Book Extract: The Book Lover’s Bucket List By Hannah Claire
I’m very excited to be welcoming Hannah Claire to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, The Book Lover’s Bucket List.
A bucket list to change her life.
Gabriella Brookes has spent years quietly loving Zach Osborne, knowing he only sees her as his best friend’s bookish little sister. He’s charming, successful, and only back in their Derbyshire village for the summer before his next big move.
When Gabby stumbles across her long-forgotten teenage bucket list, Zach proposes a deal: together, they’ll tick off her book-inspired challenges, if she helps him complete a few fun tasks of his own.
What starts as a perfectly sensible plan quickly turns into something far more complicated, when real life refuses to stay neatly tucked between the pages.
But as Zach’s past resurfaces and his future pulls him away, Gabby is forced to face a harder truth: dreams don’t come true if you only ever read about them.
Ticking off the challenges was meant to be easy.
Admitting what your heart wants is the real risk.
A cosy, small-town romantic comedy about courage, love, and rewriting your own ending.
Hannah has kindly shared an extract from The Book Lover’s Bucket List with us today. Find that comfortable reading spot, the refreshment of your choice and enjoy, as we head to Millbrook.
*****beginning of extract*****
It was late afternoon at Millbrook Library, and the only sounds were the hushed murmuring of voices, the turning of pages and the occasional clank from the ancient heating pipes. Gabriella Brookes cast her eyes over the display she was working on and gave it a nod of approval. Every summer they had a table for recommended holiday reads and, this year, Gabby was determined to make it bigger and better than ever. She adjusted the bucket and spade, sprinkled a little more sand around and reached for the large stack of books she had selected.
As far as Gabby was concerned, one of the best bits of her job managing the library was helping people find the perfect book for their current need or mood. For the summer Read Yourself Happy display, she had chosen novels set in far-flung and exotic locations, as well as sweet English villages beset by murders; some laugh-out-loud comedies and twisty, turny thrillers and, of course, a handful of swoon-worthy love stories with gorgeous romantic heroes. All novels you could relax with, and enjoy a much-needed break from reality. Too much reality was definitely a bad thing, Gabby decided, appraising the display.
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Book Review & Giveaway: Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse By Sue Moorcroft
We are so pleased to be welcoming Sue Moorcroft back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her new book, Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse.
Two sisters she’s never met
A first love who’s impossible to forget…
For Jade, life in Lake Como is la dolce vita. Until her beloved grandmother passes, leaving Jade not just the family’s bustling guesthouse to run, but two life-changing secrets to confront…
The pensione hasn’t just been left to Jade, it’s also been inherited by her sisters – who she had no idea existed. As Erin and Rosalie arrive in Italy, Jade is forced to face the heart-wrenching prospect of sharing her last remaining tie to the woman who raised her.
Jade is desperately trying to hold on to the past, but there’s one person she would prefer to leave firmly behind: her first love, Leo. He’s back in the city that is filled with the memories they once made together. But as Jade fights to take control of her future and her heart, why do all cobbled roads lead back to Leo?
Lose yourself in the first, utterly romantic novel in a brand-new trilogy, filled with new beginnings and second chances. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Milly Johnson.
*****
Well, here we are on a new book blog tour for the wonderful Sue Moorcroft on this, the first of a new trilogy for her new publisher.
I’m so happy that she’s taken us back to Italy and to another location that I now, of course, want to go to more than I can explain. Welcome to Jade’s home in Lake Como! Right, quick synopsis, without giving too many things away – Jade’s life is pretty perfect, running a beautiful, cosy hotel that she inherited from her grandmother, albeit whilst missing her desperately. Her life is thrown by not only the reappearance of the man who chose work over love, but by the sudden appearance into her life of two half-sisters she had no previous knowledge of. To make matters worse, her grandmother left the hotel to all three sisters equally.
by Book Extract: Mandarin Road By Ann Bennett
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Ann Bennett to Novel Kicks and the blog blitz for her book, Mandarin Road.
A gripping, emotional saga of family secrets and the power of love, set during the Vietnam War…
North Carolina, 2015: Nicole has always idolised her successful father, Ed. But on his deathbed, he reveals a devastating secret he’d guarded for a lifetime. He served in the Vietnam War, fell in love, and fathered a child there. A child he never had the courage to acknowledge.
Huế, South Vietnam, 1968: While her village is rocked by the explosions of the Tet offensive, seventeen-year-old Mai finds a wounded American hiding in her family’s chicken shed. Mai faces an agonising choice. Will she report the soldier to the Viet Cong, who have a stranglehold on the village, or will she risk her life and that of her family to help him?
In 2015, Nicole embarks on a journey into the unknown, travelling to Vietnam on a quest to uncover her father’s long-buried truths. Helped by Greig, an ageing Vietnam vet and his journalist son, Long, she delves into the shocking world her father wanted to forget, plumbing depths of resilience and courage she never knew she possessed.
Will Nicole find her long-lost sister, or will the Vietnam War guard its shameful secrets for ever?
If you are a fan of page-turning, emotional historical fiction like The Women, The Home Front and The Mountains Sing, you will love Mandarin Road.
Mandarin Road is a dual-timeline, standalone book by bestselling historical fiction author, Ann Bennett. Discover this moving, compelling read today.
There’s a chance to win a copy of Ann’s novel, The Bookseller of Kathmandu, below but first, she has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
PROLOGUE
FEBRUARY, 1968
The Citadel, Huế, South Vietnam
CLUTCHING HIS RIFLE, Ed ran down the rubble-strewn street through the gunfire and smoke, his heart in his mouth as bullets pinged around him. They’d been fighting all day and now it was early evening, but the enemy showed no signs of easing the attack.
by NK Chats To… Andrea Goyan
Hi Andrea. Thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me about The Catalyst and what inspired it?
The idea began over twenty years ago when I taught clients Pilates in their homes. I drove all over Los Angeles every day, listening to the radio. One day, I heard a story about advances in DNA testing, and I was struck by both the good and potentially bad ways the advances could be used. I pivoted to how eventually they’d be testing anything organic and fining people for all kinds of silly infractions. I wrote a piece about a detective who had to use her DNA device to locate the owner of a dog who’d defecated on a neighbour’s lawn. My writing group loved the piece and the detective (who is no longer a detective). They encouraged me to write more, and I spent over a year writing, and then reading the first draft at that table.
What were the challenges when writing a novel like this?
I needed to do enough research that I could use some scientific terminology when I needed it. Since this novel was written, subbed, rejected, put away for ten years, rewritten, put away again, and rewritten again for this final draft, I forgot all the research in the interim and needed to dig back into it again. I also struggled with finding the right voice for Kat, ultimately discovering it when I switched her POV chapters from third to first person. That immediacy made her come alive.
What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals?
I don’t have rituals. I start my day with coffee, but that’s true whether I write or I don’t. I either just sit my butt in my chair and write, or I procrastinate and deal with the rest of life’s demands. There are always dogs to walk.
What’s your favourite word and why?
Hmm, I don’t have a favourite word, but ruminating while I sit here, I’ll say “yes.”
Yes, because it has so much potential. When I performed improvisational theatre in my twenties, “Yes, and…” was the golden rule.
Which fictional world would you like to visit, and which fictional character would you like to meet?
by Book Extract: A Blighter is Bumped Off By Helen Golden
I’m very happy to be welcoming Helen Golden back to Novel Kicks. She’s here with the blog tour for her book, A Blighter is Bumped Off.
The only thing worse than a persistent suitor? A dead one on your lawn.
London, 1892. Alice, Duchess of Stortford, has returned to town determined to enjoy her first Season as a wealthy widow. But instead of balls, flirtation, and whispered gossip, she finds herself besieged by ambitious bachelors—none more persistent than the insufferably smooth-talking Miles Fonthill. When Alice firmly refuses his sudden proposal, she assumes the matter is settled.
Instead, he turns up dead in her garden.
The police are happy to call it a tragic accident. Alice is less convinced.
Why was Miles climbing over her garden wall in the middle of the night? Why had he become so determined to win her favour? And what did he really want?
As Alice begins to dig into Miles’ final days, her search leads her into the glittering heart of London society, where old loyalties run deep, secrets are guarded fiercely, and reputation matters more than truth. But when whispers of the mysterious Order of the Golden Key begin circling dangerously close to her own late husband’s name, Alice realises this death may be far more complicated than one unwelcome suitor meeting an unfortunate end.
And if someone is willing to kill to keep their secrets…this Season may prove positively deadly.
Perfect for fans of feisty female sleuths, Victorian High Society, and secret scandals, all served with a dash of humour and a cup of tea.
Helen has shared an extract from A Blighter is Bumped Off with us today. Grab that comfortable chair, a cup of whatever you fancy, a snack and enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
In this opening scene, Alice, Duchess of Stortford, is enjoying a quiet afternoon at Darby House when one of her more persistent admirers, Miles Fonthill, decides the time has come to propose. Unfortunately for him, Alice has very different plans for her future…
*****
“I understand that you are still technically in mourning,” Miles said, his voice softening to a tone that she supposed was meant to convey respect but somehow missed the mark. His fingers moved to the signet ring on his right hand, turning it idly as he spoke. “But soon you will be required to rejoin society fully, and a woman of your standing needs a husband by her side.”
by Book Club
