Cover Reveal: Cards from Khloe’s Flower Shop by Isabella Anderson #Chicklit #GoddessLit #GoddessTours @ILA121209

Welcome Author and Chick Lit Goddess, Isabella Louise Anderson! Isabella’s here to share her gorgeous cover for Cards from Khloe’s Flower Shop!

 

Isn't it just divine?

Blurb:

As the owner of a successful florist shop, Khloe Harper trusts her instincts. She has a strong bond with her family and friends, but after being betrayed by her last love, she's kept herself at arms’ length from romance. When dashing entertainment attorney Derek Thomas walks into her store, Khloe’s interested is piqued. What at first seems like a business relationship quickly turns into romance, and Derek slowly plucks away the petals she’s been hiding behind. Just as Khloe lets down her guard, she discovers that Derek may not be worthy of her love after all...

Frumpy Connie Albright has a faux fascination with an imaginary man named Walt, sending herself flowers from him to feel less out-of-place with the “mean girls” she works with. Gabby Lewis, a recently widowed senior, isn't ready to give up on love—which means releasing herself from survivor's guilt and taking a chance on finding happiness and companionship again.

As these stories intertwine through flowers and cards sent from Khloe's shop, the three women begin to learn that love can only truly blossom when you trust your heart.

Author Bio:

Isabella grew up with a book in her hand, and to this day nothing has changed. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and has been featured on several blogs. While Isabella doesn’t blog a lot, she focuses her time on featuring other writers, along with working on her next book.

She created Chick Lit Goddess to share the love of the following genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Romance, and Romantic Comedies!  She loves featuring authors and their books, and has a book business, Goddess Book Tours.

Currently, she lives in Dallas with her husband. She enjoys spicy Mexican food and drinking margaritas, and can be found spending time with family and friends, cheering on the Texas Rangers, and reading.

Isabella’s short story, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, was featured in Simon & Fig’s Christmas anthology, Merry & Bright, in November 2013. The Right Design is her first novel.

Author Contacts:

Isabella’s Website: http://www.isabellalouiseanderson.com/

Chick Lit Goddess Website: https://chicklitgoddess.com/

Isabella on Facebook

Chick Lit Goddess on Facebook

Isabella on Twitter @ILA121209

Chick Lit Goddess on Twitter @ChickLitGoddess

Pinterest

Snapchat username: mrsanderson1981

Find the books:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Thank you, Isabella. I adore the cover. Absolute best of luck!

Cover Reveal: Cards from Khloe’s Flower Shop by Isabella Anderson #Chicklit #GoddessLit #GoddessTours @ILA121209

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Cover Reveal! Orion's Gift by Anneli Purchase. #Books #amreading #LLm @anneli33

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

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Smashwords.com

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

Twitter: @anneli33

Website: http://www.anneli-purchase.com

Blogs:

https://wordsfromanneli.com/

https://annelisplace.wordpress.com/

Cover Reveal! Orion's Gift by Anneli Purchase. #Books #amreading #LLm @anneli33

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Book Release! Secrets in Appley Green by @MiriamWakerly #Books #Readers #LLm

Today, I have the pleasure of Miriam Wakerly’s company, who’s sharing a little about her new book, Secrets in Appley Green. Take it away, Miriam!

Reinventing the plot

It is said that the seven basic plots are: overcoming the monster; rags to riches; the quest; voyage and return; comedy; tragedy; rebirth. So is an original novel all about character, setting, background and theme? Certainly these are vital elements, but the actual story has to bring something new – don’t you think?

That list comprises broad categories and a writer should be able to reinvent them creatively so they are fresh, intriguing – yes, unique.

Seeing the blurb of my novel, Secrets in Appley Green, you may say, ‘Oh, so a teenage girl gets pregnant in the early Sixties and it all leads to heartbreak …’. You would be right to think, hey, this has been done a thousand times before. But I would bet anything that it in its detail, sub-plots and final resolution, this basic premise has never been given the same treatment. Golly, I do hope so, now I’ve said it!

Three naïve, but very different, Appley Green schoolgirls pledge to stick together for ever, but when one of them gets pregnant, this pushes their promise to the edge.

A young girl in need of love is vulnerable to the charms of an older man with heart-breaking consequences.

This is Great Britain’s Sixties, an exciting era, gathering pace then in full swing as social change sweeps aside past attitudes, laws, fashion and culture. Youth is finding a voice as parents struggle to adjust.  Its characters span the full social spectrum and take us beyond Appley Green to Brighton, Margate, London, Vienna and Paris.

Miriam Wakerly’s  Appley Green village stories all standalone and can be read in any order, but they are connected. This one can serve as a prequel to all three, especially Shades of Appley Green.

Some may say that if a story claims to be unique, then it is probably a bad one, for another author would have discovered or invented it by now. But, no, I don’t think so -  it is a question of using imagination and a different slant on an idea.

Well, I seem to be having some kind of slightly batty debate with myself here – but sometimes it is good to thrash these things out. What do you think?

Sometimes scenes are from the male viewpoint: Here’s an extract from Chapter 6

‘You think Appley Green village might be a good hideaway for you? Is that what’s going through your mind?’

Walter considered this. Maybe this was going through his mind, but he just hadn’t yet acknowledged it. ‘Hmm. That would be a big change from London! I may stay on a few days; my financial director can run the business without me for a while, and well, I’m a free agent these days really ... is that OK with you, old bean?’ Peter hesitated, just long enough to intimate doubt. ‘If you have other plans, then just say …’

‘No. That’s the problem, Walt. I have no plans, no plans at all, and by God, I need some. I can’t promise to be very good company. That’s all.’ The fingers of his right hand were absently tapping the bar. It seemed to Walter that Peter had downed most of his pint, almost without realising it.

‘So – you’ve left teaching.’

Peter shrugged and looked away. ‘Well, hopefully not, but I have lost my job.’ He gritted his teeth, shook his head and appeared to be seething deep-down. ‘It was all so ludicrous, so unnecessary. One of those moments when you just want to turn back the clock – just five minutes – and make everything all right, back to normal.’ He paused and Walter watched his brother’s gaze turn to a middle-aged man who was lighting up his pipe with a match, puffing and puffing to get the thing going, smoke billowing into the room, just the way their father did. There were tears in his eyes. ‘Whatever I did, I don’t deserve this!’

‘Are you going to appeal?’

‘Certainly I am.’ He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. ‘I will have that whisky … but I don’t imagine it will do me any good at all.’

Compared with the worries he was shouldering, Peter’s problems seemed pretty minor. Walter tried to help assemble his brother’s case, scribbling notes on the back of an envelope, based on Peter’s account, which at first he thought was hilariously funny. He was sympathetic regarding his situation, but the event itself! He appreciated the farcical, pantomime, slapstick humour and only began listening seriously when he began to appreciate the nature of school politics.

As it became quieter in the pub, they retreated to a small table in the corner each bearing another pint. Most workers would go off in the morning with a packed lunch, but a few better-off locals came in for a lunch-time pint, perhaps a sandwich from a limited range the public house had recently started to offer, or a pickled egg, and went back to work before the pub closed at half-past two. It was nearly closing-time when a voice caught Peter’s attention.

‘One more for the road then,’ he called to the barman, searching deep for coins in his trouser pocket. ‘I’m celebratin’ today!’

The whiskery barman nodded. ‘What’s that then, Tommy?’

‘My girl. Nicola. Left school and got ‘erself a job. All grown up, she is.’

‘That’s good. Big step.’

‘Left a few days earlier than the missus and I thought she would – thanks to that bloody arty-farty teacher at the Grammar!’

If you’ve read this far – thank you and I do hope you enjoy the rest of the book!

A little bit about Miriam Wakerly: A Village With “Edge” Novelist

I live in Surrey, England. The fictional village, Appley Green, where my novels are set, is very like villages nearby to my home. I launched my first novel, Gypsies Stop tHere the day after I retired, followed by No Gypsies Served two years later. Shades of Appley Green looks at a different aspect of village life in 2012 and my new novel Secrets in Appley Green goes back to 1960, looking at many Appley Green characters when they were obviously much younger!

I have had many articles and stories published over the years – now I look forward to writing more English village novels. My degree was in English, French, Sociology and Politics; the interest I have always had in social issues influences my writing, as you will see. However, I do believe books should be enjoyable and reviews show that mine are!

Links for all Miriam’s books:

AmazonUK

AmazonUS

Find out more about Miriam on:

Facebook 

Twitter

Miriam’s Ramblings – www.miriamwakerly.blogspot.co.uk

Thanks so much for sharing, Miriam. I'm loving the excerpt! 

Keep safe all!

Lots of love, 

Book Release! Secrets in Appley Green by @MiriamWakerly #Books #Readers #LLm

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#Books #Review : The Silent Touch of Shadows by Christina Courtenay - beautifully, haunting intelligently written #LLm

The Silent Touch of Shadows by Christina Courtenay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Silent Touch of Shadows was my final holiday read and it definitely left me with book withdrawal symptoms. Time slip and historical novels are not generally my first choice – and now I have no idea why that would be. This author has definitely convinced me I must read more. Set in the present and fifteenth century Kent, the story centres on Melissa, a genealogist attempting to move on with her life and provide for her daughter after an acrimonious divorce. That her ex-husband has a family with the ‘other woman’ and a baby on the way, is a nice touch, I think. Truly, this is the final hurt when you’re trying to let go of the memories you once thought were precious to you both. Melissa, on moving into an Ancestral home at the invite of her aunt, finds herself haunted by troubling dreams, all the more disturbing when the essence of the man in those dreams, a handsome knight pleading for her help, lingers when she wakes. Jake, local vet and single father, who bears a striking resemblance to her tortured knight, is also disturbed by frighteningly real dreams, the subject of his being Sibell, who after the death of her young husband is forced to move back home, where her abusive father is adamant she will remarry a much older man, thereby improving the family status and fulfilling her daughterly obligations. Sibell’s heart though now belongs to another: Roger, our tortured knight.

The switch between present day and sixteenth century is done seamlessly and quite beautifully. At no point did it jar, thus allowing the reader to engage fully with the characters. Obviously, that these troubled souls were haunting our modern day couple meant that there perhaps wouldn’t be the ‘typical’ happy ending and there is an incident that is quite emotionally jarring. One pauses to digest but the pieces fall into place and you begin to realise what our lost spirits might need to allow them to rest in peace. I have to say, I’m in awe of the research, both historical and in regard to the genealogy aspect. This is a beautiful, haunting, intelligently written romance. If you’ve shied away from historical, I would highly recommend The Silence of Shadows. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

View all my reviews

#Books #Review : The Silent Touch of Shadows by Christina Courtenay - beautifully, haunting intelligently written #LLm

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#Books #Review : Too Charming by Kathryn Freeman @KathrynFreeman1 - intriguing, riveting #romance #LLm

Too Charming by Kathryn Freeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Defence barrister Scott Armstrong is way too charming. Suave good-looking, a lady-killer image and far too many notches on his bedpost, he’s definitely someone single-mum DS Megan Taylor should avoid. Not easy when Scott, smitten by the feisty woman who is the complete opposite of those he prefers his short-term relationships with, pursues her with relentless determination to win her over. Megan has been there though, charmed by just such a man. She’s adamant, for her daughter’s sake as well as her own, she won’t go through the pain of that kind of heartbreak again. Throw the fact that Scott and Megan are on opposite sides, Scott defending the villains Megan has worked hard to bring to justice, and you have a cauldron of frustrated emotion waiting to spill over.

Scott, though, is not the emotion abuser Megan is convinced he is. The author does a fabulous job of peeling away the layers, giving us glimpses of his past until we see the whole of the man whose charm is in fact the suit of armour he hides his vulnerabilities behind. I particularly loved the way Kathryn Freeman handled Scott’s backstory. How, you can’t help but wonder, can such a successful, handsome, smooth-talking man have had anything but the odd blip in his life? No spoilers, but aside from the fact that Scott is naturally, instinctively caring of Sally, Megan’s daughter, his tragic family history is what makes him so determined to make sure even the lowest criminal gets a fair trial.

There are hiccups along the way, a crime case which brings that history and all of Scott’s vulnerabilities to the fore and slowly we see these two coming to see each other’s perspective. Scott begins to understand Megan’s determination to put the bad guys away. Megan realises that Scott’s own heartbreak is what drives him. Can she open her eyes to the fact that he truly loves her though? Can she open her heart? You’ll have to read to find out. If you want an intelligent, riveting romance with a difference, this book is it.

View all my reviews

#Books #Review : Too Charming by Kathryn Freeman @KathrynFreeman1 - intriguing, riveting #romance #LLm

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#Books #Review : Summer Moved On by Jo Lambert @Jolambertwriter - Powerful, thought provoking, #Romance #LLm

Summer Moved On by Jo Lambert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summer Moved On was the perfect title of my second holiday read. Dishevelled, unkempt and undeniably attractive, a Lothario reputation he apparently strives to live up to and Devil may care attitude, Talun is absolutely the kind of man eighteen year old Jess should steer clear of. Noting his penetrating gaze and broody good looks, however, Jess is drawn. As is Talun to Jess, to his chagrin. Talun’s mother was a traveller, his father unknown. He's a farmhand with no prospects. Jess is obviously from a monied family, and obviously unworldly and spoiled, he surmises, noting the comments in regard to his appearance that pass between her and her also monied and arrogant boyfriend on first meeting. The last thing Talun wants is to be attracted to someone like that. Jess and he are poles apart. Or are they? As the story progresses, we learn that Jess, though provided for materially by her father, love and affection is not something that comes naturally to him. Talun is the bad boy you just can’t help but fall in love with. Learning his secret, knowing he never really knows whether the mother he adored, and who apparently adored him, truly abandoned him, we realise why he might seek affection but is perhaps reluctant to give his heart. He doesn’t want to have feelings for Jess. Jess, though, has much more in common with Talun than he could realise. If only sparks didn’t fly every time they meet, she might even be able to tell him so.

Summer Moved on is a beautifully written story, looking at love, life, prejudice and preconception. I actually had goosebumps when Talun came face to face with someone who might unravel his past, who he is, where he came from. Bearing in mind I was lying on a sun lounger in Portugal at the time, that’s some achievement. If you like a moving, thought provoking read with a powerful male point of view, this is the book for you. My only disappointment is that I don’t have the sequel right now.

View all my reviews

#Books #Review : Summer Moved On by Jo Lambert @Jolambertwriter - Powerful, thought provoking, #Romance #LLm

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#Books #Review : Untouchable by Ava Marsh @MsAvaMarsh - compelling, powerful, different. #LLm

Untouchable by Ava Marsh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having not had much opportunity to read lately, I wanted to lose myself in as many books as possible on holiday. After reading a book review on Rachel’s Random Reads, my interest was piqued and I chose Untouchable as my first book, hoping it would have that essential hook that would make the book unputdownable. It did. Untouchable reeled me in completely. This is a book with a difference, a storyline that simply has to be compelling: an intelligent woman with a psychology degree and a career in …. But that would be a spoiler. We learn later how Stella/Grace’s former career and her relationship with offenders leads her to choose a new career as a high class prostitute. I knew what to expect from the review and was intrigued to see for myself how the sex element was handled. I have to say it was handled brilliantly. The scenes, though graphic in places, are communicated with a sense of detachment, necessarily, given that titillation isn’t the aim of this book. We see these scenes through Stella’s eyes and this detachment only made Stella more compelling as a character. I was desperate to discover the circumstances that precipitated her ‘fall’ into prostitution, why she would actually regard it as a suitable way to punish herself. Desperate also to see how Stella would seek retribution from high ranking businessmen and government officials when a fellow escort is found dead. The characters, both escort and client, are all believable people, the men not all portrayed as sexual perverts or losers. The ending was just right. Again, no spoilers. It wasn’t quite all tied up in a pretty pink bow, but there was hope. For me, that was a perfect ending, perhaps leading to a new beginning for Stella. If you want a read that is riveting, powerful and different, this is the book for you. Well done Ava Marsh on tackling a subject that some would shy away from.

View all my reviews

#Books #Review : Untouchable by Ava Marsh @MsAvaMarsh - compelling, powerful, different. #LLm

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#Review: 7 YEARS BAD SEX by Nicky Wells! #Books #Romance

7 YEARS BAD SEX

BY NICKY WELLS

One wedding. One curse?  Disaster ever after…

A seven-years-bad-sex curse? Surely not! Yet something went wrong when rock singer Casey and drummer Alex got married on that beautiful yacht anchored off St Tropez in the south of France. Something went badly wrong. For even on their wedding night, the young couple discovers a complete and somewhat surprising inability to make love. Muddling through their honeymoon with a string of thin excuses for their predicament, the lovers defer finding a solution (and panicking) until the return to their home in London. After all, they married for life and to make rock music, not for the love of sex. Right?

But when they resume life as normal in London, all hell breaks loose. Increasingly frantic in their quest for release, the unhappy newlyweds embark on a string of hilarious and occasionally harmful antics that drives them, their band, and an assortment of random strangers to the brink of despair. But it ain’t over ‘til it’s over or, in this case… it ain’t over ‘til the newlyweds sing.

MY REVIEW:

I have to say (as I suspect a few people will) that as soon as I saw the title of this book I simply had to read it. The first question in my mind was: 7 Years Bad Sex? How? Yes, I was wondering how a newlywed couple (who incidentally had a healthy sex life until the earth moved in a not so good way on their wedding day) would survive seven years without sex. More, though, I was wondering how an author could sustain it: keep the reader engaged and write about failed sexual exploits without writing about, well, the nitty-gritty of those failed exploits. I am super-pleased to say Nicky Wells pulled it off beautifully and with that special kind of laugh out loud humour that still has you feeling for the couple. A certain line, dare I repeat it??? Um, no. That would be a spoiler. Let’s just say the climax was building, we were definitely heading for that Yes, YessS, YessSSS, moment – and then there was an unfortunate reaction … to rubber. Please wash out your minds. It’s not quite what you’re thinking. Yup, I laughed out loud, in public. When I read the workmen scene prior, ditto. Nicky has a fabulous knack of portraying people that makes you instantly recognise them as people you know or have had contact with. The supporting cast, Alex’s best mate and best man with his nudge, nudge, wink, wink ribald mentality, the girlfriends with their get-the-goss and then try to fix it philosophy, James and Rodge, they’re all living, breathing people.

As are Alex and Casey. Along with the humour there are such tender moments as they search for the missing essential ingredient that supposed to seal their marriage. This is a couple that is meant to be together. They are soul mates. Poor Alex, even though he’s absolutely horrified and petrified that he can’t perform, that his manhood is under threat, he recognises Casey’s feelings of inadequacy and hurts for her. I adored his sensitive handling of the, um, sex toy situation.

I give this fabulous book a resounding five, not for its bravado, but for its sensitivity, superb writing and sheer entertainment. Loved it! Definitely highly recommended.  

ABOUT NICKY WELLS

Ultimate rock chick author Nicky Wells writes romance with rock stars—because there’s no better romantic hero than a golden-voiced bad boy with a secret soft heart and a magical stage presence!

Nicky’s books offer glitzy, glamorous romance with rock stars—imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity, you’ll connect with Nicky’s heroes and their leading ladies.

Born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993 and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. Nicky loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and ad-hoc radio show presenter. Rock on!

Nicky’s books: Sophie’s Turn | Sophie’s Run | Sophie’s Encore | Spirits of Christmas

| Fallen for Rock | Fairy Tale in New York

7 Years Bad Sex

Join Nicky: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Romantic Novelists’ Association | Sapphire Star Publishing | Amazon | Goodreads | Pinterest | Google+

Did you know? There’s a single out now by Nicky’s fictional rock band Tuscq come to life! “Love Me Better” is available for download from Amazon, iTunes and many other places.

JOIN THE PROMO PARTY ON 20TH JUNE!

YOU CAN FIND THE PARTY HERE - https://www.facebook.com/events/1000603729951759/

There will be fun and games, Prizes and lots of laughs. Starting online at 9am on 20^th June!

#Review: 7 YEARS BAD SEX by Nicky Wells! #Books #Romance

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#Review In The Cold Light of Day by Pauline Barclay @paulinembarclay

Pauline Barclay’s characterisation and descriptive location is so skilful you feel as if you’ve stepped back in history, in this book to the sixties, and could reach out and shake hands with Bertie and Kitty and the wonderful secondary characters who serve to make the story even more believable and rounded. Meeting Bertie sweating under the ‘deceptively amiable gaze’ of one of the two owners of Raffles, you’re right there, behind the oversized mahogany desk, realising alongside Bertie that your luck might have finally run out.

Bertie, despite his habit, is likeable. He’s a gambler through and through, and you want to scream at him to stop!!, knowing that he can’t, knowing that he’s surely heading for catastrophe, that he’s likely to end up losing his hard-won business as well as the woman he loves, despite people’s assumptions he could have only married Kitty – ten years his senior, for her considerable fortune. We do wonder, did he? Will his habit drive him to temptation, to use her as well as deceive her? And deceive her he does. Kitty is sharply intelligent and independently minded within the constraints of the sixties, but her love for him and her belief in him is unshakeable – at the beginning. Sadly, Bertie, we know can only learn the lesson, that gambling is a fool’s game, the hard way. So does he lose all he’s worked so hard for? Can their marriage possibly survive when Bertie is playing with such high stakes? You simply have to read the book. Even if Bertie has finally overcome his addiction, as Kitty says, ‘deceit is a hard lesson to unlearn’. And gambling is a hard habit to kick. Will he always be a chancer? Do we want him to take one final chance? As with previous books of Pauline Barclay’s, In The Cold Light of Day, is one I would highly recommend you pick up and lose yourself in. Loved it.

Pauline Barclay brings you Emotional Passionate Moving Stories.

Find out more about Pauline at:

www.paulinebarclay.co.uk

http://paulinembarclay.blogspot.com

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter: @paulinembarclay

Book Promotions: Chill With a Book

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Sometimes It Happens… B.R.A.G. Medallion Honouree

Thanks for reading. 

Keep safe all!

Lots of love,

#Review In The Cold Light of Day by Pauline Barclay @paulinembarclay

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WRITERS LOVE READERS, LOVE BOOKS!

Phew, so what a mad two months it has been. Skipping over the part where I was hovering around operating theatres more than the surgeons (my partner is doing fabulously now! Thank you to my lovely family and friends, who shouted out their unstinting support on FB and kept me relatively sane), I had a lovely surprise when BestChickLit.com showcased my books with Safkhet Publishing in a week long Bonanza! What a fabulous gesture! I had no idea they were going to actually read and review them all! One, yes, quoting lovely Francesca Verbeeten as to reasons why: ‘After meeting Sheryl Browne at the 2012 Festival of Romance and promptly spilling my wine over her gorgeous dress, I apologised profusely, promising to read her latest release and review it for the site. Having finally reached it in my ‘to read’ pile, feeling terrible it’s taken so long to get to it, I found it was well worth the wait . . .’

I keep telling her the stain came out in the wash and that the dress wasn’t really designer, but … Bless her socks, I think she felt a tad guilty. Francesca, I’ll wear it next time as evidence.

I’ve included a few snippets below, but to read all the reviews please do have a browse of the fabulous BestChickLit.com site (offering much-needed support to authors).

In other news: my new novel, The Rest of My Life, brought to the attention of Choc Lit's MD, Lyn Vernham, by Head Fiction Buyer at WHS Travel, Matt Bates (who read the manuscript after meeting me at the Romantic Novelists' Association's Annual Conference and recommended it as a good fit for the publisher's list), looks to be on line for publication in May! I can honestly say that working with Choc Lit Editor Jane Eastgate on the book has been exhilarating, definitely reminding me how important it is to get a set of professional eyes to peruse my work.

My thriller, Death Sentence, title suggested by a chief constable no less, is currently also in edits with Safkhet Publishing, so it’s all go, go, go. Still, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am therefore I write, to quote the title of the 2014 Birmingham City University anthology (in which one of my shorts appears *blows own trumpet shamelessly*. I simply wouldn’t know how to be without my writing, apart from a little bit madder, possibly.

Snippets from my Book Week Bonanza reviews:

• Recipes for Disaster - Perfect for dog lovers, foodies and anyone who has lost faith in the existence of good men.
• Somebodyto Love - Be prepared to laugh and cry and get lost in a world safe in the knowledge that everything is going to work out okay.
• Warrantfor Love - This book is an absolute gem and totally hilarious … underneath it all the issues that Paul and Leanne are dealing with are serious and that is what really draws the reader in. This really is a book to devour …
• A Little Bit of Madness - This is the perfect read for when you are tired and a bit fed up with life – it will restore your faith in humanity (with a little help from the dishy PC Alex Burrows of course!).
• Learning to Love - Yet again Sheryl Browne paints a vivid picture of real life, making you laugh and cry and feel every ounce of emotion right alongside her characters.
• The Edge of Sanity - I’d definitely recommend this one. And for die-hard rom com fans, this book might just seduce you into reading a whole new genre!

Thank you, Elizabeth, Francesca and Charlotte at BestChickLit.com! After a bit of an ugh time, this was just what the doctor ordered. Yes, writing is my passion, but it’s an awfully lot more satisfying when people read and love your work and help get the word ‘out there’.

WRITERS LOVE READERS, LOVE BOOKS!


Keep safe all!


Lots of love, 

WRITERS LOVE READERS, LOVE BOOKS!

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