Friday 31 January 2014
BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY -- Bring Me Sunshine - Janet Gover (Choc Lit publishing)
TITLE - Bring Me Sunshine
AUTHOR - Janet Gover
PUBLISHER - Choc Lit Publishing
BUY LINK - Click here
BOOK BLURB
Sometimes, you’ve just got to take the plunge …
When marine biologist, Jenny Payne, agrees to spend Christmas working on the Cape Adare cruise ship to escape a disastrous love affair, she envisions a few weeks of sunny climes, cocktails and bronzed men …
What she gets is an Antarctic expedition, extreme weather, and a couple of close shaves with death. And then there’s her fellow passengers; Vera, the eccentric, elderly crime writer and Lian, a young runaway in pursuit of forbidden love …
There’s also Kit Walker; the mysterious and handsome man who is renting the most luxurious cabin on the ship, but who nobody ever sees.
As the expedition progresses, Jenny finds herself becoming increasingly obsessed with the enigmatic Kit and the secrets he hides. Will she crack the code before the return journey or is she bound for another disappointment?
MY REVIEW
Have you ever wanted to get away from it all and clear your head? I know I have, and that is just what Jenny wanted to do to escape Christmas and leave all her troubles behind her. She took a job on a cruise ship, looking forward to some Tropical Sunshine. She just forgot to ask where the cruise was going to and it wasn't somewhere tropical. I won't say more as I don't want to release any spoilers.
I enjoyed the excitement this book brought. I love anything with a travel element in it, and this book was no exception. I have now added another destination to my bucket list, which you may think quite a bizarre choice when you read the book.
This book had some strong and interesting characters in it; including women of all ages and backgrounds. There was also a lot of content considering it was a novella.
My only criticism of this book was that I didn't want it to end. I felt the story could have kept going and it just ended a bit too abruptly with some story lines that could have been finished. That is the only reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5.
Currently on offer from the publisher - Great value. Click link above.
LINKS -
Choc Lit publishing - Click here
Author web page - Click here
Author Facebook - Click here
Read about Janet Gover's new book coming soon "Flight to Corah Creek" - Available for pre-order now.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Desborough, Northamptonshire, England
Desborough, Northamptonshire, UK
Wednesday 29 January 2014
BOOK TOUR & GIVEAWAY -- Dory's Avengers by Alison Jack
Today I'd like to welcome Alison Jack and her book Dory's Avengers, to my blog.
Please read on then feel free to leave a comment and enter the giveaway.
A brutal regime. A docile population. A glimmer of hope.
In a stifled and oppressed United Kingdom,
nothing can be achieved without the approval of the dictatorial Sponsors, at
whose head is the malevolent and cruel Lord William St Benedict. In Britain’s
cities the Sponsored live narrow, if privileged, lives, while the Unsponsored
are confined to menial roles and to ‘less desirable’ districts. Among the
Sponsors’ many victims is Lord William’s own son, the forthright and
charismatic Theodore – ‘Dory’ – held captive by his father since he was a boy.
In the unassuming town of
Applethwaite, in the shadow of the Cumbrian fells, an unlikely revolution is
brewing. Albino gymnast Louis Trevelyan and his motley group of friends are
fiercely proud of their Unsponsored status and gradually forge a plan not only
to liberate the beleaguered Theodore but the whole of the United Kingdom.
‘Dory’s Avengers’ are coming…!
Excerpt from Dory’s
Avengers
Louis slept
remarkably well that night considering that the next day he would be setting
off on the final leg of his journey to find Theo. There were already sounds of
life from the children when he woke, coming back to reality from a dream about
Abi which left him too embarrassed to move from his makeshift bed on one of the
Lonsdales’ sofas.
‘Morning, Louis, sleep well?’ Rick asked, appearing with
three hungry children in tow and putting the kettle on.
‘Very well, thank you, Rick,’ replied Louis, shoving Jenny
out of his bed as fast as she tried to climb in it.
‘Jenny, let your brother drink his tea in peace,’ said Rick,
laughing as he handed Louis a cup of tea. ‘What do you kids want for
breakfast?’
The chaos of three children and four adults crammed into one
small flat helped to relax Louis as he sipped his tea and waited patiently for
his turn to use the bathroom. It took quite a while to get everyone showered
and fed, but eventually the time came when Louis could procrastinate no more.
‘Right then, Louis,’ said Rick, handing Louis a pocket-size
London A to Z atlas, ‘you are currently here.’ Rick pointed to the location of
his home before continuing. ‘I’m not going to mark the map in case you lose
this book. Sorry to be over-cautious, but we find it’s the best way to survive.
Can you see that OK? Can you remember? Good man!’ Louis stared at the page in
the A to Z, memorising the exact location of the Lonsdales’ Walworth home before
nodding at Rick to continue.
Flipping the pages, Rick pointed to another area of London.
‘Kensington,’ he said. ‘Home to the rich, the famous and the powerful. Lord
William is all three. He could be called a lot of other things too; I won’t
list them now, but suffice to say none of them are good. Your tree-lined road is
this one here.’ Once again Louis stared, focused and memorised.
‘OK,’ he said, thinking he’d never felt so scared in all his
life.
‘Getting from here to Kensington is going to be a problem.
The Unsponsored are only allowed to use public transport at designated times.
This isn’t one of those times; the next one is two days away, but I’m guessing
you don’t want to wait that long. We could drive you part of the way, but the
roads in the more affluent areas of the city are closed to all but holders of
Gold Sponsor cards. Also, I think it would be safer to leave Sarah’s car in the
garage and out of sight.’ Louis nodded in agreement. ‘So,’ Rick continued,
‘that leaves two options. Walking or cycling. We do have a bicycle and all the
kit which you’re very welcome to use, but not a lot of people cycle, so it
could make you a little conspicuous.’
‘How long would it take to walk?’ asked Louis, wanting to
remain as inconspicuous as possible.
‘A couple of hours I should think. Probably for the best,
though.’ Referring to the A to Z once more, Rick said, ‘You don’t want to be
stopping to consult this too much, so I’m going to work out as simple a route
as possible for you.’ Rick talked Louis through the best route from the
Unsponsored flats to Westminster Bridge, and once again Louis looked and
memorised.
‘Once you get to Elephant and Castle, Westminster will be
signposted. When you’re on the bridge you’ll be able to blend in with the other
tourists, so consulting the A to Z won’t present a problem then. Now, have you
got a hat? The more you can blend in the better, which means covering up that
bright white hair of yours.’ Louis pulled his huge sunhat from his rucksack,
dismayed when Rick burst out laughing. ‘Louis, you can’t walk through London in
that thing. Here,’ he said, handing over a navy-blue baseball cap, which Louis
put on his head.
‘Excellent,’ said Rick approvingly. ‘Luckily it’s a bright
day so your dark glasses won’t make you stand out. Right, I think that’s pretty
much it. I’ll walk some of the way with you if you like, but my place really is
here with my family.’
‘Of course,’ said Louis, wishing he could take Rick up on his
kind offer but realising that Rick would rather he didn’t. ‘I’ll be fine, Rick.
Thank you. Thanks for all your advice too, and the book and stuff...’
Louis fell silent; and Rick, sensing the young man’s fear,
hugged him briefly.
‘Stay safe, Louis. Be careful.’
‘I will,’ said Louis, ‘I’ll be back before you know it. Come here,
Jen, give me a hug.’
‘Where are you going, Louis?’ asked Jenny distractedly, more
interested in her game with Matt and Charlotte than in listening to her
brother. Trying not to feel hurt, Louis told himself it was for the best as he
kissed his little sister on the head. It would have been far more difficult to
leave had Jenny been clinging to him and crying.
‘I’m off to see a friend, darling,’ he said. ‘Bye then,
kids.’
‘Mmm,’ said the children without looking up from their game.
‘I’ll see you out,’ said Sarah, leading Louis to the door.
‘Bye, Rick, Lisa,’ called Louis.
‘Bye, Louis, you got everything? Map?’
‘In my pocket.’
‘Phone number?’
‘In my head.’
‘Good, good. Well, good luck!’
Walking with Louis to the lift, Sarah punched in the code
that Rick had taught them the previous night and rode down to ground level with
him.
‘Do you have to go?’ Sarah asked, making one final attempt to
keep her precious Louis safe by her side.
‘Yes, Sarah, you know I do,’ replied Louis, hugging her
tightly. ‘Please don’t cry or you’ll start me off!’
‘Go now, darling,’ said Sarah, returning his hug fiercely.
‘The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back to me.’
Letting him go, Sarah turned abruptly on her heel and walked
back into the building, leaving Louis alone to fend for himself for the first
time in his life. By the time her tears had subsided enough for her to re-enter
her brother’s home and face the children, Sarah had been gone so long that Jenny
was starting to fret that she wasn’t going to return.
Louis
walked. He walked away from the warm, friendly homes of the Unsponsored,
realising that he’d never think of them as ugly again. Sticking to the route
that Rick had talked him through so recently, Louis soon found himself on the
busy New Kent Road; passing shops, markets and food stalls as diverse as the
Unsponsored people who ran them. Reaching the Elephant and Castle roundabout
without incident, Louis found directions to Westminster Bridge just as Rick had
promised. Luckily the signposts were large enough for Louis’s weak eyes to
focus upon, so he didn’t have to draw attention to himself by standing
squinting for too long.
Beyond the roundabout the surroundings changed rapidly,
became much more attractive, the shops and passers-by obviously Sponsored, and
Louis realised that he’d left the Unsponsored neighbourhoods behind him for the
time being. A past master at not being noticed, Louis found he had no problem
slipping past the people around him, all far too preoccupied with their
Sponsor-endorsed lives to pay any attention to a pale figure in dark glasses and
baseball cap. There was one heart-stopping moment when he heard a shout of ‘Oi,
Unsponsored scum!’ and the sound of running feet, followed by relief when he
realised the shout had been aimed at the runners, not him. Crossing over
Westminster Bridge to the north side of the Thames, Louis allowed himself a
second to gaze at the famous sights of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and
the London Eye before trudging on his way. Again Rick had been correct; Westminster
Bridge was thronging with visitors, so Louis didn’t stand out at all as he
looked at his A to Z and got his bearings. Lake District boy Louis always felt
comfortable beside water, so it was reluctantly that he left the river behind
him to make his way through the wealthy streets towards Kensington. The further
he went the more affluent his surroundings became, until finally he found the
road he was looking for. As he walked deep into Sponsor territory, Louis’s
nerves returned with a vengeance, and by the time he reached the now-familiar
tree-lined road he was starting to feel some empathy for a terrified rabbit
caught in a vehicle’s headlights.
‘Oh God, I want to go home,’ said Louis to himself, before
summoning up every ounce of his will-power and walking along the road to the St
Benedict residence. Louis had no idea what he was going to do once he got
there, realising all of a sudden how woefully unprepared he was. Just as well,
then, that no plan was needed. As Louis reached the house, he saw that a means
of entry was right there in front of him; and without giving himself time to
think, he took it.
About the Author
Alison Jack has spent much of her adult life working in book distribution – Dory’s Avengers, however, is her first foray into the world of books as an author. She is a keen walker and has a particular love for the Lake District fells – the atmospheric setting for much of her novel.
Aside from writing her own novels and blogging, Alison spends a lot of time editing the work of other authors. When not writing, Alison enjoys reading, playing guitar – with more enthusiasm than skill – and wakeboarding. She lives near Cambridge with her partner and three cats.
Author Links
Alison’s Website - - http://alisonjack-blog.com/
Amazon purchase links –
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Desborough, Northamptonshire, England
Desborough, Northamptonshire, UK
BOOK BLITZ AND GIVEAWAY -- Lynda Renham and her series of amusing, laugh out loud, chic lit books
Today I'd like to welcome to my blog, Lynda Renham and her amusing set of books. If you want a book to really make you laugh out loud, then I suggest you read one (or all) of the books below.
Welcome Lynda!
Blitz ~ 29th January 2014
The Dog's Bollocks
On arriving home after a friend’s posh wedding, launderette
worker Harriet finds her life irrevocably changed as she discovers her flat
ransacked and her boyfriend missing. In a matter of hours she is harassed by
East End gangsters and upper crust aristocrats. Accepting an offer she can’t
refuse, Harriet, against her better judgement becomes the fiancée of the
wealthy Hamilton Lancaster, with dire consequences. What she had not bargained
on was meeting Doctor Brice Edmunds.
The Dog’s Bollocks is Lynda Renham’s funniest novel so far. A cocktail of misunderstandings, three unlikely gangsters, a monkey and a demented cat make this novel a hysterical read. Follow Harriet’s adventure where every attempt to get out of trouble puts her deeper in it.
The Dog’s Bollocks is Lynda Renham’s funniest novel so far. A cocktail of misunderstandings, three unlikely gangsters, a monkey and a demented cat make this novel a hysterical read. Follow Harriet’s adventure where every attempt to get out of trouble puts her deeper in it.
Pink Wellies & Flat Caps
Alice Lane has everything; a wonderful fiancé, a responsible job and a lovely flat in Chelsea, but after she has a bra fitting her life goes tits up. Homeless, and with just a sparkling engagement ring as a memory of her previous life Alice accepts a live-in farm manager s job and discovers that things actually can get worse. Come with Alice as she makes her hilarious career change and struggles to cope with her moody employer, Edward. But can Alice turn her back on romance and resist the dashing Dominic or will the past come back to surprise her?
Croissants
and Jam
Annabel Lewis (Bels) has two days to get to her
wedding in Rome but her journey is beset with one disaster after another as
fate takes its turn. Will the stranger she meets on the way get her to her
wedding on time or will he change her life forever? Come with Bels on her humorous
romantic journey to see if she marries Mr Right or if destiny takes her in
different direction
Coconuts
and Wonderbras
Confessions
of a Chocoholic
A collection of short funny tales and a unique insight
into the world of chicklit royalty, aka Lynda Renham. A right comedy of errors
if ever there was one. If you're looking for her beauty secrets and fashion
ideas you've come to the right place. Read of her intimate sex life, her
secrets for staying young and how she keeps her man - just. A fly-on-the wall
true account of the life of a romantic comedy novelist, written in her own
words. It's all here, the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Publisher Note: We are not responsible for any of the advice given in this book. If you do not look like Lynda after reading this we cannot be held accountable.
Warning: Tena Pads recommended while reading.
Publisher Note: We are not responsible for any of the advice given in this book. If you do not look like Lynda after reading this we cannot be held accountable.
Warning: Tena Pads recommended while reading.
Lynda Renham writes romantic comedy novels and has
a growing fan base. She has been likened in style to Sophie Kinsella but writes
with a down-to earth humour. Lynda’s novels are popular, refreshingly witty,
fast paced, and with a strong romantic theme. Lynda lives in Oxford, UK. She
has appeared on BBC radio discussion programs and when not writing Lynda can
usually be found wasting her time on Facebook.
"Lynda Renham is right up there with chick-lit
royalty! I'm not talking princess either, for me, the Queen of Chick-lit".
– Booketta Book Blog’
Author Links
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Desborough, Northamptonshire, England
Desborough, Northamptonshire, UK
Friday 24 January 2014
BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY - Where Petals Fall by Melissa Foster
Welcoming to my blog once again, the popular Melissa Foster.
This time we are showcasing and reviewing her suspenseful novel, Where Petals Fall
"With vivid prose and a tender
heart, Melissa Foster has crafted a psychological and emotional mystery fuelled
by love in all its forms."
Jennie Shortridge
Book Blurb
On
the surface Junie Olson’s life looks idyllic, from her handsome husband
and beautiful daughter to her successful business, the bakery she always
dreamt of opening. But in the past few months her world has slowly
unravelled. Her precocious child is withdrawing, showing unexplainable
signs of emotional regression, a condition that frays the bonds of Junie’s once
impenetrable marriage. When her father dies suddenly of a heart attack,
Junie packs up her daughter and goes home to help her mother.
Her homecoming stirs up memories of the nightmare she thought she
had put behind her, the disappearance of her childhood friend, Ellen.
Haunted by recurring memories of what happened on that fateful day, Junie must
gather the courage to revisit her past and untangle the secrets surrounding her
missing friend, and the trauma that has caused her little girl to climb back
into herself. As the pieces come together on the event that shook her
small town, and at the risk of losing everyone she loves, Junie will question
everything she thought she could rely on and everyone she thought she knew.
WHERE PETALS FALL is a gripping and
emotional novel with an undercurrent of suspense, featuring a determined mother
whose world slowly comes apart around her. Where Petals Fall will
appeal to fans of Lisa Scottoline's Save Me or Jodi
Picoult's Salem Falls, who love an emotional and gripping read.
They will root for Junie as they follow her transition into an indomitable
heroine who must reconcile what she discovers about her husband and family’s
tragic past, and find a way to put the pieces of her family back together and
carry on.
My review -
Visit
Melissa on The Women's Nest, Fostering Success,
or World Lit Cafe.
Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and
welcomes an invitation to your event.
Authors Links:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is my first book review of 2014, and it didn't disappoint. After reading this book which I found hard to put down, I think I have found another author to add to my favourites. Melissa Foster has shown that she can not only write great Chic-Lit, but is also a great mystery writer too.
When Junie, one of the main characters was dwelling on her childhood relationship with her best friend it made me think back to my childhood best friend and what we were doing at the age of seven. Luckily my best friend never disappeared.
The journey that she was going through, in trying to piece together what happened to her best friend Ellen, really drew you in. It was very emotional and seemed so real. It made Junie come across as really vulnerable. She was having to deal with her young Daughter who was undergoing tests as she had become withdrawn and had stopped speaking. Her relationship with her Husband was also very testing as he didn't want to speak to Junie about Ellen(who also happened to be his young Sister) and her disappearance.
Whilst Junie tried to work out what had happened to Ellen, as a reader I went on the journey with her. I was so drawn into the story and started coming to my own conclusions, only for the Author to flip the story in a different direction and dampen all my theories!
This book was so well written; full of different emotions; full of content and full of mystery. I'm certainly putting this Author and all her books on my "must read" list.
About
the Author
Melissa Foster is
a New York Times & USA Today bestselling
and award-winning author. She writes contemporary
romance, new adult, contemporary women's fiction, suspense, and historical
fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after
you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today's book
blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several
other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, and the World Literary Café. When she's not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing
industry through her author training programs on Fostering
Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the
Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa
hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and
donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.
Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.
Authors Links:
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Desborough, Northamptonshire, England
Desborough, Northamptonshire, UK
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