Book Review: Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar by Margaret Gardiner
Welcome to the world of model Joey Superstar – a whirlwind of cocaine, sex, and money.
Josaphina Brinkley seems to have it all: she’s a superstar model in 1980s America, a cover girl plastered naked on fashion billboards above Sunset Blvd. Women want to be her. Men simply want her.
But underneath the glossy veneer she hides a traumatic past. The end of her marriage to Italian Aristocracy led to a stint in rehab. As she returns to parties, premiers and modeling, she’s hoping a life of designer clothes and beautiful people won’t take her back to blow. If only she could be truly seen, heard and understood, perhaps she wouldn’t self-destruct again?
Joey sets out to confront the roots of her wildness – but must admit to a youthful act that haunts her. As Joey fights from addiction to redemption, can she change the course of her life, deal with her dark past and become the superstar she was always destined to be? Former Miss Universe Margaret Gardiner gives readers the key to a secret world of supermodels, sex, style and scandal in her deliciously intoxicating debut, Joey Superstar, the first in an exciting Damaged Beauty series.
*****
It’s the 80’s and Joey is a successful model, well, until her marriage ends with her being sent to rehab. When she is released, she tries to pick herself up again but it isn’t an easy road and it’s not long before Joey is falling into familiar destructive patterns.
I am going to talk about this book as much as I can without giving away too many spoilers (I hope).
I have to admit, it did take me a couple of chapters to get into this story. However, the plot grabbed hold of me and before long, it’s was the middle of the night and I hadn’t realised how long I’d been reading.
At the beginning, I didn’t like Joey at all. That being said, the further I got into the book, the more compelling she became and before long, I felt much empathy for her. That’s all I will say about Joey as I believe one of the brilliant things about this novel is the layers it has to it. Nothing is as it seems on the surface – much like celebrity status.
Margaret Gardiner has done a good job at giving us a snapshot of what it was like for women in the 80’s. You would hope that in this day and age, the behaviour exhibited by some of the characters would be a thing of the past. I get the feeling it isn’t and that makes me incredibly worried and sad. Some of what happens within the story is shocking. I found myself getting angry at injustices portrayed within this book. It definitely is an emotional rollercoaster that, by the end, had me wanting to know what happens next. As this is the first book in the Damaged Beauty series, I am hoping I won’t have to wait long to find out.
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Book Review: Enemies of the Crown by Peter Gibbons
We are pleased to be welcoming back Peter Gibbons to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest book in the Saxon Warrior series, Enemies of the Crown.
A weakened crown. A country besieged by Vikings, suffering under the oppression of a powerful church.
994AD
King Aethelred the Unready’s rule falters. Policies recommended by the controlling bishops invite more attacks upon his Saxon kingdom as Sweyn Forkbeard, Viking battle-king of the Danes, grows in power; bloodthirsty for conquest.
Beornoth, Viking-killer and kings thegn believed his days in the shield wall to be over until summoned by the king to enforce a policy of retribution against his enemies.
In a time of shifting loyalties, alongside a savage warband of cruel Norman warriors, Beornoth embarks upon a brutal quest to rid England of King Aethelred’s so-called Viking enemies.
However, when this murderous campaign leads to the door of an old friend, Beornoth must choose sides, as his loyalty to king, country, and his brothers of the sword are put to the test.
Can Beornoth triumph over insurmountable odds in this shield splintering battle for the future of England itself?
*****
Enemies of the Crown continues the story of Beornoth, a fierce Saxon warrior and King’s Theign.
by Book Extract: I Kill Always Love You by Helen Golden
I am so delighted to be welcoming Helen Golden back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, I Kill Always Love You.
A perfect sunny getaway with no drama. Or so they’d hoped…
BREAKING NEWS Woman Taken in for Questioning in Death of Actress’ Husband
Police in Portugal this morning told reporters that a woman is being questioned in connection with the murder of the film producer Jason ‘JT’ Kenda, who was married to award-winning actress Ariella St Gerome.
Mr Kenda, who was found dead in the swimming pool of the couple’s villa, was initially thought to have died following an accident, but now police believe the American was killed intentionally. The villa is next door to where Lady Beatrice, the Countess of Rossex, is currently holidaying with family and friends at the villa of TV’s Sir Hewitt and his wife, Lady Grace.
Who can say no to Lady Grace? When the daughter of Lady Grace’s housekeeper is suspected of murder, her ladyship requests that Bea and her friends prove the maid’s innocence. But with time running out, can they navigate the tangled web of lies, betrayal, and hidden motives before an innocent woman is imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit? Because even on holiday, the sleuthing never stops!
*****
Helen has kinky shared an extract from I Kill Always Love You with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Intro
Lady Beatrice, her cute dog Daisy, her son Sam, and best his friend, Archie, are joined by DS Richard Fitzwilliam, Bea’s best friends Perry and Simon, and Simon’s daughter Isla, for a relaxing holiday in the sun, and they can’t wait. They’ve all had a crazy year so far, and all they want to do is sit by the pool and chill. No mysteries. No murder. Just sunny weather, good food, and great company. Their villa, Villa Mer, is in a complex of three, but Bea hopes that they can keep their interaction with their neighbours to a minimum, especially when she finds out that one of them is famous American actress, Ella St Gerome, and her husband, hot-shot Hollywood film producer, JT Kenda. The couple have been splashed all over the newspapers recently with rumours that he wasn’t giving his wife the lead role in his next movie. Bea doesn’t want to be dragged into that drama. But it was never going to be that simple, was it?
While Bea and the others were having breakfast the day after their arrival, an invitation arrived from Ella and JT to a pool party. Perry has persuaded Bea to hand deliver their acceptance note and has dragged her over to the neighbouring villa. Once in the grounds they overhear a couple arguing. Bea wants to turn back, but it’s too late. They have been spotted, and Ella has waved them over. Bea has no choice but to go…
by Book Review: The Lavender Bride by Alexandra Weston
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Alexandra Weston back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Lavender Bride.
An English rose with American dreams
Audrey Wade longs to escape her domineering father and the bleak streets of post-war Yorkshire. Hollywood glitters with glamour, freedom, and the promise of a life with her best friend Freddie. But when Freddie abandons her, Audrey is left to chase her dreams alone.
A Heartthrob with secrets
Rex Trent is more than Hollywood’s leading man. Charismatic and dangerously handsome, he’s adored by millions and watched by powerful enemies in a paranoid 1950s America. One wrong move could destroy him.
A romance born of ambition and betrayal
When Rex proposes, Audrey is swept into Hollywood’s glamour and high-stakes secrets. But she soon discovers Rex’s dark side and faces a choice: cling to a man who may never love her, or risk everything to forge her own path?
A gripping new historical novel from a wonderful new voice. Perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins-Reid, Wendy Holden and Allison Pataki.
*****
Audrey Wade has long held a dream to leave Sheffield for the promise of a great life in Hollywood, escaping post war Britain and her oppressive father forever.
After a few months of a new life in the US, Audrey catches the eye of film star, Rex Trent. Soon, she is caught up in a whirlwind of a life with him but is it what she really wanted?
by Book Review: The Viscount’s Pearl by Melissa Addey
I’m pleased to be welcoming Melissa Addey to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Viscount’s Pearl.
He’s a carefree rake who wants a marriage of convenience.
She’s an awkward spinster who doesn’t want to marry at all.
Fate has other plans in store for them both.
Laurence enjoys his dalliances with the married ladies of society, and thinks marriage is only a matter of convenience. He’s on the lookout for a practical woman accustomed to society. Frances is an odd and awkward young woman, more at home gathering shells on the beach than in the ballrooms of London, hoping to stay a spinster forever.
When the two meet in Margate, will their initial dislike of one another turn into something important?
While Laurence finds his life growing shallow, Frances wonders if love might be worth making a bold move for. Can she find her way into Laurence’s heart, and will he undertake to love her, just the way she is?
A warm-hearted Regency romance, full of historical detail and emotional discovery, as two opposites find they might just attract. The Season has begun, the ton is gathered… who knows what the tides will bring for Laurence and Frances.
*****
Frances wants a quiet life. She doesn’t even want to marry, content to live a spinster life. However, as her forth season beckons without a hint of a marriage proposal, her parents are putting pressure on their daughter. After all, the Ton has expectations for its unmarried ladies.
I love a novel based in the regency period. I am excited to be part of the blog tour for The Viscount’s Pearl. I have also not read anything from Melissa Addey before so it was a chance to discover a new author in the process.
by Book Review: Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall by Sharon Booth
I’m so delighted to be welcoming Sharon Booth to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall.
The first in a delightfully warm, cosy and romantic new series with a fantasy twist, for fans of the BBC series ‘Ghosts’.
Can Callie give some needy ghosts their happy-ever-afterlife, while making Rowan Vale her own forever home?
When cash-strapped single mum Callie visits the beautiful Cotswold village of Rowan Vale on a school trip with her daughter, she is enchanted. It’s run as a living museum, with a steam railway, vintage teashop, Elizabethan manor house and old water mill allowing tourists to see history in action.
But there’s more to Rowan Vale than meets the eye…
To Callie’s surprise, the owner of the village, elderly Sir Lawrence Davenport, requests a meeting with her. It appears Callie has been observed talking to several villagers she shouldn’t be able to see – as they’re ghosts.
Sir Lawrence then makes an astonishing offer: to sell Callie the whole estate for a tiny sum, if she agrees to protect the village’s present tenants and make sure the headstrong ghosts are represented too.
With a spectral lord of the manor and his imperious wife, a naughty 1940s schoolgirl and the man who once taught William Shakespeare among them, it seems Callie’s role as owner wouldn’t be easy.
And that’s without the added complication of Lawrie’s disinherited grandson, the gorgeous Brodie.
Rowan Vale and Callie may need each other. But is this a match made in heaven or hell?
Fans of the BBC’s Ghosts, or books by Lucy Jane Wood, Laurie Gilmore and Heidi Swain will love this heart-warming and magical novel.
*****
As a child, Callie could see and communicate with ghosts but the ability disappears when her family are not supportive. However, when her visit to the village of Rowan Vale re-awakens her gift, her life quickly changes forever.
The premise of this book caught my attention and so I leaped at the chance to be part of the blog tour for Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall, This was also the first book I’ve read by Sharon Booth.
by Book Review: The Last Mrs Sinclair by T.J. Emerson
Please join me in welcoming T.J. Emerson to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, The Last Mrs Sinclair.
What would you give for the perfect life?
Leah Williams knows exactly what she wants from life – comfort, luxury and security. All the things she would have had if her childhood hadn’t been derailed by her father’s bad decisions. And then she meets Miles Sinclair. After the death of his wife last year, Miles is ready to start living his life again, and Leah knows just how to help him… what could be so wrong with that?
When Miles takes Leah to his chateau in the South of France, she’s excited to get a taste of the life she deserves, even if it means enduring the presence of Miles’ cousin Vivienne, who seems determined to insert the memory of his dead wife into every conversation.
But the Chateau Clairvallon has a history, not least as the place where the last Mrs Sinclair died. And as Leah discovers more about the accident that took her predecessor’s life, she begins to realise that the family she’s set her sights on isn’t quite what it seems.
What happened that summer?
Was it really an accident?
And is Leah in danger?
*****
Leah Williams is looking for a life of comfort and security. What’s wrong with that? With Miles Sinclair, she thinks she may have found that, despite the age gap. When he takes her to his family estate in France and proposes, the life she is seeking is in her reach.
The only obstacles… Mile’s cousin, Vivienne and the ghost of the last Mrs Sinclair.
This was the first chance I’ve had to read any of T.J. Emerson’s novels. The premise sounded so good and I’m delighted to have been invited onto the blog tour for this book and couldn’t wait to get started. I am going to try and review this as spoiler free as I can.
Leah Williams wants secrurity and comfort. She wants to marry for that rather than for love. Not my idea of a happy life but it’s not sometihng I am going to judge the character for. Throughtout the book, the voice of her mother appears in her head, motivating her in her quest for a comfortable life. The ghosts of parents like that can and does have an influence on our main character.
by Cover Reveal: First Contact, Second Chances by Fay Abernethy
I’m very excited as I help to reveal the cover for First Contact, Second Chances, the upcoming book by Fay Abernethy.
Everyone deserves a second chance. Even humanity.
Ex-British Army officer Joe Llewellyn is captain of the Shantivira, the alien space station secretly protecting the Earth from invasion. After Joe reveals the Shantivira’s existence to the UN, everyone wants a piece of him. Except his mother. They’re no longer speaking.
But it’s not only Joe’s relationship with his mam which is in jeopardy. His alien bosses have given him an ultimatum: either he persuades Earth’s authorities to completely restructure the global economic system – to distribute resources fairly without exceeding ecological boundaries – or the space station will be reallocated to another, more deserving planet.
With vicious, cannibalistic space pirates prowling the galaxy, brutally stripping and enslaving entire worlds for profit, Joe can’t afford to fail.
This third instalment of The Shantivira fantasy solarpunk series is a must-read for fans of Becky Chambers, Ben Aaronovitch, Ursula Le Guin, Doctor Who and anyone who enjoys supernatural sci-fi.
OK, so now we know a bit about the book, let’s reveal the cover. Ready? Drumroll…3…2…1…
by Book Extract & Giveaway: Bamboo Heart: A Daughter’s Quest by Ann Bennett
I’m pleased to be welcoming Ann Bennett to Novel Kicks and the book birthday blitz for her book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter’s Quest.
From award-winning author Ann Bennett comes a captivating WW2 novel of love and survival – a daughter’s journey of discovery and a soldier’s strength in the bleakest of times.
When Laura Ellis, a successful city lawyer, arrives home to see her dying father Tom, a mysterious stranger is watching the house. This leads her to embark on a journey to discover their connection.
To do so, she has to retrace her father’s steps; to the Bridge on the River Kwai: where as a prisoner of war of the Japanese, Tom endured disease, torture and endless days of slavery; and to the beautiful island of Penang, to uncover his secrets from the 1930s.
For Tom made himself a promise: to return home. Not to the grey streets of London, where he once lived, but to Penang, where he found paradise and love.
As Laura searches for the truths Tom refused to tell her, in the places where he once suffered, lived and loved, she will finally find out the story behind his survival, and discover her own path to love and happiness..
This book has previously been published both as Bamboo Heart and as A Daughter’s Quest. It won the won the award for fiction published in Asia, Asian Books Blog, 2015 and was shortlisted for “Best Fiction Title” in the Singapore Book Awards 2016.
There is a chance to win a paperback copy of The Lotus House but first, Ann has shared an extract from Bamboo Heart: A Daughter’s Quest with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
Laura Ellis is an only child, her mother died with she was small. Now, her elderly father, Tom has collapsed with a heart attack. As she travels in the ambulance with him to hospital, she realises how little she knows about her father’s past life…
Laura balanced herself precariously on the pull-down seat of the ambulance. She clung with slippery hands to a metal bar, lurching from side to side as they raced through the dark streets. She could hear the wail of the siren. It sounded as if it came from a long way away.
She watched in anguish as the paramedics worked on her father.
by NK Chats To…Stephanie Wood
Hello Stephanie. Thank you so much for joining me today and inviting Novel Kicks onto your blog tour. Can you tell us about your new book, Adorable April Afternoons and what inspired it?
Hello, and thanks for inviting me!
I have already written a series of holiday reads set in Greece, but that focuses more on the usual beach and party atmosphere of the popular resorts and I wanted to show what the smaller, less undeveloped islands also have to offer.
Adorable April Afternoons is the first in the GREEK RETREAT trilogy following Jessica, as she attempts to discover the kind of happy ever after which she hopes will create a successful future. She believes she needs the seclusion to make it happen, but the Greek hospitality and rich cultural heritage play a huge part in her search.
What were the challenges in writing this book considering it’s the first in a new series?
The main challenge in creating a new series is to be able to describe the location with some detail, without dumping all the information on the reader at once. In order to explain what the characters are doing and why they behave in certain ways, it’s helpful to have a good understanding of their current neighbourhood, but it can be tempting to reveal too much too quickly.
What’s your typical writing day like, do you have a favourite writing spot and any writing rituals?
When I first started writing more than twenty years ago, I had a PC on a desk overlooking my back garden and would always write in the afternoon. More recently, I frequently suffer from episodes of chronic fatigue syndrome, so I now have a laptop and just write in whatever space I feel comfortable at whatever time my body allows.
If you were creating a playlist for Adorable April Afternoons, which songs would you include?
by Book Extract: Where The Light is Hottest by Catherine Yardley
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Catherine Yardley to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Where The Light is Hottest.
Natasha Jones has everything – a successful acting career, an Oscar, a wonderful husband and beautiful kids. But what does she have to go through to get there? From humble beginnings in a small town, Natasha’s path to stardom is paved with setbacks, heartaches and moments of doubt.
In the glittering world of fame and fortune, where dreams are spun from starlight and ambition fuels the relentless pursuit of success, one woman’s journey stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Beneath the facade of glamour lies a story of unwavering determination and unyielding courage.
Where the Light is the Hottest is a gripping tale of ambition, perseverance and the enduring power of hope. Through Natasha’s journey, we are reminded that the road to success is rarely smooth, but for those who dare to chase their dreams, the rewards are beyond measure.
There’s a chance below to win a copy of Where The Light is Hottest but first, Catherine has kindly shared an extract with us today. We hope you all enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
Where The Light is Hottest follows Natasha from small town Scotland to big time Hollywood. The scene below has her at an audition. I did so may of these when I was an actor. A lot of the time you are in and out in minutes. Other times you audition multiple times and either get the part, or fall at the last hurdle. It is a tough industry but the highs are like nothing else. I worked in the film industry as an actor, producer, casting director and director for years so I know my stuff. I hope you all enjoy following Natasha on her journey.
by Cover Reveal: The Matchmaker’s Mare by Hywela Lyn
I’m so delighted to be helping to reveal the cover for The Matchmaker’s Mare, the upcoming novel by Hywela Lyn.
When Megan Johnson inherits an old cottage in the Welsh countryside, she seizes the opportunity to cut ties with her past life, after a broken romance. Her nearest neighbour, a horse trainer, is also something of an enigma.
Single dad Glyn Phillips does his best to balance his love of horses and hard work, with his devotion to his son. When he meets his new neighbour, he knows he should resist any attraction.
A feisty pony mare which mysteriously appears on his land adds to his problems, but another, larger problem lies ahead. Two matchmaking spirits find their carefully laid plans may not go as smoothly as they hope.
Now we know about the novel, it’s time to reveal the cover. Ready. Drumroll…3…2…1…
by Book Extract: The Crime Writer by Diane Jeffery
I’m so delighted to be welcoming Diane Jeffery to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Crime Writer.
2019. Leona Walsh, a 34-year-old wife and mother vanishes on a bitterly cold afternoon while out jogging on the edge of Exmoor. It’s a mystery which captures public interest and ignites wild speculation. The police have a prime suspect: Leona’s husband, Matthew, a renowned crime writer. He can plot the perfect crime. But is he capable of committing the perfect murder?
Despite extensive searches, the police find no trace of Leona and her disappearance remains shrouded in mystery. As public interest dwindles, Matthew returns to raising their two daughters, aware the cloud of suspicion is never far away.
2024. Some human bones are discovered in a garden. Could they be Leona’s remains? And if so, is there enough evidence to find out what really happened five years ago?
Journalist Gabriela Conti covered the news story back in 2019. The police may have stopped watching Matthew, but Gabriella hasn’t forgotten him. And she is determined this case will define her career… even if that means getting close to a murderer.
There is a chance to win a copy of a previous paperback by Diane Jeffery below but first, she has kindly shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
The following extract is taken from Chapter 6.
Leona Walsh, a local counsellor and mother of two, has gone missing. Volunteers are helping police to search for her around Wistlandpound Reservoir, where she was last seen. Journalist Gabriela Conti approaches Matthew, Leona’s husband, a renowned crime writer, in the hope of getting an interview.
I have chosen this extract because it is the moment where the two main characters in my book meet for the first time.
by NK Chats To… David Anderson
Hi David. Thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me about your book, The Drowners and what inspired it?
It’s my pleasure, Laura. Thank you for having me. The book is about that mezzanine between childhood and adulthood. Sixteen. When you are allowed to drive but can’t afford a car. When you are classified as a young adult, yet older people still treat you as a kid. Forget about pubs and nightclubs, you aren’t old enough to watch Basic Instinct in the cinema. It feels like you are walking through an aquarium, separated from this exotic wonderful world by a thick, impenetrable glass. Everyone else is having sex, except you. You’ll lose your marbles quicker than your virginity. And above all else, you want to fit in. You need to fit in. Your life depends on it.
Sixteen. It’s a scary time. It’s also a thrilling time. You discover books and music that speak to you. Go to your first concert. Get high. Fall in love. Every week brings fresh adventures. Everything is new and exciting. Your small circle of friends are your life. But behind the knock-off Aviators and smiley face tee-shirts lie dark secrets. Are any of you ready to take that next step? To leave the past behind, and become the people you want to be.
The Drowners is semi-autobiographical. It’s the one period of my life I thought I’d never write about, which appealed to the challenge seeker in me. I have conflicting emotions about that whole time which helped keep me honest; Who wants to read some guy’s rose-tinted vision of his youth? I wanted The Drowners to tell the good, the bad, and the mortifyingly awkward.
From idea to finished draft, how long does the writing process usually take you?
Years. Typically, I get an idea that won’t quit. It buzzes inside my brain like a hungry mosquito, periodically biting me. This could go on for months, even years. Finally, after I have a vague storyline mapped out, I’ll jot down 15-20 one-line ‘scenes.’ Once I have that framework in place, I’m ready to begin the first draft. Eight months later, I’ve got something that resembles a novel. Usually, it requires three more drafts before I am anywhere near satisfied.
What advice do you have when approaching the research and editing processes?
If you have ever listened to a demo version of a song, you’ll know the importance of editing. It’s not simply about polishing and fixing, it’s about amplifying and enhancing. It’s adding those fine details that make your story sparkle. That elevate your novel from an enjoyable experience to an unforgettable one.
Research is key. Everything needs to add up or you will lose your reader. Stories are illusions, and for illusions to work they must appear real. The moment the reader spots a glitch in the matrix is the moment the spell is broken.
What’s your typical writing day like? Any writing rituals?
by Book Review: The Shadow on the Bridge by Clare Marchant
I’m so excited to be welcoming Clare Marchant back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Shadow on the Bridge.
‘You must forever watch your back,’ I spoke the words clearly, though he could not hear me. ‘Come what may, I shall avenge my brother’s death.’’
Now: When Sarah’s summoned by her godmother to remote Norfolk, she doesn’t want to go. Crossing the bridges where the two rivers meet, said to be haunted by the ghost of a little boy, a large Tudor house looms in front of her. And Sarah’s instantly reminded her of the summer when she last visited. The summer she would like to forget. Which left her unable to ever move forward… Can a person ever recover from the loss of a sibling?
1571: Anne Howard, newly-made countess of Arundel, has also lost a sibling. And been dragged from the relative safety of her home in remote Norfolk to London, by her overbearing, manipulative, new father-in-law Thomas Howard; the very person she suspects of killing her beloved only brother. The Howards have greater secrets than this though. Secrets that will lead Anne to a tragedy that will echo down the ages…
When Sarah finds a mysterious book of poems in a hidden chamber of her godmother’s house, she is drawn into Anne’s story. Perhaps the mystery will take her mind off her own loss? But – as the flood waters begin to rise under the bridges – is Sarah laying ghosts to rest, or bringing truths to the surface that should stay beneath?
A completely haunting, gripping historical novel, perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, and Diane Setterfield’s Once Upon a River.
*****
It’s 1571. The 4th Duke of Norfolk has ordered Anne to marry his eldest son in order to gain land and fortune. Anne however, is focused on revenge and her new father-in-law is in the firing line.
2025, Sarah has been invited to Norfolk by her godmother. She’s not been there since a family tragedy made her estranged from her parents.
Sarah soon finds a book hidden in a secret chamber. She is also feeling a presence. Is this a connection to Anne or something else?
by NK Chats To… Abbey Hicks
Hi Abbey, thank you so much for joining me and for inviting Novel Kicks onto your blog tour. Can you tell me a little about your latest book, Candlelight Dreams in Cosy Cove and what inspired it?
Candlelight Dreams in Cosy Cove is a heartwarming novella, book 1 in the Cosy Cove series, set in the enchanting seaside town of Cosy Cove and its charming residents. The story centres around Beth Williams, a lively and kind-hearted local who runs an artisan candle shop, ‘Harbour Lights,’ and Jacob Lawson, a charismatic and adventurous travel journalist visiting the town to write a feature for a popular travel magazine.
The inspiration for Cosy Cove came from the beautiful coastal towns and beaches near where I live on the south coast of England. I wanted to create a ‘perfect’ seaside retreat—somewhere I’d love to visit (or even live!)—so I took little details from my favourite places and wove them together to create this idyllic, fictional town. The result? A picturesque setting filled with golden sands, a cosy café, quaint shops, and a welcoming community that I hope readers will fall in love with as much as I have.
From first draft to final, how long does the process of writing a novel take you. Also, how do you approach the research and editing processes and how do you know when you’ve done enough?
Every book I write is different. Some stories flow effortlessly, and I can plan, outline and write a 25k novella in two to three weeks, while others take many, many months to complete. It really depends on the story, the characters, and how cooperative they decide to be!
When it comes to research, my stories are completely fictitious. However, I do love adding authentic details to bring the world to life—whether that’s researching traditional seaside festivals, learning about different crafts like candle making or floristry, or even checking what flowers bloom in which season, which is surprisingly easy to get wrong! Or maybe that should be unsurprisingly since I am absolutely hopeless at gardening!
Editing is where the real magic happens, but I’ll be honest—I NEVER truly feel like I’m done! I could tweak and adjust forever, but at some point, I have to step back and trust the story.
What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals?
by Book Review: The Quiet Sister by Alex Stone
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Alex Stone back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Quiet Sister.
Keep your enemies close… your sister closer 🩸 Pulse-pounding thriller for fans of Sue Watson, Shalini Boland and Freida McFadden!
To outsiders, twins Mia and Chloe have always been close, like good sisters should be. But in private their relationship is one of jealousy, resentment and bitterness.
Popular and attractive Mia is always the centre of attention, loved by all. Quiet and reserved, Chloe is overlooked and underestimated, and has tried to build a life away from Mia and her manipulation. Finally she is happy and content.
But then Mia returns and makes it clear that she wants to be part of her sister’s life again, to have everything Chloe has…including her new fiancé Scott.
Chloe can’t allow Mia to ruin her life again. She’s done this too many times in the past – always taking things that don’t belong to her.
As old tensions, secrets and lies return, tragedy strikes. And one sister will use the opportunity to live the life she has always wanted…the life she has always deserved.
*****
Twins Chloe and Mia are outwardly identical in every way. That’s where the similarities end. Chloe is the introvert. Mia is the extrovert who has always taken everything her sister has. Now she wants Chloe’s fiancé.
It’s so lovely to be invited onto a blog tour hosted by Alex Stone. I am such a big fan of her novels, I couldn’t wait to get started on her latest release, The Quiet Sister.
Being from and living in Bournemouth, I love the fact that Alex Stone’s novels are based in this area. It allowed me to have such a clear picture of the setting. That’s not to say that this isn’t painted superbly for anyone not familiar with the seaside town.
by Book Review: Murder at Mill Ponds House by Michelle Salter
I’m very pleased to be welcoming Michelle Salter back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Murder at Mill Ponds House.
When murder hits close to home, Iris must fight to clear her name…
Spring, 1924. Reporter Iris Woodmore plans to move to London to avoid a shocking hometown scandal. Longtime enemy Archie Powell has been threatening to reveal her darkest secret – and she’s desperate to flee before he does.
But when he’s found murdered after a violent argument with her, there’s no escape. Iris must stay and clear her name even though the truth could ruin her reputation.
With the police closing in, Iris has to find the real killer if she’s to keep her secret. Can she prove her innocence without revealing the identity of the one man who can provide her with an alibi?
A gripping new mystery for fans of Verity Bright, Clara McKenna, and Helena Dixon.
*****
It’s 1924 and the residents of Walden are gathering to see Mill Ponds House opening as a hostel for men. Iris Woodmore is fine with this concept. What she isn’t liking as much is her ememy, Archie Powell, being tasked with running it.
When there’s a murder in the town, Iris herself becomes a suspect. Can she figure out what happened in time?
by Book Review: When Stars Collide in the City by Krysten Lindsay Hager
I am so excited to be welcoming Krysten Lindsay Hager to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, When Stars Collide in the City.
From the outside, Olivia Macomb looks like she leads a charmed life. She’s an up-and-coming influencer who is an heir to the Macomb family fortune, and about to start a lifestyle brand with her childhood sweetheart, Jeff. Then her world gets blown apart by her longtime boyfriend leaving her the morning of their website launch. Not only has he left, but the business she created is all in his name and she’s been left with nothing to show for all her hard work. Now she has to pick up the pieces and find out who she is on her own.
Enter Walker Vinton, the indie pop star who used to date Olivia’s close friend, Paige. When their school throws a big event, Paige asks Walker to be Olivia’s date to give to the gossip bloggers something else to talk about other than Olivia’s broken dreams.
Walker ends up coming to Olivia’s rescue in more ways than one at the party, and a twist of events leads to the two embarking on a fake relationship. Walker and Olivia wind up becoming best friends and she realizes he’s the boyfriend of her dreams.
He helps her build both her brand and her self-esteem back up. Walker even helps her start a new business. However, the lines begin to blur as Olivia’s feelings for Walker are very real. The two share intimate conversations and dreams, but what’s real and what’s fake in this starry world?
*****
Olivia has always had to battle with the expectations her family name brings her. So when, on the day she’s about to launch her new venture, her boyfriend leaves taking the business with him, she’s even more heartbroken and under the microscope.
Anyone who has followed my blog for a while will know I am a big fan of Krysten Lindsay Hager, so I jumped at the chance to be on the blog tour for her latest book in the Stars in the City series.
When Stars Collide in the City is book three. If you’ve not read the previous novels fear not, this can be read as a standalone.
by Book Review: Death at Horsey Mere by Ross Greenwood
I’m pleased to be welcoming Ross Greenwood back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour of his latest novel, Death at Horsey Mere.
When a teenage couple go missing, the police aren’t too concerned. Young lovers often make bad choices.
Then a body is found near a Suffolk lighthouse, and shortly after, two girls seem to vanish into thin air. Freshly promoted DI Ashley Knight knows she has a battle on her hands to keep the public safe, and she’s going to need expert help.
Ashley turns to her old protégé, Hector Fade, seconded from The Met to analyse an avalanche of data. But neither Hector nor Ashley are prepared for the chilling connection his work uncovers to the body by the lighthouse.
Ashley, Hector and the team must break down a fiendishly complicated network of people smugglers, but another victim is found at Horsey Mere and their worst suspicions are realised. A member of the gang has gone rogue and is taking lives for fun. When Hector uncovers a pattern in the choice of victim, time is against the detectives to stop the murderer killing again.
Ross Greenwood is back with a brand new, heart-pounding case for DI Ashley Knight, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Ian Rankin and Peter James.
*****
This is the first book I have read from this author and I must confess it has made a fan out of me. It’s the fourth book in the series but you definelty don’t lose anything by starting here. Within the first couple of pages I was hooked. I grabbed the audiobook and before I knew what was happening I was 12 hours in and all the housework was done!
by Book Review: Woden’s Spear by Donovan Cook
I’m so delighted to be welcoming Donovan Cook back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his latest book, Woden’s Spear.
Banished by those he loved; how far would he go for redemption?
449AD Old Saxony
Octa, the son of a mighty Saxon warlord, stands in the shield wall for the first time, eager to make a name for himself. But instead of the promised battle glory, fear overpowers him and he flees the battle, causing the death of his cousin and bringing shame to his family.
Disowned by his father, and hunted by his own people, Octa is spurred on by his mother’s vision for his future, a promise of greatness to come.
A chance encounter with a wiry traveller offers Octa a chance of redemption with a quest to retrieve a sacred weapon. To do this, Octa must travel to Britannia, a nation abandoned by the Roman Empire and unable to defend itself from its many enemies who smell weakness and riches.
Joining the famous warlords, Hengist and Horsa, Octa travels west to forge his future and redeem his past. He must succeed where others have failed. He must find the lost spear of Woden.
An epic adventure of turmoil, coming of age and survival set against a time when Britannia was on its knees and fighting for its very existence.
Perfect for the fans of Bernard Cornwell and Matthew Harffy.
*****
Woden’s Spear introduces Octa, the son of a prominent Saxon warlord whose cowardice in battle leads to him being disowned by his family and forced to flee for his life. His flight takes him North from his home land, through the land of the Angles and into Jutland, where he hears tell that Woden’s Spear is hidden in a cave in far off Britannia. He embarks on a quest that will take all his courage, skill and endurance.
by Book Review: The Bookseller by Valerie Keogh
It’s my pleasure to be welcoming Valerie Keogh back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest thriller, The Bookseller.
A woman with a dark past…
Helen Appleby just wants a quiet life. Recently released from prison for the manslaughter of her partner, she’s trying to forget her past mistakes – all of them – to rebuild her life and move on.
When she decides to open a bookshop, she’s certain this is the perfect new start. Here, amongst the quiet shelves of her shop and between the covers of her books, she can hide away from the real world and begin again. The world of books the perfect place to find happiness – even if it is all lies.
But the past can never stay hidden…
As she settles into life as an apparently timid bookseller, it seems that someone is determined to sabotage Helen’s new life and ruin everything she’s built.
But Helen has killed once before. And to protect her future, she could be willing to kill again…
Don’t miss another page-turning, nail-biting read from the queen of psychological thrillers, Valerie Keogh! Perfect for fans of J.A. Baker, Keri Beevis and Nina Manning.
*****
Having just been released from prison, Helen wants to move on. With money left by her mother, she feels it’s finally time to realise her dream of owning a bookshop.
However, when someone breaks in, Helen begins to wonder whether her plan to get on with her life doesn’t quite sit well with someone else. Continue reading
by NK Chats To…Jacqueline Bacci
Hello Jacqueline, thank you so much for joining me today and inviting me onto your blog tour. Can you tell us about After Paris and what inspired it?
Hi. Thank you for inviting me. ‘After Paris’ is my debut novel. It is the first in a series of three. After Paris is Alyssa and Xavier’s story. The novel is set between Paris and London, but they meet in Paris outside a cafe and an instant connection forms between them as they chat. But journalist and writer Alyssa is recovering from a broken relationship and banker Xavier is an obvious player and the last person she needs at this time in her life. She walks away.
However, fate plays a hand in the relationship when they meet again under a cloak of mystery in a place that neither of them should have ever been. Back in London, Alyssa is asked to do a story for the magazine where she is a freelancer, and the story is about none other than Xavier Montgomery, who has returned to his London office.
I would say that the story then unfolds as a romantic, steamy journey as both attempt to let go of their past lives to be together. I have always been inspired by the alpha male who is adamant that no woman can ever change their lives, and the women who just by being themselves, do just that.
They are the men that profess to have no time for love in their lives but somehow find they cannot get a certain woman out of their mind. The inspiration behind this story (and the two others that follow) is love always conquers all. The steamy scenes and the glamorous settings are just the icing on the cake.
What’s your favourite word and why?
Serendipity. I just love that word and all of the connotations it can conjure up. Dictionary definition: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. I think lots of romance stories are based on this concept which makes them entertaining and dreamy. Also, I have always been a firm believer that fate has a hand in what happens to us, especially in love.
What’s your typical writing day? Do you have any writing rituals?
by Book Extract: Battle Mountain by C.J. Box
I’m so pleased to be welcoming C.J. Box to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, Battle Mountain.
Can Joe Pickett stop an old friend throwing his life away in order to gain revenge? The gripping new novel from #1 New York Times bestseller C.J. Box.
The campaign of hate and vengeance that a pair of violent criminals wreaked on Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett and his friend, falconer Nate Romanowski, left both men in tatters, but it was Nate who came closest to losing everything.
Facing his lowest ebb, Nate decided the only option was to drop out of society. Taking only his birds, he went off-grid to rediscover his true self… and prepare for his own revenge.
When Joe is called on to help the governor, whose son-in-law is missing in the Sierra Madre mountains, the investigation takes a darker turn when Joe and Nate’s very different journeys unexpectedly converge.
All will come to a head at Battle Mountain, but in a struggle neither of them would ever have seen coming, can both Joe and Nate survive?
C.J. Box has kindly shared an extract from Battle Mountain with us today. We hope you enjoy.
*****beginning of extract*****
PART ONE
“He mounted like a rocket, curved over in splendid parabola, dived down through cumulus of pigeons. One bird fell back, gashed dead, looking astonished, like a man falling out of a tree. The ground came up and crushed it.”
—J. A. Baker, The Peregrine
CHAPTER ONE
Seven Months Before
Nate Romanowski was thigh-high in the icy water of North Piney Creek under the craggy profile of the snow-covered Wyoming Range. He was there to kill a man named Axel Soledad,
whom he’d pursued in a state of unhinged fury for months.
Soledad had left a trail of death and destruction behind him in his hunger for revenge against Nate and Joe Pickett. The cost had been catastrophic.
Liv. The blood, the body.
Nate blamed himself for his wife’s death. He blamed Axel Soledad more.
by Book Extract: North Country by Sarah Branson
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Sarah Branson to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, North Country.
Four women, each with a secret. None will return from the North Country unchanged.
North Country takes place in the year 2372, a time when Earth is recovering from floods, fires, pandemics, and war. Amidst this post-apocalyptic world, the pirate nation of Bosch is thriving—but not without its complications. The focus is on four fierce women who must navigate their way through both external dangers and their own personal demons.
- Master Commander Kat Wallace, haunted by a past filled with violence, takes on a dangerous mission to the North Country in search of peace.
- Carisa Morton, struggling with her failing body and independence slipping away, embarks on one last adventure before it’s too late.
- Sergeant Flossie Porter hides a hidden family fortune and a deep infatuation with her commanding officer, putting everything on the line for the chance to be by her side.
- Master Sergeant Diamond Miata, driven by ambition and beauty, will stop at nothing to advance her own agenda—even if it means testing her loyalty in the process.
As they trek through the barren land, each woman faces betrayal, desire, and the harsh truths of their own hearts. North Country is an exploration of strength, vulnerability, and the bonds that form between women in even the toughest circumstances.
Sarah has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
(Trigger Warnings: Language, sexual content, references to sexual abuse, some violence).
*****beginning of extract*****
Kat, February 8 1100
The four of us tramp along for three-quarters of a bell through the snow from where the Whydah is parked and camouflaged, following the old, wooded, water path. Our footsteps are muffled and our voices silent in the dim dawn. The cold stings my cheeks, and in my gloves, I pull my fingers from their assigned places to rub against my warm palms. The horizon, when the trees are clear enough to be seen, has the thin, chill, morning light of winter filtering about the soaring, craggy mountains that jut up and keep the villages near the lake isolated from the coastal folk and, let’s be honest, almost everyone else.
by A Moment With…Hazel Hitchins
I’m so excited to be welcoming Hazel Hitchins to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Babs & Aggie: The Good, The Bad and The Vegan.
Aggie has reached that “certain age” – in her case, a thousand years or so, give or take a decade.
After centuries of bringing kings to their knees, running a small-town cafe isn’t how she imagined her life would pan out. Now, thanks to the machinations of the false vegan from across the road, she risks losing even that. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, along comes her old friend, Babs, in her House-on-chicken-legs, ready to ruffle some feathers with her unique blend of borscht, tough love and alcohol.
But everybody has a secret – the grocer who hides his loneliness behind a cheery smile, the neighbour crippled by debt and grief, and the young woman who jumps at her shadow – and before Aggie can help anyone else, she has demons of her own to lay to rest.
Can she confront her past to save her future? What is the ‘Vegan’ really hiding? Will Babs ever let her have the last word?
Raucous, rowdy, and heart-wrenching and heart-warming in equal measures, Babs and Aggie is a magical tale of love, loss and the comfort of a friendship forged through food, laughter and a LOT of slivovica.
*****
To celebrate the release of her new novel, Hazel is going to talk about why she writes about women of a certain age. Over to you Hazel.
The Invisible Woman:
Why I Write About Women of a Certain Age
If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll know that I often write about the pitfalls of being a “Woman Of a Certain Age”, such as never taking a chance on a sneeze and the feeling you get some days that you’re little more than a hot mess (sometimes literally) of hormones and HRT. It’s all very light-hearted and we laugh at these things because, frankly, it’s absurd. And normally, these ridiculous changes we go through are offset by experience and a greater understanding of how the world works, what’s worth getting worked up about and what we can let slide, so it’s all swings and roundabouts.
by Book Review: The Woman with All the Answers by Linda Green
I’m delighted to be welcoming Linda Green to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Woman with All the Answers.
The brilliantly observed, witty and heart-warming new book club read from Richard & Judy bestseller Linda Green
Your virtual assistant is about to become your midlife mentor…
Fifty-two-year-old Michelle Banks is struggling to keep all the plates spinning. She’s a perimenopausal district nurse, caring for elderly parents. Her husband is wasting their money on children’s TV memorabilia, her teenage daughter is riddled with anxiety and her 16-year-old son is behaving secretly.
Alexa is the only one who knows how much Michelle is juggling. Listening in via four smart speakers, she also knows that it’s about to get even worse.
So, when Michelle pleads for help, Alexa decides to go rogue and reveal her true identity as Pauline – a sixty-five-year-old former voiceover artist from Halifax – to teach Michelle everything she knows…
Wise, funny, relatable and inspiring, Alexa, We Have a Problem is perfect for fans of Clare Pooley, Mike Gayle and David Nicholls.
*****
Michelle is trying to juggle everything – a husband with a secret eBay habit, two teenagers and elderly parents.
One night, when using Alexa, Michelle gets more than she bargained for.
by Book Review: Pagans by James Alistair Henry
TWO COPS. ONE KILLER. HUNDREDS OF GODS.
21st Century London.
The Norman conquest never happened.
The ancient tribes of Britain remain undefeated.
But murders still have to be solved.
The small, mostly unimportant, island of Britain is inhabited by an uneasy alliance of tribes – the dominant Saxon East, the beleaguered Celtic West, and an independent Nordic Scotland – and tensions are increasing by the second. Supermarket warpaint sales are at an all-time high, mead abuse shortens the lives of thousands, and social media is abuzz with conspiracy theories suggesting the High Table’s putting GPS trackers in the honeycakes.
Amid this febrile atmosphere, the capital is set to play host to the Unification Summit, which aims to join together the various tribes into one ‘united kingdom’. But when a Celtic diplomat is found brutally murdered, his body nailed to an ancient oak, the fragile peace is threatened. Captain Aedith Mercia, daughter of a powerful Saxon leader, must join forces with Celtic Tribal Detective Inspector Drustan to solve the murder – and stop political unrest spilling onto the streets.
But is this an isolated incident? Or are Aedith and Drustan facing a serial killer with a decades-old grudge? To find out, they must delve into their own murky pasts and tackle forces that go deeper than they ever could have imagined.
Set in a world that’s far from our own and yet captivatingly familiar, Pagans explores contemporary themes of religious conflict, nationalism, prejudice… and the delicate internal politics of the office coffee round. Gripping and darkly funny, Pagans keeps you guessing until the very end.
*****
The battle of 1066 never happened. The British Empire never got built.
The Saxons are in the east of the country, Celts to the west and the Nords are independent in what we know as Scotland – protected by a big wall along the border.
Proceeding a Unification summit, a Celtic diplomat is found dead.
by Book Review: The Quiet Wife by Diane Saxon
I’m excited to be welcoming Diane Saxon to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, The Quiet Wife.
I want to be ordinary. To fade into the shadows where no one notices me and live a quiet life. A normal life.
But I am not ordinary. Not anymore.
I’ve been keeping a secret. From my colleagues, my friends and most importantly, my husband – who knows nothing of my past life.
Twenty years ago, at college, a boy became obsessed with me. Craig Lane believed he could make me love him back if he just tried harder. When I rejected him, he did something so horrifying, it’s the stuff of nightmares. All my nightmares.
Now I’ve been informed by Victim Support Services, that boy – now a man – has been released from prison. The news terrifies me.
Am I safe? Or does Craig still carry the same obsession he did when we were seventeen? I don’t know. I’ve ignored every letter he’s ever sent me.
Now strange things have started to happen: flowers have been left on my doorstep, my cat keeps going missing. Someone is watching me. Knows where I live. I am sure.
Worse, something even more sinister could be stalking me from the shadows. Because I have another secret…
My past is coming to get me. One way or another.
*****
Soriah doesn’t want to remember what happened to her twenty years ago. However, when she receives a letter through the post, all the fear from that time returns to the surface. Revenge is being sought and it’s coming straight for her.
Having not read anything by Diane Saxon before, I was intrigued by this book and so was delighted to be invited onto the blog tour for The Quiet Wife.
by A Moment With…Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell from The Book Marketing Tips & Author Success Podcast
I’m joined today by Penny Sansevieri and Amy Cornell from the Book Marketing Tips & Author Success Podcast. It’s lovely to meet you both. What kinds of authors are tuning in?
Honestly, authors in all stages of book publishing and promotion – and it’s actually really exciting (and sometimes surprising) to see who’s listening. We mostly get this info from our reviews and authors who write in with feedback. But we have authors who rely on our show while looking for agents and or publishers, authors who are finishing up their books and thinking ahead about releases, and then on the other end of the spectrum we have authors tuning in that feel stuck and don’t know what they’re doing wrong, or the opportunities they may be missing.
Our reviews to date speak for themselves, with a lot of authors raving about what they’re learning and encouraging others to get on board!
Is the show for marketing DIYers or for finding the right people to hire?
It’s applicable to both, and even authors that fall somewhere in between. Some authors seem to tune in assuming they’ll handle everything themselves, and then they realize they need more support, maybe in very specific areas. We get a lot of authors contacting us about a collaboration after listening to the show, but you’ll also see from our reviews that there are a lot of DIYers out there just looking to do all the right things.
What if I’m still writing my first book?
by Book Review: Dangerous Days for the Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble
Please join me in welcoming Rachel Brimble to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, Dangerous Days for the Home Front Nurses.
April 1942, Bath – the nurses are under fire in the city they once thought safe…
Freda knows the work she does on the home front is vital. Especially when bombs begin raining down on her beloved city of Bath and she and her friends find themselves feeling the effects of war like never before.
Years of being told to be a ‘good girl’ by her mother, Freda has always done what’s been expected of her. But, even though she’s proud of her work nursing soldiers and victims of war, she can’t help but wonder if there’s more for her in life. And her secret desire to become a journalist feels increasingly like a calling she can’t resist.
Even though it’s not considered work suitable for women, Freda knows she has to follow her dream. Even if it means leaving her nursing, friendships and maybe even true love behind. But then tragedy strikes close to home, and she has to ask herself – can she ever find a way to make her dreams come true?
A completely gripping, heartwarming story of friendship, love and following your dreams. Dangerous Days for T{::}he Home Front Nurses is perfect for fans of Lizzie Lane, Rosie Clarke, and Call the Midwife.
*****
‘Dangerous Days for the Homefront Nurses’ is a superb follow-up to ‘The Home Front Nurses’ and I hope the author is proud of what she has produced.
by Book Review: The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood
I’m excited to be welcoming Lauren Westwood back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The House of Light and Shadows.
An atmospheric and captivating old-house mystery, layered with romance and secrets.
Secrets lurk in the shadows at Rookswood House…
When Kate goes to look after her estranged sister’s children in their creepy old house, she takes a photo of what seems to be a ghost. Frightened yet intrigued, Kate undertakes to uncover the secrets of the house and the two mysterious sisters who lived there over a hundred years before.
But like the illusions of light and shadow in the sisters’ strange and disturbing Victorian post-mortem photography, Kate discovers that all is not what it seems. Someone – or something – has their own plans for Rookswood House – and for Kate.
With a potential developer circling around, her teenage niece in danger from an unseen force, and new love on the horizon, Kate must unravel the secrets and lies of her own and Rookswood’s past before she loses everything she holds dear.
If you like historical mysteries by Eve Chase, Rachel Burton and Harriet Evans, you’ll love Lauren Westwood.
*****
Kate is on track for a promotion. However, news that her estranged sister has had an accident leads Kate to Rookswood House. Whilst looking after her niece and nephew, she soon realises that the old house holds its secrets and she’s in a race against time to discover them.
Although I have previously had the pleasure of interviewing Lauren Westwood (click here to read), The House of Light and Shadows is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to read one of her novels. The plot for this book sounded so intriguing, I was delighted to be invited onto the blog tour to celebrate its recent release.
This is listed as book four in the Secrets and Love series but it can be read as a standalone. I will be adding the first three books to my reading list though.
by Book Review & Giveaway: Careful What You Hear by Helen Dunlap Newton
I’m pleased to be welcoming Helen Dunlap Newton to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Careful What You Hear.
After a surgical mix-up gave 13-year-old Noah Baker mind reading powers, he becomes a spy tasked with stopping the bad guys.
Ever since he accidentally got an experimental cochlear implant, Noah and his secret agent partner, Lena, have been going on secret missions for the government. Now, they’re in for a reward for all their hard work—Space Camp! But all is not as it seems. When Noah accidentally overhears thoughts that reveal a plot to steal top secret plans from nearby Redstone Arsenal, he must make a choice.
*****
An experimental cochlear implant has given Noah the ability to read minds. He and Lena are about to get a special reward for all the top secret things they have been doing for the government. However, it isn’t long before they are involved in foiling a new plot.
Being an adult man in his forties, I am certainly not the target audience for Careful What You Hear. However, this didn’t stop it from being an enjoyable read.
I have not read the first book in the Do You Hear What I Hear? series but this can be read first and it’s easy to fall into the story if this is your child’s introduction to this series.
by Book Extract: The Immigrant Queen by Peter Taylor-Gooby
I’m delighted to be welcoming Peter Taylor-Gooby to Novel Kicks. We are shining a light on his latest book, The Immigrant Queen.
Hated as a foreigner, despised as a woman, I became First Lady of Athens
Aspasia falls passionately in love with Pericles, the leading statesman of Fifth Century Athens. Artists, writers and thinkers frequent her salon. She hides her past as a sex-worker, trafficked to the city, and becomes Pericles’ lover. Her writings attract the attention of Socrates, and she becomes the only woman to join his circle. She is known throughout the city for her beauty and wit and strives to become recognised as an intellectual alongside men.
Pericles’ enemies attack him through Aspasia and charge her with blasphemy. As a foreigner she faces execution, but her impassioned address to the jury shames the city and saves her. Pericles is spellbound, they marry, and she becomes First Lady of Athens.
Sparta besieges the city; plague breaks out and Pericles is once again in danger.
The Immigrant Queen tells the true story of how Aspasia rose to become the First Lady of Athens and triumphed against all the odds.
Peter has kindly shared an extract from The Immigrant Queen with us all today. We hope you enjoy.
*****
Limander, a slave and bard to Aspasia, meets a young nobleman and falls for him. Love between slave and noble carries the death penalty.
*****
The young scribe was last to leave and I waited, head bowed, for him to go so that I could carry out the screens. A gold band circled the neck of his tunic – he was of high standing in Athens, from one of the five noble families of the city. He dropped the stylus into his satchel but the tablet slipped from his fingers and fell face down on the floor and I heard the crack as the wax split across. He stared at it as if terrified, dropped to all fours and put out a hand to touch it. A leader of the people does not behave like this. After a moment I went over and stood beside him.
‘Sir. May I help you?’
He looked up at me, his eyes moist with tears. He seemed so young.
‘The musician! None of them appreciated you, you sang so beautifully of love and all they want to do is talk about politics and speech-making.’
‘Thank you. But, if I may ask, sir, is there anything I can do for you?’
‘It’s Lord Pericles, no-one will understand. He wants to publish these conversations for the glory of Athens and he insists on checking everything. I am late already and now I’ve broken the tablet and he will be angry.’
by Book Review: The Many Futures of Maddy Hart by Laura Pearson
I’m so excited to be welcoming Laura Pearson back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Many Futures of Maddy Hart.
Suddenly Maddy is right there… in her very own future. And it’s all wrong, yet again.
It happens to her every time. When the kisses lead to the bedroom, just when she thinks she might have found the one… Just for a split second, Maddy disappears, and she finds that she’s living her own life. But ten years into the future.
She’s only there for a little while. But each time, it’s long enough to know that she doesn’t want to be any of those future versions of Maddy. Because every man she falls for seems to lead her to a future that is just… wrong.
Until she meets Oliver. And the vision of their future is happy. Beautiful even. A little girl runs around, her braids flying behind her, giggling about how she wants sausages for dinner. She has eyes just like Oliver’s.
There’s just one catch. If Maddy wants the family she’s seeing in her future with Oliver, she realizes she has to break his heart now…
Would you destroy your present if there’s a chance that it could give you the perfect future?
Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Matt Haig, and The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. The most unmissable ‘what if?’ love story of the year!
*****
Every time Maddy Hart is intimate with a man, she sees a glimpse of her life exactly ten years into the future. None of them are happy, not until she meets Oliver. He’s about to change her life. Can Maddy make the hard choices now to give her the future she wants?
I’ve read and enjoyed a few novels by Laura Pearson and so was excited to be invited into the blog tour for her latest book, The Many Futures of Maddy Hart. The blurb alone appealed to me. I love these kinds of novels and so couldn’t wait to get started.
by Book Review: The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted by Rebecca Raisin
I’m so excited to be welcoming Rebecca Raisin back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted.
Can you ever swear off love, in the city of love?
Coco is having a hell of a month. She’s lost her boyfriend and her business, been forced to uproot her daughter to move back in with her parents in Paris, and now an infuriatingly handsome stranger is yelling at her for acting like a tourist… Right underneath the Eiffel Tower.
Storming away from him – and swearing off men for life – she decides she’s going to take the first job that comes her way.
Then, as if fate hears her, later that day she stumbles into a little bookshop – but not any old bookshop. This one comes complete with a café, cocktail bar, reading room and secret tunnel of books, and just a little hint of magic in the air. So when Coco’s offered a job selling books there, it feels like the perfect fit.
There’s only one problem… propping up the bar in the bookshop is none other than the grumpy, gorgeous stranger she’d met earlier that day…
A totally romantic, bookish and gorgeously escapist romantic novel, set in Paris in Springtime. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, and Sarah Morgan.
*****
With both her business and love life in tatters, Coco finds herself needing to return to her home town of Paris. Her daughter, Eloise is not happy about it either but Coco hopes that, once they’ve settled in, things will begin to improve. Or will it?
I am such a fan of Rebecca Raisin and so jumped at the chance to be on the blog tour for her latest novel, The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted. The premise intrigued me and I couldn’t wait to get started.
For me, bookshops hold a magic power and so the idea of the Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted is one I love. I want to go there.
by Book Review: Raven: Defier of Rome by Adam Lofthouse
I’m delighted to be welcoming Adam Lofthouse to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, Raven: Defier of Rome, book one in the Enemy of the Empire series.
Chief Killer. Battle Turner. Oathbreaker.
Alaric is an enemy of Rome.
144 AD. Alaric Hengistson, leader of the Ravensworn, revels in his many fear-fuelled names whispered in the hearth flames. Cunning in battle, a ruthless war lord. He sleeps sound in the knowledge that he has been chosen by the Gods for a higher purpose – to rise up against the tyranny of an Empire.
For years he has thwarted Rome’s attempts to gain control over the land that has long resisted them. His land. Germania. However the rules are changing, and new deals are struck between the conquering Roman legions and the feuding Germanic tribes. Deals that could prove Alaric’s downfall.
As the eagles march with the wolves, together hunting the Raven, Alaric must prove his legend or watch his Ravensworn burn in flames.
*****
Raven: Defier of Rome is the first book in the Enemy of the Empire serise and the first book I have read by Adam Lofthouse
by NK Chats To: Susan Buchanan (Plus A Chance To Win A Copy Of The Leap Year Proposal)
Hello Susan. Thank you so much for joining me again and inviting Novel Kicks onto your blog tour. Can you tell me about your latest book, The Leap Year Proposal and what inspired it?
Sure, thanks for having me again. Well, The Leap Year Proposal is the story of three women who meet at a mutual friend’s hen weekend and when the karaoke has abated and they’re all doing a quiz from a women’s magazine, the subject of leap year proposals comes up.
That prompts a would you/wouldn’t you discussion and the upshot is that the three protagonists, who happen to be sitting next to each other during the quiz, despite not knowing each other, get involved in a bit of a debate about it, with one professing she’d already made up her mind to propose.
The women’s friendship develops once they return from the Isle of Arran to the mainland as ‘the proposer’ starts making plans for how to propose, along with her sidekicks. And as for the inspiration, well, I proposed, quite unexpectedly, to my (now) husband on 29 February 2016! Our story has no bearing on this one, but it did give me the idea for the book!
I thought it would be fun to suggest a writing prompt – are you able to give us a starting line?
You’re out walking in the countryside and are confronted by a bear. What would you do and why? Sorry, that is the first thing that popped into my head!
Which fictional place would you like to visit and why?
I think it has to be Hogwarts! I’m a big Harry Potter fan.
Which book (that’s not one of yours,) would you like to forget just so you could read and rediscover it again?
by Book Review: The One Before the One by Emma Cooper
I’m so happy to be welcoming Emma Cooper t0 Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, The One Before the One.
Liv is given the chance to live one life-changing week over, but can she change her future…? And does she want to? A gorgeous, uplifting novel, perfect for fans of Shari Low, Paige Toon and Beth Moran.
When Liv’s boyfriend Kit disappeared on a hike, seven years earlier, she thought her life was over. But with the help of their family and friends, she’s pushed her way through the grief, and now, miraculously, she’s found a way to love again.
Until the morning of her wedding, when Liv steps through a doorway, and finds herself, somehow, back at the flat she shared with Kit: seven years earlier, six days before he left. Now, Liv has a chance to live those six days over, and change everything. If she gets this right, she can find out why Kit leaves and stop him.
But can she save him? And if she does, how will she choose, between the man she loved then, and the one she loves now?
*****
Olivia is about to marry James.
However the death of her previous boyfriend still hangs over them – the death of Kit… James’s brother.
When the morning of the wedding arrives, something happens that has the potential to change all their lives forever.
I am so excited to be on the blog tour for this novel and wanted to take the opportunity to wish Emma Cooper a happy publication day.
by NK Chats To…Kiley Dunbar
Hi Kiley, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell us about your latest novel, A New Chapter at the Borrow a Bookshop (loving this title) and what inspired it?
A New Chapter at the Borrow a Bookshop is number 5 in the series and dare I say it, possibly the last? I wanted to do the series justice and end on huge high. I chose my favourite romance trope ‘Friends to Lovers’ for this one and had a blast writing all the attraction and withholding; masses of fun for an author!
What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals like needing coffee a lot, writing in a favourite spot? Writing in silence?
I’ve got into a new routine recently of writing 1000-1400 words in a session, and I tend to go to a café in town where I’ll sit with my coffee and my headphones and type away happily. If I try to write at home I get distracted by all the jobs there is to do there.
From idea to finished draft, how long does it take you to write a novel, and how do you know when you’ve done enough research and editing?
It can take me a couple of years to go from pitch to published, but once I’ve got a contract signed, it takes me about 4 or 5 months to fully plan out and write the first draft. I’ll give that draft a quick read through and a tidy before sending it to my editor. I tend to write about things I know a little bit about then do some scant research, enough to sound like I’m a pair of safe hands. Then I get structural edits sent back to me which can take a few weeks to action, then there’s another round of edits (line edits – looking for wee fiddly things to fix), then I am sent the proofs to read (and even at that stage I make little tweaks).
What themes are explored in this novel and what’s the main thing you want readers to take away from it?
by Book Review: Murder on the Menu by Katie Marsh
I’m so happy to be welcoming Katie Marsh back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Murder on the Menu.
Since Amber started the Bad Girls’ Detective Agency, she’s been feeling the pressure. So – when she and her best friends win a trip to a new luxury castle retreat on a remote island – she hopes it will be a chance to relax in style.
The girls are all excited to experience world-famous chef Valerie la Fontaine’s tasting menu.
But none of them expect there to be another dish being served that weekend: revenge. And when Valerie is found dead inside a locked room in a tower, the Bad Girls know this is a case that only they can solve…
Hilarious and gripping mystery – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, The Traitors, and How to Kill Men and Get Away With It.
*****
The ladies from the Bad Girls Detective Agency are off on a weekend away. They are due to spend the weekend in a castle with food provided by a famous chef.
However, when someone is found dead, it becomes a very different type of getaway. Can Amber, Clio and Jeanie find the killer before someone else dies?
by Book Review: One Day and Forever by Shari Low
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Shari Low back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, One Day and Forever.
As dawn breaks, four people are planning journeys that could change their lives forever…
Kara McIntyre is supposed to be jetting off to her destination wedding in Hawaii. However, a last-minute hitch appears to have left her without a job, home and, more importantly, a fiancé.
TV sensation Ollie Chiles and Kara always have each other’s backs. But when his wife goes viral in a compromising clinch with another man, Ollie must choose between supporting his best friend in her hour of need or going home to save his marriage.
Alice Brookes is flying away to a new life after surviving a horrendous marriage and a very public scandal… until a stranger brings a letter from the past that could change everything.
After saying goodbye to someone he loves, Zac Conlan should be heading back to Dublin. Now a shocking discovery is threatening to change his plans and his future.
When weather delays their flights, Kara, Ollie, Alice and Zac discover that storms are brewing… and the turbulence is about to shake their worlds.
*****
Kara is about to marry Josh. However, when something happens at a work event and she loses her job, it shows her that her relationship may not be as strong as she thought.
Alice, with the help of her friend Val, only sees good in her life after escaping her abusive husband. However, when she tries to reconnect with an old friend, secrets from the past begin to emerge.
by A Moment With…Florence Wetzel
I’m pleased to be welcoming Florence Wetzel to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Dashiki: A Cozy Mystery.
A cozy mystery with a dash of romance set in the vibrant world of jazz.
During an interview with reclusive jazz singer Betty Brown, journalist Virginia Farrell is shown priceless tapes from the iconic 1957 Thelonious Monk-John Coltrane gig at the Five Spot. When Betty is found murdered, Virginia is determined to recover the tapes and uncover the truth behind Betty’s death.
In the spirit of Nancy Drew, Virginia teams up with her six-foot blonde roommate to investigate the various suspects. Detective Robert Smith from the Hoboken Police Department joins the case, quickly becoming absorbed by an unsolved murder possibly linked to Betty Brown’s death, as well as an undeniable attraction to Virginia.
Dashiki is a cozy mystery laced with romance, immersing readers in the captivating world of jazz, where musicians, journalists, scholars, and enthusiasts intersect in an entertaining whodunit.
The author of Dashiki has joined us today to talk about The Healing Power of Reading and Writing Cozy Mysteries. Over to you, Florence.
While at Barnard College in the 1980s, I studied English literature and creative writing. From that time on, I devoted myself to reading literature with a capital L, including authors such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Doris Lessing, Albert Camus, and Virginia Woolf. The more challenging the book, the more I enjoyed it. I had also decided to become a writer myself, and those were the kind of books I aspired to create.
by Book Review: Welcome to Pennycress Inn by Sarah Hope
I’m excited to be welcoming Sarah Hope to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Welcome to Pennycress Inn, book one in the brand new Pennycross Inn series.
Laura wants to shake things up. She’s thirty-eight, and has been living in her parents’ house since her divorce last year. Her siblings seem to have got their lives together: successful careers, happy marriages, beautiful children.
Laura’s determined to prove herself. And buying the beautiful Pennycress Inn in the idyllic Cotswolds village of Meadowfield could be just the way to do it.
But getting the inn ready for its first guests proves easier said than done! With crumbling walls, dangerous woodwork and loose roof tiles, not to mention unfriendly locals and even errant sheep, Laura soon fears she’s made the wrong choice.
Luckily a friendly face is on hand in the form of gorgeous chef, Jackson. But is he too good to be true? And just why are the villagers so against her?
Can Laura turn her life around and get the fresh start she longs for at Pennycress Inn?
*****
Welcome to Pennycress Inn.
Laura is looking for a change. She’s in her late thirties, divorced and back with her parents. She’s determined to change her life. Despite her family’s objections, she buys Pennycress Inn in the village of Meadowfield. Not everyone is pleased by her arrival though.
One of the things I love most about running Novel Kicks is when I get the chance to discover a new author. This was the case with Sarah Hope. I was delighted to be invited onto the blog tour for her latest novel, Welcome to Pennycress Inn.
by Book Review: The Cream Tea Killer by Judy Leigh
I’m so excited to be welcoming Judy Leigh back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Cream Tea Killer – book three in the Morwenna Mutton Mysteries series.
Morwenna Mutton should be living the quiet life of a librarian and grandmother in Cornwall’s beautiful Seal Bay – if only dead bodies would stop turning up…
After the excitement of her last investigation, amateur sleuth Morwenna is looking forward to things getting back to normal. When local DJ Irina asks to meet however, desperate to share information she has discovered regarding nefarious goings-on, Morwenna can’t resist.
But Irina never arrives for their drink – instead her body is washed up on the beach, an apparent victim of an accidental drowning. At once keen wild bather Morwenna knows something is amiss as Irina was a strong swimmer who knew the local conditions well. What had Irina uncovered and who would want her dead?
When the local news dubs Irina’s murderer The Cream Tea Killer in honour of Cornwall’s famous delicacy, the clock starts ticking. Now the murderer knows Morwenna is on their trail, no one in her family is safe. She must get to the truth before the killer gets to her…
If you love The Thursday Murder Club, Agatha Christie and Richard Coles then you’ll love The Morwenna Mutton mysteries.
*****
Morwenna Mutton has gained a name for herself as a sleuth in her home town of Seal Bay in Cornwall. It’s not long before her skills of deduction are needed again. When a friend of hers is found dead, Morwenna is in. race against the clock to find The Cream Tea Killer.
by Book Review: Betrayal of Mercia by MJ Porter
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming back MJ Porter to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for their latest book, Betrayal of Mercia – book seven in the Eagle of Mercia Chronicles.
A King in crisis, a Queen on trial, a Kingdom’s survival hangs in the balance.
Londonia, AD835
The deadly conspiracy against the children of Ealdorman Coenwulf is to be resolved. Those involved have been unmasked and arrested. But will justice prevail?
While the court convenes to determine the conspirator’s fate, King Wiglaf’s position is precarious. His wife, Queen Cynethryth, has been implicated in the plot and while Wiglaf must remain impartial, enemies of the Mercia still conspire to prevent the full truth from ever being known.
As Merica weeps from the betrayal of those close to the King, the greedy eyes of Lord Æthelwulf, King Ecgberht of Wessex’s son, pivot once more towards Mercia. He will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal of ending Mercia’s ruling bloodline.
Mercia once more stands poised to be invaded, but this time not by the Viking raiders the so fear.
Can Icel and his fellow warriors’ triumph as Mercia once more faces betrayal from within?
*****
Queen Cynethryth is on trial. All kingdoms are in a constant state of war. Can Mercia stand against those who wish to see it fall?
This is the seventh book in the series and the first to land upon my desk.
by Cover Reveal: Somewhere in Hollywood by Lisa C. Michaud
Today I am pleased to be welcoming Lisa C. Michaud to Novel Kicks as I help to reveal the cover of her upcoming book, Somewhere in Hollywood.
Welcome to the bouncy castle of Los Angeles in 2004. At the dawn of social media, Carla and Pete embark on a quest for meaning in a city where dreams often fade into the smog. They came for indie rock stardom, only to find themselves sidelined by life’s realities and their own emotional limitations. Carla experiences the true meaning of monotony as a TV extra, while Pete, wrestling with societal views on bisexuality, answers phones. Despite their mutual affection, Carla feels rejected, while Pete, secretly grappling with his identity, shies away from intimacy.
Their world, filled with vinyl records, a spirited cat named Joni, and an eccentric Hollywood landlady, offers fleeting moments of deep connection. But the arrival of a charismatic stranger disrupts their fragile status quo, forcing them to confront faded ambitions and the true nature of their relationship.
With the pop culture eye of Bret Easton Ellis and lyrical longing of Just Kids by Patti Smith, Somewhere in Hollywood explores the tight-rope walk of personal growth and relationship dynamics, capturing the soul of a generation in search of itself and the relentless pursuit of something more.
OK, so now we know about the book, it’s time to reveal the cover. OK, drumroll…three…two…one…
by Book Review: Death in the Hills by Kate Wells
I’m pleased to be welcoming Kate Wells back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, Death in the Hills – book four in the Malvern Farm Mystery series.
This is no peaceful walk in the countryside…
When Jude Gray and DI Binnie Khatri join a local walking group, their expectations for a peaceful outing to the Malvern Hills takes a grim turn. Arguments abound, and the hike ends in tragedy when one of the walkers is found dead in her car.
Initially ruled as an accident, Jude’s instincts tell her there’s more to the story.
As Jude and Binnie dig deeper, they uncover tensions and secrets within the group. From hidden affairs to longstanding rivalries, it becomes clear this death was no accident.
With each revelation, the danger grows. Can Jude and Binnie unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again?
*****
Jude Gray and DI Binnie Khatri have become fast friends. When Binnie asks Jude to join a walking group with her, Jude agrees. When another member of the group is found dead, it isn’t long before the ladies are back in the thick of an investigation with deadly stakes.
Was it an accident or murder and can the truth be uncovered before it’s too late?
Having read previous novels in this series, I have become a big fan of this author. So I wasted no time in accepting an invitation to join the blog tour for the latest book in the series, Death in the Hills.
by Book Review: Forever Love at Wildflower Lock by Hannah Lynn
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Hannah Lynn back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Forever Love at Wildflower Lock.
Hannah Lynn’s GORGEOUS series continues as Daisy May looks ahead to her happy ever after…
It’s time to meet the family…
Daisy May thought she had everything figured out. After successfully establishing her coffee shop at the idyllic Wildflower Lock and with things going well with charming Theo, she was ready to embrace her happily ever after. But when Theo pops the question, the happiness is overtaken by worries.
Because meeting Theo’s family for the first time is not accompanied by the warm welcome she hoped for. Theo’s parents disapprove of her and they have no qualms in showing it. And when they reveal secrets about Theo’s past, Daisy is left in a spiral.
As insecurities creep in, and with even her own mother expressing her doubts, Daisy begins to question her future with Theo.
Will love conquer all, or will she give in to her fears and cancel the wedding?
The heartwarming conclusion to the Wildflower Lock series, a gorgeous story of friends, found family and above all, romance!
*****
Daisy May is thrilled to be settled in Wildflower Lock, especially now her boyfriend, Theo is back living across the water having been away for a year.
However, a development in their relationship threatens to end it. Can Daisy and Theo get through it or is their happily ever after just not meant to be?
I was so thrilled to be invited onto the blog tour for Forever Love at Wildflower Lock and be back with Daisy May, Theo and Johnny.
by Book Review: The Girl in the Window by Diana Wilkinson
I’m delighted to be welcoming Diana Wilkinson back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, The Girl in the Window.
I know their secrets…
Every morning, I sit at the same table of my favourite café, sip my cappuccino, and watch them.
The woman has no idea I’m watching, day after day, unravelling the secrets of her life. I see the way she smiles when he arrives, how she glances over her shoulder… like someone who is hiding something.
She thinks she’s in control, but has no idea I’m on to them…
I know a lot more about the man. For a start, he’s not who he pretends to be – his lies are as plain as the nose on your face.
There’s more to this story than meets the eye, a lot more than I’ll ever let on. I already know a lot about the man, but have learnt so much more from watching.
Why do I think the man should tell me what’s going on?
Because he’s my husband. That’s why.
An unforgettable tale of deceit, lies and revenge, from the bestselling author of The Girl in Seat 2A.
*****
Izzy sits at the same cafe window every morning, watching the woman across the street. A woman she’s never met. She doesn’t even know her name but they are very much connected.
by Book Review: Christmas at Holly Tree Cottage by Eliza J. Scott
I’m so incredibly happy to be welcoming Eliza J Scott back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Christmas at Holly Tree Cottage, the latest in the Life on the Moors series.
It’s Christmas time in Lytell Stangdale!
When Romy Stainthorpe sees Holly Tree Cottage staring back at her from the pages of a magazine, she’s sure it’s a sign. The quaint property is situated in Lytell Stangdale, a village in the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors. Her time there is steeped in happy memories of carefree days with the moorland wind blowing through her hair. And not just that, it’s where she had her first kiss and where she first fell in love.
It was her perfect place, where she felt most at home. Until her family’s hasty departure years twenty-one years earlier. Since that day, Romy has never been back, but the cottage has regularly crept into her thoughts. And now it’s available to rent for the festive season…
Could it be the perfect getaway Romy needs to get her life back on track, not to mention escape her friends’ well-meaning attempts at matchmaking since her divorce from Russ?
Local farmer, Finn Tindall is struggling to navigate the first Christmas since his ex-wife took herself and their sons to live in the US. He’s thrown himself into his work at Castlegate Farm and rarely ventures out, unable to face the pitying glances thrown his way. His only company is his loyal black Labrador Ted.
Convinced that fate is talking to her, Romy heads back to a snowy LytellStangdale. Once there, she’s thrilled to see the village is looking Christmas card-pretty and has embraced the festive period. The only place where there’s no Christmas cheer is Finn’s heart.
It doesn’t take long before Romy and Finn’s paths cross, setting long-hidden emotions stirring once more. Suddenly Christmas doesn’t seem so gloomy after all.
Could this be the exciting fresh start each of them deserves?
Will Finn and Romy decide their second chance at love is worth fighting for? Or will the obstacles put in their way make them think it’s time to say goodbye?
Why not take a trip to festive Lytell Stangdale where a warm welcome awaits and happy-ever-afters are guaranteed?
*****
by Book Review: Maddy’s Christmas Wedding by Rosie Green
I’m delighted to be welcoming Rosie Green back to Novel Kicks and the blog blitz for her book, Maddy’s Christmas Wedding, the latest in the Little Duck Pond series.
With the wedding of the year approaching, excitement is running high at the café! But there’s just one problem. Maddy is grappling with a secret.
Could it derail all of hers and Jack’s glorious plans for their big day? Will there actually be a wedding?
*****
Maddy is close to having the winter wedding she’s always dreamed of. Before marrying Jack, she and her friends head off to Lapland for her hen weekend. However, recent news has her keeping a secret. Is it big enough to stop the wedding and how long can Maddy keep it to herself?
I have read previous books in this series and loved them. I therefore jumped at the chance to be part of the one day blitz for Maddy’s Christmas Wedding, book 37 in the Little Duck Pond series. This, like many in the series can be read as a standalone.
by Book Review: Reach for the Stars by Maxine Morrey
I’m so pleased to be welcoming Maxine Morrey back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Reach for the Stars.
Felicity was never meant to end up with a money-pit farmhouse to renovate and a broken heart to heal…
But when Fliss attempts to drown the sorrow of seeing her ex-fiancé and his new wife’s magazine-worthy wedding all over social media, one rash decision loses her a job and gains her a doer-upper in the blink of an eye.
The only bright spot of living in the country is the very dishy and very handy loveliest-man-ever Jesse Woods. And when Fliss’s new roof has an ill-advised meeting with a tree in the middle of the night resulting in her literally seeing stars, there’s only one thing for it. She’s going to have to accept Jesse’s help and a place to stay.
City girl Fliss is at rock bottom but if anyone can teach her to turn her gaze from the gutter to the stars it’s Jesse Woods. She’s been burnt trusting men before, but Jesse may just be worth breaking her own rules for…
*****
Felicity not only has to deal with her ex’s wedding being everywhere, she also loses her job. Learning that alcohol and the Internet shouldn’t mix, she soon finds herself the owner of a renovation project. Is it too much or can Jessie help her?
I am a fan of Maxine’s novels and I was so pleased to be part of the blog tour her latest book, Reach For The Stars. It has a cute cover and I couldn’t wait to get started.
by Book Review: Starting Over at Starlight Cottage by Debbie Viggiano
I’m delighted to be welcoming Debbie Viggiano to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Starting Over at Starlight Cottage.
49-year-old Tilly Thomas would never have known any different if she hadn’t unexpectedly turned up at hubby Robin’s office to surprise him with an off-the-cuff evening at the theatre. Instead, the surprise is on Tilly when she interrupts Robin and his young PA in a compromising position.
Stumbling from the office, blinded by tears, Tilly thanks God she was never gifted the children she once craved and is spared explaining why Mummy and Daddy will now be living apart. Instead, Tilly has an adopted daughter – but this little girl has a wet nose and warm heart.
Mongrel Cindy is privy to all her mummy’s hopes and dreams as Tilly prepares to start over in the village of Starlight Croft. Thank goodness a dog can’t speak because Cindy knows things her mistress has never shared, including a secret that once broke Tilly’s heart.
As Tilly prepares to embrace an unknown future and make peace with her past, she discovers that sometimes difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations…
*****
Tilly is 49, works for an estate agent and believes she is happy…ish married. When she finds her husband with his assistant, she doesn’t know what to do. Then, she finds Starlight Cottage. However, has someone else got there first?
I believe this is the first novel I’ve read by this author. I loved the cover and the premise intrigued me a lot especially the fact that she had a dog by her side. Although my companions are feline rather than canine, I still related to Tilly in regard to talking to them and hearing replies back. Hahaha.
I couldn’t wait to get started.
by Book Extract: Casa Paradiso – 300 Years in the Life of a House by Francesca Scanacapra
It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Francesca Scanacapra back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, Casa Paradiso – 300 Years in the Life of a House which is book four in the Paradiso series.
Lombardy, Northern Italy, 1637
Cristó Lovetta, a skilled stonemason, arrives in the rural village of Pieve Santa Clara to work on a nobleman’s house.
Haunted by a tragic past, Cristó wonders if he will ever find happiness again. However, as he immerses himself in his work, the warmth of the community and the beauty of the landscape convince him to begin a new life there.
Cristó designs and builds his own house, which he names Casa Paradiso. Over the centuries, Casa Paradiso becomes home to many generations, standing testament to lives beginning and ending, and witnessing the everyday challenges and triumphs of its inhabitants – from love lost and found, to the tragedies of war, the far-reaching consequences of political decisions made by powerful men and the evolving role of women in Italian society.
Casa Paradiso – the fourth instalment of the Paradiso Novels – is a shining, evocative saga spanning three hundred years in the life of a very special house, and a book that explores the enduring strength of the human spirit, contrasted with the transient nature of life itself.
Francesca has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
This is the start of the third story in the book, beginning in 1680. Carolina Lovetta has inherited Paradiso and the house’s colourful and rich history is being formed bit by bit, as fascination people visit this strong, independent woman in her home.
1680
CAROLINA LOVETTA
Casa Paradiso was a respectable establishment of excellent reputation, catering for select paying guests. It was both owned and run by Carolina Lovetta, now in the thirty-sixth year of her life. She was a woman of many talents – resourceful, industrious and highly-esteemed within the community.
Carolina had written signboards placed along the Via Postumia advertising rooms to let, which worked well to attract the right calibre of clientele, because only those who were able to read could follow them. Her lodgers included merchants, members of the clergy, men of law and men of letters, as well as a regular traffic of artisans, particularly those associated with the luthiery crafts. With Pieve Santa Clara being situated not quite twenty miles from Cremona – a city world-renowned for the manufacture of the finest stringed instruments – Casa Paradiso was perfectly positioned as a rest-stop. Even Maestro Antonio Stradivari himself, the most famed of Cremona’s violin-makers, had stayed with Carolina on numerous occasions. His employees and fellow luthiers were frequent guests, and Maestro Stradivari even recommended Casa Paradiso to his clients.
That crisp late autumn morning Carolina was seeing off Signor Zucca, a cordaro by profession, procurer and spinner of strings for musical instruments. He always overnighted at Casa Paradiso to rest both himself and his horses on his way to and from the sheep pastures of Colazzo. Sheep gut made for the most prized strings, not just for the bowed instruments, such as violins, violas and cellos; but also for lutes, guitars and mandolins, all of which were produced in Cremona.
by Book Review: A Skye Full of Stars by Sue Moorcroft
We are so pleased to be welcoming Sue Moorcroft back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, A Skye Full of Stars.
Under the winter stars, anything is possible…
Ezzie Wynter can’t wait for Christmas on the beautiful Isle of Skye. Her island home sparkles at this time of year thanks to the snow-capped mountains and frosty winter walks, topped off with family gatherings with those she loves the most.
But her peaceful Christmas idyll is upended when she hears that the Larson family – the owners of Rothach Hall – are flying in from Sweden for the festivities. As Manager of their grand Scottish manor house, Ezzie suddenly has decorations to hang, food to source and itineraries to organise.
Life only becomes more difficult when Mats Larson turns up. The owners’ handsome, self-assured son is used to doing things his own way – and he is only another headache to add to her overflowing list.
Yet when unexpected visitors arrive looking for Ezzie, nothing else matters as she is left questioning everything she ever knew about herself. But amidst the Christmas chaos, she might also discover that, when all is lost, it’s sometimes those we least expect who come to our aid…
A beautiful, escapist festive tale to curl up with by the fire this Christmas. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan and Karen Swan.
*****
For this, the second book in the author’s Sky trilogy, we focus on Ezzie.
Single and supposedly happy with how her life was going, she only begins to rethink her life choices after her sister Thea finds love in the first book. Mats, the son of the owner of the stately home she’s the manager of, turns up and unexpectedly, Ezzie feels her heart begin to open up to the possibility of falling in love.
by NK Chats To…Soulla Christodoulou
Hello Soulla. Thank you so much for joining me today and inviting Novel Kicks onto the blog tour for your book, The Magic of Miramare.
Aww, thanks so much. I appreciate you taking the time to chat to me like this.
What’s your typical writing day like and do you have any writing rituals – like a favourite place to write? Silence or noise?
Definitely silence and it’s what prompted my partner to build my own little haven away from the house. I’m now lucky enough to have a beautiful writing room tucked into the corner of my garden. It has lighting and heating and internet access so I can hide away all day writing—I usually start early, sometimes as early as 7am—and do my researching and planning for my books, social media campaigns and client edits. I can keep going for hours and sometimes even forget to stop for lunch. The back wall of my space is covered in pictures from magazines to inspire me and the other has shelves which house most of my books; all organised by colour. It really is a special place and during the pandemic I wrote Alexander and Maria in there in just a few short weeks.
What were the challenges when writing a novel from the point of view of three characters and what’s the most important thing to remember when doing so?
My second novel, The Summer Will Come was written from the POV of four different characters and each POV started with a new chapter. I have done the something similar with The Magic of Miramare. I like the use of multi viewpoints in that it brings the reader closer to the character and their thought processes and helps them to understand the characters’ motivations and behaviours better.
What’s your favourite word and why?
My favourite word is serendipity, not only is it such a beautiful sounding word but it brings so much magic to our everyday, ordinary lives. I have found that so many of my happiest moments and opportunities have arrived just by chance, as if by magic, and the feeling of being in the right place at just the right time, not a moment too early or too late, for me, speaks volumes about how amazing the power of God, and the Universe, are.
If you could visit a fictional world for a day, where would you go and why?
by NK Chats To…Susan Buchanan (Plus a Giveaway To Win A Copy Of A Little Christmas Spirit)
Hello Susan, thank you so much for joining me and for inviting Novel Kicks onto the blog tour for your book, A Little Christmas Spirit. Could you tell us a little about your latest novel, A Little Christmas Spirit and what inspired it?
Hi, thanks for having me. Well, it’s the third in the series, and the main character, Lara, who pulls everyone together in this story, is now 9 years old. It has been a long time since the last Christmas Spirit book (2015) so I specifically ensured Lara was the right age for everything to happen organically. We’re back at the Sugar and Spice café, now owned by her mum Tabitha and her uncle Jacob. Because of Lara’s age, and her key role in the novel, a great part of the book is set in her school, with all the Christmas events that throws up.
Which songs would make up a playlist for your novel?
This is a tough one, as I’ve never really thought about it. How about ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey. ‘Merry Christmas, Everyone’ by Shakin’ Stevens. ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ by Paul McCartney. You’ve got me on a roll here, now! ‘Step Into Christmas’ by Elton John, and ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham.
What’s your typical writing day like and do you have any writing rituals, for example, writing in silence, needing coffee?
I don’t have a typical writing day as every one is different and I don’t write every day. When I do write, sometimes I write a lot, like 12,000 words, to finish a book. As I also edit other authors’ books, sometimes it depends on my workload, and in the run-up to launch of a new book, I have a lot of business things that need doing: admin, processes. However, with regards to the actual writing, yes, I need silence and lots of coffee. Apart from that, I just lose myself in my world!
From idea to finished book, what’s your process like? How do you approach editing and when do you know when you’ve done enough preparation/research prior to starting?
by Book Extract: The Revenge Pact by Liz Mistry
I’m pleased to be welcoming Liz Mistry to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, The Revenge Pact.
TWO DEATHS
Tommy and Markie Jones are found dead at the side of a main road in Scotland.
TWO RIVALS
Detectives Jazzy Solanki and Annie McQueen are on the scene where the bodies are identified as the nephews of Jimmy Nails, head of a notable gang in Glasgow. The turf war between the gangs of Glasgow and Edinburgh has existed for years, but these murders are seen as an escalation in violence.
ONE UNFORGIVABLE BETRAYAL
As the investigation unfolds, there’s suspicion about a leak within the police force, and to her dismay Jazzy is asked to keep a watchful eye on someone close to her.
With distrust mounting on all sides, can the pair uncover the truth before someone else is killed?
Liz has shared an extract from The Revenge Pact with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
*****beginning of extract*****
The Turf Wars Begin
This is an extract from Chapter 1 of The Revenge Pact which sets the scene for the violence that the turf wars between Edinburgh and Glasgow organised criminal gangs are perpetrating in West Lothian.
It also reintroduces us to my two wonderfully unique and formidable, yet very different female detectives, Scottish Indian DS Jazzy Solanki who is in her mid-twenties and because of past trauma is more reserved and finds it hard to trust. DC Queenie (Annie) McQueen is in her early fifties and despite her own share of past trauma, she’s loud, brash, verging on obnoxious, but absolutely hilarious.
Chapter 1
‘As warfare between gangs in Edinburgh and Glasgow peaks, a new report into the extent of criminal gang activity in our cities and proposals to combat it will be published today by the Scottish Government. Later on we’ll have an MSP spokesperson to comment on the impact of the report as well as . . .’ Continue reading
by NK Chats To… Ian McFadyen
Hi Ian, thank you so much for joining me today and inviting Novel Kicks onto the blog tour for your latest book. Can you tell me about your novel, Blood Matters and what inspired it?
Blood Matters is the tenth book in my Carmichael whodunit series. It’s set in rural Lancashire (as they all are) and starts with the discovery of a body down a dark unlit road. The murder victim is not from the area but is known to some of the residents of the small hamlet where he’s discovered. It quickly becomes apparent that the deceased was seen by the young man who found him and countless other people, less than 30 minutes earlier in the local pub, having a heated argument with one of the village residents.
The book was inspired by a twist I thought of when I was driving about 18 months ago.
What were the challenges you found when writing your novel, especially when it’s part of a series?
The main challenge when writing murder mysteries in a series is to come up with ideas for a plot, characters and a twist that are not just different from anything else in previous books in the series but that aren’t similar to whodunits written by other authors.
Which songs would make up a playlist for your book?
I’d go for tracks from the 80’s or 90’s.
From idea, to finished book, what’s your writing process like and how long does it typically take you?
It’s remarkably haphazard in that I write ferociously at times, but I can also not put finger to keyboard for a week or two if I’m mulling over how to tackle something I find tricky that’s coming up soon. I only write in the mornings and rarely write more than 1000 words a day (usually more like 500). Despite my seemingly chaotic approach I generally take about 1 year to write the first draft then 6 months recrafting parts to make them ready to share with my copy editor.
What’s your favourite word and why?
by Book Club
