Book Extract: A Death Of Fresh Air by Helen Golden
I’m so excited to be welcoming Helen Golden back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her book, A Death Of Fresh Air, book 10 in the A Right Royal Cozy Investigation book series.
In a charming seaside town, secrets don’t stay buried for long…
‘Body of Chef Found in Wall Three Years After He ‘Left to go to Australia’
Human remains found inside the wall of a disused building have now been identified as those of Victor Blackwell. He was the head chef at Windstanton’s The Seaside Lounge until just over three years ago, when, according his friends, he left for a job in Australia. Detective Inspector Albert Finch from Fenshire’s Cold Case Unit has asked for anyone who has information about the chef’s movements three years ago to come forward.
We have no choice! With only three weeks until the Grand Opening, the last thing Bea and Perry need is the grim discovery of a skeleton in the wall of Simon and Ryan’s soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. But when it’s designated a crime scene, and the policeman in charge of the investigation into Vic’s murder refuses to let them have access to continue the refurbishment, they have no other option than to investigate the murder themselves or risk letting Simon and Ryan down.
But in a town where everyone harbours secrets, can they uncover the truth in time or will SaltAir’s opening be a damp squib?
Helen has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.
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In the serene seaside town of Windstanton, royal amateur sleuth Lady Beatrice, and her best friend and business partner, Perry Juke, embark on the restoration and refurb of Ryan Hawley, and Perry’s husband, Simon Lattimore’s, soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. With the Grand Opening only three weeks away, the town is buzzing about the new restaurant and advance bookings are flooding in. Everything is looking great. There’s just a stud wall and an ugly old bar to knock down and they’ll be finish on time. What could possibly go wrong?
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Book Extract: The Ex-Mas Holidays by Zoe Allison
I’m so happy to be welcoming Zoe Allison to Novel Kicks to celebrate the book birthday of The Ex-Mas Holidays.
Falling in love can sometimes go off-piste…
There’s never a good time to bump into your ex – so Maya Bashir is shocked when she comes face to face with her old flame Sam Holland, who is wearing nothing but a tiny apron, working as a naked butler at her friend’s Christmas party.
Having driven home for the holidays after losing her boyfriend, flat and job – and dreading her father’s inevitable disappointment that she still doesn’t have a fifty-year plan – perhaps Sam is exactly the distraction Maya needs.
But as sparks begin to fly, Maya doesn’t know if she can let Sam back into her heart so easily… With Christmas day fast approaching, will Maya find love or disaster under the tree?
To celebrate, Zoe has shared an extract with us. We hope you enjoy and that it helps you feel a little festive.
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Context: Maya stops off at her friend Kirsty’s festive party on her way home to Glenavie after breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job. She doesn’t know anyone at the party except for Kirsty.
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‘Have a seat,’ Kirsty said, with a wink. ‘I’ll be back in a sec.’
Maya sat on the massive, soft, grey sofa next to a couple of the other guests. The room was so stylishly decorated that it was difficult to keep her envious eyes off all the furnishings. It was clearly a new build, and Kirsty had the place done out to the nines.
A smiling woman wearing a black jumpsuit shifted over to take Maya’s hand in a shake. ‘I’m Isabelle.’
Maya returned her smile. ‘Maya. Nice to meet you.’
by Book Extract: Dangerous Descent by Evie Jacobs
Please join me in welcoming Evie Jacobs to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, Dangerous Descent.
The first rule of undercover work—don’t get attached…
Pilot Elise Hughes left the family business in the Florida Keys and now flies the rich and powerful to and from the Rocky Mountains. When she has to execute a by-the-book emergency landing, it’s no big deal. But being stranded in a small town with her handsome new colleague is something else entirely.
Obsessed with getting justice for his murdered father, undercover FBI agent Eric Erickson believes retribution is finally within reach. Until things get complicated. And dangerous. And he’s forced to face a few too many realities—including Elise’s connection to a well-known crime boss.
After Elise is kidnapped by the same man who took Eric’s father, he has a choice to make—find Elise or exact revenge. Meanwhile she has a choice of her own—trust the dangerous family she never knew she had or the man who’s been lying to her from the start.
Evie has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
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Set Up: Eric is an FBI agent who has been working undercover as a pilot at a private airline to investigate a mob boss passenger. After being forced to land in a small Nebraska town, his co-pilot is kidnapped by the mobster. Eric set out to save her, but after freeing her from one crime family, they run into another. And this one is Elise’s actual family. Eric and Elise are captured and are being taken to a mafia compound.
by Book Extract: Mistletoe Moments by Stephanie Wood
I am pleased to be welcoming Stephanie Wood to Novel Kicks. Today, we are saying happy book birthday to Mistletoe Moments, book five in her Christmas on The Close book series.
You are invited to spend CHRISTMAS ON THE CLOSE where each of the neighbours are celebrating in their own special way.
Veronica and Owen are looking forward to a happy Christmas on The Close with their friends and neighbours.
Their son, Travis, is due to take some important exams, but will he be able to concentrate when a serious crush derails his schedule?
As their fortieth birthdays approach, some significant celebration will be required, but how can Veronica agree to Owen’s life-changing request?
The fifth standalone episode of ‘Christmas on The Close’ shows how sharing a treasured life with someone does not necessarily result in sharing the same treasured dreams.
In celebration of its book birthday, Stephanie has shared an extract from Mistletoe Moments. We hope you enjoy it.
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Teenager Travis has a crush on his neighbour’s daughter and knows she is out of his league, but with an opportunity to get close to her, he dares to dream about what might happen…
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Travis wasn’t sure how he’d got away with it, but he had convinced his parents he would rather revise for his English Literature exam than go to the fireworks display and they had left him to it.
He couldn’t imagine anything he would rather do less than translate a passage of Shakespeare into readable English, but somehow they had believed it and agreed to give him the space to study in peace and quiet.
by Book Extract: Legacy Of The Runes by Christina Courtenay
I’m so excited to be welcoming Christina Courtenay back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest novel, Legacy Of The Runes.
A bond that even time cannot break
Storm Berger has never forgiven himself for his younger sister Madison’s disappearance. Suspecting she’s travelled back to the ninth century in the footsteps of other family members, Storm can only make sure she’s safe by going after her.
Raised unconventionally as her father’s only child, Freydis has never been content to simply accept her fate. So, when she’s promised in marriage to a tyrant, she’s determined to find a way out of the arrangement. Help comes in the form of a mysterious and attractive stranger stranded on her island’s shores: Storm.
The only way Freydis can truly be free is for Storm to marry her himself. But that would mean entwining lives that, until now, have been separated by centuries. . .
Christina has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.
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The heroine Freydis’s betrothed, Ingolf, has come for a visit to look her over and she hates him on sight:
Freydis made sure she behaved impeccably during Ingolf’s visit, and to her huge relief, he left the following day. He only spoke to her one more time, to say farewell. ‘I will see you at the Yuletide celebrations over on Mávey. I’ll be there too.’
‘Yes.’ She nodded, even though this was the first she’d heard of it. She hadn’t known they would be going there this year, but it didn’t matter.
‘Until then, farewell.’ He gripped her face with both hands and placed a proprietorial kiss on her mouth, then turned to stride down the path towards the ship that was waiting in the cove.
She suppressed a shudder and made a beeline for the bathing hut. There was water and lye soap there, and she used it to scrub her mouth thoroughly. It was the only place she could do it in private, and she couldn’t let anyone see what she was doing. Ingolf’s kiss hadn’t been slobbery or unpleasant, merely impersonal and harsh, yet the imprint of it lingered. It was his way of branding her, she supposed. Her skin still crawled at the thought of it. Never again. She would not let him anywhere near her.
by Book Club
