Book Extract: Feel-Good Stories by Sarah Swatridge
I’m so excited as we welcome Sarah Swatridge to Novel Kicks and the Birthday Blitz tour for her book, Feel-Good Stories.
An eclectic mix of heart-warming stories, full of memorable, quirky characters.
Read about the heroic postie, the eccentric duke, a spoilt parrot, a true friend and a determined would-be husband.
Perfect bite-sized reading with your favourite drink.
There is a chance to win a paperback copy of Sarah’s book, An Honourable Wager but first, she has shared an extract from Feel-Good Stories. We hope you enjoy.
beginning of extract
Beside the Seaside – set in 1920. Great if you love costume dramas on TV, this is ‘Downton’ rather than ‘Bridgerton’. Good if you love to curl up with an historical novel but just don’t have the time. Here’s a short historical story to whisk you back to a simpler time.
Britain 1920
“My goodness Enid, you are chipper this morning,” his Lordship said. He was reading his newspaper in the library while Enid was clearing the grate.
“Shall I come back later Sir?” she asked.
“No, that’s not necessary, you carry on.” He seemed somewhat flustered. “But please refrain from singing.”
“Sorry Sir, I had no idea I was doing it.” Enid did a little curtsey and returned to her chores.
After only a few minutes, he folded his newspaper, sat back and crossed his legs.
“Come here Enid,” he said.
by 
Novel Kicks Book Club: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
Hello October.
I will always have a soft spot for October. OK, i’m a little bias as it’s my birthday month but I adore the changing colours of the leaves, the build up to Halloween (I blame a Canadian in my life for my love of this holiday. I am very much a Christmas girl normally. Haha). October gives me the perfect excuse for a comfortable blanket, a hot chocolate and a book.
As you would have already seen from the title, this month’s book pick is Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.
The quote above is from this novel and I’m ashamed to say, it’s a novel I have never read. This month, I want to change that and I hope you’ll also join me.
As usual, anyone can join, whether you’ve already read the novel or will be reading along with me. I have placed a question in the comments below to kick off the discussion. I really hope to see you there.
*****
About Anne of Green Gables –
Anne Shirley is an eleven-year-old orphan who has hung on determinedly to an optimistic spirit and a wildly creative imagination through her early deprivations.
by Book Extract: Invisible by Heleyne Hammersley
I’m very excited to be welcoming Heleyne Hammersley to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Invisible.
An icy morning, a muddy riverbank. The body of a promising swimmer is found in the River Don close to Thorpe. Returning from a six-month absence, DI Kate Fletcher leads her first murder case since she nearly lost her own life to a desperate killer.
Grappling with her own doubts and insecurities, she has to negotiate a team transformed by differences in staffing and in attitude. Everything has changed and nobody is comfortable.
A second body leads to a strong suspect, but the evidence is circumstantial and far from clear cut. Kate’s ex-Detective Sergeant finds the breakthrough they need to help track down a cunning and meticulous murderer who has no conscience and no fear of consequences.
But can Kate act in time to prevent more deaths?
Heleyne has shared an extract with us today so grab that comfortable chair, the beverage of your choice and enjoy.
(Trigger warning: description of crime scene).
beginning of extract
This extract is from Chapter 17. After the discovery of a body in the River Don, DI Kate Fletcher is keen to establish any connection to a recent murder behind a pub in Doncaster.
An icy puddle marked the entrance to the alleyway, the surface a kaleidoscope of red and blue lights. A lone PCSO stood guard next to a line of blue-and-white tape which stretched from the corner of the pub to the wall opposite. He clutched a clipboard as though it were a talisman granting him permission to be there or warding off whatever evil lurked in the gloom behind the pub amid the overflowing bins and the graffiti.
by A Moment With… Olivia Lockhart
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Olivia Lockhart to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Private Devotions.
Destiny promised Hanna Bailey her soulmate, but delivered a divorce instead. So, when the career opportunity of a lifetime comes calling, she’s ready to answer. Alone.
Joining the tour of rising rock band His Locked Heart is her chance to start again. Sold-out shows, endless miles, and the freedom to leave her past behind
But fate has a habit of rewriting the lyrics.
Behind the spotlight, the band’s brooding songwriter, Nathaniel Cole, is about to become the one person Hanna never expected. As friendships deepen and long-buried truths surface, Hanna finds herself torn between the life she built and a love that could burn the whole thing down.
Some songs are written in secret.
Some loves refuse to stay hidden.
And sometimes you get the chance to rewrite your own story.
With a special letter to women like Hanna, it’s over to you, Olivia.
Private Devotions has some painful and real memories in it, some my own, some heard from other women. Living through my forties has taught me a lot, and I wish I could go back and tell my younger self … but I don’t know if she’d believe me or understand. She’d probably scoff at the middle-aged woman who seems so dull and lifeless.
There’s a little bit of all of us in Hanna, and I hope you’ll read and identify with her. But in the meantime, a letter to all the women like me …
Dear friend,
There is something I wish you had known from the beginning.
You were never the problem.
by Book Extract: You Too by Katharine Light
Please join me in welcoming Katharine Light to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, You Too.
Anna has finally got what she longed for.
After years of focusing on her career—ignoring the quiet, insistent need for a child—a chance encounter with Rob led to an arrangement that changed everything.
Now she’s pregnant.
But nothing about what comes next is simple. This was never meant to be a relationship. As her pregnancy becomes more difficult, Anna retreats, unwilling to face Rob, or the feelings she can no longer ignore.
Because wanting a baby was one thing. Letting someone in is something else entirely.
Rob always knew their arrangement had limits. He didn’t expect Anna would quickly become the one person he can’t walk away from.
Now, both must decide what they’re willing to fight for. Can they overcome the complications of their own backgrounds and truly build a family together?
Or was their connection never meant to last?
Kathatine has kindly shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
beginning of extract
The first time they meet in this book, once Anna is pregnant and suffering with severe morning sickness.
What was Rob doing now, she wondered, for the nth time that day.
She had fielded his texts with brief replies, forcing him to shrink his enquiries accordingly. ‘Plans for the weekend?’ he’d asked. ‘Sleep!’ she’d replied.
Her biggest problem was her absolute inability to open the fridge without the inevitable retching and vomiting. She couldn’t face food. Couldn’t look at it. Couldn’t plan, shop or cook. Anything she tried turned to dry lumps on her tongue. The most she’d held down were some morsels of dry toast. Her sense of smell seemed to have magnified alarmingly, and the slightest odour sent her rushing to the loo, slicked with sweat, saliva flooding her mouth.
by Book Club
