
by Book Extract: Falling For The Competition by Jen Smith
I am pleased to be welcoming Jen Smith to Novel Kicks today with the blog tour for her novel, Falling for the Competition.
It’s going to be the best summer ever for ambitious, overachieving Quinn. A huge history buff, not only has she landed her dream job interning in the archives department of the local castle, but her best friend will be working there too.
However, Quinn isn’t the only one to be working in Archives this summer; Quinn’s academic rival, Patrick, is sharing her office in Muniments. They’re competing for the Letter of Recommendation (singular) from the research historian that Quinn needs to get her dream future placement.
Their emotionally-loaded and competitive rivalry turns into a reluctant friendship, as they spend every day working together in silence (and sharing the occasional Twix). Until the Re-Enactors arrive. Between Patrick and Harry – the Golden Knight of the jousting team – Quinn’s carefully planned summer is thrown into complete disarray. Meanwhile, her best friend’s relationship may look perfect on the outside, but Quinn is starting to realise that there’s more going on than there seems.
Although Quinn is determined and single minded about planning every detail of her sparkling future, she comes to discover that the best things in life are the spontaneous ones – and that some people are more important than any Letter of Recommendation (singular) could ever be.
Jen has shared an extract today. Grab a hot drink, a comfy spot on the sofa and enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
One thing that you need to know about Frankie is that she’s kissed exactly two boys (Nathan and Jack) and has had exactly one boyfriend (Jack). People always make out that she’s had loads of boyfriends and has shagged around a bit. But she hasn’t. People make judgements on what other people wear and it’s not fair. I tell Frankie that those bitches in our year started saying those things because they’re jealous that she does her own thing. So what if she likes to wear short shorts, or massive heels, or pillar box red lipstick, and doesn’t care what other people think?
And also, because Kristy McGovern liked Nathan Peterson in year nine and Nathan Peterson kissed Frankie and not Kristy at Jenna Johnstone’s birthday party.
“Oh yeah, I suppose they are friends.” I hadn’t really thought about Patrick having friends. He is just an academic machine to me. An annoying pomaded academic machine.
“So he’s working in archives too?”
“Yeah,” I nod, taking a bite of my chicken sandwich, and I tell her quickly about how annoying he has been already this morning, telling me what to do, sucking up to Lisa.
Frankie sits up and squints at me through the sunlight, ripping her eyes away from a vehemently arguing couple. “So, what’s your plan then?” She says dramatically.
“What plan? Plan for what?”
by Book Extract: Lady Ludmilla’s Accidental Letter by Sofi Laporte
I am so pleased to be welcoming Sofi Laporte and the blog tour for her novel, Lady Ludmilla’s Accidental Letter.
A resolute spinster. An irresistible rake. One accidental letter… Can love triumph over this hopeless muddle in the middle of the London season?
Lady Ludmilla is mortified. Though the spinster extraordinaire knows it is foolish, she has fallen head-over-heels for the amiable man with whom she’s been secretly corresponding, and that cannot be. When she sets out to uncover his identity, her world shatters. For her best friend Addy turns out to be none other but London’s worst rogue—the man who has ruined her engagement to someone else ten years earlier.
Lord St.Addington is perturbed. The wicked Viscount is developing a marked tendre for a spinster, and that cannot be. She might be mistaking him for someone he is not, or, what is worse, know precisely who he is. As London’s worst hellrake, he has a role to maintain, a charade to play. A depraved heart like his surely can’t be falling in love…least of all with a plain, outspoken spinster.
Determined to discover the truth behind the man she loves, Lu does what she does best: she sits down and writes a letter…
If you crave a humorous romp with witty banter and surprising twists, you will love Sofi Laporte’s charming masquerade.
Sofi has shared an extract today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Excerpt from Lady Ludmilla’s Accidental Letter by Sofi Laporte:
When Lady Ludmilla sets out to uncover the identity of the man she loves, her world shatters. For Addy turns out to be none other but London’s worst rakehell, who has already crossed her path and ruined her a long time ago. When she encounters him again, she cannot help but challenge him:
“I dare you.” Lu thought she must be stark raving mad, even as she heard the words herself. “I dare you to kiss the homeliest Windmere woman with your eyes open.” She tilted up her chin defiantly.
His gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips. “Dare accepted.”
by Book Extract: Mrs Morphett’s Macaroons by Patsy Trench
I am pleased to be welcoming Patsy Trench to Novel Kicks today along with the blog tour for her novel, Mrs Morphett’s Macaroons.
London, 1905. A show. A stuttering romance. Two squabbling actresses.
Is it Shakespeare? Is it Vaudeville?
Not quite. It is Mrs Morphett’s Macaroons, a satirical play about suffragettes which its creators – friends and would-be lovers Robbie Robinson and Violet Graham – are preparing to mount in London’s West End.
It is the play rival actresses Merry and Gaye would kill to be in, if only they hadn’t insulted the producer all those years ago.
For Robbie and Violet however the road to West End glory is not smooth. There are backers to be appeased, actors to be tamed and a theatre to be found; and in the midst of it all a budding romance that risks being undermined by professional differences.
Never mix business with pleasure?
Maybe, maybe not.
Patsy has shared an extract with us today so enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
Extract from Chapter 24 of ‘Mrs Morphett’s Macaroons’- Mrs Santenoy goes to gaol.
It is 1905. Mrs Santenoy is an elderly suffragist in the early days of the suffrage movement, before Mrs Pankhurst appeared on the scene and when the demand for votes for women were largely peaceful. The protest Mrs Santenoy took part in was perfectly orderly until the police moved in on horseback to disperse it, and a handful of the lady protesters were rounded up and sent to prison for two weeks.
*****
When Mrs Santenoy arrived at Holloway Prison she was in a state of high excitement. For a woman from what society termed ‘a privileged background’, married for nearly forty years, the experience of going to prison was without question the most extraordinary event in the sixty-eight years of her life. Even as she was lined up against a wall with her fellow protestors and given a rudimentary medical examination, Mrs Santenoy still felt the strangest thrill of adventure. She saw herself as an actress in a play, going through the rudiments of being sent to prison without any idea of what lay ahead of her.
On instruction from the prison wardress she was made to undress – ‘Completely?’ – ‘Completely’ – and given some old, stained underclothing, brown woollen stockings and a green serge dress that really was stamped all over with broad arrows. She hunted for but did not find a matching pair of shoes to wear from a huge basket, after which, laden with sheets, a towel, a mug of water and a thick slice of rough bread she was shown to her cell. Even then it all felt quite unreal and startlingly melodramatic. She sank exhausted onto the hard wooden bed and closed her eyes and, surprisingly, slept.
The following day, having requested some reading matter she was given the Bible and an atlas of the world. She embarked on the first with interest and glanced through the second. During the obligatory hour’s exercise in the prison yard she kept her head held high and, as instructed, avoided contact with her fellow prisoners. She managed to keep this up for two whole days without too much pain.
It was around the third day that the excitement faded. It was not until then that she became fully aware of a kind of sour, stale odour seeping through the walls from centuries of poor ventilation and prevailing damp. Her cell was both stuffy and cold. She sensed the presence of something that moved and scuffled. She dare not leave what food she was given on the floor lest her fear of mice and rats became real.
In the exercise yard she observed her fellow detainees with dulled curiosity. Apart from the suffragettes, whom she recognised only vaguely by sight, the women kept their eyes on the ground, and she was struck by the thought that many if not most of them had possibly spent more of their lives in prison than out; that a good half of them were no more than girls, and that there was a kind of resigned doggedness to the way they walked, shoulders slumped, feet dragging, as if tramping mindlessly in a circle was all they knew how to do or would ever do in the future. There were very few outbreaks, or protests; they didn’t seem to have the energy.
by Book Review: Living Your Best Life by Maxine Morrey
I am happy to be welcoming Maxine Morrey back to Novel Kicks with the blog tour for her latest novel, Living Your Best Life.
Some days Bee feels invisible. Most days Bee does not feel as if she is ‘living her best life’.
Sure she has a loyal group of friends, a job she’s good at, and a small London flat to call home, but a lot of the time, Bee feels as if no one actually ‘sees’ her.
Her best friend, the unfeasibly handsome and successful Luca Donato does not have that problem. People are practically falling over themselves whenever they see Luca, but one thing the two friends do have in common, is they haven’t yet found the ‘One’. When their friend Tia challenges them to change all that through online dating, Luca and Bee set about the task with very different levels of enthusiasm.
The saying goes that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince, and it’s not long before Bee is ready to admit defeat. But with Luca inundated with potential love interests, Bee is determined not to give up. Surely her perfect partner is out there somewhere…
*****
Bee has spent most of her life feeling invisible and not worthy despite the efforts of her friends to tell her otherwise – especially her best friend, Luca who, up until now has never given any indication that he wants to settle down.
When a mutual friend challenges them to change their love lives through online dating, Bee reluctantly agrees. Luca thinks you can find love through apps, Bee not so much.
Having previously read Things are Looking Up, I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for Maxine’s latest novel, Living Your Best Life.
I adored Bee from the first page. Bee felt so real to me, so relatable. She’s complicated and shadowed by her upbringing and lack of self esteem. I think many readers will unfortunately know how that feels. I think we’ve all also had those moments at work where we’ve felt under-appreciated but never wanting to rock the boat.
by Book Review: The Personal Shopper by Carmen Reid
I am pleased to be welcoming Carmen Reid and the blog tour for her novel, The Personal Shopper.
Meet Annie Valentine: stylish, savvy, multi-tasker extraordinaire. As a personal shopper in a swanky London store, Annie can be relied on to solve everyone’s problems . . . except her own.
Because as a busy single mum to two kids, Annie’s realised there’s a gap in her life as well as her wardrobe. But with her heart still hurting from losing the love of her life, Annie’s discovered that finding the perfect partner is turning out to be so much trickier than finding the perfect pair of shoes!
Can she source a genuine classic? A lifelong investment? Or will Annie realise that her perfect man is already sitting on the front row of her life…
*****
Annie Valentine is stylish, savvy and great at her job, even if her boss thinks otherwise.
Being a single mother, she does the best she can.
What she is missing is a man.
Can she find the right one? Can he live up to the lost love of her life? Has the perfect love been in front of her all along?
The Personal Shopper was my introduction to Annie Valentine and to Carmen Reid. Although this book did take me a couple of chapters to get into, once I did, I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting.
This novel was a lot of fun but deals with sensitive themes well.
Annie feels like a real, relatable character. She has a need to be control and at work, she is. She’s straight talking and successful. However, due to past events, there is a vulnerable side to her that she tries to hide. This possibly leads to her making some questionable choices in her personal life.
by Book Extract: Brown Eyes by Frances Ive
I am pleased to be welcoming Frances Ive to Novel Kicks today with the blog tour for her book, Brown Eyes.
A watchful eye as a marriage falls apart. The phone call, the rows, and the split are all observed by the family Labrador. He knows the habits and senses the moods of his beloved family members. Seeing them unhappy and hurting each other is unbearable. Where did his perfect life go?
Her marriage to Phil in crisis, two children at the challenging teenage stage, and a close friend in peril, Meriel’s world is falling apart. She finds solace in the arms of another man, but is this the answer for her? It is her stubbornness that threatens the family’s future together, until a major loss has a life-changing effect on her. A sliver of hope returns.
Like a fly on the wall, Benji the dog sees it all.
Narrated by both the dog and Meriel, Brown Eyes is a novella (a short read) written by the author of Finding Jo and Give and Take with a Capital G & T.
Frances has shared an extract from Brown Eyes today. We hope you enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
Can a marriage be saved?
In many countries including the UK the divorce rate is very high – between one in two or three marriages ends in a split. Sometimes relationships break down because of extreme behaviour, but others are often just lacking communication and appreciation. The route from problems like infidelity to splitting up is sometimes very fast.
For those couples who seek couples counselling it can sometimes be avoided if both partners want it to work. Meriel and Phil were jogging along in their relationship when one of them strayed off the path. Almost immediately they were splitting up and the children and the family Labrador were distraught. Could therapy save their marriage?
Extract from the point of view of Jane, the counsellor. Starting with Phil speaking.
‘I didn’t think it happened quickly. I had liked Meriel for a long time, but she always seemed to be with a boyfriend. I used to wonder how we could get together, and so I just took a risk and rang her. And thank goodness, it worked.’
by Book Review: Unravelling by Helen Forbes
I am very happy to be welcoming Helen Forbes to Novel Kicks with the blog tour for her novel, Unravelling.
A forest of secrets
Two bodies are found buried in a Highland forest, a place that haunts the dreams of Kate Sharp. Her mother, Ellen, died when Kate was a child. Does the forest hold the secret to her death?
A secret journal
Kate discovers her mother’s journal, and the tale of a tragic unravelling begins to unfold. Ellen’s story is one of fear and hope, love and loss, set against the imposing background of Craig Dunain, a psychiatric hospital where she should have been safe.
Unravelling the truth
Someone else from Ellen’s past is searching for answers, and he will stop at nothing to find them. Unaware of the danger stalking her, Kate continues her search. Will she find the answers? And can she save her own life?
*****
Two bodies are found in a forest near to where Kate Sharp’s mother, Ellen, died years earlier, when Kate was a child.
Following the death of her Grandmother, Kate is searching for answers about her mother.
As Ellen’s story unfolds, Kate discovers it’s one of love, loss, fear, despair and hope.
Someone from Ellen’s past is also trying to find out what happened. Can they figure out the truth? Can Kate save her own life before it’s too late?
This is the first book I’ve read by Helen Forbes. I found the blurb very intriguing. I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for Unravelling.
Told from the point of view of Kate, Ellen, Daniel and Jamie, this book, from page one, immediately drew me into the novel and into the lives of these characters.
Nothing is what it seems on the surface and, aside from Kate, I wasn’t sure who to trust.
by Book Review: The Cocktail Bar by Isabella May
A big hello to Isabella May. She joins me today with the blog tour for her book, The Cocktail Bar.
Rock star, River Jackson, is back in his hometown of Glastonbury to open a cocktail bar… and the locals aren’t impressed.
Seductive Georgina is proving too hot to handle; band mate, Angelic Alice, is messing with his heart and his head; his mum is a hippie-dippy liability; his school friends have resorted to violence – oh, and his band manager, Lennie, AND the media are on his trail.
But River is armed with a magical Mexican elixir which will change the lives of three lucky people. Once the Mexican wave of joy takes a hold of the town, he’s glad he didn’t lose his proverbial bottle.
Pity he hasn’t taken better care of the real one…
*****
Fed up with life on the road as a musician, River returns home to Glastonbury. His plan… to open up The Cocktail Bar and, thanks to an encounter with a mysterious woman named Mercedes, potentially change the lives of three people.
To begin with, the locals are not happy. Old school friends are trashing his bar, his ex manager is on his trail and the local aristocracy is up in arms.
There is also the matter of Georgina, a girl from his past. He is soon in a casual relationship with her. However, she has her own agenda and believes Karma is a dish served cold.
Things become even more complicated when Alice, his former bandmate, returns home. She also happens to be the girl that River is actually in love with.
Having previously read, Oh! What a Pavlova, I was looking forward to taking part in the blog tour for Isabella May’s latest novel, The Cocktail Bar.
Told from the point of view of River, Alice and Georgina, it did take me a couple of chapters to settle into the novel and connect with the characters. Once I did though, I couldn’t put it down.
River is an interesting man. Deep down, he is fiercely loyal to the people he loves, if not a little naive to the behaviour of some of the people around him. He, like many people, including Alice, is trying to find his place in the world and that is something many readers will be able to relate to.
I found Georgina an unlikeable character, even before you find out what she’s up to. However, she does add tension and conflict to the story. The same can be said for Lennie.
by Book Extract: The Helsingør Sewing Club by Ella Gyland
Ella Gyland joins me today with the blog tour for her novel, The Helsingør Sewing Club.
Inspired by the incredible true story of how the people of Denmark saved their Jewish neighbours during WW2
Helsingør, Denmark, 1943
In the midst of the German occupation during World War Two, Inger Bredahl joins the underground resistance and risks her life to save members of Denmark’s Jewish community and help them escape to Sweden.
Copenhagen, 2018
Inger’s granddaughter, Cecilie Lund, is mourning her death when a mysterious discovery while cleaning out Inger’s flat leads past and present to intersect. As long-held secrets finally see the light of day, Cecilie learns the story of her grandmother’s courage and bravery, and of the power of friendship, love, and standing for what’s right…even when you have everything to lose.
An inspiring tale of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of community.
Ella has shared an extract from The Helsingør Sewing Club with us today. Enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
The main character’s cousin Gudrun has just returned home from having dinner with her fiancé, Niels the fisherman, and his family, where the topic of conversation was whether to smuggle black market goods back from Sweden or not, with Niels strongly against it and his father in favour of it. This scene is from Gudrun’s point of view.
*****
When she returned home, her parents, Inger, and Jens were listening to Radio London in the parlour. She poured herself a cup of coffee from the blue enamel pot on the stove in the kitchen, and joined her family, squeezing onto the settee next to her brother.
Huddled around the radio, they listened to the news that the Russian army had recaptured a port city on the Black Sea from the Germans, and that the recently overthrown Italian dictator, Mussolini, had been restored to power.
Gudrun’s mind wasn’t really on the news. Instead she focused on the coffee substitute she was drinking. She’d almost, but not quite, got used to the taste of it – not like Inger who hated it – but knew Niels’s father had been right when he’d insisted people would pay for anything if they wanted it enough, and had the money.
At my wedding lunch we’re going to have proper coffee, she thought. Another reason for her and Niels to wait.
The calm, quiet mood in her parents’ parlour was interrupted by a sudden rap on the window at the front of the house. Jens quickly switched off the radio, and her mother draped an embroidered tablecloth over it. Listening to the radio wasn’t forbidden, but the Germans took a dim view of broadcasts from the BBC, and it was better to be safe than sorry in case they confiscated it.
Her father turned off the lights and opened the door, with Gudrun and his wife almost right behind him.
by Book Review: Queen Bee by Nina Manning
I am pleased to be welcoming Nina Manning back to Novel Kicks with the blog tour for her novel, Queen Bee.
In the quiet village of Helesbury, Miranda Wallace prides herself on being the most popular member of her small social circle; the perfect friend, the best mum – the queen bee.
Until one day, Verity arrives. Cool and indifferent, Verity is everything Miranda isn’t, but she threatens to shatter Miranda’s picture-perfect life.
Suddenly plagued with insecurities, Miranda is certain Verity is hiding something. And Miranda knows all about secrets and the damage they can cause, because she’s hiding some of her own.
So when Verity threatens to reveal the truth about Miranda and destroy the perfect life she’s built, Miranda knows she has to act to protect the people she loves – even if the results are deadly.
*****
Miranda is enjoying her new life, away from all the mistakes in her past. What’s more, she feels as though she has a true friend in Evie. Life for Miranda is bordering on perfect.
However, the arrival of Verity starts to pull Evie away from her. Who is this woman? Why is Evie interested in being her friend? Soon, Miranda finds life getting out of control, like it was before.
I had previously read The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning and loved it. I was excited to read her latest novel, Queen Bee.
by Book Extract: Storytellers by Bjørn Larssen
I am very pleased to be welcoming Bjørn Larssen and the blog tour for his novel, Storytellers.
Would you murder your brothers to keep them from telling the truth about themselves?
On a long, cold Icelandic night in March 1920, Gunnar, a hermit blacksmith, finds himself with an unwanted lodger – Sigurd, an injured stranger who offers a story from the past. But some stories, even those of an old man who can barely walk, are too dangerous to hear. They alter the listeners’ lives forever… by ending them.
Others are keen on changing Gunnar’s life as well. Depending on who gets to tell his story, it might lead towards an unwanted marriage, an intervention, rejoining the Church, letting the elf drive him insane, or succumbing to the demons in his mind. Will he manage to write his own last chapter?
Bjørn Larssen’s award-winning, Amazon #1 best selling novel is an otherworldly, emotive Icelandic saga – a story of love and loneliness, relief and suffering, hatred… and hope.
Bjørn has shared an extract today. Grab that hot drink, a comfortable chair and enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Like most writers, I have certain subjects that are dear to my heart. Three of them are neurodivergence, mental illness (not the same thing), and addiction.
My protagonist, Gunnar, is on the autism spectrum and has a generalised anxiety disorder accompanied by depression, self-medicated with alcohol. He is also living in the year 1920, before the word “depression” came into use at all. He’s an uneducated blacksmith in a society where showing feelings – revealing that you had them – outside your diaries or poems you wrote was impossible. It wasn’t seen as cynical to say there was no time for grief or melancholy. It was simply the truth. There was too much work to be done.
It’s not just the external world that doesn’t understand Gunnar’s different mind. He has no words to express how he feels. All he knows is that he “shouldn’t” be like this, that “normal people” aren’t. During Icelandic prohibition, the only way to acquire alcohol was to visit a doctor and get it “prescribed” – Gunnar’s whisky is, ostentatiously, medication for his non-existent lung problems. A bottle of whisky a week isn’t enough anymore, though, so he makes moonshine… which is, of course, illegal, which makes his anxiety worse. There’s only one way he knows to feel better – he carries a flask wherever he goes.
There was a time in my life when I went through a long period of depression. Everything was grey. I didn’t even remember how to laugh. I was ashamed of admitting it. I “knew” that depression was a made-up thing that the educated members of the middle-class came up with to justify their laziness. Gunnar doesn’t have the words to express that, but if he could, he’d be thinking the same. There was one medication that calmed me down, even sent me into euphoria. It came in bottles.
*****
by Book Review: Before We Grow Old by Clare Swatman
I’d like to welcome Clare Swatman to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her latest novel, Before We Grow Old.
When seven-year-old Fran first met Will they knew instantly that they were made for each other. For eleven years they were inseparable, but then, at the age of eighteen, Will just upped and disappeared.
Twenty-five years later Will is back.
Is fate trying to give them a second chance?
Still nursing the heart break from all those years ago, Fran is reluctant to give Will the time of day. The price Will must pay is to tell the truth – the truth about why he left, the truth about why he’s back…
And Fran has her own secrets to hide. The time has come to decide what Fran and Will really want from life – before it’s too late.
*****
Will was the love of Fran’s life. Having been friends since childhood, she thought they would always be together.
When Will then leaves, leaving Fran a letter, she’s heartbroken, thinking she will never see him again.
So, bumping into him twenty five years later is a shock.
Can they pick up where they left off? Is Will hiding something? Worse still, will he find out Fran’s secret?
From the moment I started reading, I knew this book was going to make me cry. I can’t give you a solid reason how I knew, but I did.
Fran is a relatable character in many ways. She’s a single parent, trying to do the best she can for her son and when Will returns, she gives herself hope that she can be happy. Of course, life sometimes has other plans. I really felt a lot of love and empathy for her and Will at multiple points in the novel.
The other characters in the novel are wonderful; Kieran and Elodie especially. Clare Swatman does a really good job of pulling the reader into the story and making them feel like they are a part of this family, going through all these adventures and emotions.
by Book Review: My Heart Went Walking by Sally Hanan
I am pleased to welcome Sally Hanan to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her upcoming novel, My Heart Went Walking.
Kept apart by their love for one man, two sisters embark on their own paths towards survival, love, and understanding, until all three finally meet again in the worst of circumstances. And the reality might break them all.
My Heart Went Walking is a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that sweeps from the small Irish town of Donegal to the “big smoke” of Dublin City; a book that celebrates the pull of family and the chance of redemption. It is a novel for everyone who feels connected to the Irish approach to life-that of grit and laughter-and also for everyone who loves an overriding message of hope and restoration in all things.
***
Una doesn’t want to leave her family, especially her sister, Ellie. It also means saying goodbye to the boy she loves. However, she holds a secret and so must make a choice..stay and reveal her secret or leave everything she’s ever known.
So, she goes to Dublin to seek a new life, with no plan and little money.
Back in her hometown, Ellie has no idea why her sister left. Even Una’s best friend, Cullen doesn’t seem to know where she is.
These three people will be reunited through the most tragic of circumstances. Secrets will be revealed that have the capacity to change their lives forever.
Set in Donegal and Dubin in 1983, My Heart Went Walking is told from the point of view of three people; Una, Cullen and Ellie.
All three are well written and develop in interesting ways. They all have to deal with pretty intense situations and it was easy to forget as I progressed through the book that they were all still teenagers, having to navigate their way through some heartbreaking and difficult circumstances.
Una has to especially grow up incredibly quickly when she finds herself in Dublin, away from home and alone. She seems very strong but when you begin to get to know her, you see that she is just a young girl who has so much fear and doesn’t want to face it. I think a lot of people can relate to that. Whether, as a reader, you agree with certain decisions she makes will be up to you to decide but I felt that she, like Cullen, was trying to do the best she could and do right by the people she loved.
Cullen is a confused guy who doesn’t understand why the girl he loves suddenly disappears. He’s very much a good guy. I really felt for him through this story as he is, in a way, stuck in the middle between his past with Una and his potential future with Ellie.
by Book Extract: A Stranger’s Revenge by K.J. McGillick
A big welcome to K.J. McGillick and the blog tour for her novel, A Stranger’s Revenge.
When art law attorney Abigail Clarke is mistaken for the murdered twin sister she never knew existed, will she be able to outwit a man determined to kill every member of her treacherous family.
Thirty years ago, during a thunderstorm, on an isolated street in South Boston, an unidentified two-year-old girl was discovered, abandoned, shot, barely clinging to life. After a thorough investigation, the case was eventually designated to the cold case files until Abigail Clarke, now an astraphobic art law attorney, is mistaken for the murdered twin sister she never knew existed.
What the FBI Art Crime Division cannot determine is if Abigail is an innocent bystander or a co-conspirator in her sister’s art fraud crimes.
Compelled to uncover all her family’s secrets, nothing prepares Abigail for the disastrous meeting with her murderous brother and crime boss father. Her life is irreversibly changed the more she becomes mired in her family’s treachery. She soon finds herself drawn into a game of cat and mouse by the vengeful killer who methodically plans to execute every member of her family, holding each one of them ultimately responsible for the murder of his own family thirty years ago.
K.J. McGillick has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy.
Warning: Language.
*****beginning of extract*****
March 2021
An explosive streak of white lightning splayed its arthritic fingers across the gray sky, threatening to snatch me through my windows. However, it was the explosive thunder bomb which shook my windows that almost sent me under my desk. Shot and then left for dead when I was two years old, thunderstorms still scared the hell out of me and left me paralyzed with fear. Maura called it astraphobia. I called it self-preservation.
“Abigail Clarke, you are not listening to a word I’m saying,” Maura said, slapping her chair to get my attention. “I could use a little legal help here.”
“Of course, I am listening. I just want to scream at the top of my lungs that Clarisse Taylor is batshit crazy. Can we at least agree that she is a master manipulator well versed in the art of gaslighting? You’ve asked my legal opinion. I can’t help it if it’s not what you want to hear.”
Was it wrong of me to hope right now a bus was plowing into Clarisse, leaving her splattered on some street like roadkill?
“I have to admit that in the last two months, her stories have become more laced with violence.” She sighed.
“There you go. What if this is just an attention-seeking device? I know as a psychiatrist, head games and personality puzzles fill your day. Please don’t think I am minimizing your concern. But maybe this is one of those moments that you can’t see the forest for the trees.”
“No, this time it was different. You had to see her wickedly satisfied expression as she boasted she stabbed him fifteen times.”
As if channeling Clarisse, Maura gritted her teeth and slowly lifted her arm, then plunged an imaginary knife up and down. As her arm arched back, I could not help but visualize the drops of blood, as they must have sprayed across the walls with each fresh assault. The room must have looked like a Jackson Pollock canvas, splattered in various hues of reds and browns as the blood dried. That visual did the trick of interrupting my obsession with the storm.
She suddenly sprang to her feet, almost dazed, glanced at the floor, and then at me.
“And, Abby, she said that the puddle of blood looked like an oil slick. It was so widespread that when she tried to stand, she slipped in it and bashed her head against a table. Slipped… In… His… Blood…”
“Oh, for the love of God, enough.” I raised my hand for her to stop. I had reached my limit.
She dropped back into the chair and took a deep breath.
“Okay, take a minute, and let’s walk through this. Did you see any signs of an injury to her head to corroborate the story?” I asked, determined to debunk this lunatic’s musings.
“Yes. Well… she had a bandage across the corner of her forehead. Whether there was an injury there or it was for show, I don’t know. However, she never came to the office before with even a Band-Aid.”
by Book Extract: That Certain Spark by Isobel Hart
I am very happy to be welcoming Isobel Hart to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her book, That Certain Spark.
A one-bedroom apartment with creeping damp.
Depressed cat, complete with litter tray.
Neither was part of Claire’s five-year plan.
Nor, for that matter, was divorce.
Left with a comfort eating habit that’s costing her a small fortune in ice-cream, and panic attacks flooring her in front of the supermarket meals-for-one, Claire turns to her mum and Mindfulness in the hope that one of them can help her find real happiness.
She thinks she’s cracked it… but then her past comes creeping back.
Now she has to work out what really makes her happy or risk a life where Ben & Jerry are the only men who matter.
Isobel has shared an extract with us today. So, grab that blanket and drink of choice and enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Claire has chosen to go on a Power Walk during a stay at a rejuvenating health spa with her mum. It turns out to be a little more arduous than she anticipates.
By the time I get to the top I have tunnel vision, a red mist reducing my ability to see more than my own feet. I want to curl up and sleep in a bush. And maybe die. Death feels preferable to this, right now. “That’s it, you’re doing brilliantly,” Carl says. He’s circling me like a sheepdog, nipping at my ankles every time it looks like I might stop. “You’ve done better than most people. Most the guests turn back when they realise how fast we walk.”
I’d forgotten that was even an option. Why the hell didn’t I turn back?
The other ladies are still chatting. “Do. They. Ever. Stop. Talking?” I gasp in slow stilted words to Carl between attempts to suck air back into my lungs.
He laughs. “No, I’m afraid not.”
by Book Extract: A Nose For Mischief by K.T. Lee
I’m saying a big hello to K.T. Lee. She is here with the blog tour for her latest novel, A Nose for Mischief, book one in the Riverbend K-9s series.
When materials engineer Zoey Butler lands her dream job at Future State Energy, she believes her research in renewable energy will make headlines. Unfortunately for her, she’s right. Zoey is working on her latest experiment when FBI Special Agent Alexis Thompson and her K-9 partner, Waffle, raid Future State and arrest the head of the development for fraud. Zoey helps the FBI find answers in the aftermath, but she soon finds herself jobless and unemployable. Desperate and out of options, she reaches out to Alexis, the one person who knows Zoey was duped like everyone else.
Liam Graham is an FBI special agent and instructor at Riverbend K-9 Academy. When Alexis brings in a new recruit with an unusual background, Liam pairs her up with Tasha, a dog in need of a handler to stay in their competitive program. Zoey is thrilled to put her past behind her and give the mischievous rescue dog her own second chance. However, shortly after she arrives, the FBI realizes the Future State case is far from closed. And Zoey may be the key to solving it.
Zoey offers to go back to Future State to help the FBI end things once and for all. Only this time, she’ll have Liam and Tasha for backup. But, the problems at Future State are more explosive than any of them suspect.
K.T. Lee has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy.
***** beginning of extract *****
When materials engineer Zoey Butler lands her dream job at Future State Energy, she believes her research in renewable energy will make headlines. Unfortunately for her, she’s right. Zoey is working on her latest experiment when FBI Special Agent Alexis Thompson and her K-9 partner, Waffle, raid Future State and arrest the head of the development for fraud. Zoey helps the FBI find answers in the aftermath, but she soon finds herself jobless and unemployable. Desperate and out of options, she reaches out to Alexis, the one person who knows Zoey was duped like everyone else.
Liam Graham is an FBI special agent and instructor at Riverbend K-9 Academy. When Alexis brings in a new recruit with an unusual background, Liam pairs her up with Tasha, a dog in need of a handler to stay in their competitive program. Zoey is thrilled to put her past behind her and give the mischievous rescue dog her own second chance. However, shortly after she arrives, the FBI realizes the Future State case is far from closed. And Zoey may be the key to solving it.
Zoey offers to go back to Future State to help the FBI end things once and for all. Only this time, she’ll have Liam and Tasha for backup. But, the problems at Future State are more explosive than any of them suspect.
This excerpt takes place as Zoey is struggling with her job search.
by Book Extract: Daughter of the Sea by Elisabeth J. Hobbes
I am very happy to be welcoming Elisabeth J. Hobbes to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her new novel, Daughter of the Sea.
On a windswept British coastline the tide deposits an unexpected gift…
It was the cry that she first noticed, the plaintive wail that called to her over the crash of winter waves. Wrapped only in a sealskin, the baby girl looks up at Effie and instantly captures her heart. She meant only to temporarily foster the young orphan but when news reaches Effie that her husband has been lost at sea, and months pass without anyone claiming the infant, she embraces her new family – her son Jack and her adopted daughter Morna.
Effie has always been an outcast in her village, the only granddaughter of a woman people whisper is a witch, so she’s used to a solitary existence. But when Midsummer arrives so too does a man claiming to be Morna’s father. There’s no denying Lachlan is the girl’s kin and so Effie is surprised when he asks her to continue looking after his daughter, mysteriously refusing to explain why. She agrees, but when he returns six months hence she pushes him for answers. And Lachlan tells a story she never anticipated … one of selkies, legend, and the power of the sea…
Elisabeth has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy.
****beginning of extract*****
Effie Cropton has been gathering seaweed on the beach at Allendale Head. While there she rescues a basket floating out to sea and discovers a baby girl. She returns to the village and, after a brief conversation with her friend Walter, goes to visit her grandmother and collect her son.
“Effie, is that you?” Alice called from inside the pantry. “Wrap the seaweeds in the damp dishcloth will you?”
Effie did as she was asked, keeping some back for herself. Alice used it for her poultices and ointments. Effie liked to paint it.
“Why are you wearing Walter Danby’s coat?” Alice asked, as she bustled into the kitchen. Her sharp eyes narrowed suspiciously as she looked at Effie. “Your husband is away and I didn’t think you the type to carry on with another man.”
“I’m not carrying on with Walter and you know it,” Effie said indignantly. “I’ve been faithful to John for our whole marriage.”
John Cropton was ten years older than his wife and had been a bachelor longer than many thought he should, given his looks. He was shy and particular in his ways, and it had surprised everyone in the village when he asked Effie to marry him. People were perhaps less surprised at why when Effie’s belly began to swell after too few months of wedded bliss for the numbers to add up.
Whether Effie had trapped John or John had trapped Effie into marriage was the subject of some debate among those who enjoyed speculating. Perhaps neither of them had intended to trap or be trapped, but the end result was the same. The man whom the village had believed would end his days a bachelor found a wife, and Effie had fallen from the middle to the working class.
by Book Review: The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett
When her 29-year-old daughter Paulina goes missing on a sleepy pacific island, Judy Novak suspects the worst. Her fears are soon realised as Paulina’s body is discovered, murdered.
Every man on the island is a suspect, yet none are as maligned as Paulina herself, the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and a habit for walking alone. But even death won’t stop Judy Novak from fighting for her daughter’s life.
*****
Judy Novak fears the worst when her 29-year-old daughter, Paulina, goes missing on a pacific island where strangers stand out.
When her daughter’s body is found, every man on the island becomes a suspect.
As the investigation begins, Paulina’s behaviour prior to her death comes under scrutiny; her heavy drinking, her disastrous relationships and a habit for walking alone.
Judy won’t stop fighting for her daughter though.
The premise for this novel intrigued me and so I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for The Newcomer by Laura Elizabeth Woollett.
Wow is what I want to say about this book. I am not sure what I can say without giving too much away but I will give it a go.
From page one, this story draws you in and immediately I was hooked. It’s a crime novel, yes but there are so many more layers to it.
Let’s begin with Paulina. She’s such a complicated character. I felt sympathy, frustration, love and anger toward her. Sometimes, it was all of these feelings at once. She moves to this island in search of something. To begin with, I don’t think even she knows what this is. She’s dealing with so many internal demons and as a result, she acts out in the only way she knows how. Paulina is a perfect example of ‘don’t judge a book by a cover.’ She is hiding a lot under an extroverted/alcohol induced personality. Most of all though, she just wants love. Laura Elizabeth Woollett does such a great job of conveying how lost and broken Paulina is.
by Book Extract: A Not So Quiet Christmas by Suzie Tullett
Please help me welcome Suzie Tullett to Novel Kicks today and the blog tour for her festive novel, A Not So Quiet Christmas.
A solo getaway at an English country cottage is a pleasant way to spend the holiday—but it takes two to really make things merry . . .
Antonia prefers a quiet Christmas. She’s happy to spend it on her own, watching Hallmark holiday movies in her pyjamas, eating what she wants, when she wants.
Antonia’s friend Jules, on the other hand, loves a big Christmas celebration and plans on travelling to the Yorkshire Dales for a festive break. But when Jules breaks her leg, she persuades Antonia to make the trip on her behalf. Arriving at the little cottage, Antonia meets the handsome property agent Oliver. But she can’t escape the weird locals—or avoid embarrassing situations like mistaking a cow for a burglar.
As Christmas approaches, the attraction between Oliver and Antonia grows. She could choose to return to the bustling city and spend it alone. Or she could choose love and have a not so quiet Christmas . . .
Suzie has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy!
*****beginning of extract*****
Letting agent, Oliver Chase, offers to show confirmed city girl, Antonia, the local sights. He fails to mention that she’ll be seeing everything in one hit. From the top of a mountain…
Chapter Nine
With my cheek squashed against the icy rockface, I clung to the mountainside like a limpet as if my life depended on it. I didn’t know who or what howled the loudest – me or the swirling winds that whipped around my already contorted face. As the gusts threatened to rip me from what little security I had, flying without wings was not how I’d imagined my final moments. “Tell Jules I’m sorry for ruining her Christmas,” I said while I still had the chance, voice raised and mid-wail.
“I’m the one who’s sorry, Antonia,” Oliver said, calling up from the ledge below. “If I’d have known your legs weren’t long enough…”
“I know, I know. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing!”
“Are you sure you can’t go any higher? There can’t be much more than a metre left.”
“If I could, don’t you think I’d be up by now?” Peeling my cheek off the rock, I carefully glanced about me. Double checking all the nearby indents and protruding rocks, it was no good. They were all out of my reach. I tilted my chin and looked down to see Oliver’s concerned expression and Frank’s head poking out of the man’s rucksack. As tears rolled down my face, I couldn’t believe Oliver had suggested I go first. The other way around and he could have shimmied up with Frank, then reached down and yanked me the rest of the way.
by NK Chats To… Eliza J. Scott
Hi Eliza, thank you for joining me today and for inviting me onto your blog tour for A Cozy Countryside Christmas. Can you tell me about your book and what inspired it?
Well, without giving too much away, A Cosy Countryside Christmas centres around Ella Welford and Joss Campion. The couple were childhood best friends, until Joss left the village rather abruptly. When he returns, sparks fly but neither of them are keen to do anything about it. When they find themselves thrown together in an unexpected drama high on the snowy moor top… I’m afraid to say anything further would give too much away!
How long does it typically take you to write a book and what’s your process like?
It can take between three to four months per book. As for my writing process, I tend to start by drafting character profiles, jotting down as many details as possible. Then I set out a rough draft of the outline of the story so when I start to actually write it, I have an idea of the journey I’d like my protagonists to take. Having said that, I tend to let them take the lead and see what challenges they face on the way to their happy ending. I’m a mix of plotter and pantser – plotty pantser or pants plotter; I’m not sure which is applicable!
Which fictional world would you like to visit and why?
I loved The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe books when I was younger (actually, I still do), so I’d love to slip through the back of the wardrobe and visit Narnia. Can I be cheeky and name two? I’d love to have a wander around Enid Blyton’s Enchanted Wood too – and maybe have a quick scramble up the Faraway Tree.
Which songs would make up a playlist for your book?
by Book Extract: A Winter Wedding at Mistletoe Gate Farm by Helen J Rolfe
I am delighted to be welcoming Helen J Rolfe to Novel Kicks today. She’s here with her latest novel, A Winter Wedding at Mistletoe Gate Farm which has been published today.
It’s almost Christmas in Heritage Cove – the village tree is all lit-up, the bakery is full of festive treats, the tea rooms and waffle shack are welcoming locals inside out of the cold, and for some of the residents of the Cove, snow might not be the only thing they’re wishing for this year…
Tilly is overjoyed when an estranged relative comes to Heritage Cove wanting to make amends. But as she lets him in to her life and Tilly’s Bits ‘n’ Pieces – the shop she owns and loves – her friends aren’t so sure whether everything is quite as it seems.
Benjamin’s parents run Mistletoe Gate Farm, selling Christmas trees, wreaths and mistletoe. Benjamin has always thought his family was as firmly rooted in the ground as the rows of Norway Spruce and Fraser Firs. But when he finds a letter that rocks his world he realises he may not be able to do anything to prevent the changes coming their way.
Benjamin and Tilly have been falling for one another since the summer but will family complications put an abrupt stop to what is looking like a burgeoning romance?
With festive cheer weaving its way through the Cove as two local favourites plan their wedding, there’s more than one relationship that could receive a little Christmas magic…
Helen has shared an extract with us today. Enjoy as we head to Heritage Cove.
This extract is taken from a scene at Mistletoe Gate Farm as Benjamin thinks about Tilly and begins to worry about what is going on at home with his own family…
*****beginning of extract*****
He wandered over to the trees closest to where he was. These were the Nordmann firs in heights ranging from three to eleven feet. They were fatter at the bottom than some of the other varieties, with excellent needle retention. He reached out to touch the rounded needles of one and then another, and the one after that. Any of them could have a place in Tilly’s cottage – she’d be spoilt for choice. They’d all look spectacular with their dense foliage and deep, rich colour, and nothing beat that farm-fresh smell of citrusy pine that came with every tree. He wondered how she was getting on. She’d been flustered last night, unable to think straight when she’d got the call about the break-in at her parents’ house. She didn’t have the sturdiest of relationships with her mum and dad, by the sounds of it, and some people might have used that as a reason not to leap to attention in their hour of need, but not Tilly. She thought of others and put them first whenever she could. It was one of the things he loved and admired about her the most.
by Book Review: My Lucky Night by Olivia Spring
Romance Can Happen When You Least Expect It…
She hates Christmas. He’s about to change her mind…
Cassie isn’t a fan of Christmas. After a string of unlucky incidents during the festive season—including getting dumped—this year she decides to spend the day at home. Alone. No men. No complications.
But then her nightmare boss demands she track down this year’s most coveted Christmas gift—and the only person who can help is an annoyingly sexy Frenchman she’s just met.
Nicolas might look hot, but Cassie can tell he’s also arrogant, irritating and in love with himself. Exactly the kind of guy she hates. Plus, he’ll only help her find the gift if she helps him with something in return…
Could Cassie’s festive fortunes finally be about to change? Can she learn to love Christmas again? And will Cassie get lucky in more ways than one?
*****
Cassie isn’t a fan of Christmas. After a string of bad luck in previous years, she has decided that she’s spending the day at home, alone. No dinner, no tree. She’s simply ignoring Christmas.
When she literally bumps into a handsome French stranger, she dismisses him as rude. However, fate keeps pushing them together. She wonders if Christmas can be magic after all.
This is the second book in the ten-year crush series but can be read as a standalone. I didn’t feel like I was playing catch up at all.
Cassie is a wonderful character. She’s funny, flawed and real. She’s also had a lot happen to her so immediately, I wanted things to work out for her.
Nicolas is a lovely male lead. He’s a bit mysterious to start with and it was great to gradually learn more about him.
by Book Club
