All posts by carol

Singles, Set and Match Cover Reveal!

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COVER REVEAL

I am super excited to be sharing the cover for Singles, Set and Match, the latest novel from Elaine Spires.

About the book:

Singles, Set and Match is the fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series takes us to the Mediterranean island of Ibiza then back to the Caribbean island of Antigua, where it all began.

After making a hard decision two years earlier Eve Mitchell has moved on with the hand that life has dealt her and she finds herself on the White Island working a tennis holiday.  While it isn’t a job she would have chosen, in her typical pragmatic way Eve gets on with it, working hard to ensure that her diverse group of singles, with their hopes, expectations character flaws and baggage, have the best time possible. And as she binds together tennis sessions, social gatherings, meals and trips Eve hears some tragic personal news that brings her to another crossroads in her life.  Will she and the love of her life Melv finally make a life together and live happily ever after?

Publication Date – 1stJuly 2019

Preorder available now: Amazon UK | Amazon US  

About the author

 

Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and actress. Extensive travelling and a background in education and tourism perfected Elaine’s keen eye for the quirky characteristics of people, captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares with the readers of her novels.

Elaine has written two books of short stories, two novellas and seven novels, four of which form the Singles Series – Singles’ Holiday, Singles and Spice, Single All The Way and Singles At Sea.  Her latest book, Singles, Set and Match is the fifth and final book in the series. Her play Stanley Grimshaw Has Left The Building is being staged at the Bridewell Theatre, London in May 2019.

Her short film Only the Lonely, co-written with Veronique Christie and featuring Anna Calder Marshall is currently being shown in film festivals worldwide and she is currently working on a full length feature film script. Only the Lonely won the Groucho Club Short Film Festival 2019! Elaine recently returned to UK after living in Antigua W.I. She lives in East London.

Discover more about Elaine via: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Many thanks to thanks to Elaine Spires, and Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources, for inviting me to be part of this cover reveal. x x

 

Review of Kate Zarrelli’s Tuscan Enchantment

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Blog Tour book review of Tuscan Enchantment, by Kate Zarrelli.

The blurb:

This was no cold marble—this was a man!

Antonia goes to Tuscany to rebuild her life. The last thing she wants to do is fall in love, least of all with rich, arrogant, aristocratic Lorenzo.
​
Librarian Antonia Gray has fled England for northern Tuscany after an unhappy love affair to work on the archive of a 17th century Italian explorer, a member of a centuries-old aristocratic family. There she meets his descendent, Lorenzo Quattromani, rich, arrogant, handsome—and engaged to the beautiful and ruthless Giselle. The last thing Antonia wants is to fall in love, least of all with someone so dangerous. His engagement, though, is not what it seems, and Lorenzo breaks down Antonia’s resistance. But Giselle has other ideas.

Published by:  eXtasy Books Inc
Genre: Romance

My review:

The story is set predominantly in the beautiful landscape of Tuscany and touches on some of the historical background of the area, as well as that of the Quattromani family.

While librarian Antonia is quiet and unassuming, the hero, Lorenzo initially appears brash. For me, his actions in the earlier stages of the book make him difficult to warm to, though I am glad I kept reading as his character, more than anyone else’s, alters as the story progresses.

I liked the honesty of the Countess and enjoyed her growing relationship with Antonia. Despite the differences in their age and status, I could tell there was warmth between them.

The story builds towards a satisfying ending brought about in a sweet, romantic way.

Click to buy: Devine Destinies | Amazon UK | Amazon.Com

GIVEAWAY to Win a Little Carrara Marble Heart Pendant (Open Internationally) and can be engraved with winner’s initials:

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter link below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

ENTER HERE

About the author:

Kate Zarrelli is the romance and erotica pen-name of Katherine Mezzacappa. Kate is Irish but now lives in Carrara in Northern Tuscany, between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea, with her Italian husband and two teenage sons. She writes historical, erotic, feel-good and paranormal fiction, set all over Europe, and in her spare time volunteers with a used book charity of which she is a founder member.

​Follow Kate Zarrelli: RNA | Facebook | Twitter 

A big thank you to Rachel Gilbey from Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour and to Kate Zarrelli for supplying a copy of Tuscan Enchantment for my honest review. xx

You can follow the rest of the tour here:

 

 

 

Review of Julie Houston’s A Village Affair

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The blurb:

Cassie Beresford has recently landed her dream job as deputy head 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 that weren’t enough to cope with, Cassie suddenly finds herself catapulted into the head teacher position, and at the forefront 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…

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Published by: Aria

My review:

A Village Affair has plenty of drama and humour which keeps you turning the pages. It is a story about finding your inner strength and marching onwards, no matter what circumstances are thrown your way. I enjoyed the interaction between Cassie and her family, and how her children blossomed as the book progressed. This was my first Julie Houston read, but it won’t be my last. I am looking forward to reading others and discovering more about the characters mentioned in this book.

Buy the book here.

About the Author:

Julie lives in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire where her novels are set, and her only claims to fame are that she teaches part-time at ‘Bridget Jones’ author Helen Fielding’s old junior school and her neighbour is ‘Chocolat’ author, Joanne Harris.

After University, where she studied Education and English Literature, she taught for many years as a junior school teacher. As a newly qualified teacher, broke and paying off her first mortgage, she would spend every long summer holiday working on different Kibbutzim in Israel.

After teaching for a few years she decided to go to New Zealand to work and taught in Auckland for a year before coming back to this country. She now teaches just two days a week, and still loves the buzz of teaching junior-aged children.

She has been a magistrate for the past nineteen years, and, when not distracted by Ebay, Twitter and Ancestry, spends much of her time writing.

Julie is married, has a twenty-four-year-old son and twenty-one-year-old daughter and a ridiculous Cockerpoo called Lincoln. She runs and swims because she’s been told it’s good for her, but would really prefer a glass of wine, a sun lounger and a jolly good book – preferably with Matthew Mcconaughay in attendance. She hates skiing, gets sick on boats and wouldn’t go pot-holing or paddy diving if her life depended on it.

She is published by HeadOfZeus/Aria and represented by Anne Williams at KHLA Literary agency. Julie is also a member of Apricot Plots.

Discover more about Julie Houston: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Apricot Plots | Amazon UK

Thank you for the fab read, Julie. My reviews are added to Amazon UK and Goodreads. xx

 

Blog tours galore and rave reviews!

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I have had the most amazing and busy time since the publication of Maybe Baby, which I am delighted to say has already gained a #1 Best Seller Badge from Amazon:

(If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, do it now, while it is still only 99p!)

And the excitement doesn’t end there … straight after publication, Maybe Baby went off on a blog tour courtesy of Rachel’s Random Resources and received these wonderful reviews:

  • Being Anne: “It certainly left me with a big smile on my face and a warm glow inside. Very much enjoyed this one!”
  • B for Book Review: “If you are looking for a lovely heartwarming funny story and you don’t mind shedding a little tear here and there, you just have to read this one.”
  • Love the Smell of a Book: “A superb light hearted read that I loved from the first few pages, I fell in love with Lisa’s four legged friends and the escaping kittens.”
  • Books and Bindings: “I snickered and smirked my way through this cleverly crafted, delightfully amusing, and wittily written tale.”
  • One More Word: “It was well written, fun and left me smiling at the very happy ending.”
  • Dash Fan Book Reviews: “Maybe Baby is a cosy romance, with plenty of witty humour, it’s a quick uplifting read that is perfect if your looking to escape for a few hours.”
  • Beauty Addict: “Maybe Baby really is a truly heart-warming story of love, romance and most importantly friendship. An absolute must-read.” 
  • Novel Kicks: “This novel was like a big hug. If you’re a fan of Sophie Kinsella, you’ll love this novel and even if you’re not, I still recommend this novel.”
  • Bookworms Corner Blog Spot: “The writing is funny, sweet and the pleasing flow of the story made this a smooth and enjoyable read.”
  • Sibzzreads: “A lovely, charming book, full of humour and romance. Excellent, relatable characters and a nicely flowing plot make this such an enjoyable read.”
  • It’s all about the Books: “Filled with many fantastic characters, human and of the fur variety, Maybe Baby was a fantastic story.”
  • Books Life and Everything: “This is a lovely, entertaining read with genuinely likeable characters and a relatable plot.”
  • Splashes Into Books: “This is a lovely contemporary story with great characters, an intriguing plot with plenty of drama and romance for several different couples.” 
  • Babydolls and Razorblades: “A wonderful, happy story that did make me shed a tear or two.”
  • Donnas Book Blog: “It is five stars from me, a thoroughly enjoyable story, fantastic characters, both furry and human – I loved it – very highly recommended!”
  • Chapter and Cake: “This is such a lovely, easy-read novel. I am more than happy to recommend it.” 
  • BR Maycock’s book blog: “Very enjoyable and the author is most definitely bookmarked as one I will follow in the future. Beyond recommended!”
  • Bookish Jottings: “A delightful read I absolutely adored.”
  • Herding Cats: “This is a heartwarming and cosy romance novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
  • Mai’s Musings: “Not many books make me laugh out loud, but this had me properly chuckling in places, and at one point even made me spit my coffee.”
  • Books and Me: “A gratifying and cheerful read.” 
  • Me and My Books: “This is a book that has the perfect amount of humour, a good story line and is a great way to escape for a few hours.” 
  • Stardust Book Reviews: “This was a delightful story of love and friendships that left me with a lovely warm feeling and a smile on my face!”
  • Against the Flow Press: “I found this to be an enjoyable, happy-ending story of friendship and love.”
  • Coffee and Kindle Book Reviews: “This book is such a treat and one I devoured in one sitting.” 
  • The Writing Garnet: “A joyful, lighthearted and uber touching read – even my cheeks hurt from smiling so much!”

Rachel’s Random Reads: “Incredibly entertaining, this book has everything, animals, humour, romance, an old flame and a pregnancy test!” 

I am hugely grateful to Rachel Gilbey for her brilliant organisation and to everyone who took part – taking the time to read and review my book.

And still the fun continued … my review tour was then followed by a blog tour, courtesy of the super supportive Chindi Authors who invited me to be their Author of the Week, sharing these guest posts across their blogs:

Huge thanks to all who have contributed to what has been a wonderful whirlwind of activity!

Thank you also to all who have purchased Maybe Baby either in ebook or audio formats. I have received some great comments from readers via Twitter and Facebook.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Maybe Baby, please do leave a review. Reviews really are hugely appreciated and help authors and their work get noticed.

Finally I am pleased to say my work in progress is taking shape. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook to find out more, and no doubt help me with my research, as I pose some of my ponderings. xx

Happy Mother’s Day!

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As well as running a competition in which you can win a box of Lily O’Brien Chocolates, my fellow Apricot Plots authors have been celebrating the mums in their novels, in honour of Mother’s Day. 

And so, I am sharing an extract from The Purrfect Pet Sitter. Mum of four Felicity, knows how lucky she is. She loves her children to the moon and back, they have quirky personalities and wonderfully inquisitive minds — readily sharing their thoughts no matter who is around to hear them! However, being a busy mum means that Felicity sometimes craves the simple pleasures in life.

In this extract, Felicity is stealing a moment for a bath and planning some much needed quality time with her husband, Pete!

“Felicity ran a steaming, hot bath, adding plenty of her Tropical Transfusion Radox Smoothie to the flow under the running tap. The smell made her think of sun-kissed holidays. Not that she had actually been on any, but coconut, with its association with Malibu and suntan lotion, had a way of teasing her mind; she could almost feel warm sand between her toes! She longed to be one of those people for whom the sun meant luxurious holidays spent lazing by the sea, as opposed to putting out three loads of washing on a rotary line made wonky by the children swinging off it. She stripped bare and wondered about venturing onto the scales, but decided after leaning her big toe on the edge not to bother.

Scooping her hair into a messy bun Felicity stepped into the water, standing for a while until her legs grew used to the heat. As she lay down she slid into the bubbles, pushing them away from her neck and hair as she rested her head back against the edge of the bath. She didn’t often get time to indulge in a bath, but she was determined to have some time to herself this evening. She wanted to get ‘in the mood’ ready for Pete’s return.

Felicity knew she had been slipping into bed in her scruffy, old, comfy knickers and baggy T-shirts a little too often lately. Well not tonight!Tonight she was going to go for it. She had rummaged in her wardrobe and found something positively silky hiding in the back. She vaguely remembered buying it in the La Senza closing-down sale en route to Tesco Express one day, after it had called to her from the window. As she had rediscovered it in the back of her wardrobe she had touched the silk to her cheek. It felt cool, smooth and sexy. Perfect!

Jumping suddenly, Felicity realised she had succumbed to the hot-water-and-bubbles comfort blanket. Sitting up, wide eyed, she listened, unsure if one of the children had actually called her or if she had dreamt it. Her heart was racing, but, thankfully, all was silent. Splashing water onto her face she reminded herself she had to stay awake and she had to stay focused.She had a sex-kitten mission to fulfil. Grabbing what she thought was her sponge, but actually turned out to be a glittery, Disney-princess sponge that chafed from the sparkles, she washed herself over and stood up. Bugger!The heat from the water meant she looked like a rhubarb and custard, bright red where the water had touched and pasty white where it had not. She hoped the lines would disappear by the time Pete got back. It really wasn’t the look she was going for!”

Does her evening go to plan? You’ll have to read the book to find out, but the good news is the lovely people at Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction have lots of fabulous books, including The Purrfect Pet Sitter for 99p in a Mother’s Day Sale – woohoo that’s cheaper than a cup of tea! 

Click to download your copy here.

However you are spending Mother’s Day, I hope you have a lovely day! xx

And of course, I couldn’t do a post about Mother’s Day without mentioning my own lovely mum … 

Happy Mother’s Day, love you lots! xxx