Sunday 29 May 2016

Welcome Anneli Purchase. I’m showing off Anneli’s beautiful new cover for Orion’s Gift, which I must say looks hugely intriguing. Anneli’s here to share a little bit more about it.


 Thanks to Anita B. Carroll’s design skills, you can now judge a book by its cover,

Sylvia, our California girl, is walking away (from her old life), but she looks enticing enough for Kevin, her new love interest, to follow her. Actually, he did say he’d follow her anywhere—and he does.

But will it be enough? Does our California girl trust him? Can she ever trust anyone again after what she’s been through? Can he convince her that they can make it together?

But neither of them know that characters from their old life are catching up with them, and their pursuers have less than noble intentions.
Orion’s Gift will keep you turning pages.

Excerpt from Orion’s Gift:

Sylvia is driving the Baja Peninsula. It’s the day before she meets Kevin, her new love interest. Her van has a flat tire. She is alone (with only Annie, her mascot doll, hanging from the curtain rod) on the empty Baja highway.

Heatwaves rose from the pavement as far as I could see in either direction. It was unlikely that anyone would be coming along, but to be safe, I set up my emergency triangles. I didn’t want to get creamed by a crazy driver. And what about those bandidos Rose had told me about? A shiver of fear passed through me. I should hurry up and get this tire changed. I couldn’t shake off the creepy feeling. Don’t be so paranoid, I told myself. All the same, I placed my bear spray on the passenger seat.
Clumsily, I inserted the jack handle and turned it to raise the car. The van started to roll. I grabbed the nearest rock and put it behind the back wheel. I put one more behind each of the other wheels and pulled on the emergency brake. Then I raised the van again. I tried to loosen the wheel nuts. The tire spun around. I lowered the van a bit till the tire barely touched the ground. Better. It was trial and error, but I was learning. I raised the van a tiny bit again, got the old tire off, and rolled the spare over. As I fitted the spare onto the bolts, a compact car with a noisy muffler rattled up behind me and stopped.
A young Mexican in scruffy jeans and a black shirt jumped out. “Hola!” he said. “You need help?” He was alone.
“Thanks. I’m almost done.” Where was he when I needed him ten minutes ago?
Permítame. Manuel Hernandez will do it for you.” He shoved me aside. The push was harder than the friendly nudge of a man saying, “Step aside, honey, and let a man do that.” I didn’t like it, and my fluttering stomach warned me to be careful. But he was already tightening the nuts on the wheel. The job was finished.
I took the jack and wrench from him and put them into the van through the open sliding door. As I turned my back to him, he laughed and said, “And now, pretty señorita, I will take my thank you.”
His grip on my arm sent adrenaline rushing to my knees. I thought they had turned to jelly. Thoughts of Mario and his unwanted attentions flashed through my head. No one was around to save me this time. I smiled and said, “Ah sí, momento. Mi bolsa.” With my free arm, I reached for the front seat. I hoped he would think I was getting my purse. The bear spray hit him full in the face. He spun away backwards and roared with outrage, filling the quiet desert air with Spanish obscenities. Recovering slightly, he staggered towards me cursing and batting at me blindly. I gave him a shove and another spray. While he lay in the ditch shrieking and gasping and moaning, I ran to his car and took the keys out of the ignition. Then I slammed shut the van’s side door, jumped into the driver’s seat, and locked all the doors. “You can have your keys back,” I shouted at him. “I’ll drop them on the road one mile from here.”
He lurched to his feet and yelled. He shook his fist at me, and staggered in my direction. As he slammed his fist into the side of the van, I punched the gas pedal. The tires squealed on the hot pavement. My hands were shaking so badly I could hardly steer.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Calm down, calm down.” I glanced at Annie. She wouldn’t panic. But I wasn’t Annie. “I should never have come here alone.” I babbled incoherently, aware of what I was doing but unable to stop.

About Anneli Purchase:

Anneli Purchase has more hobbies and projects than she can pursue in one lifetime, but of them all, writing takes priority. Traveling, camping, fishing, gardening, mushroom picking, and birdwatching are her preferred pastimes when she is not writing. Anneli has lived on Vancouver Island, Canada, for most of her life. The island provides everything she needs for the activities she enjoys.

Links:

You can buy Orion’s Gift from


To find out more about Anneli Purchase and her books visit:

Twitter: @anneli33

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Monday 23 May 2016

I Don't Want To Talk About It

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I Don’t Want to Talk About it delivers a romance with all of the poignancy you would expect from a Choc Lit read. The title is perfect for this story, which looks at loss and love, the impact of grief on our lives and relationships and our ability to deal with it. Peppered with the perfect amount of humour to make it uplifting, as well as heart breaking, it tells the story of a successful author, who might just be in danger of becoming a one hit wonder if she can’t knuckle down and meet the deadline for her second book. Matters are complicated by the fact that her editor is also now her ex-boyfriend. How could Winter Gregory not break it off with a man who would make her choose between him and her twin sister? There is more to this than meets the eye is all I will say on that subject. You need to read it. Opening in a graveyard …? Uplifting, I hear you ask. Oh yes. As soon as eight-year old Scarlet appears on the scene, with Light Bulb, her very real ‘hobby’ horse and a cherished connection to her lost mother, you can’t help but smile and be as drawn in as Winter was.

The use of social media as a form of communication is extremely clever, allowing us to come to know Alex through his emails and twitter messages. Alex’s grief and guilt over the loss of his sister has manifested itself physically. Alex, Scarlet’s uncle and now her guardian, has developed a stammer, meaning he is not always able to verbalise well and causing Scarlet more problems at school than being a motherless child. Alex is one of the good guys, we feel. How can Winter not be drawn to him? Similarly, through Dan’s emails, we come to see a softer side of the ex-boyfriend. The reference to the epitaphs carved on headstones I found touching and equally clever, giving us glimpses into Winter’s inner character.

To say more would definitely be the classic spoiler. Jane Lovering has given us a heroine who is strong yet vulnerable, defensive, yet caring. Definitely identifiable with, as are all the characters, including Alex’s initially annoying mother. ‘I Don’t Want to Talk About it’ is written, as mentioned, with humour and huge sensitivity. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. Perfect escapism, yet real.

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Monday 16 May 2016

Welcome, June Moonbridge! I’m delighted to have June join me to share a little about her wonderful book All That the Heart Desires.

At twenty-five, Desire Hart has experienced enough grief for a lifetime.

Changing everything in her life - her identity, her hometown and her country of residence, Desire is determined that nothing will prevent her achieving from finding her missing son. Not even love.

On a spring evening, she meets the golden boy of F1 racing, Lorcan Shore, and finds herself falling for him. Struggling to suppress her feelings, she realises he could help her get closer to the child she believes is her long lost son.

But nothing goes according to plan. Her identity is revealed by the press, Lorcan has a terrifying accident, and the trail to her son finishes in another dead end. So Desire does what she does best - she runs away.

Set against the glamorous backdrops of Monaco, Paris and Nice, ‘All That the Heart Desires’ mixes romance and mystery as Desire struggles to come to terms with her past.
Will she allow herself to accept love into her life again?

A little bit about June:



My real name is Petra Rovere and I come from Slovenia, a tiny little country in the middle of Europe. 
I studied economics although it was not my primary interest and I quickly realised I truly hated it. After the study, I found myself working in mainly male-dominated businesses; at first in the automotive and currently in the steel industry. I can choose the best steel for your needs, but don't, please don't, ask me which lipstick brand you should use.
I started to write in high school and was criticised by my Slovene teacher. Stubborn as I am, that didn't stop me. Under different pen names, I had stories published in magazines, and there my first publisher found me and together we published three books in my language under the pen name Eri Krt.
After having two children, and learning that my second child has autism, I married their father and carried on working. Work and family life left me with little free time. But the desire to write didn't die. When life somehow sorted itself out, I decided to write a novel in English and it was accepted by Safkhet Publishing. Racing Heart was published on 1st July 2015, but I reverted my author’s rights on the novel on 8th April 2016. 
Love the cover, June! 
I've already had the pleasure of reading All That the Heart Desires. I'll be posting my review soon, Meanwhile, here's a little snippet - no spoilers, promise! 
Set against a backdrop of the millionaires' playground of Monte Carlo, this is a compelling story reminding us that our past, and the people we hold dearest, is what shapes us. It’s a story about trust. Trusting our own instincts, but also letting go the fear and allowing ourselves to trust someone to be careful with our hearts. Compelling, intriguing and clearly well-researched, All That the Heart Desires is a book I would recommend. I loved it. 
Find out more about June:
Twitter @Jmoonbridge

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Tuesday 10 May 2016

Welcome, Nicole Evelina! I’m delighted to have Nicole join me to share a little about her award winning book, Been Searching For You!


Blurb:


Annabeth is a hopeless romantic who believes in soul mates. In fact, she’s been writing to hers each year on her birthday since she was 16.

Now, at 34, she’s still holding out hope of finding Mr. Right even though he’d be fighting an uphill battle to gain her trust, thanks to a traumatic experience years before that’s left her unable to commit.

When Annabeth meets a handsome literature professor named Alex on her 34th birthday, she thinks her quest may finally be at an end. Things don’t quite go as planned, so Annabeth resolves to do everything she can over the next year to find the unknown recipient of her letters.  But blind dates, Meetup events and online singles sites have nothing on what fate has in store for her when a co-worker unexpectedly quits and Annabeth finds herself working in close quarters with both Alex and her long ago ex, Nick. Fighting her attraction to one and loathing for the other, Annabeth is forced to face all of her old insecurities while keeping an eye on a scheming frienemy who may derail her hopes and dreams.

Written in the tradition of Bridget Jones' Diary, Kim Gruenfelder’s A Total Waste of Makeup, and Melissa Pimental’s Love By The Book, it shows that love on the sweet side can exist for the modern girl, if only she’s willing to trust herself and search hard enough.

Been Searching for You was the winner of the 2015 Romance Writers of America Great Expectations and Golden Rose contests.


Author Bio:

Nicole Evelina is an award-winning historical fiction and romantic comedy writer. Her current novel, Been Searching for You, a romantic comedy, won the 2015 Romance Writers of America (RWA) Great Expectations and Golden Rose contests.

She also writes historical fiction. Her debut novel, Daughter of Destiny, the first book of an Arthurian legend trilogy that tells Guinevere’s life story from her point of view, took first place in the legend/legacy category of the 2015 Chatelaine Awards for Women’s Fiction/Romance, and was short-listed for the Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction. Later this year, she will release Madame Presidentess (July 25), a historical novel about Victoria Woodhull, America's first female Presidential candidate, which was the first place winner in the Women’s US History category of the 2015 Chaucer Awards for Historical Fiction.

Nicole is one of only six authors who completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness. Nicole has traveled to England twice to research the Guinevere’s Tale trilogy, where she consulted with internationally acclaimed author and historian Geoffrey Ashe, as well as Arthurian/Glastonbury expert Jaime George, the man who helped Marion Zimmer Bradley research The Mists of Avalon.

Nicole is a member of and book reviewer for the The Historical Novel Society, and Sirens (a group supporting female fantasy authors), as well as a member of the Historical Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Romance Writers of America, the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, Women Writing the West, Broad Universe (promoting women in fantasy, science fiction and horror), Alliance of Independent Authors and the Independent Book Publishers Association.

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Tuesday 3 May 2016

Well it’s been a mad few months and I couldn’t be happier. Thank you to all those lovely people who have supported me and helped me get my book out there! The Rest of My Life, shortlisted for the Lovestories Awards and now available in WHSmith Travel, has had some really fabulous reviews – a little snippet from Lovereading UK’s gorgeous review below, where the book is a Recommended Buy and Read. You can read the whole review here.


The Rest of My Life is also new and notable on Kobo and has just been nominated for the illustrious RONE Award contemporary steamy category at InD’tale Magazine. If you would like to vote, please feel free to click on the link. RONE2016 Needless to say it would be hugely appreciated.

In other news, Learning to Love is almost here! The official release date is June 14 (you can pre-order HERE) and I’m absolutely delighted to now be able to reveal the cover!

Sometimes help comes from the most unlikely places …
Living in a small village like Hibberton, it’s expected that your neighbours help you in a time of need. But when Andrea Kelly’s house burns down, taking all her earthly possessions with it, it’s the distant and aloof Doctor David Adams – the person she would least expect – who opens his door not just to her, but to her three kids and slightly dotty elderly mother as well.
Andrea needs all the help she can get, dealing with aftermath of the fire and in the suspicious absence of her husband, Jonathan. But, as she gets to know David and his troubled son, Jake, she begins to realise that maybe they need her help as much as she needs theirs … 


Isn’t the cover utterly stunning? I can’t thank Berni Stevens and Choc Lit enough. I just adore it.

That’s it! News to follow soon regarding my thrillers, The Edge of Sanity, Death Sentence, and Sins of the Fathers. It’s early days yet but I think they have found a safe home. Fingers crossed!

Thank you again to all those wonderful readers and Book Bloggers who have supported me every step of the way. I could not do this without you!

Keep safe!

Lots of love,


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Sunday 1 May 2016



Welcome, Jessica Goodwin! I’m delighted to have Jessica join me for news of her book launch!
'Clarissa Jean, Homecoming Queen’ is now available on Kindle!

Blurb:

When Claire Bradshaw decides to end her dead-end relationship of several years, she only has one place to go - back home to the tiny town of Palmetto Park. Claire keeps bumping into people from her past as she struggles to shake her "better than everybody" reputation, make peace with her enemies, and even attempts to rekindle an old flame. Claire gets to know her old friends all over again and gets to know more about herself as she starts over - right back where it all started.

Author bio:

Jessica Goodwin lives in northern Virginia near Washington, DC with her husband, son, and their two cats. She likes cookies, coffee, and anything that sparkles. If she could have any animal for a pet, it would be a T-Rex. She loves experimenting in the kitchen, going wine tasting, singing in the shower, and taking pictures of the baby. 

Two of Goodwin's books, 'Here We Go' and 'The One Who Got Away' have been on the Amazon bestseller list. In March 2012, her third book, 'One of the Guys,' received an Honorable Mention in Sapphire Star Publishing's Month of Romance contest. These titles were originally published on Amazon under her former name, Jessica Strassner, but have been rereleased under the name Jessica Goodwin. 

Goodwin's newest novel, 'Clarissa Jean, Homecoming Queen,' is now available on Kindle!

Goodwin is also a mom blogger with work appearing on Scary Mommy, Baby Gaga, and Mommy Effect. She hopes to someday write a humorous parenting memoir. 

Visit www.jessica-goodwin.com for more information.

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