Callie’s Christmas Wish by Jessica Redland blogtour book review

 

Callie’s Christmas Wish written by Jessica Redland, publisher Little Bear Books, is available NOW in ebook format.  The ebook is also included in the kindleunlimited scheme.

To buy link: https://amzn.to/2RihuXX

Product Details

Christmas is approaching and love is in the air at Bay View Care Home. Supervising carer, Callie Derbyshire, is blissfully happy with new boyfriend, Rhys. The tree’s up, the lights are twinkling, and, with the Christmas Eve wedding of one of the residents, Iris, to look forward to, everything is perfect.

Well, almost.

Rhys’s ex has him at her beck and call, yet refuses to let Callie meet their baby daughter. Callie’s ex is intent on stirring up trouble. And Callie’s favourite resident, Rhys’s nanna, Ruby, hasn’t been her usual self since Iris announced her engagement.

Convinced that Ruby’s lonely, especially after discovering the truth about her lost love, Callie’s determined to give Ruby’s romantic story the happy ending it deserves. Ruby might be adamant that the past should be left in the past. But, when it comes to true love, surely a little well-meaning meddling and a Christmas wish or two can’t do any harm. After all, it’s never to late to let love in again. Or is it?

A heartwarming Christmas story of finding new love, and the courage to revisit a love that was lost long ago.

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the sequel to the highly rated romcom Raving About Rhys: Callie’s Christmas Wish.

Raving About Rhys was a novella the author Jessica Redland wrote back in 2015 (2nd edition published 2017) and readers and the author herself fell in love with the characters, especially Ruby one of the dear residents of Bay View Care Home, we all were eager to know more about these well-loved characters we’d learned about.  I highly recommend you read Raving about Rhys prior to reading Callie’s Christmas Wish to fully appreciate and enjoy the characters and storyline.  You can find my review for Raving About Rhys here.

It was such a welcomed return to Callie and Bay View Care Home.  I don’t want to reveal too much about the back-story to Callie’s Christmas Wish as there will be some new readers who haven’t had the chance to read any of Jessica Redland’s novels yet.  All I can say is that once again Jessica Redland’s writing style is full of warmth and humour and Yorkshire charm oozes from the pages.  I love the interaction between the staff of the care home and the residents, at times it felt like there was no age gap and it was so lovely to read and enjoy the banter between them.  I particularly enjoyed learning about the history surrounding a lost love it was heartbreakingly tragic and romantic.  Lots of emotions are riding high with the onset of the Christmas celebrations at the care home and also relationship woes are high on Callie’s agenda.

A gorgeous festive read that was heart-warming, entertaining and beautifully romantic.

About the Author

Jessica had never considered writing as a career until a former manager kept telling her that her business reports read more like stories and she should write a book. She loved writing but had no plot ideas. Then something happened to her that prompted the premise for her debut novel, Searching for Steven. She put fingers to keyboard and soon realised she had a trilogy and a novella.
She lives on the stunning North Yorkshire Coast — the inspiration for the settings in her books — with her husband, daughter, cat, Sprocker Spaniel, and an ever-growing collection of collectible teddy bears. Although if the dog has her way, the collection will be reduced to a pile of stuffing and chewed limbs!
Her passion for North Yorkshire is shared by fellow-writer and great friend, Sharon Booth and, together, they are the Yorkshire Rose Writers.
Jessica tries to balance her time — often unsuccessfully — between being an HR tutor, trying to re-learn how to play the piano, studying towards a Masters in Creative Writing, and writing itself. Who needs sleep?

Social Media Links
Twitter: @JessicaRedland
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRedlandWriter/
Website and blog: http://www.jessicaredland.com

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The Swooping Magpie by Liza Perrat book excerpt/promo

 

The Swooping Magpie written and self-published by Liza Perrat is available NOW in ebook and paperback format.  The ebook is available to download at a special introductory price of 99p (price correct at date of post publication).

To buy link: ebook – https://amzn.to/2OZHo0t

To buy link:  paperback – https://amzn.to/2FThoF5

Product Details

The thunderclap of sexual revolution collides with the black cloud of illegitimacy.
Sixteen-year-old Lindsay Townsend is pretty and popular at school. At home, it’s a different story. Dad belts her and Mum’s either busy or battling a migraine. So when sexy school-teacher Jon Halliwell finds her irresistible, Lindsay believes life is about to change.
She’s not wrong.
Lindsay and Jon pursue their affair in secret, because if the school finds out, Jon will lose his job. If Lindsay’s dad finds out, there will be hell to pay. But when a dramatic accident turns her life upside down, Lindsay is separated from the man she loves.
Events spiral beyond her control, emotions conflicting with doubt, loneliness and fear, and Lindsay becomes enmeshed in a shocking true-life Australian scandal. The schoolyard beauty will discover the dangerous games of the adult world. Games that destroy lives.
Lindsay is forced into the toughest choice of her young life. The resulting trauma will forever burden her heart.
Reflecting the social changes of 1970s Australia, The Swooping Magpie is a chilling psychological tale of love, loss and grief, and, through collective memory, finding we are not alone.

I am so pleased to be able to share with you all today an extract from Liza Perrat’s novel: The Swooping Magpie, which is the second (standalone) novel in Liza Perrat’s 1970’s Australian Family Drama series.

Excerpt From Chapter 1:
I wrinkle my nostrils against the caustic smell of cat piss as we pick our way across the filthy footpath to the black gate.
My mother steps aside as the high gate creaks open, nods at me to go through. I scowl, don’t move.
‘You heard what your father said, Lindsay.’
With a sigh, I push past her.
The storm flushed away, the humidity has seeped back into the air at this tail-end of another scalding Australian summer. There’s no warmth in me though, only ice-blocks freezing my insides so that I become so cold I can’t stop shivering.
It’s not just the fear that sets me quaking, but the helplessness too. Like when I was a kid about to launch myself down the slippery dip. I’d hesitate, knowing that once I slid off there was no turning back, even if the metal burned my bum raw, or that once I reached the bottom I’d tumble forwards and scrape my knees.
My mother nudges me ahead of her. I don’t realise it yet, and I won’t speak of the whole sorry tale for years to come, since every time I thought about it, the memories would leave me frustrated, sad and angry, but I would recall walking through those black iron gates as crossing the threshold into the darkest hell.

About the Author

Liza grew up in Australia, working as a general nurse and midwife. She has now been living in France for over twenty years, where she works as a part-time medical translator and a novelist. She is the author of the historical The Bone Angel series. The first, Spirit of Lost Angels, is set in 18th century revolutionary France. The second, Wolfsangel, is set during the WW2 Nazi Occupation and the French Resistance, and the third novel – Blood Rose Angel –– is set during the 14th century Black Plague years.
The first book in Liza’s new Australian series, The Silent Kookaburra, published in November, 2016, is a psychological suspense set in 1970s Australia.

Liza is a co-founder and member of the writers’ collective Triskele Books and also reviews books for Bookmuse

Website: http://www.lizaperrat.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LizaPerrat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Liza-Perrat

A Village Affair by Julie Houston blogtour extract

 

A Village Affair written by Julie Houston, publisher Aria, is available NOW in ebook and paperback format.  The ebook is also included in the kindleunlimited scheme.

To buy links:

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2MF22BW
iBooks: https://apple.co/2PEjcCb
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MFTI4T
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2yFfGjA

Product Details

Cassie Beresford has recently landed her dream job as deputy head teacher at her local, idyllic village primary school, Little Acorns. So, the last thing she needs is her husband of twenty years being ‘outed’ at a village charity auction – he has been having an affair with one of her closest friends.

As if it weren’t enough to cope with, Cassie suddenly finds herself catapulted into the head teacher position, and at the front of a fight to ward off developers determined to concrete over the beautiful landscape.

But through it all, the irresistible joy of her pupils, the reality of keeping her teenage children on the straight and narrow, her irrepressible family and friends, and the possibility of new love, mean what could have been the worst year ever, actually might be the best yet…

 

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of Julie Houston’s novel: A Village Affair.

I am currently reading this novel by Julie Houston and I’m already loving it, it has quite an exploding first chapter that makes you eager to find out what happens next.  I’ll be sharing my review of the novel soon on my blog but today I’d like to share an extract from the novel:

She’s Right Off My Christmas Card List…
At 1 a.m. on the Monday morning – the morning when I was apparently supposed to breeze into Little Acorns and take over at the helm, steering both staff and pupils in the direction demanded by the local authority, the governors and, more pertinently, bloody Ofsted, my husband slunk back home. I say ‘slunk’ but to be honest I didn’t have a clue as to the speed or mode of his arrival, being dead to the world as a result of a couple of Fiona’s little helpers.
Totally shattered from lack of sleep and the shock, as well as the bombshell of my sudden promotion, I was in a pretty catatonic state by the time Fiona and Clare left, late in the afternoon, to sort out their weeks ahead.
Clare, who was in the process of expanding her rather successful stag do business, Last Stagger, to incorporate hen dos, had been given a lift by Fiona to get her own car and laptop and, on her return, set herself up at my breakfast bar dealing with emails and the many enquiries for new business. Fiona, who believed any problem could be solved through food, and lots of it, found my pinny, ingredients in the fridge and freezer and set to rustling up a meal in order to have some semblance of normality for the kids. At least when Freya and Tom finally got around to realising this particular Sunday was shaping up to be rather different from the usual Sunday in the Beresford household, I had the excuse of being in shock and terror at suddenly finding myself head teacher instead of deputy. Having said that, while there might be a shepherd’s pie in the oven, I still didn’t know how I was going to explain Mark’s absence.
Before Fiona left to feed her own brood, she’d nipped down to Sainsbury’s, returning with an enormous chocolate cake, concealer and a pack of Nytol.
‘The cake’s for pud to stop your two talking,’ she announced drily. ‘If their mouths are full, they can’t be asking too many questions. You’ll need the concealer to cover up those red eyes in the morning and the Nytol…’
‘I’m not taking sleeping tablets,’ I protested. ‘I don’t believe in them…’
‘They’re just antihistamine,’ Fiona said calmly. ‘Far better that you actually get some sleep to face tomorrow than have another night like last night. You probably won’t need them, you’ll be so exhausted. I usually drop a couple when Matthew is snoring horrendously and doesn’t respond to my clapping.’
‘Clapping?’ Clare looked up from her laptop, bemused. ‘You applaud him for bloody snoring. God, I’d be kicking him, not encouraging him. Clapping?’
Fiona laughed. ‘Honestly, it works. Try it next time one of your men happens to be a snorer. You just gently clap two or three times and they turn over and sleep without another sound. It doesn’t always work.’ Fiona started giggling. ‘The other night I was so fed up with him I clapped really angrily – staccato – in his left ear, and he shot out of bed shouting, “What is it, what is it, wassamatter…?” fell over his bloody great size-fifteen boots – that I’m always telling him to shift from the bedroom – and landed in a naked heap on the carpet.’ Fiona carried on chortling. ‘Great entertainment,’ she added.
‘I think you need to get out more,’ Clare said. ‘Why don’t you go into the spare room when the snorer from hell kicks off?’
‘Haven’t got one any more. Now that the girls are horrible adolescents and can’t stand sharing a bedroom – or each other, come to that – Bea has purloined the spare room for herself. Moved all her stuff in there a couple of months ago and refuses to move.’
‘I’d smack her bottom,’ Clare said.
‘Not when she’s almost six foot and her hockey stick’s a constant accessory, you wouldn’t,’ Fiona said mildly. ‘Anyway, enough of my lot. How are you feeling now, Cassie?’
‘Like I’m in a dream,’ I shrugged. ‘Totally not with it. Even if Mark hadn’t done what he’d done, if he was here now with me instead of you two, I’d still be in a state about tomorrow.’
‘But why?’ Clare looked up again. ‘I thought you wanted to be in charge?’
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself as terrifying thoughts of the next day replaced incredulous thoughts of Mark’s recalcitrant behaviour. ‘I know you two – particularly you, Clare, not having any kids in the system – don’t know much about what’s going on in education at the moment, but being a deputy head in a primary school is totally different from being the head. I have a class of my own to teach, albeit on a slightly, and I emphasise the word slightly, reduced timetable. I’m given two afternoons off to perform my deputy’s role.’
‘Sounds much better now then,’ Clare said, draining her cup of coffee. ‘As head, you won’t have a class to teach and you can shut yourself away in your office and swivel round on your chair, pressing those red and green lights that say, “Come In” or “Bugger Off”.’
I actually laughed at that. ‘You don’t know the half. I’m still going to have to deal with my new class tomorrow; someone will have to teach them and I can’t see David Henderson having sorted out any supply.’
‘David Henderson.’ Fiona whistled. ‘I’m still amazed that the man they call “the Richard Branson of the North” is actually your Chair of Governors. What’s he like? Rather attractive, isn’t he?’
‘Rather?’ Clare snorted. ‘Very, you mean. He’s gorgeous…’
‘With a very attractive wife,’ I smiled.
‘Since when’s that stopped Clare?’ Fiona sniffed, giving me an anxious look. ‘Look, Cassie, you can’t do everything. You can’t be expected to teach a class of thirty ten-year-olds and be deputy head and now head as well. What did David Henderson say? What’s likely to happen?’
‘Well, in cases like this, where the head is suddenly no more, if the deputy has been in situ for years then they will be acting head and another member of staff will be acting deputy until the post of head is advertised and filled. In my case, where I’m brand new, a new acting head is usually brought in from the authority. You know, someone who’s been a deputy for years in their own school and is actively looking for a headship. They’ll ship them in to take over temporarily.’
Clare looked disappointed. ‘Oh, so you’re not going to be head after all? Well, that’s all your problems halved in one fell swoop. You just need to sort Mark out and you’ll be back to square one, job done.’
‘Clare!’ Fiona frowned as she saw my face. ‘I don’t think it’s quite as simple as that. You get back to sorting your rampant stags and don’t be so damned flippant.’
I smiled at Fiona but realised my stomach was churning and I wanted to throw up. ‘I’m sure they will bring someone in to take over as head but, according to David Henderson, it won’t be tomorrow. He said he’d be on hand in the morning to help me. Shit,’ I said, suddenly realising. ‘I’m going to have to do a new-term, new-year, new-beginning assembly and I’ll have to explain to the children that Mrs Theobold is dead. Or do I say she’s with Jesus? No, I can’t; what about the Muslim children? OK, Mrs Theobold is with Jesus or Mohammed – take your pick, kids.’
‘Calm down,’ Clare said as she realised panic was mounting in every fibre of my being once more. ‘Sit yourself down, pen and paper in front of you, and we’ll help you compose your very first assembly as head. How hard can it be?’

About the Author

Julie Houston is the author of The One Saving Grace, Goodness, Grace and Me and Looking for Lucy, a Kindle top 100 general bestseller and a Kindle Number1 bestseller. She is married, with the two teenage children and a made cockerpoo and, like her heroine, livs in a West Yorkshire village. She is also a teacher and a magistrate.

Follow Julie
Twitter handle: @juliehouston2
Facebook: @JulieHoustonauthor
Website: http://www.juliehouston.co.uk

Mistletoe & Mystery by Daisy James blogtour book review

 

Mistletoe & Mystery written by Daisy James, publisher Canelo, is available NOW in ebook format.

The ebook is available to download for kindle, kobo, Google Books and iBooks.

To buy link (amazon UK): https://amzn.to/2DSvjJu

Product Details

Welcome to the Cotswolds Festive Feast cookery course…
Fresh off the successful opening of the Paradise Cookery School in St Lucia, Millie Harper is headed to the Cotswolds for Christmas!
Co-presenting Claudia Croft’s famous Festive Feast cookery course at Stonelea Manor is a dream come true for Millie…as is reuniting with gorgeous estate manager Zach Barker.
But arriving in a winter wonderland Millie learns the manor is under a mysterious threat. It’ll take a holiday miracle, but Millie is determined to save the school and get Zach under the mistletoe to finally finish what they started in the Caribbean!
Cosy up with this fun, festive visit to the Cotswolds premier cookery school! Perfect for fans of Jenny Oliver and Sarah Morgan
If you loved Mistletoe & Mystery, why not read the first two stories in The Paradise Cookery School series? Sunshine & Secrets and Confetti & Confusions are both available now!

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of the final instalment in The Paradise Cookery school series:  Mistletoe & Mystery.

Ohh what a fabulous finale to a delicious, feast for the eyes feel-good series by Daisy James.  The Paradise Cookery School has not only been a delightful read but it’s also been my first introduction to the work of Daisy James.  I’ve completely fallen in love with her writing; who wouldn’t, as she fills her stories with warmth, laughter and heart.

Mistletoe & Mystery has taken us back to the celebrated chef’s home in the Cotswolds.  Millie has been invited to co-host with chef Claudia Croft in a Festive Feast cookery course at Stonelea Manor.  Not only will it give Millie an opportunity to work with Claudia but Millie will get to see Zach again.  Zach the handsome Estate Manager she met in the Caribbean who infuriated her at first but also brought Millie out of a gloom that had set in her personal life.  Millie and Zach’s friendship had bloomed in the sun but now back in the UK Millie is hoping their friendship could have more potential.

I adored the sound of Stonelea Manor and the villagers and how they all shared a common goal of helping each other.  Claudia’s husband, Tim, was a fabulous, quirky character and you couldn’t help loving his creativity and his energy.  With Millie soon feeling welcomed at the Manor and the village she started to sense mystery and trepidation from Claudia and concern soon mounted.

Daisy James has created such a delicious, delightful trio of stories that you’ll fall in love with each and every character.  I wholeheartedly recommend reading the books in order, which are:

• Sunshine & Secrets
• Confetti & Confusion
• Mistletoe & Mystery

I’m a little sad that the series has come to the end but I feel like it’s a bright new beginning for our much loved characters.

A series to warm your heart with sunshine, laughter, fun and frolics, festive feasts and winter sparkles with a gorgeous budding romance.

About the Author

Daisy James is a Yorkshire girl transplanted to the north east of England. She loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. When not scribbling away in her summerhouse, she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something pink and fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea – china plates and teacups are a must.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/daisyjamesbooks

The Christmas Heart by Helena Halme blogtour book review

The Christmas Heart written by Helena Halme, publisher Newhurst Press, is available NOW in ebook and paperback format.  The ebook is also included in the kindleunlimited scheme.

To buy link: https://amzn.to/2BeM3bb

Product Details

Tall, dark and handsome, Tom is out to have some fun. Kaisa doesn’t think she’ll ever fall in love again. But when they meet on the snow-capped Swedish Alps, sparks fly.
With his beloved mother passed, Tom is forced to leave his two teenage sons in Milan with his ex and is looking forward to an uncomplicated Christmas skiing in the Swedish Alps.
With her daughter Rosa away backpacking in the Far East, Kaisa decides to take a rare winter break over the holidays with her best friend Tuuli. Now in her late fifties, Kaisa doesn’t think she’ll ever fall in love again. But when she sees Tom after some thirty years, her heart begins to beat a little faster. Kaisa knows, however, an affair with Tom will go nowhere. Years ago, they had a disastrous date, which neither of them wishes to revisit.
Yet, on the slopes and in the apres-ski bars Tom showers Kaisa with his attentions and she finds she cannot resist his intense eyes and passionate kisses.
Can Kaisa trust this European Casanova, and her own sudden infatuation?
The Christmas Heart is a seasonal story of grown-up love set in the beautiful Swedish Alps. It’s the final book in the acclaimed Nordic Heart series, but can also be read as a stand-alone story.

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of Helena Halme’s latest instalment in The Nordic Heart series.  The Christmas Heart is a grown-up festive romance beautifully told.

The Christmas Heart is a story that takes you on a scenic journey to Sweden to a white Christmas with friends and with the surprise of love at a time when you least expect it.  A time in your life when you are happy within yourself but when someone from your past turns up and reminds you of your carefree youth your heart suddenly starts to feel young again.

This is the final instalment in The Nordic Heart series however, it is my first introduction to the work of Helena Halme.  I soon found myself enjoying the festive landscape of Sweden and was captivated by this tale of friendship and love blossoming in the later (ish) stages of life.  The story could very easily by read as a standalone and reading The Christmas Heart has given me a lovely insight into a new romance novelist.  I will now certainly check out more of Helena Halme’s work.

A sensitively told festive romance that sizzled with chemistry as bright as the Christmas lights.

About the Author

A prize-winning author, Helena Halme writes contemporary fiction with a hint of both Nordic Noir and romance. She’s a former BBC journalist, bookseller and magazine editor. Originally from Finland where she gained an MSc in Marketing, she also holds an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and writes in English.
Helena acts as Nordic Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors and helps other writers publish and market their books.
Helena has published seven fiction titles, including The English Heart, a best-selling Nordic romance, which won an Awesome Indies badge on publication. The bittersweet 1980s love story between a Finnish student and a British Navy officer is now a series, including a prequel novella, The Young Heart, the sequels The Faithful Heart, The Good Heart and Helena’s latest title, The True Heart, book four in The Nordic Heart Series. Helena has also published a non-fiction title, Write Your Story: Turn Your Life into Fiction in 10 Easy Steps.
Helena is addicted to Nordic Noir and dances to Abba songs when nobody’s watching.

Website: http://www.helenahalme.com/
Twitter : @helenahalme
Author page on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/HelenaHalmeAuthor/
Instagram @helenahalme

Snowed in at The Little Duck Pond Café by Rosie Green blogtour book review

 

Snowed in at the Little Duck Pond Café written and self-published by Rosie Green is available NOW in ebook format.  The ebook is also included in the kindleunlimited scheme.

To buy link: https://amzn.to/2zgjMQd

Product Details

The biggest snowfall in years has blanketed Sunnybrook, cutting the village off from the outside world. For Fen, who finds herself snowed in at The Little Duck Pond Cafe, it’s little more than a minor inconvenience. Her love life is finally running smoothly; it looks as if she’s found the perfect man for her.

But then a shocking secret threatens to destroy Fen’s new-found happiness.
Will being snowed in be the final straw? Or will Fen find a way through the snowdrifts to the perfect love?

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of Rosie Green’s latest instalment in the Little Duck Pond Café series: Snowed in at the Little Duck Pond Café.

Snowed in at the Little Duck Pond Café was such a wonderful conclusion to what has been a gorgeous four part mini series by Rosie Green.  I’ve totally fallen in love with the village of Sunnybrook in the south east of England.  A small village with a café at the heart of the community that’s nestled in along a row of buildings opposite the little duck pond café.  A duck pond that has seen many romances bloom, has also witnessed a few catastrophes and has given comfort to some lost souls.

Snowed in at the Little Duck Pond Café continues after we left our friends Ellie, Jaz and Fen at Christmas.  With preparations for the New Year Party and Fen’s regional heat in a baking competition life is rolling along nicely until a big snow storm hits the village.  As much as the joy of seeing the village blanketed in a beautiful winter whiteness it brings so much more with it.  Chaos soon begins in the three friends lives and time is of the essence if the girls are to fulfil their dreams.

This was another delightful instalment in the Little Duck Pond Café series.  We had relationship woes, family struggles, catastrophe and chaos, drama and heroic escapades.  But what delighted me the most was the whole sense of community spirit which I felt in abundance.

What a wonderful gift for someone to buy them a kindle and pre-load it with a gorgeous feel-good series like this.

About the Author

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centred on life in a village café. The first two stories in the series are: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe and Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café.

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

A Gift from Woolworths by Elaine Everest blogtour book review

 

A Gift from Woolworths written by Elaine Everest, publisher Pan, is available NOW in ebook, paperback and audiobook format.

The paperback is available from all good book retailers and the ebook is available for kindle, kobo, Google and iBooks.

To buy link: https://amzn.to/2QR690T

Product Details

Will the war be over by Christmas?
As the war moves into 1945 the lives of the women of Woolworths continue. When store manager, Betty Billington, announces she is expecting Douglas’s baby her future life is about to change more than she expects.
Freda has fallen in love with the handsome Scottish engineer but will it end happily?
Maisie loves being a mother and also caring for her two nieces although she still has her own dreams. When her brother appears on the scene he brings unexpected danger to the family.
Meanwhile Sarah dreams of her husband’s return and a cottage with roses around the door but Woolworths beckons.
Will our girls sail into times of peace, or will they experience more heartache and sorrow? With a wedding on the horizon, surely only happiness lies ahead – or does it?

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the next instalment in Elaine Everest’s Woolworth’s series; A Gift From Woolworths.

A Gift from Woolworths was nostalgia in abundance!  I absolutely adored this fifth story in the Woolworths series, it was a complete pleasure to read from start to finish.  I have to congratulate the author on creating the Woolworths series as it has brought to life an iconic, much-loved and greatly missed High Street store.  Not only has it had you dreaming of the pick-n-mix and the CD single chart from our childhood but it has brought with it the community of people living around Erith, Kent.  We learn of the hardship of families pulling together during times of uncertainty with the war years, we also learn of the daily struggles of loss, grief, fear and most of all of friendships old and new.

I loved returning back to Erith with the girls who first found friendship whilst working at Woolworths.  The girls have grown in strength and love and it’s now 1945 and we have glimmers of hope as the end of the war is in sight.  Our favourite young trio Freda, Maisie and Sarah are all facing new challenges with their lives with new babies and the prospect of a new love.  Betty, the manager of Woolworths that instigated the friendship of the girls, is also facing a new direction in her life, one that she thought would never happen and she’s having mixed feelings about it.

With the future looking positive with the end of the war the residents of Erith have lots to look forward to with a wedding also on the horizon.  However, all isn’t rosy and new acquaintances and a figure from the past bring danger and turmoil.  With an increasing intrigue and fear for the welfare of loved ones the drama increases and life for so many of our friends from Erith will not be the same again.

A story predominantly about life and love, of hardship, of making do and mend, of struggles and strife but most of all celebrating each small victory with your friends and a good old knees-up.

I hope one day Elaine Everest will revisit the Woolworths girls and give us another glimpse into the lives of Freda, Maisie, Sarah, Betty and Ruby.

The whole boxset of the paperbacks with a brown betty teapot, tin of loose-leaf tea and a bag of pick-n-mix sweets would make a fabulous gift for any occasion.  It would be a great ‘wellness’ treat as the books have that wonderful air about them.

About the Author

Elaine Everest, author of Bestselling novels The Woolworths Girls, The Butlins Girls, Christmas at Woolworths, and Wartime at Woolworths was born and brought up in North West Kent, where many of her books are set. She has been a freelance writer for twenty years and has written widely for women’s magazines and national newspapers, with both short stories and features. Her non-fiction books for dog owners have been very popular and led to broadcasting on radio about our four legged friends. Elaine has been heard discussing many topics on radio from canine subjects to living with a husband under her feet when redundancy looms.

When she isn’t writing, Elaine runs The Write Place creative writing school at The Howard Venue in Hextable, Kent and has a long list of published students.

Elaine lives with her husband, Michael, and their Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry, in Swanley, Kent and is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, The Crime Writers Association, The Society of Women Writers & Journalists and The Society of Authors.

Twitter:   http://www.twitter.com/elaineeverest
Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/ElaineEverestAuthor/

 

 

Dreaming of Christmas by T.A. Williams blogtour book review

 

Dreaming of Christmas written by T.A. Williams, publisher Canelo, is available NOW in ebook format.

Canelo books can be found on Amazon, Kobo, Apple and Google Books – some books will be limited to UK publication places only.

Product Details

It’s the dream Christmas: snow, mountains… and, er, an ex-boyfriend. But can Zoe still find love in the Alps?
Dumped on Christmas Eve by her long-term boyfriend, it’s been a rough year for Zoe Lumsley. But then she gets an invitation she can’t refuse: an all expenses paid skiing holiday with old university friends.
The bad news: her ex, Grant, will be there with his new girlfriend. But so will her former flatmate Billy, the organiser, and in the meantime he’s done rather well for himself. As Christmas in the Alps approaches, it’ll be great to see the old gang. Some more than others…
Perfect for readers of Tilly Tenant, Holly Martin and Philippa Ashley, this is the perfect magical Christmas getaway from the bestselling T.A. Williams.

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

This was another gorgeous read from author T.A. Williams who once again takes his readers to an idyllic setting and makes you want your own snowy Austrian Christmas.

With every book that the author has written you can sense the depth of research he has undertaken with the locations of his novels.  The details of the setting was superb and you can almost feel the wintry chill and the tantalising aromas from the many traditional feasts and foodie delights that the characters enjoyed.

Zoe Lumsley has had a difficult year emotionally leading up to this Christmas with the aftermath of a break-up of her 10 year relationship with Grant, whom she met whilst at university.  When an unexpected invite arrives in the post to a reunion of all the students that lived in the same student house Zoe is very hesitant with the RSVP as she knows that Grant would have had the same invite.  However, this reunion is somewhat special, it’s a week in a luxury hotel in Austria and their host and fellow graduate is the shy, introvert geek Billy.  With the encouragement of her friend Zoe makes the trip and awaits her first encounter with Grant since the break-up.

This was a lovely festive story of catching-up with friends from 10 years ago and an awful lot of changes have happened with the addition of husbands, wives, children and an adorable black Labrador puppy.  Yay, we have our regular furry friend that the author T.A. Williams loves to include in his stories.  These additions changed the dynamic and personalities of the group.  For Zoe and all of the others they could immediately see a change in their host Billy who was now the owner of a successful international computer business and had accrued an almost allusive celebrity status with the addition of riches beyond our wildest dreams.  But Zoe could still see glimpses of the shy young man from university.

A story that will make you feel all festive and warm with it’s cosy romance.  A story that will delight you with the stunning setting that will take your breath away.

About the Author

T.A. Williams lives in Devon with his Italian wife. He was born in England of a Scottish mother and Welsh father. After a degree in modern languages at Nottingham University, he lived and worked in Switzerland, France and Italy, before returning to run one of the best-known language schools in the UK. He’s taught Arab princes, Brazilian beauty queens and Italian billionaires. He speaks a number of languages and has travelled extensively. He has eaten snake, still-alive fish, and alligator. A Spanish dog, a Russian bug and a Korean parasite have done their best to eat him in return. His hobby is long-distance cycling, but his passion is writing.

Social Media links:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TAWilliamsBooks

Website: https://tawilliamsbooks.com/

Practising for Christmas by Rachael Richey book review

 

Practising for Christmas written by Rachael Richey, publisher The Wild Rose Press Inc, is available NOW in ebook and paperback format.

To buy link: https://amzn.to/2QDyO9A

Product Details

A remote coastal cottage; a group of old friends; the Christmas holidays. It’s just the break Olivia needs to help her relax and forget her worries. What could be more perfect? But that was before she found a handsome unconscious stranger on the beach. Add in a case of mistaken identity, a lot of kissing practice, and an inquisitive best friend, and things begin to get more than a little complicated.

The large bump on Adam’s head hurts, but he refuses to go to the hospital—or back home—and eventually accepts Olivia’s offer of hospitality. When her friends arrive the following morning, a chance remark catapults them both into a bizarre and amusing situation that promises to make it a Christmas to remember.

Happy Publication Day to Rachael Richey; Practising for Christmas is the author’s sixth book and is a standalone seasonal story.

This was an adorable, sexy, fun read that I devoured.  It felt like an up-to-date Cinderella-esque story and it was filled with some very dreamy and desirable moments.

Spending Christmas at a remote cottage in the southwest with your boyfriend and close friends was all Olivia had been looking forward to.  But when you’ve recently split from your boyfriend days before Christmas the prospect of being the only single person in the cottage is not so welcoming.  However, finding an unconscious attractive man on the beach may just give Olivia some breathing time from her relationship woes.

Adam too is suffering from relationship misery so escaping to the coast was the perfect space for him until he slipped on rocks, banging his head and being woken and cared for by a lovely young woman.  Olivia had kindly offered for Adam to rest at the cottage but in the end Adam stayed for the whole Christmas break bringing more than a little chaos, confusion and a great deal of chemistry to the festivities.

Practising for Christmas is another gorgeous contemporary romance from Rachael Richey that felt like a delicious indulgence.  A sexy fairytale-esque romance to brighten up any winter’s day.

About the Author

Rachael Richey lives in Cornwall with her husband and children. She writes Women’s Fiction, and Storm Rising is the first book in the NightHawk Series. She has been writing since she was a child, starting with stories about her teddy bears and dolls.

She lived in the Hebrides for nearly fourteen years, having originally gone there to work for the summer season. She met and married her husband David whilst there, and had two children, before moving to Cornwall at the end of 2000.

There are currently four titles in the NightHawk Series; Storm Rising, published in February 2015; Rhythm of Deceit, July 2015, Cobwebs in the Dark, February 2016, and The Girl in the Painting, July 2016.

Breaking All The Rules, a standalone romantic comedy, was released on 5th May, 2017, and Practising for Christmas, a seasonal romcom is due for publication on 12th November, 2018.

Website:  https://rachaelricheybooks.weebly.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RachaelRBooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachaelRicheyAuthor/

The Glorious Dead by Tim Atkinson blogtour book review

 

The Glorious Dead written by Tim Atkinson, publisher Unbound, is available NOW in ebook and hardcover format.

To buy link:  Waterstones – https://bit.ly/2yWylID

Amazon UK – https://amzn.to/2SK1E9H

Product Details

What happened when the Great War ended and the guns stopped firing? Who cleared the battlefields and buried the dead? It’s 1918 and the war may be over but Lance-Corporal Jack Patterson and the men of his platoon are still knee-deep in Flanders mud, searching the battlefields for the remains of comrades killed in action. But duty isn’t all that’s keeping Jack in Flanders. For one there is Katia, the daughter of a local publican, with whom he has struck up a romance. And then there is something else, a secret that lies buried in Jack’s past, one he hopes isn’t about to be dug up…

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. All opinions are my own and no content may be copied. However, authors and publishers may use elements of my reviews for quotes.

I am so pleased to be involved in the blogtour celebrating and promoting the launch of Tim Atkinson’s novel: The Glorious Dead.

In August this year I felt very privileged to go on a visit to Flanders Field, near Ypres, Belgium.  Flanders Field was a major battle site during the First World War 1914-1918 and now it is home to many WWI War Cemeteries, Commemorative monuments and historical areas of interest.  I visited many of the war grave cemeteries including Essex Farm and Tyne Cot and the whole visit completely moved me.  When I was invited to read and review this novel by Tim Atkinson I had no hesitation in accepting.

The author, Tim Atkinson, has undertaken vast research with this book which is based on fact surrounding the men who had been employed by the War Graves Commission.  Men that had witnessed the daily grind of war, a war that had taken the lives of so many of their comrades but had spared them to now search the land to find the remains of the men who had lost their lives, to identify them in order for them to be reburied with dignity at one of the many war graves in an around Ypres.

Reading through the pages of The Glorious Dead I felt like I was reliving my visit to the cemeteries but this time I was visiting back in 1918.  Tim Atkinson has written a raw, honest interpretation of a time back in 1918 and 1919 to a task that was so brutally painful and gritty and was also very dangerous with the debris of ammunitions still lying around.  Interspersed between the horrors of the remains of the war Tim Atkinson has woven humour, camaraderie and romance within the storyline.  At times the story is very difficult to read and you are wracked with emotion but these glimpses of humanity and life still going on give the story hints of warmth.

I was completely enthralled by this novel, it was very poignant with it’s raw account of events, it had touches of mystery and of unjust.  You could feel a sense of belonging to the time and to the place and you could also understand why so many men and women found life very difficult after the war.  A story of war that is not always told.

I’d like to share a quote from the novel which particularly resonated with me:

lives made heavy by the weight of Flanders mud that still sticks to them like clay.

About the Author

Tim Atkinson is a teacher, author and award-winning blogger. He studied philosophy at the University of Hull and has worked variously as a filing clerk, lay-clerk, chain-man and school teacher. He was born in Colchester, brought up in Yorkshire and now lives in Lincolnshire.

 

Website:  https://www.timatkinson.info/

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dotterel

I’d also like to share a few of the photos I took during my visit to Flanders Fields in the summer.