Book Extract: Mistletoe Moments by Stephanie Wood
I am pleased to be welcoming Stephanie Wood to Novel Kicks. Today, we are saying happy book birthday to Mistletoe Moments, book five in her Christmas on The Close book series.
You are invited to spend CHRISTMAS ON THE CLOSE where each of the neighbours are celebrating in their own special way.
Veronica and Owen are looking forward to a happy Christmas on The Close with their friends and neighbours.
Their son, Travis, is due to take some important exams, but will he be able to concentrate when a serious crush derails his schedule?
As their fortieth birthdays approach, some significant celebration will be required, but how can Veronica agree to Owen’s life-changing request?
The fifth standalone episode of ‘Christmas on The Close’ shows how sharing a treasured life with someone does not necessarily result in sharing the same treasured dreams.
In celebration of its book birthday, Stephanie has shared an extract from Mistletoe Moments. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
Teenager Travis has a crush on his neighbour’s daughter and knows she is out of his league, but with an opportunity to get close to her, he dares to dream about what might happen…
*****
Travis wasn’t sure how he’d got away with it, but he had convinced his parents he would rather revise for his English Literature exam than go to the fireworks display and they had left him to it.
He couldn’t imagine anything he would rather do less than translate a passage of Shakespeare into readable English, but somehow they had believed it and agreed to give him the space to study in peace and quiet.
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Cover Reveal: A Modern Midlife Christmas Carol by Alana Oxford
I am so excited as I help to reveal the cover for A Modern Midlife Christmas Carol, the upcoming novel by Alana Oxford.
Before I reveal the cover, here’s a little about A Modern Midlife Christmas Carol –
Christmas cheer was dead, to begin with.
The world rests on Eliza’s shoulders. The kids, her husband, work, her elderly mother and don’t forget her newest friend, perimenopause. It’s too much to carry, but she’s been doing it for years. It’s just what a good wife and mother does, isn’t it?
When another Christmas rolls around, Eliza is drained by all the expectations and logistics of the holiday season. She’s fast approaching her breaking point, only no one around her notices she’s on the edge.
After an incident at her in-law’s on Christmas Eve brings things to a boiling point, she finds herself with three unexpected visitors. The spirits of the past, present, and future take her on a journey through her life to shake her out of the rut she’s gotten into. Their messages leave her with new possibilities: reconnect with her past, reclaim her present, or forge a new future, and you, the reader, decide which option is best!
OK, are you ready. Drumroll. 3…2…1…
by Book Review: The Final Score by Carys Jones
I’m excited to be welcoming Carys Jones to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, The Final Score.
It’s never too late for revenge…
Connie Winchester was once a celebrated music prodigy… but those days are long behind her. So when Daniel Layton shows up on her doorstep to interview her about her career, Connie Winchester is flattered to be remembered.
But as he moves through her story, it all comes back. Robin. Her friends. The drugs. What happened that final night. The lies she told.
Connie has been running from her past for years. But now there’s nowhere left to run…
*****
Connie Winchester has led an illustrious life as a world leading violin player but feels like the world has all but forgotten her. Now in her 80’s, she agrees to be interviewed. As she begins to talk about her life, it comes back to haunt her.
I was intrigued to read this novel from Carys Jones and pleased to be invited onto the blog tour for The Final Score.
by Book Review: Last Christmas by Clare Swatman
I’m excited to be welcoming Clare Swatman back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Last Christmas.
‘Bea was always early for everything. Even, it turned out, when she was running away from her life.’
As Christmas approaches, Bea Preston has a choice.
Looking up at the departures board in Heathrow airport, her flight to New York boarding soon, she knows that getting on that plane changes everything. Her life in London has grown stale, her relationship with boyfriend Dom has run its course, and New York has always been her dream. But it’s a risk – she’ll miss her parents, her friends, her job.
What if Bea could live both lives? In one she goes back home for Christmas, and in another she heads to the Big Apple. Would her fate remain the same, or can one decision really change everything?
In a grand sliding-doors love story that spans oceans, years and lives, Clare Swatman’s unforgettable tale of fate and friendship is perfect for all fans of Jojo Moyes, Beth Moran and Ruth Jones.
*****
Bea is running from her life. Standing at the airport, she faces a choice – to stay or to go?
Having become a big fan of Clare Swatman, I felt excited to be asked onto the blog tour for her latest novel, Last Christmas.
The premise for this novel is one I find so intriguing as it looks at these moments and decisions that have the potential to change the rest of your life. Of course, you can only know the outcome for the decisions that you make. However, this book follows Bea and shows alternative realities – one showing what happens if she stayed in her current life and the other showing her life if she’d left.
by Book Review: A Corpse in Christmas Close by Michelle Salter
I’m pleased to be welcoming Michelle Salter back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, A Corpse in Christmas Close, book five in The Iris Woodmore Mysteries series.
When a pantomime turns deadly, Iris investigates a cast of killers…
Christmas, 1923. When reporter Iris Woodmore is sent to cover the Prince of Wales’ visit to historic Winchester, she discovers more than just royal gossip.
The leading lady in Winchester Cathedral’s charity pantomime is found dead in mysterious circumstances. And the chief suspect is Cinderella’s handsome prince, played by Percy Baverstock’s younger brother, Freddie.
For the sake of the Baverstocks, Iris must investigate the murder, even though it means confronting an old enemy. And as the line between friend and foe blurs dangerously, she’s ensnared by someone she hoped she’d never see again…
Everyone’s favourite amateur sleuth returns for a Christmas mystery, perfect for fans of Verity Bright, Claire Gradidge and Emily Organ.
*****
It’s 1923 and Iris Woodmore is preparing for royalty to arrive in Winchester. However, when a girl is found murdered on the day of the Prince of Wales’s visit, Iris is in a race against time to find the person responsible before they potentially strike again.
I am such a BIG fan of the Iris Woodmore Mysteries series and was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for book five in the series, A Corpse in Christmas Close. Iris and a mention of Christmas in the title. Come on, no brainer.
It was so lovely to catch up with Iris. She’s a strong, independent woman and such a wonderful character to read. I love that she forges her own path, especially in the time in which this novel is set. She’s how I hope to have been had I lived in that time period. It was also fabulous to catch up with the familiar faces surrounding Iris.
by Book Club
