Book Extract: Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi
It’s very exciting to be welcoming Francesca Capaldi to Novel Kicks and to be kicking off the blog tour for her latest book, Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel.
Chambermaid Fanny is thanking her lucky stars she has had a second chance at life. As an unmarried mother, it could have been very different, and she is happy.
But when new maid, Susie, arrives at the Beach Hotel, it isn’t long before sparks fly. Susie begins to meddle in Fanny’s friendships and even in her budding romance with Walter, an American working at the aerodrome.
Meanwhile, a flu epidemic starts to spread and as more people fall ill, the hotel is forced to close.
Matters come to a head when Susie plots to reveal secrets about Fanny that could spell her ruin.
Can the hotel and the hardworking women who run it survive?
To celebrate publication day, Francesca has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Fanny Bullen, who’s the head chambermaid at the Beach Hotel, is having an afternoon off with her two-year-old toddler, Elsie, by the seaside.
*****
Fanny looked out at the wide expanse of wet sand leading to a low tide. Beyond that, the sea was a dark, muddy green. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sea air. There were only around half a dozen stalls and tents along the promenade today, with it still being April.
‘Will there be Punen Juicy?’ Elsie asked.
‘Punch and Judy. Not today, sweetie.’
Elsie stuck out her bottom lip but seemed to accept it.
‘We’ll take a walk to the pier and see what’s down there.’
‘All wight, Mummy.’
The tent closest to the pier housed a fortune teller. Fanny wondered what ‘Madame Giovanna’ might tell her about her future. More than likely, she’d grow old being the head chambermaid.
Elsie stopped. ‘Mummy, that noise ’gain.’ She pointed out to sea.
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Book Review: Finding Love at the Magical Curiosity Shop by Jaimie Admans
I’m very excited to be welcoming Jaimie Admans back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for the latest book in the Ever After Street series, Finding Love at the Magical Curiosity Shop.
In a shop full of stories, some magic is real.
Mickey Teasdale loves her quaint curiosity shop, where every item feels magical to her. She loves imagining the past owners of her knick-knacks and telling her made-up tales to customers, but lately, the magic has dimmed; the shop feels cluttered, and even her stories seem as worn as the items she sells.
Everything changes when the grumpiest customer Mickey’s ever met—single dad Ren Montague—walks in with his surly teen daughter, Ava. Ren hates mess and clutter and prefers order and calm, but he’ll do anything to see Ava smile. Yet, something shifts in him when he meets Mickey, who seems like she stepped out of her very own fairy tale.
When Ava discovers a secret diary, hidden from years long ago, she and Mickey believe it must have once belonged to a real-life mermaid! Ever sceptical, Ren tries to protect Ava from disappointment, but as they unravel the mystery together, something special happens…
Ren learns that happy ever afters still exist if you’re brave enough to look for them, and Mickey discovers that real-life can sometimes be way more magical than anything she could have ever imagined.
*****
Mickey adores her shop on Ever After Street. Carrying on her father’s legacy is important to her and she loves making up stories for all the items within.
However, when she meets Ren and his daughter, Ava, she begins to wonder if her life is on the right track after all.
Yay, a new book in the Ever After series. Not only that, this one is influenced by The Little Mermaid – not only the first Disney film I owned but the first VHS tape I had. Yep, I’m that old. Haha.
by Book Extract: The Santorini Writing Retreat by Eva Glyn
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Eva Glyn to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Santorini Writing Retreat.
Secrets make the best stories…
Three women, one writing retreat, endless possibilities…
Bestselling author Jessica Rose needs to escape from a terrible secret that’s robbed her of her creativity. Could leading a retreat on a gorgeous Greek island be just what she needs?
Coming home to Santorini was never in Zina’s plans, but now she’s determined to make her new business a success.
And then there’s Karmela, who just wants to write her book and make her mother proud.
In the heat of their Greek island paradise, these new friends find the courage to shape their own stories, and write endings they can all be proud of…
Eva has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
There are three viewpoint characters in The Santorini Writing Retreat; Jo, the author with a terrible secret who leads it, Zina who owns the Retreat House and is desperate for her new business to succeed, and Karmela who just wants to write her book. Here we meet Karmela for the first time, as she arrives in Santorini by ferry.
Karmela jumped as something cold and wet nudged her leg. Looking down, she met the amber eyes of an almost silver greyhound, which was gazing up at her with an adoring expression. Without thinking, she reached to stroke its head.
“Hej ti,” she murmured softly.
A male voice came from above, slightly overloud and English. “I am so sorry.” He spoke slowly and left a gap between each word.
“It is OK,” she told him. “I speak your language.”
“Then I’m sorry again.”
by Book Extract: The Death & Life of Lucy Westenra by Rosie Fiore
I’m so happy to be welcoming Rosie Fiore to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Death & Life of Lucy Westenra.
What desperate steps will Lucy Westenra take to save her own life?
Hillingham in Hampstead, once the home of the well-to-do Westenra family, is now divided into apartments. When teacher Kate Balcombe sets about renovating her flat in the attic, she finds an unsent letter written 130 years before by Lucy, the nineteen-year-old daughter of the house.
You may know Lucy from Bram Stoker’s Dracula… a pretty, flirtatious girl with three ardent suitors, she is Mina Harker’s best friend. When Lucy falls mysteriously ill and dies, Van Helsing identifies her as a victim of the vampire.
But what if the monsters who hunt Lucy are much closer to home?
As Kate begins to investigate Lucy’s story, she meets James Harker, Mina’s great-great grandson, and together they uncover a long-hidden story of deception and murder.
Rosie has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
This is the opening of the novel. It features two letters: one from Lucy Westenra to her friend Mina (in 1894), one from Noni Rosen, who lived in a flat in the same house in the 1980s, and the opening of a chapter told from the perspective of Noni’ s daughter, Kate, in 2024.
Prologue
Letter from L.W. To Mina Harker
14 September 1894
Hillingham
Dear Mina,
I am so weak; I think I may not recover. Can you come to me? I know Jonathan needs you, but I am in terror for my life.
Oh Mina, I have never felt so alone. Mother is weak and frail and can offer me no aid. I pleaded with the Professor, but he scorned me and dismissed my words as the delirious ravings of a child.
I watch my window every night, waiting for that ominous shadow. I feel certain that he will return soon. Every time I try to sleep, I sense his dark eyes on me, slicing my skin like hot blades. He is relentless and I know that should he gain entry here once more, he will have no mercy.
I think if you came and came soon, there is a chance we could plan my escape. Although he knows of our friendship, I believe I might be safe if I came to Exeter to be with you. I have considered fleeing to Whitby, but of course he would know to follow me there.
by Book Extract: Not My Valentine by Tony Bassett
I’m pleased to be welcoming Tony Bassett to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for Not My Valentine, book seven in the Detective Roy & Roscoe crime fiction series.
The most romantic day of the year turns into a nightmare…
Having returned from a date with her new boyfriend, Lydia is fatally attacked in her home. A burglary gone wrong or a planned assault?
Detectives from Heart of England Police investigate and try to find out more about the victim. She was much loved by family and colleagues. But maybe someone loved her too much.
Attention turns to Lydia’s boyfriend, Roman, when it transpires that he is the son of a local crime boss known to associate with the feared West Side Gang.
DS Sunita Roy believes he is hiding something, but will have to tread carefully – the criminals have connections in the force.
Despite having strong intuition, Roy is struggling. There is something missing from the picture and it could be a secret taken to the grave.
Tony has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
Detective Sergeant Sunita Roy and her boyfriend, DI Tom Vickers, have raced to an address in West Bromwich amid fears that Aiden Pagett, a key witness in a murder case, may have been shot in a drive-by shooting. They are about to discover that the shooting is being investigated by DI Laura McLachlan from a different force, West Midlands Police.
CHAPTER 25
Sunita thrust her warrant card in front of a stern-faced constable standing behind the cordon. ‘DS Roy, Heart of England CID,’ she said. ‘Do you know who’s the SIO here?’
‘That would be DI McLachlan,’ he replied. ‘She’s just over there, speaking to one of the SOCOs.’
They observed a tall, slim woman in a blue-quilted jacket standing halfway along the front path outside Pagett’s home. A white tent covered the front doorway and porch.
As soon as she saw them approaching, McLachlan ended her conversation and turned towards them. ‘Can I help you?’ she asked with a vague smile.
‘We’re from Heart of England,’ Sunita explained, showing her warrant card again. ‘DS Roy and DI Vickers. I was here just a few hours ago in connection with one of our cases.’
‘Really?’ replied the inspector, shaking both their hands. ‘DI Laura McLachlan, West Midlands Homicide Unit.’
‘We’re looking into the Lydia Squires murder in Worcester.’
by Book Club
