Book Spotlight: The Other Wife by Danielle Ramsay
I’m pleased to welcoming Danielle Ramsay to Novel Kicks. Today, we are shining a light on her novel, The Other Wife.
The wife is always the last to know…
What if everything you believed was a lie?
Your life…your marriage…your very existence.
What if the person lying to you is your husband, the man who claims to love you more than anything in the world?
Isolated in his remote Scottish ancestral home on the pretext that you are psychologically fragile and recovering from a breakdown, this home has become a prison. As the days slip by in a haze of confusion and a cocktail of drugs administered by a loyal housekeeper, you begin to piece together the fragments of your life and stumble on a terrifying secret.
What if you discover you weren’t his first wife, and nor will you be the last?
That he plans to replace you, to make you disappear – just like the first wife.
Just how far would you go to save your life and prove your husband’s a murderer?
by 
Book Spotlight: Can You Keep a Secret? by Jo Lovett
I’m pleased to be welcoming Jo Lovett to Novel Kicks. We are shining a light on her novel, Can You Keep a Secret?
One New Year’s Eve, Georgie James and her friends come up with a genius plan to help them stick to their resolutions… They all write down secrets, seal them in envelopes and then post them to each other. The secrets will be revealed at the end of the year if they haven’t kept their resolutions.
It’s perfect. Except…
Georgie’s secret is BIG… and revealing it could destroy their friendships. She has no idea why she chose that one to write down. There are plenty of innocent things she could have said – even admitting she finds newcomer Raf incredibly annoying would have been better.
by Book Spotlight: Lean on Me by Beth Moran
I’m so happy to be welcoming Beth Moran back to Novel Kicks. Today, we are shining a spotlight on her latest novel, Lean On Me.
As Faith tries on her future mother-in-law’s wedding dress in preparation for her own wedding, her tears are not of joy. The hideous frock is nicknamed ‘The Ghost Web’ by Faith’s best friend Marilyn, who can’t understand why Faith would even consider wearing it. But there’s a lot Marilyn doesn’t know about Faith – not the least of which is that Faith is just the latest of the names she has called herself.
Faith and her brother Sam survived a traumatic childhood which included having to change their names to hide from the past, but surviving has left scars. Faith’s generous fiancé Perry doesn’t just promise to be a partner, he offers freedom and security, and enough kindness to keep Faith squashing down any doubts on what ‘being in love’ really means.
It’s not until she meets an extraordinary group of women at the Grace Chapel choir, that things start to become crystal clear. As choir-leader extraordinaire, the indomitable Hester, holds a mirror up to her ragtag group of singers, all with their own burdens and insecurities, and teaches them to see how magnificent they are, so Faith can dare to dream of a future where she and Sam can stop running and she might even be ready to accept the love that she deserves.
by Book Review: The Other Gwyn Girl by Nicola Cornick
I’m so happy to be welcoming Nicola Cornick back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, The Other Gwyn Girl.
1671 – London
The Civil War is over and Charles II, the ‘Merry Monarch’, is revelling in the throne of his murdered father and all the privileges and power that comes with it. Sharing the spoils is his favourite companion, the celebrated beauty, actress Nell Gwyn. Beloved of the English people, Nell has come a long way from selling oranges and a childhood in a brothel, but as her fortunes have turned, her sister Rose has taken a different path. Marriage to a feckless highwayman has left Rose in the grim Marshalsea prison and now she needs her sister’s mercy to help get her out. But Nell needs Rose too. A plot to steal the Crown Jewels has gone tragically wrong, and Nell’s future with her protector King is at risk. If Rose can’t solve the riddle of the jewels both Gwyn sisters will head straight to the Tower.
Present Day
Librarian and history enthusiast Jess Yates has hit rock bottom. With her ex behind bars for fraud, Jess needs to lay low – easier said than done with a celebrity sister. But Tavy has her uses. Her latest TV project involves renovating Fortune Hall, and she needs a house sitter while she’s jetting around the world. The opportunity is too good to miss, especially when Jess discovers that Fortune Hall has links to the infamous Nell Gwyn.
Slowly the house begins to reveal its mysteries, and secrets that have laid buried for centuries can no longer be ignored. Jess hears echoes from a tragic past and as she struggles to understand her sister, Jess feels ever closer to Rose Gwyn, the sister forgotten by history but who had the fate of her family in her hands.
*****
It’s 1671. Charles II is on the throne and enjoying all that comes with it, including mistress Nell Gwyn. She’s come a long way from the poverty she experienced as a child. Her sister Rose on the other hand has needed to forge a different life.
When a failed attempt to steel the Crown Jewells puts her into the path of Sir Guy Forester, it has the potential to change her life forever.
In the present day, Jess is also struggling with scandal and living in the shadow of her famous sibling. When her sister suggests she look after Fortune Hall, Jess is excited especially when she finds a connection to a Gwyn sister.
by Book Review: Thor’s Revenge by Donovan Cook
I’m pleased to be welcoming Donovan Cook back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his novel, Thor’s Revenge.
A kingdom without a crown.
A boy forsaken by his God.
A warrior bent on revenge.
After the bloody Battle of Jelling, Denmark’s throne lies empty and chaos reigns as Jarls jostle for power.
Sven survives the bloodshed only to return home to find Ribe sacked by those he trusted and Charles, a pawn in a much bigger political game, kidnapped.
Consumed by the loss of Charles, Sven is shocked by the arrival of the Abbess Hildegard, daughter of his nemesis King Louis of East Francia, who seeks the whereabouts of Charles, her son, and also the cross of Charlemagne.
But whilst others want revenge for the chaos Sven has caused, Denmark burns and Sven must stand in the shield wall one more time if he is to survive and rescue his grandson.
Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Sven and Charles must put their fate in the hands of the gods if they ever want to see each other again.
*****
Thor’s Revenge continues the journey of Sven the Boar, his grandson, Charles, and the gold cross which Charles escaped to Denmark with.
Following a disastrous battle outside of Ribe, young Charles believes many of his friends to be dead and is in the custody of his grandfather’s enemies. Meanwhile Sven, reeling from the loss of his grandson, is drinking himself into a stupor. Charles must stay strong in the face of great uncertainty, of both his future and his faith as he feels that God has abandoned him.
All the while French agents are circling, having determined that the cross of Charlemagne has been taken to Demark, and they will do anything to recover it and see the empire of France rebuilt.
by Book Club
